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Meat-free fare: Vegan Store's omurice (rice omelette) recipe is a closely guarded secret.

Vegan Store: Japan’s first vegan convenience store

by Jane Kitagawa

With its pale, unadorned interior, untreated wooden beams and semi-open kitchen, Vegan Store, a two-story "convenience store" that opened in late 2019 near Tokyo's Kappabashi kitchenware district, is as unlikely a konbini that you will find. With a remit to only stock and serve vegan food, Vegan ...

Big slurp: Jikasei Mensho's vegan tantanmen noodles come in an oversized cup noodle-esque container.

Top 5: Tokyo’s best vegan ramen

by Chisato Tanaka

Ramen may have a reputation for being heavy on fatty pork, chicken or other proteins, but in Tokyo, you can find plenty of mouthwatering options that don't contain any animal products. Restaurants make these primarily for vegans or people on plant-based diets — particularly foreign tourists, m...

New year, new opportunities: What to expect in the Year of the Rat

by Kathryn Wortley

The smallest of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, the rat had only an outside chance in the Jade Emperor's race to determine the zodiac's order. Yet its intelligence, agility and quick-thinking enabled it to win the contest and become the first year in the system's 12-year cycle. According...

As good as new: Turning 60 indicates a fresh start in Japan and includes a special celebration.

Life begins at 60 (or at least it starts anew)

by Daniel Morales

It's good to pause to 振り返ってみる (furikaette miru, look back on things) every now and then. I did so recently and was surprised to see that I wrote 59 Bilingual page columns for The Japan Times in the decade that just ended, the bulk of which were published from 2014 onward. So this is my ...

Cheese, please: This nabe (hot pot) features an entire wheel of Camembert cheese, which melts to form a rich, gooey sauce.

Camembert nabe hot pot: Ooey, gooey and good for you

by Makiko Itoh

On Feb. 1 last year, the economic partnership agreement (EPA) between Japan and the European Union entered into force. Now, imported European food products like wine, pork and cheese have much lower, if not zero, tariffs. This has had an almost immediate impact — last April, after the end of t...