Quality rises above the menu scandals
Since the first Tokyo Michelin guide was published in autumn of 2007, the unveiling of each new edition has become one of the major events of the gastronomic calendar. Despite the initial indignation that a foreign tire company could dare to judge Japanese restaurants, ...
Indie food mags develop a taste for Japan
First sushi, then noodles; next sake and wagyū beef: The world's fascination with Japanese cuisine shows no sign of abating. More and more people are writing about it, too, from travel buffs and visiting cooking experts to untold legions of foodie bloggers. Rarely, though, do ...
Gourmet food for cheap, if you can stand for it
Here's a scenario few restaurants would dare to dream of: All tables fully booked a month ahead, all year round; lines outside an hour before opening time; a prompt turnover of satisfied customers, with as many as three rotations per evening. And a bulging ...
Fearless foodies? Let them eat dirt
Soil, dirt, mud ... Call it what you like, the not-so-secret special ingredient at some of Japan's high-end restaurants has a distinctly earthy quality. And over the last couple of months, it's been getting substantial media attention, both at home and abroad. For that, we ...
Japan can learn from the Nordic kitchen
Food production in Japan is not in great shape. For decades, rural populations have dwindled and local farmers have been undercut by imports, at both the cheap and luxury ends of the market. Current plans to open up Japan's famously closed farming market through ...
Farmers markets on the rise in Tokyo
In a city the size of Tokyo, it's all too easy to be unaware of where your food comes from. Most of what we eat is shipped in from far away, not just the extremities of the country but from all around the world. ...
