Making an O-turn: The siren call of Japan’s rural life
Even as employees increasingly work from home, more people are making an “O-turn,” dividing their time equally between the city and the country.
Muscle Gyoza Veggie: Meat-free doesn’t mean missing out on flavor — or protein
Embracing plant-based foods doesn't mean sacrificing the protein benefits of meat.
It’s 2020: Time for Japan to end its reliance on PET bottles
Japan's intricate approach to packaging — matryoshka-like, within layers of plastic and paper — used to seem charming. In 2020, however, it now just feels annoying and wasteful. Companies have started wising up to the realities of the 21st century, launching eco-friendly PR campaigns. One ...
To meat, or not to meat: The future of Japanese cellular agriculture
Would you notice if the cubed meat in your cup noodle wasn’t “real” meat? If you did, would you care? What if the future of our meat supply counted on it? “Veganism is not for everyone,” says Yuki Hanyu, founder of IntegriCulture Inc. a Tokyo-based ...
Mos Burger goes vegan with its Plant-based Green Burger
This March, Mos Burger debuted a vegan “Mos Plant-based Green Burger” in Tokyo and Kanagawa prefectures. But does this veggie burger’s flavor live up to the chain’s original beef offering?
Breaking ground: Young farmers embrace urban agriculture in Tokyo
Kei Kawana’s kingdom is Neighbor’s Farm, a 2,000-square-meter plot overlooked by the Tama Monorail, which regularly zips by overhead. This March, she celebrated her first year of agricultural activity, the culmination of many years of patient work, planning and wading through bureaucracy. Kawana, an alumna ...
Bio Labo House: Miica Fran’s experimental zero-waste kitchen
Food creator Miica Fran is on a mission to save the planet through her “special healing power” of salvaging and savoring vegetables. Fran runs an experimental zero-waste kitchen, Bio Labo House, out of aVin, a wine shop and bar specializing in bio wines from Rhone ...
Yoshida Noen: 400 years of organic urban growth
In the outskirts of Tokyo, Yoshida Noen farm has been producing organic vegetables for around 300 years, supplying local restaurants with fresh, healthy, even unusual produce.
Free-range eggs from Tottori help crack regional revitalization
A queue of people snakes alongside a shiny glass cafe, with many resigned to a two-hour wait. Their goal: some simple yet famously fluffy pancakes. This could be a typical scene from the trendy Harajuku neighborhood in Tokyo. Except this cafe is surrounded by ...
Vegan Store: Japan's first vegan convenience store
Vegan Store, Japan's first vegan convenience store, is on a mission to demystify vegan fare and make it more accessible in the capital.
Plant-based cuisine: Modernizing Japan's vegetarian traditions
From vegan and vegetarian to organic and superfood, plant-based cooking concepts are rooted in how Japanese people have approached eating for centuries.
Mottainai Action wants no seafood to go to waste
At Mottainai Project Uoharu's Yurakucho and Nakameguro bars, the daily menu relies on "unwanted" seafood from wholesale fish markets in order to combat food waste and promote food sustainability.
