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July 04, 2025
 

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WASHOKU ESSENTIALS

With the weather warming up, there's no better time to make a bowl of chilled "surinagashi-jiru" (pureed soup).
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
May 18, 2025
Flaunt your seasonal greens with Japan’s traditional pureed soup
Get the best flavor out of your peas and pods by simmering them in a dashi-based broth.
"Udo" (Japanese spikenard) is one of the many vegetables that reach their peak of flavor right as spring comes around.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Mar 23, 2025
Now is the time to discover this Japanese mountain vegetable
At its most flavorful now, the oddly shaped Japanese spikenard adds a juicy and crisp element to salads.
Yellowtail caught during the coldest period of the year is delicious enough — but paired with a classic method of marinade and pan-searing, it's divine.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jan 29, 2025
For two weeks only, cold-water yellowtail can give you chills
According to Japan’s hyperseasonal calendar, January brings with it the chance for yellowtail at the peak of flavor.
In Japan, these sweet morsels are a traditional New Year's treat, but they share a surprising overlap with American Thanksgiving flavors, too.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Nov 10, 2024
The winter sweet that matches perfectly with autumn
If I’m in America for Thanksgiving, I’ll serve "kuri kinton" (syrup-stewed chestnuts in sweet potato paste) as a festive accompaniment to the holiday turkey.
From mid-August through late September, eggplants reach their height of flavor in Japan.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Sep 1, 2024
Japan’s autumn eggplant: Too delicious for your daughter-in-law
In Japan, autumn eggplant has become a shorthand symbol for keeping the most pleasurable things in life to yourself.
Sardines may not be the traditional choice for Japan's special midsummer eel-eating day, but with a few special touches, the fish can be a satisfying and sustainable replacement.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jul 21, 2024
Going eel-less for Japan’s midsummer tradition
Japanese eel is endangered, but sardines are an ethical — and delicious — substitute for this year’s double Doyo no Ushi no Hi.
This is the dish that hooked me on the traditional Japanese ways of the "washoku" kitchen.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
May 26, 2024
Land and sea come together in traditional kitchen staple
For a dish of ingredients that display such culinary affinity, the Japanese have a go-to phrase: "aishō ga yoroshii" (good compatibility).
During cherry blossom season, lunchtime thoughts turn to outdoor picnicking, and savory sakura-flavored rice bundles are the perfect choice.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Mar 23, 2024
Cherry blossoms are just as beautiful on a plate as a branch
With Tokyo’s cherry blossom season imminent, the tree takes center stage in sweet and savory dishes alike.
'Oden' may not be an iconic dish outside Japan, but during winter, there's nothing Japanese diners love more.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jan 28, 2024
In a Japanese winter, homemade ‘oden’ warms the body and soul
In poll after poll, this warming assortment of slowly simmered foods is the top-ranking comfort food for blustery winter nights.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jul 16, 2023
I scream, you scream, we all scream — for amazake aisu
Today, amazake is commonly made by combining warm, cooked rice with kōji, Japan’s magical mold.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
May 21, 2023
Any way you slice it, burdock root stir-fry hits the spot
Named after a folk hero, this dish frequently appears tucked into bento, as a side on family dinner tables and on the menu at pubs and other casual eateries.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Mar 26, 2023
Springtime sawara: Fresh fish, sweet sauce and a perfect sear
Don't settle for storebought teriyaki when you can perfect your own without too much trouble.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Oct 30, 2022
The Ichimatsu motif: Cooking for both flavor and fortune
There's more than meets the eye for foods cooked with this distinctive checkerboard pattern.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Aug 28, 2022
Harnessing togi-jiru, Japanese cuisine's secret weapon
Every time you pour rinse water down the drain, you might be discarding a way to elevate every Japanese dish in your cookbook.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jun 26, 2022
Tsukudani: Simmer your way to rice's best friend
Hundreds of years after it first gained popularity, tsukudani remain a mealtime favorite across Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
May 1, 2022
Brush up on your bento basics
Spring has more than sprung, making these eye-catching bento the perfect addition to your next warm-weather picnic.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Feb 26, 2022
Chirashi-zushi: The go-to dish for any holiday bash
Thanks to its flexibility as a main dish, scattered-style sushi is often a favorite at parties where you don't know how many people might show up.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Dec 26, 2021
Liven your year-end spread with the 'three friends of winter': pine, bamboo and plum
'Nishime' is a favorite dish among the Japanese during the year-end holidays, and this recipe will help ensure your spread makes the cut.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Oct 23, 2021
Why the land-and-sea mindset is so important for Japanese meals
Chefs have consciously included ingredients from both land and sea in the same washoku meal for centuries. What makes the practice so enduring, and how can you use it in your own kitchen?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Oct 23, 2021
Recipe: Mushroom and salmon takikomi gohan (mixed rice)
This classic autumn dish combines the best of land and sea into one bowl. Use any combination of umami-rich mushrooms you like to complement the briny salmon and garnish with fresh herbs.
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

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