Lifestyle Dec 26, 2021
COVID-safe ways to ring in the new year in Japan
by Rebecca Saunders
With infection rates nationwide dwindling, many are thinking of returning to more traditional celebrations as the year winds down to a close.
Food & Drink | JAPANESE KITCHEN Dec 14, 2019
Whether it's sweet or savory, zōni soup is a new year mainstay
by Makiko Itoh
For centuries, mochi rice cakes have been a part of festive occasions in Japan, especially during the new year holidays. A hearty zōni soup is one classic way to incorporate mochi into your new year meal.
Food & Drink | JAPANESE KITCHEN Dec 15, 2018
Don't go to the store, make your own New Year's feast instead
by Makiko Itoh
The style of osechi (New Year's food) that is popular today is an array of salty, sweet or sour foods made in advance to give the cook of the house a break during the New Year period.
Food & Drink | NATURE'S PANTRY Dec 30, 2016
The flexibility of 'osechi ryori,' Japan's traditional New Year's food
by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
During the New Year's holidays, many Japanese eat osechi ryōri, a collection of traditional foods developed during the Heian Period (794-1185). It originally consisted of fish or vegetables simmered in soy sauce and sweet mirin but, as the years passed, other foods were incorporated ...
Food & Drink | JAPANESE KITCHEN Dec 16, 2016
Sukiyaki, Japan's other New Year's meal
by Makiko Itoh
Late last December I went to a Tokyo branch of my favorite butcher shop, Ningyocho Imahan, to buy some meat to make a roast beef for my family's New Year's meal. When I arrived I was surprised to discover an hourlong wait to order. ...
Food & Drink | JAPANESE KITCHEN Oct 14, 2016
'Kuri': The nutty staple of ancient Japan
by Makiko Itoh
Fresh chestnuts are one of the few things in Japan that are truly seasonal and not available year-round like so many other food products these days. Chestnuts (kuri in Japanese) have been consumed here since prehistoric times. Charred chestnuts that are more than 9,000 ...
Food & Drink | JAPANESE KITCHEN Dec 16, 2014
Ring in the new year with refinement
by Makiko Itoh
The quintessential washoku, or traditional Japanese cuisine dish, is nimono — vegetables and other ingredients simmered in a broth of dashi stock, sake, mirin, sugar and soy sauce or miso. Nimono can be made in advance and served warm or cold, saving the cook ...
Culture | NEW YEAR SPECIAL Jan 1, 2014
Wearing kimono, getting together with family and friends, and not working for the first three days of a new year. Shogatsu, or New Year's, is when Japanese generally work less than the rest of the world. It is also the time to follow long-standing traditions ...