With the busy year-end trading period underway at the new Toyosu wholesale food market in Tokyo, intermediary wholesalers are calling for the general public to be allowed entry to directly buy fish. Unlike in the former Tsukiji market, only fish retailers and other professionals have ...
Seafood company Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd. has developed alternatives for Japanese flying squid and imported salmon to meet sushi and sashimi demand. Record poor catches of the squid in waters around Japan since 2016 have pushed up prices sharply. As of late February, the squid's ...
Tsugu: An upmarket izakaya with a subtle touch
Tsugu is located a few corners from Shijo Karasuma, the main intersection in downtown Kyoto. That said, even when a digital map is just a tap away, finding it through the side streets may prove a little difficult, so look for a statue of ...
Why do we need a little bit on the side?
Dear Alice, I have been wondering about something for a long time: Why is sashimi always served on those piles of stringy daikon radish? Has this always been the case? Does the daikon serve any purpose, or is it just there for decoration? Also, what ...
Before Japan ate raw fish, there was himono
Japan is famous as a nation that loves raw seafood. But dried fish has a much longer history here and has played an important role in Japanese society for hundreds of years. There are basically two kinds of dried fish products in Japan. The ...
Raw pork liver fans say goodbye to banned sashimi
Fans of raw pork liver savored their last chance to taste the dish on Thursday night as they expressed mixed feelings on the arrival of a new food safety regulation Friday that bans eateries from serving pork sashimi. "I often eat (pork liver sashimi) at ...
Early morning sushi in Osaka that's a cut above the rest
If someone were to ask me where the best place in Osaka to go for sushi at 5 a.m. is, I would answer — immediately and unequivocally — that it's Endo's. Of course, it might also be the only place open at such an ...
Tackle a mountain of tempura at Tottuan
Is there ever a good time to be under a train? Well, yes. If it happens to be in Tottuan, which is directly under the loop line in Osaka. Every time a train rolls by you hear it, feel it — but not in ...
Sushi Masa: Become one of the locals
Sushi Masa is a locals' joint, the kind of place where everybody knows your name; by the end of the night they knew mine, too. It isn't hard to make yourself known: There's a kitchen, a counter, two tables and a few seats, so ...
Kaisenyatai Okuman: seafood a fisherman would love
Okuman is all about the fish: head, bones, fins and tail. And eyes and scales, and entrails too — that's what you get at Okuman. Apologies, I have been overwhelmed by kids' songs lately. It was after eight on a weeknight when we dropped by ...
Refuel and refresh at Japan's gourmet motoring rest stops
Whoever said it's better to travel than to arrive must have been traveling in Japan. Just ask the folks who hit the road earlier this month for the o-Bon summer holidays. Sure, the nightly newscasts were filled with horror stories of bumper-to-bumper traffic, but ...
J-blip: Scorpionfish on the menu in Shizuoka
Today's special at Uoshige Shokukou? Deep sea delicacies, served up fresh.
