Sushi M: Shaking up the world of sushi through sake pairings
Ever since he was a young chef in his early 20s, Michimasa Nakamura has wanted to shake things up in the world of sushi. Although he cherished its craftsmanship and traditions, he felt constrained by the field's conservative way of thinking, especially in Japan, where ...
Colorful, portable and easy to make: Inarizushi is the best picnic food
Inarizushi "sushi in a bean bag," is an ideal hanami (flower viewing) picnic food since the sweet-salty bags (skins) of fried tofu (abura-age) help ensure the sushi rice fillings taste great for at least a few hours.
Japan sushi chain worker uploads video of fish's journey from trash can to cutting board in Osaka
The operator of one of Japan's largest sushi restaurant chains said Wednesday that video footage recently uploaded to the internet showed one of its part-time kitchen workers throwing sliced fish into a trash can and then returning it to a cutting board at an ...
In a Tokyo neighborhood's last sushi restaurant, a sense of loss
"I'll have a draft," says Yasuo Fujinuma, heaving himself down at the sushi counter. He pulls a pack of cigarettes from a frayed pocket of his sweater. From the corner of the restaurant, a small TV hums the noon weather forecast. He never drinks ...
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 ...
Kura's Kunihiko Tanaka: From peddling vinegar to running a sushi empire
Kunihiko Tanaka was peddling vinegar to sushi restaurants in western Japan when he spotted the opportunity that would change his life. It was the 1970s, and the sushi industry was set to boom. But Tanaka thought it was seriously flawed in how it operated. Artisan ...
A weekend in Sapporo: Fresh crab, craft beer and sculpture gardens
For more than a third of the year, Sapporo is buried beneath thick snow. During its warmer months, however, the city shrugs off its winter coat and bursts into life. If winter is uncomfortably cold, then summer is refreshingly cool; Sapporo doesn't suffer from the ...
Italy's first sushi chef on risk, reward and personal sacrifice
Minoru "Shiro" Hirasawa served the country's first sushi over 40 years ago.
More than the auction: Tsukiji restaurants to visit before it moves
Before Tsukiji fish market — and the restaurants in Uogashi Yokocho — moves to its new location in Toyosu, visiting a few of its culinary gems in this historic location is a must.
Sushi's balancing act: Tradition versus adaptation
For leading food critic Masuhiro Yamamoto, sushi is part food, part theater, a dining experience unique among Japanese culinary traditions. From the closed-off tuna auctions of Tsukiji to the chefs who meticulously craft morsels of fish for loyal customers, each player has a role ...
What is Edomae sushi? Edomae sushi has had a major influence on modern-day sushi, especially the popular nigiri-zushi, which is usually a single piece of raw fish on rice. Edomae, created in Tokyo in the Bunsei Era (1818-30) during the Edo Period (1603-1868), is said to ...
Dining out in Tokyo in the age of gastro-tourism
Tokyo: It's the world's greatest dining city. Twenty years ago this assertion — one I delighted in dropping into conversations whenever possible — would have been met with bemusement if not ridicule, especially among the gourmets of Paris or New York. These days, few ...
