Dear friends, colleagues and those who have expressed an interest in the FOOD & CULTURE of Japan:   W…

The Japanese speak of aki no mikaku (autumnal eating pleasures). Of the many foods placed in that category, a …

The Japanese have long believed that foods beginning with the syllable “U” (written” う in hiragana), have spec…

MA-GO-WA-YA-SA-SHI-I (Grandchildren are kind) This acronym helps speakers of Japanese remember the names of fo…

JUNSAI (water shield; Brasenia schreberi) grows naturally in lakes, ponds and slow streams in many parts of th…

Before mechanical refrigeration was available, people throughout the world struggled with keeping fresh food f…

Takénoko (bamboo) shoots that are left to grow become mature pole-like bamboo trees.The youngest, most tender,…

The world’s oldest known cookbook, “The Art of Cooking,” attributed to Marcus Gavius Apicius…

Akila Inouye runs the Tsukiji Soba Academy in Tokyo. A fan of molecular cuisine, his teaching method relies on…

Do tomatoes taste better when eaten from a nice Japanese ceramic plate? Objectively, no. But the experience of…