Niigata is a fabulous destination for seafood lovers. On the Sea of Japan the fish here is fresher than what many restaurants serve in Tokyo. Saké is also the local drink and I love the many opportunities to try small portions of a variety of nihonshu at bars and retail shops.  At the port on…

A refreshing bowl of chilled soba buckwheat noodles topped with thin slices of hebesu. Hebesu, a tart citrus popular in Miyazaki prefecture in Kyushu. There are few seeds and the skin can be eaten when sliced thin.  Komatsuan is a 100-year-old sobaya from Komagome. It has branches in Ginza, Marunouchi Oazo building, and Shinjuku Takashimaya….

Okume, established in 1871, specializes in kanbutsu dried ingredients, essential for making dashi stock. Dashi is rich in natural umami and is at the heart of washoku Japanese cuisine. Okume has an impressive display of different ingredients for making dashi – up to 36 options – at their retail stores. We visit the Okume shop…

Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma prefecture is said to be one of the three most famous hot springs in Japan. The others being Gero Onsen in Gifu and Arima Onsen in Hyogo near Kobe. In the center of the city is an area called yubatake, literally a field of hot water. At night the yubatake is…

Casual Chinese cafe inside Tokyo Station at Tokyo Oolong. Fried and boiled gyoza potstickers 🥟 , wonton ramen 🍜 , egg and pork, and potato salad. The yuzu ginger drink was filled with chopped ginger overpowering any hint of yuzu. Don’t bother with this drink. But I do love the rest of the meal. There is…