Kacto in Kyoto is a newer restaurant in Kyoto that is located on the Kamogawa River. Kacto is part of the Tysons and Company group which has fabulous restaurants in Tokyo like Cicada, Ivy Place, and T.Y. Harbor. Chef David Chiddo oversees all of these kitchens. I had a short break from work so only…
Category: food
Matcha Latte
Thick matcha 🍵 poured over 🥛 milk is intense and delicious. Kikuya Chaho tea shop is a short walk from Kōriyama Station in Fukushima. Matcha latte is a reverse import from overseas. It’s also sold at Tsukiji Market at Matcha Stand Maruni. Kinako roasted soybean flour and kuromitsu black sugar syrup is like a caramel…
Vegetable Bentō
Met a girlfriend for lunch after eight years. We picked up noriben, nori bentō, from the basement of the Ginza Six department store and headed to the roof. I was so excited to try the vegetable version. Maitaké (hen of the wood mushrooms) tempura, yamaimo (mountain potato) and renkon (lotus root) is grated to a…
City Bakery
The deli plate at @citybakeryjapan. Only 990 yen ($7). There is also selection of breads, both sweet and savory. Many of my clients say that they feel like they are not getting enough vegetables when visiting Japan. So this is one option to get one’s fill of vegetables. Sadly City Bakery has closed in New York…
Kyobashi Isehiro Yakitori
Not far from Tokyo Station is one of my go-to yakitori shops. Isehiro has been grilling chicken skewers for over one hundred years (est. 1921). The tsukune chicken balls, my favorite in the city, have a meaty texture. Isehiro calls these dango on their menu. When I worked at Takashimaya depachika down the street I…
Parlour Kimuraya Kissaten
The morning coffee set at Kimuraya kissaten in the Shinbashi Building near Shinbashi station. Thick toast, boiled egg, and coffee for 490 yen ($3.50). I added a salad and was tickled. Fun presentation – and pineapples! I love these retro coffee shops. The music playing was from when I lived in Japan in the 80s…
Gotta Get – Sesame Seed Paste and Oil
Who doesn’t love sesame? Everyone I’ve spoken to on our tours all go crazy for this (and for yuzu). I first came across Here are three of my favorite sesame products for the Japanese pantry. The nerigoma sesame paste on the left is what I use the most. Mix simply with some sugar and soy…
Japan’s Most Challenging Food
Chinmi. I am not a fan, not one bit. But my husband, Shinji, loves having some type of chinmi in the fridge at all times. Usually we have one or two types, but we recently traveled and Shinji picked up some along the way. Chinmi is fermented seafood, often including the guts or other parts of seafood…
Aoyama Farmer’s Market
Food Sake Tokyo is delighted to host guest blogger Janice Espa. Janice is passionate about food and Japan. She is a great photographer and all of the photos here are from Janice. Janice’s most recent guest post on the Best of Japan Tour now being offered at Coredo Muromachi in Nihonbashi, is very popular and some followers…
Instant Umami – Hanakezuri Kombu
Sashimi is a staple in our home. We never tire of it as the type of seafood we use for sashimi changes throughout the year. Suzuki, Japanese sea bass, is a firm-fleshed fish so it is cut in thin, usuzukuri slices. If it were cut thick, as we do with tuna, it would be too hard…
Nuts and Nori
Nuts and sea vegetables are a new snack for me. The idea was introduced to me by chef friend of mine. My friend was in Tokyo and while here she was on the hunt for a special type of aonori. We looked throughout Tsukiji Market and finally came across what she was looking for. She said…
Gotta Get – Sansai Mountain Vegetables
Today at lunch I was reminded of what a special time of year this is. This gorgeous katakuchi bowl was presented with simmered octopus, fava beans, and fuki. Fuki is the stem of a bog rhubarb. It is no relation to the rhubarb I grew up with in Minnesota. It looks like a thin celery…
Popular Donburi in Japan
Donburi are great one bowl meals. A large bowl of hot rice with toppings. We often eat these at home when we are in a hurry. Or, if Shinji is making the meal, he often resorts to donburi. They are easy to assemble and only one dish needs to be washed. The Asashi Shimbun reported…
International Supermarkets in Tokyo
There is a great article in today’s Japan Times by my former editor at Metropolis, Steve Trautlein. It outlines some of the best supermarkets that offer a wide variety of international products. Some of my personal favorites in this list include Nissin (see photo above), Seijo Ishii, Kaldi, and Eataly. Click here for Steve’s article. Click…
Gotta Get – Taberu Rayu 食べるラー油
When shopping for food products in Tokyo I find there are some items you just gotta get. Either because they are so delicious or as they are a trendy item. Taberu rayu is in the second category. Popular for about two years now it is still a hot item on the market and can be…
Kakigori Shaved Ice 氷
The heat and humidity of Tokyo summers can be overbearing. What better way to cool down than with kakigori (shaved ice sweets). As a child visiting my family in Japan in the summer that is one of my fondest memories. Kakigori topped with sweetened condensed milk (ask for miruku) and garnished with some sweet azuki…
Japanese Knives 101
Japanese Knives 和包丁 Wabouchou There is no better place to invest in a knife than Japan. Although they are not inexpensive, if cared for properly, Japanese knives will last a lifetime. A good knife shop will also carry Western-style knives made in Japan that are sharpened on both sides. Traditional Japanese knives are sharpened only…
Junko Nakahama – Tour Guide to Yanesen Area
My friend Junko Nakahama is a food and wine writer in Tokyo. She has recently started to conduct Saturday tours of the popular shoutengai area Yanesen (Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi). This article from Metropolis magazine (by my editor Steve Trautlein) interviews Junko on some of her favorite foodie spots in Tokyo. http://metropolis.co.jp/dining/table-talk/junko-nakahama/ (text follows) Some…
Setouchi Shunsaikan Antenna Shop
Setouchi Shunsaikan せとうち旬彩館 Minato-ku, Shinbashi 2-19-10 港区新橋2-19-10 Tel. 03-3574-7792 10:00 – 20:00, no holidays http://www.setouchi-shunsaikan.com/ (Japanese) This shop is a collaboration of both Ehime and Kagawa prefectures in the rich Setouchi inland sea on the island of Shikoku. Naturally this shop has a wide variety of seafood. Ehime is also famous for its production of…
Murakara Machikara Antenna Shop in Yurakucho
While antenna shops typically represent a prefecture, this shop carries a mishmash of items from all over Japan. The shop is not that organized, so you have to know what you are looking for. There are several antenna shops in the Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan, like Hokkaido, Akita, and many more, so definitely worth spending some…
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