Aomori Joppari

Spring break in Tohoku. We started in Aomori. Dinner at this very cool izakaya called Joppari. One wall is lined with sake. Diners sit around a c-shaped counter. The menu has lots of photos and features local Tohoku dishes including harako meshi of salmon and ikura over rice, tsukemono pickles, kara agé fried chicken, scallops…

Beef Tongue Breakfast

Rikyū servers gyūtan, beef tongue, with rice, beef tail soup, and tororo grated mountain potato. Agree the tongue is grilled. #Gyūtan is a specialty of #Tohoku and particularly #Sendai in #Miyagi prefecture. Perfect breakfast at #TokyoStation for a long day of travel and exploring. Rikyū is located in the basement inside Tokyo Station in the…

Bandai Atami Onsen in Fukushima

For Golden Week holidays we explored Fukushima in the Tōhoku region in northern Japan. On the first day we took the shinkansen to Kōriyama. Kōriyama is only one hour and fifteen minutes by shinkansen. Tourist information staff is very helpful. There is also an exhibit of local products by D&Department. A good reminder of products…

Park Hyatt Tokyo Kozue’s Tohoku Heroes

Kozue at the Park Hyatt Tokyo is a lovely spot for Japanese cuisine. At lunch if the skies are clear you have a gorgeous view of Mount Fuji. At night the city twinkles below you. Two years ago Kozue did a special Tohoku menu to show their support for three prefectures that were hit hard…

Taste of Culture – The Tohoku Kitchen Workshop

Elizabeth Andoh’s school, Taste of Culture, is a wonder school in Tokyo for learning about Japanese cuisine and food culture. This class was on the cuisine of Tohoku. My mother is from Yamagata and I still have family there. It is always so impressive to see that the cuisine is so rich in Japan as…

Tohoku Food Festival at Takashimaya Nihonbashi

  This weekend through Monday the 12th, stop by Takashimaya Nihonbashi’s 8th floor (large event space) for a special food festival featuring the food of the Tohoku region. My mother is from Yamagata so Tohoku holds a very special place in my heart. Shinji also works with many fishermen from Aomori to Iwate and Miyagi…