There is an old saying in Japanese: “Never say ‘kekko’ (enough), til you’ve seen Nikko” (日光を見ずして結構と言うなかれ). This attests to the place Nikko has in the Japanese psyche, that it is the ultimate sacred place of mystical beauty, and of deep…
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There is an old saying in Japanese: “Never say ‘kekko’ (enough), til you’ve seen Nikko” (日光を見ずして結構と言うなかれ). This attests to the place Nikko has in the Japanese psyche, that it is the ultimate sacred place of mystical beauty, and of deep…
Udon noodles are white noodles made from plain flour (not rice flour) and salted water. A Japanese staple for more than a thousand years, udon was introduced to Japanese cuisine in the Nara period (奈良時代), AD 710-794. There are many…
As a follow up to my Daikon no Nimono 大根の煮物 recipe, this is an extremely popular Kyoto dish called Furofuki Daikon ふろふき大根. There are many variations of course, and the difference lies in the miso sauce. One comment about daikons:…
Daikon no Nimono 大根の煮物 is an extremely simple dish that is a regular, traditional accompaniment in Japanese meals. Daikons 大根 are very nutritious. The taste takes a bit of getting used to for non-East Asians but once you eat it a…
Latin: Cryptotaenia japonica Japanese: Mitsuba ミツバ, 三つ葉 Chinese: 三叶芹/三葉芹, 鸭儿芹/鴨兒芹 Korean: 파드득나물, 압아근(鴨兒根) English: Wild Japanese Parsley Mitsuba is a wild herb native to East Asia. Used commonly as a garnish in Japan, its stems and roots could also be…
Before 2017, I had never heard of Shirakawa-go 白川郷. Memories of remote mountain villages in Japanese folklore that I watched on television when I was little, seemed nothing but bygone myths, until I discovered the existence of Shirakawa-go 白川郷. Located…
During my recent trip to Osaka, I made sure to indulge in an unforgettable meal at Kani Doraku かに道楽. “Kani” means “crab“, while “doraku” means “frenzy or orgy“. With such a name, you can imagine the palpitations my…
I have recently fell in love with the powdered Japanese green tea called Matcha 抹茶 during my recent trip to Japan. It was during a visit to a samurai’s house in Kanazawa, where I was served an exquisite bowl…
It is clear that Japanese ramen is an import from China to Japan, and a very late one too. However, it is not true that prior to the popularisation of ramen in Japan, the Japanese did not have noodles. In…
One of my favourite ramen has to be the Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen 豚骨. Tonkotsu 豚骨 ramen is renowned the world over for its thick, aromatic and flavoursome broth. Although there are now ready-made tonkotsu broths in the supermarket, making…