Features (articles)

I have not posted here in a long, long while, but I am still here! Health-wise I am not 100%, but am doing okay. And I have some very exciting news to share with you very soon - stay tuned!

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Filed under:  site news
Onigirazu (rice sandwiches)

A new Japanese Kitchen article in The Japan Times, about the influence of social media on Japanese food in the 2010s.

Filed under:  japan times social media writing elsewhere onigiri onigirazu food history
Book cover: The Real Japanese Izakaya Cookbook

I have been translating a lot of Japanese books lately, such as the Asian Salads and Asian Noodles ones I mentioned previously. This is the latest one to come out, called The Real Japanese Izakaya Cookbook, by Wataru Yokota (Tuttle Publishing). I didn't just translate it; I also wrote the introduction (which is why my name is on the cover), as well the detailed explanations of all the Japanese ingredients that readers may not be familiar with.

Filed under:  cookbooks japanese izakaya translations
Asian Salads and Asian Noodles Cookbook Covers

Two Japanese cookbooks about Asian cuisines that I was involved in.

Filed under:  cookbooks asian translations
Tenshinhan

About Chinese-Japanese cuisine or chuuka, a not-quite Chinese but very popular in Japan egg dish, and more.

Filed under:  japan times chuuka eggs dragon ball
A bento box

The long neglected sister site of Just Hungry is finally back!

Filed under:  just bento just bento cookbook writing elsewhere
Pocky display at a Japanese supermarket

A new article about the business side of Pocky, the chocolate covered cookie stick loved by many, is up on my new site Just My Japan. I thought about putting it on this site sinc it's about a food product, but it's more about the marketing and production of the product than the taste or anything, so I put it over there. I hope you take a look!

Pocky and the Japanese Snack Industry

Filed under:  just my japan writing elsewhere pocky
A kamishibai performer

My mother's sleepy hometown was only about an hour away by train from the bustling Tokyo suburb where we lived when I was young, but a world away in many ways. There was no supermarket within walking distance from my grandparents' house, and the local butcher sold no beef since people there only ate pork and chicken unless it was for a special occasion. The huge bath tub was made of rough cast iron - it was filled with water and heated from below with a wood fire, and to get in it one had to stop on the wooden lid and slowly sink it down, to avoid burning ones feet.

Keep reading The Kamishibai Man →
A plate of sushi with fresh shirasu

A post about basic sushi restaurant etiquette, plus additional thoughts about 'good sushi'.

Filed under:  sushi etiquette japan thoughts mayonnaise washoku

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