Local street delicacies and cuisines from around the world
Enjoying matcha (抹茶) tea and other confectionery made from it is one of the great pleasures of living in Japan where access to the freshest supplies is plentiful. A few weeks ago a friend invited me on an early morning excursion to sample some of the richest matcha ice cream in the world, an opportunity I could not pass up! Read more
After a particularly sticky summer in Tokyo, autumn has arrived and the temperatures are finally beginning to drop. Looking back, it’s been a pretty good season for adventures and while my memory is still fresh I wanted to share a few interesting spots we visited on a recent road trip to Shizuoka Prefecture (静岡県), a few hours west of Tokyo. Read more
Tokyo’s many neighbourhoods are full of hidden restaurants, cafes & bars, often hidden from view at street level, for which discovery is as much a part of the experience as anything else. Read more
If you love sushi then there’s no better place to enjoy it than in its birthplace – Japan. Ordering is pretty straight forward, especially if you go to a sushi train (回転寿司 kaiten-zushi), but if you’re a real fan and want to know some of the terminology used by professional sushi chefs then checkout the guide below. Read more
Not far from Tokyo’s frenetic Tsukiji Fish Market can be found Marushizu (丸静) – one of the best places to eat fresh grilled eel, known as unagi (うなぎ). One of my colleagues took me there for lunch and it was quite a treat! Read more
One of the interesting things you’ll notice when feeling hungry in Japan is that many restaurants display plastic samples of their dishes in their windows in order to lure you in – especially helpful if you don’t speak Japanese. The fake food is incredibly realistic and has become an art form as well as a massive industry in Japan. Read more
Online food documentary series The Perennial Plate spent two weeks travelling around Japan to create a stomach rumbling short film – From Japan with Love (and Dashi) – looking at the country and its tantalising food. If that leaves you feeling hungry for more you’ll also want to check out Jiro Dreams of Sushi which tells the story of a 85-year-old Japanese sushi chef who has been on a relentless quest his whole life to perfect his craft. I’ve already seen it twice and love seeing how the notions of developing good taste and keeping things simple can be applied in all areas of life.
A recent article published by CNNGo on ‘40 Taiwanese foods we can’t live without‘ garnered over 90,000 Facebook likes and many passionate comments within a few days of being published, proving that if there’s one thing you can count on throughout Asia, it’s that people really like their food. I’d go as far as to say they’re even territorial about who makes what best so it can be a touchy topic of conversation! Read more