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December 21, 2024
 

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Makiko Itoh

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@makiwi

Makiko Itoh
Makiko Itoh writes the Japanese Kitchen column, and is the author of the bestselling "The Just Bento Cookbook" and its sequel, "The Just Bento Cookbook 2." A Tokyo native, she runs two Japanese cooking blogs, JustHungry.com and JustBento.com.
The key to cooking these on the stovetop is to keep everything at a very low temperature so that the ingredients slowly steam before setting into a dense, fudge-like texture.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Dec 15, 2024
A Christmas miracle? No, just brownies ‘baked’ sans oven.
With a bit of ingenuity, it’s possible to “bake” your own brownies on a regular stovetop.
Kabocha are harvested in the summer, but they don't reach peak flavor until they mature in the months leading up to fall and winter.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Nov 3, 2024
A perfect dish for peak kabocha season
This dish is an interesting alternative to potato salad and also makes a great appetizer to go along with some pre-dinner drinks. 
Yukio Hattori was an integral part of "Iron Chef" broadcasts, though his impact on food culture in Japan went far beyond the TV screen.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 27, 2024
Remembering Yukio Hattori, the voice of ‘Iron Chef’
Yukio Hattori was best known to international audiences as the expert commentator on the original Japanese version of the popular TV program “Iron Chef,”
Who can survive summer on chilled noodles and salads alone?
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Aug 11, 2024
Fight fiery summer temps with this dry Japanese curry
This recipe is quick to prepare and can be made in advance, making it great for the hot summer months when you don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen.
It may not qualify as a health food, but if spare ribs help you endure Japan's summers, your doctor likely won't mind.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jun 30, 2024
Eat your way to a bit of heat relief
Eating small amounts of nutritionally dense yet balanced foods at regular time periods can help keep Japan’s summer doldrums at bay.
Eat like a Buddhist monk — or like a tofu lover who enjoys a bit of deep frying.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jun 2, 2024
Vegan dumplings to please any Buddhist monk
Whatever you call these tasty dumplings, feel free to mix any finely cut vegetables into the tofu base besides the ones in the recipe.
Making your own sarada chikin is quite easy and economical, and a marinating ingredient that makes it especially tender and juicy is "shiokōji" — cooked rice inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae mold.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Apr 26, 2024
Recipe: Japan’s diet-friendly ‘salad chicken’
You can add whatever herbs or seasonings you like to the marinade for a personalized, healthy dish.
The best way to eat spring cabbage is to either treat it like a quick pickle by rubbing the leaves with salt and leaving them to ferment for a brief time, or by cooking it quickly so that the leaves turn even softer.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Mar 17, 2024
Recipe: Spring cabbage has sprung
Although spring cabbage is tender, it isn't suited to Japan’s traditional method of eating the vegetable raw.
This simple bento recipe is perfect for meal prepping, school lunches and any other meal where you want maximum flavor for minimum effort.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Feb 25, 2024
Recipe: 'Rainbow' bento lunch box
The idea of making a bento every day can seem daunting, but there are a few tricks that you can add to your arsenal that will make the task go smoothly.
'Menchi katsu' are actually made with as much chopped vegetables as ground meat, so it’s a sneaky way to get some veggies into your childrens' diets.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Feb 4, 2024
Recipe: Deep-fried minced meat cutlets
These days, 'menchi katsu' have been become popular as a "B-class gourmet" item — something that is inexpensive but tasty.
The recipe combines daikon with pork belly for a traditional style simmered dish with a twist.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jan 21, 2024
Recipe: Simmered radish with pork
More than 100 varieties of daikon were once grown around Japan, but now only 10 dominate the market.
This savory-sweet cake can be made with either fish paste or shrimp — whichever you think will best guide you into 2024.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Dec 17, 2023
Recipe: Good luck egg and fish rolls
The trickiest part of making “datemaki” is rolling it up — the rolled form is supposed to resemble a paper scroll, representing wishes for the new year.
This stir-fry is a staple of many Japanese meals, and the techniques used to make are also commonly used throughout traditional cuisine.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 5, 2023
Recipe: Carrot and burdock root stir-fry
When selecting "gobō," choose ones that are straight and relatively thin — the thicker, the older.
This sweet and salty dish owes much to both early modern merchants and 20th century Tokyo University students.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Oct 22, 2023
Recipe: Deep-fried sweet (and salty) potatoes
Sweet potatoes are an iconic Japanese treat. Originally from Central America, they came through China in the 17th century to southern Kyushu.
Get a taste of Hokkaido’s playfully named chan-chan yaki — or griddle-cooked salmon.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Sep 11, 2023
Recipe: Hokkaido-style griddle-cooked salmon
This dish reflects a combination of Ainu food traditions from Hokkaido.
Almost every household in Yamagata has their own recipe for this dish of sliced and lightly sauced vegetables.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Aug 6, 2023
Recipe: Yamagata’s famous summer veggie relish
Unlike in most of Japan, in Yamagata Prefecture, “dashi” can refer to this dish of finely chopped summer vegetables and herbs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jul 2, 2023
Recipe: Chilled lime soba
A common saying among Japanese noodle lovers goes: “Udon in the west, soba in the east.”
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jun 18, 2023
Recipe: Fresh vegetable kakiage fritters
Deep frying fresh vegetables like these is not as popular when they're in season, but it’s still one of the easiest ways to bring out the sweetness and crunch of veggies.
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Hiroshima G7 Summit Special
May 19, 2023
From surf ’n’ turf to sweets, Hiroshima a foodie’s oyster
Situated on the western tip of Honshu between the Sea of Japan and the Seto Inland Sea, the climate of Hiroshima Prefecture is one of contrasts, with a northern side chilled by cold currents and a southern side that stays mild and warm. The mountainous areas see snow and the coastal areas can get plenty...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
May 3, 2023
Recipe: ‘Carp’ sushi bento
Perfect for Children's Day, this colorful meal is easier to put together than the final result might suggest.
Mother hopes for reunion with daughter ensnared by Tokyo host clubs
The Kabukicho district in Tokyo, where the daughter of a woman in her 60s fell deeply into the host club culture.
A year after going private, structural reforms bearing fruit for Toshiba
Toshiba's Corporate Senior Executive Vice President Koji Ikeya speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.
Curiosity didn’t kill the meme: Why cats still rule Japanese YouTube
A screen shot from YouTube user @lagelda shows the simplicity of going viral in Japan in 2024: A cat dancing to EDM in front of a green screen.
With rare Asia carrier deployment, France seeks greater interoperability
The flight deck of the French Navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier during a stop at Changi Naval Base in Singapore in May 2019

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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