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December 04, 2024
 

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Makiko Itoh

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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.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Nov 13, 2021
Recipe: Mackerel in miso sauce
This simmered mackerel comes with a rich sauce and a gingery kick, with no offputting “fishiness” whatsoever.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Oct 30, 2021
Recipe: Rich and nutty chestnut rice
What do you get when you combine toasted chestnuts with subtly sweet new-harvest rice? A classic, craveable (and vegan!) fall dish.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Oct 9, 2021
Recipe: Umami-rich potato salad
Makiko Itoh revisits the classic Japanese potato salad with an umami-rich, creamy version that has a bit of a spicy kick.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Sep 18, 2021
A recipe for hearty Japanese-style ratatouille
Although it's still warm, we're all starting to crave heartier dishes. Cooking the vegetables separately for this ratatouille may sound like an extra step, but the results are worth it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Sep 11, 2021
Match your mood to one of these mentsuyu noodle dipping sauces
Eating chilled su014dmen noodles is one of the best ways to stay cool during summer. Here are three easy recipes for the accompanying dipping sauce, plus a tasty way to use up any leftovers.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Aug 14, 2021
Two recipes to jazz up the humble hiyayakko
A great, easy dish for a hot summer's day is hiyayakko — chilled tofu with various toppings. These two recipes depart from the usual, and make great drinking appetizers.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jul 24, 2021
Three summery watermelon recipes popular in Japan
Watermelon is a quintessential summer fruit. But what can you do with it besides eat it raw? Try one (or all) of these three refreshing Japanese-style watermelon dishes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jul 10, 2021
How to make curry-style māpō dōfu over cauliflower rice
With Japanese curry, it's the mouthfeel of the rice that's key, so you can easily swap it for cauliflower rice for a low-carb take on the staple dish.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jun 19, 2021
Simmered pork and cucumber salad with ume dressing
This simmered pork is very versatile and can be used as you'd use chu0101shu016b pork — as a topping for ramen or chopped up and put into fried rice, salads, sandwiches and more.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jun 12, 2021
Dress up plain white rice with fresh edamame
Summertime is the season for fresh edamame. Dress up plain white rice by cooking it in umami-packed broth made from edamame pods, and stir in the fresh beans for even more flavor.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
May 22, 2021
How to make Japanese-style simmered squid with new potatoes
Squid is in season, and this surprisingly simple dish stars a whole aori-ika, simmered until tender in a flavorful broth.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
May 8, 2021
Two ways to make Japanese-style spring asparagus
Here are two recipes that go with plain rice as part of a Japanese meal, or even as a light, fresh drinking appetizer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Apr 24, 2021
How to make tonpeiyaki cabbage and pork omelette
The much-easier cousin of okonomiyaki, stir-fried pork and spring cabbage are sandwiched between an omelette for a light, quick meal.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Apr 10, 2021
How to make bamboo shoot Tosa-ni
Fresh bamboo shoots are one of the quintessential spring flavors in Japan, and this traditional simmered dish is an easy, delicious way to try them.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Mar 20, 2021
Fried chicken face off: What’s the difference between kara-age and zangi?
Crispy, juicy and the ideal complement to beer, there's almost nothing better than a plate of Japanese fried chicken.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Feb 20, 2021
Take your pasta up a notch with Niigata’s kanzuri chili paste
Fans of yuzu kosho will love kanzuri's complex heat and citrus undertones — use it in place of harissa or to give dishes an extra kick.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jan 17, 2021
How the napa cabbage became the king of leafy greens in Japan
The napa cabbage is key to both traditional washoku dishes as well as ones of Chinese origin. It's also one of the easiest vegetables to pickle at home.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Dec 19, 2020
This is the quintessential Japanese noodle dish you should eat over new year
Toshikoshi soba is a comforting dish best enjoyed slowly, perhaps with some sake, while you quietly plan ahead for a better 2021.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Nov 14, 2020
Create your own ‘at-home izakaya’ with daikon appetizers
With COVID-19 cases once again rising, why not sharpen your izakaya appetizer cooking skills with this warming simmered daikon and spicy stir-fry?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Oct 17, 2020
As the weather cools, make this hearty nimono simmered stew
The taro has been a staple starch for centuries, and today it's grown all over Japan. Here, it rounds out a fall stew perfect for lunch or dinner.
Japan’s 2024 buzzword of the year urges a reevaluation of past norms
Sadao Abe, who played the role of a time-traveling Showa Era teacher transported to present day in a popular TV drama, receives the 2024 buzzword of the year award for the word "futehodo," the nickname of the series.
Princess Aiko, only child of emperor, turns 23
Princess Aiko on Nov. 22 ahead of her 23rd birthday on Sunday at the Imperial Palace
Ishiba questioned on political reform, social issues and the economy
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks in the Lower House in Tokyo on Monday.
Nearly 90% in Japan and China have negative views of other
Chinese people's sentiment toward Japan is believed to be impacted by their use of social media platforms such as Weibo and Douyin, as well as whether they have visited Japan.
Bear that attacked Akita supermarket employee captured
A brown bear in Hokkaido. In the city of Akita, a bear that attacked a supermarket employee over the weekend was captured in a box trap on Monday morning.
Can Japan's scientific community rebound from a Nobel nosedive?
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo is a popular place to foster curiosity in the natural sciences.
Europe eyes 'boots on the ground' in Ukraine as possible peace deal option
A serviceman with the Ukrainian Army's 24th mechanized brigade fires a machine gun during an exercise, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the country's Donetsk region on Friday.
Seven strangers and an algorithm: Can this new dinner app help you make friends?
Timeleft uses an algorithm to match its users with five or six strangers in an effort to prompt “human connection” over dinner at a restaurant. It determines the attendees with the help of a simple personality quiz available when you sign up for the service. 
Don’t worry, you can still use your Japan health insurance card — for now
A My Number card reader at a pediatric clinic in Tokyo. While the government will stop issuing new health insurance cards on Monday, most people will remain unaffected by the move in the short term as existing health insurance cards can still be used for another year.
The Geisha bean is the leading lady of Tokyo's coffee scene
Discovered in the 1930s, the Geisha coffee plant came to worldwide fame in the early 2000s and now represents some of the best coffee on the planet — Tokyo's top cafes included.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo is a popular place to foster curiosity in the natural sciences.
Can Japan's scientific community rebound from a Nobel nosedive?
By Tomoko Otake

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