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September 01, 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
Dec 15, 2018
Don't go to the store, make your own New Year's feast instead
The style of osechi (New Year's food) that is popular today is an array of salty, sweet or sour foods made in advance to give the cook of the house a break during the New Year period.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Nov 17, 2018
A comforting udon noodle recipe for the winter season
Two of the most popular everyday hot udon soups are named after animals that have a special place in Japanese folklore and the Shinto religion: the kitsune (fox) and the tanuki (Japanese raccoon dog).
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Oct 20, 2018
Autumn is the season for shinmai, newly harvested rice
Shinmai — rice harvested and processed during the current calendar year — is celebrated for its fresh, clean taste and subtle sweetness. But komai (old rice) also has its place in Japanese history and the kitchen.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Sep 15, 2018
Potato korokke: Deep-fried, delicious and easy to make
Whether you call them croquettes, krokets, or korokke, this classic, easy-to-make deep-fried potato dish can be dressed up with a variety of fillings and sauces.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Aug 25, 2018
Hiyajiru: A soup to get over the last of the summer sweat
Learn how to make hiyajiru, a chilled miso and sesame soup, with this simple recipe.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jul 14, 2018
Edamame: Eat them fresh and green, with a beer or two
Edamame, or immature green soybeans, are the quintessential snack to have with an ice-cold beer, especially in summer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jun 16, 2018
A recipe for the rainy season: Umeboshi-simmered pork
Beat the plum rains with ume nibuta, a versatile pork dish that will see you through June.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
May 19, 2018
Hosting a summer bash? Impress with quick and easy konbujime
A popular drinking snack or side dish accompanying a traditional Japanese meal, konbujime is umami-packed and refreshing.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Apr 14, 2018
Celebrating the spring with homemade Japanese sweets
Spring is a great time for fans of wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets. While many wagashi reflect the seasons all year long visually — especially the colorful, beautifully formed nerikiri created by skilled artisans — this is the time of year when you can taste, as well as see, the season as it...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Mar 17, 2018
Cabbage: The brassica that found a new home in Japan
The humble cabbage is the third most consumed vegetable in Japan according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, following daikon radishes and onions. It's used in everything from stir-fries and gyōza dumplings to pickles and more and, despite the high prices for fresh produce this year, it's...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Feb 17, 2018
What makes a great chawanmushi? Using even better dashi
The clear, umami-packed stock called dashi is the foundation of washoku, traditional Japanese cuisine. Follow this recipe to find out how a good dashi makes a great chawanmushi.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / DAVOS SPECIAL 2018
Jan 23, 2018
Wagashi confections enjoy increased global popularity
Back in the 1990s to early 2000s, my sister worked as a chef in the kitchen of the Toraya Cafe in New York City, the sole North American branch of a famous wagashi (traditional Japanese confections) maker that has been in business since the late 16th century. Her job was to create savory lunch items...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jan 20, 2018
In winter, the humble daikon is the ultimate utility vegetable
The price of fresh vegetables this winter is much higher than usual. That's why this edition of Japanese Kitchen features a classic, daikon-based seasonal recipe that will help your yen go further.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Dec 16, 2017
Break with tradition and bring out the duck this Christmas
These days, having chicken for Christmas dinner is quite commonplace in Japan, whether it's made at home or carried there in a paper bucket. But chicken doesn't have that long a history as an everyday food source.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Nov 18, 2017
Bitter or sweet, the much-loved persimmon is a healthy and versatile fruit
Persimmons come in three types, but amagaki is of most use in the kitchen.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Tools of the Japanese Kitchen
Oct 21, 2017
Donabe: The hardy pot that Japanese cooks swear by
The cookware that has made the biggest comeback in recent years can be traced back to prehistoric times: the donabe, a lidded, heatproof earthenware pot with a matching vented lid.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Oct 14, 2017
Autumn is peak season for ‘sanma,’ a once-common fish that's playing hard to catch
The sanma (Pacific saury) that's caught at this time of year is rich with heart-healthy oils, and is considered a quintessential autumn delicacy in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Tools of the Japanese Kitchen
Sep 23, 2017
Storage matters: The various strata of Japanese fridges and other concerns
A frequently overlooked aspect of kitchens in general is the importance of storage. In fact, most of the space in a kitchen is given over to the storage of utensils and equipment as well as the food itself.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Sep 9, 2017
Attention turns to kabocha squash as cooler weather looms
With cooler weather around the corner, our thoughts turn away from cold noodles and salads to autumn comfort foods like nimono, simmered dishes in a broth, usually a classic seaweed and dried fish-based dashi.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Tools of the Japanese Kitchen
Aug 26, 2017
The mystery of the fish grill and the trials of baking
A typical modern Japanese kitchen is equipped with all sorts of appliances for actually cooking the food, as in applying heat to it.
Alerts issued for Tokyo area cities as Shanshan crawls across Japan
A submerged area of Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on Thursday after Typhoon Shanshan dumped torrential rain throughout the Kyushu region.
Typhoon Shanshan batters Kyushu ahead of likely landfall
A satellite image shows Typhoon Shanshan south of Kyushu on Wednesday afternoon
From tropical storm to 'violent': Japan’s typhoon classifications
A satellite image from Wednesday shows Typhoon Shanshan south of Kyushu as the storm was rapidly intensifying.
Tropical Storm Shanshan soaks Japan as flood and landslide risks rise
People walk in front of closed ticket gates for the Tokaido Shinkansen in Tokyo Station as train operations between Tokyo and Nagoya remain suspended due to Tropical Storm Shanshan on Saturday.
Japan scraps idea to woo women out of city with cash
Bureaucrats had envisioned payments of up to ¥600,000 for women who got married and settled outside of Tokyo, according to media reports.
Japan seeks another record-breaking defense budget for fiscal 2025
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force hold a live-fire exercise at the GSDF's training grounds in the East Fuji Maneuver Area in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in May. Japan's Defense Ministry is seeking another record-breaking budget for fiscal 2025.
Can Japan handle a heat wave and natural disaster at the same time?
A member of the Self-Defense Forces wipes away sweat as he conducts a search and rescue operation at a landslide site caused by heavy rain in Kumano, Hiroshima Prefecture, on July 11, 2018.
Did you feel that? It may be time to refresh your disaster kits — and vocabulary.
A map of western Japan shows the Nankai Trough and, to its north, the hypocentral region where the energy for an earthquake is thought to be building.
This English schoolboy has big dreams of becoming yokozuna — and more
Nicholas Tarasenko trains at Minato stable in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, on Tuesday. Tarasenko’s potential in sumo was made obvious when he won U18 gold in the 90-kg weight class at the 2023 Baruto Cup in Estonia despite being four years under the age limit and having only had a total of one hour of sumo training before the meet.
Kitakyushu clashes with academics over Meiji Era remains
Remnants of the first Moji station complex are located near the current Mojiko Station in the city of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture.

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