J.J. O'Donoghue - The Japan Times

CULTURE / Books

Jun 11, 2016

'The Story of Emoji' speaks for the symbols we speak through

There are two types of people in the world: those who fret about the invasion of emoji, and those who seem to have umbilical attachment to them. Gavin Lucas is most likely in the second category. Though his book is called "The Story of Emoji," a more accurate title might have been "The Story and Possibilities...

LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS

Jun 10, 2016

Okina: The intangible joys of heirloom eggplant

In 2013, UNESCO gave Japanese cuisine, or washoku, Intangible Cultural Heritage status, an unwieldy mouthful that left some people wondering, "What's that?" A recent lunch at Okina, near the tourist mecca of Arashiyama in northwest Kyoto, provided a clear path through the official language.

LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS

Jun 10, 2016

Ichikawaya Coffee: A young cafe inside a 200-year-old wooden townhouse

Many of Kyoto's traditional wooden machiya townhouses are being renovated, and one of the most enchanting ones that has recently opened to the public can be found a few minutes walk from the endless stream of tourists visiting Kiyomizu Temple.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS

May 28, 2016

Thomas Bertrand: 'My passion for food makes me very curious'

French entrepreneur on bento boxes on trains and putting a bit of salt and lemon on rice.

LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS

May 27, 2016

Chi-Fu: Chinese-Japanese fusion dressed in French clothing

Chi-Fu is a French restaurant in every sense except the cooking. The maitre d' and wait staff are besuited and seemingly straight-laced, the linens are crisp white, the wine list is long and, yes, there are the inevitable oversize plates on which chefs sparsely arrange morsels connected by a sprinkling...

LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS

May 27, 2016

Naniwa: The taste of summer in Japan

The small and flimsy Naniwa cafe is located on Tengonakazakidori, one of my favorite shōtengai shopping streets in Osaka. Compared to the neighboring Tenjinbashisuji Shotengai, which stretches for 2.6 kilometers, Tengonakazakidori Shotengai is a short stroll. What it lacks in length it makes up for...

LIFE / Lifestyle

May 21, 2016

Where's the beef? Matsusaka looks to carve out a name for itself

Mie Prefecture's meat industry seeks to promote its prime marbled cuts worldwide.

CULTURE / Books

May 21, 2016

'Christ's Samurai' is an account of the days when Japan went to war with Christianity

Jonathan Clement's latest book focuses on the troubled arrival of Christianity to Japan, and the Shimabara Rebellion, an uprising of Catholic Christian peasants in 1637-38.

LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS

May 13, 2016

Sakamoto offers an 'only in Kyoto' experience

There's every chance that while dining at Sakamoto you'll end up in a tourist's photo. It's not because of who you are, but where you are. Diners sit overlooking the shallow Shirakawa River, which is lined with restaurants, bars and cafes on one side, and a cobbled street with cherry trees and willows...

LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS

May 13, 2016

A sweet retreat in Toraya's tea rooms

Tokyoites could be forgiven for thinking Toraya is theirs as it has been based in Tokyo for more than a century. This famous teahouse and confectioner, however, has its origins in Kyoto. When the capital moved to Tokyo, Toraya followed suit, moving its operational base both to curry favor with the Emperor...

LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS

Apr 22, 2016

Ukon: Traditional kaiseki cuisine served in a bento box

The answer: bento box. The question: What Japanese food — or type of meal — would I miss most if I left Japan? And now for some qualifications, before an explanation in the form of a restaurant review.

LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS

Apr 22, 2016

541+: Mastering the art of dumplings and elaborate puns

There are all manner of euphemisms to describe the size of 541+: cozy, intimate, snug. But in reality it's a closet containing three small tables separated from the kitchen by a fridge.

CULTURE / Art

Apr 19, 2016

Kyoto's photographic slice of life

Kyotographie is growing up. The international photography festival, which runs for a month at various stunning venues throughout Kyoto, is in its fourth year. So far there have been no signs of growing pains, even if the Kyotographie team members appear a little exhausted as they gather at their ramshackle...

CULTURE / Books

Apr 16, 2016

'Six Four' is a haunted, complex novel by Japan's heavyweight crime writer

Prior to writing crime novels, Hideo Yokoyama worked at the Jomo Shimbun newspaper in Gunma Prefecture for 12 years, first as a police reporter and then as a desk editor. The police beat, and the relationship between the police and press is central to the complex machinations in "Six Four," Yokoyama's...

LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS

Apr 8, 2016

Godan Miyazawa: Traditional multicourse cuisine unsettled by a wild bear

Regrets? I have a ton. Here's one: I didn't get to eat bear meat at Godan Miyazawa. Perhaps one of the drawbacks of the omakase (chef's selection) here is that there's no actual menu to provide information about what's being served. Trusting your chef is a small price to pay for an elaborate multicourse...

LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS

Apr 8, 2016

Nick Stock: The steaks are high but the muzak is terrible

There is elevator muzak and shopping channel muzak, but combine these two subgenres and you'll have a type of muzak so bland that even a computer would be embarrassed to claim ownership of it. Yet there's no avoiding this banal background music at Nick Stock, a steakhouse and cafe just west of Kyoto...

LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS

Mar 25, 2016

Fujimoto: Superlative sushi at an informal counter restaurant

Fujimoto is that rare kind of sushi restaurant that has covered many bases without tripping over any of them along the way. Take the price, for example. While the omakase (set menu) options for lunch and dinner are priced between ¥3,500 and ¥6,000, the a la carte menu starts from around ¥900 for a...

LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS

Mar 25, 2016

Ramen Yashichi: Enjoy some of the city's best noodles without lining up

Yashichi is a notable ramen shop on two counts: it ranked 39 on review website Tabelog's top 50 ramen restaurants for 2016 and has devised a way of dealing with its popularity by eliminating long lines to get it. Rather, when you pull up to its ramshackle exterior, one of the servers will issue you with...

CULTURE / Books

Mar 19, 2016

There's just one problem with Marie Kondo's 'Spark Joy'

In "Spark Joy" Marie Kondo, the decluttering guru and publishing phenomenon, looks to build on the success of her debut, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up," by more or less repeating herself. The only noticeable additions are cute illustrations revealing how to fold panties and trunks, pack your...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES

Mar 16, 2016

Kyoto monk on a mission opens his doors to diversity

Business-savvy Zen abbot invites media attention, praise and criticism with his embrace of same-sex weddings.

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