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J.J. O'Donoghue
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 27, 2017
Magician Ben Daggers: 'Magic has the unique ability to bring people back to a child-like state where anything is possible'
Self-described English gentleman on drinking tea and a new trick involving an audience member and a lemon.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
May 13, 2017
Shimme offers unpretentious pub cuisine for all
As much as I love eating out in restaurants that run the gamut from high class to low, from holes in the wall, to all-you-can-eat, my heart — or is it my stomach — sings most when I'm in a good, solid izakaya (Japanese pub).
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
May 13, 2017
Al Camino's simple pizza offerings are hard to resist
Pizza's time has truly arrived. There are plenty of places where the pizza is more like a first cousin of that fried batter staple, okonomiyaki, meaning smothered in mayonnaise — but the true Neapolitan masterpiece also has a following here. If you're in Kyoto, be sure to search out Al Camino.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 6, 2017
Calling card: the evolution of business cards in Japan
On the afternoon of Jan. 26, 1948, a man claiming to be a public health official walked into a branch of Teikoku Ginko (Imperial Bank) in Tokyo's Shiinamachi district and told all 16 people present that dysentery had broken out in the neighborhood.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Apr 22, 2017
Soryuko: spoiled for choice and big portions
The menu at Soryuko, a popular Chinese restaurant in Tenma, runs to roughly about 200 items, bound together in a large laminated volume. Narrowing this down to a few choices can be dizzying, but here's a hack that will help: put down the menu and go for a walk.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Apr 22, 2017
Sandwich Factory: curious atmosphere, huge selection
Using the word factory to describe a restaurant lends a sort of industrial, rugged feeling. You're ready for something heavy duty.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Apr 8, 2017
Queen of Chickens: Great chicken in close quarters
Chicken is king at Queen of Chickens, and it comes cooked every which way you can think of, but most notably it's the rotisserie chicken — skewered on a spit and slow roasted — that brings people in.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Apr 8, 2017
Burlesque: Hamburgers and haircuts
Am I alone in thinking that some of the best-looking restaurants in Japan turn out to be hair salons?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Apr 8, 2017
'Fireworks': Short stories and fables from Angela Carter's two years in Japan
"Fireworks: Nine Profane Pieces" brings together a beguiling mix of first-person narratives from English novelist Angela Carter's two-year hiatus in Japan at the tail end of the 1960s, and they are as brilliant as they are bizarre.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 8, 2017
Ken Yokoyama: 'Be selfless and look at the big picture'
Former general manager of Hyatt Regency Kyoto on tourism, hospitality and pink Cadillacs.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Apr 1, 2017
'The Blue-eyed Salaryman': Little changes for those inside Japan's big firms
"The Blue-eyed Salaryman" is Irishman Niall Murtagh's account of working for Mitsubishi.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Mar 24, 2017
Gomachu: Imbuing tofu with the power of sesame
At Gomachu, tofu is fun, and possibly even exciting. It may even be sexy — the jury is still out.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Mar 24, 2017
Teianda: Cooking with the heart and soul of Okinawa
On the corner of Ogimachi Park directly west of Umeda you'll find a little oasis of Okinawan cuisine and culture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 10, 2017
Are indoor farms the next step in the evolution of agriculture?
You've probably heard of farm-to-table, or even farm-to-fork, agricultural movements that emphasize the connection between producers and consumers. But what about factory farm-to-table?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Mar 10, 2017
Iwasaki: Family run, Michelin starred, and no food photos allowed
It was a coincidence that on the same day we had a reservation for Iwasaki, a small family-run restaurant west of Kyoto's Municipal Office, the Iwasaki's were quietly marking a milestone: the restaurant's 10-year anniversary.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Mar 10, 2017
Asano: Sake tasting as an antidote for the shopping blues
This one is for the shoppers, or for those who have to go shopping but would rather be drinking sake. On the ground floor of Kyoto Aeon Mall, directly behind Kyoto Station, and just beyond the cash registers at Kohyo supermarket, you'll find Asano, a sake shop that has a small counter where they serve...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 1, 2017
Building a family with a difference: American couple in Japan explain decision to adopt child with disabilities
Confronted with hard questions about why they felt the need to adopt, the O'Briens chose to raise Sam, a child with Down syndrome.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Feb 24, 2017
Nuwara Kade: Sri Lankan cuisine that take spice seriously
Hands up if you think spicy food in Japan could do with being (a whole lot) spicier?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Feb 24, 2017
Takoriki: Where champagne and takoyaki meet halfway
A few years ago, Katashimo Winery in southern Osaka brought out Tako-cham, a limited-edition sparkling wine that, as is suggested by its name, is an ideal partner for takoyaki, the nation's favorite batter ball.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Feb 10, 2017
Tan: One table, washoku and experiments in communal dining
At its most elemental, cooking is experimentation: a bit of this, some of that, hey presto. In Japan, the experimentation is mostly confined to the kitchen. It's unlikely restaurants such as London's Dans le Noir, where diners eat in darkness sans phones, would take off here.

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