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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / 'SUMMER DAVOS' SPECIAL 2014
Sep 10, 2014

Blazing a trail for Japanese sake in China

Masato Nakatani is the sixth-generation head of Nakatani Brewing Co. in Nara Prefecture, and one of the most outstanding figures involved in developing the worldwide sake market. Nineteen years ago, Nakatani began brewing sake in Tianjin, China, and the high-quality "Asaka" sake enjoys nearly the top...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Sep 10, 2014

If the Japanese are so clean, why is there so much crap on my beach?

Do Japanese take their rubbish with them only when people are watching? The view from one small beach on the Miura Peninsula suggests that is the case.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 6, 2014

Kanazawa City: the architecture of tea

One of the first things you see as you exit Kanazawa Station is a giant brass sculpture of a teapot sunken drunkenly into a mound of grass or, depending on your interpretation, tilting to fill a cup of the refreshing green brew the city is noted for. That a municipal piece of art should be dedicated...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / A TASTE OF HOME
Sep 2, 2014

Hankering for the grills and thrills of Greek cuisine

Few things in this world are more pleasurable than sinking your teeth into heavily herbed, charcoal-grilled paidakia, the fabled lamb chops adored and revered by the Greeks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / EVERYMAN EATS
Aug 26, 2014

Refuel and refresh at Japan's gourmet motoring rest stops

Whoever said it's better to travel than to arrive must have been traveling in Japan. Just ask the folks who hit the road earlier this month for the o-Bon summer holidays. Sure, the nightly newscasts were filled with horror stories of bumper-to-bumper traffic, but motorists and their families knew that...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE PERSISTENT VEGETARIAN
Aug 26, 2014

Buddhist dining in unexpected places

I've been aware of shōjin ryōri (traditional vegetarian Buddhist cuisine) for some time. I've had in my mind the image of a Buddhist practitioner painstakingly preparing the seasonal vegetarian dishes, mindful of each ingredient. And from time to time I have vaguely recalled that if I wanted to try...
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 23, 2014

The well-off families who are feeling unwell

We're not living right. It's obvious, though whose fault it is may not be, and what to do about it is certainly not.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Aug 14, 2014

Peninsula Pokemon promotion; monsoon season in Omotesando; disco: still grooving

The Peninsula Tokyo will launch a unique accommodation plan called 'Pokemon Hotel Adventure: The Power of Ten,' in collaboration with the Pokemon Company, from Oct. 1.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 12, 2014

New Kyoto food complex aims to feed the mind and body

On a recent visit to Kyoca Food Laboratory on the edge of Umekoji Park, west of Kyoto Station, I waited more than half an hour for a friend who was "on her way." The mercury was tipping 37 degrees in the midday sun; even the cicadas had given up their racket.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Aug 12, 2014

Tohkasaikan: Chinese food in a location that (almost) justifies the price

Let me first introduce the elevator at Tohkasaikan, a beautiful old Otis workhorse operated by levers and pulleys replete with a dial that wavers as you ascend. It is, in fact, the oldest elevator in Japan, and in a country where taking an elevator is about as quotidian as it comes, this elevator is...
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Aug 11, 2014

Curry spices lower hypertension in rats

Indian medical researchers say they have successfully tested a blend of curry spices that lower blood pressure in lab rats, raising hopes for a natural and affordable drug to treat the chronic disease.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 9, 2014

Sun-dazed on a distant archipelago

It didn't take long for a seasoned group of truck drivers to stake their claim to the best seats in the house or, in this case, ferry. They positioned themselves on tiny plastic seats at the rear of the open deck as the ferry left Tomari Port in Naha City, Okinawa, bound for the island of Kumejima. More...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 7, 2014

Pope rises to Asia challenge

When Pope Francis touches down in Asia next week, a region of the world his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI never visited, he will land in an unexpected place.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 5, 2014

Aji no Nakamura: Comforting food and sake with ambience to match

Twenty years have passed since Teiji Nakamura announced himself to Tokyo with his first bar and, shortly thereafter, his eponymous upscale izakaya tavern — and five since he moved that distinctive, appealing combination of quality cooking, premium sake and buzzy ambience to Namikibashi, in Shibuya....
Japan Times
JAPAN / AT A GLANCE
Aug 3, 2014

Tokyo's storied Nihonbashi raises profile to promote historical role

The Nihonbashi district prospered as Japan's financial and trade center after shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu moved the capital to Edo, the old name for Tokyo, in the early 17th century.
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jul 29, 2014

A midsummer night's dream of dance

Looking out with expressive eyes, their fingertips delicately fluttering and their heads and hips swaying in unique angular movements, Balinese dancers have long enchanted people around the world, with their elegant and at times powerful performances.
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jul 29, 2014

Roppongi Hills cooks up ideas for kids

Cooking with others is a win-win situation. It not only can help foster family togetherness but it also teaches children that preparing food is not simply a chore, it's a useful activity that can be fun.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NATURE'S PANTRY
Jul 29, 2014

Meet the artisan family striving for a better fish flake

The local train bound for Yamakawa bucked and buckled down the coast, jouncing us until our teeth rattled, and Yamakawa was so dinky we had to walk across the train tracks to exit the station. The taxi took us through a confusing rabbit warren of streets and, after asking directions several times, we...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / CULINARY TOOLBOX
Jul 29, 2014

Expo shows industrial-kitchen tech to fuel any foodie’s product lust

On a rainy day in June, the exhibition halls inside Tokyo Big Sight were brightly lit, accentuating the metallic gleam of the high-tech equipment on display at the Japan Food Machinery Manufacturers' Association expo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NAGOYA RESTAURANTS
Jul 29, 2014

Organic Cafe Polan no Hiroba: Vegetarian and vegan fare in Nagoya

Finding a decent vegetarian meal in Nagoya can be a tough task in and of itself, so finding an almost-all-veggie venue that is also vegan-friendly is a very rare treat indeed.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NAGOYA RESTAURANTS
Jul 29, 2014

VegeVege: A lively spot for veggies and their carnivorous friends

The name may be considered a little misleading, as VegeVege does have its fair share of meat and fish dishes, but the entire menu is infused with home-grown goods and local products, so everything available is crisp and garden-fresh.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / EVERYMAN EATS
Jul 22, 2014

O-chūgen: Hand-picked gourmet gifts courtesy of the postman

Even though the Japanese didn't invent the idea of exchanging gifts, they seem to be doing everything they can to convince themselves that they did. This is a culture, after all, that celebrates Christmas without Jesus, piles White Day on top of Valentine's Day, and has developed a whole species of cloth...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Jul 22, 2014

Berry's Cafe: Burgers so good you can forgive the decor

Osaka's Minami-Ibaraki is noteworthy for (at least) two things: a vertiginous lattice of train tracks and elevated highways topped by a monorail, and "Until Sun Child Rises," a giant statue of a yellow anime-like astronaut boy that stands outside the train station. To this list, add Berry's Cafe, which...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Jul 22, 2014

Pancotei: 'Kushikatsu' morsels prepared with obsessive care

Precision. This is the premise on which everything at Pancotei is based, from the angle of the ear of wild asparagus, the volume of the froth on a glass of beer, the suitability of a single Japanese maple leaf as an adornment to a dish, the knot in the master's tie. Precision, bordering on perfection....
CULTURE / Books
Jul 19, 2014

Umami: the taste we love but can't describe

The word "umami" is, in many ways, literally a mouthful. First coined in 1909 by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda, the term translates roughly as "deliciousness." With its satisfying, round consonants and open vowel sounds, the word approaches onomatopoeia — a phonetic approximation of the gustatory...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jul 10, 2014

Cooling off sizzling summer streets; the most important meal of the day; experience Turkish food and wine

Cooling off sizzling summer streets As part of a community collaboration project, the Tokyo Station Hotel is offering a special accommodation plan on July 25, which allows customers to join local community activities.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jul 8, 2014

What to drink when you're eating oysters

Shucking an oyster is harder than it sounds. A fair amount of dexterity is required to pry open the mollusk's tight-lipped shell and liberate the flesh. The one time I tried to open an oyster with a shucking knife, I ended up smashing it with a hammer instead.

Longform

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?