Ryo Iwa– Author –
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Hitachi Aki Soba (常陸秋そば)
Japan offers many varieties of noodles for hungry travelers. While many people enjoy ramen, soba holds a quiet, elegant charm. Have you heard of Hitachi Aki Soba? It comes from Ibaraki Prefecture and is truly special. I remember tasting ... -
What to Eat in Hiroshima: 20 Must-Try Foods for Every Visitor
Hiroshima is one of Japan's most distinctive food cities — a place where bold flavors, fresh Seto Inland Sea seafood, and deeply local traditions come together in ways you won't find anywhere else. The city is famous worldwide for its la... -
Mito Umeshu (水戸の梅酒)
There is a garden in Mito that changes everything in late February. Kairakuen fills with the scent of plum blossoms before most of Japan has noticed winter is ending. Three thousand trees, one hundred varieties. The pale pink and white f... -
Japanese Food Trends: How Japan’s Food Culture Is Evolving
🍱 Japan Food Scene Japanese Food Trends: How Japan's Food Culture Is Evolving From the fermentation revival and premium onigiri culture to plant-based washoku and the natural sake movement, a guide to the trends shaping Japanese food to... -
Nada Gogo Sake (灘五郷の日本酒)
There is a stretch of land between Kobe and Nishinomiya that produces more sake than anywhere else in Japan. It is not especially large. You could drive through it in twenty minutes. But what comes out of this narrow coastal strip has sh... -
Kobe Beef Croquette (神戸牛コロッケ)
Some foods punch above their weight. The Kobe beef croquette is one of them. On the outside, it looks simple. A golden, panko-crusted oval. Crispy. Unpretentious. You can hold it in one hand and eat it standing on a street corner in Kobe... -
Kobe Miso Gyoza (味噌だれ餃子)
Ask most people how they eat gyoza and they will say: soy sauce, rice vinegar, a drop of chili oil. That combination is standard across Japan. It works well. Nobody questions it. But in Kobe, the default is something different entirely. ... -
Kobe Pudding (神戸プリン)
Kobe has a way of surprising people. Most visitors arrive expecting Kobe beef. And yes, the steak is extraordinary. But tucked into gift shops at Sannomiya Station and Shin-Kobe is something far more portable, and arguably just as iconic... -
Kobe Bokkake (ぼっかけ)
Most visitors to Kobe go straight for the steak. That is completely understandable. Kobe beef is one of the most celebrated ingredients in all of Japan. But the city has another beef dish. It is less famous. It costs a fraction of the pr... -
Monjayaki vs Okonomiyaki: What’s the Real Difference?
You have probably heard of okonomiyaki. But monjayaki? That one trips up a lot of first-time visitors to Japan. Both dishes involve a hot iron griddle, batter, and a group of people crowded around a table. Yet they taste, look, and feel ...