Search results for “kansai”

Traditional Japanese soups are everywhere in Japan. Morning, noon, and night. They appear at breakfast tables, school canteens, izakayas, and Michelin-starred restaurants alike. Ramen gets most of the international attention, understanda...

Nara is Japan's oldest culinary city. As the country's first permanent capital (710–784 AD), it was the birthplace of Buddhist vegetarian cooking, the origin of Japan's somen noodle tradition, and the place where persimmon leaf sushi was...

Niigata sake is famous for its clean, dry, and refined flavor profile. Snowy winters, soft water, polished rice, and the Echigo Toji tradition shaped this regional sake culture. Today, Niigata Prefecture ranks among Japan’s most respecte...

Japan might not be the first country that comes to mind for vegetarian travel. Many dishes hide dashi, a fish-based broth, in unexpected places. But here's the truth: Japan has a rich, centuries-old tradition of plant-based eating. You j...

Sakura may be the visual symbol of Japanese spring, but takenoko (たけのこ) is its flavor. Bamboo shoots appear in markets across Japan from late March, and their arrival signals a shift in home kitchens and restaurant menus that people ...

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...

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 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...

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...

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 ...