There’s just so much good food and drink around that we put three of our great contributors in one awesome article. Keep reading for Bender’s experience at El Charro, Erika’s review of Takarazuka’s The Cricketers, and Ryan’s look at several specialty bars all over Japan. South of the Border in Shinsaibashi: El Charro If…
 The humidity of summer is finally disappearing, replaced by a slight chill in the air at times and announcing the arrival of what the Japanese call shokuyoku no aki（食欲ã®ç§‹ï¼‰. This roughly translates to “the season for eating,†an apt description for the renewed appetite that the cooler temperatures bring. Grilled with a light sprinkling…
The dark, pungent, and crowded area immediately outside Tsuruhashi Train Station serves as forced introduction to Osaka’s Koreatown. As you exit Tsuruhashi Station, the narrow alleys are filled with people and smells greet visitors. The alleys can fit two people comfortably or three people uncomfortably, and as I made my way past little shops…
 Miso is a key ingredient in Japanese cooking but I was too scared to cook with it for a long time, mainly because I had no idea how! I stumbled upon this recipe when exploring the popular Japanese cooking site Cookpad last year and it started my love affair with miso. It’s a super…
This is one of my go-to Japanese side dish recipes. It’s super easy and keeps in the fridge for up to a week, making it perfect bento filler material. You can also add it to salads for a bit of extra colour and flavour or have it as a healthy snack. Ingredients…
“Atsui†needn’t be the only word you use this summer to make small talk in the staff room. Make this easy peasy Japanesey somen lunch and you’ll be bantering about bentos till school’s out. Somen noodles are made of wheat flour and are usually served cold. With an easy dipping sauce, they can be…
Sushi is probably Japan’s most well-known cuisine and in the country you are spoilt for choice, with such a huge variety of price, quality and venue. For the freshest fish it makes sense to eat sushi straight off the boat, and Japan’s incredible wholesale markets are ideal for this. For many, Tokyo’s Tsukiji market is top of the list…
A bento requires three things: a box, tasty food, and visual appeal. The goal of bento is not just to take some food somewhere for later consumption. The goal is that when lunch time arrives the eater finds something visually appealing as well as edible inside that little box. Think of the bento…
A boozy lunch experience, let’s blunch! Our beloved Kobe is not only famous for its drunk cows but also has a decent café scene. The fool proof place for a savvy lunch or kitsch coffee is definitely (in my opinion) Motomachi, those of you who have ever attended a Hyogo AJET Book Club…