Next time you’re in the capital; don’t bother queuing for the Sky Tree to get the view. Head to the 53rd floor of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower at sunset for a spectacular 360° view of the city (and the Sky Tree itself for that matter), then enjoy a decadent dinner with the best seats…
Fujisan – That eponymous symbol of Japan. A perfectly shaped cone, almost artfully topped with snow, towering over Shizuoka and Yamanashi; visible in all its glory from Tokyo when the haze abates. Since ages past it has held a special place in the Japanese psyche, a sacred mountain oft depicted in artwork and literature. It’s…
å…波羅蜜寺    &   å…è§’å ‚ Crossroads, Centerpoints and Sixes, a Tale of Two Kyoto city Temples Rokuharamitsu-ji and Rokkakudo are temples 17 and 18 of the 33-temple path, and both are located in the city of Kyoto, one of them at its very center. We’ll explore both in one article, since it’s easy to visit them on…
As the weather begins to heat up, and the last vestiges of the cold season that once was wither away, we begin to find ourselves outside more, enjoying the sun and exploring the places that our winter selves only dreamed of in a huddled mess under a blazing kotatsu. The seemingly late arriving spring, with…
Delicious pork and vegetable dumplings which go well with the fried rice from last month’s issue! 200g minced pork (豚ã²ã肉；butahikiniku) 400g cabbage 1 bunch Chinese chives (ã«ã‚‰ï¼›nira) 1 leek 2 packets of dumpling wrappers (餃åã®çš®ï¼›gyoza no kawa) 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp salad oil 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp grated ginger 1/2…
After a necessary hiatus last month, Miso Green is back! I had in fact written an article for the May issue— that I ultimately hated—about 100 yen shops. That article is still quite immature and will probably appear in another form in the coming months. Instead, I’d like to talk about something very personal—the way…
I have a confession to make: I am a traitor to the supremacy of Hyogo-ken. I’ve been cheating on our Asian home with the next door neighbour. Yes, I am having a torrid affair with Osaka. Kobe’s nice and all, but Osaka just sizzles with energy and adventure; it’s the bad boy every twenty-something fools…
Today I bring to the table The Mochi Diaries Chapter 5 – Ninja Kusa Dango è‰é¤… I picked up this box on a recent trip to the Iga Ueno Ninja Festival (伊賀上野 NINJA フェスタ ) a 5 week event that is run by the city of Iga 伊賀市 in Mie prefecture 三é‡çœŒ from April 1st to May 6th…
Hi all! I hope that everyone is delighted about the weather warming up, I’m certainly happy that I can comfortably leave the windows open and cycle around in a t-shirt. No doubt by next month we’ll all be complaining about lack of air-conditioning and sweating in places we didn’t know we had glands. As…