Click on photo or link to read the feature Why, Japan, Why?: Extreme lunchboxing: The what, how & why of Japanese bentō No country has made more of an art of packing a bag lunch and no moms* put more effort into this most resented of daily chores than those in Japan. Here’s why they doContinue reading “JUL-AUG 2022”
Category Archives: November
MAY-JUN 2022
Click on photo or link to read the feature Why, Japan, Why?: International Food Fails of Japan In a country where only 24% of the population even have a passport (compared to 45% of Americans and 78% of Brits), the closest most Japanese have ever been to “foreign” food is the restaurant down the block.Continue reading “MAY-JUN 2022”
MAR-APR 2022
Click on photo or link to read the feature Japanese Home Cooking: Sweet Sesame Spinach As a veteran vegetable hater, I have a special spot in my grinchy heart for leafy greens, but this traditional Japanese way of cooking spinach is so good I can eat a bag of green stuff as big as myContinue reading “MAR-APR 2022”
NOV-DEC 2021
Click on photo or link to read the feature Japanese Home Cooking: Kinako Shortbread Cookies with Salted Brown Sugar Buttercream Every holiday season I like to sneak one new cookie onto the plate of old favorites, and I can already tell these are going to be a big hit! They’re sparkly and buttery (with aContinue reading “NOV-DEC 2021”
Let’s go to Fox Village…in the snow!
Fox Village in Miyagi prefecture Fox Village is a legendary fox sanctuary in the mountains of Miyagi prefecture, where you can go into the spacious hilly habitat and walk among the dozens of foxes that live there. It’s an amazing opportunity to get up close and personal with this legendary trickster, and if you’re luckyContinue reading “Let’s go to Fox Village…in the snow!”
All She Was Worth
By Miyuki Miyabe Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: A gripping mystery with a satisfying solution, set in an exceedingly genuine Tokyo filled with characters who are appealingly human, and also 100% Japanese This excellent mystery is the first one by bestselling Japanese mystery writer MiyukiContinue reading “All She Was Worth”
Kinako Shortbread Cookies with Salted Black Sugar Buttercream
‘Tis the season for cozy pleasures, so how about a sweet holiday treat with a delightful Japanese twist? These buttery shortbread cookies have a satisfying nutty flavor that comes from the Japanese roasted soybean flour known as kinako, and they’re topped with a sparkly crunch of turbinado sugar. Sandwich them together with Okinawan black sugar-flavoredContinue reading “Kinako Shortbread Cookies with Salted Black Sugar Buttercream”
One more reason why I love Japan
Because the same culture that gave us this… And this And this Also came up with this If this isn’t the most butt-ugly building you’ve ever seen, wrap me in seaweed and roll me in fish eggs. Seriously, who could possibly have imagined this would be attractive? Who signed off on it? Who wasted months ofContinue reading “One more reason why I love Japan”
Let’s stroll down avenues lined with towering gold gingko trees
Tokyo’s ichō namiki At the end of every November, Japan celebrates the brief glory of gingko trees in all their autumn splendor in ways that never fail to bring a smile to my face. Come with me, and let me share some of my favorite spots with you! But my very favorite way to seeContinue reading “Let’s stroll down avenues lined with towering gold gingko trees”
Did YOU win one of the five audiobook giveaways?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of The Last Tea Bowl Thief audiobook! If you think one of these is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and I’ll send you the download code and instructions for getting it onto your device! I’m sorry if I didn’t pull your name from the hatContinue reading “Did YOU win one of the five audiobook giveaways?”
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