I have already introduced many ways to make “Tsukune”, or chicken patties in yakitori fashion. Nankotsu/軟骨/ means cartilage or cartilageous parts of the chicken (and other animals) bones. The ...

I’ve already have introduced a similar basic recipe, but with dashi and and without precise ingredients quantities.Many people in Japan believe that Kabocha originates from Japan.Actually it was int...

As we are leaving on our (very short) Spring holiday tomorrow to Kume Island near Okinawa Island, the Missus had to concoct today’s bento with whatever she could find in the fridge and the “pantry...

What with our pending trip to Kume Island, Okinawa, which promises a lot of eating and drinking, the Missus will keep an eye on my calories for the next two days!So it was back again to a more traditi...

The Japanese love hamburgers, or any burger/patty for that matter, but they are not afraid to experiment and make them lighter and healthier.Here is a simple recipe that can expanded and enjoyed by an...

Meat balls, or any balls for that matter, don’t have to be made with meat, eggs or dairy products to be attractive and tasty.It is quite a simple task to create them when you have tofu around!Here i...

Here is a simple and “artistic” recipe using daikon and yuzu/lime.It’s called 菊花大根/Kikuhana Daikon which can be translated as Chrysanthemum Daikon.You don’t need Chrysanthemums, but on...

Service: Excellent and very friendlyFacilities: cleanPrices: reasonableSpecialty: Central and south Italian-style cuisine. Home-made pasta. Very reasonables pricesentirely non-smoking!I’ve heard tha...

A beautiful turnip noren at Tomii, Shizuoka City!When visiting Japan, have you ever noticed those unusual “curtains” hanging outside the main entrance of traditional shops, izakayas and sometimes ...

Service: Excellent and very friendlyFacilities: very cleanPrices: reasonableSpecialty: Vegan and vegetarian Cuisine, Izakaya gastronomy, local products, oden.I’ve already extensively written about o...

A very traditional style for a oden-ya!When visiting Japan, have you ever noticed those unusual “curtains” hanging outside the main entrance of traditional shops, izakayas and sometimes of private...

At Yasaitei,….The Japanese are in perpetual search for harmony.This constant pursuit of “wa/和” preoccupies them not only at the office with their fellow workers, at home with their family, but...

Te-Maki Zushi/手巻き寿司, Hand-rolled sushi or more appropriately said “Cone Sushi). like Te-mari sushi that I introduced yeaterady, are the perfect way of making your own sushi at great inform...

Baird Beer & Taproom Events BulletinDear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:New Seasonal Baird Beer Releases: Morning Coffee, Wabi-Sabi, ObatarianThe Baird Beer brewers have been busy bees over th...

Spring has come early in Shizuoka, the mildest region in Japan after Okinawa.This is both a bonus and a pain. We get all these great vegetables before eveyone else, but we are also plagued with grotty...

Te-Mari Sushi made by the Missus for my bento!A comment by my friend Jennifer Razon just reminded me I hadn’t explained the technique behind a very enjoyable form of sushi, namely Te-Mari Sushi/手...

Shizuoka is replete with new vegetables in this supposedly early Spring and buying them at the local markets in view of including (sorry having them included by the Missus) in the next day’s bento i...

Picture taken at Parche Supermarket on March 1st, 2010Earlier in the day, I mentioned a new vegetable that the Missus included in my bento: Tsubomina or 蕾菜 in Japanese.The first Kanji character is...

Whereas most brewers in Shizuoka Prefecture concoct soft, almost feminine, sake, Hidetoshi Morimoto, Masterbrewer/owner of Morimoto Brewery in Kikugawa City has often taken the notorious role of a mav...

Shirogisu, or Sillago in English probably has as many Japanese names as English names.The Sillago found along the Japanese shores is also called sillago japonica, Whiting or Smelt-Whiting in english, ...