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Should you add tartar sauce to Japanese curry rice? CoCo Ichi makes diners an unusual offer - Japan Today
Japan has a lot of curry rice restaurant chains, but none are quite so beloved as CoCo Ichibanya, also known as CoCo Ichi. Part of what makes CoCo Ichi so great is that they offer a huge variety of toppings you can add to your plate, like fried chicken, sausages, and tartar sauce.…
History’s largest force of Samurai Colonel Sanders deploying to KFC Japan branches - Japan Today
Many times, the key to success for fast food chains from overseas that set up shop in Japan is keeping their core identity while adapting to the local culture. In the case of KFC Japan, we’ve seen them offer localized items like tsukimi sandwiches and matcha Krushers alongside their traditional fried chicken, but every year…
Mikado Coffee is a 76-year-old coffee chain with a major celebrity connection - Japan Today
Our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma recently got a reminder of how Tokyo is one of the best cities to be feeling hungry in, as you’ve got a pretty good chance of randomly stumbling across a great meal. And it turns out that even if you’re not looking for a full meal, but just craving a snack…
Marmalade fest celebrates quintessential British breakfast treat - Japan Today
The Japanese ambassador raved about the daffodils and the glorious spring sunshine. The Australian envoy joked about beating the "Poms" at their own game. A life-sized Paddington waved and clapped. On the steps of a centuries-old country house in northwest England, one of the nation's most eccentric cultural events --…
More than just a bowl of noodles, ramen in Japan is an experience and a tourist attraction - Japan Today
Spicy, steaming, slurpy ramen might be everyone’s favorite Japanese food. In Tokyo, long lines circle around blocks, and waiting an hour for your ramen is normal. What awaits might be just a dive, but a hot bowl of ramen rarely fails to hit the spot. Often cooked right before your…
The plate as palette: Set table and mood with the latest in creative dishware - Japan Today
The way a dish looks has been important to the dining experience since forever, but perhaps never more than now. Relaxed and homey. Or vibrant and celebratory. And perhaps shareable, too. “Chefs know that guests spend a lot of time looking at their plates,” says Chandra Ram, associate editorial director…
Starbucks Japan adds a Motto Frappuccino to menu for limited time - Japan Today
Starbucks customers in Japan just can’t get enough of melons. Not only has the super-popular flavor been returning every year in a limited-edition Frappuccino since the summer of 2022, this year the chain is giving its customers even more of the fruit in its second melon Frappuccino of the season, called Motto…
Don’t roll your vegetarian ‘meatballs’! Smash them for better flavor - Japan Today
Keftedes are Greek meatballs, sometimes made with a mixture of chickpeas and sardines. For our vegetarian version, we substitute the sardines with feta cheese, which gives the keftedes a deeply savory note while keeping them meat-free. Based on the chickpea and sardine keftedes from “Smashing Plates” by London chef Maria…
Wendy’s releases Pretzel Roast Beef Burger aimed at foreign tourists in Japan - Japan Today
Wendy’s has released a limited-edition burger with a Western bent in Japan, and it became a hot topic online even before its release. Called the Pretzel Roast Beef, this new menu item is priced at 2,090 yen, and it’s only being sold at 15 branches, making it a rare burger in many senses of…
Traveling in Japan? Fill your suitcase with these six healthy food souvenirs - Japan Today
As you make your way through the crowds in some of Japan's most popular cities, one thing is certain: traveling in Japan is back and bigger than ever. From international tourists to locals wanting to escape for the upcoming Golden Week holiday, it seems as if everyone is adding destinations…
Mister Donut ready to make hojicha dreams come true in latest collab with Kyoto tea merchant - Japan Today
Last month, Japanese donut chain Mister Donut launched the latest incarnation of its Misdo Meets confectionary collaboration series, this time a partnership with Kyoto tea merchant Gion Tsujiri. However, as we all know mankind’s desire for donuts and tea-flavored sweets knows no limits, and so Misdo Meets Gion Tsujiri is back with another batch of brand-new temptations…
All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky lounge - Japan Today
Tokyo is an amazing city from just about any angle, but it’s especially impressive wen viewed from above, high up enough that you can get a sense of its massive scale. So when we heard that a new sky lounge had just opened up in downtown, we were eager to check…
Fermented foods sustain both microbiomes and cultural heritage - Japan Today
Many people around the world make and eat fermented foods. Millions in Korea alone make kimchi. The cultural heritage of these picklers shape not only what they eat every time they crack open a jar but also something much, much smaller: their microbiomes. On the microbial scale, we are what…
We tried Japan’s Strawberry Daifuku? liqueur, one of three dessert-themed liqueurs - Japan Today
Japan is definitely the place to look for unique liqueur flavors like cherry blossom and matcha, but did you know you can find dessert-themed ones as well? Japanese alcohol company Ume no Yado recently released a series of three dessert-themed liqueurs–Strawberry Daifuku?, Apple Pie?, and Pineapple Cake?–and our Japanese-language reporter Maro knew she had to try the…
Roast Italian sausages over potatoes and peppers for a flavorful one-pan supper - Japan Today
Traybakes are a great dinner solution when you can’t or won’t spend time at the stovetop. With this mostly hands-off technique, the ingredients are combined on a single baking sheet, then roasted in the oven. In this recipe from our book “Cook What You Have,” which draws on pantry staples…
Kyushu-exclusive Black Mont Blanc goes nationwide in a 'Special' way - Japan Today
Across Japan there various regions that are said to produce food with a quality or certain flair compared to the rest of the country. And then, there are some foods that don’t even exist outside of certain regions. One example of this is Black Mont Blanc. This bilingually oxymoronic ice cream bar can…
Japanese convenience store packs whole bento into onigiri rice ball - Japan Today
Japanese convenience stores are great places to pick up an onigiri rice ball, but you’ll need some extra muscle to pick up the newest one at Lawson, which crams an entire bento inside it. Released on 2 April, the “Whole Mentai Noriben” contains all the same ingredients as a nori bento, more…
Your morning coffee may be more than a half million years old - Japan Today
That coffee you slurped this morning? It’s 600,000 years old. Using genes from coffee plants around the world, researchers built a family tree for the world's most popular type of coffee, known to scientists as Coffea arabica and to coffee lovers simply as “arabica.” The researchers, hoping to learn more…
We try out Chan Ramen, an underground type of ramen popular in the ramen community - Japan Today
Our reporter P.K. Sanjun loves ramen a bit more than the average person. He loves it so much that he tries to learn about all types of ramen out there, even the more obscure ones like chocolate ramen. He recently learned about Chan-kei Ramen (the suffix kei literally means “group”, and is used…
Starbucks adds matcha and pistachio milk tea latte to menu in Japan for limited time - Japan Today
With the cool weather continuing in Japan, summer still seems a long way off, but that hasn’t stopped Starbucks from getting ahead of the season with a new summer-exclusive beverage. Called the Matcha & Crushed Pistachio Milk Tea Latte, the new beverage will be on the menu at the chain’s Tea & Cafe branches. Currently,…
Tokyo ramen shop created close-knit community shown in film - Japan Today
Following a warm reception on the international film festival circuit, an award-winning documentary centered on an unconventional Tokyo ramen shop recently hit theaters in the Japanese capital. "Come Back Anytime" tells the story of self-taught ramen master Masamoto Ueda and his wife Kazuko, who ran the shop Bizentei together for…
Tokyo Banana Curry adds capital’s souvenir sweet’s sweetness to roux, but not in Tokyo - Japan Today
Curry rice is one of Japan’s favorite meals, but no one eats just a plate of rice and roux. There’s always some other co-starring ingredient, and later this month we’re going to see the debut of an especially unusual one in the form of Tokyo Banana Curry. Pictured above, Tokyo Banana is a…
Pokemon cakes let you eat your way through Pikachu and all the Eevee evolutions - Japan Today
April is the start of a new year for students and employees in Japan, making it a stressful time that calls for some kawaii relief. Here to put smiles on the faces of Pokemon fans is a new series of cakes from Ginza Cozy Corner, featuring star character Pikachu, alongside the “Eievui Friends Collection.“ ▼…
Is Coca-Cola Japan’s new canned Jack Daniels cocktail better than mixing your own? - Japan Today
Among out reporting staff, Ahiruneko is the member of the team who most enjoys a good, strong drink. So last year when Coca-Cola Japan started selling canned cocktails of their signature cola mixed with Jack Daniels whiskey, he was a happy guy. As a matter of fact he felt like “Jack Daniels and Coca-Cola,” as the drink…
Japanese burger chain Mos Burger starting record label for musician fast food workers - Japan Today
Diversification is often the key to success in business, much in the way that a struggling playing card company by the name of Nintendo eventually found its fortunes in fat plumbers and duck hunting. And with fast food restaurants fighting the tides of rising food prices, Japan’s signature chain Mos Burger has decided to embark…
New silent cafe opens in Japan, where talking and music are not allowed - Japan Today
It can be said that there are no disabilities, just disabling environments, and here to remind us of that fact is a new cafe in Osaka’s Nakazakicho that focuses on silence. Called Shojo, this new 16-seater cafe wants its customers to “enjoy the silence” by eliminating chatter and background music. This allows for…
Starbucks unveils new Gohobi Frappuccino in Japan - Japan Today
The old adage, “If you’re not early you’re late” is applicable to a lot of time-conscious societies like Japan, but here Starbucks takes the notion of “early” to new extremes. With its two annual sakura Frappuccinos already off the menu before the official season has even begun, the chain is now looking to the hotter…
The Crookie: The French pastry craze that took over TikTok - Japan Today
A bemused Paris bakery owner has been besieged by smartphone-wielding youngsters over the past year, keen to snap themselves with the latest pastry craze: the crookie. A croissant filled with cookie dough might sound like a fistful of heart attack, but everyone knows it's going to be tasty, even when…
The Fake Burger really returns to Burger King Japan - Japan Today
Less than a week ago, Burger King announced that The Fake Burger would be returning to the chain after a four year absence, and to drum up excitement, they shared a pixelated image ahead of the April 1 release. With the release date falling on April Fools’ Day, a lot of people weren’t sure what…
We try super rare Shizuoka food souvenirs in the form of blue gelato and purple baumkuchen - Japan Today
The Izu Peninsula is a popular travel destination for many domestic tourists in Japan, known for its fresh seafood, hot springs, gorgeous ocean and mountain scenery, and of course, its views of Mount Fuji. But though it’s part of Shizuoka Prefecture, Izu is separated from many of the prefecture’s major cities by…
Blond vs pink: French-Swiss battle for 'fourth' chocolate - Japan Today
A fourth chocolate -- "blond" -- has been slowly making inroads into French confectionery, but has failed to win official recognition and faces competition from a pink Swiss variety. Blond choccy was born from an accident. French pastry chef Frederic Bau was demonstrating his skills at an exhibition in Japan,…
Ikea holds Matcha Fair in Japan for limited time this spring - Japan Today
One of the great things about eating out at family-friendly restaurants in Japan is the limited-time fairs. These aren’t your ordinary fairs with tents and bunting, instead they’re a series of limited-edition menu items that conjure up the same sense of fun and excitement as attending an actual fair, and right now at…
Pizza Hut’s new coriander pizza contains more cilantro than ever before - Japan Today
Whether you refer to it as coriander, cilantro, or pakuchi as it’s known in Japanese, the leaves and stems of the Coriandrum sativum plant have a distinct flavour that some people love and others hate. If you’re one of the proponents on the pr0-pakuchi side of the divide, then you’re…
Mister Donut releases most intense matcha doughnut ever, in conjunction with Kyoto tea specialist - Japan Today
Ever since 2016, Mister Donut, Japan’s premier doughnut chain, has been teaming up with esteemed Kyoto tea merchant Gion Tsujiri for a series of limited-edition matcha doughnuts. This year, the two well-known brands are joining forces yet again, and this time the range includes a couple of special doughnuts that contain the most matcha ever used in Mister Donut’s history. There…
Not all vegetables are annuals. Here are some that come back year after year - Japan Today
Most vegetables grown in home gardens are annuals. They wither and die at the end of the season and need to be replanted every year to reap more crops. But if you’re short on time or money, don’t want to be bothered with yearly planting or want to try something…
Enjoy a healthier hanami this year with tips from a Tokyo dietitian - Japan Today
When spring arrives in Japan, there is a noticeable shift in the energy of the people. Gone are the cold, dreary months of winter and everyone gears up for one of the most celebrated events of the year: hanami (flower viewing). Dating back several centuries, this tradition of enjoying the…
Baguettes on notice as onigiri take bite out of Paris' lunch trade - Japan Today
In Paris, one of the food capitals of the world, the almighty baguette sandwich is facing some competition from recently opened onigiri rice ball specialty shops that are winning over customers who are hungry for a healthier option. Along with being easy to eat while on the go, the trend…
Collaboration brings Baskin Robbins macarons to FamilyMarts across Japan - Japan Today
Japanese convenience store chain FamilyMart already offers scrumptious and budget-friendly eats – as we’ve proven in our previous 1,000-yen challenge – but they’re about to get two tasty new additions thanks to a collaboration with Baskin Robbins Japan. FamilyMart is now selling two different kinds of Baskin Robbins macarons. Each package comes with two…
Japanese chocolatier conquers Belgium - Japan Today
When Yasushi Sasaki moved from Japan to Belgium at the age of 19, he spoke not a word of French and had no clue what he would do with his life. Last month, at the age of 52, he was named Brussels' chocolatier of the year by the prestigious Gault&Millau…
Fortune cookies come to Japan via Panda Express - Japan Today
You can find Chinese restaurants all across Japan, as after Japan’s indigenous cuisine Chinese food is arguably the next most widely popular type of cooking in the country. Japan also gets excited when a big-name restaurant group from overseas opens a branch in Japan. So with that combination of factors,…