When in Merchant Town, Eat as the Merchants Ate …

You could easily walk right by the restaurant we ate at last Saturday and not even know it. It blends into the rest of the old merchant town of Ohmi in Shiga prefecture. Traditional houses and businesses resembling those of late Edo and early Meiji period line the quiet streets; a gentle reminder [...]

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Summer Blues

We love Pepsi’s limited edition flavors in Japan. Last year it was cucumbers, and this year it’s pineapples and lemons! The color entices you and gives you a sudden desire to go swimming. The name and label evoke strolling barefoot along sandy beaches with a Mai Tai. Too bad when you open it, [...]

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Tempura: Out of the frying pan and into … my mouth

Hands down, tempura is my favorite Japanese food. And yes, I cheated below and used a picture from our lunch in Kyoto two weeks ago. My student Mieko and her husband Koichi invited us over for a Father’s Day dinner last Sunday, but we were so enthusiastic about eating the tempura hot out of the [...]

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Kaiten Sushi: round and round it goes!

“Have you ever eaten moving sushi?” my students once asked me. Immediately an image came to mind of various sea creatures wiggling on top of squares of rice. “No,” I thought, “I haven’t.” What they meant was kaiten sushi, best described as “conveyor belt sushi.” It’s a fun, [...]

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Shrines, Bicycles, and Fine Japanese-Dining: A Saturday in Arashiyama

Arashiyama is the beautiful mountainous district of Kyoto. Last Saturday, along with four of my English students, we pedaled across the river on our rental bicycles over the famous Togetsu-kyo bridge, and could immediately feel the change of pace from the busy, touristy streets that you find in the more populated area of the city. [...]

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A Japanese Picnic Fit for the gods

Last Sunday was one of the first hot days of summer, and despite it being the rainy season, it was a beautiful clear day. You know it’s the summer season in Japan when almost all the women start carrying parasols and wearing arm-length gloves, hats and visors to protect their skin from the sun. [...]

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