chocolates display in pink and red on Valentine's Day in Japan blog

What is Valentine’s Day in Japan like? Is Valentine’s Day celebrated in Japan? Valentine’s Day occurs every February 14th around the world and generally people exchange candy, flowers and gifts between loved ones and special friends. Indeed, when the tradition started men gave gifts to ladies they secretly admired. The mysterious far eastern country, Japan,…

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Setsubun, Japanese culture, ritual, tradition, Japanese foods

Setsubun “節分” is the day before the beginning of spring in the old calendar in Japan (This year it was 2nd February). On this day, we throw soybeans to Oni (demons) while shouting “Oni wa soto, Fuku wa uchi! (Devils out, Fortune in!)”. The Mame maki (throwing beans) and eating a whole Sushi roll (Eho-maki)…

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sapporo snow festival, winter, hokkaido

If you are thinking about a winter trip to Japan, we highly recommend you include Hokkaido where you can have the best snow and winter experience! Hokkaido is the northern end of Japan’s island and the largest prefecture in Japan. The capital city of Hokkaido is Sapporo, and it takes just less than 2 hours…

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vegetables and seafood tempura, home cooking recipe, haze removed

Tempura must be one of the most well-known Japanese dishes. It feels so special to sit at the counter of a tempura restaurant to watch a skilled chef frying away crisp fresh tempura in front of you. However, it is also surprisingly easy to make it at home. It is delicious and morish. Why not…

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Christmas illumination in Roppongi Japan

Hove you ever wondered how Christmas and New Year are celebrated in Japan? As the city transitions from autumn into winter, millions of colourful illuminations are displayed everywhere in Japan, turning whole country into a sparkling magical world during the Christmas season! Fresh cold air and clear winter sky, the festive season somehow makes us…

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Journey to the East, book cover of The Roads to Sata, recommended books on Japan

As a keen traveller, you may enjoy reading up on a particular place before visiting there to get a feel for the country. It not only helps you gain the knowledge of the country and make the trip more meaningful, but also let the anticipation grow making the pre-trip preparation more enjoyable. Here are some…

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Japanese home cooking recipe, karaage, Japanese style potato salad, beer

In this issue, I will share with you my Japanese home cooking recipes for chicken karaage and Japanese style potato salad. Chicken karaage is no doubt one of everyone’s favourite Japanese dishes. It is a popular Izakaya item and great street food. It is quite simple to make once you learn a few tricks like…

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takoyaki, street food in Japan, Japanese food, journey to the east

On this blog, I will introduce you to must-try Top 5 Street Food dishes in Japan that can be found all year-round. There is a wide range of choices in the Japanese food scene from yatai* and izakaya style local pubs to Michelin starred restaurants. You will also be amazed by varieties of packed obento…

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soba noodle with dipping sauce and condiments, Japanese home cooking recipe, dashi master sauce, journey to the east

If you are a fan of Japanese cuisine, I am sure you have heard the word dashi. Dashi is Japanese soup stock fundamental to many traditional Japanese dishes. On this blog, I talk about the different types of dashi and show you a quick and easy Japanese home recipes for dashi based master sauce. Normally…

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