If you visit Japan for a prolonged amount of time or plan to come here to live permanently, you might face some shifts in what you are eating. When you think of a Japanese cuisine you think rice, sushi, ramen, noodles, miso soup, tempura, and more. It is no surprise that when you come to…

The green powdered tea is one of Japan’s most recognizable products, recently gaining a global popularity for both its taste and its health benefits. From elegant traditional tea ceremonies to cute modern sweets with a matcha twist, matcha has been widely popular in Japan for centuries. The bitter and refreshing tea is prepared fairly simply,…

When you think of a dollar store you may think cheap, useless, junk. Well, that is definitely not the case in Japan! It is actually the very opposite at Daiso, a Japanese ¥100 store. You can get almost anything there from candy, beauty products, kitchenware, stationery, and so much more. To make things even better,…

Adopted by American celebrities and businessmen back in the ’60s for its exotic appeal, sushi has since become one of the most popular cuisines in the states. Though, it has had a dramatic makeover from the traditional sushi you would find anywhere in Japan. If you claim to be a lover of sushi but have…

THE CUPS is an extremely popular cafe chain in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. THE CUPS currently has four locations: Fushimi, Sakae, Meieki, and Harbor Cafe. With the success of the first Fushimi location, which opened in June 2015, due to its Insta-worthy appearance and delicious hand-dripped coffee, THE CUPS was able to spread to the three…

High above Tokyo station, I watch, as two ladies from the illustrious Fukujuen Tea House, make tea. One is elegantly dressed in a Fukujuen kimono, while the other dons the black and white style of the West. The teas are wonderfully fresh, the makers clearly love their work, and their attention to detail brings home…

When you move to a new place (particularly one so far from home) there are lots of things you will need to get used to. Some things will be easy to adapt to, and others will take more time. One thing that ex-pats frequently have to get used to are new food types and changes…

Recently, Japanese sake has been getting more attention around the world. Japan has more than 1,400 sake breweries, the number of brands said to be more than 10,000. The type of rice, the quantity of the polished rice, the difference of yeast starters for the alcohol fermentation, alcohol usage, how often it is heated, how…

Japan produces many premium variants of strawberries such as the white strawberries, Aiberry and Skyberry. As of March 2015, there are now about 253 luxury variants of strawberries in Japan! 1. Hatsukoi no Kaori View this post on Instagram White strawberry♡ I will have this every spring in Japan but this year I don't get…

Japan is known for its great cuisine, and ramen, alongside perhaps sushi and tempura, is probably one of the first types of food you think of if someone mentions Japanese dishes. Ramen, which typically consists of noodles served in hot broth with toppings, is extremely popular in Japan. Originally hailing from China, this versatile dish…