A figure of a white calico cat sits, holding a coin in one paw, and beckoning onlookers with it’s other paw raised by its head. This is...

When the rainy season comes to an end, and true summer is finally underway, a steady stream of Natsu Matsuri, or Summer Festivals,...

Brightly colored strips of paper hang from the branches of a bamboo tree, each one inscribed with a short wish. Streamers fly, hung on...

Early summer is the time for rain in Japan. Tsuyu, or the rainy season, starts in early June and lasts until about mid-July every year in...

May 5th is the date of Children’s Day in Japan! Historically known as Tango no sekku, the Double Fifth, or Boy’s Day, this holiday was...

From silken to extra-firm, plain to marinated, baked, and spiced, tofu has crept it’s way into Western palettes and become a household...

Picture this: mottled gray and white cubes, with a slightly jiggly, jello-like appearance, simmering away in a big hot pot, next to tasty...

Few things carry the feeling of spring like the blooming of the sakura cherry tree in Japan. When the cherry blossoms open, people across...

If you have ever come across Asian food of any kind, then you have probably encountered soy sauce. Called shoyu in Japanese, the dark...

Hinamatsuri, also known as Girl’s Day, or the Doll Festival, is a holiday celebrated in Japan on March 3 each year. One of the five...

Hakusai, also known as Napa cabbage or Chinese cabbage, is a leafy vegetable very similar in appearance and culinary usage as the common...

Setsubun, which translates literally to “seasonal division”, is a holiday celebrated in Japan on February 3rd as part of the larger...

Did you know they celebrate Valentine’s Day in Japan? Valentine’s Day traditions began in Japan during the 1950s, and grew in popularity...

What better way to bring in the new year, than with family and a piping hot bowl of soba noodle soup? Toshikoshi soba, which translates...

New Year’s Celebrations, or shogatsu for New Year’s Eve and gantan for New Year’s day, are easily the biggest and most important holidays...

Do they celebrate Christmas in Japan? The answer is simply, yes! Though there are a few key differences in how when comparing Japanese...

The staple food in Japanese cooking is simple, white rice. So much so that word for rice, ご飯 (pronounced go-han), is the same word used...

To American ears, the word mochi brings to mind the sweet, chewy ice-cream dessert. However, in Japan, mochi has a much larger meaning....

The movement of the year through the four seasons is an important concept in Japanese culture. While elements of seasonality crop up all...

Yakiimo, or baked Japanese sweet potatoes, are the quintessential winter street food in Japan.