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HYPER JAPAN 2013 – Tickets now on sale!

HYPER JAPAN 2013 – Tickets now on sale!

HYPER JAPAN, the UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture, cuisine and cool, is back for 2013. Diverse exhibitors, stores, performers and fans will once again come together to bring the very best of contemporary and traditional Japan to the heart of London. Since the first HYPER JAPAN in 2010, there have been three subsequent events, … Continue reading »

Going nuts about Kinomi

Going nuts about Kinomi

I’m usually more of a sweet snacks person, generally opting for chocolate over crisps, but when it comes to nuts I just can’t resist. I love peanuts, cashews, and anything with a Japanese flavour such as wasabi, miso or soy sauce. Kinomi – a range of whole nuts dry roasted with Japanese seasonings – is … Continue reading »

Making my bed…

Making my bed…

I try not to bore you too much with the day-to-day goings on of my life because I’m sure no one out there really wants to read about all that stuff. I haven’t gone on too much about the stresses of moving, the hassle of unpacking, and the endless flat-pack-furniture building. This is, after all, a … Continue reading »

A to Wa of Japan: Week 18

A to Wa of Japan: Week 18

It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again! Last week’s post was about things beginning with た (ta) and we looked at takoyaki (たこ焼き) and taiyaki (タイヤキ or タイ焼き). This week we are looking at things beginning with ち (chi). A big thank you to everyone who joined in with suggestions this week:  lovelycomplex22 suggested chirashizushi (ちらし寿司 / scattered sushi); Japan Australia suggested Chiba … Continue reading »

My Golden Week in Bristol

My Golden Week in Bristol

It’s one of the best times of year in Japan at the moment: Golden Week. Golden Week (ゴールデンウィーク) is a collection of holidays that happen to fall very close together, causing one of the three main holiday periods in Japan (the other two being Obon (お盆) in August and Oshogatsu (お正月), which is New Year). … Continue reading »

Funmatsucha from Chiki Tea

Funmatsucha from Chiki Tea

At the beginning of April I was lying in bed one night browsing Facebook, when I spotted an announcement from Chiki Tea asking for tea tasters. Moments later I had managed to sign myself up to taste some funmatsucha (粉末茶). Not to be confused with matcha (抹茶), funmatsucha is actually micro-ground sencha (煎茶) (that’s ‘ordinary’ green … Continue reading »

A to Wa of Japan: Week 17

A to Wa of Japan: Week 17

It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again! Last week’s post was about things beginning with そ (so) and we looked at soba (そば). This week we are looking at things beginning with た (ta). A big thank you to everyone who joined in with suggestions this week:  Shiotadesu suggested tatami (畳 / traditional straw mat), tamagoyaki (卵焼き … Continue reading »

The Tokaido (東海道)

The Tokaido (東海道)

When I lived in Japan I became aware of the Tokaido (東海道), an ancient road which once connected Tokyo (then Edo) to Kyoto. The Tokaido was the most important of the Edo Five Routes (Gokaidō / 五街道), five routes set up by the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川 家康) (1543 – 1616) to connect Edo to other parts of Japan during the … Continue reading »