Fukagawa by Hiroshige This is the second installment on the media event entitled “A Journey to Unravel Tokyo’s Diverse Food and Spirit,” organized by the Tokyo Food Promotion 2024 Executive Committee and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. This week I report on the three chefs who participated in it. There seems to be something almost magical … Continue reading Tokyo Cuisine: Past, Present, and Future, Part 2
Unknown Title; Artist: Hiroshige Late last year one of us here at drinkingjapan.org received an invitation from the Foreign Press Center of Japan to a media event entitled “A Journey to Unravel Tokyo’s Diverse Food and Spirit,” organized by the Tokyo Food Promotion 2024 Executive Committee and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. It was open to … Continue reading Tokyo Cuisine: Past, Present, and Future, Part 1
The Natto Sculpture When the expression “hill of beans” is used to refer to something, it means that the referent is so common that it is insignificant and worthless. In reality, however, nothing could be further from the truth, especially if the beans are natto. As many non-Japanese now know, natto is fermented soy beans. … Continue reading The Powerful Hill of Beans
Three Monkfish with Mouths Agape That Metaphysical Poet John Donne (1571[?]-1631) with his inimitable poems-cum-pickup-lines (remember “The Flea”?) penned a short poem entitled “The Baite,” which is addressed to a woman that he was presumably hotly—emphasis added—pursuing. The third stanza is as follows:When thou wilt swimme in that live bath,Each fish, which every channell hath,Will … Continue reading Glorification of the Monkfish (アンコウ)
Sorry. This crept in from last week's Halloween Special. Please disregard this early manifestation of AI. Earlier this year we wrote about FARM8’s wonderful Jogurt. This week we will write about two other products with connections to the firm. A few months ago we had an opportunity to sample both. One is a nihon-shu made … Continue reading Nihon-shu and Gelati
This is yet another Intermission in our Days of Wine and Music series. Snacks have gotten a bad rap, deservedly so, of course. But not all snacks are detrimental. When a boy, this writer used to consume raw carrots as a snack. Deliterious? No way. Bunny food may not be everyone’s idea of a tasty … Continue reading A JFEX Gem: Burdock Chips
This week’s entry is another Intermission in our lengthy Days of Wine and Music series. If you are the type of person who scrapes the caviar off the cracker and eats the roe, who cuts the decorative buttercream flower from the center of the birthday cake and consumes it whole, or drinks the rum and … Continue reading A JFEX Gem: Some Offerings from Shiino Foods
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