Blog posts

Japanese donabe clay hot pot with Tokusa reed stripe pattern
donabe

Nabe Season: A Beginner's Guide to Japanese Hot Pot

Everything a beginner needs for Japanese hot pot: choosing and seasoning a donabe, the main types of nabe from shabu-shabu to oden, building the broth, and the shime course at the end.
Japanese sweets
guide

Japanese sweets explained: mochi, wagashi, and the plates they belong on

Mochi, wagashi and the seasonal Japanese sweet calendar, explained from Fukuoka, with the serving plates, picks and tea that go with them.
Japanese festivals
culture

A year of Japanese festivals: what happens, what people eat, and what comes out of the cupboard

The Japanese festival year month by month, from New Year to Shichi-Go-San, with the food, the objects and an honest local view of Fukuoka's two big matsuri.