News
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.
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.
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.
guide
Sake without the mystique: reading the bottle, and choosing what to drink it from
What the four numbers on a sake label mean, the serving temperature that changes everything, and the tokkuri, ochoko and masu they are poured into.
guide
Udon and soba: two noodles, two temperaments, and how to serve them properly at home
The difference between udon and soba, the regional styles including Fukuoka's deliberately soft udon, how to cook them without ruining the texture, and what to serve them in.
GUIDES
How to Eat Sushi: Etiquette That Matters
What Japanese diners actually do at a sushi counter, what chefs notice, and the rules you can safely ignore.
GUIDES
Sushi Fish Glossary: Neta from Akami to Uni
Every fish and topping you will meet at a sushi counter, what it tastes like, when it is in season in Japan, and what sushi-grade really means.
hokusai
Mount Fuji in Everyday Japanese Life: Art, Bento and Objects
Why Mount Fuji is printed on everything in Japan - from Hokusai's Thirty-six Views to sake cups, jubako boxes and jigsaw puzzles - and how to read the motif.
etiquette
Why Japanese Homes Take Shoes Off - and What Tabi Socks Are For
The genkan, the slipper rules, and the reason socks are taken seriously in Japan - plus what tabi socks are, why they have a split toe, and how to wear them.