Sakana is a Japanese term referring to food eaten with sake or alcohol, similar to appetizers like Spanish tapas, it is also the common pronunciation for the kanji for fish. The story behind the image: “Late this past July I attended the Obon Lantern Festival at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.  The lanterns were impressive as […]

If you love a good burger and often find yourself craving a good bowl of ramen then you need to head to Kitakata in Fukushima prefecture where a local restaurant has combined the two in an unusual way that has created a bit of a food craze.  The Ramen Burger has hit the Japanese food […]

It’s fast, it’s a little bit funky, and you can get it at almost any convenience store in Japan!  Step into any Japanese convenience store in the fall or winter and you will notice a distinctive aroma – the aroma of Oden, a traditional Japanese dish made by boiling a variety of ingredients in broth […]

As my husband and I begin preparing for a brief winter break from Japan the subject of souvenirs and holiday gifts have been the topic of many a conversation.  Although many of our friends and family are fascinated, and even a little envious, of the opportunity that we have been given to live in Japan […]

Whether you are visiting or living in Japan it won’t take long for you to realize that there is a fascination with the English language here. You will actually see a lot of English on advertising, clothing and stationery in Japan but they don’t always get it right. It’s a good thing that the advertising […]