Do you aspire to be B-grade gourmet?  B-grade gourmet is “food that is inexpensive but delicious and distinctive to a locality” and is what you eat with friends and family.  The B-1 Grand Prix was held in Kurume, Japan and featured 24 of Japan’s best-loved dishes competing for the holy grail of B-grade cuisine.  The winner was “Atsugi Shirokoro Hormone” (knubby white chitterlings barbecued in a miso sauce) and other entries included yakitori (skewered grilled chicken), Tonkotsu ramen (noodles in pork broth) and “Shizuoka oden” (read more about Oden).

Japan is becoming more dependent on foreign foods sources.  As a result waistlines are expanding and the country is relying more on imported foods to feed it’s people.  Enjoy this interesting infographic on the food crisis in Japan from Jeansnow.net.

Some gals dream of becoming a princess and some Japanese girls aim to dress like one.  This video of one Japanese woman’s quest to dress like a princess needs to be seen to be believed.

Language lovers will ant to take some time to read through the top 60 Japanese words and phrases of 2008 from Pink Tentacle.

Budget Travel features photographer Jun Takagi’s photos of Tokyo.  I like this collection as it includes some street shots along with a few traditional sightseeing destinations.

Outside Japan:

Look for a Japanese izakaya in your neighborhood.  They are the Japanese version of the tapas bar and ares one of the latest food trends to hit the west coat.  Jaunted reviews Wann Izakaya in Seattle.

Mexico City is celebrating 31 year as a sister city with Nagoya, Japan with some great events.

A Japanese man is on a layover in the Mexico City Airport – he’s been there for almost two months and can’t explain why…

Image Credit: Personal Collection

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