Ramen has always been big in Japan, and since the mid-2000′s it has exponentially grown in popularity and trendiness, with younger entrepenuers trying their hand at making the nation’s most beloved B-kyu (B-Class) food.

B-kyu foods are defined as “comfort foods” like curry, ramen, gyudon (beef bowl) and yakisoba. In contrast, A-kyu (A-Class) foods are the countless kaiseki and Michelin-starred restaurants that populate Japan.

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Yup, you read it right. This is a present from one of my Japanese friends who visited London last year: a seven day supplement for young and puru-puru (plump and quivering) skin. Although placenta in skincare has been around in Japan for years, it’s only recently that I’ve begun to see them appearing in the UK, usually in high-end beauty parlours where they do botox and carve up your face.

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I woke up on January 1, 2013 ready to shred on the tatami mats at my husband’s parent’s house in western Tokyo. After a great workout I took a walk and saw Mt. Fuji in clear view. It was a memorable Jan 1 already. At 12 o’clock, my in-laws and I all piled into a rented minivan and made our way to Ikaho in Gunma prefecture.

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Complimentary amazake (sweet hot sake) at Anko-dou, a manju/ gift shop in Gunma prefecture.

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Happy New Year. 2013 has started with a perfect sunrise in Japan. Hopefully it signifies that the rest of the year to be bright and shiny. 2012 was filled with happenings: from Taylor Swift changing boyfriends 18 times, to Gangnam Style to Sandy craziness to starting my own business. Let’s hope 2013 will be a good year for everyone!

I am currently in Japan, staying at my mom’s home in rural Japan.

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Here’s a column idea that’s been brewing for a while: asking bartenders in Japan about their techniques, methods and current cocktail trends. Our first bartender is Mr. Tomokazu Kai, winner of Suntory’s 2011 Cocktail Award. Kai-san bartends at Heuga Bar in Gifu prefecture, and we had the pleasure of meeting him back in February for the Tokyo-SF Bartender Salon. Check out this video of him making his signature drink, After the Rain:

A common question we get from bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts in the U.S.

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Exactly one week ago on March 26, about 150 people descended onto the Headlands Center for the Arts in Marin (just north of SF) for an OPENharvest food and art collective event. The Headlands hosted OPENharvest in a former gymnasium nestled within two hills. The space was filled with stories, artifacts and projections collected during our October 2011 trip to Tokyo, Nagano, Saitama and Niigata.

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*Nahoko Morimoto is a Tokyo-based photographer. Her work has been featured in Brutus and Vogue Japan.

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*Nahoko Morimoto is a Tokyo-based photographer. Her work has been featured in Brutus and Vogue Japan.

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By Shizuka Wakashita

What do you drink when you go to a soba place? Beer? Sake? Shochu?

I thought sake but I was wrong.

I was converted into a sake lover about three years ago. Ever since then I almost always order sake when I go out for Japanese food, except for the occasions when I am with new faces and everyone yells freely, “Toriaezu beer de,” (let’s kick it off with some beer)  and I don’t feel like explaining why I like sake and all that.

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