Remember this post about Limited Edition Conbini Candy? I’m happy to report that several years on, Japan is just as obsessed with Limited Edition Candy as it was before. Here’s a summer 2017 snippet of some seasonal sweets on Japan’s conbini shelves - some super,...
Try delicious Haku Smoked Shoyu, Haku Sakura Cherry Blossom Shoyu, and Haku Mizunara Whisky Barrel Aged Shoyu. Made in Kyoto, Japan.
When something takes off in Japan, it gets huge. For a hot minute. People have no qualms with waiting in a long line for hours, out in the butt-ass cold, to get their hands on the newest HOT food trend from abroad...
Umami Mart is a place where ideas and people come together, take charge and create magic. This is true for the blog, the online shop, and our brick-and-mortar space in Oakland, CA. When writers, friends, friends of friends, customers, food + drink enthusiasts, and...
I went to college in the States after I graduated from high school in Japan. I learned how to speak English and how to eat two portions. After a year, I gained 30 pounds. I didn't feel so guilty when living in the States but...
A few weeks ago, one of my professors went off on a tangent while lecturing: “I was looking through a text book which read, ‘Japanese are nature-loving people.’ As if other people don’t love nature! I don’t know where you’re from, but many places also...
Conbinis are everywhere in Japan. Lawson, 7-Eleven, AM/PM, Yamazaki Daily, to name a few. You throw a rock, and you would probably hit three conbinis simultaneously. Well, let me tell you, that only happens in urban Japan. I grew up in Wakayama,...
*For the next week, we will be celebrating conbini culture on Umami Mart, in preparation for the opening of U-MART on Tuesday 6/25. Check back every day for a new Conbini Cabaret article. Umami for life! -KA The first time in my life I stepped...
Conbini is a shortened word for "convenience" which is referred to when talking about convenience stores in Japan. Littered around on any street corner in most cities, conbinis are like a typical corner store, or bodega -- but from the future. They...
It all started out so innocently, like any of Yoko's casual ideas: "Why don't we add a konbini to the back of the store???" A konbini inside Umami Mart?!?!?! This will go onto the wall of Genius Yoko Ideas, on par with:...
