What a crazy roller coaster ride these last few weeks have been. And it ain't over yet, folks, so strap in. Most of us now, across the globe, are advised to stay put. And we don't know what to do with ourselves. Our daily routines have gone...
People in Japan are cuckoo for beer. It remains the most popular alcoholic beverage in Japan, accounting for two thirds of all alcohol consumed overall (says Wikipedia). When going out with friends or coworkers after work, it is an ongoing tradition for the table...
As a Japanese person, I love to drink. The first time I traveled to the U.S. with my sister, the two of us would always order a bottle of wine during lunch, and then again for dinner. The servers were always amazed;...
When MUJI came to us last year to put on a collaborative event together, Yoko and I did not not hesitate to say YES. A leading retailer in Japan, MUJI has been around for decades, outfitting people's homes, kitchens, wardrobes and backpacks full of...
Instead of reaching there via a Wardrobe route, Nagoya is about a two-hour bullet train ride from Tokyo. It is the third most populous city in Japan, with 2.3 million people living within 11 square miles. Car geeks may know Nagoya as...
My alcohol tolerance is not what it used to be, sadly. The morning after a night of drinking just gets tougher and tougher. Hideko says, "You are no longer young." WHAT?!?!? To curb this issue, I often order low-alcohol cocktails these days,...
We made it! After a restless 16 hours of travel -- I read this month's New Yorker (excellent expose on Amazon and its monopoly on the publishing industry) and Vanity Fair (The Hollywood Issue! Rupert Murdoch's marital betrayal!) cover to cover, whilst...
I've lived in the Grand Lake district of Oakland for four years now, and we've never had a proper wine shop. Popular restaurants like Camino dot Grand Avenue, along with nail salons, bike shops, a wonderful book store, Oaktown Spice Shop -- but if...
When Old Man Winter's icy digit stops mercury from rising, I am reminded of a traveler I met in Argentina, a Canadian middle-school teacher who once ran sled dogs. It was so cold in Saskatchewan that when he and the dogs returned to their cabin...
Once you are through slurping down mugs of Tom & Jerry bowls and hot buttered rum then please consider a few winter cocktails with a smoky twist, mezcal. The two drinks we feature in Happy Hour this month are nothing alike but...
UPDATED 11/19/13, 8:47pm We get a lot of phone calls about where to buy shochu in the Bay Area. I love talking to people about this -- as you know, we are here to spread the shochu gospel here at Umami Mart. So here's a...
2 oz Irish whisky (Jameson, Bushmills, etc.) 1/2 lime, squeezed A few dashes of Peychuad's Bitters Shake it up with ice and add it to your copper mug from Umami Mart Pour in 3 oz ginger beer Garnish with a lime...
Affinity: a liking for or an attraction to something. I discovered this long-lost cocktail one cold October day, thanks to my friend and barman Maxwell Britten during his tenure manning Freeman’s backroom bar in New York City. The leaves were swirling...
*Jackie Toshi Hashimoto is a graphic designer and native Tokyoite who recently moved to Long Beach for a year. He enjoys hanging...
While Jonathan and I were visiting the east coast for a wedding last week, we snuck away for a couple of nights to his family's house in Vermont. New England is absolutely gorgeous this time of year. Blueberry-picking is a popular activity here during...
Fact: A gin and tonic is the quintessential summer cocktail. My grandmother Margaret knew this and would serve the iconic drink from a gallon handle of Gordon’s gin topping it off with a lime and Schweppes tonic water. She made the switch...
The Cobbler is the elder statesman of summer cocktails. At its core, the Cobbler is a sour-style cocktail (spirit, citrus, sugar), which has spawned a host of delicious descendants. The most popular type during the drink's hey day was the Sherry Cobbler. This libation was...
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...
Welcome to a special edition of Kayo's Kitchen: Live from Hopkins Buffet! For those who follow our Instagram, you may have asked yourselves, "Where is the Hopkins Buffet?" Well, it's Yoko's house of course! God forbid she should name her place...
Once upon a time in the Crescent City, there was a culinary institution and hotel named the La Louisiane Hotel and Restaurant down Iberville Street in the French Quarter. La Louisiane, as it was know to the locals, was opened in 1881...
