Umami Mart Gift Guide
Postcard

Postcard from Kyoto: Kiln

We are having a blast in Japan, gallivanting through Gifu, Kyoto and Osaka. This trip, we're not even stopping off in Tokyo, so we can concentrate on all the riches of these western regions of Japan. Kyoto was hot and sticky, and...

Inside Yukiwa Barware Factory

Our main objective for our trip to Japan (besides noodles and ekiben) was to visit the many factories where they make the bar and glassware we select for Umami Mart. We wanted to go straight to the source, and meet the people behind the products....

Adventures in Nakano: Hitomi Bar

Male bartenders in Japan are full of themselves. There, I said it. From the few "star" bars we visited during our trip to Tokyo, I felt miffed by the arrogance and general unfriendliness of the bartenders. What is up with that? Where...

Adventures in Nakano: Yakitori at Shimon-ya

One of the most memorable nights I had in Tokyo was an adventure in Nakano, a hip neighborhood in Tokyo. We met up with our friend and Umami Mart writer Will, aka The Ramen Shaman, along with Eri, who suggested a yakitori joint called...

Japan's Kit Kat Kraze

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...

Tokyo JUNKtion

Tokyo JUNKtion: Hosomaki Diaries

Trends in roll combinations in the States are rapid, with so many joints coming up with their own "house" rolls. Conversely, the combinations of rolls or makimono are very constant in Japan. In this post, I am specifically referring to hosomaki (or thin rolls). There...

The Ramen Shaman

The Ramen Shaman: Nagi (Golden Gai)

Nagi, Nagi, Nagi. This one's been near the top of my ever-expanding ramen bucket list for a long time. I've been to a Nagi branch before -- it was the first Tokyo bowl I had with fellow ramen blogger Brian from

Tokyo JUNKtion

Tokyo JUNKtion: Jicca

Whenever I visit Tokyo, I look forward to meeting newborns... especially when I've followed the progression of their parents. No, I'm not talking about newborn babies. I'm talking about new places to eat. On our first full night in Tokyo, Kayoko and I visited Jicca,...

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: White Day

We're in Japan at the moment and there are luxurious, sparkling boxes of chocolates everywhere being sold for "White Day". Huh? Oh yah, that's right, it's the day, one month after Valentine's Day, when men give women chocolates. HUH??!?!? It's true. In Japan, it is...

Kuishinbo

Kuishinbo: Oname Koji

I met a wonderful couple on Instagram, who I visited on my last trip to Japan. When they cook, they always use local ingredients prepared with such care and style. I look forward to their dinner picture everyday and I often...

Kuishinbo

Kuishinbo: Doyou no Ushinohi (A Day for Eel)

During midsummer, tradition is to have unagi (freshwater eel) on specific days. The days are called doyou no ushinohi (土用の丑の日) to provide a nutritional treat, as well as to help survive the hot season. Unagi carries a lot of "stamina" nutrition, such as vitamins A and B-complex. The...

Conbini Cabaret

Conbini Cabaret: Gentei Candy, LTD

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...