Blog

The Ramen Shaman: Menya Musashi (Shinjuku)
September 8, 2014
Menya Musashi's namesake is one Miyamoto Musashi, regarded as one of Japan's greatest swordsmen and...
BARTENDER (バーテンダー)
August 18, 2014
Meet Ryu Sasakura, a dashingly handsome, deeply empathetic, incredibly talented bartender, back in Tokyo after...
A Visit to Heuga Bar in Gifu City
July 21, 2014
Yoko and I first met bartender Tomokazu Kai in 2010, when we helped present an...
Ukai: Cormorant Fishing in Gifu
July 7, 2014
Yoko and I were lucky enough to be invited to Gifu prefecture in central Japan...
Umami Mart Map: The Chronicles of Nagoya
June 23, 2014
Instead of reaching there via a Wardrobe route, Nagoya is about a two-hour bullet train...
The Ramen Shaman: Gundam (Kyoto)
June 16, 2014
My trip to Kyoto was awesome for many reasons. Temples, new friends, raw nature, or...
Postcard from Kyoto: Kiln
May 26, 2014
We are having a blast in Japan, gallivanting through Gifu, Kyoto and Osaka. This trip,...
Inside Yukiwa Barware Factory
April 16, 2014
Our main objective for our trip to Japan (besides noodles and ekiben) was to visit the...
Adventures in Nakano: Hitomi Bar
April 12, 2014
Male bartenders in Japan are full of themselves. There, I said it. From the few...
Adventures in Nakano: Yakitori at Shimon-ya
April 8, 2014
One of the most memorable nights I had in Tokyo was an adventure in Nakano,...
Japan's Kit Kat Kraze
April 2, 2014
When something takes off in Japan, it gets huge. For a hot minute. People have...
Niigata Noodle JUNKtion: Hegi Soba, Ramen + The Italian
March 28, 2014
Japan is noodle crazy. Each station in each town of each prefecture have their own...