Hello Sake Gumi members! I’m happy to be taking over for Yoko this month to talk about pairing sake with my favorite food: noodles! But before that, a little about me - I co-own Umami Mart with Yoko and am a lover of adult beverages....
Our collaboration with Studio Arhoj continues with our exclusive Ramen Print. Hang up this playful illustration in your living room, kitchen, kids' room, or office. It will inspire you to get your slurp on!
We have something new from Studio Arhoj's Tokyo Series - Spot Munch Bowls! These bowls are the perfect size for your breakfast granola, yogurt or cereal; then use them later in the day for noodles or
I’ve now known Anders Arhoj of Studio Arhoj for 12 years. We’ve seen each other move across continents, build businesses, and just plain... get old. When we get together, we are usually cracking up about design, food, and nature. We've traveled to Baja Mexico, Kyushu, and New York...
Get more of Yoko's Japan-inspired recipes in our self-published Japanify All Day zine. Making Japanese food at home should never be complicated, and Yoko has created 21 simple recipes - easy enough for weeknight cooking. Japanify classics include dishes like Easy Japanese Curry...
Are you a Japanese curry fanatic? Oaktown Spice Shop created and hand-blends our Japanese Curry Powder, a savory blend of spices. Use it to make Japanese Curry from Scratch (which continues to be our best-selling blog...
I've been on a bit of a lentils kick and I'm afraid I will turn into a life-sized lentil by the time I complete this blog post (I am shoveling lentils in my mouth as I write this). I love how you can make a nutritious meal...
Designed by famed industrial designer Sori Yanagi, these elegant sake glasses have a pleasing overturned bell shape, which makes it easy for sipping and enjoying sake, spirits, and cocktails like the Forbidden Oakland! Also seen in the wild at
Thank you to Imbibe Magazine for featuring our Far Leaves collaborative teas in the September/October issue. Our Ohayo Hojicha Blend is meant for your morning jolt - with hojicha (roasted green...
Featured in the Forbidden Oakland recipe are the Barrel-Aged Forbidden Bitters by Miracle Mile - aging their Forbidden Bitters for six months in a Rye Whiskey barrel from Sonoma County Distilling. These bitters are perfect...
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,...
And just like that, autumn is here. Having moved to the "sunnier side of the Bay" in June, aka the East Bay, I thought I would have a summer filled with heatwaves, pool parties, and barbecues. The fog and gloomy microclimates of San Francisco would be behind...
We're excited to launch our Sake Gumi products - the tokkuri (carafe) and ochoko (sake cups). Enjoy a warm or room temperature junmai sake in these porcelain sakewares, made in Japan.
In honor of Hiroshima month here at Umami Mart, I visited Chinchikurin in LA a few weeks ago, where they specialize in its regional cuisine. Namely they serve Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. A popular chain in Hiroshima proper, this is Chinchikurin's first American outpost, that just opened in the...
Our Anniversary Sale starts today! This August, we celebrate five years in Oakland and as a huge THANK YOU to you, loyal customer, we're putting a large selection of our signature bar tools, glassware, and homewares on sale, up to 50% off!...
Every year, August is a time for reflection. As a Japanese-American (and as a human) it is a time to reflect upon the events of August 6, 1945, when the American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, dropped the world’s first atom...
2017 not only marks five years of our Oakland shop (opened August 2012), but 10 years of our blog (started in February 2007). I'm not usually the sentimental type - and I've certainly never been big on scrapbooking. But you only get to celebrate your five...
The Yamachu Anvil Ice Pick is one of our sexiest bar tools - sleek, chic and sharp. Hand-crafted by one man in Osaka, Japan, these ice picks are hard to find and limited in quantity. The sharp tip allows for precise ice-sculpting, while...
Umami Mart turned five years old this past week and we threw our biggest and best Matsuri yet in the parking lot behind our shop in Old Oakland. We throw this party every year to celebrate the birth of Umami Mart and our...
"Sake on ice? Are you serious?"... is usually the response I get when I tell people it's one of my favorite ways to enjoy sake in the summer. But you can't just pour any sake on the rocks. The best...
