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December 06, 2025
 

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LIFE

Food & Drink

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Yuzen Inoue gave up a corporate life to pursue the craft of salt-making in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Today, he makes salts that showcase the nuanced flavors of salt crystals each season.
LIFE / Food & Drink
In Yamaguchi, a salt master captures the terroir of the sea
With the mineral-rich waters of Yuya Bay at his disposal, Yuzen Inoue creates blends that bring out the nuanced, different flavors of salt crystals each season.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
In winter, spring chrysanthemum greens hit their peak
A favorite ingredient in savory pancakes and sukiyaki, these leafy vegetables offer a flavorful edge as well as a dose of antioxidants.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
At Cuore in Hokkaido, lamb offal plays more than a bit part
Chef Yuya Urushizaki takes a nose-to-tail approach when cooking, turning typically wasted cuts of sheep into gourmet delicacies.
The miso ramen topped with salmon is a nod to "Tampopo" actress Nobuko Miyamoto's hometown of Otaru, which is known for Ishikari "nabe," a salmon-based hot pot dish.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 23, 2025
From Otaru with love, a recipe for salmon-topped miso ramen
By Simon Daly
Pay homage to "Tampopo" actress Nobuko Miyamoto by putting together this simple, healthy bowl.
Tokyo's western outskirts are home to some of the city's best ramen shops, such as Kotobuki Seimen Yoshikawa.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 22, 2025
Tokyo’s western edge is a ramen wonderland
By Brian MacDuckston
Tokyo’s western outskirts hide some of the city’s most distinctive ramen, from fish-forward broths to old-school Chinese noodles.
Juzo Itami's 1985 movie "Tampopo" has inspired many restaurateurs around the world to open their own ramen shop with the same name, such as this establishment in Auckland, New Zealand.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 22, 2025
‘Tampopo’ lives on in bowls of ramen around the world
By Mike Fu
Decades after its release, the “ramen Western” continues to shape the menus of those who’ve seen the film.
Golden "age-fukuburo," a culinary take on Japan's new year "lucky bags," can be served on their own.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Nov 15, 2025
Good fortune, wrapped in fried tofu
By Elizabeth Andoh
Inspired by Japan’s lucky bags, these tofu pouches hold savory treasures that simmer into a small taste of good fortune.
Yoko Nakazawa's debut cookbook, “The Japanese Art of Pickling and Fermenting: Preserving Vegetables and Family Traditions," offers 125 recipes, from fuss-free sweet vinegar pickles to more challenging dishes such as rice bran pickles (above).
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 11, 2025
Brine and dine: A guide to pickling your Japanese vegetables
By Simon Daly
Yoko Nakazawa’s debut cookbook offers a deep dive into preserving your greens — a method that has formed the bedrock of her family’s culinary traditions.
Industry professionals gathered in Kyoto to discuss sake at the Sake Samurai Summit.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 11, 2025
Industry experts weigh sake’s global future at Kyoto summit
By Cindy Bissig
Participants at the Sake Samurai Summit in Kyoto discussed how global enthusiasm and domestic headwinds are reshaping Japan’s sake trade.
The Onodera Food Service group, which manages Sushi Ginza Onodera and "kaiseki" specialist Nadaman, has merged a sushi "omakase" (chef's choice) into a kaiseki to create a new dining experience.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 7, 2025
At Nadaman, a traditional Japanese multicourse meal gets a new format
By Weiwen Lin
The Onodera group has taken a bold step in merging two of its dining concepts — sushi and “kaiseki” haute cuisine.

Japan to require nationality in property registrations
The government is looking to include nationality in a planned property registration database amid concerns that condominium purchases by foreign citizens have driven up prices.
The key points under discussion on policies affecting foreign nationals
Visitors head to Shirakawago, a popular tourist spot, in Gifu Prefecture in November.
Man accused of shooting Abe apologizes to former PM’s widow and family
The Nara District Court where Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, is on trial for the murder of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Abe's wife, Akie, attended the trial on Wednesday for the first time.
China massing military ships across region in show of maritime force, sources say
A Chinese warship participates in joint Navy exercise of Iran, China and Russia in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, on March 12.
Japan’s fitness industry is catering to a new clientele: Health-conscious seniors
Masato Edamitsu, the 60-year-old founder of Shinshin Kenko Club, training and guiding his client
Kashima or Kashiwa: J. League title chase goes down to the wire
Kashima's Yuma Suzuki (center) takes a shot during a game against Kashiwa in March.
2025 was the year Japan’s box office returned
In 2025, “Demon Slayer” and “Kokuho” broke box-office records, while films such as “Renoir,” A Pale View of the Hills” and “Two Strangers, Two Seasons” garnered acclaim on the international film festival circuit. The year’s biggest loss was the death of Tatsuya Nakadai, an highly regarded actor who had worked with nearly all of the top directors of Japanese cinema’s postwar golden age.
The key points under discussion on policies affecting foreign nationals
Visitors head to Shirakawago, a popular tourist spot, in Gifu Prefecture in November.
A French cabbie behind the wheel in small-town Japan
A native of the Jura region of France, Severine Lamielle moved to Tottori Prefecture in 2024 and found a job as a taxi driver.
A new animation festival lands in Nagoya with big plans
Aichi Nagoya International Animation Film Festival director Shinichiro Inoue (left) and artistic director Tadashi Sudo (right) started the new event in Nagoya in part due to local government support and Aichi Prefecture’s ongoing investment in arts and culture.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Yumi Matsutoya began her decades-long career under her maiden name, Yumi Arai, but Japanese fans might know her better as “Yuming.”
Yumi Matsutoya’s human touch in an AI age
By Patrick St. Michel

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