Author Archives: Yoko Kumano


August 10, 2009

Japanify: Goya (Bitter Melon)

by Yoko Kumano

I finally had the guts to buy a goya because there was a half-cut goya on sale for 50 yen at my local supermarket last week. I had always envied my Okinawan friend who could nonchalantly cook up Goya-Chanpuru. Until last week, goya was much too intimidating for me to take up. Goya is a […]

August 7, 2009

Protected: Graphics and Photos

by Yoko Kumano

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

August 6, 2009

Tokyo JUNKtion: Mugi-toro Don at MANGETSU

by Yoko Kumano

One of my most recent discoveries in Tokyo is Mangetsu, a tiny place that has a maximum occupancy of eight, one-minute from Hatagaya station that specializes in gyu-tan, or beef tongue. I will post on their many beef tongue dishes in the near future, but this post concerns Mugi-toro meshi – a barley rice bowl […]

August 5, 2009

Tokyo JUNKtion: Mango Pudding Kit Kat

by Yoko Kumano

I was a little skeptical about this week’s Kit Kat flavor “Mango Pudding” because of its shocking orange color. I am usually not a fan of chocolate doesn’t taste like chocolate, but the Mango Pudding coating was actually quite enjoyable. Imagine having mango pudding with a wafer served on the side and you get the […]

July 29, 2009

Tokyo JUNKtion: Boobie Pudding

by Yoko Kumano

Remember the UM poll back in May when everyone voted for “more boobies”? Well, I am going to fulfill that request for a second time. Here are some shots of Oppai Pudding (Boobie Pudding) available at Le Edo‘s Aqua City in Odaiba, Tokyo. I noticed Thet there were two flavors. For folks who are just […]

July 14, 2009

Tokyo JUNKtion: Canned Crab Bar GUILTY of False Advertising

by Yoko Kumano

The Canned Crab Bar is guilty of false advertising. I almost forgave them for not serving any canned crab while dining on fresh, juicy crab legs and seafood-cream pasta… until I saw the bill. We walked into the Canned Crab Bar located in a tiny alley in Yoyogi-uehara expecting canned crab. But instead the only […]

July 13, 2009

Tokyo JUNKtion: Rice Krispies Treat Bakesale at Yoyogi-koen

by Yoko Kumano

June and I spent Saturday afternoon at Yoyogi-Park selling home-made Rice Krispies Treats. Despite Japan being a country with rice everywhere, Kellog’s does not sell Rice Krispies in Japan. In order to realize our dreams of starting a bakesale trend in Tokyo, June brought back two boxes of Rice Krispies from the states last month.We […]

July 7, 2009

Tokyo JUNKtion: Ramune Kit Kat

by Yoko Kumano

Ramune is a traditional Japanese carbonated drink that is in a distinctly shaped bottle with a marble in it. The taste is a pretty generic lemon-lime soda flavor, but it’s something about the glass bottle that makes it taste extra cold and special. Ramune is commonly sold at matsuri (Japanese festivals) where you will see […]

July 6, 2009

Umamiporn: California Sun-kissed Picturelog

by Yoko Kumano

I took a much-needed trip back home to California in May for two weeks. I risked contracting the swine flu to indulge in my second passion after eating – photography with my grandma’s 1970s Nikon EM film camera.I love taking photos of food in Tokyo, but there’s something about the California sun that saturates food […]

July 2, 2009

Tokyo JUNKtion: Bear Pond Espresso

by Yoko Kumano

Since moving away from my beloved town of Shimokitazawa, I make every excuse to cruise by the neighborhood just to check out the latest shop openings. As it is only a 10-min bike ride away from my current residence, I go there to run my Muji errands and to meet up for coffee with colleagues. […]