Umami Mart

I don’t know what’s going on in your neck of the woods, but what is going on with the weather in the Bay Area?!?!? We are experiencing really schizophrenic weather patterns — it will go from warm to cold in an instant. Take today, Tuesday 10/15. It was quite chilly in the morning, then we […]

*Nahoko Morimoto is a Tokyo-based photographer. Her work has been featured in Brutus and Vogue Japan.

*Nahoko Morimoto is a Tokyo-based photographer. Her work has been featured in Brutus and Vogue Japan.

Seeing an old friend after some time is like nothing else. You catch up, see how they are doing, and talk about old times. I made my way to Okinawa a while back to check old the old island and made it my first priority to see Daisuke and his newly opened pizzeria, Bacar. I […]

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 […]

Last night, I was at a local izakaya, Washio, with some friends. My friend Takachiho, fresh off of work, downed two bottles of beer, three sake servings and quickly moved onto his next drink all in the time span of about 80 minutes. “Master, please give me an awamori!” (Master is the word used in […]

I ate it. Yashigani or coconut crabs live in the Indian and Central Pacific regions. I have never seen one in Tokyo, therefore, although it’s quite pricey (4000yen for a small one at 500 grams), I knew I had to try it. They are terrestrial and have fluffier meat than their aquatic counterparts. The body […]

My third blog entry on my trip to Ishigaki Island in Okinawa is about beef. Since moving to Japan, I realize just how beef-obsessed the Japanese are. Yakiniku is huge, guaranteeing for really stinky salarymen on packed trains every Friday night. Luckily on Ishigaki Island, there are no salarymen. Ishigaki-gyu (cow) is probably what Ishigaki […]

Part II in a series of food reviews from my trip to Ishigaki Island, Okinawa. The tropical climate of the Okinawa Islands yields wonderful fruits. Our visit, in the beginning of September, coincided with the best of pineapple season. I was eager to try as much fruit as possible. My first chance was the hotel […]

I would like to go by the 1992 Vanessa Williams’ hit “Save the Best for Last” regarding my reviews for the various eats I experienced during my 5-day trip to Ishigakijima (Okinawa). Ishigakijima is the most beautiful place I have ever been to. It was the ideal vacation spot to chill out and enjoy a […]