September 18, 2013
Japan has a wonderful fall tradition known as otsukimi (ãŠæœˆè¦‹) or Moon Festival, which celebrates both the moon and promise of a good harvest for the year. Besides otsukimi, it’s also called chushu no meigetu or jyugoya. The custom is believed to have originated in China. In the year 909, the Emperor hosted the first recorded celebration […]
May 15, 2013
I seriously did not know anything about Portugal and its inhabitants until I set my boot on its shores in May 2013. Well, apart from the story about Columbus and his New World discovery, but it appears there’s debate whether he was actually Spanish instead, so in reality I knew nothing. After three days in […]
May 7, 2013
The craze for sweets in Japan is so peculiar. There’s always, “This Year’s #1 Dessert!” which will inevitably be forgotten about next year. Sweets like macarons and other delicate pastries are kicked up a notch or two once they enter Japan land. Its level of sophistication is nothing you will see here in the States. […]
March 26, 2013
You know what’s inside your Brita filter, right? Charcoal. You know the best way to keep the fridge from smelling bad? Put a piece of charcoal in it. Due to its purifying effects, people in Japan take powdered charcoal as a daily supplement, and some people even say it saves you from radiation. There’s no […]
March 12, 2013
When we were little we used to watch my oba-chan (grandmother) make this seasonal treat from Kagoshima prefecture in southern Japan. We were too little to enjoy it at first, but as we grew older the dish became more and more delicious. Oba-chan’s preparation differed from the original recipe in that she substituted shochu for […]
February 28, 2013
Amazake literally translates to “sweet sake” which is deceiving considering it’s non-alcoholic. It’s sweet, milky and easy to digest, making it perfect for kids or adults with an upset stomach. Amazake is made by combining koji with cooked rice, which allows the rice to break down into simple sugars. This is the first step to […]
February 25, 2013
Jonathan’s brother and his wife Arielle came to visit last weekend from New York. The weather was gorgeous so we did a little late afternoon baking on the deck with a glass of wine! Arielle is a fabulous baker and this is her recipe for hamentashen. These cookies are traditionally made for Purim, a Jewish […]
February 4, 2013
It is a bit unnerving that the word “oil” is a part of the name of this cake, but don’t let it fool you, it’s delicious. Besides, there’s oil in any cake, right? And since it’s not super sweet, this makes a great breakfast pastry, similar to a banana or zucchini bread. The addition of […]
January 28, 2013
Over the weekend, we celebrated a little Jewish holiday called Tu Bishvat. It’s often called the “new year of the trees†and is sort of like Jewish Earth Day. Traditionally people eat 15 kinds of fruits and nuts and drink four glasses of wine… then you go outside and plant a tree (who doesn’t love that?!)!  For […]
January 18, 2013
*Nahoko Morimoto is a Tokyo-based photographer. Her work has been featured in Brutus and Vogue Japan.