August 16, 2012
On the very special occasion that a visitor from Japan would bring Toraya to our home in Cupertino, I would actually be excited about eating. I was a very picky, skinny child, but whenever my mom busted out the Toraya I would eat blocks of yokan (red bean dessert) and stack as much anko into my […]
August 25, 2011
Although we don’t see many kudzu vines taking over large patches of land in the west, it is often referred to as the “mile-a-minute-vine” in the South. It all started in 1876 when someone thought it would be a good idea to introduce the kudzu plant from Japan to the U.S. Instead of providing some […]
July 5, 2010
In Japan, people give gifts to each other on many occasions. Don’t you have one or two Japanese friends, who give you gifts whenever they return from Japan despite the fact that you’ve never given them anything? You thought, “This is awkward, do you like me or something?!” right? I have no idea where this […]
August 8, 2009
Here’s a fun accompaniment to U N I F O R M B E H A V I O R’s flan choux discovery. One morning my mom enthusiastically proclaimed to me, “Kayo, try this now, it’s delicious.” I admit this frightened me a bit, as my mother is never so apparently excited about anything, let […]