Despite the year’s first and hardest raining typhoon hitting on the same day as the first day of our one-night onsen trip to Yugawara, we got to the ryokan in one piece (after a lot of wrong turns – Japanese maps do NOT help in any way, also given that they don’t name the goddamn […]
Author Archives: Yoko Kumano
July 3, 2007
Fujireien (Mt. Fuji Cemetary) 富士霊園
In Japan, 49 days after one dies, their loved ones bring their cremains to the gravesite. It was a beautiful day for a beautiful life – and one more Kumano was laid to rest. After hearing prayer from a bald man in the burning sun over my father and my grandfather, we went to the […]
April 7, 2007
S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y night: Home Cookin’
Sometimes, staying in on a Saturday night is the absolute best option for dinner. This is exactly what we did yesterday. The evening started out with a visit to Life grocery store in Hatagaya – nothing fancy – kind of like an Albertson’s. My boyfriend Washi who is Japanese, made… surprise: Japanese curry. Me being […]
April 2, 2007
Jindaiji
Honestly, there’s nothing better than waking up late in the morning with your honey and spontaneously going to Jindaiji – a charming little town in Western Tokyo famous for soba (buckwheat noodles). I realize that this is way after the fact (we went a month ago), but that is the downside of waiting until your […]
March 26, 2007
Yuba County
Over the weekend, I spent some time in Nikko which is about three hours away from Tokyo. Most people go for the gaudy shrines – wooden and painted in bright red and gold reflecting Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu’s glory. Anyhow, the weather wasn’t very agreeable – so there was nothing else to do except…EAT! Turns out, […]
March 23, 2007
ãªã¾ãŒãfest Part II: Jackpot
Ever since reading Aya’s “ãªã¾ãŒã fest: Jack’s Luxury Oyster Bar” post, I had been out on a mission to eat oysters. Which has since brought me to Shimokitazawa’s Jackpot Oyster Kitchen twice. There’s something perfect about celebrating pay day (which, by the way, seems to have coincided for those of you in NY and us […]
March 14, 2007
White Day
A month ago, if you asked me what I thought of the Japanese system regarding Valentine’s Day I would have given two enthusiastic thumbs DOWN. The first two weeks of February are madness. Pretty little Japanese girls swarm the streets and consequently, the department stores, in search of the perfect overpriced box of chocolates for […]
March 11, 2007
My fear of snails…
Prevented me from eating these. (Served at Yoiten in Shimokitazawa)
March 7, 2007
Mr. Donut Desktop
The new ad campaign for Mr. Donut’s Honey Dipped donuts hit the walls of the Ginza Subway line this week. I am always in awe of their design team. For this campaign, they use the acronym UFO, in this case, for Usomitai ni Fuwafuwa no Oishisa (unbelievably delicious pillowy softness). I can’t seem to find […]
March 6, 2007
Guaranteed Satisfaction
Since Japan is very close to Korea, the Korean food is leaps and bounds better than anything in the States. The ingredients are close to Japanese food as well, so that alone guarantees better Korean cuisine. Although in comparison to the food I actually ate last summer in Seoul, I can attest that the Korean […]