Umami Mart

At first glance it didn’t look like there would be anything out of the ordinary in Akabane. A 25-minute ride from Shinjuku, Akabane Station is thronged with commuters coming home or changing train lines — the mark of suburbia. Its local Book-Off has a rather crappy selection of books. The shopping street nearby looked tired […]

During midsummer, tradition is to have unagi (freshwater eel) on specific days. The days are called doyou no ushinohi (土用の丑の日) to provide a nutritional treat, as well as to help survive the hot season. Unagi carries a lot of “stamina” nutrition, such as vitamins A and B-complex. The ancient Japanese diet, like today, was mostly vegetables […]

I recently spent a month visiting my family in Tokyo. I had so many great meals, went to an onsen (hot springs), a winery, and paid my respects to my family’s gravesite. Many places to visit. I also had an opportunity to meet my new Instagram friend, Misako and her husband, Yasushi. This young couple […]

I went to college in the States after I graduated from high school in Japan. I learned how to speak English and how to eat two portions. After a year, I gained 30 pounds. I didn’t feel so guilty when living in the States but I felt horrible every time I went back to Japan […]

A few weeks ago, one of my professors went off on a tangent while lecturing: “I was looking through a text book which read, ‘Japanese are nature-loving people.’ As if other people don’t love nature! I don’t know where you’re from, but many places also have seasonal changes! If you were from Boston, it’s not […]

Conbinis are everywhere in Japan. Lawson, 7-Eleven, AM/PM, Yamazaki Daily, to name a few. You throw a rock, and you would probably hit three conbinis simultaneously. Well, let me tell you, that only happens in urban Japan. I grew up in Wakayama, in the middle of the mountains. The holy Koya mountain is about an […]

*For the next week, we will be celebrating conbini culture on Umami Mart, in preparation for the opening of U-MART on Tuesday 6/25. Check back every day for a new Conbini Cabaret article. Umami for life! -KA The first time in my life I stepped into a conbini (convenience store) in Tokyo was on the evening I […]

Greetings! My name is furochan, and I’m super stoked to be writing for Umami Mart. Welcome to my larder!  For the last eight months or so, my home has been a dormitory located in an improbably posh part of Tokyo. Rent is surprisingly cheap for this city (part of being a university student) and not […]

Los Angeles to San Francisco. San Francisco to Tokyo. Tokyo to Sapporo. Plane to train to subway to foot. 33 straight hours of travel and my first meal in Japan made it all worthwhile. Welcome to すみれ (Sumire). My couch-surfing hosts initially thought my ramen fixation was a cute diversion but quickly realized they were […]

The art of perfection is everywhere in Japan. In its laquerware, electronics and especially in its food. Dessert Le Comptoir in Fukasawa, Tokyo is an example of food perfection. A 10 minute bus-ride from Jiyugaoka, it’s a bit of a challenge to make it out here if you are not given specific directions, but when […]