Umami Mart

– Heading to Osaka? Be sure to watch this video travel guide by my friends Chris Anderson and Lily Chou, whose latest edition of JetLag RocknRoll explores where to eat, drink, shop, see shows, and sightsee in Osaka, based on the suggestions of local musicians Kenji Kodama (Time Bomb Records) and the King Brothers. (JetLag RocknRoll) – There’s […]

Growing up, I would visit Japan about once every two years or so. It would always be to see our extended family, who all lived in the Tokyo area. The trips would be jam-packed time for family in Saitama, Yokohama and Chiba, and we never made it out much to other areas of Japan. My […]

Just a little over two months ago, my good friend in Tokyo sent me this short email: “Hey, I know Umami Mart isn’t a music venue, but would you be interesting in hosting a show for a friend of mine?” Oorutaichi, a one-man powerhouse from Osaka (home to Japanoise bands like the Boredoms and Hanatarash) […]

Happy New Year everyone! This year’s resolution for me is to try to post more since I’ve been pretty lazy for some time now. I went home last month, and found a couple of interesting items that hasn’t been posted by Yoko in Tokyo JUNKtion. 1.) Fanta World, BIG APPLE, Limited Edition. Fanta is widely […]

Kumiko and I walked into a relatively fancy-looking noodle shop off of Dotonbori in Osaka. We ordered; the food arrived; we were stunned. Were they for real??? The bowl was literally wider than her torso– this is NOT an optical illusion. She looked this awkward the entire time she slurped her noodles. It was all […]

Newest omiyage (gift) in the Akabori household from Japan: green tea Baumkuchen from a patisserie in Dojima, Osaka called Mon Chouchou. From the website, it looks like it is a relatively new shop (2003), that takes its inspiration from the old world of Osaka, calling Dojima the “New York of Japan.” Of course the most […]

Besides okonimiyaki, Osaka is known for another genius culinary invention: kushikatsu (aka kushiage). It’s so dreamy. Various meat and seafood parts, sometimes utterly inappropriate but so delicious. All kinds of vegetables. All breaded, then fried. On a stick! Yippee!!! We went over to the Jan-Jan strip of the city (above neon sign), where the taxi […]

One of my most memorable meals in Japan- okonomiyaki, negiyaki, omuyakisoba, and a luscious creation called “tonpei”, in Osaka. Wiki says that the okonomiyaki originated in Osaka, and has been interpreted in different ways throughout Japan. It’s basically a cabbage pancake filled with another meat or shellfish. In Osaka, we went to a reputable place […]

Got into Osaka yesterday, where we’ve been doing all sorts of eating: Street eating. Walking 5 more steps and eating some more, eating. Oh, I’ll have one of those! eating. Ok, this is my last order, I swear, eating. You get the picture. We’re staying right next to Dotonbori– a single street that is at […]