wanderlust

My souperinspiration Mizutaki In Japan, once it starts getting chilly outside, it’s that time of year again when comfort food means a good old-fashioned nabe, or Japanese hot pot. Mizutaki is one of the classic nabemono, communal stews which have long been a hallmark of home cooking in Japan. The term nabe refers to the vessel itself, […]

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My souperinspiration Miso On this trip to Japan, in Matsumoto City, we met Hayashi san, the president and master shinshu miso maker at Marusho Jozo. Through our conversations, I found out he is 80 years old. But the man, does not look a day past 65 years old. The complexion of his skin, its tautness […]

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My Souper Inspiration Festivalo Karaimo World (1-1 Gofuku-cho, Kagoshima City (Tenmonkan) Karaimo (“potatoes from China”; “Kara” refers to China, “Imo” is the Japanese word for potatoes) or satsumaimo is Japanese for sweet potato. Hah, the understated vegetable that has been tagged as poor man’s food in Asia. Well, no one would have guessed that this […]

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My Souper Inspiration Daio Wasabi Farm (3640 Hotaka, Azumino, Nagano Prefecture 399-8303, Japan) The global vogue for all things wasabi have seen products such as wasabi peas, wasabi popcorn, wasabi seaweed snacks, wasabi hummus and dips hit the shelves and becoming popular. My recent trip to Japan especially to Daio Wasabi farm made me jump on […]

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My souperinspirations Mentaiko at Yamaguchi Aburaya Fukutaro (1-1-1, Gojikkawa, Minami-ku, Fukuoka) Japan is obsessed with food and at no time is this more obvious than when you take a trip to a new part of Japan. Every town seems to have its own delicacy or speciality to try. Mentaiko is the star product of the Hakata ward […]

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Why you should eat miso daily? There has been references that miso and rice for Japanese people are like ‘meat and potatoes for Americans’. Miso is Japan’s traditional seasoning and health food. Making miso is an art. Hundreds of varieties of this classic Japanese staple can be found across the country, and like wine and cheese, it […]

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All about real fresh wasabi The global vogue for all things wasabi have seen products such as wasabi peas, wasabi popcorn, wasabi seaweed snacks, wasabi hummus and dips hit the shelves and becoming popular. However, maybe not many of us, know that all these years, the wasabi used in these products, the pasty green stuff […]

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Kagoshima-Hawaii of Japan The prefecture of Kagoshima is a volcanic tropical paradise also known as the ‘Hawaii of Japan’. With the opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen, accessibility to this area is greatly improved bringing with it great influx of local tourists. This southern Japanese city in the island of Kyushu, is effortlessly charming, big enough […]

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Spicing up your palate Japanese food stresses the freshness and simplicity of cooking and ingredients alike, so ingredients are usually not smeared with a huge amount of sauces. They prefer subtlety so anything added to complement the food would only be a sprinkle and should never be so strong as to overwhelm the main dish but to raise […]

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Takayama Ryokan experience Takayama is a city in the mountainous Hida region of Gifu Prefecture. To differentiate it from other places named Takayama, the city is also commonly referred to as Hida-Takayama. It has the nickname “Little Kyoto of Hida” as it has managed to retain a traditional touch especially in its beautifully preserved old […]

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Nagano and traditional Shinano cuisine Zenkoji Temple is the heart and soul of Nagano City. It is one of the most important and popular temples in Japan. It was founded in the 7th century and stores the first Buddhist statue ever to be brought into Japan when Buddhism was first introduced in the 6th century. Similar […]

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Sampuru, Replica food making experience Whenever we go to a Japanese restaurant, the first thing we do is marvel at the fake food in the front window. My kids are very intrigued by them. So real, so fake, so detailed! Restaurants throughout Japan display these plastic food replicas as a sort of menu or in-the-street […]

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