Kyoto

New Year’s is Japan’s biggest and longest holiday. People take Dec. 29 to Jan. 3 off from work to celebrate the first three days of the year praying at temples and shrines for the coming year.

Given that it’s made from sticky rice, just like the Japanese rice cake, and how similar the names are, it’s understandable to assume mochi and Okinawan muchi are the same.

Japan is a country which has many unique cultures within it, and slurping is one of the most unusual characteristics! This can be a huge surprise when you come across it for the first time as it often is considered as a bad behavior at meal in many other countries

Japanese food is absolutely amazing, but it’s also completely different in taste, presentation, and texture from dishes in many Western countries.

A genuine world of their own, the local foods of Okinawa prefecture draw on a deep cultural and historical heritage, finding inspiration through Chinese and Southeast Asian influences.

If you have traveled to Okinawa, you may have stumbled across a dish fit for kings. It’s true, rafute, or braised pork belly, was served as a staple to Okinawan royalty.