Washi

Cuisine:

Kurotani Washi-no-sato: A visit to a historic Japanese papermaking village

Not far from Kyoto, there’s a village that has been dedicated to the traditional craft of washi papermaking for more than 800 years. Kurotani village is lulled in quiet nature, with streams of clear...

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Travel

Cuisine:

7 wonders of Kyoto you didn’t know existed

An early, two-hour ride on the bullet train brought me to one of the most postcard-worthy cities in the world. After hastily dropping off the bags at the hotel, I set off to enjoy the first rays of sun sipping through the bamboo forest of Arashiyama and wrapped up the day savoring matcha in a tea house of Gion.

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Travel

Cuisine:

Kyoto by the Sea: Secrets Behind Kurotani Washi Paper

Washi paper is a traditional Japanese paper, wa (和) meaning Japanese and shi (紙) meaning paper. It is one of Japan’s most fundamental artistic products which has formed the backbone of many other Japanese art forms during its 1,300 years of production.

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Food & Drink

Cuisine: Café

Start your weekend right with delicious breakfast at Kaiholo Cafe on Okinawa

Growing up, how many of us were told by our mothers or grandmothers that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?

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Food & Drink

Cuisine: Japanese

An omelet... a taco... Kijimunaa serves up omu-taco rice!

You may have heard and even sampled Okinawa’s signature so-called soul food, taco rice – south-of-the-boarder-seasoned ground beef atop rice with shredded cheese, lettuce and tomato. But, what about its cousin, “omu-taco rice”?

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Food & Drink

Cuisine: Thai

Siam: Must-try authentic taste of Thailand dishes in Nanjo City

If you want to enjoy authentic Thai food on Okinawa, Siam in Nanjo City is a good choice.
Restaurant owner Yasushi Inoue and his Thai wife Nok have run the restaurant for 20 years with the goal of inspiring locals with their taste of Thailand dishes.

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Food & Drink

Cuisine: Japanese

Horizon Curry Works offers a variety of Japanese curries

“I really wanted to open a curry house in Chatan, which is one of a few locations in Japan where you see this many curry restaurants,” said Akinobu Sato, the owner of Horizon Curry Works.

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Food & Drink

Cuisine:

Shaved ice cools down the Japanese summer

Summer in Japan gets scorching and steamy. Mid-summer Temperatures often reach 95 F or higher depending on the region. Along with beer, watermelon and soomen (cold udon noodle), kakigoori (shaved ice) is a popular cold food that cools us down during summer.