Food & Drink Oct 13, 2018
Italy's first sushi chef on risk, reward and personal sacrifice
Minoru "Shiro" Hirasawa served the country's first sushi over 40 years ago.
Style & Design Oct 7, 2018
The artisans helping preserve the luster of Kishu lacquerware
The future of Kishu lacquerware will depend on young artisans finding the balance between tradition and modernization. But the value of the art lies not only in its beauty, but in the sacrifice and commitment of the artisans who dedicate their lives to carrying ...
Food & Drink Sep 15, 2018
Udon House brings the world to Sanuki udon
Part guesthouse and tour provider and part culture and cooking class, Udon House is a full-immersion experience where guests learn about the Sanuki region where udon noodles were born.
Food & Drink Sep 1, 2018
Chef Rica Maezawa puts a fresh face on Edo Period cooking
At her restaurant, Nanakusa, and now for Finnair, Maezawa adjusts traditional Edo Period Japanese flavors for an international audience by using familiar aromas from herbs and spices to evoke dishes guests may already know.
Baseball | In Pictures Aug 19, 2018
Summer Koshien: From the inside
While living in Japan, I spent languid summers watching Koshien on television. I'd rise before the first game and pour cold mugicha (barley tea) as cicadas hummed outside my open windows. It's the sounds I remember most. The chatter of the announcers punctuated by aluminum bat ...
Food & Drink May 19, 2018
The Shima Peninsula, where life is built on oysters and seafood
Shima Peninsula may be most famous for pearls, but the true treasure is its bountiful natural environment and a plateful of fresh oysters.
Food & Drink May 5, 2018
Annual festival sees cows under the hammer for a cool ¥25 million
In Mie Prefecture, the city of Matsusaka celebrates its animal husbandry with a cattle auction each November.
Travel Jan 19, 2018
Following in the footsteps of Wakayama's beautiful mind
Naturalist Minakata Kumagusu's home prefecture offers much more than a scenic retreat.
Travel Sep 1, 2017
Iriomote: Remote island is home to a unique state of mind
Approaching the house of 80-year-old Akiko Ishigaki, a three-legged dog rises to signal our arrival. From inside the house, Ishigaki gently scolds the dog, emerges from the doorway and invites us in. She's dressed in layers of woven purple cloth and her face maintains the ...
Travel | PHOTO ESSAY Jan 21, 2017
Purified by the water and fire of Japan in Wakayama
On the polished stones of Ojigahama Beach in Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture, a group of men stand in the February cold. Dressed in long athletic coats they look like a marooned football team. They've come for shiogori, a saltwater baptism to cleanse body and mind ...