Food in Japan

Every bottle of sake leaves something behind. After the fermented mash is pressed, a soft, pale, fragrant solid remains in the press. The Japanese call it sake kasu, and many people wrongly dismiss it as waste. In reality, it is not waste at all. Sake kasu is a nutrient-rich ingredient with real culinary and cultural value. For centuries, Japanese cooks have turned it...

Imagine biting into a sweet, ripe strawberry in the middle of a Japanese summer. For years, that was almost impossible here. Winter ruled strawberry season, and summer berries tasted sour and dull. Saika strawberry is part of how that changed. This guide explains what Saika is, how it tastes, where it grows, and why it matters. If you love Japanese fruit, this summer ...

Ask someone how sake reaches its final strength, and most people picture the fermentation tank. Yet one of the last and most quietly important steps happens after brewing is basically done. It is called Warimizu, and it is the practice of adding carefully selected water to sake before bottling. The goal is simple to state, though hard to master. Brewers adjust the alc...

Sanriku oysters are Pacific oysters farmed along Japan’s rugged Sanriku Coast in Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures. Cold, nutrient-rich waters from the Oyashio Current give them a plump body and a deep, briny sweetness. Fishing communities here rebuilt their oyster farms almost from scratch after the 2011 tsunami, and that recovery shaped how the industry works today.

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Tono Jingisukan (遠野ジンギスカン) is a regional lamb barbecue from Tono City in Iwate Prefecture. Thin slices of lamb or mutton go onto a domed iron pan unseasoned, then get dipped in a soy-based sauce. Its signature feature is the portable Jingisukan bucket, a perforated tin pail that holds solid fuel under the pan. Unlike a restaurant-only specialty, residents serve it at ...