Food & Dining In Most Countries, the Freezer Aisle Is About Vegetables. In Japan, It’s About 7 AM.
In this series, I've already written about the souzai corner and the bread aisle in Japanese supermarkets. This time it'...
Food & Dining
Food & Dining 
Food & Dining In Most Countries, Bread Is a Side Dish. In a Japanese Supermarket, It’s an Entire Meal.
In part one of this series, I wrote about the souzai (prepared-food) corner in Japanese supermarkets. Right next to it s...
Food & Dining I’ve Walked Into Supermarkets in Dozens of Countries. Japan’s Souzai Corner Still Wins
I make a habit of walking into a random supermarket in every country I visit — it tells you more about daily life than a...
Food & Dining Japan’s Official #1 Gyoza City Isn’t Where You Think — and Locals Eat It in a Circle for a Reason
When foreign visitors think of Japanese gyoza, they usually think of Utsunomiya, the city that built its international r...
Food & Dining The Free Breakfast Nagoya Locals Never Mention (Because They Don’t Think It’s Special)
"Morning service" is one of those Japanese food customs that sounds like a hidden secret but really isn't — it's just so...
Food & Dining The Silent Countdown: How Tokyo Locals Get Sushi for Half Price at Department Store Basements
If you've heard of "depachika" — the elaborate basement food halls under Japan's department stores — you've probably see...
Food & Dining Miso Soup Isn’t One Recipe — It’s a Different Dish in Every Region
Thanks to the global rise of Japanese food, most people have at least heard of miso soup, and miso paste has become much...
Food & Dining Japanese People Eat Raw Eggs for Breakfast — Here’s Why That’s Actually Fine
Tamago kake gohan — hot rice topped with a raw egg and soy sauce — is one of Japan's most beloved comfort foods, eaten s...
Food & Dining The Budget-Friendly Way Japanese People Actually Eat Sashimi
Sashimi doesn't have to mean an upscale restaurant reservation — in Japan, it's just as often a normal supermarket purch...
Food & Dining How to Order Udon in Japan Without Panicking in Line
Udon is a thick, white wheat noodle that's currently most popular served cold, which catches a lot of first-time visitor...