author

 
Menu
Search
 
June 30, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Elizabeth Andoh
When European sailors first arrived on Japan’s shores, some of their favorite meals seemed outlandish to the locals, but others became adapted delicacies.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
May 24, 2026
Barbaric tastes: The pickled Portuguese dish that won over Japan
A refreshingly piquant bite for increasingly warm days, this medley of Portuguese and Japanese flavors works as both an appetizer and main dish.
"Sekihan," a dish of sticky rice with adzuki beans, is popular during festive occasions because of its red hue, a color associated with good fortune in Japan.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Mar 20, 2026
Eat a bowl of red rice for good luck
A dish of sticky grains with adzuki beans, “sekihan” is traditionally served to celebrate auspicious beginnings in school and work.
Turning "konnyaku" into braids is an easy way to present the low-calorie ingredient in a fun shape.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jan 23, 2026
Twists and turns to spice up the mild ‘konnyaku’
A staple of Setsubun, the gelatinous food can be easily enlivened by shaping it into braids and sprinkling them with some fiery chili peppers.
Golden "age-fukuburo," a culinary take on Japan's new year "lucky bags," can be served on their own.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Nov 15, 2025
Good fortune, wrapped in fried tofu
Inspired by Japan’s lucky bags, these tofu pouches hold savory treasures that simmer into a small taste of good fortune.
Filled with red bean paste and covered in "kinako" soy flour, green "zunda" soybean mash and black sesame, "o-hagi" sticky rice balls offer a delicious interplay of sweet and savory flavors.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Sep 19, 2025
Celebrating autumn with timeless sticky rice balls
Filled with red bean paste and sheathed in various coatings, the spherical sweets evoke the gentle mood of the season.
With a salsa-like topping, the "dashi yakko" is a Yamagata-style chilled tofu that makes a refreshing side dish for summer.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jul 18, 2025
Cool to be square: A block of tofu with veggies to chill your summer
Bank on the cold, silky bean curd to help you combat the season’s soaring temperatures.
With the weather warming up, there's no better time to make a bowl of chilled "surinagashi-jiru" (pureed soup).
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
May 18, 2025
Flaunt your seasonal greens with Japan’s traditional pureed soup
Get the best flavor out of your peas and pods by simmering them in a dashi-based broth.
"Udo" (Japanese spikenard) is one of the many vegetables that reach their peak of flavor right as spring comes around.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Mar 23, 2025
Now is the time to discover this Japanese mountain vegetable
At its most flavorful now, the oddly shaped Japanese spikenard adds a juicy and crisp element to salads.
Yellowtail caught during the coldest period of the year is delicious enough — but paired with a classic method of marinade and pan-searing, it's divine.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jan 29, 2025
For two weeks only, cold-water yellowtail can give you chills
According to Japan’s hyperseasonal calendar, January brings with it the chance for yellowtail at the peak of flavor.
Japan's traditional New Year cuisine has a long history, though modern developments have led to slight changes in the way things work.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 22, 2024
A brief history of ‘osechi ryōri,’ Japan’s edible tradition for the new year
In addition to wordplay, color and shape often determine the reason why certain foods are part of Japan’s New Year holiday menu.
In Japan, these sweet morsels are a traditional New Year's treat, but they share a surprising overlap with American Thanksgiving flavors, too.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Nov 10, 2024
The winter sweet that matches perfectly with autumn
If I’m in America for Thanksgiving, I’ll serve “kuri kinton” (syrup-stewed chestnuts in sweet potato paste) as a festive accompaniment to the holiday turkey.
From mid-August through late September, eggplants reach their height of flavor in Japan.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Sep 1, 2024
Japan’s autumn eggplant: Too delicious for your daughter-in-law
In Japan, autumn eggplant has become a shorthand symbol for keeping the most pleasurable things in life to yourself.
Sardines may not be the traditional choice for Japan's special midsummer eel-eating day, but with a few special touches, the fish can be a satisfying and sustainable replacement.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jul 21, 2024
Going eel-less for Japan’s midsummer tradition
Japanese eel is endangered, but sardines are an ethical — and delicious — substitute for this year’s double Doyo no Ushi no Hi.
This is the dish that hooked me on the traditional Japanese ways of the "washoku" kitchen.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
May 26, 2024
Land and sea come together in traditional kitchen staple
For a dish of ingredients that display such culinary affinity, the Japanese have a go-to phrase: “aishō ga yoroshii” (good compatibility).
During cherry blossom season, lunchtime thoughts turn to outdoor picnicking, and savory sakura-flavored rice bundles are the perfect choice.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Mar 23, 2024
Cherry blossoms are just as beautiful on a plate as a branch
With Tokyo’s cherry blossom season imminent, the tree takes center stage in sweet and savory dishes alike.
'Oden' may not be an iconic dish outside Japan, but during winter, there's nothing Japanese diners love more.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jan 28, 2024
In a Japanese winter, homemade ‘oden’ warms the body and soul
In poll after poll, this warming assortment of slowly simmered foods is the top-ranking comfort food for blustery winter nights.
A squeeze of fresh "sudachi" citrus is the final element in this earthy, warming dish perfect for cooler temperatures.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 19, 2023
Here’s the tea on traditional dobin teapot-steamed mushrooms
Dobin mushi pairs well with meat, fish, tofu, omelets and other vegetables. You can also serve dobin mushi in lieu of soup at any meal.
Edamame are perhaps best known as a beer snack, but they can turn into a versatile topping for desserts and tofu alike.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 17, 2023
Sweet or savory, edamame ‘zunda’ is a soybean revelation
Today, a whopping 66,000 tons of edamame are domestically grown and consumed annually.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jul 16, 2023
I scream, you scream, we all scream — for amazake aisu
Today, amazake is commonly made by combining warm, cooked rice with kōji, Japan’s magical mold.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
May 21, 2023
Any way you slice it, burdock root stir-fry hits the spot
Named after a folk hero, this dish frequently appears tucked into bento, as a side on family dinner tables and on the menu at pubs and other casual eateries.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency
New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER