スクール革命 School Revolution. You guessed it, a panel of famous people watch videos and talk about them. Shinoyama-san is the son of a very famous photographer. His character is that of a spoiled school boy at a prestigious university. Yeah, every one of these talents has a specific character. This one was a little strange.…
Announcing the official English page for the 2013 Grand Tsukemen Fest! Now you can see which shops will be serving their signature tsukemen each week of the festival. Warning, this page will make you hungry! Will Tomita, Japan’s #1 ranked tsukemen shop and winner of last year’s Grand Tsukemen Fest, defend their belt? Or will…
知っとこ “Wa-su-a-pu?” Satomi Shigemori’s character is cute and clueless. A well-known idol / talent / bikini model, if you watch TV with any regularity in Japan you should see her face pop up. As always, we took her around to some ramen shops. This time was a double dose of ramen-loving foreigners, with Abram and…
Congratulations to the winners of the 2013 Grand Tsukemen Fest preliminary voting. The winners are from all over the country, so I haven’t been to most of their shops. Stay tuned for a lot more info, but for now . . . Are you hungry? These are the 24 that you can sample at this…
大つけ麺博 It’s almost that time of year again. Time for all of Tokyo to revel in tsukemen! But what exactly is a Tsukemen Fest? Here’s a quick Q and A to whet your appetite. Q: Tsukemen? What is tsukemen? A: Tsukemen is just like the ramen you know and love, but the noodles are separate…
京都 Shops along the Kamogawa river set up decks during the summer, serving up moderately priced set menus in the hot evenings. The ancient capital of Japan boasts its fair share of wonderful things. The World Heritage temples and shrines. The famous festivals. And the food. The food in Kyoto is part of the experience.…
News Every It looks like I have on lip gloss! And my subtitles make me sound girly. Not to self, stop saying めっちゃ and ヤバイ. That’s girly talk in Japan! News Every is a daily news program. For this show, you guessed it, I took the talent around to some ramen shops. The subtitles say…
高山市 Up in the far reaches of Gifu prefecture, nestled in the Northern Alps, is Hida-Takayama, more commonly just called Takayama. It means tall mountain (高山), which applies to a few places here and there in Japan. Luckily, this Takayama is #1 in terms of tourism, and it is a must-hit for people with a…
今、この顔がすごい I received some requests to talk about my TV appearances in Japan. Since starting this blog I’ve done a handful of these spots. It is fun, as long as you have the time. Shooting for a five minute clip seems to take an entire day! The NY Times article I helped with a few…
長崎 Nagasaki City is just about the westernmost big city in Japan. The location is prime for trade, historically at least, and the area developed with a huge Chinese and Dutch influence. During the sakoku period (鎖国) a small part of Nagasaki was open to foreign trade. Stepping foot on Japanese soil anywhere else meant a swift…