As Japan attracts more and more tourists, the number of visitors from Muslim countries is also increasing. As the number of people practicing Islam rises, Japanese restaurants and hotels have worked to provide for the halal needs of their guests. But what is halal and where can it be found in Japan? Halal is an…

On April 7, 2016, together with Wining & Dining in Tokyo, Dassai, Japan’s leading sake brewery, held a collaborative kaiseki traditional Japanese cuisine pairing event: Dassai Dinner Vol. 1 at Kafuka of Azabujuban, a kaiseki restaurant nestled in the quiet streets of Azabujuban. Based in Yamaguchi Prefecture and with a history dating back more than…

Erupting from a blue and green surface of friable, volcanic rock, the Japanese islands seem likely at any given moment to burst into flame. Kyushu, the southernmost island in this quivering chain, always seems closer to the fire and hell pits than the rest of the archipelago. Flying above the plains and hills of what…

Whether you’re a longtime vegan or just a curious omnivore, meat-free dining in Japan is always an adventure Impossible. Depressing. Infinitely frustrating. The worst two weeks of my life. These are just some of the phrases visiting vegetarians and vegans have characteristically used to describe their experiences in Japan. It’s a paradox. The Japanese diet…

Geographically closer to Taiwan than mainland Okinawa, those who venture to Okinawa’s outer islands, the Yaeyamas, soon find out that this is the nearest thing to terra incognita they are likely to find in this country’s long and, apparently, not completely tamed archipelago. If Japan has a last frontier, it is here. The Yaeyamas, along…

Beware the Green Eyed Monster It’s easy to dislike Ryo Ishikawa. The nineteen year old Japanese golfer ticks most of the boxes with his youthful good looks, astronomical bank balance and undeniable talent. Added to that, there is the fact that his pimply face occupies about half of every commercial break on TV, plugging everything…

Spring river nearly overflows its banks, Grasses there are as green as nature intended. No one comes to my quiet little hut. When the wind blows the gate opens by itself. –  Tokiyori Hojo This description of harmonious co-existence with nature and one’s surroundings, penned by poet, samurai and later Zen master Tokiyori, is quoted…

Japan’s capital reinvigorates an old pastime with new technologies As I run I tell myself to think of a river. And clouds. But essentially I’m not thinking of anything. All I do is keep on running in my own cozy, homemade void, my own nostalgic silence. And this is a pretty wonderful thing. No matter…

Pierre Gagnaire is one of the luminaries of the cooking world. He received his first Michelin star in 1977 and since then his superb cooking skills and artistic talents have been steadily increasing. Today, with seven Michelin stars glowing over his tables, he is still hard at work developing his galaxy of delicious morsels. Gagnaire’s…

Are these art or merely playful installations? Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter that much as long as it stimulates the imagination. In a country that has lost its appetite for silence, an unremitting commentary typically accompanies the ferry trip from Takamatsu to Nao-shima, a small island in the Inland Sea. Once on terra firma, things…