Food Ticket Machines If you’ve ever eaten at a ramen shop, curry shop, beef bowl restaurant or any number of inexpensive restaurant chains in Japan, then you probably at least once experienced buying a ticket from a food ticket vending machine. Generally speaking, shops that get very crowded and some restaurant chains use ticket vending machines, called shokkenki 食券機 (like the one at ramen chain Ichiran seen below) to handle the ordering and paying process. The advantages over conventional pay-after-you-eat dining are numerous. Shops can reduce time and labor, not to mention possible errors in processing verbal customer orders and calculating payments. EverJean from Hakata ramen restaurant Ichiran in Fukuoka,…

Hello Kitty is turning 45 this year but she hasn’t aged a bit since she first turned up on the scene. Her merchandise can be found everywhere in Japan, going as far as Hello Kitty hotel rooms and Hello Kitty bullet trains. Still as cute and stylish as she was back in 1974, her feline charms are now being brought to a new cafe collaboration in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The cafe will celebrate the 45th anniversary since the birth of the beloved character. Not only are the dishes inspired by her look, but also, apparently, her worldview, so you can enjoy some of Kitty’s favourite foods while contemplating her general outlook…

Japanese cuisine isn’t exactly known for it’s spiciness. In fact, the flavours are famously subtle, and many Japanese people just never developed a taste for spices of the hotter variety. The Spiciest Ramen in Tokyo View this post on Instagram 蒙古タンメン中本さん(@mouko_tanmen_nakamoto)がシェアした投稿 – 2017年 9月月6日午後2時22分PDT But the country still has some fiery-food fans out there, and when they go for it, they go all out. Take for example, Moko Tanmen Nakamoto. This ramen chain has plenty of branches in and around Tokyo and is somewhat of a legend among daring spice-lovers. But don’t worry, it’s not a case of go hot or go home. If you’re not confident that you can…

Coca-Cola continue to capitalise on Japan’s cherry blossom obsession by releasing their yearly limited edition sakura themed coke bottles. The design is predictably floral and predictably pink. In recent years Coca-Cola have made the switch to aluminium bottles for the limited editions, allowing them to use the whole bottle for the design, rather than being restricted to just the label. This has resulted in even slicker looking designs for their celebratory seasonal offerings. After debuting this type of sakura themed bottle in 2017, Coca-Cola boast that these limited-edition designs have made them popular with women and even people who don’t usually drink carbonated drinks. The 2017 version utilised a fresh…

For Muslim travelers to Japan, dining out can sometimes be stressful. Although the number of halal restaurants in major Japanese cities have increased, it can still be a challenge to find them. And even when they do, their interpretation may be limited to food and they may lack ablution facilities or a prayer room on the premises. The problem is potentially even more acute in Osaka, which is known for its many tasty dishes. With so many culinary temptations, it’s a good idea to know which restaurants are halal. Chibo Diversity, a new branch in the Chibo restaurant chain opening on January 17th in the Dotonbori area of Osaka provides…

Toraya: From Kyoto to Tokyo For half a millennium, Toraya has been making the traditional Japanese confections known as wagashi. Founded in Kyoto in the early 16th century when it was purveyor to the imperial court, Toraya moved its headquarters in 1869, following the transfer of the capital from Kyoto to Tokyo. After trying a few locations within the city, Toraya eventually settled on the wealthy neighborhood of Akasaka for its headquarters in 1964. However, after over 50 years, the building began showing signs of age, and Toraya decided to completely refashion its flagship store from the ground up, creating not only a building which testifies to the success and…

No stranger to innovation, Kit Kat Japan continue to push the boundaries when it comes to never seen before chocolate creations. Previously they have debuted a whole new type of chocolate (the world’s first ruby chocolate bar), as well as dazzled the world with countless exciting and bizarre Japan exclusive flavours. The latest offering comes as part of their luxury ‘Sublime’ range, made with high quality ingredients and overseen by a patisserie, they’re only available in Kit Kat Chocolatory stores, and are more culinary delight than average chocolate bar. Source: Nestle Japan The new ‘Volcanic Chocolate’ aims to give us a ‘taste of the earth’. This rare type of chocolate…

Unless you’re a regular customer of their products, you may be familiar with Japan’s most recognizable masturbatory aid maker TENGA due to their promotional campaigns such as opening up their own curry stand, or their interesting model names such as Deep Throat, Rolling Head, Premium Vacuum, and even a tea ceremony vibrator. Or perhaps you’ve sampled their “Night Charge” energy drink. TENGA’s latest product might be interpreted as a humorous alternative to the Japanese Valentine’s Day tradition of “giri choco”, or obligatory chocolates. Giri choco are chocolates customarily given by women to men casually with no romantic intent (men typically reciprocate by gifting chocolate on White Day). While fairly innocuous,…

Early January is typically when sushi and seafood specialty shops begin to announce their lineup of ehomaki, the giant sushi rolls eaten on February 3rd for the Setsubun holiday. As some of our readers may remember from our in-depth article last year on the surprising origins, contemporary variations, and the environmental impact of the ehomaki phenomenon, Japanese department stores have taken what was originally just an overstuffed futomaki roll to new heights of extravagance. Last year, we were considerably impressed by the price tag on an ehomaki sold at the Matsuzakaya department store in Nagoya for 7,580 JPY, lavishly decorated in gold leaf with a design that locals instantly recognized…

The Custom of Eating Seven Herbs of Spring January 7th is a special day in the traditional Japanese calendar, known as Nanakusa no Sekku 七草の節句 (The Festival of the Seven Herbs). On this day, it is customary to eat a rice porridge made with seven Spring herbs. These seven specific herbs, when eaten together, are believed to bring good health and longevity. You may consider it odd that Spring herbs are eaten at a time when icy cold winds blow and snow covers the ground but Spring begins on January 1st in the traditional Japanese calendar. It is precisely because greenery is scarce that the custom of eating young green…

Once upon a time, a burrito fell in love with a sushi maki roll and they had a beautiful baby called the sushi burrito. Born in the West Coast, she quickly became the darling of foodies and headed East to other cities in the US, then onwards to Europe, the Middle East and Australia. Now, at the Easternmost point of her journey, she has, at long last, an opportunity to discover her mother’s homeland here in Japan. With the launch of beeat Sushi Burrito Tokyo in November 2018, the sushi burrito has finally found its first specialty shop on Japanese shores. However, it wouldn’t be fitting for such a fusion…

Starbucks’ Japan Wonder Project explores traditional Japanese flavours and tells the stories behind them. Flavours such as matcha have become representative of Japan, and are experiencing a boom overseas. There’s no doubt that Starbucks Japan understand how much clout they have with tourists seeking out the legendary cherry blossom and matcha Frappucinos, but this project aims to help young Japanese people also rediscover traditional Japanese flavours and aesthetics. View this post on Instagram スターバックス JAPAN WONDER PROJECTさん(@starbucks_jwp)がシェアした投稿 – 2018年 5月月28日午後6時34分PDT For example, I’m sure you’ve heard of matcha, but what about houji-cha? The green tea leaves of houji-cha are roasted, making it taste lighter and giving it a comforting ‘toasty’…

If you keep a tab on some of the stranger flavored foods that get released in Japan, you may be familiar with the work of karaage (Japanese style fried chicken) chain Tenka Torimasu. In the past they’ve collaborated with Kamen Joshi, an idol unit from Akihabara who wear masks like the tokusatsu superheros–who you may be familiar with thanks to the viral campaigning of Kamina Erina, who once tried to break a stack of roof tiles with her breasts. Collaborations between the idol group and chicken chain have resulted in creatively using ingredients to make girl’s sweat and soles of girl’s feet flavored fried chicken. Now Tenka Torimasu claims they’ve…

Travelers from around the world have a habit of seeking out and filling their suitcases with the various flavors of Kit Kats available in Japan, but perhaps one of the biggest hits with the Japanese market has been the Tokyo Banana Kit Kat. That’s because Tokyo Banana, a banana and milk flavored sponge cake, might just be the most popular souvenir in Tokyo, and is a well sought after gift to bring back for family, friends, and co-workers of those who make trips to the Tokyo area. Nestle Japan and Tokyo Banana are teaming up once again, this time to release a new premium version of the mega-popular flavor. The…

Tokyo is the world’s third most expensive city for taxi fares While taxis may be plentiful in Tokyo, they’re an expensive way to get around town. In fact, Tokyo ranked third after Zurich and Geneva in Carspring’s 2017 Taxi Price Index of most expensive cities in the world to hail taxi rides. But what if you could ride in the comfort of a taxi completely free of charge, and even get a bowl of noodles and prizes to boot? Free taxi service! If you’re in Tokyo this December and know just enough Japanese to operate a mobile app, you can do just that! In a limited collaboration with Nissin’s Donbei…