Living in the city? Try hand picking at strawberry farms
Green and red, fragrant and sweet! There are so many opportunities to pick your own strawberries in Kanagawa. Here’s what we found. By Moe Moeda,…
Food
When non-Japanese people see the “oden” emoji: “That’s what they see?” “I loled”
Emojis, the convenient pictograms populating cellphone and smartphone keyboards around the world, originated in Japan. Written 絵文字, emoji literally means “picture letter.” For example, here…
This is confusing! To all appearances, they’re rice ball packages but something’s wrong
As many grape Japan readers probably know, Japanese convenience stores sell a wide variety of おにぎり onigiri rice balls. TikTok user and sweets lover gi_sk_cake…
Japanese sweet store brings back ‘raindrop cake’ jellies as traditional summer dessert
Japanese traditional sweets are known just as much for their presentation as their taste, and one particularly magical looking genre of dessert are those that…
Use ground meat ‘as is’ in ultimate “shortcut recipe”: “Awesome”; “I’ll try it right away!”
“Japanese hamburger steak” (ハンバーグ hambāgu), a variation of Hamburg Steak or Salisbury Steak, is a dish made by kneading ground meat—often a 7:3 blend of…
“Make these kinds of sweets!” Final form of candy thought up by kids is too cute
It can always be a Herculean order for a parent to meet the expectations of their child’s imagination, but Japanese mother of three and patissier…
Need a berry twist on your breakfast? Japan’s new strawberry sugar uses some of the tastiest in the country
While there’s no denying the appeal of a hearty breakfast, a serving of sweets in the morning can sometimes be the most delicious way to…
Earn tasty Stella Stars with these Spy x Family snacks
The manga series Spy x Family, written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo, is having its moment in the limelight as its popularity, buoyed by its…
7-Eleven Japan’s delicious egg roll sandwiches deliver the most value for your yen
As some grape Japan readers may recall, we recently considered what makes Japanese convenience store egg sandwiches so exceptional using the example of Family Mart’s…
Japan’s one-person ramen hot pot is a game-changer for instant noodle lovers
Akihabara-based retailer Thanko has a knack for crafting quirky but convenient goods meant to match a solo lifestyle. In recent years they’ve released a “secret…
Papercraft artist summons a spectacular witch from a package of chocolates
Some of our grape Japan readers may recall the amazing creations of Japanese papercraft artist 空箱職人 はるきる Harukiru (@02ESyRaez4VhR2l), who takes paper packaging of things…
Japanese cake shop celebrates new Buzz Lightyear movie with adorable dessert tribute to Toy Story
Japanese confectioners Ginza Cozy Corner make the cutest Disney inspired desserts, possibly in the world. Throughout the year they bless Disney fans’ eyes and taste…
Historic Kyoto teahouse’s gorgeous hydrangea-inspired matcha parfaits return for rainy season
Itohkyuemon is a Japanese tea specialist store based in Uji, an area of Kyoto famous for producing top quality green tea. It was founded in…
Nissin’s new idea pleases both fans of ice cream and instant ramen but not how you might think
The ubiquitous Japanese instant noodle brand Nissin has been having a lot of fun through their Twitter account these days in proposing whimsical lid holder…
Pikmin traditional Japanese sweets have flowers with a delicious trick
Traditional Japanese sweets, or wagashi, come in a variety of delicious flavors and styles, but what can often make them stand out is how gorgeous…