Food

In Japan, the birthplace of instant ramen, there are many kinds of instant ramen available. You may be wondering which one to buy. Therefore, I would like to introduce my special recommendation for instant ramen. It is Tonkotsu Ramen, which won first place in the high-end cup ramen category on a Japanese ranking website.* * https://ranking.net/rankings/best-luxury-cup-ramen (Japanese language only) Tonkotsu Ramen is famous in Hakata, Fukuoka Prefecture. Ippudo (一風堂) and Ichiran (一蘭) are two nationally known chains of tonkotsu ramen that originated in Fukuoka, and both have a strong following. This instant noodle is a reproduction by Nissin Foods of Ippudo’s tonkotsu ramen. Despite being instant noodles, the quality is

Coke and Sprite are popular in Japan, but there are also popular Japanese sodas made by Japanese beverage manufacturers. Here I would like to introduce 4 Japanese sodas that are popular in Japan. ASAHI Mitsuya Cider Asahi Soft Drinks, a major Japanese beverage company, has been selling this classic cider since 1884. It has just the right balance of carbonation, sweetness, and aroma, and is the most popular in Japan. It is also available in a calorie-free version and can be purchased at any convenience store in Japan.   CALPICO SODA This soda is a popular lactic acid drink in Japan. Calpico is usually diluted, but its carbonated drink is

Japanese people, including myself, eat short-grain rice. Most Japanese people eat rice produced in Japan and consider rice produced outside of Japan to be unpalatable. However, when I traveled to Hawaii, I was honestly surprised to learn that there is also delicious American-grown Japanese rice. Here, I would like to introduce you to some American brands of Japanese rice that are delicious even from a Japanese perspective. Japanese rice is expensive to buy outside of Japan, so if I were to buy rice outside of Japan, I would buy these rice products.   #3 Tamanishiki One thing that all three of the rice brands introduced here have in common is

Mugi-cha (Japanese barley tea) is a tea that is commonly consumed in Japan. Although it is called a tea, barley tea is made from roasted barley seeds, so it does not contain caffeine and can be drunk easily at any time. In Japan, people drink cold mugi-cha in the hot summer, or drink it at room temperature in a water bottle. Mugi-cha is also sold as a bottled beverage, but it is easy to make and very low cost. You can always find Ito En’s mugi-cha in convenience stores and supermarkets in Japan. This contains 54 bags, which can make 54 liters of barley tea. Making mugi-cha is very easy.

Fresh rice is delicious. The rice that was just harvested that year is called “Shinmai” (新米, new crop). While the harvest time of rice varies depending on the variety, around September every year, rice labeled “Shinmai” begins to appear in stores. There are some precautions when cooking new rice. New rice contains a lot of water, so you should add a little less water than usual. Another important thing about the freshness of rice is rice polishing day (精米 “Seimai” in Japanese). Polishing is removing rice husks from brown rice (玄米 “genmai” in Japanese) to make white rice. Although it is possible to eat polished rice for several months, it