cook
This little town easily eclipsed the previous world record by about 54 kilograms (119 pounds)!
Craftsmen in Japan’s ancient capital put time-honored techniques to use for contemporary bags, wallets, and more.
Ever wanted to prepare dinner with a replica of Gundam’s heat hawk mecha weaponry? Now you can.
Hop on a train to off-the-beaten-path Yamagata Prefecture any weekend from September through November, and you’re bound to see crowds of people congregating and cooking pots of something delicious by the local river. Yup, imoni-kai season is in full swing!
Imoni (芋煮) is the name given to a taro root stew native to the Tohoku region of northern Japan. Apart from its delicious taste, imoni is also famous for the social aspects of its creation. Families traditionally congregate on a riverbank (the practice of which is known as imoni-kai, literally, “imoni gathering”) and cook the stew from scratch over a fire pit. In that sense, you can think of it a bit like an autumn version of o-hanami, the popular Japanese tradition of viewing cherry blossoms in the spring.
Join us after the jump for a glimpse at a unique cultural tradition of northern Japan which many Japanese people in other parts of the country have never even heard of!
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Monthly
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Foreign passenger shoves conductor on one of the last full runs for Japan’s Thunderbird train
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Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
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Hey, Japanese taxi driver! Take us to your favorite restaurant in Tsuruga City!
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Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
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Japanese vending machine sells just one thing at this station
Japanese convenience store chain’s new matcha sweets are heaven for green tea lovers
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Our reporter takes her 71-year-old mother to a visual kei concert for the first time
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