13 Mar 2012

20 Reasons We Still Love Japan

Onsen

As a frequent traveler to Japan and a one-time resident, one thing I’ve heard over and over: tragedies have struck the Japanese for millennia, yet they’ve always bounced back. I’ve written about Japan after the quake and tsunami (see the story and slide show here). Now that we’ve observed that grim anniversary, it’s worth reminding ourselves why we love Japan in the first place, in words and pictures (click for slide show).

Read the original version of this story published in the Los Angeles Times and revised with a slide show on my Forbes Seat 1A blog.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Yahoo! Buzz
10 Mar 2012

One Japanese Town, One Year Later

A sightseeing boat filled with tourists

As towns in the quake zone go, Matsushima is lucky.

It starts with topography. Some 260 pine-covered islands dot its bay; for centuries they’ve made this town of 15,000 one of Japan’s most scenic places and a top tourist destination.

On March 11, 2011, the islands served as a breakwater against the massive tsunami generated by Japan’s most powerful earthquake on record (9 on the Richter scale)…

Continue reading this post on my Seat 1A blog on Forbes.com.

And check out the slide show of images from Matsushima.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Yahoo! Buzz
01 Nov 2011

Clear and Present – Out magazine

Shochu (image by EricGJerde)

Your days of getting bombed off sake are over. Be a gentleman and have some shochu.

Shochu does not have a backstory that excites the palate. It was reportedly used to sterilize wounds of Japanese soldiers during WWII. In post-war Japan, shochu’s reputation improved a bit, but it was still known as a cheap high. You could (and still can) buy a canned version called chu-hai (which is mixed with fruity sodas) at vending machines.

But mirroring the tequila boom of a decade ago, high-end shochu is having a moment on both sides of the Pacific. Read more about it here.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Yahoo! Buzz

More Japan Food:

27 Jul 2011

Oxtail ramen

Ramen Bull at Breadbar, Los Angeles

16 Jun 2011

Chaya Downtown chef Katsuya Matsuoka presents skewers: chicken, beef, shrimp, bacon-wrapped dates and shiitake mushrooms

Japanese Beer Garden at Chaya Downtown – Los Angeles

31 May 2011

wakasaya menu wall

Seafood donburi at Wakasaya, Los Angeles

29 Apr 2011

Conveyor at Fat Fish, Koreatown

Conveyor belt sushi, Fat Fish, Los Angeles

09 Mar 2011

Foie gras nigiri - Uchi, Austin, March 9, 2011

Foie gras sushi, Uchi, Austin, Texas

08 Jan 2011

Kurobuta (black pork) for shabu-shabu, Ajimori, Kagoshima -20110108-2017

Kurobuta Shabu-Shabu, Ajimori, Kagoshima, Japan

09 Dec 2010

Onigiri with spicy tuna filling

How to Eat an Onigiri

08 Oct 2010

breakfast tray

Seaweed for breakfast!

20 Sep 2010

cold soba noodles with garnishes

Japanese Noodles for Beginners – Lonely Planet

24 Jun 2010

Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, Miyajima Island - June 24, 2010

Making Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki

17 Apr 2010

sushi stand with chopsticks, wasabi and ginger

Sushi Etiquette 101 – Los Angeles Examiner

06 Nov 2009

Japadog with terimayo

Japadog, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada