Japan’s Kissaten: The Coffee Shops That Time Forgot
The clock on the wall stopped sometime in the mid-1970s. The jazz — real jazz, on vinyl — plays at a volume ju […]
The Shotengai Nobody Visits Anymore
You are standing under a neon sign that hasn’t flickered in twenty years. To your left, a fishmonger is carefu
The Surprising Appeal of Japanese Family Restaurants (Famiresu)
You are exhausted. You’ve walked 20,000 steps through Tokyo, your feet are throbbing, and every traditional re
The Art of Standing and Drinking: Understanding Japan’s Tachinomi Culture
Somewhere between the salary worker loosening his tie and the stranger offering to refill your glass, you stop
The Convenience Store That Changed How a Nation Eats
Walk into a 7-Eleven in Tokyo at midnight, and you might spend twenty minutes deciding between seven varieties
The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Ramen Styles
So You Think You Know Ramen You’ve had instant noodles. Maybe you’ve even been to a ramen restaura
How to Order at a Japanese Izakaya Without Knowing a Single Word of Japanese
You’re standing outside an izakaya, the smell of yakitori drifting out, but you’re terrified to go