Miso (味噌) is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and koji (the fungus Aspergillus oryzae) and sometimes rice, barley, or other ingredients. It’s usually a yellow color thick paste that can be used for all kinds of cooking. Miso soup is a family meal item in an average Japanese household and
Categoryuniquejapan
100+ Years Old Businesses Series – Foundry and Metal Work
Shinto shrines in Japan can date back to over 2000 years ago, along with the development of Buddhism temples. This sets the foundation for industries including constructions, metal work, foundry, material manufacturing and more to be developed early on in Japan’s history. Many of companies in the related industries have been adapted to modernized technologies
100+ Years Old Businesses Series – Tsuen Tea, Oldest Matcha from Uji
Uji is actually the very first city we visited in Japan. It was recommended by a friend who enjoyed the city a lot. It gave us a wonderful beginning of knowing Japan. We were so impressed by the beautiful and powerful Uji River going through the whole city. Definitely, we loved its famous local specialty
100+ Years Old Businesses Series – Sudo Honke, Oldest Sake Brewery
The history of Sudo family can be chased back to at least Year 1141. Since then the family had produced sake. It has been passing along 55 generations and gradually focusing on premium and most prestigious sake in Japan and the world. Bottles of Sudohonke are served in the residence of the Prime Minister of
100+ Years Old Businesses Series – Ichiwa, Aburi-Mochi Since Year 1000
Kyoto is famous for its Japanese traditions and culture preservation. If you would like to visit or count all the shops that are even only 100 years old, it will easily take up your whole life span. If it can be categorized as an industry, Japanese shrines or temples market is the most long-lived industry,
100+ Years Old Businesses Series – Koman the 2nd Oldest Hotel in Japan
Sennen-no Yu Koman is a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn or hotel) in Kinosaki, yōgo Onsen, Toyooka city, Hyōgo prefecture, kansai region in Japan. Kinosaki is an area of 12.04 mi². In 2005, it was merged into the expanded city of Toyooka and as of October 2010, the Kinosaki district has an estimated population of 3,778. However, in this small town, there exists the second oldest hotel in
100+ Years Old Businesses Series – Introduction
There are many reasons why we are so obsessed by Japan and its culture. One important and probably most important one is the spirit of never giving up and pushing through perfection and more perfection years after years, and centuries after centuries. This same spirit drives countless businesses in Japan to survive two world wars,
Top 10 Fav Meal Series – Ramen!
The true origin of ramen is not clear. Some say it is originally from Chinese, some say it is invented by Japanese. It is true that after World War II, Japanese ramen was hugely impacted by Chinese ramen style and Chinese cuisine generally, since Chinese restaurants started to spread then when Japanese troops returned after
Top 10 Fav Meal Series – Washoku, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
As we mentioned in last article, washok, literally means “food of Japan has drawn a great deal of attention from all over the world for being healthy and delicious, and has been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Washoku is simultaneously both simple yet complicated, plain yet sophisticated. It is salty, sweet,
Celebrities in Japan Series, Yōkai Kappa
We talked about yuru-chara last time. Their designs or cultures are also heavily influenced by yōkai stories or Japanese folklore. One of the most famous yuru-chara based on yokai is kappa. A kappa (meaning river child), also known as kawatarō (川太郎), komahiki ( horse puller), kawatora (river tiger) and many other names, is a famous