Category: Food

  • Valentine’s Day Cake

    Valentine’s Day Cake

    This is a tiny cake Cassie got me for Valentine’s Day. That’s right – she got it for me. In Japan, Valentine’s Day is a day when women give men chocolate – usually in the form of some sort of baked good. Men give women chocolate on White Day, March 14.

  • Ohana Poke

    Ohana Poke

    One of our favorite restaurants in Hakodate is this place Ohana, a Hawaiian restaurant. It’s really fun now having had Hawaiian food in Los Angeles, in Hawaii, and now in Japan, and getting to see the subtle variations between locations. This one had a distinctly Japanese spin, with loads of shredded nori, and as much…

  • Nebula Ice Cream

    Nebula Ice Cream

    We got this ice cream cone at a planetarium in Tokyo – obviously themed after outer space. I’m not normally a big fan of cotton candy, but the way it was stuffed into the cone so each bite got some of it and some ice cream? Spectacular.

  • Poké-donuts

    Poké-donuts

    Aren’t these so fun? There’s this donut place called Mister Donut that’s known for their decorated donuts – we got these two during a Pokémon tie-in event!

  • Tteokbokki

    Tteokbokki

    This wasn’t actually from Japan – I had this when we were in Korea. Tteokbokki is one of my favorite Korean dishes, but I was a little disappointed to discover that it’s apparently not as spicy in Korea – I think the tteokbokki I had in Florida was spicier!

  • Birthday Cake

    Birthday Cake

    This was a cake that our friend Florence made for me and a few other friends whose birthdays were near mine! Cassie decorated it with help from two small children who really, really wanted to squeeze the icing bag, and who did not care to direct the icing bag or try to follow any sort…

  • Hokkaido Ice Cream

    Hokkaido Ice Cream

    This was our first taste of Hokkaido – some ice cream cones from a Hokkaido foods fair in Tokyo. The one on the left is satsuma and cream, and the one on the right is strawberry and dark chocolate.

  • Kakigōri

    Kakigōri

    Kakigōri is Japan’s name for shaved ice, but they take it to a different level than, say, snowcones in the US. The ice is shaved much thinner, so it’s fluffy, and they usually use condensed milk along with flavored syrup, so it’s creamy and sweet. Matcha is my favorite!

  • Personal Pour-Overs

    Personal Pour-Overs

    One of the most common ways to get coffee here is with these little one-time pour-over packages; most hotels will have a couple in your room when you get there. Very easy and very fun!

  • Yodobashi Akiba Ramen

    Yodobashi Akiba Ramen

    This was one of the first meals I ate out in Japan, and it’s still one of the best! A bowl of ramen from a little shop on top of a big shopping mall; absolutely delicious. If you’re ever in Akihabara, it’s worth going to Yodobashi Akiba just for this!

  • Food Pics!

    Some of our friends suggested a part of the blog just for pictures of food we’ve eaten – this is going to be that section! Japan has a ton of fantastic food that’s as fun to look at as it is delicious, and this seems like a fun way to share it with our friends!