Japan

How a katsu sandwich got me hooked on healthy eats

This is a story of how a really great tonkatsu sandwich became my gateway drug to Coco Bloom Kitchen's local organic menu of power salads, jam toasts and smoothies. I'm yearning to travel again, especially to Japan, where eating everything I come across…

Tsukada Nojo: a fresh izakaya opens near Waikiki

Tsukada Nojo, an established Japanese chain of nabe restaurants and noodle shops soft-opened their first Hawaii location near the convention center in early March with an emphasis on a rustic, group-friendly eating experience. Nojo in Japanese means farmer and thusly…

How to eat at Tsujita Ramen

On the Los Angeles ramen scene, Tsujita is as much a household name as Daikokuya, Santouka and Shin-Sen-Gumi. Specializing in tsukemen dipping noodles with a glorious tonkotsu and seafood broth, the Tsujita empire has spidered out from four locations in…

Doko Ga Hokkaido: Sapporo eats, part 2

We wrapped up the group travel part of the trip with Doko Ga TV by exploring a few historic spots in Sapporo … and, of course, getting some last bites in. Sapporo Clock Tower. Before I show you the spots near…

Doko Ga Hokkaido: Sapporo eats, part 1

In the interest of time, I’m splitting my Sapporo restaurants into two posts and I believe these are more miscellaneous spots, whereas the ones I’m profiling tomorrow are close to JR Sapporo Station. When you travel with Pali Kaaihue —…

Doko Ga Hokkaido: Discovering Ebetsu

When Pali Kaaihue was working with the Hokkaido government on this trip for Doko Ga TV, he requested that we get to see the hidden gems of Japan’s northernmost island, things that many American tourists might miss for lack of information or…

Doko ga Hokkaido: Tanaka sake

Just as various foods are symbolic of Japan, sake — their national beverage — is almost exclusively Japanese. To produce high-quality sake, you need the perfect rice and the perfect water, mixed with centuries of tradition and science. There are several…

Something new: Matcha Cafe Maiko

Three words: matcha soft serve. ??? When my Waikiki fixer Dan Chang from Wang Chung’s shared a photo of his matcha hojicha float on Facebook, I was all over it like white on rice. Serendipitously, I had a meeting in…