In all seasons except Winter, Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi Prefecture is a wonderland of gorgeous seasonal flowers including one of the largest wisteria that blooms for a few weeks in the Spring. But in Winter, the park must transform itself into a carnival of lights, over 3.5 million in 2016, to become one of…
Tag: seasonal
Asakusa – Matcha Azuki Kakigori
Although you can technically get this traditional summer dessert all over Japan, it seems fitting to eat it in Asakusa, a neighborhood of Tokyo steeped in tradition. A mountain of razor thin sliced ice drizzled with milk and covered with matcha (green tea) powder, finally topped with a scoop of sweet azuki red beans. On…
Kakigori
When July and August roll around, the people of Japan swoon in the hot and humid weather. Perhaps that feeling led to the invention of kakigori, finely shaved ice flavored with a variety of sweet goodness. Kakigori is widely available on the cheap with a variety of artificial, bright colored flavored syrups like strawberry, lemon,…
Kaiseki
Kaiseki is the form of Japanese cuisine based on individual servings of a wide variety of dishes, tailored to regional and seasonal foods to ensure the freshest of ingredients. Traditionally, kaiseki starts with a soup and ends with a sweet dessert and green tea. Sandwiched between can be a variety of dishes including vegetables, sashimi, grilled meats,…
Spring Window Display
The changing seasons in Japan are heralded by retail shops in the content of their window displays. The cherry blossom obviously plays a huge role in representing the coming of Spring, and color palettes often change to reflect the colors of these gorgeous blooms. Pastel shades of pink, off-white and green are traditionally used, and…
365 JAPAN 