Sake Explained
I have no idea how it happened, but I still didn’t tell you anything about sake. Even though I should have brought it right after geisha – few things in Japanese culture are surrounded by as many misconceptions as these two. For example, sake is not rice vodka and not even rice wine, although it does taste a bit like…
Tokaido Explained
Once upon a time I had a grand dream to walk along the Tokaido Road, to embrace the spirit of 17th-18th-century Japan, to experience the life of a wanderer. A wonderful dream, but an unfulfillable one. Because the old Tokaido Road has been long gone. And I was well aware of that. But fuelled by advertising campaigns and photos of…
Ramen Explained
Ramen, like curry rice, is firmly established in the category of kokuminshoku, the national food of Japan. But while curry is often prepared at home, ramen remains a restaurant food. If you can call the establishments that serve it by that name, of course. In the last Instagram poll, you voted for ramen. And I had the right books at…
Ukiyo-e Explained
This time I’ll look deep into the history of Japanese soy sauce, walk you through the process of making traditional Japanese shoyu and tell you all you need to know to pick the perfect bottle.
Nabe Hotpot Explained
Nabe hot pot cuisine is an essential part of winter in Japan. Seafood, meat, mushrooms, tofu, vegetables, rice cakes and many other ingredients find their way into thick clay nabe pots in homes and restaurants all around the country. Nabe is one of 3 Japanese dishes I, a very lazy cook, make at home. That’s like an ultimate sales point:…
Shoyu Explained
You can make a ton of different sauces out of soy. And they will all be called a… soy sauce in English. Even though they come from different countries and are made in rather distinct ways. But since this podcast is about Japanese culture, the only sauce I’m going to talk about is shoyu – the Japanese soy sauce. This…
Geisha Explained
In the very first episode of Japan Explained, I will address the biggest misconception about Japanese culture. You guessed it right, Geisha. When I see or hear anything about geisha in Japan it usually falls into two categories: sweet fairytales about the treasuries of traditional culture or not so sweet tales about high-class prostitutes. So who are geishas? Short answer:…