inseason
Haunted houses in Japan are uniquely hair-raising. Vengeful ghosts, creepy children and human experiments gone wrong are just some of the figures lurking inside waiting to frighten you. Enter, if you dare. In Japan, summer is the season for all things haunted. While the Obon holiday in August celebrates friendly spirits, Japanese people also like to take the edge off the oppressive summer heat with more sinister ghost stories. One popular way to experience a cooling dose of fear is visiting an obakeyashiki (haunted houses) in Tokyo. While Japanese obakeyashiki share many things in common with ...
Savvy Tokyo
Tired of snow drifts and winter chills? Look no further than your local grocery store for vegetables with the brightest and freshest flavors harkening to the arrival of spring in Japan! Read on for our five picks for the best veggies of the season. 1. Japanese butterburWhen I first heard of fuki (Japanese butterbur) in a Japanese children’s song, I had never heard of it before—let alone eaten it! But, to pass on this native vegetable in spring would be to miss a traditional star of Japanese spring cuisine! Cultivated in Japan since the Heian period, many modern-day varieties in the store are f...
Savvy Tokyo
The Basque burnt cheesecake from Spain gets a spring-themed makeover. This sakura cheesecake recipe has all the hallmarks of a burnt Basque cheesecake: deeply burnished surface, rustic crinkled edges and a no-crust, no-fuss attitude. With the addition of freeze-dried sakura, this classic dessert becomes fit for your next hanami(flower-viewing) picnic. A dollop of sakura-scented whipped cream brings the fragrant, frothy fun of springtime to an otherwise dense dessert. Meanwhile, the cherry (blossom) on top is salt-pickled sakura, which offers a palate-cleansing burst of salty-sour flavor in bet...
Savvy Tokyo
Whether you like the flowers, the pickled fruit or the liqueur, Japanese plums are one of the most charming early signs of spring—and soon they’ll be in full bloom across the city. Despite the snow that seems to be falling more regularly even in Tokyo lately, starting in early February, most regions in Japan become decorated in beautiful shades of pale to fuchsia pink. No, these are not early sakura blossoms (which, of course, also exist)—these are ume (梅), or the beautiful, often underappreciated early symbols of the Japanese spring: plum blossoms. From February to the end of March, you’ll fi...
Savvy Tokyo
Savvy Tokyo
Looking for fun ways to introduce (or re-introduce!) this February holiday to your little ones? Our ideas below offer suggestions based on tradition, but with contemporary kids in mind, to get them engaged in this fascinating piece of Japanese culture! The Japanese festival of Setsubun, which falls this year on February 3, is a favorite of children across the country. Marking the start of spring and the new year on the Lunar Calendar, this holiday began long ago in the Muromachi period (1337-1573). It is traditionally celebrated by customs, like bean throwing and hanging sardines and holly out...
Savvy Tokyo
Elevate any snack at a moment’s notice—and maybe attract some health and wealth in the New Year—with this candied kumquat recipe. Meet thekinkan (kumquat). Tiny, tart and tantalizing… you can get ahold of the small yet mighty kumquat at your local supermarket throughout winter in Japan. Not much larger than an olive, kinkan ranges from two to four centimeters in diameter. But despite their miniature size, kumquats are packed with flavor and nutrition; and unlike other citrus fruits, they’re often enjoyed whole—skin and all. Eaten raw, the thin, crunchy peel yields easily to the teeth, the oran...
Savvy Tokyo
For those of you who dream of having nothing but flawless skin, it’s time to try out some of Savvy Tokyo’s ultimate Japanese skincare product picks. We all say “New Year, New Me” at the start of the year. And what’s the first step of action you can take to become a new you? By doing a Marie Kondoand clearing out your beauty cabinet. It’s that time of year to toss all those products you never use and—dare I say—expired products out, out, out! Here at Savvy Tokyo, we offer a variety of carefully selected, popular Japanese skincare products that target individual skin issues such as dry skin (esp...
Savvy Tokyo
Winter doesn’t have to mean meat and potatoes! Get to know Japan’s delicious seasonal vegetable picks for the chilliest time of year. Money can be tight after the holiday season. When the days of fun and feasting have faded, January often brings a period of reflection and saving for the new year ahead. Happily, your food budget doesn’t have to break the bank with expensive imports (looking at you, pricey Chilean blueberries!). Alongside the leaner meat and fish choices that often get switched in as we double down on our New Year’s resolutions, why not fill up your plate with affordable and hea...
Savvy Tokyo
As the falling leaves give way to snow flurries and the bright autumn colors fade into the grays and blues of winter, cold season flowers in Japan enliven even the darkest and chilliest days. Read on for five winter flowers and how to grow them in your very own garden. Hailing from one of the coldest and snowiest cities in Canada, I continue to be astonished by how many beautiful flowers burst into bloom in winter in Japan. While I am certainly still moved by the landscape of quiet snowy woods, there really is something heart-warming about bundling up for a walk and coming upon an array of col...
Savvy Tokyo
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