
Eat what is in season, where it grows
Seasonal food from the Japanese countryside — the prefectures, the small places, and the people who cook there.
Morning set — Gifu. January 2025.
Every place visited in person. Every photograph ours. Prices in yen.
In season now — Autumn
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Easy Roasted Kabocha Squash Recipe
This Japanese roasted kabocha squash is one of our favorite winter squash recipes. It’s creamy, sweet and slightly savory, honestly the perfect match for a wide variety of occasions! In…
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Ginnan: Ginkgo Nuts
A ginkgo nut is a seed of a ginkgo tree . They called Ginnan…
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Japanese Kabocha no Nimono (Simmered Pumpkin) Recipe
photo by: originaljo In Japan, simmered dishes are referred to as ‘nimono’. In this…
Four seasons, four sites
Japanese food changes four times a year, and so does this site.
[TILE PHOTOGRAPHS TO COME — one of ours per season, shot on the trip. Colours are Sakura-iro, Asagi, Kaki-iro and Sumi until then.]
Regional gems
- Gifu
- Fukui
- Toyama
- Shimane
- Ehime
- Akita
- Miyazaki
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A Sweet Summer Surprise: Discovering Japan’s Evolving Kakigori (Shaved Ice)
In late June, I travelled Japan for days. Although the official rainy season wasn’t over, the weather was…
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Unveiling Gifu: What to expect Japan’s Unique “Morning Set” Culture
Explore the unique “Morning Set” – Tokai Region (Gifu) I’ve been back in Japan for a holiday since…
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Discover the Joy of Grilled Ayu: An Iconic Gifu Summer Dish
Ayu, or sweetfish, is more than just a delicacy—it’s a symbol of summer in Gifu Prefecture, especially in…
Prefectures open as we visit them. Next: Fukui, Toyama, Shimane.
[PHOTOGRAPH OF THE PRINTED CARDS — six cards fanned on a wooden table, shot from above.]
Ordering cards for the countryside
Six printable bilingual cards for eating where nobody speaks English — what to say, how to ask what is in season, and an allergy card the kitchen can read. Free.
[EMAIL FIELD GOES HERE — form to be connected once the email platform is chosen and the Japanese is checked.]
Six cards, one email. No spam.
Who is behind this
[PHOTOGRAPH OF US — at a counter, mid-meal. Not a studio portrait.]
A family with one foot in Australia and one in Japan. We go, we eat, we ask permission, we write it down. We tell you the date we went and the price we actually paid, in yen. More about us.