Book Review: ‘The Meaning of Rice: And Other Tales from the Belly of Japan’ by Michael Booth

Michael Booth and his family embark on an epic journey the length of Japan to explore its dazzling food culture.

If this book were food it would have deep umami undertones. Michael Booth has written yet another intriguing account of food, cooking and Japanese cuisine in Japan as an accompaniment to his earlier and just as his readable companion piece ‘Sushi and Beyond: What the Japanese Know about Cooking’; a main course to his earlier amuse-bouche.

We re-join him ten years after his first book on a return trip to Japan with his family to explore some of the elements of Japanese cuisine left unexplored a decade earlier. Though at first not as liberally sprinkled with the tongue in cheek humour as ‘Sushi and Beyond’ Booth warms to his

Find Yourself in Tokyo

Those who wander aren’t always lost!

It’s pretty common these days for people of all ages to hit the open road in hope of ‘finding themselves’. Is it just a myth, or is there some truth behind that fact that experiencing a new culture or place can help us to have that lightbulb moment that changes our life forever? If it is true, there’s no better place to find yourself than in the colourful city of Tokyo. Popular with luxury travellers and backpackers alike, this brightly-lit city is on the map for all the right reasons. If there is a

Japan Matsuri 2016 London

Celebrating 125 years of Friendship!

Date: Sunday 25th September

Time: 10:00 – 20:00

Venue: Trafalgar Square

Admission: Free (no tickets)

http://www.japanmatsuri.com

December 2015 Tea Tasting Event At Minamoto London

Sample some of the best high quality Japanese teas available in the UK!

Venue: Minamoto Kitchoan 44 Piccadilly, London

Date: 19th December 2015

Time: 14.00– 19.00

Admission: FREE

DVD Review: Ben-To Complete Series Collection

It’s not just dinner, it’s a matter of victory!

Ben-to is originally a Japanese light novel series written by Asaura, with illustrations by Kaito Shibano. Shueisha published 15 novels from February 2008 to February 2014. Shibano also illustrates three manga adaptations, and a fourth manga is drawn by Sankaku Head. The name literally is to mirror the word Bento box but adding that ‘-‘ makes it a lot more easier to Google against all those tasty packed lunch photos online.

After the success from the light novel it was adapted into a 12-episode anime TV series  You follow protagonist Sato Yo who is a

August 2015 Tea Tasting Event At Minamoto London

Sample some of the best high quality Japanese teas available in the UK!

Venue: Minamoto Kitchoan 44 Piccadilly, London

Date: 22nd August 2015

Time: 14.00– 19.00

Admission: FREE

Interview: Michael Booth Author Sushi and Beyond: What the Japanese Know About Cooking

“I can’t walk down the streets of Japan without finding something unusual or peculiar. It’s just so stimulating.” – Michael Booth

Award winning food writer and traveller Michael Booth (author of the bestselling Sushi & Beyond: What the Japanese Know About Cooking) attended the popular three-day J-Culture festival Hyper Japan 2015 (photo report here), which was held at London’s O2 on 10-12 June, to participate in his first talk show with Japanese celebrity chef Rika Yukimasa, co-host of

Event: Hyper Japan 2015 In Pictures

The UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture!

Hyper Japan, the UK’s biggest and best-loved annual J-Culture convention, returned on 11th – 13th July for another weekend extravaganza of all things Japanese from the authentic and traditional to the contemporary. Thousands of Japanophiles descended upon London’s O2 in Greenwich over the three days for an exciting time of live music, fashion shows, videogames, manga/anime activities, martial arts demonstrations and

Two July 2015 Tea Tasting Events At Minamoto London

Sample some of the best high quality Japanese teas available in the UK!

Venue: Minamoto Kitchoan 44 Piccadilly, London

Date: 4th & 25th July 2015

Time: 14.00– 18.30

Admission: FREE

April 2015 Tea Tasting Event At Minamoto London

Sample some of the best high quality Japanese teas available in the UK!

Venue: Minamoto Kitchoan 44 Piccadilly, London

Date: 25th April 2015

Time: 14.00– 18.30

Admission: FREE

FestivalAsia 2015 – Three Days Of Exotic Fun & Excitement

London’s largest indoor festival on all things Asia!

Date: 15 – 17 May 2015

Venue: Tobacco Dock, 50 Porters Walk, London E1W 2SF

Tickets: Adult £12.50 adv – £15 door

Children (up to 10 years old, accompanied by one adult with an Adult Ticket) £8 adv – £10 door

Indulge your senses and experience the exotic cultures of Asia under one roof.

November 2014 Tea Tasting Event At Minamoto London

Sample some of the best high quality Japanese teas available in the UK!

Venue: Minamoto Kitchoan 44 Piccadilly, London

Date: 29th November 2014

Time: 13.30– 18.30

Admission: FREE

Press Release: Hyper Japan Christmas Market 2014

Get ready for a pop culture explosion at the UK’s largest J-culture event!

Date: 14-16 November 
Venue; National Hall, Olympia, London

Music, street fashion and cosplay – 3 pillars of Japanese pop culture which have captivated audiences and amassed devoted fans across the globe. At our HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market, we bring together the best of this trendy crowd and offer visitors the rare chance to experience a range of Japanese musical acts (both real and virtual), and to enjoy our HYPER J-style fashion show and

Event: Japan Matsuri 2014 London Trafalgar Square

The spectacular annual Japan festival returns for more fun and excitement!

Date: Saturday, 27th September 2014

Location: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN

Time: 11 am – 9 pm

Hyper Japan 2014 In Pictures

The UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture!

Every year since it first began back in 2010, the annual London event Hyper Japan keeps getting better and better, not to mention bigger and bigger, and this year’s extravaganza held on 25 – 27 July at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre was no exception.

The fantastic line-up catered to all tastes in Japanese pop-culture from traditional dancers and musicians like the very popular Hyper Japan regulars Hibiki Ichikawa and Akari Mochizuki, who this time around were accompanied by guitarist Hide Takemoto, to contemporary

July 2014 Tea Tasting Event At Minamoto London

Sample some of the best high quality Japanese teas available in the UK!

Venue: Minamoto Kitchoan 44 Piccadilly, London

Date: 19th July 2014

Time: 13.00 – 18.30

Admission: FREE

June 2014 Tea Tasting Event At Minamoto London

Sample some of the best high quality Japanese teas available in the UK!

Venue: Minamoto Kitchoan 44 Piccadilly, London

Date: 28th June 2014

Time: 13.00 – 18.30

Admission: FREE

Boing! Spring Japanese Tea Tasting Event At Minamoto London

Sample some of the best high quality Japanese teas available in the UK!

Venue: Minamoto Kitchoan 44 Piccadilly, London W1J 0DS

Date: 22nd March 2014

Time: 13.00 – 18.30

Admission: FREE

Ho Ho Ho! Christmas Japanese Tea Tasting Event At Minamoto London

Sample some of the best high quality Japanese teas available in the UK!

Venue: Minamoto Kitchoan 44 Piccadilly, London W1J 0DS

Date: 14th December 2013

Time: 13.00 – 18.30

Admission: FREE