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

Event: A Fusion of Asian Culture For All The Family

In Association with Gapura Limited!

Date: 14 May 2016

Venue: Chiltern Hills Academy, Chesham, Bucks, HP5 3AD

Tickets: £2.50 (Children under 2 years FREE)

The South East Asian Community presents an  extravaganza of Asian delights that is sure to seduce your senses. There will be traditional performances, a fashion show, a kids corner, workshops and cooking demos, as well as

March 2016 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 March 2016

Time: 14.00– 19.00

Admission: FREE

Gyokuro – Japanese White Tea Competition Now Closed And The Winners Are…

12 winners have been randomly selected from a hat!

Thanks to everyone who entered the competition to win a packet of Gyokuro – Japanese white tea.

12 winners have been selected.

And the winners are…

Closed! WIN A Pack Of Gyokuro – High Quality Loose Japanese White Tea

Hooray! It’s competition time again! (UK Residents only)

12 packs of premier Japanese tea to giveaway!

Thanks to ES Food Trading, Diverse Japan is thrilled to be giving away 12 packets (one per winner) of Gyokuro, a high quality delicately sweet Japanese white tea, often referred to as the connoisseur’s Japanese tea, farmed in Kyoto, Japan, imported and exclusively sold in the UK to selective London stores including the wagashi (Japanese confectionery) outlet, Minamoto Kitchoan, and the prestigious food store Partridges .

Each pack (worth £24.00) contains 100 gms of loose leaf tea.

To enter, see competition rules at bottom of page.

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

November 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: 21st November 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

May 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: 30 May 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.

December 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: 20th December 2014

Time: 13.30– 18.00

Admission: FREE

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