“It didn’t even have to be cell-cultured meat,” admits Yuki Hanyu. “In 2013, I was thinking about actually doing science fiction and I thought about different options like a Mars colony or…

Tochigi Prefecture and I have unfinished business. A while back, I found myself staying the night in Utsunomiya, the prefecture’s largest city. I decided to grab a strawberry daifuku sweet and a…

I’m not sure whether I should tell you this. I feel like my relationship with Yonago is a dirty little secret, an exultant affair that I had behind Tokyo’s back, and that…

When your world gets a bit smaller, the smaller things get a bit bigger. That essentially was my summer. Normally, I’d be flitting around at giant group picnics and installing myself in…

It was not my most elegant moment. I was standing in a driveway, my rucksack sprawled on the tarmac before me, plastic wrapping strewn on top of it. And I was cramming…

A male friend once noted that I never included anything about my love life in writing. Considering I am mainly a food writer, I thought that was a rather odd comment. But…

Japan’s diverse countryside and spectacular nature are best witnessed by pulling on a pair of walking shoes and heading out into their midst. It was with this in mind that I invited…

As a food-obsessed avid traveller who operates a “must try it all” policy, I probably shouldn’t have moved to Japan. The country is renowned for its seasonal and regional cuisine, and the…