This past December, Colette Mare Yokohama (next to Sakuragicho Station) welcomed stylish new liquor shop Mirai Saketen YOKOHAMA. In front of the store you can’t miss the traditional sugidama (cedar branch ball) that serves as a landmark for any sake business. Nor will you miss the plethora of attractive bottles beckoning you. Mirai Saketen offers a range of fine alcoholic beverages, but sake is its core specialty. More than 100 types of sake are available running from junmai, ginjo, and sparkling to koshu (aged sake), kijoshu (sweet, rich sake), and doburoku (cloudy, unfiltered sake). Here you can find some limited…
Author: Seasider
Ingredients block of pork belly 1kg smoke wood 150g A rock salt 40g (4% of pork) brown sugar 15g (1.5% of pork) ground black pepper 30g paprika powder 30g rosemary 10g (minced) oregano 10g (minced) thyme 10g (minced) dumpling wrappers Directions Poke multiple holes in the pork belly with a fork. Mix ingredients A in a bowl and coat the entire surface of the meat with it. Place a wire mesh on a tray and lay pork on it. Cover pork with plastic wrap and put a 3kg weight over it. Let sit in fridge for 3 days. Wipe off…
The Golden Week holiday has always carried with it a feeling of transitioning into summer. As jackets are shed, and shorts and T-shirts become the norm, we could easily argue that the month of May offers the finest weather of the year. Allergy season is behind us and the rainy season is still off in the distance. While travel is currently being discouraged by health experts, what better time to get out for a walk or hike in and around Yokohama in this beautiful weather? Plenty of restaurants and cafes are putting tables outside or throwing open the windows to…
Walking through lively Gumyoji Kannon Street Shopping Arcade, I discovered Cafe & Bar Musica, an establishment with a relaxing ambiance. A piano and other instruments catch your eye upon entering the place, enticing you to leisurely pass time with a drink and some melodies. Have a seat at one of the 10 counter spots or 3 tables, including one outside. To start, I ordered their daily lunch set with choice of pizza or pasta (¥1400~). The pasta of the day was peperoncino with bay scallops and petite vert, which highlighted seasonal ingredients as well as a variety of textures. For…
In schools across the country this month, principals will be giving speeches to their students at opening ceremonies about the beauty and ephemeral nature of cherry blossoms. Surely, as we eclipse a year in the pandemic, their words about living in the moment and not taking things for granted ring truer than ever. The past year has been challenging for everyone, but it has also been a reminder that we should cherish the time we have with those we hold dear. We aren’t quite out of the woods yet, but things are steadily moving in a positive direction and will…
Lee Reeve, together with his wife, Maiko Yoshioka-Reeve, run inCider Japan. As a “tool to promote cider”, in December 2017 the long-time Yokohama residents launched a quarterly, bilingual magazine of the same name, as well as a website and associated social media channels. Soon after, in February 2018 they officially founded their company inCiderJapan G.K. From there, the company’s endeavors branched into the importation and distribution of fine ciders, mostly from Australia, but also the U.S., the U.K., and France. Lee, who was born in Newcastle but raised in Glasgow, has resided in Japan for two decades. Youthful in both…
Ingredients lamb (minced) 300g consomme soup (liquid) 30cc whole cumin (finely ground) to taste garam masala to taste garlic (minced) to taste ginger (minced) to taste onion (minced & heated in microwave) ½ grated lemon peel to taste beef tallow 30g coriander (chopped) 20g black pepper to taste salt 5g dumpling wrappers Directions Mix all ingredients (excluding wrappers) in a bowl. Wrap the ingredients of 1 in dumpling wrappers,. Form into typical xiaolongbao shape. Boil water for steamer. Steam dumplings for 5-7 minutes (time varies depending on size). Serve with sauce of your choice.
Ingredients A dough corn meal 180g cake flour 70g bread flour 60g baking powder 8g brown sugar 50g maple syrup 30g salt to taste B egg 1 milk 240ml chorizo Directions Mix dough ingredients (A) together in a bowl. Stir in egg and milk. Let sit for 2 hours in refrigerator. Pierce chorizo with skewers. Cut skewers in half before inserting if necessary. Coat with bread flour and dip in dough. Fry at 180℃ for 3-4 mins. Top with ketchup, mustard, or other condiment as you like.
We arrived at TASU MUFFIN early to discover a queue of five to six people waiting for it to open. Tasty baked goods and a friendly owner are its draw. Akiko Atsuzawa has decorated her shop with a variety of her favorite items giving it a personal touch, too. Eat-in seating consists of just four counter stools and a small table. From the seven kinds of muffins offered that day, we tried Lemon Curd & Earl Grey (¥290) and Matcha & White Chocolate (¥300). The lemony tartness proved a fine match with the taste of Earl Grey and the latter’s…
Vickie Skorji is the TELL Lifeline Director. We featured her in our April 2020 edition and catch up with her now, as mental and physical health is a concern during the pandemic. If you are not familiar with TELL, please read about this valuable community organization dedicated to our mental health: telljp.com We’ve been facing the challenges of COVID for a year. What are some of the effects of prolonged stress on our minds and bodies? What can we do? Our bodies can handle the physical and mental toll of stressful situations over short periods. When this is prolonged, it…