Spotted: awesome throwback rice packaging. I’ve been seeing this packaging more and more around town from specialty Japanese food and/or rice shops. This 2kg bag of rice from Arobo in Hiroo is a more modern take on the design.
Note: Japanese rice is a great omiyage (souvenir). It’s flavorful with a great texture that’s hard to find outside of Japan – especially if it’s from this year’s harvest! Visit one of the specialty rice shops like Suzunobu in Meguro.
Big news!! I started working part time for Fresca – a new gourmet online marketplace in Japan. Right up my alley, right?! All of the food and products are thoroughly vetted for quality, taste, and brand image. And guess who gets to do some of the vetting? Yup – right up my alley, indeed :)
Fresca specializes in famous, hip brands, boutiques, and restaurants from Japan and abroad. Perfect for expats or anyone who loves food and dinner parties! Some of my favorites are Intelligentsia and Toby’s Coffee (finally.. good coffee in Tokyo!), common good, Azuman’s Sendai beef (grade 5: best in Japan) and wasabi that I wrote about before, and Nobu. Continue reading
Lately, my life has been filled with cooking, learning new crafts, and planning a party for this weekend! :) Here’s some snapshots from this month:
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As much as I love Japanese washi paper, I’ve never purchased it. It’s one of those things that I’d love to have, but I know I’d cherish too much to ever use it! Luckily, I have a sister in law who knows me very well, and she recently gifted me a washi paper set (*jumping for joy*)! Aren’t gifts great that way? If you’re lucky, you get things that you love but you’d never buy yourself :)
There are a few types of washi paper. This type is called Kozogami and is made from paper mulberry. It’s very thick and durable and although it acts like paper, it feels like cloth! A few of my favorite prints from the set are these adorable owls:
… and these beautiful cranes. They have such a wonderful shine!
Tied with my new Japanese ribbon, each one would be equally perfect as a gift. But there’s no way these are leaving my hands!
How do you use washi paper? Or is there anything that you can’t bear to part ways with at home?
It might be too late to personalize your chocolates for Valentine’s Day this year, but for next year, how about gifting 3-D chocolates of your face? Leave it up to the Japanese to take this sweet Valentine’s Day tradition and turn it a bit too personal! For just 6000 yen (about $68), 15 winners joined a 2-day workshop in Shibuya to make chocolate replicas of their faces using 3-D scanners, printers, and personalized silicon molds.
I’m not narcissistic enough to want my own facial mold, but I can see how this process would be great for making custom favors or decor. Personally, I find the idea of opening a box of chocolates to find my friend staring up at me a bit frightening. And if you actually do eat the chocolate, does that mean that you really like or hate your friend?
Wishing you all a lovely Valentine’s Day :)
[all images via FabCafe]
oh my omiyage 