Video.. Tokyo's picturesque sakura season


東京で桜満開

Odin's famous hot dish



Nabe dishes Easy-to-prepare nabe dishes are a popular cold-weather dinner in homes across Japan. According to the "Nabe Report 2022" published annually by Kibun Foods Japan, the most popular nabe dish at home is udon, which has been at the top for 24 consecutive years since 1999. Of the 1,367 people surveyed, 66.3% said udon is the most frequently eaten dish at home, followed by sukiyaki (51.2%) and kimchi nabe (45.1%). Udon is served in a variety of flavors, 


including creamy vegetable flavors such as radish. There is also a variety of crispy, crunchy konnyaku and surimi-style dumplings such as chikuwa, hanbin, and satsuma ag. When looking at the ingredients most favored by udon lovers, daikon (Japanese radish) ranked first and hard-boiled eggs came in second. According to age groups, daikon, konnyaku, and hanbin were the most popular ingredients for those in their twenties, daikon, boiled egg, and konnyaku for those in their thirties and forties, and daikon, boiled egg, and konnyaku for those in their fifties.

Okonomiyaki. Kansai and Hiroshima

Okonomiyaki is an increasingly popular Japanese dish.




 including okonomiyaki, are said to be the soul of the Kansai region, with roots dating back to the 16th century. The tea master Sen no Rikyu's tea ceremony diary includes several desserts called funoyaki. It is a mixture of flour and water cooked like a thin pancake. It is then covered with miso dough, sprinkled with sugar and poppy seeds, and rolled into a ball. It is believed that the ingredients and method of cooking fufu no yaki changed over time and akonomiyaki was born. It wasn't until the 20th century that the current production method was adopted. Kansai-style okonomiyaki is characterized by the use of kombu dashi. All the ingredients are added to a batter made from a mixture of flour and seaweed broth and cooked. Eggs and grated potatoes are often added for a fluffy texture. Because okonomiyaki can be cooked in a short time, many restaurants allow customers to cook it themselves at the table on a hot plate called teppan-yaki.



 Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki The main feature of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is that the ingredients are layered rather than mixed with flour. A thin layer of flour is spread and cooked on the okonomiyaki and then topped with shredded cabbage followed by shredded pork, shrimp, and various other ingredients. These ingredients are then stirred as a single mass. The top layer of flour acts as a lid and vaporizes the ingredients below. Layers of yakisoba and eggs are then added. The genesis of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is said to be the result of efforts to overcome food shortages following World War II and the devastation caused by the atomic bomb. Since flour was a precious commodity, okonomiyaki was diluted with water, placed between vegetables and cooked thinly. However, as post-war reconstruction progressed, different ingredients became available and Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki evolved into what it is today. However, cabbage has remained an important ingredient ever since.