Articles

Obanyaki is a round disc-shaped stuffed pancake made of flour, eggs and sugar (or honey) filled with sweet azuki bean paste. It's been around for approximately 250 years in Japan. It was a popular street snack enjoyed by people generation after generation. If you like sweet azuki bean paste, try this Obanyaki recipe at home.

Japanese traditional lacquerware called "shikki" has been a part of Japanese culture since approximately 9000 years ago. Japanese lacquerware is one of the oldest traditional art crafts in the world. Its rich colors and shiny appearance still seduce many people today. In this article, we will talk about shikki lacquerware, and its unique and functional characteristics that other materials, such as metals, plastics or ceramics don't possess.

In Japan where people enjoy the change of seasons throughout the year, we celebrate "Shunbun no hi (Vernal Equinox Day)" that marks the beginning of spring. Vernal equinox day is a national holiday in Japan. We celebrate ohigan that takes place three days before and after vernal equinox day. Ohigan is a time for honoring our ancestors by visiting family's graves or cleaning up our butsudan (small Buddhist altar for home) and its equipment. We also eat botamochi (ohagi), a special ohigan food. In this article, we will develop more about what ohigan is and share a botamochi recipe for you to try at home.

On March 3, we celebrate the traditional festival "Hinamatsuri" in Japan. Hinamatsuri has a long tradition of displaying beautiful dolls and enjoying delicious festival dishes. We will tell you about Hinamatsuri festival in detail and 3 foods that we typically eat during this event.

Chawanmushi is a typical dish for serving guests in Japan. Served in small teacups, it is made of egg mixture, dashi and other ingredients for topping, all cooked in a steamer. I will show you how to cook this Japanese traditional dish with a steamer.

Inari sushi is prepared differently in the Kanto area (Tokyo), Kansai area (Osaka) and Tohoku area (Sendai). Be creative and enjoy different flavors of your choice. In this articleI will share the most basic Kanto-style inari sushi recipe.

Atsukan (hot sake) warms your body and is one of the wintertime pleasures of the Japanese style. The "Chirori" is a traditional sake server that brings out the flavor of sake and is perfect for enjoying Atsukan.

In Japan, there is a custom of eating Eho-maki (uncut sushi rolls for good luck) on Setsubun (the last day of winter). Setsubun, a uniquely Japanese annual event, is a big event for children to look forward to. In this article, we will introduce how to make and eat Eho-maki, a classic Setsubun dish!

If you have ever visited shops in the countryside in Japan, you have probably seen a beckoning cat at least once. It is a symbol of a thriving business, called "Maneki-neko". This adorable cat holding a gold oval coin in one hand and raising one hand is not just a decoration, it actually has special meanings. Would you like to bring good luck to your home or shop with the traditional Japanese lucky charm "Maneki-neko"?

On New Year's Day, the most special of the year's festivities in Japan, people celebrate the New Year with their families or close friends by preparing Osechi-ryori as a special event meal. Osechi-ryori is a food culture that has many different types and contents that vary from region to region. Even if it is not Japanese cuisine, it will look more authentic in a lacquered Jubako box. Why don't you spend the upcoming New Year's holiday enjoying traditional Japanese culture?

There is a custom of decorating Kagami-mochi (the rice cakes) to offer to Shinto and Buddhism during the New Year in Japan. Many households display them to celebrate the New Year. So, let's decorate "Kagami-mochi" and enjoy a Japanese-style New Year.

At the end of the year, many Japanese people will be busy with year-end cleaning of their homes. It is a great way to get rid of dirt or stain in your house along with bad luck so that you can start the New Year with a good feeling. In this article, we would like to introduce a "scrubbing glove", a convenient cleaning tool for year-end cleaning.

Sukiyaki is a luxurious and special dish to celebrate the New Year's holiday for the Japanese people. In recent years, it is getting popular in other countries because of its deliciousness. Please enjoy the traditional Japanese hot pot dish with the Sukiyaki hot pot.

Enamelware is sanitary and multipurpose. You can use it for decades if properly maintained. In this article, we introduce questions about enamelware products we have been receiving from our customers. In addition, this blog contains the proper care, storage methods, and caution for use. So, please read this before using your enamelware.

Don't you want to give beautiful gifts to your loved ones for special occasions such as Christmas, New Year, or birthdays? Here are 10 of the best gift ideas from Globalkitchen Japan.

Elegant tinware makes your table enriched. When you care for the tin product properly, you can enjoy it for a long period, sometimes all through your life. We introduce how to care for tinware in this article.

One of the most famous Japanese hot pot dishes is Shabu Shabu. The Shabu Shabu pot enables you to enjoy Shabu Shabu anytime you want. In this article, we introduce how to use the special pot for Shabu Shabu and how to enjoy it.

Furoshiki is very useful and multipurpose cloth. For example, it can be used as elegant wrapping materials, an eco shopping bag, a shoulder bag, a scarf, a tablecloth, a plastic bottle holder, and a cover for a box of tissues. Also, you can fold Furoshiki as a compact cloth after use. We will show you how to wrap your gift in the likeness of a rose flower using Furoshiki.

Traditional hot pot dishes have been handed down from generation to generation in Japan, from east to west, from north to south, and from east to west. With just one earthenware pot, you can easily enjoy a wide variety of hot pot dish at any time.

Donabe casseroles (Earthen pots) are indispensable cooking vessels for traditional Japanese hot-pot dishes. With one earthenware pot, you can enjoy many variations of hot-pot dishes. Please use earthenware pots correctly and enjoy traditional Japanese cooking.

Hasegawa Peelable Cutting Board is lightweight and easy to handle. It can be easily lifted for storage, making it easy to handle even for those with limited strength. It can be peeled off with antibacterial specifications, is a strong ally of food hygiene. It will surely be useful for cooking in a hygienic environment.

With a well-used baked sweet potato pot, you can make traditional Japanese yaki-imo (baked sweet potato). We hope you will enjoy the autumn taste of baked sweet potatoes. If you bake not only sweet potatoes but also various vegetables and fruits evenly, you will be able to expand the range of your cooking.

Takoyaki cookers are useful for making Halloween cakes and other treats, ajijos, and Spanish omelets. This time, we will use a Takoyaki cooker to make Halloween Takoyaki Cakes. Enjoy Halloween to the fullest this year with Halloween Takoyaki Cakes that will tickle your kids' fancy!

"Ramen" is a popular Japanese food that is now attracting attention from all over the world. It is said that ramen began to spread throughout Japan in the early 1920s, and in the process, various styles were established and a variety of flavors were developed throughout the country.

Tamagoyaki is a traditional Japanese egg dish and one of the most popular home-style dishes. The taste of Tamagoyaki varies from region to region, but the basic method and shape of Tamagoyaki, in which beaten eggs are rolled and baked in layers in a special frying pan, is the same throughout Japan.

To longer useful life of your diatomaceous earth stove, it is important not to allow it to absorb water or humidity and to avoid shocks. Please be careful not to bump or drop the stove when carrying it. This page explains the precautions to be taken when storing diatomaceous earth stoves.

In Japan, "Jugoya" has been held nationwide since ancient times as a custom to love the moon. In ancient times, it was the aristocrats' pleasure to admire the moon reflected on the surface of the water or in a sake cup, but this custom eventually became popular among the general public and continues to this day.

Nambu ironware rice pots are characterized by its high heat storage capacity due to the thick skin which allows them to cook softly, delicious rice. The aroma and sweetness of rice are especially noticeable with starchy japonica rice. When you enjoy Japanese food, please try delicious rice cooked with an iron rice pot.

Iron pots can last a lifetime if used and maintained properly. Although iron pots are very durable, rust is their worst enemy, so do not leave the water untreated and be careful not to scratch it to prevent rusting. We explain how to care iron pot when you use it and what to do if rust appears.

Unlike glass and ceramics, wooden tableware is not easily broken, and you can enjoy the depth of color and change in texture over time. If used properly, wooden tableware can be used for a lifetime. With proper use and care, you can enjoy your wooden tableware for many years to come.

Diatomaceous earth stoves are stoves made from fossilized diatoms. When manufacturing industrial products such as stoves with diatomaceous earth, diatomaceous earth is crushed into a powder, mixed, formed, and fired. This page explains how to use and care for diatomaceous earth stoves.

There are various types of colanders, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Understand each characteristics of materials and shapes, so that we can use them wisely as useful kitchen tools.

Takezaru can be used for a variety of purposes, including as a draining dish, a drying dish for dried food, a noodle serving dish, a one-plate dish, and a towel rack. Here are some of the advantages and uses of the very performant Takezaru.

Cold-brewed green tea also contributes to time saving since it already cold by brewing with cold water. Ready-to-drink in the hottest day is a major advantage. Just try it with ice. You can enjoy the nutritious green tea with a sense of coolness. let us introduce how to make delicious green tea with cold water

In Japan, we have Obon Buddhist annual event to welcome our ancestors’ spirits. Commonly, companies or shops are closed during the Obon period same as Easter. Let’s focus on Obon in detail!

Generally, shaved ice used to be more like crunchy and rough granular. However, the latest ones are fluffier and finely granular like “iced mango” in Taiwan. We would like to show you an ice shaving machine named “Black Swan” manufactured by Ikenaga Iron Works Co., Ltd, which can make fluffy shaved ice at home. In summer, ice shaving machines must be very helpful especially for those who live in areas with high temperatures!

Iron rusts relatively easily compared to other metals, but on the other hand, it is strong and durable, and has the great advantage of almost a lifetime of use when properly cared for. Also, takoyaki cooked on a steel takoyaki cooker has a savory flavor not found in takoyaki cooked on a Teflon takoyaki cooker.

Generally speaking, the smaller the amount of flour used to make takoyaki dough, the fluffier and tastier it becomes. However, the smaller the amount of dough, the more difficult it is to bake nicely. Therefore, making delicious takoyaki needs a good skill.

Having colorful flowers by your side makes you feel fine, right? A gorgeous flower bouquet looks good, but a single-flower vase that gently accompanies your daily life is easily incorporated into the various scenes of your daily life. We introduce the charm of the single-flower vase here.

The flavor of plum wine can be expanded to an infinite number of flavors by changing the type of plums to be pickled, experimenting with different types of alcohol and sugar, and other combinations. Enjoy making your own original plum wine using your favorite ingredients.

In Japan, people celebrate Tanabata on July 7 every year. Tanabata is one of the seasonal events and is sometimes called as “Shichiseki” (Seventh Night) or “Hoshimatsuri” (Star Festival). Today we introduce Tanabata, which is a traditional Japanese culture and its history and how to spend on that day.

As awareness of environmental issues grows worldwide these days, issues such as garbage and food loss are increasingly being addressed also in the world of cooking. In honor of the "Day of Zero Garbage" on May 10, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of disposable and eco-friendly chopsticks under the theme of “chopsticks”.

It is convenient to use an improvised kitchen knife case made with newspaper, when you store or carry them. We will introduce how to make such a simple kitchen knife case made with newspaper.

Steel Kitchen knives may cause rust after years of use. Rust on kitchen knives is harmless to the human body, but it needs proper maintenance as they lose their sharpness and can cause accidents and injuries and the food they cut can easily oxidize, when they become rusty. We will explain how to remove rust from kitchen knives.

“Children's Day" is celebrated all over the world and, in Japan, May 5 is the Children's Day, which is also called “Tango-no Sekku”. We will explain a habit called “Tango-no Sekku”, which is one of the traditional events in Japan.

Saitama Prefecture is one of the most famous tea growing areas in the Kanto region. The picking of new tea leaves begins in late April, and the famous product "SayamaTea" begins to be distributed in May. Here, we will introduce Sayama Tea, one of the three major teas representing Japan.

You might have found the newly purchased knives were not sharp enough and have been worried that you had purchased the defective ones. Here, we will explain why they are not sharp enough and how you can deal with them.

There is a traditional culture called “Hanami” in Japan. When cherry blossoms start blooming every spring, people are delighted with the arrival of spring, and at large parks and special venues for cherry blossom viewing, they enjoy eating delicious lunch boxes and drinking alcohol while watching the cherry blossoms.