Here’s a list of my favourite books about Japan. They have influenced me and taught me a lot about Japanese culture: cooking, travel, design and art. Check them out. A great way to spend those cool Autumn evenings. Flavor and Seasonings: Dashi, Umami and Fermented Foods by The Japanese Culinary…

Written by All Nippon Airways and Luxeat for a project We Are Japan. I first met Yoshinori Ishi at 2 Michelin-starred restaurant Umu. One of the best Kaiseki masters in Europe, he was the former head chef at this London mecca of Japan cuisine for 11 years. Originally from Saitama,…

SUNDAYS OMAKASE by Shinya Yashin at Yashin Ocean House. Serves only on Sundays, for 6 people max only.

Hidden in an ordinary residential street in Tokyo’ Shinjuku ward, Ken’s Cafémakes the most extraordinary gâteau au chocolat in Japan and the best-molten chocolate cake I’ve ever had. It is also the most difficult to get too. If you buy it directly from the shop where it’s made, the waiting…

To see my full article in collaboration with All Nippon Airways please go here. Japanese ceramics expert and gallerist Robert Yellin once told me that “ceramics are like living creatures”. Indeed, when on one late autumn afternoon I was walking around his Yakimono gallery in Kyoto, located in an old…

by Pablo Alomar Salvioni Sake, locally known as Nihonshu, is drenched in myth and mystery. The Japanese seem to have a complex code in their DNA that defines the exclusive rules surrounding sake tasting…and their exceptions, in a deep and difficult balance. What for Europeans is black or white, for…

Curated by Aiste Miseviciute, in alphabetical order From London to Logroño- my list of the best and up-and-coming sushi masters in Europe.For some of these chefs it’s not only a job, but a lifetime quest to achieve perfection. Carl Ishizaki Sushi Sho (1 Michelin star)Upplandsgatan 45, 113 28 Stockholm, Swedensushisho.se+46…

Matt Goulding doesn’t do things by halves, and his recent James Beard award for Dining and Travel writing—specifically for his piece dubbed “Slice of Tokyo: How Japan Became a Pizza Hotspot”, for Airbnb Magazine—attests to this. Before writing about pizza, he learned how to make it, by becoming a certified…

by Pablo Alomar Salvioni Beyond pairings with sushi, sake is the perfect drink to bring out the full flavour of any dish. While sake is definitely not wine… it can certainly be paired with food in similar ways. Check out this in-depth look at the nectar of Nippon and the…

When Tea Ceremony first came to Japan, it was elaborate and “Chinese Oriented”, but everything changed with the introduction of “Wabi” by Zen monk Murata Juko, who introduced simple and rustic aesthetics vs the richness and elegance of the Chinese arts. Like Alex Kerr writes in his brilliant book “Another…