Countries around the globe choose to ring in the new year with a wide variety of traditions. In Japan, New Years is a major holiday, with many associated traditions including...
Akai Ribon Established in 1978 Located in Hokkaido Akai Ribbon is located in a small city on the west edge of Hokkaido Prefecture. Since their first sweet shop opened in...
I will be the first to admit that a sunset is much easier to see than a sunrise. But maybe that's what makes the sunrise so magical! In Japan, it's...
The holidays are closing in, and you’re scrambling for the perfect gifts for friends, family, and relatives. We totally get that sometimes shopping for gifts can be hard, especially if...
When someone says Christmas, what kind of food do you think about? In the United States, many people would say candy canes and gingerbread houses. If you ask someone in...
For many Americans, the winter season is synonymous with the holidays, especially Christmas. While the West has its own holiday traditions—like decorating the home inside and out, exchanging presents, and...
In 1954, an American food company named Swanson found its executives staring at a large problem with no easy solution ... how to sell or dispose of 260 tons of...
The holidays are coming soon, and for many people, that means visiting family, or even perhaps taking a vacation. Like they say, the journey is just as important as the...
Japanese snacks are having a global moment, so much so that even Pocky has become commonplace in our vocabulary and in our pantries. Japan has plenty of snack options to...
Who doesn’t love getting food as a gift? In Japan, small sweet snacks and food items are common presents. If you’re coming back from vacation, it’s expected to bring back...
This October, things got scary delicious with our Haunted Harvest Bokksu! Enjoying the fruits of our fall harvest labor, we found the best snacks featuring flavors like Japanese squash (kabocha),...
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, winter means cold temps and probably lots of snow. And when it comes to winter in northern Japan, the season almost always...