Phoebe Amoroso

On the forested Mt. Oyama, only one and a half hours away from Tokyo, the sleepy atmosphere is broken by a cheering crowd. It’s mid-March and women are sitting in a row on a stage, shoveling cups of tofu into their mouths as fast as they can. It is messy, distinctly inelegant and a whole lot of mad fun...

Tourists and Tokyoites alike may think they have little reason to cross the Sumida River, which marks the city’s eastern flank. The most famous site is Tokyo Skytree, a 630-meter structure that has become a symbol of the city’s skyline. Yet look closer to the ground, and you’ll find a far better reason to make the journey to this side of Tokyo: the neighborhood of Kiyosumi Shirakawa.

Just over a decade ago, a recently retired Kazuhiko Ochiai found he had some spare time on his hands. A former livestock researcher, Ochiai thought to try his hand at cheese-making. Fast forward to October 2019 and he’s shot into the international spotlight — with a score of 82 points, his Brown Swiss cow’s milk Mori no Cheese took a Super Gold at the World Cheese Awards, ranking 10th best in the world.
“I was really surprised and happy,” says Ochiai, the president of Nasu no Mori cheese fact...

“You were an accident, albeit a happy one,” said my mother in a statement that has somewhat set the tone of my life so far.

I am accident-prone. An accident waiting to happen. And, frequently, I am accidentally inappropriate.

Which is why I thought the entirely inappropriate behaviour of crashing end of year parties sounded like a great way to round off 2019. I had already showed up for life uninvited after all.

Japanese food has skyrocketed in popularity around the world, but discovering why it earned its status as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Property necessitates a trip to the country itself…not that you needed much convincing.

Entering the world of Japanese tea is like taking a casual stroll through the sweeping fields in which it is grown. Squeezing between the orderly rows of bushes, you’ll suddenly find yourself like Alice, falling down a rabbit hole into an endless world of new discoveries.
“Even in tea shops, not many staff would say they were fully knowledgeable,” says Shizuoka-native, Akito Ohashi, who’s currently promoting tea experiences to overseas visitors, and still on a journey of learning himself.
The...

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Hirezake, Japan
A Japanese winter drink that borders on a light broth, hirezake originated in the postwar period as a way to improve cheap sake: a charred fish fin – usually pufferfish or sea bream – is added to a covered cup of hot sake. ...

Winding between the teenage fashion havens of Harajuku and Shinjuku is the ultra-hip Cat Street, lined with countless second-hand clothing stores and embellished with a single origin coffee shop. Just a stone’s throw to its south lies a nondescript concrete building.
Unassuming from the outside, for the past 15 months its second floor hid a sake bar. The interior was a stylish and modern take on Japanese design – a sleek counter in the center, tatami mats and sliding doors splitting the space...

I researched and wrote Tokyo Essentials - the opening chapter and overview telling potential entrepreneurs exactly what they need to know to set up a business.

Gazing down on Hakodate, the shape of the city hardly looks real. As if someone pinched the land on both sides, the coastline stretches inwards in two arches like an hourglass, broadening out where the suburbs sprawl to the north. It’s easy to see why the night view from Mount Hakodate ranks as one of Japan’s top three; although the scenery is equally spectacular during the day time...

Ramen joints are often easily recognizable, either by large windows illuminating slurping customers, a vending machine dispensing meal tickets at the doorway, or the brightly lit signs; usually it’s some combination of the three. When it comes to Ura Sablon, however, one might easily pass it by...

I filmed, directed, produced and edited this story about Yuma, who went from being a professional ballet dancer to a software engineer living in an eco-friendly community in southern Japan. As part of a series for coding school Code Chrysalis, telling the stories of their graduates.

Located in the heart of Tokyo, Mitsui Garden Hotel Jingu-Gaien Tokyo Premier provides not only a perfect base to take advantage of the city's vibrant food scene, but also to appreciate the city’s rich and contrasting tapestry...

A few months after my colleagues and I had settled into our new office, a fashionable residence to the north of Shibuya, I stretched back in my chair and sighed contentedly. “I love the feel of this place!” I said absent-mindedly.

Two colleagues – both Japanese – froze and looked at each other.

“Really?” one asked cautiously. “We’re so glad to hear you say that.”

A confession unfolded as to why they had been so keen to include me in the office search. They believed that I had ...