Phoebe Amoroso

Growing your own meat might seem like something straight out of science fiction but that’s precisely why Yuki Hanyu from IntegriCulture decided to try it.

“It didn’t even have to be cell-cultured meat,” admits Yuki Hanyu. “In 2013, I was thinking about actually doing science fiction and I thought about different options like a Mars colony or interstellar starships and stuff like that. Then I thought it was probably the right time for cell-cultured meat..."

Deep inside a complex of caves carved into a Tochigi Prefecture mountainside lie rows and rows of bottles of sake.

Here, no sunlight penetrates and, with an average temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, the underground shelter is said to provide the perfect conditions to age and bring out bold, new flavors in Japan’s national drink.

“Don’t mention it’s your first time and don’t mention you’re nervous. And whatever you do, don’t make a joke comparing this to your first time having sex — I’ve heard it a million times before.”

Comedian B.J. Fox reels off his advice and I nod as I eagerly jot it down. I wish I could chalk up my enthusiasm to pure journalistic rigor but, in fact, I’m interviewing Fox just half an hour before I subject myself to an open mic — my very first.

Feature article for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Magazine Spring/Summer 2021.

How Tokyo Metropolitan University’s unique program is giving older citizens new ways to
connect with ideas and people.

“Oh, tell me how the neighborhood has changed!” We’re chatting with a woman behind a café counter in Kiyosumi Shirakawa, an area to the east of Tokyo’s Sumida River. “We’re local people so we don’t know!” she exclaims, her eyes above her mask doing all the smiling and her tone indicating a genuine curiosity.

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My update on the neighbourhood of Kiyosumi Shirakawa - how is it faring in January 2021, after the turbulent 2020?

A male friend once noted that I never included anything about my love life in writing. Considering I am mainly a food writer, I thought that was a rather odd comment.
But since Tokyo Weekender has kindly given me this column with free reign to let my “personality” run wild, I couldn’t resist making my first entry about MEN: long, thick noodles that give me a thrill – ramen, tsukemen, tantanmen etc. – and occasionally human beings with a Y chromosome.

A guidebook to Japan's startup scene: I researched and wrote the opening chapter and overview. I also interviewed around 20 startups and venture capitalists and wrote up their profiles.

Tucked a tantalizingly short distance from Tokyo and nestled among mountains, the centrally located Gunma Prefecture hosts a wealth of surprises. While it’s perhaps most famous for the hot spring waters of Kusatsu Onsen, even this charmingly nostalgic town has far more to offer beyond relaxing baths. Here are some of the best cultural and culinary
Here are some of the best cultural and culinary experiences to give you a taste of the region… with an emphasis on taste. Gourmands, take note.
Hop...

It’s a chilly December evening in Tokyo and chef Noriyuki Suzuki, of restaurant Sakanoura Rojitei Yasaito, is presenting curious onlookers with an array of unexpected ingredients, whipping up a nine-course tasting menu out of leftovers such potato peelings and forlorn-looking pineapple skins....

There’s a small, white street cart lined with candles and Baccarat crystal glasses that mysteriously appears at midnight on the streets of Tokyo.
It would not seem out of place in a Haruki Murakami novel — fleeting and, just like its warm candlelight, seeming to flicker in that borderline space between fantasy and reality.
On this particular evening, it is parked just off a major north-south road cutting through the city. Three individuals — an older lady and two younger men — are drinking an...

Tokyo is the best city to be the cheapest snob
When your world gets a bit smaller, the smaller things get a bit bigger.
That essentially was my summer. Normally, I’d be flitting around at giant group picnics and installing myself in an izakaya until late at night, slowly working my way through the sake menu.
This year, there was precious little opportunity for such frolicking. Partly because of the pandemic and partly because of my new job. It was so hectic I sometimes didn’t have time to lea...

Feature article for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Magazine Spring/Summer 2021.

Interviewed the creators of the Sustainability Development Goals game to discover how it is spreading sustainability awareness across the globe.

In her new column, Phoebe is looking for the meaning of home through food
It was not my most elegant moment. I was standing in a driveway, my rucksack sprawled on the tarmac before me, plastic wrapping strewn on top of it. And I was cramming a convenience store salmon onigiri into my face as if my life depended on it.
I was in Shizuoka Prefecture and, earlier, we had taken a taxi ride to Obuchi Sasaba, an area popular with photographers who want to capture Mt Fuji and tea fields all in one go...

I have a theory that Yonago derives its name from a contraction of “You wanna go”
I’m not sure whether I should tell you this. I feel like my relationship with Yonago is a dirty little secret, an exultant affair that I had behind Tokyo’s back, and that it might be too soon to share my delightful sins.

The bicycle has been heralded throughout history as a tool of emancipation, and this time around it might be helping us escape a virus. during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Japan was no exception to the boom.