Phoebe Amoroso

“I’ve got something for you.”

One of the village’s wasp hunters beckoned me over to a small canopy at the edge of the field. He unwrapped a jagged, brown piece of a wasp’s nest, its beautiful tessellated interior teeming with larvae. I was being offered a rare, local delicacy; a single kilogram of this nest is only available once a year in November and sells for 9,000 yen (£64). I brought a still-wriggling grub to my lips and swiftly ate it alive.

A queue of people snakes alongside a shiny glass cafe, with many resigned to a two-hour wait. Their goal: some simple yet famously fluffy pancakes. This could be a typical scene from the trendy Harajuku neighborhood in Tokyo. Except this cafe is surrounded by hills of luscious green, hidden in the small town of Yazu, deep in Tottori Prefecture. A decade ago, there used to be a grand total of zero visitors, but last year, 350,000 flocked to the area — thanks to one man and his free-range eggs....

Culinary Backstreets has updated its cookie policy. We use cookies to optimize site function, provide social media features and analyse our traffic. Some third-party social media sites may track your use of the CB website if you visit a page which contains their embedded content. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive all cookies served on the CB website.You can however opt out of being served cookies by adjusting your settings. Click to r...

We’ve all been spending a lot more time at home recently and redefining our relationship with our immediate four walls, getting intimately acquainted with our surroundings and probably that ceiling crack that you never noticed before. I have learned to love my tiny Tokyo apartment, especially since I have become a Marie Konvert during these times.
Yet I have been missing travel....

An 8-page brochure in Metropolis magazine for Odawara Tourist Association. Words and several photos by me.

Kiritanpo—which just sounds fun—are cylindrical-shaped pounded rice skewers unique to Akita. At Wattaribbouzu, these are cooked as hearty dumplings in a veggie-packed hotpot. They also serve Hinai chicken dishes, such as oyakodon (chicken & egg on rice) or yakitori and are offering a beautiful tasting bento box packed with morsels of regional flavors to be paired with an evening drink of sake. That includes the moreish Akita classic of iburi gakko, smoked daikon pickles sandwiches between cre...

What if you could live a happier and healthier life just by spending some time indoors? Watch the video or read on…
Spending a lot of time indoors can easily lead to cabin fever. The four walls seem to press in a little closer, the outside world and the passage of time seem disconnected, and we drift along in our own bubble, living in sweatpants and drinking juice straight from the carton. Case in point: instead of writing this article, I opened my fridge and began spooning ice-cream into my ...

As a testament to human creativity, grabbing drinks with your friends has moved to the realm of Zoom meetings or Messenger video call. There are endless ways in which you can get creative with your nightly choice of tipples. Here are some simple cocktail ideas to lubricate your imagination, and add some Japanese flavors to your next online happy hour!
Are you a tea or coffee person? Why choose? Suntory launched Kahlua Matcha in Japan in 2016, and has combined the best of both worlds! Mix one ...

"With conflicting advice, evidence and priorities, how does one balance sensible, reasonable behavior with retaining some semblance of normal life? This is the challenge facing most of us as we find our lives changing bit by bit, or sometimes drastically overnight."

Just One Cookbook.
Top of the list, in part due to its wonderful name which literally means “parent-and-child bowl,” this chicken-and-egg one pot is a Japanese classic. In a mixture of katsuo dashi, soy sauce, sugar and mirin, simmer chopped chicken thigh meat and sliced onions until cooked through. Next, the mildly tricky part: adding a lightly beaten egg until it is partially cooked (watch it closely!), then pour the umami-full, sweet concoction on top of rice.
The ultimate taste of home co...

Japan’s diverse countryside and spectacular nature are best witnessed by pulling on a pair of walking shoes and heading out into their midst. It was with this in mind that I invited my parents to hike the Nakasendo Way, an old route from the Edo period that stretches from Kyoto to Tokyo. I was proposing five days of walking, carrying everything on our backs. That’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but my parents are adventurers – or at least, up for a challenge.

"...Tucked away in this warren of vice is an alleyway that even many Japanese have not heard of: Omoide no Nukemichi. Literally meaning “Memory Bypass”, it is a tiny L-shaped alley cutting through a block of dense and dilapidated buildings – a shortcut of sorts. Yet its name is somewhat euphemistic: it is definitely the kind of place where you might make memories you might want to forget… or do things that perhaps you won’t remember in the morning..."

Bonsai is a traditional art form, but it too can grow into something new. Bonsai artist Shigeo Fujita has developed an original work of art that requires no maintenance at all—dry bonsai! Teaming up with Akari Sato, a young entrepreneur, the two have launched Dry Bonsai Tokyo Ginza Salon to offer a unique experience in which you can try your hand at making your own bonsai, and even take it home!

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.