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PHENOMENAL food halls are not news in Japan. They have been found in the basement level of Japanese department stores since the 1920's. Nevertheless, your first visit to a depachika, […]

GROWING up in America in the 40's and 50's I ate the usual vegetables -- carrots, potatoes, peas and corn. Then I came to Japan in the 60's and encountered […]

JUST as many Americans shuttle along the northeastern corridor of the United States, many Japanese commute between Tokyo and Osaka. Business traffic in and out of Osaka, domestic and foreign, […]

On the 12th day of the 12th month of the 12th year of Heisei in the 12-year zodiac cycle (that was Dec. 12, 2000, on the Gregorian calendar), Tokyo opened […]

Many tourists to Japan hope to catch a glimpse of majestic Mount Fuji as the morning mists lift. But I take those who visit me here in Tokyo to see […]

TRUE to its name, the Tozai Sen ('east-west line') connects two outermost sections of Tokyo -- Nishi Funabashi city in the Chiba prefecture in the east to Mitaka city in […]

IN Kyoto, buds typically appear on bare cherry tree branches the last week in March. Unfurling to full splendor by early April, sakura last for only a few days before […]

THERE are times when you want to celebrate -- a birthday or anniversary, perhaps, or to treat yourself and someone special to an exceptional meal. If you find yourself in […]

JIYUGAOKA, one of Tokyo's many bustling communities of affluent families and commuters, is at the junction of two train lines that crisscross between Tokyo and Yokohama. Over the years, I […]

In this metropolis, where locating a street address is often a challenge, you'll have no trouble finding Tokyo's restaurant-supply district, Kappabashi. Just look for a giant chef's head, complete with […]

WITH the Olympic Winter Games just under way in Nagano, the entire country is prepared to play host to the world's top athletes, and the crowds of fans who will […]

When the pressures of modern, urban living mount, I fancy old-fashioned Japanese-style service -- the kind that really pampers you. Recently, I persuaded my husband to forgo a fishing trip [...]

SLEEK office towers and modern apartment buildings have erased much of the old Tokyo skyline, once dominated by wooden houses, temples and shrines. Still, you can catch glimpses of the […]

SOUTH of Tokyo Bay, in an area of about three square miles, is Kamakura, a historic region with more than one hundred temples and shrines tucked into its sloping hillsides […]

THE Japanese call it omotenashi: a service concept for which no simple translation exists. Thoughtfulness, dedication to customers' needs and meticulous attention to detail are key elements of such service. […]

LOCAL lore describes the culinary history of Nagasaki as wa ka ran -- literally, 'I don't understand.' The Japanese fondness for punning, though, provides additional meanings: wa refers to things […]

ALTHOUGH nearly all professional chefs in Japan are men, women cook at home for their families. In doing so, they cater to dietary needs ranging from those of toddlers to […]

KYOTO is famous for its refined cuisine, more delicately seasoned than Tokyo's robust cooking. Most of Kyoto's better restaurants have only private tatami-matted dining rooms, and the cost for such […]

ALTHOUGH retailers in Japan are struggling with a sluggish economy, department stores, called hyakkaten (shops of a hundred treasures), are still important community institutions. In addition to providing extraordinary service […]

NOODLES: thick, slithery udon in a briny broth; whole-grain soba in a wasabi-spiked dipping sauce; ice-cold somen or miso-enriched ramen. Scorned, yet adored, noodles have a special place in the […]

WHEN Japanese find social or business pressures too much to bear, they gather a few friends or colleagues and head for an onsen, a hot spring resort. Sometimes they take […]

ALTHOUGH hotel restaurants in Japan have long enjoyed a fashionable image among local residents, I admit to having harbored the bias of many Americans who believe these establishments serve ordinary [...]

KANAZAWA, the cultural and culinary center of Japan's western coast, is a modern metropolis of 430,000 people that is steeped in four centuries of history. Although the area is famous […]

TWENTY is the age of majority throughout Japan; the age at which it's legal to drink, and to vote. Twenty-something in Japan means eclectic eating: Members of Japan's newest generation […]

TWO regions lay claim to superiority when it comes to dining in Japan: Kanto (the eastern part that includes Tokyo) and Kansai (the western part that includes both refined Kyoto […]