I was reminiscing today about one of my favorite destinations in Tokyo. Mecca for the culinary connoisseur. Nirvana for the “kitsch-en” collector. A place where the Yen in my purse would start to shake and quiver the minute I was within spitting distance. Kappabashi market.

Marked by a giant statue of a chef’s head, Kappabashi is the fabulous restaurant supply district of Tokyo. If you love to cook and entertain, or just love to collect cool kitchen gadgets, this is the place to go.

Before I moved back to the States I took a trip downtown to stock up on authentic Japanese kitchenware. Hashi (chopsticks), beautiful lacquerware, small sushi plates, big serving dishes, rice bowls, ramen bowls, cedar bowls, ceramic tea and sake cups, decorative soy sauce bottles…oh the list goes on! I think about half of my shipping container was filled with treasures from Kappabashi. Honto ni! (Really!)

If you ever have a chance to hop on over to Japan -which is most definitely worth the trip, even with the outrageous prices – make a point to stop by Kappabashi. If you don’t need kitchen stuff you can a least have a splendid time perusing the endless aisles of plastic sushi.

Thank you Bento.com for your great photo!

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Takoyaki is one of many Japanese foods that make average Americans cringe. Literally translated as “fried octopus,” I love these little snacks that hail from Osaka. Made primarily of eggs, flour and octopus, Takoyaki are cooked in a specially designed pan and resemble Dunkin Donuts’ Munchkins. Covered in a sweetish sauce, mayonnaise and typically served with pickled ginger, these little guys make a fantastic late-night-been-drinking-I’m-hungry-snack. The only problem I have is that the insides tend to hold their heat and approximate the temperature/consistency of molten lava. I have yet to manage eating the little guys without burning the roof of my mouth.

If you ever run across a Takoyaki on a menu outside of Japan, give ‘em a try…if you make it to Osaka, don’t leave without eating at least a dozen. Or, if you are an adventurous cook, Lunch in a Box has a tutorial.

Photo by Jetalone

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Prior to my move from Japan back to the U.S. there were a few necessities that I felt I could just not leave without. Quintessential Japanese items:

A string of pearls (every girl needs a good set of pearls, right?)
A kimono (a casual summer one, but beautiful nonetheless, complete with obi and geta)
A few nice sets of hashi (chopsticks) to go with the rest of my Japanese tableware
My antique kotatsu
and finally,
A good tetsubin

Tetsubin are traditional cast iron teapots. The craft of cast iron, known as nambu-tekki, has been in practice in the northern prefecture of Iwate for over 400 years. There are 64 to 68 steps in the traditional production process of cast iron. Many of these steps are still done by hand and are strictly monitored by a master craftsman known as a kamashi. A minimum of 15 years is required to become a nambu-tekki craftsman, and 30-40 years to become a kamashi. That’s some serious cast iron skill!

I wanted an authentic artisan-crafted teapot, one that had passed the discerning gaze of a kamashi, so I hopped on the next shinkansen (bullet train) and headed north. I walked from factory to factory; it was the search for my Holy Grail of teapots. Amongst the various sizes, shapes and designs I found my beauty. My Zen-like simple, unadorned teapot.

I rode the slow train home, enjoying the mountainous views, with my little cast iron teapot resting heavily on my lap.

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I lived in Japan for three years. I wish that I had at least once dragged my body out of bed at 3:00 a.m., taken the one hour train ride to downtown Tokyo and gone to the world famous Tsukiji Fish Market. The market dates back to the 16th century when Tokugawa, the first shogun and builder of Edo (now Tokyo) invited fisherman from Osaka in order to provide seafood to the Edo Castle. This privilege also allowed the fisherman to sell the left-overs, thus creating a market. As the new capital grew, and the population expanded, so grew the demand for fish. The market was reformed and developed into an official wholesale market licensed by the Shogunate.

If you like sushi this is the place to go. The Tsukiji market brings in over 2,500 tons of seafood each day: delicate seaweed, expensive caviar, delicate sea urchin, potentially lethal fugu, gigantic tuna. You’ll also find some of the most savvy fish buyers who will drop top dollar (or yen) in seconds for the finest quality (see 60 Minutes story The King of Fish).

While you can no longer go to the market during the wee hours of the morning when the auctions occur it would still be worth the visit. Next time I’m in Japan I will make sure a visit to Tsukiji is on my itinerary.

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My favorite citrus is the yuzu. I discovered this amazingly fragrant fruit while living in Japan years ago, and am happy that I am now able to find it more and more here in the States. Yuzu is a small citrus originally from China but also widely used in Japanese cuisine. Some refer to it as citron but I do not believe it is the same variety. It is smaller and a little less juicy than the average lemon but its fragrance packs a much more powerful punch. You can find it in the fall and winter months in Japanese markets. I love to zest some over fresh tofu with ponzu sauce, grilled fish, sauteed spinach, or simply use as a garnish. Also, typical in Japan this time of year, it is wonderful sliced in half and thrown into your bath for a nice long soak.

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