Cassie's Kitchen

29/08/2024

In my latest piece for The Japan Times, I visited one of the three restaurants claiming to have invented katsu curry 🍛

1918? 1921? 1947? The dish’s origin is uncertain, but its popularity today both within and beyond Japan is unassailable.

19/07/2024

Tsukemen is like separated ramen. You are served cold noodles and a hot broth with a bunch of toppings, and you dip the noodles into the soup. Interestingly, though, the broth also has vinegar in it, which gives it this tang you don't get with regular ramen. For some reason, I had never had tsukemen before, and for my first ever bowl I went to the place where the dish was invented - Taishoken. The inventor himself is no longer with us, but his successor says that he was a kind man with a fierce passion for customer service.

I won't ramble on here, if you want to learn more I'll put a link to my Japan Times article in my story, otherwise, just know to look out for tsukemen if you're ever in Japan!

02/07/2024

It's always fun trying out the street food and different famous snacks, it kind of feels like a scavenger hunt. If I'm honest, this cheese coin thing was only OK, but I loved exploring the streets of Dotonbori to find it with my friends, and trying out other things nearby too!

26/06/2024

Do you know where this is? 🙈

18/06/2024

This was the view from my hotel room when I stayed on the border of Kyoto and Mie prefectures. I was surrounded by tea these fields, and had the chance to explore places I never would have thought to if I weren't staying there. Did you know Iga and Koga were once hubs for ninja? I didn't until I visited! I even got to taste the exact tea from these fields in my hotel room. It's so nice to venture out of the big cities sometimes.

Not sponsored but if you're interested in the hotel it's Fairfield by Marriott Kyoto Minamiyamashiro 🥰

13/06/2024

Guys, this was one of the fanciest meals I've had in a long time. I went to Isehara for a trip that included tons of traditional Japanese activities, and at the end, we received this many-course meal with sake pairings for each course. My favourite visual was definitely the taiyaki monaka, which is the fish-shaped pastry at the end. It was filled with ice cream and sweet bean paste.

10/06/2024

Central Kyoto is overrated. Head a bit outside of the centre to Uji instead - it's still in Kyoto prefecture, but it's way less crowded and has some beautiful sightseeing spots and culture. It's seen as one of the birthplaces of Japanese green tea, and at Jinjiro Tea Shop you can try a bunch of different green teas in his cosy cafe-like shop before you buy anything.

07/06/2024

I guess I'm having a gyoza moment - Utsunomiya is an area about an hour outside of Tokyo known for its gyoza. There are so many different gyoza places, and this funky one has a set with a bunch of different flavours. I'll be honest, it's really more about the colourful gimmick than the taste exactly, but it was a fun experience nonetheless!

04/06/2024

🥟 The inventor of "winged gyoza" is still alive and cooking in Tokyo!
I had no idea that hanetsuki gyoza (winged gyoza) were invented within the past century. It turns out they were created by the wonderful Yagi san in 1983, taking inspiration from the pan-fried pork buns of his childhood.
I had the pleasure of interviewing him for The Japan Times, which you can see here:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2024/04/14/food-drink/hanetsuki-gyoza-kamata-nihao/

30/05/2024

📸 Taken in Kawaguchiko!
This beautiful area is a great place to get shots of , but there are also a ton of restaurants and shops near Kawaguchiko Station. I recently wrote an article for Tokyo Cheapo about it - take a look at my story for more info!

30/05/2023

My 7th and final photo of this series! What did you think, should I do more of these? Anyway, this is a Japan tourist favourite, everyone wants to get this photo. The reality is, so many people have started coming to this location that it's all roped off and you have to pay to take a picture. Fair enough I suppose, they need to maintain the area, but it doesn't feel as magical as it looks. There's actually a fun little area with a sword in a stone not far from it, too. This is Tenku no Torii in Kawaguchi, and it's actually part of a shrine further down that is dedicated to Mt. Fuji.
🗻 #山梨 #富士山

28/05/2023

Photo number 6! This one looks deceptively boring, but that is actually a staircase by a hill drop, and in the distance there is a live volcano. I was actually hiking an active volcano range when I took this picture, no biggie. But seriously you can see the smoke tendrils coming off of the volcano on this one! This is Kakunodate in Miyazaki, southern Japan.
#火山 #宮崎