Have you ever wondered what it was like back in the 60s?  How bout visiting a town in Japan in the 60s?  We have good news and you do not need a DeLorean.

"Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho" has reproduced 'Osaka town' during the time of the 60s.  You will find an abundant of shops, food stalls that serve Takoyaki and other Japanese snacks.  

The website Kurando.jp has 360 panoramic image of one section of the town to give you a sense on what to expect.

Gaku Shibata is the chef and owner of Azasu in New York City.  Azasu is an Izakaya style type restaurant serving Japanese comfort food and a wide variety of drinks such as Japanese whiskies, frozen shochu drinks, Japanese Hoppy and of course Sake. 

We had the privilege and pleasure of interviewing Chef Shibata:

1. What is Izakaya?

Burger King Japan has recently release a cheeseburger where the buns and cheese are of the color black.  Apparently this was achieved by using bamboo charcoal.  

The sauces are made with squid ink to give it a dark brownish color.  Looking at the burger, the only colors are from the lettuce and tomatoes.  These burgers are available in Japan for a limited time.

You have to check out these cool Sushi stamps just released from the Prefecture of Tomyama.  The sushi images are from famous sushi restaurants in the area.  

One stamp comes to 82 Yen (0.75USD) .  One sheet is 1230 Yen.

These stamps are of a limited edition and only 1200 of them wil be released by the post office.

If you ever visited Asia you probably have seen insects as a food item around popular street markets.  Crickets, spiders, grasshoppers, worms, you name it.  Usually fried or deep fried and coated with spices.  Still though, many westerners still feel alarmed when presented with a platter of deep fried crickets.  The best approach to facing your fear is to gradual face it.  We are happy to say that we have the perfect solution to help with the fear.  

Sansho Japanese pepper is obtained from the Japanese prickly ash. It is closely related to Sichuan pepper but has more pronounced citrus flavors. Most people have a common misconception that Sansho and Sichuan peppers are the same and can therefore be interchanged. This is simply untrue.

In addition to their differences in flavors, Sansho Japanese peppers also have some distinctive visual features. For instance, they have a deep green color unlike Sichuan peppers. The prickly ash or sansho tree also yields some fragrant kinome leaves that are often used as garnish.

When you think of astronauts going into space, do you ever think what kind of food they eat?  

The Aerospace agency in Japan has chosen just over 30 Japanese dishes to be included in future mission.   You can see the list here.  

Here is some of the food items that we found interesting:

A recent video has emerged from MAD that showcases a famous Japanese Chef named "Tatsuru Rai", who runs arguably the best Soba houses in the world.  In the video, you will see him making Soba Japanese noodles in total silence in front of a crowd.  The audio pickup in the video couldn't be any better as you can hear every knead, mix and cuts of the buckwheat.  Truly an art form!  Watching it will make you feel relaxed and hungry.   Enjoy! 

Have you ever eaten a Japanese Eggplant before?  

Many of you probably haven't as it is not commonly served in Japanese Restaurants in North America.   Luckily, we stumble on a recipe from healingtomato.com(Vegetarian Recipe Site) who has gladly let us share their Miso-Glazed Japanese Eggplant recipe with you.  Enjoy!