Tokyo restaurant with neighborhood grannies in the kitchen serves family recipes to one and all

If you’ve always wanted to taste Japanese food just like grandma used to make, but don’t actually have a Japanese grandma, here’s your chance.

Japan has a lot of great restaurants, but many people will still tell you that their favorite version of a particular dish is a family recipe that their grandma makes. There’s just something special about that rustic, homemade flavor that satisfies both the taste buds and the heart.

Of course, this presents a problem if you don’t have a Japanese grandma of your own…unless, that is, you head to this special restaurant in Tokyo.

Located in the Nishi Ogu neighborhood of Tokyo’s Arakawa Ward, the restaurant is called Machinaka Shokudo, which loosely translates to “Neighborhood Cafeteria.” If that sounds like a pretty generic name, that’s kind of the point, as the aim is to provide the nourishing nostalgia of good old-fashioned home-cooked meals to customers, and the way Machinaka Shokudo does that is on display in their help-wanted sign, which specifically says they’re looking for part-time cooks “over the age of 60” (60歳以上 in the Japanese text).

The restaurant is an accommodating employer. Grannie cooks can work as little as one day a week, and are allowed to take even that day off if they’re not feeling well or simply have other plans. They’re not asked to cook anything they’re not confident making, and in fact Machinaka Shokudo is happiest when the grannies use their own recipes, developed over years of cooking for family and friends.

As a result, Machinaka Shokudo’s menu is going to be slightly different depending who’s in the kitchen, and so the day’s offerings are displayed on hand-written strips of paper posted on the walls, many of which mention, by name, who’s cooking them.

On the day of our visit, a la carte options included:
● Grannie Keiko’s Chicken with Chili Sauce and Radish, Onion, and Marinated Ham Salad
● Grannie Mariko’s Anchovies Olive Garlic Potatoes
● Grannie Mitsue’s Chicken with Ume (Japanese Plum) Sauce and Konjac Noodles with Spicy Cod Roe
● Grannie Chirishi’s Simmered Sablefish

Since we’d arrived at lunchtime on a weekday, though, there were also set meals to choose from, which give you your choice of one of six main dishes, accompanied by two side dishes, miso soup, pickles, and rice, for 1,000 yen (US$6.50).

We were tempted by the grilled mackerel and chicken leg curry, but in the end settled on the Chicken with Ume Sauce, which, as we mentioned above, is made by Grannie Mitsue.

With the weather starting to get hot and humid in Tokyo, this turned out to be the perfect pick. The chicken was nice and tender, and the sweet and sour notes of the Japanese plum sauce was equal parts refreshing and invigorating. Knowing that this was a dish you’d ordinarily have to be one of Grannie Mitsue’s personal acquaintances to taste made the whole thing feel extra-special, and extra-delicious.

The sides were no slouches either, with both Grannie Mariko’s Anchovies Olive Garlic Potatoes and Grannie Keiko’s Radish, Onion, and Marinated Ham Salad working great as accompaniments to a lunch set, and having us think they’d work great as snacks to pair with a beer or glass of sake at the end of the day, since Machinaka Shokudo is open until 10 at night.

Machinaka Shokudo is just a bit outside the Tokyo city center, but it’ s less than a minute walk from the Odai stop on the Toden Arakawa Line/Tokyo Sakura Tram streetcar line and its beautiful roses, which are in bloom right now. We think we’ll be going back for another meal there the next time we’re in the neighborhood, and we’ll be keeping an eye out for Grannies Mitsue’s, Mariko’s, and Keiko’s names on the day’s offerings, now that we know what great cooks they all are.

Restaurant information
Machinaka Shokudo / 街仲食堂
Address: Tokyo-to, Arakawa-ku, Nishi Ogu 3-20-4
Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (weekdays), 5 p.m.-10 p.m. (Saturday)
Closed Sundays and holidays

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Starbucks Japan adds a Banana Brulee Frappuccino to the menu, with a bunch of new treats as well

B-grade “Mottainai Bananas” get a new lease on life, but do they make for a B-grade Frappuccino? 

Starbucks is at it again in Japan, releasing a slew of exclusive new menu items for a limited period, and this time, bananas are the star of the show.

Released on 29 May, the centrepiece is the Banana Brulee Frappuccino, and it’s packed with “Mottainai Bananas” (“Wasteful Bananas”) that would normally be unnecessarily thrown away, because despite being good to eat, the produce is bumped and bruised, making it unsuitable for normal retail sale. Our Starbucks-loving reporter K. Masami was keen to know if the B-grade fruit would make for a B-grade Frappuccino, so she picked one up on release day to give it a try.

▼ The new drink retails for 690 yen (US$4.39).

▼ With caramel sauce drizzled over the whipped cream topping, the Frappuccino looks and smells delicious.

The new drink has an almond milk base, and when Masami got a sip of it, she marvelled at how well the nutty flavour complemented the banana. The caramel sauce added a bitter note to the mix, while the brulee chips created exciting bursts of crispy texture, making every sip a taste sensation.

What Masami really fell in love with, though, was the banana pulp, which tasted as good as any pristine-looking banana you’d buy at a supermarket. It had stacks of fruity flavour, and because it was helping to prevent fruit loss — Starbucks estimates its new banana treats will save three million bananas — it tasted even better.

After drinking the fruity Frappuccino, Masami was all banana’d out so instead of trying the Banana Rice Flour Roll Cake and the Banana Rice Flour Muffin, which were released on the same day, she decided to balance things out with a Blueberry Bagel Sandwich and Mushroom Keema Curry Hot Tortilla, priced at 390 yen and 540 yen respectively.

Masami had never seen these items in the showcase before, so she figured they might be new treats for summer. The bagel was made with a dough containing dried blueberries, and sandwiched inside it was a vegetable-based cream cheese made from soy milk.

It had a subtle sweetness and sourness, with a refreshing aftertaste that was a perfect fit for the taste of banana that lingered on her palate.

The fruity flavours were soon to be washed away with the tortilla, because it leaned heavily towards the savoury side of things.

Filled with keema curry flavour, the tortilla packed a punch with loads of mushrooms and a good serving of cheese in amongst it all as well. It was delicious, filling, and a great way for Masami to end her meal.

It’s always worth taking a peek inside the showcase to see what new items you might find in the food section, and Masami was glad she found these two. While she went for balance this time, banana lovers will want to go all out by pairing the Frappuccino with the banana sweets for a really decadent feast. They’ll only be on the menu for a limited time, though, while stocks last until 9 July, after which time you’ll have to settle for the strawberries-and-cream-flavoured Frappuccino, which will be around for the rest of the summer.

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Studio Ghibli Uniqlo shirts and bags on sale now, but not in Japan【Photos】

The anime fashion line makes its return, but once again not in Ghibli or Uniqlo’s home country.

Uniqlo is no stranger to the anime/video game collaboration game, having formed creative partnerships with several different franchises for T-shirt lines over the year. It wasn’t until last summer, though, that the casual clothing chain entered into its first-ever tie-up with Studio Ghibli.

That line, surprisingly, was offered for a limited time in Singapore and Thailand only. Now Uniqlo is bringing its Ghibli shirts and other fashion items back, but once again they won’t be coming to Japan.

This time around it’s Uniqlo Taiwan that’s bringing the Ghibli line to fans in its corner of the world. Obviously, Ghibli’s most famous, and cuddly star, Totoro, graces a number of the shirts.

Something unique about the line is that unlike the chain’s other pop culture collaborations, which are usually limited to short-sleeve graphic T-shirts, Uniqlo’s Ghibli collection also includes long-sleeved tees and even button-up shirts.

Other famous featured faces include No Face and the Susuwatari/Soot Sprites from Spirited Away.

Rather than just repurposing preexisting pieces of key art or frames of animation from the anime movies, Studio Ghibli worked with Thai artist Kanyada Phatan to produce unique illustrations of the characters seen on some of the shirts.

Princess Mononoke’s T-shirts subtly have female lead San’s battle mask on their chest…

…with a much more dramatic visual statement on the back.

▼ It may not glow in the shirt like the Kodama figures we looked at recently, but this Kodama shirt is still pretty cool.

Rounding out the adult-size T-shirts are designs for Laputa/Castle in the Sky…

…Kiki’s Delivery Service (with black cat Jiji peeking out of the pocket)…

…and Ponyo.

There’s also a trio of bags, with Totoro, Catbus, and Soot Sprite designs…

…and even Soot Sprite socks to keep you Ghibi-ed up from the feet up.

The short-sleeved T-shirts are priced at NT$590 (US$18.15), the button-up and long-sleeved shirts NT$990, the bags NT$390, and the socks NT$130 per pair.

Just like when the Ghibli line came out in Singapore and Thailand, Uniqlo has made no mention of when, or if, these items will be coming to Japan or the U.S. For right now, though, they can be purchased through the Uniqlo Taiwan online shop here.

Source: Uniqlo
Top image: Uniqlo
Insert images: Uniqlo (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Japan is ranked the worst country in the world for helping strangers

Japanese kindness leaves a lot to be desired in World Giving Index, but there may be a reason for it.

People in Japan are well known for their kindness, so it may come as a surprise to hear that it actually ranks as the worst country in the world when it comes to helping strangers.

The revelation came to light in the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) World Giving Index for 2023, which ranks 142 countries in three different categories: donating money to charity, helping a stranger, and volunteering time.

In the “Helped a Stranger” category, Japan ranked last, in 142nd position out of 142 countries, with responses indicating that 21 percent of the population had helped someone they didn’t know in the past month. That’s compared to 83 percent of the population in the top-ranking country, Jamaica.

▼ Top 10 on the left, Bottom 10 on the right.

Japan didn’t fare much better in the two other categories, with 16 percent of the population having donated money and 17 percent having volunteered in the past month, but it was enough to keep the country out of the bottom 10.

However, in terms of the overall World Giving Index, which takes all three categories into account, Japan ranked fourth last, coming in at 139th place with an index of 18, tying it with Greece in 138th place, Yemen in 140th place and Croatia in second-last place, with Poland ranking at the bottom with an index of 15.

While Japan’s rankings leave a lot to be desired, it’s worth noting that the annual report uses data gathered by Gallup, which measures responses in terms of a country’s population size. With latest figures putting Japan’s population at 124,352,000, that means in terms of numbers, 21 percent of the population who’ve helped a stranger in the past month equates to around 26 million people, which is considerably more than Jamaica’s entire population of 2.83 million.

▼ Putting these stats in terms of actual numbers presents a happier picture.

Still, there’s no doubt that Japan can do a lot better, although online comments from local Japanese reflected a variety of views.

“If you consider friendliness to be kindness, then yes, it’s at the bottom.”
“This makes sense. A while ago, when an old man fell while trying to get on a train, a young man of Western descent who appeared to be a tourist was the first to run and help him up. Japanese people, like myself, just watched from the sidelines.”
“From my experience living in America, Americans often ask people for directions and time. The conversation begins before you know it so it’s easy to help or ask for help.”
“Most of us can’t speak English so when it comes to helping foreigners we’re introverted.”
“Maybe we have a different view on what a donation is — I throw money in the box at a shrine but wouldn’t count that as a donation.”
“In times of disasters, I think we’re very good at providing help.”

It’s true that in 2011, when the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami occurred, Japan’s rankings rose in the Index. However, this year’s data reveals that there are other factors that influence generosity — countries with high happiness levels, large numbers of immigrants, and strong religious beliefs that emphasise the importance of donations all have a higher overall Giving Index score.

That doesn’t bode well for Japan, but it’s not all gloom and doom if we look at the bigger picture. As anyone who’s lived in or visited Japan will know, most of the locals are more than happy to help if asked, and perhaps that’s the point — people in Japan may be less inclined to ask for help than people in other countries, and this cultural difference is a factor that the survey doesn’t take into account. Plus, there are traditions and formal business practices that might be viewed as helpful to strangers in other countries, but here are simply considered the norm.

So although Japan definitely has room to improve in the rankings, don’t let the findings dissuade you from asking for help in Japan. People will go out of their way to help you…as long as you’re not trying to swindle them with a lie!

Source: CAF World Giving Index 2024 via Jin
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: CAF World Giving Index 2024
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Glow-in-the-dark Ghibli Kodama figures will give your home a mystical forest mood【Photos】

Princess Mononoke’s forest spirits look great whether used indoors or out.

The Kodama from Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke are among the biggest scene stealers in all of anime. Though the little forest spirits never speak and don’t take any actions themselves which advance the movie’s plot, but every single time they’re on screen, it’s impossible not to focus on them and their unique silly yet reverent atmosphere.

And now, thanks to Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku, you can invite some Kodama to come live in your garden or home.

These adorable little figurines have just been restocked, and are sized just right that they won’t take up too much space, but are still big enough to be noticed.

For example, the “Squatting Kodama,” pictured above is 9 centimeters (3.5 inches) tall, so it can be easily placed in a planter or along a footpath if you’ve got a yard, or perch on the corner of your desk or on a shelf if you want to keep it as an indoor Kodama.

Oh, and of course the figurines glow in the dark, just like the Kodama in the anime do!

Just like the Squatting version, the Chubby Kodama measures 9 centimeters in height.

▼ Donguri Kyowakoku boasts that the Kodama are “cute from any angle,” and their preview photos prove that point.

And if you want a Kodama with a bit more stature, there’s the Walking Kodama, which is 12.3 centimeters tall.

There’s even a version that’s two Kodama in one, with one riding on the other’s head, but sadly it’s out of stock at the moment.

The Squatting, Chubby, and Walking versions are all available as of this writing, though, with the polyester resin figures identically priced at 3,630 yen (US$23) each. They can be ordered through the Donguri Kyowakoku online shop (Squatting here, Chubby here, and Walking here), and should help set the mood when you turn down the lights in your living room the next time Princess Mononoke is on TV or you’re otherwise rewatching it.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3)
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