Skoshbox is another popular monthly Japanese candy subscription box. Pronounced su-ko-sh-box, the name is a play on words from the Japanese word sukoshi (少し), meaning ‘a little’. Appropriately filled with sample-sized snacks, these boxes start at just $10 per month depending on your subscription length. Meaning, the longer you subscribe the cheaper it gets. For those who are looking for more than […]
The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival is said to be the second largest cherry blossom festival in the U.S. after the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC. So after spending a week in blossom-filled DC, I packed my bags and made my way to sunny San Francisco. Held in one of the country’s three remaining Japantowns, over […]
Living under the rock that was Hong Kong, I honestly had no idea that subscription boxes were even a thing. Paying someone a certain amount of money each month to receive some mystery box? Yeah, okay, I guess I get it. In fact, the more I let that concept sink in, the more I became […]
It’s that time of year again– the cherry blossoms (sakura; 桜) have begun bursting open in Japan. As I sit here staring longingly at all my Japan-living friend’s Facebook photos of the blossoms and hanami, I realize that this really is my favorite time of year. And I’m missing it. Or am I? Sure, there’s something magical about the […]
Growing up with one of the world’s top art museums basically in our backyard, I guess I got pretty spoiled. I assumed all art museums were of a similar quality to the one here in Chicago, but later in life found out just how wrong that assumption was. I was excited to pay the Indianapolis […]
Much like nearby Japantown, San Francisco’s Chinatown is also the largest in the US and the oldest. Dating back to 1848, this enclave is still a fully functioning society that’s become stronger than ever, spanning a whopping 24 square blocks across the city. Because of this, it’s one of San Francisco’s top tourist attractions and sees even more visitors […]
San Francisco is filled with Asian culture from the city’s authentic Chinatown to its expansive Asian Art Museum. While yes, many cities in the US have a Chinatown of some sort, San Francisco is one of the few cities to have a designated Japantown, one of three cities to be exact. Today Nihonmachi (日本町), literally meaning “Japantown”, is located near the […]
The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco is the largest museum in the western world devoted to Asian art. Not only that, but it also has one of the most comprehensive collections anywhere in the entire world. It almost pains me to think that this museum all started from a donation given by Chicago millionaire Avery Brundage– […]
Chicago is known for having one of the best art museums in the country, complete with a large Asian art wing. However, from now until January 4th, 2015 guests can enjoy the exhibition Ghosts and Demons in Japanese Prints, which features some of the celebrated collection of Clarence Buckingham. This special exhibition showcases prints depicting the supernatural, a popular motif in […]
Mochi (餅), which is a sweet sticky rice cake, has been eaten in Japan since ancient times for special celebrations and festivals. The practice of hand-pounding mochi, known as mochitsuki (餅つき), is now rare even in Japan as most people would rather buy machine-made mochi sold at stores instead of making their own. Yet still, whether store-bought or […]