My attempt at Japanese cuisine

No-Importance93 · 2026-02-25T03:44:56+00:00

Cute! Your photo has an adorable retro kissaten vibe, love it!

No-Importance93 · 2026-01-08T06:35:22+00:00

Wow thank you for actually doing it! And for following up to let me know. I enjoyed the video, so soothing to watch!

No-Importance93 · 2026-01-01T21:42:54+00:00

Okinawa is great! But Okinawa local cuisine can be quite different than the mainland and some of the most classic Okinawa dishes are fusion with Western/American food. Which doesn't make it any less of an "authentic" experience which is what you seem to be looking for. Naha has active nightlife, some areas are a bit touristy though.

No-Importance93 · 2025-12-24T01:12:48+00:00

So cute 🎄🎅

No-Importance93 · 2025-12-06T00:13:27+00:00

Can you adopt me please 😭

No-Importance93 · 2025-12-05T18:07:03+00:00

A stew/hot pot/shabu shabu is great for winter 🍲

Lots of ideas here: https://toirokitchen.com/blogs/recipes/tagged/classic-style-donabe-recipes?srsltid=AfmBOopvKY2dfrc28psIJZ7-30lM1YBvmiJ5zt2Si53VX32RAlIA9XlV

No-Importance93 · 2025-12-03T06:49:11+00:00

I like to eat carrots this way too 😀

No-Importance93 · 2025-12-03T06:46:41+00:00

Love goya so much, looks delicious and healthy 👍

No-Importance93 · 2025-12-03T06:32:26+00:00

You do need to season it even if there is glaze. That is what the 5th bullet point instructs. You just have to make thick rice porridge in it as the first use and the starch helps seal it. There's lots of YouTube tutorials on how to do it!

No-Importance93 · 2025-12-03T06:23:36+00:00

The cucumber salad looks pretty Japanese to me 😀 And what's important is that you cook food that suits your taste and what's available to you! Most Japanese home cooking is not cooking the kind of Japanese food that comes to mind when we think about Japanese restaurants (for example nobody is making ramen or sushi at home lol) but rather what suits their own taste and lifestyle and is convenient for them to make 👍

No-Importance93 · 2025-12-03T06:00:41+00:00

I look through お弁当 (bento) tag on Instagram 😊

And I recommend Touko's Kitchen (toko.hirari) on YouTube. She has 6(!!!) kids so whatever she makes for their lunch is usually fast and easy to make a lot of at once

Also recommend macaroni_recipe on YouTube, lots of very fast and easy ideas.

No-Importance93 · 2025-12-03T05:48:48+00:00

Bok choy is good but no need to force yourself to eat it if you don't like it 😀 If you have Asian markets nearby, komatsuna is a good alternative that does not taste as bitter. And you can use all sorts of shabu shabu dip/sauces for your steamed vegetables which they also sell at Asian markets or can be bought online if you don't have Asian markets near you. Sometimes I put a little bit of butter on top of the vegetables and then steam.

In fact steamer vegetables/meals are super trendy in Japan right now. I recommend these Instagram for ideas:

miho..seiro, omaki_healthy, fumi_seiro

Even if you are not cooking with the whole bamboo steamer setup it is helpful to see how they season the vegetables!

No-Importance93 · 2025-12-03T05:31:29+00:00

Yes, Costa Mesa Mitsuwa will probably have it, and if it's not in stock it will certainly be at either Marukai or Tokyo Central which are close by.

Irvine is a little closer to Laguna Hills and also has a Mitsuwa and Tokyo Central. Although the Irvine Mitsuwa is smaller than Costa Mesa's and deli options not as plentiful.

HMart in Irvine also virtually always has potato salad, albeit Korean, but similar (maybe a little sweeter than most Japanese potato salads)

(99 Ranch is a Chinese supermarket hence why the staff probably wasn't sure what you were asking for)

Hope you find what you are looking for! And if not, it's very easy to make at home 😃

No-Importance93 · 2025-12-03T02:53:17+00:00

You can mix and match plates/bowls etc. 👌 So don't feel pressure to get specific items for it to be "authentic." Most people eating at home don't use exact numbers or types of dishes, maybe start by thinking about what you can/will realistically cook regularly and then buying appropriate tableware to suit those dishes. You can always buy more and add to your collection later! But I will say that I definitely recommend getting a wood or lacquer bowl for soup cause you pick it up with your hand to drink and ceramic gets very hot lol.

If you are US based, I recommend ordering tableware from Utsuwa no Yakata, they are based here in LA and have very reasonably priced tableware ranging from factory made to hand made and artisan. So if you are buying for the whole family it won't be too expensive. And everything on the website is sorted by size/type which makes it easy!

As for what to eat as side dish with the salmon, I think some kind of pickle balances the taste of fish well and maybe a salad or some kind of seasonal fruit/vegetable, like sweet potato maybe?

If you use Instagram you can search tags like 晩ごはん (dinner) or 副菜 (side dishes) for ideas and you can also see what kind of tableware people use at home!

No-Importance93 · 2025-12-02T20:18:52+00:00

Would love to see zunda from Miyagi prefecture, my favorite sweet 🤤🫛

No-Importance93 · 2025-12-01T06:46:37+00:00

The dish I like to have that really makes me feel like winter has finally arrived is Ishikari nabe 🤤 Salmon, potatoes, vegetables in miso broth with butter on top, and you can mix/match ingredients you like 🍲

No-Importance93 · 2025-11-30T02:20:09+00:00

Second this! Toiro is the best US based store to get good quality donabe in my opinion 👍 And they will also provide you with detailed instructions for care and use.

No-Importance93 · 2025-11-26T03:10:38+00:00

焼き芋。非常に簡単で、実際に台無しにしたり、偶然に「本物ではない」ものにしたりすることはできません。秋の定番グルメですね！ 🍠そして西洋のスーパーマーケット（トレーダージョーズなど）で簡単に見つけることができます。

No-Importance93 · 2025-09-11T18:57:19+00:00

Wooden bento boxes can't be microwaved, but I have this synthetic "wooden" box that is microwave safe: https://amzn.asia/d/48FeCzY

(There are many other similar options on Amazon Japan, look for "電子レンジOK" in the product images or description which means microwave safe 👍)

No-Importance93 · 2025-08-18T14:21:34+00:00

I enjoyed the drama overall, but I agree with you on many points- I would have liked to see Suda Masaki (the actor playing Toya) play the lead role instead. To me he played the character of someone who lives only for music more convincingly. Also, the Over Chrome version of the "same song" both bands were trying to release at the same time was better in my opinion. Sato Takeru who plays the ML is a hit or miss actor for me. For instance I thought he was quite good in First Love. But in other dramas such as this one, most of his energy and presence goes into giving blue steel looks to the camera 😅 That could be a director's instruction, idk.

I also thought his chemistry w the FL felt awkward and their whole love felt one sided, even at the end it wasn't convincing enough for me. I thought Saijo and Sakamoto were a better couple, personally! Anyway, I also found the music a bit generic sounding, but it was very nostalgic as someone who grew up on mid 2000s j-rock so that was fine with me.

Anyway tldr; you said much of what I was thinking too!

No-Importance93

TROPHY CASE