Latest Blog Posts

Latest Blog Posts

Ninja English with Kim Watkinson

初めまして。キム・ワトキンソンと申します。 ロサンゼルスの生活を始めた方、そしてロサンゼルスに引っ越されるご予定の方、新しい生活が不安ではないでしょうか? 私は、英語も日本語も話すことができます。ぜひ、皆様のお役に立ちたいと考えております。英語と日本語の両方で、皆様のロサンゼルスでの生活をサポートさせて頂きます。 キム・ノード・ワトキンソン (Kim Knode Watkinson) 経歴 日本居住歴  18年  NHK英会話講座講師 日本航空支社長秘書 芸能人(松田聖子)通訳「日常生活のお手伝いをします」 英語での各種手続きから、お子様の学校や塾、ショッピングや旅行などの日常生活まで、同行しお手伝いいたします。 英会話 お気軽にご相談ください。 何卒よろしくお願いします。 以下のリンクでレッスンの登録をお願い致します。 https://cafetalk.com/i/ninjabaker/ja... Read More

Vegan Japanese Restaurant in Manhattan Beach CA

Fate has a funny way of dancing us in directions unimagined in childhood. Hiroyuki Igarashi, owner of the popular Manhattan Beach RICE, is an avid baseball fan. From childhood through college he played baseball. A career in sports seemed to be in the cards. However, adult realities and responsibilities appeared during his college years.  Yellow Submarine Sushi Surface upon Request at RICE Spicy Tuna atop Crispy Rice In both Tokyo... Read More

California Vitamin C Packed Orange Cake

Paradise kindly provided the candied fruit for this post. All opinions are mine. Once upon a time, during the Showa Period of Japan when the now retired Emperor and Empress ruled the land…There lived a towheaded Ninja Baker who loved visiting the corner sweets shop. During the unruly humid Tokyo summers, she loved the cool treat of ice cream in a mikan (mandarin orange) bowl. After plunking down 3 ten-yen coins, a divine sweet... Read More

Mochi Ice Cream #JapaneseSweets

Mochi Ice Cream Japanese Mochi Ice Cream – a treat for all ages – is appearing in Southern California supermarkets. Just in case you have yet to discover the delights of mochi; it is a pounded sticky rice. During Japanese the New Year season, mochi is baked in squares (or rounds) with a bit of soy sauce and wrapped in seaweed. Mochi is also put into a hot red bean soup which is the ultimate winter treat. But in summertime the... Read More

Japanese Plum Wine Mini Mori-Nu Cupcakes #vegan #glutenfree

Yes. You can have cake, wine and stay healthy! How? Well, by using Japanese tofu as a foundation you are off to a good start. Tofu is packed with protein, iron and calcium. Also, when using coconut oil instead of the usual vegetable oil called for in cake recipes, you are helping reduce heart problems. And by using Japanese plum wine you are ensuring that a bit of zinc (touted to prevent against “the virus”) is baked into your... Read More

Matcha Pocky Yuzu Birthday Cake for the Japanese Emperor

I’m a blue-eyed American gaijin (foreigner in Japanese) who lived in Japan during the Showa Period until I was 18 years old. (As you probably know, periods of Japanese history refer to the reigning Emperor.) Thanks to Emperor Akihito’s wife, Empress Michiko, I have been fascinated by the imperial family since I was a child. Like a true princess, Michiko was kind to everyone. Her elegant sense of fashion was fantastic. I'm still... Read More

Chocolate is the Secret to a Long Life

Respect for the Aged takes place in Japan on September 21st. (It’s always the 3rd Monday of every month.) 117-year-old Mrs. Kane Tanaka of Fukuoka is gaining a lot of respect these days. News cameras are flashing and Twitter is aflutter about this very special birthday lady. So you want to know what her secret? Chocolate and cola. Those are her favorite treats. Perhaps there’s something to saying yes to oneself. Maybe it’s... Read More

Japanese Matcha Mania and Ice Cream Recipe

Japanese samurai sipped matcha green tea and meditated before battle. Besides the antioxidants (and anti-cancer) medicinal effects of matcha, high quality green tea is plain delicious! So, how do you like your matcha? Kyoto, Japan is one of the meccas of Japanese green tea. Yes, Kyoto is famous for myriads of spectucular temples and shrines. The town also serves up some of the best matcha ice cream in Japan. The super duper easy no-... Read More

Baikatei, A Sweet for All Seasons 梅花亭、四季の和菓子

Baikatei: A Sweet for All Seasons Up for a bit of time travel in Tokyo? Step onto the hallowed grounds of one of the two Baikatei sweetshops in the Kagurazaka district.  From the architecture, to the artisans and sellers of the wagashi sweets, the stores are steeped in tradition. There is also a sense of pride generously sprinkled with gracious humility. Since 1935, the Baikatei stores flourish in a part of Tokyo once called Flower... Read More

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