regional cuisine

Japanese cuisine is heavily seasonal (and regional), with different “specialties” popping up across the country as the seasons turn. From “street food” and snacks to desserts and main courses, menus across Japan change–often radically–with the seasons, making a visit to Japan in the summer a very different culinary experience from a trip in the autumn, winter, or spring. Certain staple flavors, like matcha (a powdered form of green tea), remain on the menu year-round, though the form may change throughout the year. Matcha-flavored cakes, like this one I purchased in Tokyo Station while waiting to catch a shinkansen (bullet train) for Kyoto, are available in any