The Taste

The unique flavours of sushi, bento, udon and more

What makes Japanese food so unique?

How Japan discovered a new taste

What is Umami?

The fifth taste that adds maximum flavour

Round the world

Umami Culture in the World

The history of seasoning

Deceptively simple

The Invisible Ingredient You'll Find Everywhere

Dashi and umami in Japanese food

Secrets uncovered

How to Make Dashi

The secret to that umami flavour

The way Japanese food rolls

A closer look at Japan's most iconic dish

Before There Was Sushi, There Was Narezushi

The evolution of sushi

The Quintessential Recipes of Wakasa

Recipe for ball-shaped mackerel pressed, heshiko and sea bream sushi

Edomae Sushi

The innovations behind the taste experience

What is a stomach broom?

Discover a well-known Japanese ingredient with surprising benefits

A potato with a difference

Traditional Handmade Konjac

Meet an expert konjac maker

A lunchbox that looks too good to eat

Open up the world of bento

Pretty presentation

Bento

What's in the box?

The craftmanship

Making Traditional Mage Wappe Bento Boxes

Plus see a lunchbox excavated from 1000-year-old ruins

What is Bento?

The art of food in a small box

Shokado Bento

Based on a traditional Japanese multi-course dinner

Shidashi

Colorfully arranged side dishes

Uni (Sea Urchin) Bento

The speciality of Kuji station

Noodles that stomp on the competition

Learn about Japan's favourite noodle

The Sanuki Udon Story

The history of eating noodles at Kotohira shrine

How to Make Sanuki Udon

Three ingredients and some footwork

O Broth Where Art Thou

Los orígenes del ramen

The Roots of Ramen

Each region in Japan has its own local ramen that reflects the climate, environment, and cuisine of the area

For goodness saké

A taste of how Japanese rice wine is made

Sasaki Sake Brewery

A Sake Brewery Preserving Kyoto’s Tradition

Inherited ways, traditional flavours, and excellent natural water

Matsui Sake Brewery

The Oldest Sake Brewery in Kyoto

Where tradition meets innovation

Nuttari District

There's Something Brewing

The art of old fashioned fermenting

The shop that pickles melons for two years

Tsukemonojo Honcho

What a Pickle

Learn about the process of fermenting food with a sake by-product

Brew love

The art of Japanese tea

Turning Tea Practises Upside Down

A visit to a very unusual tea plantation

The Guide to the Perfect Brew

Infuse your mind with Uji-cha

The 800 Year History of Yamashiro Tea

The prefecture leading the way in Japanese tea drinking culture

Do you like your tea thin or thick?

Koicha (thick tea)

Inside a traditional Japanese tea ceremony

Usucha (thin tea)

Inside a traditional Japanese tea ceremony

Just desserts

Mouth-watering Japanese sweets

What are Wagashi?

The evolution of Japan's sweet tooth

Flavoured dumplings

The Traditional Sweets of Niigata

A visit to a sasadango factory

A Small Tasty World of Spring

How cherry blossoms are expressed in the world of Japanese confectioneries

The Taste

The Culture

The traditions and their evolution

The Ingredients

The building blocks of Japanese food and where they come from