Ghost in the Shell and the Manyoshi
The many layers behind the theme song of the Ghost in the Shell anime 'Innocence'.
A shop, the planets and the days of the week
A tale of a shop with a strange name, the planets, and the days of the week.
Reading Murakami in Japanese
Some observations on reading Japanese: reading aloud and reading without subvocalising.
Getting started with vegan cooking
A few tips to get off to a good start with vegan cooking.
Why the 'Little People' say 'Ho ho'
A look at why the 'Little People' in Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 say 'Ho ho'
Repetition in Murakami's 1Q84
Why do Tengo and Fuka-eri repeat one another so frequently?
Why does Japanese have kanji for very large numbers?
A story of counting systems, a mathematics treatise and buddhist scriptures, with a supercomputer and a samurai.
Drawing the dancer of Ranryōō
Some years ago I saw a a traditional dance performance in Kyoto on the eve of the Gion Matsuri. I finally turned it into a drawing.
Move over onion, here's ginger
Quick and Tasty recipes don't use onion. There is no special reason, I just prefer ginger. So let's make the case for ginger.
Some observations from a slow learner of Japanese
Why even 5 minutes per day is enough to get you there.
Should you eat 10-a-day, and how much is that anyway?
Some thoughts on a recent study saying that we need to eat ten portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
Celebrations! One year of Quick & Tasty!
Quick an Tasty Cooking is one year old!
My favourite types of rice
There are many, many varieties of rice. Here are five types that I like.
Some tips for reading Japanese as a learner
Why it is hard, and what you can do to make it easier.
Three of my favourite Japanese kitchen tools
Simple and effective design.
Murakami meals
Peer into the fridge, see what you can make.
My journey of learning Japanese
Discovering Murakami in Japanese, and a Zen cookbook.
The most underrated kitchen appliance
Cooking food in the microwave has many advantages.
The Zen way of cooking
What we can learn from a Zen Buddhist cookbook.
The 3 great virtues of a cook: laziness, impatience and hubris
Some of the qualities of a geek boffin are transferable to cooking.
7 tips for making quick & tasty meals
With these tips, making tasty meals will be a breeze.
Why quick and tasty cooking
Recipes for healthy, tasty meals in no time.