Japan's Cherry Blossom Season

Thin noodles made from buckwheat flour, either served chilled with a dipping sauce or in hot broth as a noodle soup. Soba has been a staple of Japanese cuisine for thousands of years.

A savory pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "how you like" or "what you like", and yaki meaning "cooked". It is often referred to as "Japanese pizza" or "Japanese pancake".

Ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onion.

Finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves. It is special in two aspects of farming and processing: the green tea plants are shade-grown for about three weeks before harvest, and the stems and veins are removed during processing.