Nami

From the world heritage shrines and temples to the Imperial Villa, we’ll show you in this travel guide the best way to spend a day exploring places to go and things to do in Nikko. The historic UNESCO Shrines and Temples of Nikko are located on a hill so our recommendation is to start Futarasan Jinja at the top of the hill and make your way down. Even though Taiyuin isn’t mentioned as much as Futarasan Jinja, Toshogu, or Rinnoji, it is absolutely gorgeous (Taiyuin is administered by Rinnoji). For those of you who aren’t comfortable bathing nude in public onsen, many of the rooms at Okunoin Hotel Tokugawa have their own private onsen on the outdoor deck.

From pickled ginger, quick pickled cucumber to pickled tomatoes, you can easily adapt the time-honored Japanese pickling techniques for any fresh vegetables. You can literally use almost any vegetables – cucumbers, carrots, eggplant, daikon, celery – with this salt pickling method. While it’s common to use bold-flavored miso like red miso for pickling, any kind of miso would work. You can pickle any common vegetables such as cucumber, carrot, turnip, daikon, eggplant, ginger using sake-less.

Made with freeze-dried tofu, this Simmered Koyadofu soaked in soy-dashi broth is a classic Japanese side dish to enjoy all year round. Koyadofu (高野豆腐) or freeze-dried tofu is a common pantry staple you can always find in the Japanese kitchen. As the mountain is located in higher elevation and experiences harsh winter, the monks accidentally discovered freezing was a good way to preserve fresh tofu. Through the process, the tofu develops new textures and profiles while preserving the maximum nutritious value of the tofu.

Baby Sardine Tsukudani is a classic Japanese preserved food that makes the best companion to rice. The most typical tsukudani dishes include small fish (dried baby sardines), seaweed (kombu), or shellfish (asari or littleneck clams). With an intense umami flavor and an irresistible crunch, Baby Sardine Tsukudani makes a tasty companion for rice! More than just a side dish to rice, you can also enjoy baby sardine tsukudani in these fun ways: