Shintop Guides

A taste of Japan.A little more know-how.

What these are

You ate something great in Japan and never caught the name. Let's fix that.

Find your next read

Follow your curiosity

Every guide.

14 guides to explore

What is it 9 min read

Ceremonial grade matcha: what the label means, and what Japan calls it
Matcha, the powdered Japanese tea: what ceremonial and culinary mean, and which to buy.
What is it 8 min read

Seafood sticks: Japan's kanikama, and what's really in them
Fish cake shaped like crab leg: Japan's kanikama. Little crab meat, not always crab-free.
What is it 8 min read

Japanese cartoon characters, sorted: who's who and who makes them
Japanese cartoon characters, sorted by maker: Sanrio, San-X, anime faces and mascots.
What is it 7 min read

Chiikawa, the little Japanese characters on every keyring
Japanese comic characters: Chiikawa, Hachiware and Usagi, and where to find them here.
What is it 7 min read

Gashapon, Japan's capsule toys, and where to turn one in Sydney
Capsule-toy machines from Japan: how a turn works, and where they are in Sydney.
What is it 10 min read

Mentaiko: the pink, speckled roe on your pasta, rice and sushi
Cured fish roe: pollock eggs marinated in chilli. Not tobiko, not ikura, not quite cod.
What is it 8 min read

That little flower you were served with matcha is nerikiri
A Japanese tea sweet: bean paste sculpted by hand. Not marzipan, not always a flower.
What is it 9 min read

Ramune candy: the chalky tablets that borrowed the drink's name
A pressed sugar or glucose tablet named after the ramune drink. Not a gummy; here, Japanese grocers sell it.
What is it 12 min read

Why that round red bean cake has four names
Imagawayaki, or ōbanyaki: a thick disc griddled to order. Not the fish one, not the pancakes.
What is it 12 min read

Taiyaki is shaped like a fish. There's no fish in it.
A crisp fish-shaped cake with sweet red bean where the fish should be.
What is it 13 min read

Ramune: the Japanese soda with a marble stuck in the bottle
A lemon soda with a glass marble sealing the bottle. Pushing it in is the trick.
What is it 11 min read

Two little pancakes with red bean in the middle: that's dorayaki
Soft, honey-sweet and eaten cold. Cooked as two halves and put together after.
What is it 12 min read

Those sweet dumplings on a stick are dango, and one of them isn't sweet
Sweet rice dumplings on a skewer. One kind isn't sweet at all: it's a soup.
What is it 15 min read

How to name a Japanese sweet when you don't know the word
Traditional Japanese sweets, from soft mochi to firm bean-paste jellies.

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A taste of Japan.A little more know-how.

Every guide.

Ceremonial grade matcha: what the label means, and what Japan calls it

Seafood sticks: Japan's kanikama, and what's really in them

Japanese cartoon characters, sorted: who's who and who makes them

Chiikawa, the little Japanese characters on every keyring

Gashapon, Japan's capsule toys, and where to turn one in Sydney

Mentaiko: the pink, speckled roe on your pasta, rice and sushi

That little flower you were served with matcha is nerikiri

Ramune candy: the chalky tablets that borrowed the drink's name

Why that round red bean cake has four names

Taiyaki is shaped like a fish. There's no fish in it.

Ramune: the Japanese soda with a marble stuck in the bottle

Two little pancakes with red bean in the middle: that's dorayaki

Those sweet dumplings on a stick are dango, and one of them isn't sweet

How to name a Japanese sweet when you don't know the word