New City New Inspirations Discovering Nagoya's Culinary Charms Through Art and Flavor

Moving to a new city can feel like opening a fresh sketchbook. You’re excited, a little nervous, and ready to fill those blank pages with new stories, sights, and as an illustastrato who specializes in food, flavors!

After years of talking ad nauseum to anyone who would listen about moving back to Japan (I lived here many years ago and vowed to someday return), I’ve landed in Nagoya, Japan’s charming city whose spell I'm quickly falling under. While I’m no stranger to Japan, Nagoya’s unique specialty foods and slower, traditional art mediums are nudging me out of my Procreate comfort zone and into a world of textures, flavors, and colors I can’t wait to illustrate.

First Taste of Nagoya: Bucyo Coffee and the Magic of Ogura Toast

My Nagoya adventure kicked off at Bucyo Coffee (pronounced “buchio”), a cozy spot that’s already won my heart—and my taste buds. The star of the show? Their “thick cut” Ogura toast. If you haven’t met Ogura-an before, it’s a sweet red bean paste that’s a staple in Nagoya’s specialty foods scene. Imagine a thick slice of toast, slathered with plenty of butter, topped with that slightly sweet red bean paste, and then, here’s the twist, a generous spread of kinako butter. Kinako is a roasted soybean flour paste with a nutty flavor, almost like peanut butter but more delicate and earthy. This combo gives the toast a texture and flavor explosion that’s both comforting and surprising.

The toast’s crunchy exterior and soft, fluffy inside reminded me of the textures I love to capture in my food illustration work. Using Caran d’Ache Neo Pastel 2s, colored pencil art and a touch of goauche, I tried to mimic the contrast between the crisp toast and the creamy, nutty spread. It’s a delicious challenge to translate those tactile sensations into my sketches. (I'm making myself hungry!)😋🍴

My quick Ogura Toast mixed media sketch

Thick cut Ogura toast with kinako butter and red bean paste at Bucyo Coffee

Lunch Round Two: The Intriguing BLT and Handmade Ginger Ale

I couldn’t resist going back to Bucyo Coffee later that same day for lunch. The BLT on their menu caught my eye—not your average bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. This one had a local twist with a big slab o' bacon that made it look like a work of art before I even took a bite. Paired with their handmade ginger ale, which was both spicy and refreshing, it was a perfect midday pick-me-up.

The ginger ale’s fizz and spice reminded me of the lively strokes I get when using water-soluble crayons in my illustrations. The BLT’s layers of crispy bacon, fresh lettuce, and juicy tomato offered a playground of textures to explore with gouache and colored pencil art. I’m excited to share some of my first sketches of these dishes with you, this way you’ll see how the food’s textures inspire my choice of art mediums.😁

My illustration of the handcrafted BLT sandwich Bucyo Coffee

Handmade craft ginger ale at Bucyo Coffee

My quick sketch of the spicy & delicious ginger ale at Bucyo Coffee.

Embracing Slower Art in a City Full of Flavor

Living in Nagoya is pushing me to slow down and appreciate the process of creating art with traditional mediums. After years of relying mostly on Procreate for digital illustration, I’m rediscovering the joy of colored pencil art, gouache, and water-soluable crayons. These tools let me capture the rich textures and subtle color shifts of Nagoya’s specialty foods in a way that feels more tactile and personal.

Each bite of Ogura toast or sip of ginger ale becomes a study in texture and color. The thick butter melting into the toast, the grainy kinako paste, the fizzy bubbles of ginger ale—all these details translate beautifully into my food illustration practice. It’s like the city itself is teaching me to slow down, observe, and savor both food and art.

What’s Next? More Nagoya Delicacies to Illustrate

Ogura toast is just the beginning. Nagoya is famous for several other specialty foods that I’m eager to explore and illustrate. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be diving into Miso Katsu, a rich pork cutlet smothered in a dark miso sauce that’s as bold as the city itself. I can already imagine the deep reds and browns coming to life in new sketches. 🤤

I’ll be sharing my progress and sketches here, drawing the line between foodie and artist, and inviting you to join me on this delicious journey.

My pencil case with some of my favorite colored pencils and sharpener.

If you want to check out Bucyo Coffee and maybe plan your own visit, here’s their social media link: Bucyo Coffee. Stay tuned for my next post where I’ll share my first impressions and illustrations of Miso Katsu!