Posts from February 2009

Japanese Food: Regional Munchies

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Feb 5 2009

Time for our Kyoodo Ryoori (郷土料理) series!  For those of you who don’t know, kyoodo ryoori (郷土料理) means ‘regional specialites.’  Today we’re going to take a trip to Kamakura, Kanagawa (鎌倉, 神奈).  Kamakura (鎌倉) is a city steeped in history.  Before Tookyoo (東京) became the capital city of Japan, Kamakura (鎌倉) was the foremost prosperous city in Japan.  To make a long story short, family intrigues and violent disputes amongst various clans lead to the downfall of the Kamakura (鎌倉) city.

Now, let’s get to the more interesting part: food!  Kamakura (鎌倉) is known for its senbei (せんべい).  Senbeis (せんべい) are Japanese rice crackers.  Sometimes the senbei (せんべい) is wrapped with a thin strip of seaweed.  Senbei (せんべい) come in all shapes, sizes, colors and flavors.  The most popular flavors are the senbei (せんべい) that are sweet, salty and spicy. 

Although senbei (せんべい) are low in calories, especially when compared to American potato chips, they can be quite addictive.  I finish about a half a bag in one sitting, something which I’m not to proud to share!  Anyway, when you’re eating senbei (せんべい), you’ll notice that your fingers become sticky.  The stickiness comes from the mirin (みりん) used on the senbei (せんべい).  Mirin (みりん) is used a lot in Japanese food.  It contains some alcohol content, but more importantly it contains lots of sugar.

If I were to make a suggestion, I would be careful with the round, green crackers that come with the senbei (せんべい).  These green balls look harmless.  In fact they kind of look like hardened green peas.  Guess what!  They’re not peas, they’re balls of wasabi (わさび) hardened into crackers.  Wasabi (わさび) is a VERY spicy green paste that is used as a condiment.  You see, I didn’t realize they were wasabi (わさび) balls and went straight for the green crackers because they stood out among the brown senbei (せんべい) crackers.  I basically took about 5 wasabi (わさび) balls at a time and chewed on them.  Well, all I have to say is that I’m glad I still have a functioning tongue. Lol. 

If you want to try out some senbei (せんべい) for yourself, just peruse the aisles of your local Asian grocery store!

Japanese Culture: Sapporo Yuki Matsuri (さっぽろ雪まつり)

Posted by Ginny 1 Comment
Feb 4 2009

Every year in February millions of people all over Japan head to Sapporo (札幌) for the annual Sapporo Yuki Matsuri (さっぽろ雪まつり).  The Sapporo Yuki Matsuri (さっぽろ雪まつり) can be worded as the ‘Sapporo Snow Festival.’  Just where is Sapporo (札幌)?  It’s located in the Hokkaidoo (北海道) prefecture and the one of the biggest cities in Japan.  Sapporo (札幌) is located in northern Japan and receives a plentiful supply of snow every year.  It’s really the perfect place to have a snow festival! 

Due to the cold weather and the ready supply of snow, the ice sculptures in Sapporo (札幌) are perfectly preserved.  Every year, professional ice sculpting teams gather together in Sapporo (札幌) to compete against other teams.  The best place to view the ice sculptures is in Odori Park (大通公園).  At night, the ice sculptures are illuminated with beautiful lights.  It’s a great getaway place for couples.  Of course, Sapporo (札幌) is family friendly as well.  There’s so much to do in Sapporo (札幌).  For example, they always have some delicious warm broths in the food stalls at Odori Park (大通公園).

There’s also the Sapporo Terebitoo (さっぽろテレビ塔) or the Sapporo Tv Tower.  You can see every building in Sapporo (札幌) from this tower and yell “I’m the king of the world!” without having to compete with the sound of cars rushing by (yes it’s that high up). 

Here’a Youtube video about the snow festival: YouTube Preview Image

Japanese Culture: Risshun (立春) Part 2

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Feb 3 2009

The last post described all the generic activities that most people in Japan perform on Risshun (立春).  While the generic activities are performed by many people in Japan, these generic activities can differ slightly depending upon the region.  Today’s post is a continuation of the last post, but with a focus on a case by case basis.

For example, people in the Kansai (関西) region of Japan will eat a type of maki zushi (巻き寿司) called eho maki (恵方巻).  Maki zushi (巻き寿司) is a type of sushi that has been rolled with a bamboo mat called called a makisu (巻き簾).  A makisu (巻き簾) is a bamboo mat woven together with strong cotten fibers.  You can get an inexpensive makisu (巻き簾) at your local asian grocery store.  You just place a layer of seaweed on the makisu (巻き簾), then spread some rice on the seaweed and some vegetables to go along with it as well. 

As mentioned before, the specific type of sushi consumed in the Kansai (関西) region on the haru matsuri (春祭) is the eho maki (恵方巻).  The eho maki (恵方巻) literally means ‘lucky direction roll.’  Usually the eho maki (恵方巻) is sold in Japanese stores with a drawing of a compass.  Each zodiac animal represents a direction on the compass.  Since this is the year of the ox, the compass direction will point in a different direction than last year’s animal.  Whatever direction the compass points to will be considered a ‘lucky direction,’ which means that buying a house in that direction or investing in property in that direction will remain a good choice for the year.

The region of Fukushima (福島) has this tradition of hanging some dried sardines and some holly on the entrance of their houses.  It is thought that good luck will be brought to the inhabitants of the house by driving away evil spirits from the house.  Also, the chant when the beans are scattered differs as well.  Instead of the usual ‘Devil begone, good luck come in’ chant, the people of Fukushima (福島) chant the words, ‘oni no medama buttsubuse’ (鬼の目玉ぶっつぶせっ).  This unique chant can be translated as “Blind the demons’ eyes.”  (Oh, how spiteful! Glad I’m not an oni (鬼)!)

One curious aspect that doesn’t make much sense to me is the scattering of the beans.  If I were a demon I doubt I would be scared of a couple of beans.  In fact I would probably be attracted to the beans because I would view them as free food!  Oh well, it’s just a fun custom, and I guess I shouldn’t get too caught up in analyzing it.  Ok, that’s it for today, Happy Setsubun (節分) everyone!

Japanese Culture: Risshun (立春)

Posted by Ginny 2 Comments
Feb 2 2009

All over Japan people are celebrating the season of Risshun (立春).  Risshun (立春) refers to the spring setsubun (節分).  Setsubun (節分) is a term that refers to the day before each new season.  Another term that is inter-changeable with the term risshun (立春) is haru matsuri (春祭).  Haru matsuri (春祭) literally means ‘spring festival’.  The haru matsuris (春祭) are usually celebrated on the third of February.  According to the lunar calendar, the beginning of the spring setsubun begins on the 3rd of February.  I like the risshun (立春) because it’s just another excuse to party right after all the New Year’s festivities!

Every haru matsuri (春祭), the Japanese people perform an interesting tradition called mamemaki (豆撒き).  Mamemaki (豆撒き) is a ritual where beans are scattered for good luck.  Usually, the responsibility of mamemaki (豆撒き) goes to the toshiotoko (年男).  The toshiotoko (年男) is the eldest male in the household.  If there is no surviving adult male in the household, the honors are passed down to the eldest female of the household.  ‘The scattering of beans,’ sounds kind of dull right?  Well, it can get very comical within a matter of seconds.

Here’s what I mean by comical: imagine a member of your family wearing a oni (鬼) mask and getting showered with beans!  An oni (鬼) mask is a mask of a demon or a troll.  Onis (鬼) are mythological creatures that are depicted with disfigured faces.  Ok, back to the bean throwing.  A family member will throw the beans at the oni (鬼) while chanting “Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi (鬼は外! 福は内).”  When translated into English, it means, “Demons begone, good luck come in!”  It’s thought that throwing the beans at the oni (鬼) (or the poor family member who volunteers to be the victim) will cast away evil spirits from the household. 

After the beans are thrown (or rather when the so called oni (鬼) calls time-out) everyone will sit together and gather all the beans to eat them.  The beans are roasted beforehand, and are therefore ready for consumption.  In particular these beans are soybeans called irimame (炒り豆).  Eating the beans, that’s the fun part.  Acting as the oni (鬼), well all I’m going to say is that I learned my lesson!  Once, I gladly offered to be the oni (鬼) thinking that it would be cool to wear the mask.  The mask wasn’t the problem.  Who knew that roasted beans can turn into a weapon?  Like I said, I learned my lesson!  Lol.  Ok, time to head out for today, hope everyone enjoyed reading this post.

Japanese Culture: Kurokawa Noh (黒川能)

Posted by Ginny 1 Comment
Feb 1 2009

Hello everybody!  Let me start off by asking, do you like festivals?  I sure hope so, because today is the Kurokawa Noh Festival (黒川能).  This festival is held every year in the town of Kushibiki (櫛引) in the prefecture of Yamagata (山形).  If you’re also a theater junkie, this is also the festival for you.

Noh (能) is a type of Japanese theater.  To be exact, it’s more like a broadway musical; minus the showtunes.  Noh (能) performances are based on classical Japanese stories.  Noh (能) actors are usually men.  Even the roles that require a female character are played by men.  A typical noh (能) play will consist of a shite (仕手).  A shite (仕手) is the main character of a noh (能) play.  The shite (仕手) is always accompanied by the hayashi (囃子) or the instrumentalists.  The hayashis (囃子) play traditional Japanese instruments like the fue (能管), which is a type of bamboo flute.

Pulling off a noh (能) play is incredibly hard.  The shite (仕手) and the hayashi (囃子) do not rehearse their parts together.  The only time they play together is when the actual play starts.  A noh (能) play is like an improvisational act.  The instrumentalists and the actors act in response to the reaction of the audience and to each other.  Of couse, the stories that the actors have to recite are roughly the same and have been for many centuries.  Despite that, noh (能) plays are still difficult performances.  The timing and music have to match perfectly without any awkwardness.  You really have to know your art to make it look easy.

Even if you can’t understand Japanese very well, noh (能) plays are a feast to the eyes.  The actors will wear brightly colored costumes made of golden silk threads.  In contrast, the hayashis (囃子) will wear a black kimono (着物).  The instrumentalists are considered the supporters, not the primary actors of a play, so naturally their costumes will be subdued.

To get an idea about what noh () plays are like, here’s a Youtube video :YouTube Preview Image

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