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Japanese Food: Regional Munchies

Posted by Ginny
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!

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

Posted by Ginny
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:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RBeUSgh0tI

 
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