Japanese Language Blog

島娘 (しまむすめ/Shimamusume), a popular brand of 芋焼酎 from 鹿児島.

今日 (きょう/Today) I’d like to talk a little about my favorite Japanese alcoholic beverage, 焼酎 (しょうちゅう/Shochu)! This is not the traditional 酒 (さけ/sake) that many people order when they go to a 日本料理 (にほんりょうり/Japanese food) restaurant in another country. 酒 can be translated as rice wine, but the word is commonly used to describe any or all drinks that have アルコール (alcohol) in them. Note the identical kanji character in the japanese word for “liquor store”: 酒屋 (さかや/sakaya). 酒 is still a popular brewed drink, but for now, let’s talk about 焼酎.

Recently, this distilled drink of about 25% to 40% アルコール content has become more popular than 酒. The three most common types of 焼酎 are 麦焼酎 (むぎじょうちゅう/mugi jochu), 米焼酎 (こめじょうちゅう/kome jochu) and 芋焼酎 (いもじょうちゅう/imo jochu). They are all produced in the same general manner, but use different primary ingredients: 麦 (むぎ/barley), 米 (こめ/rice) or 薩摩芋 (さつまいも/sweet potato). Unsurprisingly, their tastes can be compared to drinks made with similar ingredients. I believe my favorite, 麦焼酎, has hints of ウイスキー (whiskey) in the taste and 芋焼酎 smells a bit like ウォッカ (vodka).

うしぶかハイヤ娘 (うしぶかハイヤむすめ/ushibuka haiyamusume), 麦焼酎 in a traditional style bottle. Picked it up in 天草 (あまくさ/Amakusa), in 熊本 (くまもと/Kumamoto). The glass was full when I started this entry...

鹿児島 (かごしま/Kagoshima), where I live, is the largest producer of 薩摩芋 in Japan, and as a result it is also the largest producer of 芋焼酎 as well. Tell anyone in 東京 (とうきょう/Tokyo) that you are going to 鹿児島 on vacation and most people will tell you to try the 焼酎 or, better yet, bring back a 瓶 (びん/bottle) to share. The most popular ways to enjoy 焼酎 are to dilute it with お湯 (おゆ/hot water) or drink it ロック (literally “rocks”, a shortened form of “on the rocks”). Less common is to drink it straight, drink it diluted with cold 水 (みず/water), or have it in a mixed cocktail. Personally, I think ロック is the best, especially after given a minute to cool. Enjoy!

As promised here comes the second part of the さくら祭り. In this post I will introduce you the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival 弘前さくら祭り (ひろさきさくらまつり) in Aomori 青森. 弘前　is a former castle town and is located in the southwestern part of  青森. The major landmark of the city is the Hirosaki Castle 弘前城 (ひろさきじょう) and its surrounding park is one of Japan’s most famous cherry blossom spots.

The  弘前さくら祭り is held from 23rd April to 5thMay each year 毎年 (まいとし).  In the Hirosaki Park  弘前公園 (ひろさきこうえん) you can enjoy the beauty of about 2600 cherry trees in many sub-species including the  しだれ桜 and the  ソメイヨシノ.

From: http://www.city.hirosaki.aomori.jp/kanko/matsuri/haru1.html

From: http://nippon-kichi.jp/article_list.do?kwd=2974&ml_lang=en

My personal highlight of the event is the 夜桜 (よざくら). Maybe you can guess the meaning of the word. …..

The first 漢字 “夜“ means „night“ and the second 漢字 “桜“means “cherry blossom”. Therefore 夜桜 simply means to enjoy and to view the cherry blossoms at night. The whole park 公園 (こうえん) and the castle is lit up at night. The illuminated castle and the light pink colored tunnel of the さくらcreate a fantastic and stunning scene. The 夜桜 is especially popular 人気(にんき) among couples カップルwhich seems obvious, considering the romantic scenery.  If you are interested for further information about this festival, take a look at the Tourist Information Site of Hirosaki: http://www.city.hirosaki.aomori.jp/index.html

If you are interested, you may watch the video here: Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival 2012

The video contains short-takes from the 弘前さくら祭り２０１２ and many of the scenes were filmed toward evening showing  great impressions of the 夜桜.

So if you are ever around the Tohoku Area, do not miss your chance to stop by the event. （＾＿－）☆

Some of the first blossoms of this season

As Yuki indicated, the seasons have finally changed. Japan saw a colder than average 冬 (ふゆ/winter) this year, with 雪(ゆき/snow) falling in areas that don’t often see it. 東京 (とうきょう/Tokyo) got more snow than it has seen in years! Now though, 春 (はる/Spring) has arrived and the people are rushing outdoors to enjoy the weather.

In 鹿児島 (かごしま/Kagoshima), where I live in 日本の南 (にほんのみなみ/southern Japan, the last of the 桜 (さくら/cherry blossoms) are falling, and the 花見 (はなみ/cherry blossom viewing parties) are over. The nature of 日本 (Japan’s) location and temperate climate means that 南 (みなみ/the south) warms up earlier than 北(きた/the north), and this means 桜 open earlier in 南 as a result. For example, while the 桜 are finished in this area, they have not even begun to open in the most northern areas. This is why forecasts of the 桜前線 (さくらぜんせん/cherry blossom front), as mentioned by Yuki are popular in Japan. The forecasts allows people to plan their few days off accordingly. Planning ahead seems to be a national pastime here.

Willemina standing on a carpet of fallen blossoms

Most are sad to see the 桜 gone, but I find this time to be the most beautiful. The mix of 新緑 (しんりょく/new green leaves) and the last 桜 really puts a smile on my face. The greenness of the leaves is so powerful that it kicks me out of 冬 mode and makes me want to get out under the 木 (き/trees). It’s important to enjoy this time, because soon the 梅雨(つゆ/rainy season) will start in 五月末(ごがつまつ/late May), followed by the intense heat and humidity of 夏(なつ/Summer).