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!

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).

Yet again, another long delay between entries, and I apologize! First things first, I’d like to say a warm hello to Yuki, our other new face here! Hopefully with two people blogging there won’t be any more long gaps between posts!

From Flikr user: LGEPR

As for me, I have been offline for the last 一ヵ月半 (いっかげつはん/month and a half) as my wife and I 引っ越ししました (ひっこししました / moved) into a new 家 (いえ/ house). Once we finished moving, we discovered that the パソコン (computer) ディスプレイ (display) didn’t survive the move. I wasn’t able to use it to blog until recently, when I plugged it into my テレビ (television) and started using that as my ディスプレイ.

Our new 家 is in the same neighborhood in 鹿児島 (かごしま/Kagoshima city) as the last one, but now we live with my wife’s お母さん(おかあさん/mother) and お父さん (おとうさん/father). This is somewhat common in 日本 (にほん/Japan), with costs being so high for many things. Living together means everyone saves お金 (おかね/money) and helps out. Early on, grandparents can help out with their grandchildren, and later on, they will be taken care of when they are unable to take care of themselves.

Having two families (two couples) living in one slightly small 家 means things are crowded and there isn’t much space for our stuff. For example, we went from two テレビ in each 家, to four テレビ in one! Also, we now have three 車 (くるま/car[s]) between us, meaning we have to buy a parking space at a nearby apartment building! Thankfully though, the neighborhood is 静か (しずか/quiet), the view is good and my parents-in-law are nice. I think we’ll be happy here.

Note: パソコン and テレビ are originally English words, but the Japanese shortened them and converted them to katakana: “personal computer” to パソコン/pasokon, and “television” to テレビ/terebi. This is very common and is something you will see a lot.