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Japanese Food Museums Posted by Ginny on Oct 22, 2010
Japan has a few good food museums, meaning that these are probably the only museums in which you can get away with eating food in the museum. Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum (インスタントラーメン発明記念館) is located in Osaka (大阪). It’s an interactive museum where you can make your own cup ramen. You can choose your own…
Japanese Dolls Posted by Ginny on Oct 19, 2010
Ningyō (人形), which is a word in Japanese meaning “doll”, is still a treasured gift in Japan. Even with the rise of technology and toys being made out of electronics, hand made dolls are still considered a precious keepsake. Okiagari-kobōshi (起き上がり小法師) is a traditional Japanese doll made of papier-mâché. These dolls are symbols of good…
Kagome Kagome Posted by Ginny on Oct 16, 2010
There’s a game that Japanese children play while singing a song. You can listen to the song below : かごめかごめ 篭の中の鳥は(Kagome Kagome, Kago no naka no Tori wa) [Kagome Kagome bird in the cage] いついつ出やる (Itsu Itsu deyaru?) [When will you come out?] 夜明けの晩に (Yoake no ban ni) [In the evening of the dawn ]…
Famous People of Japanese Descent Posted by Ginny on Oct 13, 2010
People of Japanese descent have been contributing to society in many positive ways. Here are some people of Japanese descent that are famous : Kristi Yamaguchi is the great grandchildren of Japanese immigrants in the U.S. Her claim to fame came as a world class figure skater. Her achievements showed younger girls that they could…
Japanese Rock Gardens Posted by Ginny on Oct 10, 2010
The subject of Japanese gardens is a wide and highly specialized topic. In particular, my favorite Japanese gardens happen to be rock gardens called karesansu (枯山水). These gardens are influenced by Zen Buddhism and have a tranquil quality to them. The following gardens are some of best examples of Japanese rock gardens. It just goes…
October Festivals Posted by Ginny on Oct 7, 2010
There are lots of Japanese festivals in October. Here are some of my favorite festivals. The Sawara festival (佐原祭り) is a festival where men push around a palanquin with a large doll mounted on the top of the palanquin. Yabusame festival (流鏑馬祭り) is a festival where men dress up as samurai and draw their bows…
Japanese Beer Posted by Ginny on Oct 4, 2010
Beer is an important staple in Japan. At least when compared to wine, beer is preferred over wine in Japan. That doesn’t mean that Japanese people don’t drink wine, they do, but not like they do with beer. The beer companies listed below are some of the most commonly seen beer in Japan. They are…