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Sushi Posted by Ginny on May 9, 2011
I think there is still the impression that sushi is just a bunch of raw fish with a bit of white rice, but that’s only one variety of such sushi. Nigirizushi (握り寿司) is probably the most well known outside of Japan. It’s a type of sushi where vinegared rice is pressed into a cylinder shape…
Japanese Festivals in May Posted by Ginny on May 4, 2011
There are some awesome Japanese festivals that occur in May, one of which is the Sanja Matsuri (三社祭) or Sanja Festival. This festival in Japanese literally means “three shrine festival”. The festival is dedicated to three men who founded an ancient Buddhist temple called Sensōji (浅草寺). The main event is when three portable shrines called…
Japanese Royal Couples Posted by Ginny on Apr 30, 2011
With the wedding of William and Kate in England, interest in the royals is at an all time high. Did you know that the Japanese also have a royal family? If you’d like to know more about Japanese royal weddings, there’s an article about it here: https://blogs.transparent.com/japanese/royal-wedding-attire Since the royal wedding in England, I think…
Legendary Manga Creators Posted by Ginny on Apr 29, 2011
In Japan, some mangaka (漫画家) or manga creators are millionaires with fame and prestige. Manga creators are often called ‘sensei’ (先生), which is a title usually reserved for teachers and white collar professionals like doctors. One such famous manga creator is Leiji Matsumoto (松本零士); who is best known for his Captain Harlock (キャプテンハーロック) series. Leiji…
Famous Japanese Swordsmen Posted by Ginny on Apr 26, 2011
Japan has a long list of famous swordsman, including a swordsman named Miyamoto Musashi (宮本武). So many stories of Mushashi’s duels and ability as an expert swordsman can be found, but details of his personal life, like when he was born, when he died, his ancestry and how he died is still unclear. What we…
Japanese Palaces Posted by Ginny on Apr 21, 2011
If you’re ever in Japan, make sure you make some time to see some beautiful Japanese palaces. One palace you should definitely visit is Akasaka Palace. Akasaka Palace (迎賓館) is located in Tōkyō. It was formerly the residence of Prince Hirohito, but after WWII the Palace was taken from the imperial family and used as…
Contracted Japanese Words Posted by Ginny on Apr 17, 2011
The Japanese language has many examples of words that are contracted or abbreviated for convenience. For example the word デパートis often used to mean ‘department store” in Japanese. However, デパート is a contracted form of デパートメントストア. When you think about it, デパート is much easier to say than デパートメントストア. Some people wrongly assume that Japanese…