Archive for 'Uncategorized'
Japanese Food: Shoochuu (しょうちゅう) Posted by Ginny on Dec 9, 2008
Next to sake (さけ) shoochuu (しょうちゅう) is easily one of the more preferred alcoholic drinks in Japan. A lot of people mistake shoochuu (しょうちゅう) for sake (さけ), but the two are very different from each other. Shoochuu (しょうちゅう) is a lot stronger than sake (さけ) in terms of alcohol content. Kyuushuu (九州) an island province…
Japanese Culture: Shichi-Go-San (七五三) Festival Posted by Ginny on Nov 15, 2008
Today is a day of pride for parents who have three, five or seven year old girls or boys. Every year on the 15th of November, children ages 3, 5, and 7 celebrate a rite of passage on the Shichi-Go-San (七五三) festival. Shichi (七) means seven in Japanese, while go (五) = five and accordingly san…
Japanese Food: Kyoodo Ryoori (郷土料理) Posted by Ginny on Nov 14, 2008
Kyoodo ryoori (郷土料理) translates to “regional specialities” in English. By “specialities” I mean a dish or cuisine that a particular region in Japan is famous for; and in which tourists flock to the region to try out the local cuisine. Every month or so I plan on highlighting a particular region with the food they…
Japanese Food: Ocha (おちゃ) Posted by Ginny on Nov 13, 2008
Ocha (おちゃ) is the Japanese word for tea. Japanese tea is important to the Japanese culture. It serves many important functions. Sometimes ocha (おちゃ) is served for the purpose of relaxation, sometimes for ceremony, and at other times it can serve as a source of treatment for one’s health. There are many different kinds of tea…
Japanese Food: Sake (さけ) Posted by Ginny on Nov 8, 2008
Today’s post will be on sake (さけ). Sake (さけ) is an alcoholic beverage in Japan made from rice. It is usually diluted with water so as to lower the alcohol content. (Though I can still manage to get dizzy from just one bottle!) There are many different kinds of sake (さけ), and I’m here to…
Japanese Food: Riceballs Posted by Ginny on Nov 6, 2008
My students always get confused with the difference between onigiri (おにぎり) riceballs and ohagi (おはぎ) riceballs. These two snacks are similar in name, but that’s where the similarities end. Onigiri (おにぎり) riceballs are usually triangular in shape and wrapped in nori (海) or green seaweed. Oftentimes the onigiri (おにぎり) is…
Japanese Culture: Culture Day Posted by Ginny on Nov 6, 2008
Culture Day, which is called bunka-no-hi (文化) in Japanese, is always held the third of November. The purpose of this national holiday is to celebrate and promote Japanese culture and the arts. The cool thing about this holiday is that there is a ceremony called the Order of Culture or the bunka kunshō (文化勲章), which…