Category Archives: Tourism

Sakura Bloom Forecasts? Hanami Schedules?

桜と花見 The blog Surviving In Japan has posted a very interesting and potentially useful forecast for cherry blossom (sakura, 桜、さくら) blooming in Japan for 2012, divided by region and location. Watching blooming blossoms is known as hanami (花見、はなみ), or simply “flower viewing” … Continue reading

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Sushi, Diabetes and Frivolous Lawsuits

Overreach Here in the LA Times we have a story about a man with Diabetes who refused to eat the rice in an “all the sushi you can eat” special offer at a sushi restaurant, wanting only the fish. I … Continue reading

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Japanese: Places, Names, Fame and Renown

A Rose By Any Other Name What’s in a name? Today’s subject isn’t any particular place name; it is a term used for famous places as described in an essay on viewing Japanese prints, like ukiyo-e. There is, after all, … Continue reading

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See, The Sushi Is The Rice…

A lot of people think that “sushi” is raw fish. Sushi refers to the rice; the sliced raw fish is sashimi. Without that little fact, the content at this link (which is from the Associated Press) wouldn’t make much sense. … Continue reading

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Nova Scotia and Japan

ノバスコシア This is “Nova Scotia” in katakana. This is the province of Canada (カナダ) in which I live. While largely the same latitude as Japan, it is a world away, with a 13 hour difference between Atlantic Standard Time and … Continue reading

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Traditional Dishes of Japan

Edible Culture You may have noticed from the last couple of posts, but I am not feeling well so I am not doing intensive writing. Rather, I’m trying to point people to other good content on the Web. Why is … Continue reading

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Nigirizushi: Hand-Pressed Sushi

Pressed By The Chef’s Loving Hand So, to “nigiru” is indeed to grasp. Nigirizushi (sushi > zushi, at the end of a compound word; this makes it easier to say) is grasped by the chef and pressed together. It is … Continue reading

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The Culture of Food: O-Nigiri

Rice You Can Hold For once, eating with your hands (in Japan)  is OK. To nigiru is “To Grasp.” O-Nigiri (Japanese: おにぎり、お握り) is sushi that you grasp while eating it. Put simply, onigiri are rice balls with fillings of some … Continue reading

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The Japanese Restaurant, Pt. 1

You Know, The Rice Is The “Sushi.” That’s right. It’s the rice, not the fish, that is, quote unquote, “sushi.” Sliced fish, usually skewered, is actually called sashimi. If you didn’t know this, and even if you did, stay tuned … Continue reading

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University of Yamanashi: A Heavy Hitter

Yamanashi Prefecture is the part of Japan once known as Kai Prefecture. That’s as in, The Tiger of Kai, Takeda Shingen, who I covered in a “Profiles of Bushido” post a couple of weeks ago. Put another way, this is … Continue reading

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