Blog News about Japan

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Udon-type wheat noodles topped with a cake of deep-fried bean curd are called kitsune (fox) noodles, so named because foxes are said to like eating deep-fried bean curd. Nissin Foods, famous for having invented instant cup noodles, opened a temporary shop in Tokyo’s Shibuya district where customers can sample instant udon noodles prepared in styles served in different parts of the country for just 200 yen. Since the noodles require about 5 minutes to be completely cooked in boiling water, the set comes served with an hourglass timer. Cup noodles may be one of Japan’s greatest export successes.

“Shall we go eat fugu (blowfish)?”

If your boss says so and invites you to dinner, and if it’s in Tokyo, you will expect a banquet of “fugu-sashi (fugu sashimi)” or “tetchiri (fugu nabe or hot pot)” while becoming a little nervous imagining what fancy restaurant you will be going to.  Fugu has the image of being an expensive food item in Tokyo.

In Osaka, on the other hand, fugu is rather a popular food item that is eaten also at home.

Just go visit a fishmonger to see how popular fugu is in Osaka.  Many of the fishmongers in Osaka are licensed to prepare fugu.  They clean and cut up fugu by themselves and display them at the front of their shops.  The people routinely buy fugu from these shops and enjoy them at home as nabe and other dishes.  In fact, Osaka consumes approximately 60% of the fugu sold in Japan.  It can be said that Osakans are indeed hardcore fugu fans.

In fugu-loving Osaka, this fish is called “teppo (gun)” or “tetsu” for short.  That is, the people liken fugu’s deadly poison to a gun.  It suggests that you can die after eating fugu from its poison just like being shot by a gun.  The fugu nabe is called “tetchiri (tetsu-chiri; gun hot pot)” while fugu sashimi is called “tessa (tetsu-sa; gun sashimi).”  These are frightful names for dishes.

How strong is the fugu poison that is the origin for the fish being called a gun?  There are about 25 types of fugu living in the coastal waters around Japan.  Among them, the most prestigious fugu is honfugu, which is also called torafugu (tiger blowfish) in Tokyo.  Its taste is exceptional, but it is also the most poisonous.

The fugu’s poison is tetrodotoxin.  It is a frightful poison that is approximately 13 times stronger than potassium cyanide.  It is said that the intake of only around 0.5 to two milligrams of tetrodotoxin can be lethal for humans.  In particular, the liver and ovaries contain large amounts of the poison.  And because even the blood contains the poison, only specially licensed people can prepare and sell fugu.  If by chance someone is hit by the fugu’s poison bullet, the person will have convulsive seizures or become totally paralyzed and even die in the worst case.

Fugu’s poison is thus high-powered.  Therefore, please always remember to have professional fugu chefs prepare the fish or purchase it only from licensed fishmongers.

A long, long time ago, in a certain place, there lived an old man. He had a dog named Pochi. One day, Pochi started barking in the garden behind the house, “Woof, woof!” The old man went to see what the matter was. Wherever the dog barked, “Dig here, woof! Dig here, woof!” the old man used his hoe to dig up the garden. To his amazement, piles and piles of small and large gold coins came up out of the ground.

Next door to the old man, there lived a mean old man. The mean old man felt jealous of the first old man, because he had become so rich. “Please lend Pochi to me too!” he begged the good old man. The mean old man took Pochi home and said to him, “Right. Find some small and large gold coins for me as well!” But Pochi remained silent.

“Hurry up and find the money! If you don’t find it, this is what I’ll do to you!” So saying, the mean old man hit Pochi with a pole. Pochi ran away into the field and barked out, “Woof, woof!”

“Oh, so you’ve found some small and large gold coins, haven’t you!”

But when the mean old man dug up the ground at the place where Pochi had barked, all he found was a whole lot of broken tiles and pieces of cracked bowls. The mean old man was so angry at this that he hit Pochi until the poor dog died.

The good old man had no choice but to bury the dead Pochi in the field behind his house. When he did so, a tree sprouted up on Pochi’s grave, and grew tall right before the old man’s eyes.

The good old man cut down the tree and made it into a mortar. When he used the mortar to make mochi rice cakes, a whole lot more small and large gold coins came out of the rice cakes!

The mean old man saw this and came over again to borrow the mortar. But when he made mochi rice cakes in the same mortar, all he got once again was broken tiles and pieces of cracked bowls. The mean old man got very angry and burned the mortar.

The good old man had no choice but to go and collect the ashes from the burned mortar and take them home. After a while, a lord came past. The good old man climbed up a dead cherry tree, and, spreading the ashes from the burned mortar over it, said, “Let’s have flowers grow on this dead tree! Let’s have flowers grow on this dead tree!”

When he did so, the tree, which until then had been dead, burst into blossom with cherry flowers all over the tree. The lord was so pleased that he gave the good old man many rewards.

When the mean old man saw this, he took some ashes that were left over and climbed up the tree. Then, when the lord passed by again, the mean old man spread the ashes on the tree, saying, “Tree, bloom, bloom! If you don’t, I’ll get mad at you!”

But the tree didn’t blossom into flower at all. Moreover, some of the ashes went into the lord’s eye, making him very angry. Then the angry lord arrested the mean old man and put him in prison.

Morinaga Milk Caramel appeared on the market in 1913.  This long selling candy has continued to be adored by the Japanese people for nearly a century.  Fond childhood memories will surely come to mind to anyone that eats a piece of Morinaga Milk Caramel.

In Japan, the first person to make caramel was Taichiro Morinaga, the founder of Morinaga Confectionery.  Taichiro had studied the confectionery art in America.  In 1899, Taichiro began making caramel for foreigners living in the Yokohama Foreign Settlement and for Japanese returning home from abroad.  It is said that the caramel at that time was rich in flavor with a soft texture because of the large amounts of butter and milk that were used.

Soon after, Taichiro embarked on creating a caramel that would be more suited to the Japanese taste.  Taichiro made improvements in the caramel by reducing the amounts of milk and butter used and by making the caramel smaller and a little harder.

When this improved type of caramel was packaged in a small portable box and put on sale at the Taisho Exposition held at Ueno Park in 1914, it proved to be a big hit.  Full-scale sales were soon started.

How people originally viewed milk caramel around this time is considerably different from how it is viewed nowadays.  It was considered to be a high-class, nutritionally-rich confection ideal for use as a souvenir or present.

There is also a novel poster from that time in which a gentleman is shown to be throwing away his cigarette while holding onto a piece of milk caramel and commenting, “If I can have only one heavenly gift, I’ll choose milk caramel.”  Later, a copy with the comment “A substitute for tobacco” was also published.

That is, the milk caramel at that time was a premium confection for adults to be enjoyed by gentlemen and ladies alike.  It is a surprise that some people would use milk caramel as a means to stop smoking.

Moreover, there are records showing that milk caramel was supplied to the army for use as an energy supplement for the troops.  It is relatively recent that milk caramel has become a children’s candy.  Before that, it was a candy for adults.

Bringing the city’s streets and alleyways to life with a magical profusion of lights and flowers, it is a seasonal night-time event attended by 2 million people every year.

“Kyoto Hanatouro” was established in March 2003 with the aim of creating a new seasonal event for the 21st Century that would bring color to the Kyoto nightscape. Many of the city’s streets and sites of cultural heritage are adorned with dazzling floral displays and roji andon, square shaped paper lanterns placed to light-up the floor level, which resound with the distinctive character of Japan. The combination of these two decorations lends a truly transcendental appearance to the walkways. Hanatouro’s fame as a romantic event that leaves visitors utterly enraptured by the Kyoto evening-time has spread far and wide, and it attracts over 2 million people every year from both Japan and abroad.

The daylight World Transformed into a Magical Fairy-tale Landscape

Host to the Hanatouro events are the foot of the history-rich Higashiyama mountain, one of Japan’s leading spots of scenic beauty, and. At “Kyoto Higashiyama Hanatouro 2011,” held in March, the walkways of these areas where you can find famous locations are bathed in the gentle glow of over 2,000 andon. The delicate design of the andon themselves demand a second look, each one the product of traditional ceramic and metalwork techniques. Along the way, you will find breathtakingly spectacular floral displays created by professional flower arrangers, adding a dash of magnificent color to the gentle light.

Preparations Also Underway for a Wide Variety of Events Including Illuminations

During these events, night-time illuminations are held at famous temples, shrines, and cultural buildings, principally in the areas surrounding the Hanatouro walkways. These locations also hold exclusive public viewings and openings, offering visitors rare opportunities for appreciating traditional Japanese architecture and priceless works of Buddhist art. Furthermore, a wide variety of events are planned to be held, including mini-concerts, and festivities featuring items created around the theme of lanterns.

Lanterns and Flower Lane

Approximately 2400 lanterns of six different kinds; Kyo and Kiyomizu ceramics, Kyomei bamboo, Kitayamasugi round cedar wood, Kyo stone art, the lacquer-coated lanterns and metal art, decorate the 4.6 km walking path that leads to the foothills of Higashiyama Mountain. From the north, the path goes through Shoren-in Temple and Maruyama Park, and then through Yasaka Shrine to Kiyomizu Temple in the south. Enjoy the striking charms of Kyoto streets: faint lights that beautify the store fronts of Monzen-machi, soft lights that reflect off the stone pavements and lights swaying amongst the trees, white and earthen walls.
The ikebana Promenade and the abundant ikebana arrangements together with the paper lanterns invite the visitor to an enchanting world.

Ikebana Promenade

With the cooperation of Kyoto Ikebana Association, 10 large flower arrangements are displayed in the Lanterns and Flower Lane.

Contemporary Ikebana Exhibits

A grand flower arrangement competition is held with the cooperation of Kyoto Ikebana Association, in Maruyama Park. 16 flower arrangements are displayed in the early and late stage of the festival.

Big Student Performers Gathering

Student performers from Kyoto and other university towns will be recruited to give street performances at Maruyama Park to provide more color and life to the hanatouro event.

Fire Watch and Ohayashi Music Group

Local school children play wooden clappers, bells and drums and sing children songs about watching the fire and walking through the “Lanterns and Flower Lane.”

Takeakari Yugennokawa (Bamboo Lanterns/Profound Stream)

About a thousand touro lights made of young bamboo are placed on the Yoshimizu Stream and flow through Maruyama Park to create a magical atmosphere

A long time ago, in a certain place, lived an old man and an old woman. The old man went to the mountains to collect sticks for firewood, while the old woman went to do the washing in the river.

While the old woman was doing the washing in the river, a huge peach came tumbling, tumbling, tumbling along in the water. “Oh, this is a nice present to take home!” said the old woman, and picked up the enormous peach and carried it home.

When the old man and the old woman cut open the peach, wanting to eat it, amazingly, a healthy baby boy jumped out from inside the peach!

“This must surely be a gift from God!” The old man and the old woman, who didn’t have any children, were thrilled. They named the boy born from the peach “Momotaro” (meaning “Peach Boy”). Momotaro steadily grew up to become a strong boy.

Then one day he said, “I am going to go to Onigashima (Monster Island) to wipe out the bad monsters.” The old woman made some millet dumplings for him, and then off he went to Monster Island.

Along the way he met a dog. “Momotaro, where are you going?”

“I’m going to Monster Island, to punish the monsters.”

“Well, in that case, please give me one of those millet dumplings around your waist. Then I’ll go with you.” The dog took one of Momotaro’s millet dumplings, and joined him on his travels. Then Momotaro met a monkey. “Momotaro, where are you going?” “I’m going to Monster Island, to punish the monsters.” “Well, in that case, please give me one of those millet dumplings around your waist. Then I’ll go with you.”

After a while Momotaro met a pheasant. “Momotaro, where are you going?” “I’m going to Monster Island, to punish the monsters.” “Well, in that case, please give me one of those millet dumplings around your waist. Then I’ll go with you.”

In this way, Momotaro gained the dog, the monkey, and the pheasant as companions, and they all soon arrived at Monster Island. On Monster Island, the monsters were in the midst of a big drunken party, gloating over all the treasures they’d stolen from villages nearby.

“Let’s get started. Don’t let them get away! Don’t give up! Keep after them!”

The dog bit the monsters’ bottoms, the monkey got on the monsters’ backs, and the pheasant pecked at the monsters’ eyes. All the while, Momotaro fought valiantly, wildly brandishing his sword.

Eventually the chief of the monsters said, “We give up, we give up! You’ve won! Help!” Putting both his hands together in conciliation, he apologized. Momotaro, the dog, the monkey, and the pheasant loaded all the stolen treasures they’d taken from the monsters on to a cart and returned home, in high spirits.

The old man and the old woman were truly delighted to see Momotaro back again, safe and sound. The three lived happily ever after.