Tokyo
LES KHAKIS DE CHANEL
The first store I went for Fashion’s Night Out Tokyo was Chanel.
Because I wanted one of “Les Khakis De Chanel”!!
I got Khaki Vert.
Some people already writing a review for all 3 colors of “Les Khakis De Chanel”.
Check this review!! It compares all 3 colors of daylight and indoor!!!
the-make-up blogette
My nails have to be ready for fall!!
Pictures Of Samurai, Samurai Pics, Samurai Gallery
Top Pictures Of Samurai. The Best source on the Net for Samurai pics. Browse the Samurai Gallery for artwork and photos of the Japanese Warriors.
Japan Food, Foods In Japan, Japan Foods
Japan Food is Best for slow aging. Find out How Foods in Japan are Responsible for the Japanese long life span. Coolest Japanese Desserts, and Romantic Restaurants in Tokyo.
Samurai Japanese Warrior, Japanese Samurai Warriors
The Samurai Japanese Warrior culture and lifestyle. The Super secrets of the Bushido code and Hundreds of Samurai pics and images. The Coolest stories on the Net on Ancient Japanese culture.
Japanese Samurai Art, Samurai Artwork, Samurai Images, Samurai Paintings
Looking for Japanese Samurai Art? The Best Samurai Gallery on the Net. Browse Superb Samurai Images.
Samurai Armor, Samurai Weapons, Samurai Helmet, Samurai Clothing
The fascinating secrets behind the Samurai Armor. What actually went on during the History of the Samurai? Discover what made these warriors so skillful with their Japanese swords.
Samurai Sword History, History Of The Samurai Sword, Antique Samurai Sword
The Best source on the Net for Samurai Sword History. The secrets behind Samurai culture and weapons. Tips on how to recognize Authentic Japanese Swords from a modern replica.
Japanese Samurai Swords, Authentic Japanese Swords, Japanese Swords
Why are Japanese Samurai Swords so rare? How Do You Recognize Authentic Japanese Swords? Get the best Facts about Samurai weapons.
Japanese Samurai Swords, katana, Japanese Swords, Authentic Japanese Swords
5 Reasons Japanese Samurai Swords are Priceless. Information about Japan Swords culture, and History of Authentic Japanese swords.
Samurai Weapons, History Of The samurai, Samurai Training
The Best Resource on the Net for Samurai Weapons and training. Amazing stories about Ancient Japanese culture. Let your imagination role with striking Facts about Japan Samurai culture.
Museum Review: Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
Congrats, 20-year-olds
Today was Coming of Age Day (Seijin no hi), a bank holiday honoring all those who turned 20 (the “age of majority“) in the last year, and an excuse to close off the streets in some parts of town, like Bunkamura-dori near the Shibuya 109 building in Dogenzaka, where Conor and I happened upon these dudes on stilts.
The day’s honorees like to dress in traditional finery and walk around the city with their friends. Special thanks to Paul Hitchens for this excellent photo that I just copied off your facebook page:
caption contest
This latest “Please do it again” poster from Tokyo Metro leaves much to be desired, doncha think?
For one thing, it needs a caption that says a bit more about what’s happening here than the generic “Please be considerate of others on the train.”
That’s where you come in!
I am inviting you, dear reader — and I know there are at least a few of you out there — to submit something better, something amusing, something pithy, whatever. Please leave it as a comment to this post. Who will take the top prize (i.e. my congratulations in a follow up blog post)?
Dinner
My friend, the lovely Mikayo, cooked for the boys and me at her home last night. She made sukiyaki (which I thought was pronounced “soo-kee-yah-kee” but is actually “skee-yaki” if you want to speak proper Japanese).
First she sliced the negi, those big green onions (leeks?) and laid them down like a “carpet” in the cast-iron pot, on top of a drizzle of sesame oil.
The pot sat on a freestanding gas burner that she put right on the counter in front of me. I must get myself one of these.
After the onion, the sliced beef. (I buy this meat all the time at the grocery store, but usually just throw it into a frying pan with a splash of teriyaki sauce, put it on a roll and call it a steak sandwich. Which is a big hit in our home, but this is way better.)
On top of the meat, Mikayo poured a mixture of sake, soy and sugar (which you can boil down separately beforehand or buy in most supermarkets here already bottled, like this one, named for Imahan, a famous sukiyaki restaurant in Ningyocho — like buying Rao’s tomato sauce at Gristede’s).
After the beef had cooked for a few minutes, she added some enoki (those pale skinny mushrooms) and cabbage and some slices of fried tofu, then a few clumps of potato noodles.
Everything nestled together nicely in the pot and simmered in the sweet tangy sauce. 
Occasionally she’d toss in a little bonito broth (or dashi, a fish broth) to keep everything moist. She added the mizuna, a mildly bitter green, last, maybe because it wilts so fast.
Delicious!
As I tucked in to my first bowl, Mikayo told me that sukiyaki is enjoyed in three stages:
Round one: you serve yourself some meat and veg and enjoy it as is.
Round two: you break a raw egg over everything and mix is all up. The egg cooks as it combines with the hot food. Serve.
Round three: add white rice to the pot of whatever is left (mostly sauce) and simmer, “like a risotto.”
We never did get past round one because we were all stuffed, and I didn’t think the boys would go for the egg bit anyway.
Sneak peek!
Here’s the latest in handheld gaming, on display last Saturday inside Mark City, a shopping mall/train station in Shibuya. According to 3DS Buzz, this next-gen Nintendo handheld will be released in Japan first, on Feb. 26. Europe gets it on March 25, North America March 27. Apparently, the device gives you 3D visual effects without the glasseszzzzzz… Whuh, huh? Oh, sorry, must’ve dozed off. So over the 3D thing. Still, it’s always fun to run into these sorts of things when we’re out and about. And the boys (all three of ‘em) thought it was cool, of course.
Sapporo beer ad
This is fun to watch — it’s a brief YouTube clip that Terry’s Dad told us about. Thanks Jack!
And now that we’ve all got beer on the brain, a photo pick of the day:
I took this with my phone during a recent Year 5 parents’ night out at Andy’s Izakaya (Shin Hinomoto), a cozy joint shelved beneath the railroad tracks in Yurakucho. (Menu highlights: sashimi! sliced, sauteed eryngi mushrooms drowning in butter!) The drinker was not with our group. I think he was celebrating a birthday or something. I just like the guy in the next booth’s expression. I can see the thought bubble over his head: Silly gaijin!
Now there’s a T.G.I. Friday’s in Jingumae
Sometimes we just need to get back in touch with the homeland –
– by going to a restaurant like TGIF and ordering off the dessert menu.
Say Hello to “Oreo Madness”, double portion. It’s overly sweet. It’s messy. It’s e-NOR-mous. The very antithesis of a Japanese dessert.
The place pulls no punches, really, with the red and white balloons, and a wait staff that wears suspenders with just the right amount of flair.
Don’t get me wrong. I liked Fujimamas, which used to occupy this building just off Omotesando dori and close to Cat Street, but I must confess: I totally dig this over-the-top replacement. You know, in an ironic sorta way.
Who am I kidding– this is comfort food! We’re talking Cobb Salad the size of my head!
In any case, it’s an easy way to get my boys on their bikes on a sunny Sunday afternoon, if they know this is their destination.
“Happy Birthday, dear (customer)….”
And the decor is nothing if not inspirational.
Japanese Funeral & Manners
JAPANESE FUNERALS
Funerals are never happy news. We all wish that we
do not have to face our beloved ones in such a
setting. However, when we do, we want to express
our deep condolences by mourning and praying for
them. Understanding and knowing the traditional
Japanese funeral manners will help us express
respect to the deceased as well as to their families
and relatives.
Japanese religion lies in Buddhism and although details
of practices can vary depending on sects, general
practice is shared. Also, even when Buddhism is not
regularly practiced in the family, funerals tend to be
based on the Buddhist style when held
FUNERAL WAKES AND MEMORIAL SERVICE
OTSUYA (Wake ceremony)
“Otsuya” is a ceremony where close family and
relatives regret parting of their loved one by staying
up the whole night in the same room with the
departed. Originally, only the bereaved and close
relatives attended. However, in the recent years,
it has become so that persons who are unable to
attend the memorial (funeral) ceremony, stop by to
show their condolences. Make sure to inform the
bereaved of your visit before hand in this case.
Wake ceremonies are therefore announced and usually
start from 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. and lasts for 1-2 hours.
SOUGI (Funeral ceremony)
“Sougi” is a ceremony where close relatives gather to
pray for repose of the departed soul and peace for its
spirit.
KOKUBETSUSHIKI (Memorial ceremony)
“Kokubetsushiki” is a ceremony where friends and
acquaintances gather to say their goodbyes.
“Sougi” is to be followed by “Kokubetsushiki”.
However, these ceremonies are often times joined
together as one ceremony. At this time, this
ceremony would be referred to as
“Sougi / Kokubetsushiki”.
*“Osoushiki” (Funeral) refers to the whole funeral process
including the above ceremonies and the cremation
ceremony.
WHAT TO WEAR
Men
Black formal suit with white business shirt, black ties and
no tie pins. Belts, socks, shoes should also be black
Dark navy or grey suits are okay for wakes.
Women 
Black formal one-piece dress suit or a black formal
kimono. Bags, shoes, stockings should also be black.
Shiny material such as enamel, as well as leather
and furs are considered improper (Leather bags/
shoes are okay). No ccessories should be worn
except for marriage ring, and a single pearl necklace,
if any. Black or dark colored suits or one-piece dress
should be okay for wakes.
OKODEN (Offering/Condolence money)
Okoden started out when incense was offered at funerals
to comfort the soul of the deceased. This incense scent
worked as a deodorizer after the earth burial. In the past,
Okoden has turned into rice or vegetable offerings as
well, however, in the present, since the host of the funeral
prepares the necessities, the offering turned to cash as a
meaning to bear cost of the incense and also, as a show
of mutual support towards the bereaved for their
unexpected expense.
Crisp new bills should never be used for Okoden. This
comes from the thought that preparation of new bills
suggests unfortune had been foresaw.
The amount varies on your relationship with the
deceased. 5,000 yen or 10,000 yen should be
appropriate for friend/colleague. Be careful to avoid
the numbers 4 and 9 at funerals. 4 can be read as
“shi” in Japanese, which sounds the same as death
and 9 can be read as “ku” and this can suggest the
word “kurushii” which means suffering.
INCENSE OFFERING
Move to the position in front of the altar and bow to the
bereaved relatives. Move to the altar and bow deeply.
Take one step forward to offer incense. After you have
finished offering incense, place the balms of your
hands together in prayer and slightly lower your head.
Take one step back facing the altar and bow deeply
before returning to your seat.
2 types of incense: MAKKO and SENKO
MAKKO- incense powder
Using the 3 fingers (thumb, index,
middle) of your right hand, take a
pinch of the powder incense.
Lower your head slightly and bring
it to your forehead before sprinkling
them into the incense burner.
Repeat this 1-3 times. The number
of times for this process depends
on the religious sect.
SENKO-incense stick
Pick up the incense using your right hand and light it with 
the candle. Number of incense
here can be 1-3 depending on the religious sect. Use your left hand to put out the flame. Take caution never to blow out the flame.
Place it in the incense burner.
Again, depending on the religious
sect, the incense will be either
laid down or set up. If you will be
setting up the incense, place it
slightly apart from each other to prevent smoke from
clouding together and also place it in the rear section so
that following attendees will have enough space to place
their incense.
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RECYCLE MARKS IN JAPAN
RECYCLE MARKS IN JAPAN
There are so many things around us and all are made from various substances…
In Japan, we are requested to separate trash according to each ward regulations so that recycling is possible. To sort them correctly, it’s important that we understand what the marks below mean and represent. Trash sorting regulations vary according to where you live. Please contact your local ward office for recycling details of your neighborhood.
A mark made by the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle promotion council to urge active participation and cooperation towards the 3R movement
List of Environmental labels and identification marks
|
STEEL CANS Mandatory mark under Recycling law for beverage packaging containers made from steel to promote sorted collection | ||
| ALUMINUM CANS | ||
| PETROLIUM PRODUCT MADE | ||
| PLASTIC | ||
| PAPER | ||
| RETURNABLE GLASS BOTTLES | ||
| CARDBOARD | ||
| PRODUCT WITH OVER | ||
| 100% RECYCLED PAPER | ||
| PERSONAL COMPUTER RECYCLE MARK | ||
|
|
|
Ni-Cd (Nickel-Cadmium)
|
|
MOBILE RECYCLE NETWORK LOGOMARK A mark of proof of stores that
| ||
| ECOLOGY MARK A product approved by the Japan Environmental Association to be of least adverse impact to the | ||
| GREEN MARK Recycled waste paper | ||
|
PC GREEN LABEL Personal Computers that are
| ||
| GENERAL STEEL CANS | ||
| 18 LITER STEEL CANS A mark to promote recycling of | ||
*Have you ever heard of NPO Ecocap Movement?
They collect caps of plastic bottles and sell them to recyclers.
The profit is donated to provide vaccine to children in developing countries. Please see below for more information:
http://ecocap007.com/aboutecocap.html
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Kabocha Harvest
In the spring, when I put in the kabocha, eggplants, green peppers and tomatoes, I didn’t think much would happen.
The peppers yielded about a dozen, the eggplants produced a pair of fruits every week, and the tomotoes still haven’t stopped yielding.
The bochan kabocha suprised me by its growth and yield. When I put the started plant in the soil, it was just a tiny, sickly little 100 yen shop plant. With the summer heat, it grew tentacles across the garden, climbed over the wall, strangled the peppers, and started to wind itself around the gas meters. I went at it with scissors, hacking back the long arms and pulling the tendrils off the other plants. Under the giant leaves were yellow flowers. So far, I’ve harvested a dozen pumpkins.
The pumkin is small, but it has lots of meat, and the seeds are great toasted in the frypan. I’m going to try to make soup this weekend out of a few.
Happy autumn!
節分 Setsubun welcomes spring!
Chibaraki has been a bit quiet for a few months. It’s been hibernating this winter while I was busy working and changing my life.
I was wondering to myself, what experience or turning point or milestone could mark a revival of my blog?
Setsubun! This word literally means “seasonal division”, but most commonly it marks 立春, risshun, the beginning of spring. Today, I was lucky to have a rare midweek day off, and on a bicycle ride through rural Kashiwa City, I saw children rushing to 香取神社 Katori Shrine to stretch out their hands to receive beans from city fathers in the Bean Throwing Ceremony.
I got a packet of beans and a 5 yen coin wrapped with red and white chords, auspicious colours for an auspicious coin denomination. The crowd was not that big, and participants diminutive (children with their mothers), so I hung back and waited for the goodies to get flung my way. I saw baseballs and wooden toys fly into the crowd. 
This contemplating arhat at the gate of the neighbouring temple looks how I feel – meditating on the spring, and dreaming of the new green growth that will come so soon.
If you can’t imagine the coming growth, there are hints of it. An orchard on the road to the Izumi area of Kashiwa City has plum blossoms bursting. They’re fragrant, too. The warm sun and the plum fragrance was a delight today. Happy early spring!
More Moriheiya, and recipes
Tonight’s dinner had to be more moriheiya. My dear student had given me a big bag of it. She told me a few times that I make soup of it. So, again, another search on the ‘Nets turned up a few recipes for mulukhiya, the traditional north African dish. The dish is a bit more labour-intensive than I can manage in my small kitchen, so I improvised and adapted.
With what was at hand in the fridge, this is my far-Eastern flavoured version of the dish.
- in a fry pan, heat half and half olive and sesame oil
- finely chop half an onion, and fry with a tablespoon each of grated garlic and ginger
- when all are golden on the edges, pour in a tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 1/2 cups water, and then add Chinese gara soup powder. Perhaps a tablespoon is enough.
- Add one cup finely chpped mulukhiya (moroheiya) leaves
- season with pepper, a teaspoon of Chinese tobanjan (a type of spicy miso paste) and basil (coriander, too, if you have some). Cook on low heat for 10-20 mins.
- Serve over steamed brown rice.
The little salad of broccoli and kabotcha pumpkin salad is super easy, too. I don’t like nuked food usually, but this is an exception because it’s fast, easy and tasty.
- A quarter or half kabotcha pumpkin comes in a plastic bag in the 99 yen shop. Poke a wee hole for a vent and microwave it until tender. The same can be achieved with a quarter or half pumpkin in a covered dish.
- Similarly, nuke a broccoli tree in a covered dish just until it glows green.
- Combine these two and dress with a tablespoon of mayonnaise, a sprinkle of crushed sesame, pepper and the secret ingredient (a pinch of gara soup mix) and blend well.
Mmm…oishii.
Tega Marsh post typhoon
After the typhoon last week, a ride out to Tega Marsh with the wind blowing was a relief.
Nishiki with Tatsumura Koho in Kyoto
I had the opportunity to visit Tatsumura Koho’s workshop in Kyoto during my August trip to Japan in 2009. This workshop makes Nishiki style Orimono, which is a type of Japanese weaving.
Nishiki orimono is extremely high quality, extremely beautiful, and therefore extremely expensive. If you can get a chance to visit their workshop I would highly recommend it. They seem to be open to giving tours, and they have a gift shop inside, so I bet they would be receptive if you just gave them a call and said you were interested. My visit was arranged as part of a study tour.
Tatsumura-san told us that creating the Genji piece was quite a challenge. The biggest issue wasn’t weaving the piece or creating the art itself, but it was doing the research to gather enough information so that the scene from Genji Monogatari could be created as accurately as possible.
Not only was general accuracy an issue, the scene needed to be vague enough as to not attract complaints from the literary academic community. For example, special care was taken so that the kimono you see in the picture used colors that could have been worn during any season. There were special rules about the different styles and colors of kimono that would have historically been in which season, but the exact time that this scene in Genji Monogatari took place is not clearly known and apparently still debated in academic circles. Therefore, they chose a kimono color and style scene that arguably could have been used in a variety of situations and at any time of the year.
This is a picture from the gift shop I mentioned. Even the neckties were way out of my price range (about $150 USD). Pretty awesome though. Someday… someday…
This is a piece depicting a bonsai tree. If you didn’t already, click the Genji Piece above so you can get a close up look at how intricate the weaving is on the orimono, it’s really amazing.
This piece is more abstract, but actually uses gold in the piece itself, if I remember correctly it cost more than 10,000 USD. Fancy stuff!
You can see more of Tatsumura-san’s work on this official museum site. http://www.tatsumura.co.jp/ There is also an online gift shop where you can get those too-awesome neckties I mentioned!
Enjoy!
Harvey
Autumn Menu
My lovely student gave me a few handfuls of this herb called mulukhiya, or in Japanese, moroheiya. I’d never heard of this herb, the essential ingredient of a soup eaten in Egypt for thousands of years, and was surprised to find that all the class members were aware of the high nutritional value of this plant. The plant happily grows here in Japan and is an annual. I’ll attempt to grow some next spring.
They told me to put it in soup and boil it. Wouldn’t that kill off the nutrients this leaf was said to be so rich in? I wondered. I looked around the ‘Net for ideas on how to prepare it, and found a recipe for moriheiya miso soup. My adapted soup recipe has grated ginger, sliced onions, moriheiya and generous tablespoons of miso paste.
I’m on a budget this year, and am challenged to stretch Y1000 as far as I can. The meal I made has a little pork in it, and the remainder of the meal is all kinds of vegetables. On the tray is moriheiya miso soup, ginger carrot pickles, broccoli and pumpkin salad, and yakiudon. The moriheiya, or mulukhiya, despite the press and the caution from my students, wasn’t slimy so much as wilted in the soup. When I added the moriheiya and the miso paste, I was careful not to boil it, which I think prevented it from going all gooey.
I still had a lot of moriheiya and various vegetables in the fridge, so I made tomato pork shogayaki over rice and put a handful of moriheiya over it as it was nearly cooked. It looks pretty with a little bit of carrot pickled and salad (I’m reusing plastic boxes for bentos as you can see in the picture below).
Teganuma Marsh recovery?
The previous post, about Konbukuro Pond and the museum park that surrounds it, mentions that the spring is one of the sources for the Ohori River and Teganuma Marsh.
Today, the marsh supports a lot of wildlife and looks pretty, but the water quality is poor. Before the 1950s, the spring-fed marsh had clear, clean water and children could swim in it in the summer. However, with the population growth, household waste water and agricultural runoff began to take their toll on the quality of the lake water. The marsh suffered eutrophication. This process, which happens when a body of water or an area of land receives too much fertilizer, can cause the natural ecosystem to be adversely altered. In the case of the marsh, the overfertilization from waste water caused blue-green algae to take over, and the fish stocks suffered.
In 2005, Japan for Sustainability reported on Abiko City’s effort to rehabilitate Teganuma Marsh. As JFS reports, “…Lake Teganuma has also been known for its disgraceful record of having been the most polluted lake in Japan for 27 consecutive years starting from 1974, when the then-Environment Agency (now the Ministry of the Environment) began nationwide surveys of lake and marsh water quality. Since fiscal 2001 Abiko City has made Lake Teganuma the focus of a municipal promotion campaign on the theme of “Birds and people living in harmony in Abiko, on beautiful Lake Teganuma.”
To improve the quality of the water and reduce eutrophication, the national and prefectural governments funded dredging of the river mouths to increase the volume of fresh water coming into the marsh, and a new water treatment plant, which you can see on the south side of the marsh, and a massive channel was constructed from the Tone River to the marsh to bring more fresh water.
The JFS report indicates that the oxygen levels in the lake improved, but were still nowhere near healthy.
The marsh has a lot further to go on its road to recovery, and there are many people actively promoting interest in this body of water. You can participate in the Teganuma Eco-Marathon in October, and any time, you can enjoy the cycling road, and on rainy days, you might want to check out the Abiko Bird Museum (full of stuffed dead birds, but informative).
Take a moment to read the webpage of this Teganuma fan, Mr. Nakamura, who, as he says on the webpage, walks the marsh to keep his heart in good shape. He’s got some information about the geology and history of the marsh, too.
