Archive for January, 2008
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
Sake is a Japanese alcohol made from rice. Sake is produced in sake brewery is called a kuraby by multiple fermentation of rice with the process of milling removes the protein and oils from the exterior of the rice grain leaving the starch behind. The starch is than converted to sugar by enzyme action and the sugar is converted to alcohol by yeast. This is a similar process to produce beers. After fermentation it is heavily clouded with grain solids and filtered.
In Japan sake is served cold, warm or hot depending on the consumer, the quality and the season. Hot sake is consumed in winter and cold sake is consumed in summer. Sake is served with shallow cups called choko poured from ceramic flasks called tokkuri. In japan drinking someone’s sake cup is a sign of friendship or to honour someone.
Sake can also used as a mixer for cocktails such as the sake bomb.
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Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
Shabu shabu is a Japanese hot pot with thinly sliced meat and vegetables served along with dipping sauces. It is a winter dish but is often eaten as a daily dish. Shabu shabu are serve with meat and vegetables in a large plate. They are thinly sliced and can cooked in a few seconds.
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Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
Ramen is a Japanese dish of noodles originated in China. It is served in meat based broth with slice pork, dried seaweed, green onions and corns as toppings such as sliced pork, dried seaweed, kamaboko, green onions and even corn.
Ramen are made from wheat flour, salt, water, and kansui which is a alkaline mineral water containing sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate and a small amount of phosphoric acid. The soup are made from stock using chicken or pork with ingredients such as kombu, katsuobushi, niboshi, beef bones, shiitake, onions with salt, miso, or soy sauce. There are four types of ramen soups consist of Shio ramen soup, Tonkotsu ramen soup, Shoyu ramen soup and Miso ramen soup.
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Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup made from miso paste. It is very popular because of its rich taste, short preparation time and health benefits. Since 750 years ago miso soup became popular when the samurai were in power. In japan everyone knows how to make miso soup and is often drink during breakfast and is usually served in lacquer bowls with lids and drunk directly from the bowl. In 1960s miso soup was introduced in the Western world where they are serve during lunch or dinner and it is considered as an essential for good health and longlivety by health conscious people.
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Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
Doraemon is a Japanese cartoon series created by Fujiko F. Fujio in 1969. Doraemon was awarded the first Shogakukan Manga Award for children’s manga in 1982 and the first Osamu Tezuka Culture Award in 1997. In 2002 Time Asia magazine voted Doraemon as one of the 22 Asian Heroes. Doraemon cartoon series are comedies with moral lessons about homeless animals, dinosaurs, endangered species, Gulliver’s Travels, the flat earth theory, wormhole traveling, deforestation, pollution and history of Japan.
Doraemon is about a robotic cat travels back in time from the 22nd century to help a schoolboy called Nobita Nobi. He was sent back in time by Nobita Nobi’s great great grandson Sewashi to help Nobita’s circumstances so that his descendants will enjoy a better future. Nobita’s failures in school and his career have left his family with financial problems.
Doraemon always has many futuristic gadget to help Nobita problems but Nobita usually goes too far and gets into more trouble. Nobita’s friends Suneo and Jaian always steal the gadgets and misusing them. But by the end of the story usually there is a retribution to those who end up misusing them and a moral lesson is learn.
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Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
Yakitori means grilled bird in Japanese. Is a type of skewered chicken made from several bite sized pieces of chicken meat skewered on a bamboo skewer and barbecued over charcoal. Diners can have a choice of having it served with sauce, which are made up of mirin, sweet sake, soy sauce and sugar. The skewered meat and is grilled till cooked and is served with sauce as a dip. Yakitori is a very popular dish with beer in Japan.
Kushiyaki are skewered grilled food made with bite sized pieces of beef, pork, fish, seafood or vegetables. Similar to yakitori it is skewered on a bamboo skewer and barbecued over charcoal. It is available at most yakitori establishments in Japan. But they are also referred to as yakitori.
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Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
Sumo is a very popular sport originated in Japan with a history spanning many centuries. This ancient sport is where two wrestlers attempt to force one and other out of a circular ring and only to touch the ground with the soles of the feet. It is still very popular in Japan today and being the only country practicing Sumo professionally. The Japanese consider sumo a gendai bud? (a modern Japanese martial art), though the sport has a history spanning many centuries.
Life as a wrestler known in Japanese as rikishi is highly regimented with rules by the Sumo Association. Professional rikishi are required to live in sumo training stables known in Japanese as heya where training to their manner of dressing are all dictated by strict tradition.
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Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located beside Tokyo in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. Tokyo Disneyland occupied a 115 acre land and was the first Disney park built outside of the United States. The park was constructed by Walt Disney Imagineering similar to Disneyland in California.
Tokyo Disneyland theme park consist of the World Bazaar and the four classic Disney lands including Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland along with two Mini Lands, Critter Country and Mickey’s Toontown. The theme park is huge with open spaces to accommodate the huge crowds. Till today Tokyo Disneyland is one of the most visited theme park in the world.
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Monday, January 28th, 2008
Hello Kitty is an globally known trademark fictional character produced by the Sanrio Company in Tokyo, Japan. Hello Kitty was created in 1974 and was originally to be named White Kitty” due to the British being popular among the Japanese girls but it was not adopted.
Hello Kitty was in the United States from the beginning and has held the position ambassador for UNICEF since 1983. Many American celebrities have contributed to Hello Kitty’s popularity including Ricky Martin, Mariah Carey, Cameron Diaz, Heidi Klum, Steven Tyler, Christina Aguilera, Carmen Electra, Mandy Moore, Raven-Symoné, Varla Jean Merman, as well as Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton have all been spotted with Hello Kitty.
Hello Kitty is a registered trademark of Sanrio
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Monday, January 28th, 2008
Fugu japanese name for pufferfish. It is a Japanese dish prepared from the meat of pufferfish species of Takifugu, Lagocephalus or Sphoeroides. Fugu is lethally poisonous if prepared incorrectly and has become one of the most notorious dishes in Japan.
Fugu contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin in the the liver, ovaries and the skin. In Japan only licensed chefs are allowed to prepare and sell fugu to the public and consumption of the liver and ovaries is forbidden. Every year in Japan a number of people die from consuming improperly prepared fugu. The poison is a sodium channel blocker and paralyzes the muscles while the victim stays in full consciousness and eventually dies from asphyxiation. Currently there are no antidote to support but until the effect of the poison wears off.
Fugu has been consumed by Japanese for centuries, bones of fugu have been found in shell mounds date back more than 2000 years. The most prestigious edible fugu is the tora fugu which is also the most poisonous. The high demand of fugu has led to overfishing and regulations are now in place to protect the fugu population. Most fugu sold today comes from fish with small amount of toxin. Restaurants in Japan are required to store the poisonous inner organs in locked barrels and burned as hazardous waste. A full course fugu meal can cost between US$100 to US$200.
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