Latest Posts
Soba @ Jindaiji Temple
We are having the Golden week now in Japan. People go back to their hometown to see family and relatives, go to the domestic resorts, go outside of Japan or even rest at home to enjoy the long holidays. And my family’s case…we visited my hometown and we are spending a lot of time in Tokyo to discover other areas and meeting some friends. 🙂 Good days!
Today, we visited the Jindaiji Temple, which is located near my neighborhood, the west of Tokyo.
In Jindaiji, we ate the Dango (for snack), Soba (you should never miss!) and Soba manju (to check its flavor). And I bought some things that I’ve wanted to get for a long time. *I will show you them soon!!
For more photos, please check YJC’s Facebook Page!
Bamboo shoots are now in season!
In Japan, we see many bamboo shoots at the supermarket and also on TV.
You’ll see many fresh bamboo shoots piled up at the supermarket. And, you also see the small bags with rice bran besides them. (It’s cute and of course, it’s FREE!) The rice bran can absorb the astringent taste when boiling the bamboo shoots. That’s why they usually are displayed together at the store.
You can also buy the precooked bamboo shoots to save cooking time.
In my hometown Fukushima, my father and relatives still enjoy getting the bamboo shoots from the bamboo forest. When I was a child, I also enjoyed getting them with families. What a good memory!
Since I like to cook and eat the seasonal vegetables, I bought the boiled bamboo shoot and cooked several appetizers! I still have the rest of it, so I am thinking to make Japanese style pasta and mixed rice with using several other vegetables.
Let’s enjoy the seasonal vegetables!
Bamboo shoot salad topped with bonito flakes
Cooked bamboo shoot topped with dried shrimp and sansho pepper sauce
Motsu Nabe @ Fukuoka (Kyushu area)
I went to Fukuoka last weekend. Fukuoka is located in Kyusyu area which is south west area in Japan.
The purpose of visiting Fukuoka was to introduce my son to his great-grandmother who is 95 years old.
It was his first flight so I was worried whether he would cry or shout during the flight. But it was 1.5 hour flight and he was pretty OK.
I personally love the local foods in Kyushu area. One of my favorite and must-to-eat food is a hot pot called “Motsu Nabe”. In English, giblet hotpot. We could eat this hot pot near the hotel so I was totally satisfied. v(^o^)v
My husband, my son and I only spent two days in Fukuoka but we enjoyed the family time there. Hope you like other photos as well and visit Fukuoka soon or next time you visit Japan!
Hagi-yaki pottery
Japanese Breakfast @ Hakone area
I visited Hakone this weekend with my family. Hakone locates western side from Tokyo and it takes about 1.5 hours from Shinjuku station. Since my family live in the western side of Tokyo, so we took the Romance car (special rapid train to Hakone area) from Seijo-gakuen-mae station.
Hakone is famous as for “Onsen” (Hot springs) spot! So many people visit there usually on weekends for relaxing. We also stayed at the “Ryokan” (Japanese style hotel) and took Onsen at night. And what is the best part, Japanese breakfast! Seeing the nature outside of the window, we had delicious breakfast!
In addition to the Onsen spot, there are so many unique museums along with venetian glass museum, Le petit Prince museum, Open-air museum etc… For more detail, please check other photos. I hope you like them!
Seasonal Event : Hina-Matsuri (March 3rd)
The 3rd of March is the traditional and representative spring event day called “Hina-Matsuri” in Japan.
Hina-Matsuri means Girls’ Festival! There is a tradition if the baby is a girl, the parents of the mother give a traditional dolls called Hina-kazari (Traditional dolls of Emperor, Empress, their servants and accessories on the tiered stand) to their daughter’s family. This day, parents having daughter invite their families and friends to celebrate this event. They display Hina-Kazari and serve guests traditional dishes, like Chirashi-zushi (garnished sushi), hard-shell clam clear soup, hishi-moshi and hina-arare (pink and white grilled piece of rice cakes). And they drink Ama-zake (white sake). This is called “sake” but Ama-zake is usually non-alcohol sake for this occasion.I like to make Amazake at home.
*For more detail, please check here!
When I was a child, my parents invited the Hina-Matsuri party for me and my younger sister every year. So this event reminds me of my childhood and I loved it♡
Though I have a baby boy, I like this event. So, I made the Chirashi-zushi for my family this year. Also I found the compact (and also tasty!) Hina-kazari at the supermarket so I built it at home! In addition, I got the modern style Hina-arare (grilled bits of rice cake) as well. Yummy!
Have a wonderful Hina-Matsuri (Girls’ Festival) day, everyone!
New Items Added : Food sample magnets
In my cooking class, I use some magnets to put my recipes on the wall.
However, some of them are not related to the Japanese food so I’ve always wanted to get food sample magnets for a long time!!!
Do you know those names? Have you ever seen some of them in your country?
They are well recreated in detail. I am looking forward to showing you those magnets in the class!
Those look so REAL!
Sukiyaki すき焼き
Sukiyaki (すき焼き) is a Japanese style hot pot and has thinly sliced beef, cooked with various vegetables in a table-pot cast-iron pan. The Japanese began eating beef only after 1860s when the western culture flooded into the country. Sukiyaki is now a popular dish same as Sushi, Ramen and Tempura etc. You can eat Sukiyaki at restaurant but we normally cook Sukiyaki at home. Sukiyaki has Japanese beef, Chinese cabbage, chrysanthemum, Japanese green onion, Shiitake mushroom, Grilled tofu and Shirataki (potato noodles). I recommend to use Japanese beef called Wagyu which has good balance of red meat and fat. In Kanto region (Tokyo and nearby area), people make warishita, which is a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sake and mirin, and add it to the pot little by little. In Kansai region (Osaka and nearby area), there seasonings are directly added to the pot. Once cooked, the ingredients are dipped into a bowl of a raw beaten egg. The hot food cooks the egg and the egg enriches the flavor of the dish.
Related article & video :
– Sukiyaki
– Book : Complete Guide to Japanese Cuisine
Seasonal Event : Setsubun (February 3rd)
On the 3rd of February, we have the day of “Setsubun” (seasonal division) in Japan.
Setsubun has been an important time-honored rite to welcome the New Year by banishing evils and keep the house from calamity.
On the day, people threw beans to banish demons who cause various evil things and plagues. The beans used in “Mame-maki” (bean throwing) are parched and edible. It is believed that one can maintain good health throughout the year by eating the sam e number of thrown beans as one’s age. And they shout, in principle, “In with good fortune! Out with the demon!”
At the same time, we eat “Eho-maki”, sushi roll containing 7 ingredients associated with the Seven Deities of Good Fortune “Shichi-fukujin”, facing the direction of Eho that is most lucky for the year as determined by the Way of Yin and Yang. (I use more than 7 ingredients! :-D)
In 2017, the derection of Eho is North-northwest!
It is also customary to eat Eho-maki while making a wish in the mind with the eyes closed and without uttering a single word. You will eat the whole roll at a stroke in order not to lose ties.
Like the picture, shown on the left side.
To make this thick sushi roll, please check the recipe here!
Recipe : Sushi roll
Please try it out & Have a wonderful day!
Sweets & Izakaya @ Shimokitazawa
I visited one of my favorite and closest area “Shimo-kitazawa” just recently. In this area, you can see many fashion boutiques, antique goods shops, record shops, used clothes shops and so on.
Shimo-kitazawa was ranked as No.1 Coolest neighborhoods in the world by VOGUE magazine (September 2014 issue) . *Here is the link of the article. http://www.vogue.com/slideshow/1080625/fifteen-coolest-street-style-neighborhoods/
Every time we visit Shimo-kitazawa, we just like to walk around the town and check what is new in this area. (And also, we go to the Starbucks, sit outside of the shop and enjoy watching people.)
Also, we like to go to Daiso, UNIQLO and MUJI shops and do shopping there.The large urban development is now on progress in this area, so my husband and I partly feel sad and also excited to see the new atmosphere!
For other photos, please check YJC Facebook page!
