Impressions of daily life in Japan
Nabe refers to a variety of Japanese hot-pot dishes. It is a typical winter food. All the ingredients for nabe are prepared together in a large clay or iron pot. The pot is usually placed on a burner in the middle of the table and the dish is cooked at the table. Everyone gathers round... Continue Reading →
Dear readers, I proudly present the latest addition to this blog: the calendar page. I created the calendar to give an overview of festivals and events specific to the Toyota City region. It is the kind of thing that I wished I had when I lived in Toyota City. It is by no means exhaustive.... Continue Reading →
Green tea is one of the basic elements of life in Japan. I think it is safe to say that most Japanese people drink green tea every day, in one form or another. One of the most famous kinds of Japanese green tea is sencha. It is a fairly good quality of tea leaves, served... Continue Reading →
One of the many things that I love about Japan is the bathing culture. Of course the onsen (volcanic hot water baths) are famous, but I also love the way Japanese people bathe at home. The key difference with bathing in the West is that Japanese people wash themselves at a faucet before getting in... Continue Reading →
In Japan, it is customary to send out New Year's cards, or 'nengajou'. While in the West, traditional Christmas and New Year's cards are gradually being replaced by electronic versions and e-mails, in Japan cards are still being sent through the mail (which I quite like). New Year's cards are big business in Japan. Every... Continue Reading →
If asked what the most typical Japanese food is, I would probably say miso soup. I already imagine some of you raising your eyebrows at this point, thinking to yourselves "what about sushi?" Contrary to popular belief in the West, sushi is not a part of daily meals in Japan. Sushi is more of a... Continue Reading →
The Japans 