japaneseculture
Soba; a delicious, healthy alternative to ramen. A relatively easy-to-make dish, soba (蕎麦, そば) noodles are one of the most famous traditional foods found in Japan. Archaeological evidence shows that buckwheat has been cultivated in Japan since the Jomon Period (about 10,000 years ago). In the simplest terms, soba is made from finely ground buckwheat mixed with water into a dough, cut into long, thin noodles, then boiled. It’s essentially the same process as making pasta. Soba is then served with tsuyu(つゆ), a soup base made from dried bonito and kombu kelp dashi (stock) and soy sauce, and other...
Savvy Tokyo
If you love rosemary and mint, read on to learn all about Japan’s indigenous herbs whose captivating aromas and tastes have been commonly used in Japanese cooking and traditional medicine. With shiso, yomogi, kuromoji and mitsuba in your pantry, you’ll have an all-natural arsenal to battle aches and pains and winter colds, all while indulging in aromatherapy! Western herbs are well known for their health and relaxation benefits. Who among us hasn’t had a cup of peppermint tea to calm down, massaged in a lavender cream before bed or basked in the comforting aroma of rosemary-baked vegetables? J...
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The classic Japanese custard pudding gets a seasonal twist with amazake. During oshogatsu (Japanese New Year), people in Japan huddle outside of temples and shrines to pray for an auspicious year, hands warmed by steaming cups of amazake (fermented rice drink). Incorporating the cheery holiday drink, this amazake purin recipe below riffs on the classic flan-like Japanese purin(custard pudding). Amazake acts as a natural sweetener, so the only added sugar here is in the caramel—a dark, fragrant sauce with just enough bitterness and depth to counterbalance the amazake’s sweetness. Amazake: The “...
Savvy Tokyo
In Japan, the citrus fruit yuzu brings a burst of brightness that cuts through the longest night of the year: the winter solstice. Although the daylight fades earlier and earlier each day as we get deeper into winter, when the sunshine-yellow yuzu (Japanese citrus) hits the supermarket shelves, it’s hard not to get excited. Its cheery color, energizing scent and immune-boosting properties make yuzu the natural choice to remedy a variety of winter woes. Traditionally, the winter solstice is celebrated by taking a yuzu-steeped bath that perfumes the entire room with an invigorating aroma—a pract...
Savvy Tokyo
Introduce harmony into your living space with a touch of bonsai-inspired garden art. Kokedama, or “moss ball”, is an ancient Japanese art form that is derived from the practice of bonsai. The beauty of exposed bonsai roots, which would accumulate moss over time, was the inspiration behind kokedama. It was colloquially referred to as “the poor man’s bonsai” as it was a simpler, more affordable way for people to enjoy the tranquility of a Japanese garden in their homes. The concept of kokedama began as a way for Japanese people to stay connected to the forest while living in the city. The lack o...
Savvy Tokyo
Living your life with purpose—finding your ikigai. The most popular genre of nonfiction, self-help books have been informal guides on everything for decades—but did you know the earliest extant forms dated back to Ancient Egypt? Or that the term “self-help” itself was taken from a book touting mid-Victorian era liberalism entitled Self Help by Samuel Smiles published in 1859? Japan too has a long and robust self-help industry, with some historical examples being Hagakure by Tsunetomo Yamamoto or The Book of Five Rings by Musashi Miyamoto. Just from looking around my local bookshops, I noticed ...
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Have you ever had a strange observation about you pointed out in Japan? Surprisingly enough, you may actually be getting complimented! One thing you’ll learn soon after arriving in Japan is that Japanese people love to compliment. Greet them with konichiwa (hello) and you’ll quickly be applauded for your amazing Japanese abilities. Of course, for those of us who have lived in Japan for long enough, it does become quickly repetitive and often linked to being quite microaggressive, but that’s a whole other topic. You’ll also quickly find that the Japanese (along with many other Asian countries) ...
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The rainy season can be depressing — unless you brighten it up with a Teru Teru Bozu doll. Remember the famous scenes from The Notebook, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Chasing Amy? Yes, those scenes. We wish! In movies, rainy days are primarily signaled by passionate kissing in the rain. Well, I don’t know about you, but my life doesn’t work that way. In my world, rain means melancholy days, moldy interiors and candy-floss hair. And now that June is here, I hate to be the one to say it but the dreaded rainy season will very soon be upon us. In a typical manner, however, our host country has its ow...
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Learn the meanings behind popular flowers in Japan and how different colored blooms can send varying messages. Up your floral and Japanese cultural knowledge with this primer on hana kotoba (flower symbolism) and gift-giving! Red roses for love, the rose as June’s flower of the month…Although I have an avid interest in everything botanical, before becoming immersed in Japanese culture, I can’t say that I actively engaged with the meanings of flowers beyond the most popular ones above. But, in Japan, as well as sharing similar meanings as those found abroad, flowers have also been bestowed with...
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Time to cozy up and scare yourself with more spooky tales submitted by Savvy readers. In August, I gathered real ghost stories from people all across Japan to tie up the Obon season and asked for your submissions. I wasn’t disappointed! There are some spooky things happening all across the country. Also, a lot of people live in jiko bukken (stigmatized properties)—way more than I’d thought, to be honest. Here are more scary stories of real-life experiences with the unexplained from all across Japan, in time for Halloween. The hot businessman?I worked in Akasaka and one night when I was on my w...
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