Happy New Year

Food prepared for new year's

Special food, called Osechi, are prepared for new year's during the first three days of January. Various dishes, which has auspicious meaning, are arranged in four-tiered lacquer boxes (three boxes for our cases in the above figure). The meaning of each dishes is as follows,

1: Simmered dishes (Nishime); Various meanings including luck
2: Fish cakes (Kamaboko); Luck
3: Sweet omelets (Datemaki); Well educated
4: Candied dried sardines (Tazukuri); Grain productiveness
5: Egg roulades (Nishiki tamago); Luck
6: Simmered black soy beans (Kuromame); Good health and long life
7: Mashed sweet potatoes (Kurikinton); Economif fortune
8: Simmered konbu rolls (Konbumaki); Descendants prosperity
9: Grilled yellow tails (Buri-no yakimono); Successful career
10: Vinegar octopuses (Sudako); Luck
11: Vegetable kuai (Namasu); Luck
12: Salted herring roes (Kazunoko); Grain productiveness and descendants prosperity
13: Vinegar lotus roots (Subasu); Bright fortune perspective
14: Grilled prawns (Ebino yakimono): Long life
15: Vinegar roots (Su-gobou); Plentiful hervest

TAKO-YAKI

[What's this]
This food is called by TAKO-YAKI (= Octopus dumpling). Wheat dough including octopus is baked. Cheese as substitute for octopus can be included.

TAKO-YAKI is the country cuisine in Osaka. Each family in Osaka has a dedicated iron plate. TAKO-YAKI is eaten as a snack, festival food, and party food.


[How to make]
1. Stir wheat flour (200g), egg (3), instant bouillon (5 g), soy source (5 ml), and water (900 ml) in bowl to avoid lumps.
2. Cut octopus to size of 1 cm^2. (Cheese is possible instead of octopus.)
3. Bake dough filled on TAKOYAKI device and turn over it timely.
4. Put sauce, mayonnaise, green laver, and small pieces of bonito.

[Good tips]
Iced water is better than water to remove growth of gluten.
Add deep-fired tempra batter (5 g) to one ball.
High flame before baking and weak flame after filling.

Public Holiday

Big kiting @ Sagami river

Although most of Japanese people take few holidays, there are many national holidays.

2015

1/1 to celebrate new year.
1/12 to celebrate youth who remind oneself of adulthood and survive by oneself.
2/11 to honor founding of a nation.
3/21 to care for organism.
4/29 to think Showa era when return from turbulent days to normal.
5/3 to celebrate enforcement for the Constitution of Japan.
5/4 to appreciate natural benefits (very difficult to explain).
5/5 to wish children well.
7/20 to appreciate sea benefits.
(8/11) to appreciate mountain benefits. From 2016.
9/21 to respect senior citizens.
9/23 to respect ancestor.
10/12 to foster healthy bodies.
11/3 to love freedom and peace.
11/23 to respect labors.
12/23 to celebrate Emperor's birth

Between the following days, trains and roads are very very crowd and the airplane fee is expensive. Please check your schedule.

Winter vacation: 12/28-1/3.
Spring vacation: 4/29-5/5
Summer vacation: 8/13-8/16.
Fall vacation: 9/20-9/23

Hiragana

Japanese sword @ Ueno

"Hiragana" has total 50 characters.

あ:a	い:i	う:u	え:e	お:o
か:ka	き:ki	く:ku	け:ke	こ:ko
さ:sa	し:shi	す:su	せ:se	そ:so
た:ta	ち:chi	つ:tsu	て:te	と:to
な:na	に:ni	ぬ:nu	ね:ne	の:no
は:ha	ひ:hi	ふ:hu	へ:he	ほ:ho
ま:ma	み:mi	む:mu	め:me	も:mo
や:ya		ゆ:yu		よ:yo
ら:ra	り:ri	る:ru	れ:re	ろ:ro
わ:wa		を:wo		ん:n

There is the Iroha (いろは) song in which all Hiragana are used without duplication in seven-and-five syllable meter. This is miracle!

いろはにほへと　ちりぬるを　
わかよたれそ　つねならむ　
うゐのおくやま　けふこえて
あさきゆめみし　ゑひもせすん

This sentence has the following meaning.

色は匂へど　散りぬるを
我が世誰そ　常ならむ
有為の奥山　今日越えて
浅き夢見じ　酔いもせず
Even flowers enveloped in a smell fall.
Who is unchangeable on earth?
Nobody transcend on earth, dream empty dream, and voluptuary.

Japanese Comics

Flying Carp on 5th March (The boy festival)

My best 3
★★★ One Piece
★★★ Slum Dunk
★★★ Dragon Ball

Japanese culture
★★★ Hikaru's go

★☆☆ Vagabond

Music
★★★ Nodame Cantabile

Battle & Adventure 

★★★ Attack on titan

★★★ Hunter x Hunter

★★☆ Soul Hunter

★★☆ Yu Yu Hakusho Chapters
★☆☆ Saiyuki

★☆☆ Gantz

★☆☆ Arms

★☆☆ Fist of the North Star

★☆☆ Berserk

Mystery & Horror
★★☆ The Kindaichi Case Files

★★☆ Detective Konan

Game 
★☆☆ Kaiji

Sports
★★☆ Touch
★☆☆ The First Step
★☆☆ Shoot!

Comedy

★★☆ Arakawa under the Bridge

★★☆ Today, Its my turn!!

★☆☆ This is the police station in front of Kameari Park in Katsushika Ward

Others
★★★ Black Jack
★★★ Death Note

★★★ Monster

★★☆ Assassination Classroom
★★☆ 20th Century Boy

★★☆ Team Medical Dragon

★☆☆ Bakuman
★☆☆ Kareshi Kanojo no Jijyo
★☆☆ Candy Candy
★☆☆ Baby & Me
★☆☆ Lovekon
★☆☆ Goldfish Warning!
★☆☆ Phantom Thief Jeanne

Wifi and Cellphone

Baseball stadium @ Yokohama

(Under investigation for some parts in the following)
Unfortunately, free wifi spots are limited in Japan because the user name is strict.  Rental SIM, Pocket-wifi, and WiMAX may be convenient.

There are two types of cellphones: smartphone and flip phone.  We call the flip phone Gala-kei after Galapagos + Keitai (=cellphone). The advantages of the flip phone are low cost and simplicity. Elder people like to use the simple one with function of just call and SMS, which is sold as the Rakuraku phone with large push bottoms and limited functions. Younger people demand mobile gaming and convenience to cellphones. They use smart phone.

Now, a prepaid system is unusual in Japan. That is also the reason why the flip phone is still popular in Japan.  The place to rent prepaid SIM cards is limited to the international airport. To make a contract of cellphone, you need apply for the communication company. Your Japanese address is required. If you stay hotels, you cannot have cellphones. Just rent.

There are three big companies for cellphone: NTT Docomo, Softbank, and AU by KDDI. There are various plans for a cellphone contract. Sometimes, they are very complicated and the Japanese also cannot understand the contents of the plans.

There is no GSM network in Japan.  I will write on unlock system and SIM free in future.

Japanese Animation

The Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum @ Takarazuka

★★★: strong recommendation, ★★☆: fairly good, ★☆☆: good.

My best 3
★★★ Code Geass
★★★ Full Metal Alchemist (Brotherhood)
★★★ World Masterpiece theater (Romeo's Blue Skies and Anne of Green Gables)

Battle and Adventure
★★★ Attack on Titan
★★★ Dragon Ball Kai
★★★ Hunter x Hunter II
★★☆ One Piece
★★☆ Naruto (NOT shippuden)
★★☆ The Seven Deadly Sins
★★☆ Ajin
★☆☆ Parasyte
★☆☆ Baccano!
★☆☆ Ruroni Kenshin
★☆☆ Fist of the North Star

Novel and Story
★★★ Aruslan Senki
★★★ From the new world
★★★ Death Note
★★★ Kemono no Soja Erin
★★☆ Monster
★★☆ Guardian of the Spirit
★☆☆ From the Calm Tomorrow

Mystery, Horror, and Suspense
★★☆ Deductive Konan
★★☆ Natsume's book for friends
★★☆ Hell Teacher Nube
★☆☆ Psycho-pass
★☆☆ Danganronpa
★☆☆ Another
★☆☆ Subete ga F ni naru
★☆☆ The Town Where Only I am Missing

Love Story
★★☆ Hanayori Dango
★★☆ Ore monogatari
★☆☆ Akagami no Shirayukihime

Japanese Culture
★★★ Hikaru's Go
★★☆ Chihayafuru
★☆☆ Chibi Maruko-chan
★☆☆ Sazae-san

Education
★★☆ Bakuman
★★☆ Silver spoon
★★☆ Moyashimon
★★☆ Assassination Classroom

Music
★★★ Nodame Cantabile
★★☆ Your lie in April
★☆☆ Keion
★☆☆ Hibike Euphonium

Food
★☆☆ Yakitate Japan
★☆☆ Shokugeki no soma

Sports
★★★ Weakling Pedal
★★☆ Haikyuu!!
★★☆ Initial D
★★☆ Touch
★★☆ Slam Dunk
★☆☆ Ace of Diamond
★☆☆ Ping Pong

Game, Robots, and SF
★★☆ Evangelion

★★☆ Eureka seven

★★☆ Dragon Quest: Adventure of Dai
★★☆ Persona
★★☆ Sword art online
★☆☆ Planetes

Comedy
★★★ One Punch Man
★★☆ Sakamoto desuga
★☆☆ Osomatsu san
★☆☆ Shonen Ashibe

Others
★★☆ Card captor Sakura
☆☆☆ 恐竜惑星