Well,
I can imagine that some people would be hanging out for a post about food...I'm going to talk briefly about some of the food experiences I've had in Japan. It won't be by extensive, but more of a short entree to wet your taste buds for the food that you might see throughout my future posts, especially the imminent travel posts!
Washoku
Washoku is the word for Japanese food or dishes. I learnt a little about it in class, where our example dish was the below.
The main points that I took are that Washoku is often comprised of various small plates which contain neatly set out items of food. I suppose that's really all I wanted to say about that...
Cooking Onigiri
A group of us got together to cook Onigiri, or rice balls, which are a pretty common item of food in Japan that can be eaten at any time of the day. All that is needed to make Onigiri is rice, nori (seaweed) and some kind of filling. Our choice was tuna and Kewpie mayonnaise.
The hard part of the process was trying to get a triangle shape...We succeeded in the end...well, most of us...
Mochi
Mochi, or soft rice cakes are a food you see a lot of in Japan. In the past, I've participated in making them by pounding the rice into what you see on the outside. This is often done around New Year.
But, even though it's not New Year, I've come across some mochi this time, which is a bit unfortunate, because I don't go much on anko (red bean paste), which is the typical filling...
That concludes my short and very specific discussion on food - but don't worry, more is on the way!
Hi all,
It's a bit belated, but here is the May Newsletter.
Enjoy!
Hi all,
Well, it's been a while since I posted, but I have a good reason...
My Mother and Sister came to Japan to visit me, so I've been busy doing things like:
- Going to Kyoto
- Revisiting the tourist spots in Nagoya
- Going to Tokyo
I'll try to avoid posting pictures of things I've already talked about, and I'll try to focus on culturally relevant things (this is meant to be a Karate blog after all...)
But I still expect to end up posting a lot of photos, so stay tuned...!
Hi,
I Just thought I'd post a photo from the Yakisoba (kind of stir fry...with noodles (when it comes to cooking, I'm somewhat terminologically challenged )) and Okonomiyaki (omelette with cabbage etc...) party.
One of the university clubs, along with us exchange students, got together to cook. I was in the Yakisoba group. It was good fun, and the food turned out well.
Thanks to Sorin Sensei for the photo!
Hi all,
This is just a bit of a random post about a cultural point and language points that I've been experiencing here in Japan, for those who are interested.
First, I'll do the more interesting bit, and talk about Omiyage...
Cultural Point: Omiyage (souvenirs)
Well, in the course of my Japanese studies, I have come to understand the concept of obligatory souvenirs in Japan. If a Japanese person goes overseas, or travels domestically, it is expected that he/she brings souvenirs back for family, class mates, colleagues etc. However, I was recently surprised by the extent the giving of Omiyage is taken to.
After the Golden Week holiday a few weeks ago, I received various Omiyage, including some from the workers at the International Centre at the University. One person had gone to a farm, and brought back cookies to give everyone.
What I found interesting was that another had returned to their hometown, and had also brought Omiyage back...Cookies as well, just for your information. It seems like cookies are the popular Omiyage of the moment...they're good if you have to give something to a lot of people I suppose.
Anyway, the point is, even if you go somewhere for a reason other than tourist activities or work, you still seem to be expected to buy Omiyage...
Language Points: Some more things I've noticed...
Again, whether it's just Nagoya or just the university environment etc. is something I could only speculate on, but, here are some more language points I've noticed as I go about in Japan.
Both of these bits are usually used at the start of a sentence, or by themselves.
The first is 確かに (tashika ni), which means something similar to 'certainly.' I often hear it quite a bit in the average conversation, probably because it can be used as aizuchi* when said by itself.
The second phrase is とりあえず (toriaezu), which means approximately 'for the moment'. I really do hear this phrase used all of the time, which might be somewhat to do with the environment I'm in...but then, both of these phrases might be, as in previous visits to Japan, I didn't hear either enough to be conscious of it.
Well, I haven't posted anything for a while, so hopefully this is interesting after that break, and I'll try to think of some more things to post!
Thanks!
* a sound made by the listener in a conversation to show that they are listening/that they agree. In English, the most common one is probably just 'mmm...'
Well, I'm finally ready to report back on my Karate ventures in Japan.
At present, I'm attending two separate dojos; the one at my University, and an independent dojo.
The University club is not Goju, but Toshin-kai (東真会) style. I'm attending this dojo because it's convenient and a good way to make friends. The style isn't that different, and it's interesting to notice the differences. I like the opportunity to do a bit of extra exercise.
The second dojo that I'm attending is one that I sought on the internet. This dojo is part of the Nagoya Goju-kan. So, basically, it's the same style. However, this dojo comes under a different organisation than the I.G.K. It is affiliated with the Japan Karatedo Goju-kai Association (JKGA) and the International Karatedo Goju-kai Association (IKGA). As the picture below shows, it is much the same:
The practice that I attend is held in a sports centre, so the space is often shared. Also, from what I've seen so far, it is a reasonably small dojo in terms of students. I am enjoying training with the students there (most of those I've met so far are younger than me).
But, if there's one thing I've learnt so far about Karate in Japan, it's that you can rely on training times to be unreliable and unpredictable. Therefore, the times that the dojo I'm currently attending may not be suitable all throughout my time here.
This fact also helps explain my attendance at the Toshin-kai dojo (if you thought I was just particularly enthusiastic, continue, by all means!). Despite attending both, so far I haven't had more than 2 lessons a week. Although it may settle down in May, it's useful to have a couple of options for training just in case.
Well, that's about it. I've only been attending both for under a month, so things may change as I go along...if so, I'll be sure to give an update.
Thanks!
Here are some pictures from another nice place, located not too far from Atsuda Jingu (it's tucked out of the way a bit). Shirotori is no Ritsurin, but it's a very nice Japanese garden, complete with Koi!
A-h, yes, I do love Koi!
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