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Vinegar Museum Handa 2008-01-14 04:27:00 ???????Vinegar, along with sake came to Japan in the 5th century. Vinegar was first produced from rice but in the early 19th century, the founder of the Mizkan vinegar company, Matazaenon Nakano, discovered a way to make vinegar from sake lees, a by-product of sake brewing.Sake was already produced in Handa, a small town on the east coast of the Chita Peninsula, south of Nagoya city, so raw materials were in abundance.The "Su-no-sato" Vinegar Museum is located in one of the large, black, wooden buildings that make up Mizkan's present-day production facility.A visit to the museum is free and consists of a 30-minute video on the history and health benefits of vinegar (it reduces cholesterol) and then a 30-minute tour of the museum, which displays the manufacturing process used in the Edo Period and that in use today.Vinegar was used in making nigiri sushi (hand rolled sushi), which was beginning to become popular in Edo (Tokyo). Edo-period sushi was about three times bigge ...

Japan This Week 1/13/08 2008-01-13 01:40:00 ?????Buddhists go modern to attract new converts.GuardianUnsafe US beef may have been sold in Japan.NY TimesRuling party takes advantage of obscure parliamentary rule to allow Japanese navy to begin refueling US ships in Indian Gulf again.The Daily YomiuriJapan passes Afghan Bill.NY TimesNori (seaweed) grows in popularity in the US.NY TimesGovernment passes law to help hepatitis C sufferers.Asahi ShinbunJapan is the world's largest "urban mine" with 6,800 tons of gold in the country inside electronic appliances - the highest figure in the world.Japan TimesSeventh-grade boy has his first sexual experience in after school detention--at the hands of his 28-year-old teacher.Mainichi ShinbunLast week's Japan newsJapan StatisticsAvoiding illegally parked bicycles is a fact of life in Japan. Bikes clog sidewalks and have even been known to prevent ambulances from getting down narrow streets.According to a survey completed in 2005, Tokyo leads the nation in abandoned bicycles with ...

Dunno much about history… 2008-01-12 02:27:00 ????The Benesse Educational Research and Development Center, part of the Benesse Corporation, based in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward, recently conducted a survey called "International Survey of Six Cities" on the academic performance, study-related attitudes, and other miscellaneous aspects of the lives of young school pupils in six cities worldwide: Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Helsinki, London, and Washington DC.Naturally, some interesting facts emerged. Overall, the pupils with the most gung ho attitude towards their studies were in Seoul, where the average pupil spends two and a half hours on weekday evenings on homework and extra study - compared to two and a quarter hours in Beijing, an hour and three-quarters in Tokyo, and just over an hour in Helsinki, London and Washington DC.What might appear to be the most baffling statistic for pupils from a country that pulled itself up by the bootlaces to become one of the world's leading economies is Japanese pupils' response to the stateme ... History

Four Stories -- Tokyo 2008-01-11 02:26:00 Four Stories Japan Winter Season Kicks off in Tokyo!Please join us for the return of Four Stories Tokyo: "Sight, Taste, Touch: Tales of the senses" on January 31st.FEATURING prose readings from:* Leza Lowitz, author of over 12 books of fiction, poetry and translation; winner of the PEN Syndicated Fiction Award and PEN Josephine Miles Poetry Award; and NEA Fellowship recipient.* Mark Robinson, author of Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook; editor of the Japanese culinary magazine Eat; deputy editor and music editor of Tokyo Journal magazine; and food and culture contributor to publications such as Nest (U.S.), the Financial Times, The Times (U.K.), the Australian Financial Review Magazine, and others. * Ted Taylor, writer and musician living in Kyoto, whose work has appeared in Kyoto Journal and more; winner of the 1999 Kyoto International Cultural Association Essay Contest.* Hillel Wright, author of Rotary Sushi, a collection of stories, and two novels, All Worldly Pursuits a ...

Japanese Police Force 2008-01-10 01:36:00 ??There are around 280,500 police officers in Japan under the control of the National Police Agency. That is around one police officer for every 450 citizens, a similar ratio to that of the UK, but less than the US. Each of the 47 prefectures in Japan has its own police force. There are also special police units as part of each prefectural force such as riot police (kidotai), railway police and some prefectures maintain Special Assault Teams, trained to deal with terrorist incidents, violent kidnappings and hijackings. Recently a SAT force was involved in the capture of an ex-yakuza member who was holding his wife hostage just outside Nagoya, though one of their number became the first SAT member to die while on duty.Most visitors to Japan will probably first encounter the Japanese police in neighborhood koban (police boxes) and standing on a small box with a big stick outside Shinkansen (bullet train)ticket gates.The modern Japanese police service dates from 1874 when the Meiji au ...

Book Review: Midori by Moonlight 2008-01-08 20:53:00 Book Review: Midori by MoonlightMidori by Moonlight Midori by Moonlightby Wendy Nelson TokunagaSt Martin'sISBN 0312372612192 ppThough a few details in the novel don’t quite jibe, Midori by Moonlight is a fun and perceptive read. The story begins with 30-year-old Midori having just arrived in San Francisco from Fukuoka to live in the US “for good." She is at the magnificent home of her fiancé Kevin, and only barely competent in English. The first sign of trouble comes in the form of an ex-girlfriend at their engagement party--with whom Kevin disappears for most of the party.By Japanese standards, Midori is already a bit long in the tooth. When Kevin, a monolingual English teacher who spends a year in Fukuoka to "forget," proposes to her after only several dates, she almost immediately accepts. This is in part because her concerned parents arranged a devious attempt at omiai (arranged marriage), which totally backfires. Back in San Francisco at the party, Kevin dumps Midori for the ...

Japanese New Year Cards - Nengajo 2008-01-07 10:00:00 ???Just as people send Christmas cards in the West to keep in touch with friends and family, a similar tradition exists in Japan of sending New Year cards (nengajo) to arrive on January 1st. It is customary for businesses to send out these cards to clients and customers too.Pre-formatted and postage-paid cards can be purchased from stationery shops which often have the relevant animal of the Chinese zodiac displayed as part of the layout. 2008 is the year of the rat and you will see the rodent as part of the 50 yen stamp at the top left of the card above. The character for the particular animal featured that year is different from that used for the animal in everyday Japanese. Therefore, this year featuring the rat, the character you will see is the one usually used for the word "child" - a somewhat unfortunate, perhaps, double meaning. Speaking of children, families often produced their own designs for the front of the card, usually with cute images of their offspring much to th ...

Yunoyama Onsen 2008-01-06 18:56:00 ?????Yunoyama onsen at the base of Mount Gozaisho (1212m) in Mie Prefecture is an easy day trip from Nagoya for those in search of some hot, healing spa waters during the cold season.Legend has it that the hot springs were discovered in the 8th century by hunters who spotted deer enjoying the hot water. Situated in Suzuka Kokutei Park, the small spa village has a number of Japanese-style inns or ryokan, where you can spend the night or just pop in during the day to take the waters.Bath charges range from around 500 yen to 1,000 yen for entry to the baths at the various hotels, many of which have rotemburo or outdoor pools.Here are a list of some of the options:Otel do Maronie (059 392 3210) 1000 yen for adults; 500 yen for childrenHotel Yunoki (059 392 2141) 800 yen for adults; 400 yen for childrenKuranosuke (059 392 2509) 800 yen for adults; 400 yen for childrenShikanoyu (059 392 2141) 1000 yen for adults; 3-500 yen for childrenIrodorikoyo (059 392 3135) 525 yen for adultsAc ...

Japan This Week 1/06/08 2008-01-05 21:27:00 ?????Japanese rethinking education, and looking to India.NY TimesTokyo rated by Independent Newspaper as the "capital of Asia."Japan Times37,000 year-old frozen baby mammoth goes on display in Tokyo.The Daily YomiuriAfter PM Fukuda's visit to Beijing, whither Japan-China relations?The People's DailyKiller Mochi (sticky rice cakes) strikes again.Mainichi ShinbunSpecial service at Osaka dental clinic.Mainichi ShinbunThe Japanese government takes over the chairmanship of the G8 group of industrialized nations on January 1st.BBCJapanese company offers "pet allowance."BBCWith a conviction rate of 99%, Japan's legal system is about change.Channel 4 NewsLast week's Japan newsJapan Statistics2007 traffic fatalities in Japan were the lowest in 54 Years. The death toll was 5,743, which was a 9.6 percent drop from the previous year. Police attribute this to the new Road Traffic Law, which took effect in September.Source: Kyodo NewsBirths top out at 1.1 million in 2007. According to ...

Inazawa Mitsubishi Tower 2008-01-05 05:17:00 ??Inazawa is an unremarkable, rather grim town, north of Nagoya on the rail route to Gifu. Inazawa's one claim to fame is a 173m (567 foot) tower in the grounds of its Mitsubishi factory complex.According to the BBC the US$ 50m tower will be used by Mitsubishi to conduct research on high speed elevators for the next generation of super skyscrapers.Mitsubishi, the main employer in Inazawa, will "test new drives, gears, cables and other lift systems," according to the BBC article.AccessInazawa is three stops north of Nagoya Station on the JR Line to Gifu and Maibara. The huge tower is visible from the station. Turn left and walk about 15 minutes for a close-up view.Yahoo Japan Auction ServiceBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsTokyo Serviced ApartmentsBudget accommodation in JapanHappi CoatsTagsJapan Inazawa Mitsubishi Nagoya Elevator ...

88 Temple Pilgrimage - Kyoto 2008-01-03 23:27:00 ????????Japan's most famous pilgrimage route is on the southern island of Shikoku. The 1,200 km route consists of 88 shrines, and is thus called "The 88 Temple Pilgrimage."Many of the temples along the route were founded by Kukai, the monk and scholar better known as Kobo Daishi.Today's pilgrim is more likely to do the Shikoku route in his own car, or a tour bus. Some however still don the white jackets of the pilgrim and walk it. Walking the route takes roughly two months to complete, and many of the temples offer low-priced accommodation.There are however other less arduous pilgrimage routes. Among them is "Hachi-ju Haka-sho" (88 Temple Pilgrimage), a short hike in the hills behind Ninnaji Temple that is modeled on the Shikoku route. Located in northwest Kyoto, Ninnaji is a World Heritage Site and is well worth a visit, but for locals the mountains behind it are perhaps even more inviting.In imitation of the more famous route in Shikoku, there are 88 mini-temples. T ...

Karato Fish Market 2008-01-03 07:22:00 ????The Karato Fish Market is on the waterfront in Shimonoseki right next to the Kaikyo-kan aquarium (Tel: 0832 28 1100).In the early hours of the day it is a busy wholesale market, and as the day progresses it turns into a retail market heavily visited by tourists. All kinds of seafood delicacies can be bought and eaten there, and it specializes in fugu (Puffer Fish) as Shimonoseki is the undisputed capital of fugu with 80% of all fugu in Japan passing through here.Images of Fugu are everywhere, even adorning the manhole covers.The market has been here since 1933, but the new 8,000 square meter building was built in 2001. The roof of the market is unusual in that it is covered in grass.Entrance is free and there is a large car park. There are buses from outside Shimonoseki Station with the first one leaving at 5.55am on weekdays.Karato Market5-50 KaratoShimonosekiTel: 0832 31 0001Yahoo Japan Auction ServiceBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsTokyo Serviced ApartmentsBudget acco ...

New Year's Day in Meiji Jingu Shrine 2008-01-02 04:45:00 ???????Tokyo's Meiji Jingu Shrine was a hub of New Year's Day religious activity. Located in sprawling, wooded 170-acre grounds, the Shrine is accessed via grand avenues of trees that form a complete canopy over the paths.Dappled sunlight from a brilliant, crisp blue winter sky played over the thousands who thronged the ways to the shrine. The Shrine is accessible from three directions, the main one being the south gate (see above).The courtyard of the Shrine, while crowded, was not quite as much of a hubbub as the experience of just getting inside suggested. The crowd was concentrated in front of the Shrine, watched over by very conspicuous security as hundreds of coins were flung moment by moment into the big wooden receptacles and hands were clasped in prayer for a year of health and good fortune.Outside the Shrine, there were stalls selling amulets, most of them featuring the rat, which is the Chinese zodiac animal for this year. There was also, of course, the omiku ...

New Year 2008 2008-01-01 02:58:00 ???2008?Today is New Year’s Day, or gantan in Japanese. Yesterday, New Year’s Eve, or ohmisoka, is just as big a day as New Year’s Day. On the evening of the 31st, Japan’s main TV station, NHK, broadcasts Kohaku from 9pm until just before midnight: an over-the-top variety show that features the creme of the entertainers who have made it big in mainstream Japan, plus some newish talent whose appearance on the show guarantees that they will make it big.Kohaku is an extravaganza that spans the whole gamut of mainstream entertainment in Japan, from the mediocre, maudlin, and manic, to the melodious, and even the magnificent. It is the kind of program that can only really be watched in company, preferably over dinner.A friend and I sat around a lucky-dip stewpot, a typical dish in winter, and watched Kohaku on his massive 72” screen, and toasted each other with an extra cup of sake when the countdown to 2008 was over.We then set out for Toyokawa Inari shrine in Tokyo’s A ...

Kaikyo Yume Tower 2007-12-30 23:35:00 ??????????At 153 metres, the Kaikyo Yume Tower, built in 1996 in Shimonoseki, is the tallest tower in Western Honshu.The observation deck is reached by elevators travelling at 2 metres a second and offers stunning 360 degree views over Shimonoseki and across the Kanmon Straits to Kyushu.Open daily, year round, entrance is 600 yen for adults, 300 yen for kids.The Kaikyo Yume Tower is a 5 min walk from Shimonoseki JR station.Kaikyo Yume Tower3-3-1 Buzenda-cho, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, 750-0018Tel: 0832 31 5600Yahoo Japan Auction ServiceBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsTokyo Serviced ApartmentsBudget accommodation in JapanHappi CoatsTagsJapan Yamaguchi Shimonoseki skyscraper ...