Sushi Awards 2012 @ Hyper Japan

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At last, an article dedicated to the delicious going-ons at Hyper Japan! This would have come sooner if I had not taken a break from blogging but better late than never. Rather than write a general piece on the whole weekend event, I decided to run through the nominees for this year’s Sushi Awards. The tasting event was my personal highlight.

Thanks to my press pass, I treated myself to a free gourmet sushi lunch! I truly loved all five sushi and, to be honest, it felt as if I’d eaten an entire meal rather than just a few pieces of sushi. It just goes to show how much effort went into the competition.

All images are from the eat-Japan website.

Dragon Volcano 

Restaurant: Tsunami

Chef: Kok Haw Lee

The Sushi Awards 2012 winner! I’d actually been to Tsunami for Valentine’s Day, not long before Hyper Japan, so I was expecting great things from this one.

At the risk of sounding cheesy, this sushi really packed a punch! I love chilli but had never experienced it on sushi before. The filling had one of my favourite Japanese dishes of all time, tempura king prawn, along with avacado and cucumber, and it was topped off with shredded chilli, tobiko, tempura flakes and spring onion. We’re not done yet! Finish with a carrot, onion and mayonnaise sauce, flametorch it, and drizzle with unagi and chilli sauces.

The chef, Kok Haw Lee, originally specialised in Malaysian cooking but has been Tsunami’s Sous Chef for the past two years. The Dragon Roll is a stellar example of his trademark style of combining spicy Malaysian recipes with refined Japanese ones.

Scottish Salmon ‘Crisp’ Maki

Restaurant: Tsuru

Chef: Qiang Xia Zhi

I really loved all of the nominees at this year’s awards but the Salmon ‘Crisp’ Maki really was my personal favourite. What really sealed the deal for me was the range of ingredients (in fact, it was the most ingredient-packed sushi there) and the sense that I’d eaten more than just a delicious piece of sushi. With a filling of salmon and seabass, rolled in asparagus, avocado and tempura flakes, mixed with sake, mirin, soy sauce, spring onion and sesame seeds . . . this really is a flavoursome sushi!

Chef Qiang Xia Zhi has had 20 years experience in the sushi world and is Lead Sushi Chef at Tsuru. His creations are inventive, sustainably resource and, above all, delicious.

Road of Lightening

Restaurant: Matsuri St James’s

Chef: Noboyuki Yamaguchi

I was actually given two pieces of this sushi to try because I loved it so much! A vinegared miso and mango chutney mix and cherry balsamic and soy sauce mix are drizzled over grilled salmon marinated in European herb and soy sauce. Top it off with fried ginger and you have an original blend of Japanese and European flavours. Sushi and ginger are two of those things I just can’t say ‘no’ to, so it’s no surprise that I really appreciated the Road of Lightening.

Chef Nobuyuki Yamaguchi comes from a long line of sushi chefs and came to the UK in 2005, where he researches and creates new and exciting Japanese and European flavours at Matsuri St James. His colleague, Asuka Kobayashi, won the previous Sushi Award, so there’s clearly a lot going on in the kitchens! I plan to drop in for lunch next time I’m in London.

Cherry Blossom

Restaurant: SO Restaurant

Chef: Tomokazu Matsuya

A very seasonal sushi! Unusually, it is a sweet sushi and yet it draws on an ancient sushi-making technique. The salmon filling is pickled using a rice malt to bring out its flavour and complemented by the blossom-infused sushi around it. It is then wrapped with a ‘golden thread’ of egg and served on a sakura leaf – bringing spring straight to your plate!

Chef Tomokazu Matsuya was born in Hokkaido and served as a chef in Japan’s Self Defence Forces, travelling all over the world. He came to the UK after 13 years of service and is now the head chef of SO Restaurant, imparting his knowledge of sushi techniques to enthusiastic young learners. I’ve never tried anything quiet like the Cherry Blossom sushi and I really hope it’s staying on the menu!

Very Lucky Strawberry

Restaurant: Yashin

Chef: Masaki Nishioka

A lot of people might not believe that sushi can be a dessert dish but don’t be fooled. The Very Lucky Strawberry redefines the western idea of ‘sushi’. I’d never tried a ‘sweet’ sushi before so this was really unique and it was a pleasure to taste. The filling consists of spring strawberries, azuki beans and sakura leaves, surrounded by glutinous rice wrapped in crepe batter and brown sugar syrup. A delicate ball of green tea flavoured milk jelly caviar is added on top to complete the effect.

Chef Masaki Nishioka hails from the seafood-rich island of Kyushu and has worked hard in his trade from the young age of 18, studying under celebrated chef Yasuhiro Mineno. As well as Sous Chef at Yashin restaurant, he is also an innovator and experimenter of sushi and keenly researches Japanese food philosophy across the globe.

Next time you’re in London, or if you’re already there, I recommend you go to as many of these restaurants as possible (preferably all of them). The thing I miss most about London is actually the standard of Japanese food. There’s a good range here in Manchester, that’s for sure, but London still comes out on top for me. For the low down on all the contestants, check out eat-Japan and keep an eye out for next year’s event!

Finally, I just need to mention that this blog might now alternate between a weekly and fortnightly format. I’m starting a new job next week (and am very excited!) and so that is taking priority. I will endeavour to return to the weekly format but, if I can’t make it, I won’t put up a ‘no post this week’ post as I have done before. I’ll do my best to deliver next week, so stay tuned and subscribe!

I’m back (almost)!

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Wow, so it really has been a month since I last blogged. It’s been a manic few weeks so I’ve not had the time to write much, hence the lack of activity. However, the blog will be returning soon with a few small changes, as detailed below:

  • I may no longer be able to do the regular ‘of the week’ posts that this blog is best known for on a weekly basis. They take 4-6 odd hours to do in total and it’s a mad rush to finish things every week…
  • Which leads me to the second point. I plan to keep this as a ‘weekly’ blog but the posts may be shorter and may feature just one story, event etcetc. I’ll also be doing more ‘top ten’ and ‘top five’ lists.
  • There will be no more ‘samurai of the week’ feature. This is by far the longest part of the blog to write and I usually spend far too much time on this one section. Not to mention, I’ve exhausted the main list of samurai. I may do a ‘famous Japanese person of the week’ feature later on.

So, as promised (FINALLY) I will be doing a feature on Hyper Japan next week. It will be relatively short and focus on the Sushi Awards as I have already covered the other aspects in this here video.

Sunday 11th March: 1st Anniversary of The Great East Japan Earthquake

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I don’t think you’ll need reminding that this Sunday will mark the one year anniversary of the Fukushima tragedy in Japan, which saw thousands of people lose their lives and homes. Many bodies are yet to be found and reunited with their families and most people who were displaced still cannot return home.

The rest of the world has continued to show its support for Japan and the UK is no exception. There are a number of fundraising events going on around the country this week and I have pulled together a list of the ones I’ve managed to find. Hopefully you’ll be able to attend one of them but don’t worry if you can’t – you’ll be able to donate money another way.

London

South 

North west

This is by no means a complete list but the wealth of events here illustrate that people over here are still thinking about Japan. If you can’t see any events near you listed in here, get in touch with your nearest Japan Society or university society and see what you can find. If you have any events to add to this list, leave a comment below and I will update.

Hiatus

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I regret to inform you that I’m having to take a few weeks away from blogging. If you’ve been following me on Twitter at all, you might know that I’ve had a lot going on over the past few weeks; job hunting, rethinking my job hunting strategy and moving out of my flat. Long story short, I need to take a break from the blog and sort a few things out.

I’ll still be going to Hyper Japan, which I’m really looking forward to, and my next post will be a report on that. I’m estimating I’ll be taking four or so weeks off but I’ll have a surprise ready for you when I return.

Don’t despair! There are still some things to do while the blog is inactive. For starters, you can go back through the archives on the right hand side of the page. Secondly, if you have any suggestions for content or want to write for the blog, email me at sophiesjapanblog@live.co.uk. You can also answer the polls I’ve left below.

 

Week 23: An interview with Peter Payne (Jlist)

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Source: peterpayne.net

I’m very pleased to announce that I spoke with Peter Payne, founder of www.jlist.com, and can now post the interview on the blog for you lovely readers! This could not have come at a better time as there’s currently a sale on their Japanese sweets and chocolates, so get cracking and buy some stuff!

Not heard of Jlist before? Here’s an introduction straight from the website itself:

‘Do you love Japanese stuff? J-List is a wonderful toybox of things from Japan, with hentai games, Japanese anime goods, doujinshi and manga, and more!’

Yaaay, hentai?

Long story short, I bought a Tiger & Bunny calendar for my friend through Jlist at Christmas and was surprised when another friend bought me the same thing. I’m in love with the range of products on the site (mainly the sweets and drinks) and would like to point out that my birthday’s soon! *hint hint* I tweeted Peter asking if I could send him some questions, he kindly said yes, and the rest is history. On that note, let’s jump in!

For the benefit of those who don’t already know, please introduce yourself.

Well, I’m Peter Payne, an American who came to live in Japan in 1991, during the reign of Bush the First. Before the Internet really hit, so it was really old school back then.

How did you move from teaching English in Japan to setting up Jlist? What was the best thing about teaching for you?

Really Netscape was a pretty important moment for me. Just hearing all the silly news about Netscape’s IPO and how the “new economy” was coming was a wake-up call, and I told my wife Mrs. J-List (note, not her real name) that I wanted to start a company. Before officially starting I tested the water for a year or so by posting lists of products I’d had for sale (mostly used music CDs, which is where we got our start) so by then I knew the demand was enough to make the business viable.Along the way we learned the power of blogging, and we’ve had a wild ride ever since.

What was the inspiration for Jlist? Was running such a business always a dream for you?

We really started porting dating-sim games, aka eroge, though no one called them that back in 1996. We literally started J-List to “tide us over” until the H-game business took off, which was silly, looking back.

What would you say is the single weirdest item you have on Jlist?

One of the products that defined us was the Hello Kitty shoulder massager made by Sanrio, which everyone naturally assumed was for massaging some other part of the body. That kind of mix of wacky with cute was really fun.

Can you tell us a bit more about your family in Japan?

I blog about them quite a bit. Just me, my Japanese wife, son and daughter. They are bilingual, having grown up with a dad who is American rather than Japanese, but they’re average kids. My son is becoming quite an otaku, and actively scouts 2ch for “neta” (topics for me to write about) in my blog posts. I often thing our life would make an interesting 4-koma manga, something like Darling wa Gaikokujin with otaku jokes in it.

Seeing as Jlist is having a sale this month on its chocolate, what do you recommend?

Hmm, just about anything is good. Green Tea Kit Kats are another iconic item from Japan these days. One thing is, we are forced to remove all chocoalte products from May to October since summer is so hot here, so anyone interested in ordering some of these items should do so before May. (We always get a flood of mails when chocolate goes away on the site.)

What advice would you give to people would want to become fluent in Japanese and live in Japan?

Hmm, big question. I’d recommend anyone considering a move here visit and look around, see what jobs etc would be realistic. While I did the ESL teaching thing and it was good, it’s really not the best job in the world, and Japan is frankly flooded with would-be teachers now. (If you don’t have a degree, you can’t even get a visa, so obviously go back to school if you are considering Japan in your future.)

Do you get to visit other places in Japan outside of work?

Oh, I get around quite a bit. Took a nice trip up to Tohoku and Hokkaido a couple of years ago, and want to go back soon, in part to spend some money to help the region recover economically.) Though the life of a business owner is never an easy one.

So, what’s next for Jlist?

Hmm, we have some new project to announce soon, but I can’t discuss it right now. It will be non-eroge and will hopefully be of interest to all anime fans. I wonder what it could be!

Week 22: From me to you

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Exciting news! In fact, FOUR bits of exciting news. Firstly, I am now joining the fabulous team at Tokyo Podcast. I’ll be making my introduction on Sunday and will be pointing listeners in the direction of new and exciting Japan-related sites and blogs every week. Secondly, thanks to the wonderful people at Cosplay Gen, I’ve obtained a press pass to Hyper Japan in London. I’ll be covering the World Cosplay Summit and European Cosplay Gathering preliminaries for them and will feature the rest of the events on my blog too. Of course, I’ll be linking you to all of these things from my blog as they appear online.

Thirdly, the blog finally has a custom-made banner! The winning banner is by Wai San for her konbeni breakfast piece. Head over the artwork page to see her other entry and link to her Deviantart account. I’m always looking for new things to add to the artwork page, so send anything you’ve got my way.

Finally, my blog views are OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAND! I think this actually happened last week but I’ve only just noticed. I’d like to thank everyone who reads and has subscribed to the blog. Knowing that people really enjoy it is what makes it all the worthwhile.

News Story of the Week: Japan’s elderly population turns to gaming

What’s your reaction to your grandad attempting to play something like Dance Central 2 on the Wii? Embarassment, shame, amusement? Japan’s massively popular gaming arcades do not just attract teenagers and young adults but an increasing number of retired people. The median age at Yokohama’s Sega Corporation game arcade is not pre-teen but closer to post-retirement!

What is the reason for this social phenomenon? A rapidly ageing nation is certainly a key factor, with the population expected to shrink by 30% by 2060 when seniors will outnumber children 4 to 1. Gaming arcades have already spotted this trend and are actively trying to entice elderly people to their business with treats such as frequent player cards, both for mobiles and the more traditional stamp cards.

Most elderly people prefer the traditional analog games, such as the coin slot machines, rather than the shooting games. For them, the arcade is a more exciting alternative to staying home in front of the TV and it keeps their brain active. With an increasingly ageing population, the future of Japanese gaming arcades is certainly an interesting one.

Source: cnn.com

Destination of the Week: Kamikochi

Kamikochi is a popular mountain resort in the Japanese Alps (Nagano Prefecture). It is only open between April and November and offers views of some of Japan’s best mountain scenery.

Running roughly 15 kilometers along a plateau, surrounded by tall mountains and active volcano Yakedake, Kamikochi is part of the Chubu Sangaku National Park. It is a protected area, with only a few souvenir shops, mountain huts and hiking trails, and accessible only by bus or taxi. Completing the picture is the suspended Kappa-bashi Bridge over the Azusa-gawa River. The resort is best enjoyed by hiking and the terrain is largely flat, so good news for unprofessional ramblers. For a challenge, you can take a steep climb to reach the surrounding mountain peaks.

Before the Meiji Period, only woodsman had access to Kamikochi. However, walking was later introduced as a pasttime and more people gradually visited the area. The first climber of the mountains was said to be a Buddhist priest from the Toyoma region, as mountain climbing was seen as a natural form of worship.

Source: sunnyfortuna.com

Japanese Saying of the Week: Monowa tameshi

This is a very simple proverb this week. ‘Give it a try’ or ‘it’s worth a try’.  In other words, you’ll never know until you try.

Samurai of the Week: Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen

The Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen, otherwise known as the Takeda Nijūshi-shō, are one of the many famous military groupings of the Sengoku period. These men were some of the most trusted commanders of the Takeda armies and close advisers. Many of them died at the Battle of Nagashino in 1575 when their forces clashed with Oda Nobunaga’s. These retainers ranged from displaced samurai to family members to those whose lands were taken over by the Takeda. The full list of these generals can be found at the Samurai Archives website, so I will list just a few of the most interesting ones.

Many of these warriors were famed for their bravery in battle. Baba Nobufusa and Hara Toratane were said to have fought in over 70 battles without being injured. Yamagata Masakage dressed his troops in red to instil fear into the enemies, earning them the title ‘Red Regiment’. Some of the generals earned nicknames for their bravery, such as Akiyama Nobutomo ’The Raging Bull of the Takeda Clan’ and Obu Toramasa ‘The Wild Tiger of Kai’. All of these generals, including Sanada Masayuki, the father of Sanada Yukimura, earned their place in history for the skills they displayed in various important battles including Uedahara and Mikatagahara.

Not all of these warriors were incredibly loyal. Oyamada Nobushige deserted Shingen’s son Katsuyori in favour of the Oda but Nobunaga later executed him for his cowardice.

Interestingly, Kōsaka Masanobu was one of Shingen’s lovers (as the practice of the older samurai taking on a younger one was widely practised and often encouraged in that period), although this was something that the two officially denied in a love pact.

The concept of the Takeda Nijūshi-shō was actually drawn up by an artist during the Edo period and merely drew together Shingen’s greatest warriors, not necessarily ones who all fought at the same time.

Source: historum.com

Bento of the Week: Nyanko burger

Here is a healthy vegetarian bento! Walnut rice cheeseburger with the popular Nyan Nyan Nyanko character. Sweet and delicious. You can even make it yourself with the recipe that Happy Little Bento has kindly put together. The rest of her bento are also well worth checking out!

Source: happylittlebento @ blogspot

Series of the Week: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

There are two Fullmetal Alchemist (FMA) series – the one that strayed from the original manga when it was nowhere near finished, and the one that sticks to the original story by Hiromu Arakawa. Brotherhood is the second ‘series’ and it has pleased fans both new and old.

The world of FMA is one of alchemy. Two brothers and aspiring alchemists, Edward and Alphonse Elric, try to bring their mother back from the dead but fail miserably. Alphonse’s soul is ripped from its body and Edward loses his leg and then his arm when reattaching his brother’s soul to an inanimate suit of armour. It makes for a rather dramatic opening scene; screaming children with bloodied bodies. In order to restore their bodies back to normal, they travel across the country riddled with political intrigue and corruption, looking for the Philosopher’s Stone. However, will they still want to use it once they learn the secret behind the stone’s creation?

If you watched the original FMA anime (2004), you might be put off by committing time to watching a retelling of the story. DON’T. Brotherhood (2010) is much darker than its predecessor and includes a lot of characters and plotpoints that the original anime series overlooked, which notably riled up its creator. While the original 2004 was running and made some dramatic changes, Arakawa took her revenge by dragging the FMA manga down a much darker route. The result for the manga, and FMA Brotherhood, was therefore emotional and dark. I’ve lost track of how many times I welled up when watching it.

This series has everything; loss of innocence, explosive fight scenes, complex characters, a political backdrop and war. It’s dark and gruesome but brilliantly told. The fact that the main characters are still children makes it even more emotional. Both the manga and Brotherhood series are masterpieces in their own right and you really should dedicate time to both of them if you can.

Source: 10/10 (quite simply, a masterpiece)

Source: myanimelist.net

Weird Thing of the Week: Valentine’s Day in Japan

Valentine’s Day is, of course, a Western celebration that the Japanese have embraced . . . with a twist. Instead of men wooing women with chocolates and flowers, it is only the women who give presents to men. In Japan, Valentine’s Day is seen as the perfect (and possibly only) day for women to express their feelings. In reality, this tradition was merely something thought up by a smart chocolate company that knew women were more likely to spend a lot of money on their products.

To complicate it even further, receiving chocolates from a woman does not necessarily mean that she fancies you. It could just be ‘Giri-choko’, obligation chocolate, intended for family, bosses or platonic male friends. A man that she is romantically interested in will receive the more coveted honmei-choko. ‘Giri’, mutual obligation, is very important in Japanese culture as you are obliged to return the favour if someone does you a favour.

It’s not all take take take for the men, however, as they are expected to return gifts to women on White Day (March 14), a day that is a Japanese creation.

Instead of saying ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ in Japan, you should say ‘omedetou’.

Source: chaptershi @ wordpress

Recipe of the Week: Sweet Berry Sushi

Alright, so this might not be a traditional dish but it’s sweet and therefore ideal for Valentine’s Day! This was the Bronze Winner from the Original Sushi Competition 2003, over on eat-japan.com.

Ingredients

  • 180g sushi rice
  • A selection of berries(any kind)
  • Some chocolate sprinkles
  • 10 mint leaves

For the crepe mix:

  • 1 egg
  • 70g wheat flour
  • 15g bar chocolate
  • 15g coca powder
  • 250cc milk

Method

1) To make the crepe mix, first grate the bar of chocolate finely and melt it (by putting it in a bowl then placing the bowl into boiling water, halfway up the bowl). Strain the flour and cocoa powder well and mix in the egg, milk and melted chocolate (in that order),then strain.

2) Cook ten crepes from the mix in a very light oiled, or non-stick frying pan.

3) Mix the rice with the chocolate sprinkles. Wrap it in the crepes and put into small glasses.

4) Put the berries on the rice and place the mint leaves on top.

Source: eat-Japan.com

Final Thoughts

I’m putting together a Japanese wishlist as it’s my birthday in just over a month. As such, I’m craving green tea Kit Kats! I love matcha and Kit Kats, so this is an obvious choice for me. Any other suggestions as to what I should buy or ask for, send me a link!

Also, as I forgot to mention it last week, check out February’s book of the month!

Week 21: Snow, dragons and nostalgia

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It’s a bit of a miracle I managed to post on time this week. I’ve had three job interviews to prepare for so was very busy with those. On top of that, what normally would have been a direct 2 hour trip back to Manchester turned into a four hour detour through Milton Keynes. However, not wanting to let you lovely people down, here is your regular post format!

Also, if you have some time spare this weekend, consider entering the blog’s art competition! The deadline is Monday 6th.

News Story of the Week: Extreme snow in Japan

Think the cold spell in Britain’s bad? It’s much worse in Japan. In fact, there are far too many stories emerging on this topic that it was impossible to pick out just one. In light of this, I am linking you to three separate stories from the News on Japan website (one of my main sources for Japanese news).

Firstly, 51 people across Japan died due to the extreme blizzards gripping the country. On the same day, it emerged the an avalanche in Hokkaido killed three bathers in an onsen. Thursday evening saw 500 vehicles being stranded by snow in the northern Aomori Prefecture. People unable to return home have been offered public lodgings in assembly halls and primary schools and even Tokyo is experiencing heavy snow. These are the worst snowstorms that Japan has faced in 5 years.

The most extreme weather conditions are confined to northern Japan, particularly the island of Hokkaido. However, much of the country is currently gripped by an unforgiving and potentially deadly snowfall.

Source: Japantimes.co.jp

Destination of the Week: Amanohashidate

Roughly meaning ‘bridge in the heaven’, Amanohashidate is a 3.6 kilometre long pine tree covered sand bar stretching between Miyazu Bay in the northern Kyoto Prefecture. It is ranked as one of Japan’s three most scenic views, the nihon sankei.

Amanohashidate is a beautiful 2 hour side trip from the historical capital Kyoto and is particularly ideal for nature lovers. At the southern end of the bar stands Chionji, a lovely Buddhist temple with a small tahoto, a small pagoda. The sand bar is best viewed from the hills on either side of the bay, accessible by cablecar. Turn your back towards the bay, bend over and look at it from between your legs – Amanohashidate will now look like the ‘bridge in the heaven’. This ‘practice’ has been continuing for well over a millenium.

Source: Japan-guide.com

Japanese Saying of the Week: Tonari no shibafu wa aoi 

This old saying translates to ‘the neighbour’s lawn is green’. You may be more familiar with its western equivalent; ‘the grass is always greener of the other side’. The alternative solution or another person’s situation will nearly always leave you longing for another life instead. Enjoy your own life and stop wishing to be in someone else’s shoes.

Samurai of the Week:  Hôjô Ujiyasu

The Hôjô clan were one of the most prominent samurai families in early Japanese history, and Ujiyasu is described as its greatest Daimyô by some scholars. He assumed control of the family after his father Ujitsuna’s death and inherited a series of forts along the Sumida River, the most important of them being Kawagoe. The rival Uesugi forces and their allies attacked Kawagoe and isolated it but Ujiyasu came to its rescue. His night attack has been recorded as one of the greatest in samurai history because of the skill and precision involved.

After Kawagoe (1545), the majority of smaller daimyô in the Kanto region were effectively under the control of the Hôjô. Ujiyasu significantly reorganised the administration of the lands and transformed Odawara into an important trading centre. However, their western borders were blocked by the powerful Takeda and Imagawa clans and so the Hôjô were forced to assume the defensive position that they were later to become very famous for in history. Although Ujiyasu made some progress in expanding eastward, he continually came into conflict with clans such as the Satomi and Satake.

Much of Ujiyasu’s later life was occupied by clashes with Kenshin Uesugi, who invaded and burned Odawara, although there was never a decisive conflict between the two clans. Although the Hôjô and Takeda made a tactical alliance in 1562, it was undermined when Takeda Shingen adopted Kenshin’s seventh son. This led to a series of battles in the Suruga Province that culminated in a second brief siege of Odawara, which the Hôjô only just managed to hold onto.

Although Ujiyasu officially retired in 1560 in favour of his eldest son Ujimasa, he continued to guide the clan until his death in 1571. He was both a talented general and administrator, although his clan would meet its demise just two generations later.

Source: samurai-archives.com

Bento of the Week: Dragon

As it’s the year of the dragon in the Chinese zodiac, what’s better than a dragon bento? Take a look at bentolicious’ dragon bento; made from rice, steamed coriander, cucumber, tiny pork sausages and chilli. Do I spy a Pokemon?

Source: mybentolicious.com

Series of the Week: Oban Star Racers

Now, this is a potentially controversial choice, as some people don’t consider Oban Star Racers to be an anime because it’s not 100% Japanese. In fact, this show is a joint French-Japanese venture that ran on Jetix TV a few years ago. I have fond memories of this show as a teenager, as I was a massive French geek at the time and was just getting round to discovering anime properly (Pokemon and Sailor Moon were probably the only anime I watched as a child).

The story takes place on earth in 2082 and the planet has been invited to compete in the galactic Great Race of Oban. The prize – being granted any wish by the great Avatar, even bringing back a loved one from the dead. Eva Wei escapes boarding school to find her father Don Wei, who left her there after the death of her mother and his wife, who was a racer. Don Wei fails to recognise Eva and, in order to stay with the team, she poses as an engineer named Molly. After a mysterious accident forces Earth’s pilot to forfeit the race, ‘Molly’ steals the ship and enters the next race with its pilot, Jordan. Haunted by her mother’s death and her relationship with her father, Molly aims to win the race and reunite her family.

In case you were wondering, ‘is this some awful run-of-the mill western cartoon masquerading as an anime?’, consider the team behind it. The score is composed by Taku Iwasaki, most famous for his work on Gurren Lagann, and the storyboard has had the likes of Yoshimitsu Ohashi, who worked on Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood and Trigun, on board. On top of that, the English voice cast features the talents of Brian Drummond and Sam Vincent.

Oban Star Racers was a nostalgic project for both viewers and its producer, Savin Yeatman-Eiffel. Fans of the show will already know that his goal was to creative a distinctive show that was both emotive, gripping and reminiscent of the shows that he fondly remembered as a child. He then set up his own ‘Sav! The World’ studios and it took 9 years for the show to take form, three of them spent in Japan working with Japanese animators.

I have fond memories of this show for a number of reasons; specifically its plot, music and artwork. Whilst the show ran for just 26 episodes and shows no signs of making a comeback (this may not be a bad thing as it is great as a standalone project), Oban Star Racers is definitely recommended if you want to feel some nostalgia. I think it might be in the same band as My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic, which has garnered a lot of adult (male) followers despite the fact that it’s meant to be a children’s programme. It’s definitely worth checking out, either way.

Score: 8/10 (beautiful and moving. A lot of effort was put into this show and it deserves more love.)

Source: interney.net

Weird Thing of the Week: Yankii

There are a lot of things that Japan has picked up from the west, some of them much more unfortunate than others. One of these more unfortunate fashion trends is the yankii phenomenon, a play on the American word for ‘yankee’ or ‘white trash’. In British culture, you can probably call them chavs.

Yankii are young men and women who dye their hair blonde, wear cheap clothes, smoke, drink, swear and have children before leaving high school. They are famous for being loud, rude and not conforming to Japanese societal norms. Although they were in fashion around the late 80s and 90s, you will still see the odd few wondering around Tokyo today. Rather than being a fashion statement (as opposed to lolita, visual kei etc) the yankii have become a symbol of how the country has fallen from grace – terrorising old ladies and not doing their homework. Sound familiar?

The yankii can best be described as a social phenomenon that thrives off lawlessness and rebelliousness. Although certain films such as Battle Royale largely glamorised them, they are not looked upon favourably in Japanese culture. Whilst they may still appear to be more troublemakers than potential rioters or criminals, the fact that they are disrespectful and rebellious is enough to upset many older Japanese people.

Source: cracked.com

Recipe of the Week: Dashimaki Tamago

Osechi is the traditional Japanese New Year’s meal made up by an array of small dishes presented in beautiful boxes. Each osechi dish symbolises something different: from hope for a bountiful harvest, safety for loved ones, longevity, or fertility.  One of these dishes is dashimaki tamago, Japanese-style omelette.

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 1/3 tsp dashi soup (substitute miso)
  • 1/2 tsp soy sauce
  • Dash of salt

Method

1) Crack eggs in a bowl and mix.

2) Add cold dashi soup, soy sauce and salt to the eggs and mix.

3) Heat in a rectangle shaped frying pan (a circular one will do). Oil the pan by putting a little cooking oil on a paper towel and swiping it in the pan.

4) Add about 25% of the egg mixture, and when it toughens, fold it over 5 or 6 times like an omelette until it takes up 1/4 of the space in the pan.

5) Using the paper towel, add a little more oil then add another 25% of the egg mixture to the surface of the pan. Lift the folded egg a little bit to let the new batch run underneath.

6) When the new batch toughens, fold the egg again, beginning with initial folded egg to create a singular folded omelette. Repeat this process twice more until you have one large omelette.

7) Move the omelette to the side, letting it cool for a couple of minutes, then slice lengthwise into 1/2″ pieces.

Source: japanfoodaddict.com

Final Thoughts

I’ve made some changes to the ‘about’ section of the blog. It’s nothing major but I just wanted to clarify that I am not an expert on Japan, just someone who is very interested in and decided to write a blog on it. Then again, I’m sure that most of you, like me, are just interested in Japan and like finding out something new about it every week! That’s the purpose of this blog, after all! All that’s left to say is – thanks for taking the time to read this (and subscribe *hint hint*)!