A to Wa of Japan: Week 16

April 20, 2013, 2:59 pm

≫ Next: The Tokaido (東海道)

≪ Previous: Introducing: RAYCHELL

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It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again! Last week’s post was about things beginning with せ (se) and we looked at Senso-ji (浅草寺. This week we are looking at things beginning with そ (so). A big thank you to everyone who joined in with suggestions this week:  Jay Dee suggested soba (そば / a kind of noodle), soki soba (ソーキーそば … Continue reading »

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The Tokaido (東海道)

April 24, 2013, 10:03 am

≫ Next: Exhibition: Masayoshi Sukita: Photographs of David Bowie, 1972 – 2002

≪ Previous: A to Wa of Japan: Week 16

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When I lived in Japan I became aware of the Tokaido (東海道), an ancient road which once connected Tokyo (then Edo) to Kyoto. The Tokaido was the most important of the Edo Five Routes (Gokaidō / 五街道), five routes set up by the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川 家康) (1543 – 1616) to connect Edo to other parts of Japan during the … Continue reading »

Exhibition: Masayoshi Sukita: Photographs of David Bowie, 1972 – 2002

April 24, 2013, 4:42 pm

≫ Next: A to Wa of Japan: Week 17

≪ Previous: The Tokaido (東海道)

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Something you may not know about me is that I am a bit of a David Bowie fan. I’ve loved him since I was a kid, have all of his studio albums, and have seen him play live a couple of times. It’s been a while since I’ve really given much attention to Bowie, but … Continue reading »

A to Wa of Japan: Week 17

April 28, 2013, 10:45 am

≫ Next: Funmatsucha from Chiki Tea

≪ Previous: Exhibition: Masayoshi Sukita: Photographs of David Bowie, 1972 – 2002

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It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again! Last week’s post was about things beginning with そ (so) and we looked at soba (そば). This week we are looking at things beginning with た (ta). A big thank you to everyone who joined in with suggestions this week:  Shiotadesu suggested tatami (畳 / traditional straw mat), tamagoyaki (卵焼き … Continue reading »

Funmatsucha from Chiki Tea

April 29, 2013, 12:33 pm

≫ Next: Monthly Recipe: Sushi with Miso Soup

≪ Previous: A to Wa of Japan: Week 17

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At the beginning of April I was lying in bed one night browsing Facebook, when I spotted an announcement from Chiki Tea asking for tea tasters. Moments later I had managed to sign myself up to taste some funmatsucha (粉末茶). Not to be confused with matcha (抹茶), funmatsucha is actually micro-ground sencha (煎茶) (that’s ‘ordinary’ green … Continue reading »

Monthly Recipe: Sushi with Miso Soup

April 29, 2013, 2:37 pm

≫ Next: My Golden Week in Bristol

≪ Previous: Funmatsucha from Chiki Tea

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I recently got hold of a Yutaka Sushi Kit, and thought I’d have a go at making sushi by myself. I tried making sushi once before with friends, and I wasn’t very good at it, but this time was much more successful. Yutaka also sell lots of other Japanese food and ingredients, and I decided … Continue reading »

My Golden Week in Bristol

May 2, 2013, 5:52 am

≫ Next: A to Wa of Japan: Week 18

≪ Previous: Monthly Recipe: Sushi with Miso Soup

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It’s one of the best times of year in Japan at the moment: Golden Week. Golden Week (ゴールデンウィーク) is a collection of holidays that happen to fall very close together, causing one of the three main holiday periods in Japan (the other two being Obon (お盆) in August and Oshogatsu (お正月), which is New Year). … Continue reading »

A to Wa of Japan: Week 18

May 5, 2013, 5:50 am

≫ Next: Making my bed…

≪ Previous: My Golden Week in Bristol

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It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again! Last week’s post was about things beginning with た (ta) and we looked at takoyaki (たこ焼き) and taiyaki (タイヤキ or タイ焼き). This week we are looking at things beginning with ち (chi). A big thank you to everyone who joined in with suggestions this week:  lovelycomplex22 suggested chirashizushi (ちらし寿司 / scattered sushi); Japan Australia suggested Chiba … Continue reading »

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Making my bed…

May 5, 2013, 8:37 am

≫ Next: Going nuts about Kinomi

≪ Previous: A to Wa of Japan: Week 18

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I try not to bore you too much with the day-to-day goings on of my life because I’m sure no one out there really wants to read about all that stuff. I haven’t gone on too much about the stresses of moving, the hassle of unpacking, and the endless flat-pack-furniture building. This is, after all, a … Continue reading »

Going nuts about Kinomi

May 5, 2013, 11:36 am

≫ Next: A to Wa of Japan: Week 19

≪ Previous: Making my bed…

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I’m usually more of a sweet snacks person, generally opting for chocolate over crisps, but when it comes to nuts I just can’t resist. I love peanuts, cashews, and anything with a Japanese flavour such as wasabi, miso or soy sauce. Kinomi – a range of whole nuts dry roasted with Japanese seasonings – is … Continue reading »

A to Wa of Japan: Week 19

May 11, 2013, 4:00 pm

≫ Next: A to Wa of Japan: Week 20

≪ Previous: Going nuts about Kinomi

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It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again! Last week’s post was about things beginning with ち (chi) and we looked at Chichibu (秩父). This week we are looking at things beginning with つ (tsu). A big thank you to everyone who joined in with suggestions this week (I know ‘tsu’ was a particularly tough one!): Japan Australia suggested Tsu (津 … Continue reading »

A to Wa of Japan: Week 20

May 19, 2013, 7:19 am

≫ Next: Exhibitions at the ICN gallery in London & Center for Creative Communications in Shizuoka

≪ Previous: A to Wa of Japan: Week 19

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It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again! Last week’s post was about things beginning with つ (tsu) and we looked at Tsumago-juku (妻籠宿). This week we are looking at things beginning with て (te). A big thank you to everyone who joined in with suggestions this week: Zooming Japan suggested teriyaki (てりやき / a cooking technique in which foods … Continue reading »

Exhibitions at the ICN gallery in London & Center for Creative Communications in Shizuoka

May 19, 2013, 8:31 am

≫ Next: Netsuke – In a Nutshell

≪ Previous: A to Wa of Japan: Week 20

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To be honest, I’m not missing many things about London, but of all the Japanese-related things I had access to in London the one I do find myself missing is the ICN gallery. I don’t just miss the gallery because they have wonderful exhibitions, I also miss it because the people working there are so friendly … Continue reading »

Netsuke – In a Nutshell

May 19, 2013, 12:44 pm

≫ Next: Book Review: Buddhaland Brooklyn by Richard C. Morais + Win a Copy of the Book!

≪ Previous: Exhibitions at the ICN gallery in London & Center for Creative Communications in Shizuoka

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Have you heard of Netsuke (根付)? I had, but I didn’t really know much about them until I went along to the Embassy of Japan in London’s current exhibition: In a Nutshell. The exhibition, which features more than 200 netsuke, was fascinating, and I was lucky enough to attend a talk while I was there too. I … Continue reading »

Book Review: Buddhaland Brooklyn by Richard C. Morais + Win a Copy of the Book!

May 19, 2013, 1:28 pm

≫ Next: Japanese StrEAT food in Bristol

≪ Previous: Netsuke – In a Nutshell

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“As he approaches his fortieth birthday, the introverted monk Seido Oda is ordered by his superior to leave behind his peaceful refuge in the remote mountains of Japan and set up a temple in Brooklyn’s Little Calabria. There Oda is confronted with an uphill struggle to get to understand the ways of his new host … Continue reading »

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Japanese StrEAT food in Bristol

May 20, 2013, 3:23 pm

≫ Next: The Great Wave of Stokes Croft

≪ Previous: Book Review: Buddhaland Brooklyn by Richard C. Morais + Win a Copy of the Book!

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When I heard about a street food event in Bristol called StrEAT Food Collective my first thought was: “will there be any Japanese food?!”. Fortunately, I was in luck! The event, which takes place in Cabot Circus in Bristol, has been happening every week during May and I first popped down on 3rd May in … Continue reading »

The Great Wave of Stokes Croft

May 22, 2013, 2:24 pm

≫ Next: A to Wa of Japan: Week 21

≪ Previous: Japanese StrEAT food in Bristol

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Reblogged from Picturing England: My favourite piece of street art in Bristol so far is this take on Hokusai's Great Wave by MM13 on Hillgrove Street in Stokes Croft: You'll notice this piece has some extra characters though... The original wave was painted in February 2009, I think, and in June of the same year … Continue reading »

A to Wa of Japan: Week 21

May 26, 2013, 1:15 pm

≫ Next: Japan Blog Matsuri: Japanese in Context

≪ Previous: The Great Wave of Stokes Croft

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It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again! Last week’s post was about things beginning with て (te) and we looked at Tebasaki (手羽先). This week we are looking at things beginning with と (to). A big thank you to everyone who joined in with suggestions this week: Zooming Japan suggested Tokushima (徳島 / a city and prefecture in Shikoku), Tokyo (東京 / … Continue reading »

Japan Blog Matsuri: Japanese in Context

May 27, 2013, 4:07 am

≫ Next: Monthly Recipe: Zen vegetable chowder

≪ Previous: A to Wa of Japan: Week 21

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It’s been a really long time since there was a Japan Blog Matsuri, so when Declan of Kana Kanji got in touch to ask if I would participate in the new Japan Blog Matsuri I couldn’t resist! The theme is Japanese in Context: We’ve all spent time studying our textbooks, listening to lessons or sitting … Continue reading »

Monthly Recipe: Zen vegetable chowder

May 27, 2013, 2:56 pm

≫ Next: Announcing the winners: Buddhaland Brooklyn by Richard C. Morais

≪ Previous: Japan Blog Matsuri: Japanese in Context

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Monthly recipe is back, and this time I needed something quick, simple, and healthy so I adapted a recipe from Yo! Sushi – The Japanese Cookbook by Kimiko Barber. The recipe is called ‘Zen vegetable chowder’, but what makes it ‘Zen’? Well, this recipe is based on Buddhist vegan cuisine known as shojin ryori (精進料理), which … Continue reading »