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CD Review: Ling tosite sigure (凛として時雨) – i’mperfect

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I’m afraid I’m a bit behind with my blog posts at the moment, and I’ve been meaning to review this CD since June! Apologies for the delay, but I figured better late than never! Another reason for my delay is that I’ve been waiting and hoping the right words would come to me. When I … Continue reading »

Leaf peeping

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The two most popular times to visit Japan are spring and autumn – spring for the cherry blossom (桜 / sakura), and autumn for the coloured leaves (紅葉 / koyo). In spring, people have hanami (花見 / literally, flower viewing) parties, and in autumn people do momijigari (紅葉狩 / literally, hunting red leaves or maple leaves). Here in … Continue reading »

JLPT Challenge 2014!

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The other day at work a few of my colleagues and I made a decision… we’re going to take the JLPT next July! Having missed the deadline for the text this December (and being in no way prepared for it anyway), next July seems like a reasonable goal. It’ll be fun to all go up … Continue reading »

A to Wa of Japan: Week 45 (last in the series)

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It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again, and this is the last in the series! Last week’s post was about things beginning with ろ (ro) and we looked at Rokurokubi (轆轤首). This week we are looking at things beginning with わ (wa). A big thank you to those who joined in with suggestions this week (and to … Continue reading »

Doki Doki in Manchester

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On Saturday I went to Doki Doki in Manchester. Doki Doki is a Japanese culture event which first happened in 2011, and now takes place every two years. I’ve only been to Manchester a couple of times before as a kid, so I was quite excited to visit there (although I didn’t actually get to … Continue reading »

To Tohoku!

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As many of you will know, since returning to the UK in 2011 I’ve been itching to get back to Japan. In particular, I’ve been keen to explore the Tohoku region (東北地方) which, to date, I’m afraid to say I haven’t visited. As you can see from the photo of my pinboard below, I’ve explored a … Continue reading »

Restaurant Review: Obento (お弁当)

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Since moving to Bristol in May I’ve been meaning to write about my local Japanese restaurant, Obento, but I simply haven’t had time. I was lucky enough to go there for lunch today though, and that prompted me to come home and dig out the photos I took back in August so I could put … Continue reading »

Green Tea Paradise

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As I mentioned at the beginning of November, this month I’m participating in NaBloPoMo and I’ll be posting every day. I’m almost half way through the month, and it’s been a challenge to get the posts written every day, but it’s giving me a good chance to catch up on things I’ve been meaning to … Continue reading »

Manga-esque Street Art in London

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As some of you will know, one of my other hobbies is taking photographs of street art. It’s always interesting to look at the influences in street art, and often I notice Japanese influences. A while ago I was in London and I spotted this manga-esque paste-up in Shoreditch by Tian: Tian is a French … Continue reading »

Exhibition: ‘Megan and the Burobbu Boutique’ by Tom Lewis

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A year ago I went to see an exhibition in London by the wonderful Tom Lewis, called Megan and the Beasts of Kaimei. Since then, I’ve followed Tom Lewis’s super kawaii work online, and was delighted when he announced another exhibition. Megan and the Burobbu Boutique is being held in BOXPARK in Shoreditch, and will … Continue reading »

I Wish (奇跡) – A film by Hirokazu Koreeda

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In October I discovered I was a fan of Japanese writer and director Hirokazu Koreeda (是枝 裕和) when I went to see Like Father, Like Son. That cinema outing prompted me to go home and get straight on Amazon, and the result was my purchase of I Wish (奇跡). (Image source) This afternoon I put … Continue reading »

Gifts from Kyushu

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Recently I attended an event in London about Kyushu (九州), Japan’s third largest island. It was a great opportunity to learn more about a part of Japan I haven’t yet visited, and I found it very inspiring. Kyushu has so much to offer – from delicious food to traditional towns, hot springs to nature. It … Continue reading »

Starbucks Japan – Christmas 2013

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As soon as I see the red cups return to Starbucks I know it’s Christmas, and my mind instantly turns to Japan. Starbucks in Japan has some really inventive seasonal flavours, and Christmas time is no exception. This year’s offerings are クラッシュ マロン パイ フラペチーノ (Crushed Marron Pie Frappuccino) and クラッシュ マロン パイ ラテ (Crushed Marron Pie … Continue reading »

Monthly Recipe: Chestnut & Mushroom Rice (栗とキノコのごはん)

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Autumn is here, and winter will be on its way before we know it, so this month I decided to cook something warm, comforting and seasonal: Chestnut & Mushroom Rice (栗とキノコのごはん). I found the recipe in a magazine called Japan Close-Up, and it looked very easy. I was a bit concerned about being able to find … Continue reading »

Hello Kitty – Sickly Sweet

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Whilst Christmas shopping the other day I came across these Hello Kitty ‘Sprinkle Cupcake Treats’ from America and couldn’t resist treating myself. I should have known better! Had they been Japanese hello Kitty sweets I’m sure they would have been quite nice, but these American sweets were sickly sweet and quite disgusting! (>_<) No wonder … Continue reading »

Umami (うま味)

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(Image source) Umami. Do you know that word? It’s a Japanese word (うま味) meaning something like ‘pleasant savoury taste’. According to Wikipedia: “People taste umami through receptors for glutamate, commonly found in its salt form as the food additive monosodium glutamate (MSG). For that reason, scientists consider umami to be distinct from saltiness.” Although originally … Continue reading »

The Perry Scroll at the British Museum

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From April until October this year, there was a special item on display in the Japanese Galleries at the British Museum – the Perry Scroll. I apologise for not posting about this event sooner, but perhaps it’s still interesting to those of you who missed it. As part of Japan 400, a year of events … Continue reading »

Innocent Noodle Pot – Japanese Ramen

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I’m quite a fan of the brand ‘innocent‘, known for their healthy smoothies, so I was keen to try their new product – innocent noodle pot in Japanese ramen flavour (they also have noodle pots in other Asian flavours). The first thing I noticed about this instant noodle offering was that despite being called ‘ramen’, the … Continue reading »

Book Review: Tales from a Mountain Cave by Hisashi Inoue

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The sound of a trumpet across a mountain valley leads a young man to befriend a mysterious stranger. During repeated visits to the cave where the stranger has set up home, the young man learns about his past – in the mines, villages and ports of the region. The stranger’s hilarious, bawdy and touching narratives … Continue reading »

RapMushi (ラップムシ)

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Everyone at work was feeling a bit under the weather today, and lunchtime turned to silliness. My colleague decided to introduce us to an app called RapMushi (ラップムシ) which he had on his iPhone, and I have now downloaded on my iPad. The app’s free – I wouldn’t have downloaded it if it wasn’t – and … Continue reading »
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