it's that time of the blog again -- that's right, quirky japan!
this time it'll be short and sweet because i'll be talking about bitansan （微炭酸）.
bee-tawn-sawn.
three little syllables that take all the fun out of carbonated drinks because bitansan means something like "lightly carbonated" -- so it's like drinking flat soda even though you just opened the bottle.
i honestly don't know why it exists -- most people who enjoy sodas ALSO happen to enjoy that fizzy-dizzy goodness known as carbonation. i mean, it ceases to even be soda at this point. it's just...really sweet juice with a flat-soda bite at the end. and it's not even a good bite.
seriously bitansan, taking all the fun out of the soda game. and it's tricky too -- they hide the fact that's bitansan by writing it in itty-bitty letters on the bottom of the label, instead of putting a big fucking sign on it like they should that says BEWARE NEARLY-FLAT SODA DESU.
on the plus side though, sometimes they sell like SUPER carbonated soda which is like getting kicked in the teeth by a pressure cleaner -- now that's the kind of carbonation i can get behind.
2014年9月25日木曜日
2014年9月22日月曜日
bizarre crime strikes back!
back by popular demand (or something -- i dunno, my previous hanzai post got the most page views yet for this blog, so-- ), it's bizarre japanese crimes!
there have been a whole string of new incidents going on around japan, like this morning for example, there was a report on TV that started a little like this:
"it looked like money was raining down from the sky!"
last night at osaka station, what appeared to be yen notes came down from the skies by the hundreds, and while people gathered to claim their fortune, they quickly realized that it was NOT indeed money that was falling -- it was actually photographs. hundreds of them.
so what were they pictures of? you might ask.
a high school boy sitting in the priority seating area of a train, taking up another half of a seat.
a man smoking inside a train station (stations are non-smoking).
simply put, the pictures were of various types meiwaku koui, a.k.a. people being assholes (okay, that might be a really loose translation but...) we're talking like smoking in non-smoking areas, looking at your phone while walking (and bumping into people because you're not paying attention), taking up more seats than you need on a crowded train, talking loudly on your phone on trains and buses -- stuff that is a nuisance to others.
lately there has been a rise in something called sarashi, which means like exposing someone or something. what it means in this context, however, is posting pictures of actual people being assholes online and then bashing them. actually not only pictures, but video too. there was a case where a guy saw a young mother scream at her crying kid before kicking them in the head in the middle of a train station -- really messed up, and really deserving of not just an internet bashing, but an arrest, but here's the thing -- the guy taking the video sees the crime happening and while filming, mind you, casually says, "i'mma call the police" which prompts the mom to grab her kid by the hand and take off, but the guy filming is the ONLY ONE out of the entire busy station that says ANYTHING to the mom. i don't know how you can stand by and watch blatant child abuse happen.
now i'm all for putting assholes in their place, but... not sure that the problem is really solved just because you put a picture or video up on the net along with your own two-cents. i mean fighting assholes by being an asshole is very much in character with the internet, but...you could just say something then and there. i guess it does provide evidence for cases like child abuse, but i digress.
this osaka station picture thing is like real life sarashi -- actual photos being flung out into the real world for people to see. but it's not like this really solves anything -- it was just sort of creepy. so far there have been no arrests made nor suspects found, and one can only speculate at their motives but...it seems more like a waste of money on printing costs than anything else.
last but not least -- a 38 year old man was arrested for strangling stray cats and beating them against the pavement. when the police stopped him, there were 4 or 5 dead cats in the basket on his bike, and he's also believed to be involved in the death of some 40 or so stray cats who had been fed poisoned cat food. the sick fucker had a pet cat at home too. seriously cannot stand this kind of animal abuse -- i hope someone bashes his face into concrete before strangling him to death too. you see a lot of stray cat cruelty from mutilation to murder. there are about 4 stray cats in my neighborhood -- all of which i've never seen cause a problem, in fact, everyone sorta takes care of them. i mean, they have just as much a right to live as everyone else, right? come on humans, get it together.
there have been a whole string of new incidents going on around japan, like this morning for example, there was a report on TV that started a little like this:
"it looked like money was raining down from the sky!"
last night at osaka station, what appeared to be yen notes came down from the skies by the hundreds, and while people gathered to claim their fortune, they quickly realized that it was NOT indeed money that was falling -- it was actually photographs. hundreds of them.
so what were they pictures of? you might ask.
a high school boy sitting in the priority seating area of a train, taking up another half of a seat.
a man smoking inside a train station (stations are non-smoking).
simply put, the pictures were of various types meiwaku koui, a.k.a. people being assholes (okay, that might be a really loose translation but...) we're talking like smoking in non-smoking areas, looking at your phone while walking (and bumping into people because you're not paying attention), taking up more seats than you need on a crowded train, talking loudly on your phone on trains and buses -- stuff that is a nuisance to others.
lately there has been a rise in something called sarashi, which means like exposing someone or something. what it means in this context, however, is posting pictures of actual people being assholes online and then bashing them. actually not only pictures, but video too. there was a case where a guy saw a young mother scream at her crying kid before kicking them in the head in the middle of a train station -- really messed up, and really deserving of not just an internet bashing, but an arrest, but here's the thing -- the guy taking the video sees the crime happening and while filming, mind you, casually says, "i'mma call the police" which prompts the mom to grab her kid by the hand and take off, but the guy filming is the ONLY ONE out of the entire busy station that says ANYTHING to the mom. i don't know how you can stand by and watch blatant child abuse happen.
now i'm all for putting assholes in their place, but... not sure that the problem is really solved just because you put a picture or video up on the net along with your own two-cents. i mean fighting assholes by being an asshole is very much in character with the internet, but...you could just say something then and there. i guess it does provide evidence for cases like child abuse, but i digress.
this osaka station picture thing is like real life sarashi -- actual photos being flung out into the real world for people to see. but it's not like this really solves anything -- it was just sort of creepy. so far there have been no arrests made nor suspects found, and one can only speculate at their motives but...it seems more like a waste of money on printing costs than anything else.
last but not least -- a 38 year old man was arrested for strangling stray cats and beating them against the pavement. when the police stopped him, there were 4 or 5 dead cats in the basket on his bike, and he's also believed to be involved in the death of some 40 or so stray cats who had been fed poisoned cat food. the sick fucker had a pet cat at home too. seriously cannot stand this kind of animal abuse -- i hope someone bashes his face into concrete before strangling him to death too. you see a lot of stray cat cruelty from mutilation to murder. there are about 4 stray cats in my neighborhood -- all of which i've never seen cause a problem, in fact, everyone sorta takes care of them. i mean, they have just as much a right to live as everyone else, right? come on humans, get it together.
2014年9月21日日曜日
the perks (and not-so-perks) of being a foreigner
okay, first -- the recent lack of posts is mostly because i started a side project and it's really taking up my time. sorry. but i have good news!
i'm going to be featured by one of the local TV stations here, talking about the wonders of the seto inland sea! hooray! what's even better for you guys is that it's going to be a segment in ENGLISH and it's going to be on YOUTUBE so you guys can actually watch it! yay! *cue streamers and confetti*
this is one of the perks of being a foreigner -- especially if you're a business owner and a foreigner.
but i'm getting ahead of myself.
when a new restaurant or cafe opens up in hiroshima, you'll get calls from local TV and magazines asking to let them come and interview you, take pictures, compliment your food, etc, for free. new shops are featured all the time and it's really awesome because as a newly opened shop, you're generally pretty broke and ads are expensive, so getting free publicity is always welcome. so we too got the media welcome (4 different local TV shows, local radio, magazines, the newspaper, you name it) -- but you have to keep in mind, i'm a white chick that speaks japanese. you don't really see a lot of them around, let alone opening their own cafes. this means that my face is plastered on magazines and TV. you get this reputation as that white chick from cinnamon who speaks japanese. this means local media will start to call you up to be on shows that are about being a foreigner in hiroshima, not so much about your cafe.
this is how i ended up on a segment called "heart in japan" -- about 5 minutes where they interviewed me about coming to japan, things i found quirky about japan, etc. and this is also how i ended up getting the youtube gig too. it's pretty cool. not like i'm getting paid for it or anything, but it's fun to get the chance to see the TV industry, plus this time i'll be able to show you guys too! and they're filming it at the cafe!
i will definitely let you know more when i can, for now though, we film on tuesday.
but there is a downside too. i have a pretty recognizable face living you know, amongst mostly japanese people, and so whenever i'm on TV, i get random strangers saying, "hey! you're that cinnamon girl i saw on TV!" even if i'm in the middle of lugging 20 kilos of groceries around on my morning trip to the grocery store or hurrying to get somewhere on time. in the age of instagram, it means that people i follow and who follow me (but i haven't actually met) will leave comments like "i saw you in such and such a place!" and i'm like oh. well. that's kinda. stalker-y? even though i know they don't mean it like that., you never know who might be watching you when you're in the city.
it's like being a walking, talking billboard for the cafe too -- and you get people who stop you in the street on your day off to try and make a reservation (uh, hello? do i look like a phone?) or ask for directions to your store or when your day off is or...any other silly question they have (please use google, thanks).
so while there are indeed lots of perks that come with being a white chick, there are also a lot of annoyances that come too, and you learn to deal with it. but hey, if i can get my 20 seconds of fame and promote the cafe while i'm at it, then yeah, definitely down for being on TV.
i'm going to be featured by one of the local TV stations here, talking about the wonders of the seto inland sea! hooray! what's even better for you guys is that it's going to be a segment in ENGLISH and it's going to be on YOUTUBE so you guys can actually watch it! yay! *cue streamers and confetti*
this is one of the perks of being a foreigner -- especially if you're a business owner and a foreigner.
but i'm getting ahead of myself.
when a new restaurant or cafe opens up in hiroshima, you'll get calls from local TV and magazines asking to let them come and interview you, take pictures, compliment your food, etc, for free. new shops are featured all the time and it's really awesome because as a newly opened shop, you're generally pretty broke and ads are expensive, so getting free publicity is always welcome. so we too got the media welcome (4 different local TV shows, local radio, magazines, the newspaper, you name it) -- but you have to keep in mind, i'm a white chick that speaks japanese. you don't really see a lot of them around, let alone opening their own cafes. this means that my face is plastered on magazines and TV. you get this reputation as that white chick from cinnamon who speaks japanese. this means local media will start to call you up to be on shows that are about being a foreigner in hiroshima, not so much about your cafe.
this is how i ended up on a segment called "heart in japan" -- about 5 minutes where they interviewed me about coming to japan, things i found quirky about japan, etc. and this is also how i ended up getting the youtube gig too. it's pretty cool. not like i'm getting paid for it or anything, but it's fun to get the chance to see the TV industry, plus this time i'll be able to show you guys too! and they're filming it at the cafe!
i will definitely let you know more when i can, for now though, we film on tuesday.
but there is a downside too. i have a pretty recognizable face living you know, amongst mostly japanese people, and so whenever i'm on TV, i get random strangers saying, "hey! you're that cinnamon girl i saw on TV!" even if i'm in the middle of lugging 20 kilos of groceries around on my morning trip to the grocery store or hurrying to get somewhere on time. in the age of instagram, it means that people i follow and who follow me (but i haven't actually met) will leave comments like "i saw you in such and such a place!" and i'm like oh. well. that's kinda. stalker-y? even though i know they don't mean it like that., you never know who might be watching you when you're in the city.
it's like being a walking, talking billboard for the cafe too -- and you get people who stop you in the street on your day off to try and make a reservation (uh, hello? do i look like a phone?) or ask for directions to your store or when your day off is or...any other silly question they have (please use google, thanks).
so while there are indeed lots of perks that come with being a white chick, there are also a lot of annoyances that come too, and you learn to deal with it. but hey, if i can get my 20 seconds of fame and promote the cafe while i'm at it, then yeah, definitely down for being on TV.
2014年9月17日水曜日
review: unagi ice cream
it was just another day.
my husband was out running errands and comes back with a small tell-tale konbini plastic bag in his hand.
"i got you something for your blog!" he exclaims placing the small bag down on the counter.
"oh really?" i replied, examining the contents.
unagi ice cream.
"...serious?" oh god, i think.
"yeah!" he's serious.
so here goes.
eel ice cream, ladies and gentlemen.
now okay, some of you may be aware of japan's...odd ice cream flavours. most of them are like locally produced omiyage type things (like wasabi or beef tongue or...whatever) and not really the type of thing you see at konbini. but maybe circle K is an odd kind of konbini, because there it was.
maybe it's like unagi pie, i mean, that's delicious, right?
maybe it's just got like a hint of unagi sauce, which is just like soy sauce and mirin...so like sweet and salty?
this could work.
i'm optimistic as i pry the lid off and take a big scoop off the top.
AND IMMEDIATELY REGRET IT BECAUSE OMG THIS IS SO NOT GOOD.
it's nothing like unagi pie because unagi pie is actually edible, enjoyable, downright delicious in fact. this is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE.
it's sauce overkill. the ice cream is already flavoured with unagi sauce already, but for whatever reason they decided that wasn't enough and put in these broad ribbons of straight up sauce in there too for maximum saltiness impact. it's just bad. it's doubleplus bad. it might be the first time i've ever thrown ice cream out. ugh.
my husband was out running errands and comes back with a small tell-tale konbini plastic bag in his hand.
"i got you something for your blog!" he exclaims placing the small bag down on the counter.
"oh really?" i replied, examining the contents.
unagi ice cream.
"...serious?" oh god, i think.
"yeah!" he's serious.
so here goes.
eel ice cream, ladies and gentlemen.
now okay, some of you may be aware of japan's...odd ice cream flavours. most of them are like locally produced omiyage type things (like wasabi or beef tongue or...whatever) and not really the type of thing you see at konbini. but maybe circle K is an odd kind of konbini, because there it was.
maybe it's like unagi pie, i mean, that's delicious, right?
maybe it's just got like a hint of unagi sauce, which is just like soy sauce and mirin...so like sweet and salty?
this could work.
i'm optimistic as i pry the lid off and take a big scoop off the top.
AND IMMEDIATELY REGRET IT BECAUSE OMG THIS IS SO NOT GOOD.
it's nothing like unagi pie because unagi pie is actually edible, enjoyable, downright delicious in fact. this is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE.
it's sauce overkill. the ice cream is already flavoured with unagi sauce already, but for whatever reason they decided that wasn't enough and put in these broad ribbons of straight up sauce in there too for maximum saltiness impact. it's just bad. it's doubleplus bad. it might be the first time i've ever thrown ice cream out. ugh.
review: japanese chestnut häagen-dazs
häagen-dazs is holding out on you guys back home.
seems like every month there's some new limited edition flavour that i'd never seen in the US.
cafe au lait.
white peach and raspberry.
lemon ginger float.
pumpkin (which i need to review!)
and today, i'll be reviewing the latest fall addition: wa-guri (japanese chestnut).
it's essentially chestnut flavoured ice cream with swirls of chestnut paste -- not like in the marron sense, but in the "i boiled some chestnuts in sugar and made 'em into a paste" sense. it's got a great natural chestnut taste to it -- not too syrupy sweet, just buttery and rich chestnut. i only wish that there was more of the chestnut paste in there. come on, it's like...the width of human hair, give me MOAR!
these guys generally show up at konbini first and then move on to grocery stores, but you can bet i'll be buying it again. seriously, häagen-dazs needs to get their game together and give the US some of these flavours too.
unless i'm wrong and you do get them? i dunno, someone fill me in.
2014年9月12日金曜日
review: ajiwai marron pino
okay to be fair, i warned you that tons of limited edition snacks come out in the fall, so... i hope none of you are surprised by how many reviews i'm doing.
and besides, i wrote a quirky japan blog last night too, so it's not like i'm...shirking my blog responsibilities or...whatever.
anyway!
first things first, pino (made by morinaga) is another one of those standard japanese snacks. it's little bits of ice cream covered in chocolate, and they bring out LOTS of limited edition flavors throughout the year, so you'll definitely be seeing these guys again.
because it's fall, we have the ajiwai marron which i'll loosely translate into just marron, since it's pretty much saying like "tasty marron"...
look at the fall colours~
look at the giant chestnut~
the box boasts using "fragrant italian marron" in the ice cream, which sounds really promising.
until you take a bite.
... *closes eyes and waits for the "fragrant italian marron" to kick in*
... ... ... *still waiting*
... ... ... ... yeah okay, i got nothing.
i wouldn't even know it was marron-flavoured if i hadn't have bought the damn things myself -- there's hardly any marron flavour at all. it's not like it tastes gross or anything, it just tastes like vanilla.
and pino usually does a mildly good job at these limited edition things too...
i guess you can't have a winner every time.
but don't worry, in about 1 or 2 months, another flavour is bound to crop up. so until then!
and besides, i wrote a quirky japan blog last night too, so it's not like i'm...shirking my blog responsibilities or...whatever.
anyway!
first things first, pino (made by morinaga) is another one of those standard japanese snacks. it's little bits of ice cream covered in chocolate, and they bring out LOTS of limited edition flavors throughout the year, so you'll definitely be seeing these guys again.
because it's fall, we have the ajiwai marron which i'll loosely translate into just marron, since it's pretty much saying like "tasty marron"...
look at the fall colours~
look at the giant chestnut~
the box boasts using "fragrant italian marron" in the ice cream, which sounds really promising.
until you take a bite.
... *closes eyes and waits for the "fragrant italian marron" to kick in*
... ... ... *still waiting*
... ... ... ... yeah okay, i got nothing.
i wouldn't even know it was marron-flavoured if i hadn't have bought the damn things myself -- there's hardly any marron flavour at all. it's not like it tastes gross or anything, it just tastes like vanilla.
and pino usually does a mildly good job at these limited edition things too...
i guess you can't have a winner every time.
but don't worry, in about 1 or 2 months, another flavour is bound to crop up. so until then!
2014年9月11日木曜日
quirky japan (episode 2)
it's time for another edition of quirky japan!
this time i'll be discussing yuru-kyara!
short for "yurui kyarakutaa" or "loose character (mascot)" --
wait, what? loose character? what's loose?
right, see, yurui is one of those words that's hard to put into english. it can mean, of course, loose like "this screw is loose" but it can also be used to describe things like music, atmosphere, character designs...
for example, the darth vader theme played by an orchestra is NOT yurui, but the darth vader theme played on an ocarina? that's yurui.
guitar? not yurui. ukulele? yurui.
starting to get it?
in this case though, it almost takes on the meaning "shoddy" -- let's look at a classic example of yuru-kyara, the beloved funasshi.
notice the shoddy stitching, the stained fabric, and...all around lack of craftsmanship? it looks like someone's mom made it. the zipper is completely obvious in the back, and the stitching on his feet looks like it's not going to hold. and that's what makes it yurui.
since the advent of yuru-kyara about 3 years or so back, most EVERY city in japan has their own. they even have a yuru-kyara grand prix every year to vote on the best yuru-kyara in japan.
like this guy!
this time i'll be discussing yuru-kyara!
short for "yurui kyarakutaa" or "loose character (mascot)" --
wait, what? loose character? what's loose?
right, see, yurui is one of those words that's hard to put into english. it can mean, of course, loose like "this screw is loose" but it can also be used to describe things like music, atmosphere, character designs...
for example, the darth vader theme played by an orchestra is NOT yurui, but the darth vader theme played on an ocarina? that's yurui.
guitar? not yurui. ukulele? yurui.
starting to get it?
in this case though, it almost takes on the meaning "shoddy" -- let's look at a classic example of yuru-kyara, the beloved funasshi.
funasshi. the unofficial mascot of funabashi-shi -- he's apparently a pear spirit (funabashi is famous for pears) and he can talk (which is rare for yuru-kyara). he tends to end his sentences in "-nasshi!" so like..."nice weather we're having-nasshi!"
notice the shoddy stitching, the stained fabric, and...all around lack of craftsmanship? it looks like someone's mom made it. the zipper is completely obvious in the back, and the stitching on his feet looks like it's not going to hold. and that's what makes it yurui.
since the advent of yuru-kyara about 3 years or so back, most EVERY city in japan has their own. they even have a yuru-kyara grand prix every year to vote on the best yuru-kyara in japan.
like this guy!
barii-san! hailing from imabari in ehime! (imabari is famous for towels and you can get there by boat)
kumamon! hailing from kumamoto -- this guy is ALSO responsible for the yuru-kyara craze AND he's been sanctioned by kumamoto. you can see his face on stuff everywhere from ramen to candy to folders to keychains... he's a marketing wizard.
even hiroshima has their own (disgraceful) yuru-kyara named "bunkakkii" they smashed together the words for "culture" (bunka) and "oyster" (kaki) and the design is oyster + maple leaf + the hiragana ひ (hi)... yeah, i mean i know hiroshima is famous for oysters and maple leaves and all but... it sounds like "bukkake" to me and if you don't know what that means, goog--- wait, on second thought, don't google it. anyway, YURUI.
but my favorite yuru-kyara is this little guy, sobacchi! from iwate prefecture. he's not famous by any stretch of the imagination, but he IS an adorable bowl of wanko soba (little cups of soba noodles that you eat in succession, famous in (duh) iwate!) just look at him! the cuteness is overwhelming.
so if you're ever in japan, you're bound to run into one of these guys.
but watch out for this guy:
so if you're ever in japan, you're bound to run into one of these guys.
but watch out for this guy:
creepy. as. fuck.
2014年9月7日日曜日
aki-bare
aki-bare 【秋晴れ】 fall clear
ah-kee-bah-ray -- literally "fall sunny day" or "fall clear"
it tends to get more cloudy and dreary in the fall and winter in japan, so they have a special word just for beautiful autumn days. and that, is aki-bare.
so enjoy my little piece of aki-bare -- this is what it's all about.
ah-kee-bah-ray -- literally "fall sunny day" or "fall clear"
it tends to get more cloudy and dreary in the fall and winter in japan, so they have a special word just for beautiful autumn days. and that, is aki-bare.
so enjoy my little piece of aki-bare -- this is what it's all about.
review: fall wagashi (or momiji-an never fails)
it's becoming more fall-ish everyday.
the humidity is less oppressive, the cicadas have finally stopped their incessant chirping, and the stores are filled chestnut and sweet potato flavoured snacks galore.
it's 食欲の秋 (shokuyoku no aki) -- loosely put, "fall is for food!" and you can bet i'm making the most of it by going to my very favorite local wagashi-ya, momiji-an!
let's have a look at their fall line-up: kuri daifuku, tsukimi ohagi, aonori ohagi.
kuri daifuku 【栗大福】 chestnut daifuku
a small, rounded daifuku made of soft mochi with a chestnut (boiled) and koshi-an inside. usually you see these with a sickeningly yellow chestnut inside (kanro-ni -- basically they boil chestnuts in sugar and likely add yellow food colouring) but not so with momiji-an. they give you the chestnut almost as is -- boiled until fluffy and slightly sweet. these guys only come out once a year, and you can bet i'll be back for more.
tsukimi ohagi 【月見おはぎ】moon-viewing ohagi
tomorrow is actually the traditional day for moon-viewing -- it's always held in september when the full moon is its brightest. it's more an excuse nowadays to eat tsukimi dango (moon-viewing dango, little rounded balls of rice flour or mochi) and drink, but i digress. this ohagi is mochi rice wrapped in sweet potato paste (see? it kinda looks like a glowing full moon!) the sweet potato is so smooth and creamy with a great natural sweetness to it. to contrast, the mochi rice inside is slightly salty to balance it all out.
aonori ohagi 【青海苔おはぎ】 green seaweed ohagi
okay, i was skeptical. i mean, look at it! it's frickkin' green! but being a HUGE fan of aonori, i couldn't pass it up. tsubu-an wrapped in mochi rice, rolled in fluffly aonori -- the aroma of the aonori hits you first -- it's...hard to describe how it smells. but it's kinda of like the green grass smell that green tea has, but with a salty tang. that salty tang works so well with the thick sweetness of the tsubu-an inside and i'm in love with this ohagi at first bite. aonori is usually used on more savory things (okonomiyaki, yakisoba, takoyaki...basically if it has sauce on it, it's usually got aonori), so i was surprised at how well it worked with sweet things too.
the humidity is less oppressive, the cicadas have finally stopped their incessant chirping, and the stores are filled chestnut and sweet potato flavoured snacks galore.
it's 食欲の秋 (shokuyoku no aki) -- loosely put, "fall is for food!" and you can bet i'm making the most of it by going to my very favorite local wagashi-ya, momiji-an!
let's have a look at their fall line-up: kuri daifuku, tsukimi ohagi, aonori ohagi.
kuri daifuku 【栗大福】 chestnut daifuku
tsukimi ohagi 【月見おはぎ】moon-viewing ohagi
aonori ohagi 【青海苔おはぎ】 green seaweed ohagi
2014年9月4日木曜日
hanzai
hanzai 【犯罪】crime
japan's got some weird crime.
hmm...maybe weird doesn't cover it...
fucked up?
yeah, that works.
they have segments on the morning news about stupid criminals or outrageous car chases abroad (mostly the US) but you could EASILY do the same on US news shows about the messed up crimes here. you could call it "fxxked up! crime in japan"
here are some cases that have made the news in the past year that were especially disturbing (and unfortunately close to home).
"she's my wife"
kurashiki, okayama (one of hiroshima's neighboring prefectures) -- an 11-year old girl goes missing. she never came home from school and her parents contacted their local police, who then put out an alert on TV, asking for information. this is actually relatively quick for missing person cases -- for whatever reason, most of the time you start seeing news like this 2-3 days after said person goes missing. it's a relief to see that there are still sane (and fast acting) parents out there. after the alert on TV, the news switches to a live press conference with the okayama police chief regarding the details of the case.
the girl called her mother after school, asking to be picked up. however, her mother was taking her little sister to the doctor's and couldn't come get her that day, leaving her to walk home. not a very long distance, mind you, about 15-20 minutes.
but she never comes home.
however, the plot is about to thicken.
it seems that girl had complained to her mother about being followed home from school by a silver car several months ago. the same car was seen parked in the girl's neighborhood everyday for months, with a man sitting behind the wheel. her mother, distressed, took down the license plate number and consulted the police, who advised her to drive her daughter to and from school.
it would appear the stalker had made his move.
3 days after the girl goes missing, there's a break in the case. they found the silver car that has been stalking the girl. the stalker had put a different license plate over the original one (the one that the girl's mother had written down) to throw the police off. once they identified the car, the police break into the man's house, only to find the missing girl in pajamas watching anime on a futon on the floor while the stalker watched from the bed.
the girl was unharmed, puzzled about the police barging in, but unharmed (this is exceptionally rare for these kidnapping cases).
the stalker (late 40s) merely looked at the police and said, "this is my wife."
he had recently renovated his house to include a windowless, sound-proof room painted black. he also introduced himself as an illustrator and bragged to the police about his works of art -- all illustrations of young girls that plastered the walls of another room in the house. he apparently wanted to raise her into the ideal wife.
yeah.
fucked up.
he was of course arrested. the girl is likely in therapy.
haigamine
kure, hiroshima -- a 16-year old girl is found dead in haigamine (a forest in kure). the next day, a girl (also 16) turns herself into the police for killing her -- but it wasn't just her.
there were 7 minors involved in the beating, and subsequent murder of the girl, arrested the next day. why? she owed them money. like $20. some of the kids didn't even know the girl.
the main criminal (16 y.o. girl) invited her to hang out, and she and 6 minors (plus a 21-year old driver) piled into a van with her where they kicked and punched her, burned her with cigarettes, and then strangled her to death before dumping her body in the mountains. they stole her ATM card and all the cash she had on her.
the minors were all sent to juvenile hall, and the 21-year old is currently on trial. he's pleading not guilty.
"i couldn't stop myself"
sasebo, nagasaki -- a 15-year old girl is found dead in a friend's apartment after going missing. "dead" is actually putting it lightly -- she was strangled to death before having her head and wrists severed with a saw and her stomach cut open. she was murdered by her classmate, another 15-year old girl.
the murderer was living by herself in sasebo -- she came from an exceedingly rich family, but had a history of what could be considered psychiatric issues from violent ups and downs to poisoning school lunches. her mother died in 2013, and her father remarried months later, which of course, didn't sit well with the girl, and she decided to express that by beating her father with a metal baseball bat while he was asleep, denting his skull (but not killing him). things only got worse at home, and her father took her to see a psychologist who said "the way things are going, she may kill someone" and recommended they hospitalize her.
however, her father instead moved her into an expensive apartment in the city -- and i reiterate, by herself.
she started to mutilate stray cats (they found several in her freezer) and then she invited her classmate over to hang out and murdered her. her reasoning?
"i wanted to dissect a body. i couldn't stop myself -- it wasn't like she was my enemy or anything, it didn't matter who it was." no remorse, no apologies, nothing. it was like she had just dissected a frog or something.
so uh...what were YOU doing when you were 15?
the worst part of this whole thing is that it could have been prevented if her family had taken the doctor's advice.
...as you can see, a good deal of the messed up crimes in japan happen to young girls.
you see stuff like this in the movies, not real life.
come on japan, really?
fucked up.
japan's got some weird crime.
hmm...maybe weird doesn't cover it...
fucked up?
yeah, that works.
they have segments on the morning news about stupid criminals or outrageous car chases abroad (mostly the US) but you could EASILY do the same on US news shows about the messed up crimes here. you could call it "fxxked up! crime in japan"
here are some cases that have made the news in the past year that were especially disturbing (and unfortunately close to home).
"she's my wife"
kurashiki, okayama (one of hiroshima's neighboring prefectures) -- an 11-year old girl goes missing. she never came home from school and her parents contacted their local police, who then put out an alert on TV, asking for information. this is actually relatively quick for missing person cases -- for whatever reason, most of the time you start seeing news like this 2-3 days after said person goes missing. it's a relief to see that there are still sane (and fast acting) parents out there. after the alert on TV, the news switches to a live press conference with the okayama police chief regarding the details of the case.
the girl called her mother after school, asking to be picked up. however, her mother was taking her little sister to the doctor's and couldn't come get her that day, leaving her to walk home. not a very long distance, mind you, about 15-20 minutes.
but she never comes home.
however, the plot is about to thicken.
it seems that girl had complained to her mother about being followed home from school by a silver car several months ago. the same car was seen parked in the girl's neighborhood everyday for months, with a man sitting behind the wheel. her mother, distressed, took down the license plate number and consulted the police, who advised her to drive her daughter to and from school.
it would appear the stalker had made his move.
3 days after the girl goes missing, there's a break in the case. they found the silver car that has been stalking the girl. the stalker had put a different license plate over the original one (the one that the girl's mother had written down) to throw the police off. once they identified the car, the police break into the man's house, only to find the missing girl in pajamas watching anime on a futon on the floor while the stalker watched from the bed.
the girl was unharmed, puzzled about the police barging in, but unharmed (this is exceptionally rare for these kidnapping cases).
the stalker (late 40s) merely looked at the police and said, "this is my wife."
he had recently renovated his house to include a windowless, sound-proof room painted black. he also introduced himself as an illustrator and bragged to the police about his works of art -- all illustrations of young girls that plastered the walls of another room in the house. he apparently wanted to raise her into the ideal wife.
yeah.
fucked up.
he was of course arrested. the girl is likely in therapy.
haigamine
kure, hiroshima -- a 16-year old girl is found dead in haigamine (a forest in kure). the next day, a girl (also 16) turns herself into the police for killing her -- but it wasn't just her.
there were 7 minors involved in the beating, and subsequent murder of the girl, arrested the next day. why? she owed them money. like $20. some of the kids didn't even know the girl.
the main criminal (16 y.o. girl) invited her to hang out, and she and 6 minors (plus a 21-year old driver) piled into a van with her where they kicked and punched her, burned her with cigarettes, and then strangled her to death before dumping her body in the mountains. they stole her ATM card and all the cash she had on her.
the minors were all sent to juvenile hall, and the 21-year old is currently on trial. he's pleading not guilty.
"i couldn't stop myself"
sasebo, nagasaki -- a 15-year old girl is found dead in a friend's apartment after going missing. "dead" is actually putting it lightly -- she was strangled to death before having her head and wrists severed with a saw and her stomach cut open. she was murdered by her classmate, another 15-year old girl.
the murderer was living by herself in sasebo -- she came from an exceedingly rich family, but had a history of what could be considered psychiatric issues from violent ups and downs to poisoning school lunches. her mother died in 2013, and her father remarried months later, which of course, didn't sit well with the girl, and she decided to express that by beating her father with a metal baseball bat while he was asleep, denting his skull (but not killing him). things only got worse at home, and her father took her to see a psychologist who said "the way things are going, she may kill someone" and recommended they hospitalize her.
however, her father instead moved her into an expensive apartment in the city -- and i reiterate, by herself.
she started to mutilate stray cats (they found several in her freezer) and then she invited her classmate over to hang out and murdered her. her reasoning?
"i wanted to dissect a body. i couldn't stop myself -- it wasn't like she was my enemy or anything, it didn't matter who it was." no remorse, no apologies, nothing. it was like she had just dissected a frog or something.
so uh...what were YOU doing when you were 15?
the worst part of this whole thing is that it could have been prevented if her family had taken the doctor's advice.
...as you can see, a good deal of the messed up crimes in japan happen to young girls.
you see stuff like this in the movies, not real life.
come on japan, really?
fucked up.
eating grapes
eating grapes 【ぶどうを食べる時】
okay, i know what you're thinking.
grapes? you're writing a blog about eating GRAPES? how hard is it??
yeah, i know, but hear me out.
the first time i had grapes in japan, i was hanging out at a friends' house. she brought out grapes for dessert, and i promptly popped one in my mouth, like usual, and began to chew without thinking too much about it.
my friend, however, looked at me like i had just stuck a grape in my nose and started dancing around the room.
horrified, almost.
no, no, she hastily explained, you don't eat the skin! (you silly foreigner! sidenote: same goes for apples too)
that's right, here in japan, you peel grapes before eating them.
first of all, grapes are much bigger than their american counterparts (at least the ones i remember), ranging from 1～3 inches. this also makes the whole 'eating them whole' bit kinda hard.
pinch the skin-side with your thumb and middle finger and the grape should pop right out!
okay, i know what you're thinking.
grapes? you're writing a blog about eating GRAPES? how hard is it??
yeah, i know, but hear me out.
the first time i had grapes in japan, i was hanging out at a friends' house. she brought out grapes for dessert, and i promptly popped one in my mouth, like usual, and began to chew without thinking too much about it.
my friend, however, looked at me like i had just stuck a grape in my nose and started dancing around the room.
horrified, almost.
no, no, she hastily explained, you don't eat the skin! (you silly foreigner! sidenote: same goes for apples too)
that's right, here in japan, you peel grapes before eating them.
first of all, grapes are much bigger than their american counterparts (at least the ones i remember), ranging from 1～3 inches. this also makes the whole 'eating them whole' bit kinda hard.
these are hakata pione -- big and sweet!
for the sake of size, this is your average spoon. pretty big.
so the best way to go about these guys is to first cut them in half.
and THAT my friends, is how to eat grapes in japan (without getting weird looks).
review: fall snacks
time for another review!
this time i'll be looking at three fall limited edition snacks:
meiji's takenoko no sato "maroyaka marron" (mellow marron)
meiji's kinoko no yama "creamy pumpkin"
bourbon's mochi chocolat "chocolate marron"
let's start with meiji. first, these guys are a major staple of the meiji snack line -- takenoko no sato, or "bamboo shoot village", is a crunchy cookie covered in chocolate that looks like a...bamboo shoot. similarly, kinoko no yama ("mushroom mountain") is a crunchy cookie topped with mushroom-shaped chocolate. i've actually heard that the cookie bits for takenoko no sato are made from broken and crushed up "stems" of kinoko no yama...someone confirm that for me.
ah, and for those who don't know, marron is french for chestnut, and typically has connotations of marron glacee (chestnuts that are basically stewed in sugar with rum) when used in japanese (so basically a more western yougashi kinda marron, not like buttery japanese chestnut). fall is associated with a lot of foods -- sweet potato, pumpkin, and chestnut. you can find all kinds of limited edition something or other in the fall with these flavors.
though it IS still august...
but i digress!
mellow marron is a nice typical marron colour and i expected that sweet marron glacee taste, but actually found it to be more of a buttery japanese chestnut flavor, which was kind of a refreshing surprise. they're not too sweet, so you could feasibly eat the entire box without feeling too sick afterwards! they did a good job capturing that freshly roasted chestnut taste. good job, meiji!
creamy pumpkin is a lovely kabocha pumpkin colour -- oh, by "pumpkin" japan means kabocha pumpkin, which is a small, oblong squash with vivid green skin and orange flesh. buttery and rich, it's used from everything from soups to breads to sweets. i'm surprised at how pumpkin-like this smells and taking a bite only confirms it -- this guy is like kabocha to the max and i love it. you don't often see a lot of heavy flavors come in with snacks like these (unless it's like the upscale version) but these guys pack a great punch. again, not too sweet so...yeah, you could eat every last one without feeling like you're going into a sugar coma. bravo meiji, you nailed fall!
last, but not least, the mochi chocolat series by bourbon is another staple that brings out flavors seasonally. it's basically a soft choclate center wrapped gyuuhi (sweetened mochi) -- this time being marron-flavored chocolate with a condensed milk center (i see no evidence for this).
here's how they look:
the gyuuhi is soft and chewy and the chocolate is that predictable rum spiked marron glacee flavor -- not that that's a bad thing at all. it works really well with the gyuuhi, making the typically strong marron flavor a little easier to deal with by giving it a mochi cushion. this one's a little on the sweet and heavy side, so i'd say two is about my limit for one go.
and there you have it! i'm looking forward to more fall limited edition stuff (since i'm a sucker for it) and i'll hopefully get more reviews up as they come out!
this time i'll be looking at three fall limited edition snacks:
meiji's takenoko no sato "maroyaka marron" (mellow marron)
meiji's kinoko no yama "creamy pumpkin"
bourbon's mochi chocolat "chocolate marron"
let's start with meiji. first, these guys are a major staple of the meiji snack line -- takenoko no sato, or "bamboo shoot village", is a crunchy cookie covered in chocolate that looks like a...bamboo shoot. similarly, kinoko no yama ("mushroom mountain") is a crunchy cookie topped with mushroom-shaped chocolate. i've actually heard that the cookie bits for takenoko no sato are made from broken and crushed up "stems" of kinoko no yama...someone confirm that for me.
ah, and for those who don't know, marron is french for chestnut, and typically has connotations of marron glacee (chestnuts that are basically stewed in sugar with rum) when used in japanese (so basically a more western yougashi kinda marron, not like buttery japanese chestnut). fall is associated with a lot of foods -- sweet potato, pumpkin, and chestnut. you can find all kinds of limited edition something or other in the fall with these flavors.
though it IS still august...
but i digress!
mellow marron
mellow marron is a nice typical marron colour and i expected that sweet marron glacee taste, but actually found it to be more of a buttery japanese chestnut flavor, which was kind of a refreshing surprise. they're not too sweet, so you could feasibly eat the entire box without feeling too sick afterwards! they did a good job capturing that freshly roasted chestnut taste. good job, meiji!
creamy pumpkin
creamy pumpkin is a lovely kabocha pumpkin colour -- oh, by "pumpkin" japan means kabocha pumpkin, which is a small, oblong squash with vivid green skin and orange flesh. buttery and rich, it's used from everything from soups to breads to sweets. i'm surprised at how pumpkin-like this smells and taking a bite only confirms it -- this guy is like kabocha to the max and i love it. you don't often see a lot of heavy flavors come in with snacks like these (unless it's like the upscale version) but these guys pack a great punch. again, not too sweet so...yeah, you could eat every last one without feeling like you're going into a sugar coma. bravo meiji, you nailed fall!
last, but not least, the mochi chocolat series by bourbon is another staple that brings out flavors seasonally. it's basically a soft choclate center wrapped gyuuhi (sweetened mochi) -- this time being marron-flavored chocolate with a condensed milk center (i see no evidence for this).
here's how they look:
the gyuuhi is soft and chewy and the chocolate is that predictable rum spiked marron glacee flavor -- not that that's a bad thing at all. it works really well with the gyuuhi, making the typically strong marron flavor a little easier to deal with by giving it a mochi cushion. this one's a little on the sweet and heavy side, so i'd say two is about my limit for one go.
and there you have it! i'm looking forward to more fall limited edition stuff (since i'm a sucker for it) and i'll hopefully get more reviews up as they come out!
wagashi: kuromame daifuku, zunda-mochi, mizu-manju
wagashi 【和菓子】 "japanese sweets"
i love wagashi.
i'm also fortunate enough to have a rather esteemed wagashi-ya (japanese sweets shop) about 20 seconds away -- momiji-an （もみじ庵）.
while popular in japan, it's not likely that you see them all that often in the US (esp. not in MD). it's a shame too, since they're really, really good. there are many different kinds too, but this entry will be focused on just three: kuromame daifuku, zunda-mochi, and mizu-manju (don't worry, there will be more blogs on wagashi to come).
kuromame daifuku 【黒豆大福】
kuromame, or black soybeans, are large black-skinned soy beans. the beans are cooked but they're rather firm in texture, and are slightly salty. the beans are mixed into mochi (pounded glutinous rice) and then the mochi is wrapped around a ball of anko (sweetened red bean paste).
momiji-an makes all of their wagashi at their store, so it's fresh when you buy it. this means that the mochi is so, so soft and so, so chewy -- it's like biting into a cloud. the hard kuromame give the soft mochi a great texture, and the salt too brings out the subtle sweetness of the anko. i have to admit, i wasn't a fan the first time i tried kuromame daifuku, but that was because i bought one of those mass-produced ones they sell at the konbini. fresh made daifuku and mass-produced daifuku are two completely separate things -- and it was love at first bite with momiji-an.
zunda-mochi 【ずんだ餅】
green, eh? hmm...green tea?
wrong.
it's actually edamame. you know, green soybeans?
...i know, i was wary too! so wary, in fact, that this was actually my first time eating it!
zunda is a paste of ground edamame mixed with sugar (i KNOW, i know...). the paste is then wrapped around mochi and voila! zunda-mochi.
it actually doesn't taste all that different than regular anko, if not a little buttery (like salted edamame, who'da thought?) and it works well -- surprisingly well. the two azuki (red beans) on the top add a dash of sweetness too. there's no end to the magic that beans can do for sweets it seems.
mizu-manju 【水まんじゅう】
okay let's be honest here -- i'm not a huge fan of jelly-like things. and this is a very jelly-like thing. to be specific, it's kuzuko, which is a type of starch made from kudzu or arrowroot. the starch thickens and turns into a wiggly jelly when cooled, which makes it ideal as a refreshing treat on a hot day, if you're into that kinda thing. the kuzuko jelly is wrapped around anko and served chilled on its own, or sometimes served in a bowl of icy water, and is also known as kuzu-manju.
kuzu itself doesn't have a taste per-say, it just tastes kinda...plant-y? has...medicinal tones? it's VERY subtle, whatever it is, but all i know is that i don't like it in large doses. unfortunately, this is a rather large dose.
the anko is phenomenal -- a lightly sweetened koshi-an that's just as smooth as the kuzu jelly. the whole thing goes down easy, and hey, i'll admit, it is kinda refreshing. i just can't get around the large percentage that is not anko.
while it may not be my cup of tea, it could very well be yours. if you're a fan of things like jell-o, then you'll probably really like mizu-manju. as for me, i'll stick with shaved ice in the summer.
i love wagashi.
i'm also fortunate enough to have a rather esteemed wagashi-ya (japanese sweets shop) about 20 seconds away -- momiji-an （もみじ庵）.
while popular in japan, it's not likely that you see them all that often in the US (esp. not in MD). it's a shame too, since they're really, really good. there are many different kinds too, but this entry will be focused on just three: kuromame daifuku, zunda-mochi, and mizu-manju (don't worry, there will be more blogs on wagashi to come).
kuromame daifuku 【黒豆大福】
kuromame, or black soybeans, are large black-skinned soy beans. the beans are cooked but they're rather firm in texture, and are slightly salty. the beans are mixed into mochi (pounded glutinous rice) and then the mochi is wrapped around a ball of anko (sweetened red bean paste).
momiji-an makes all of their wagashi at their store, so it's fresh when you buy it. this means that the mochi is so, so soft and so, so chewy -- it's like biting into a cloud. the hard kuromame give the soft mochi a great texture, and the salt too brings out the subtle sweetness of the anko. i have to admit, i wasn't a fan the first time i tried kuromame daifuku, but that was because i bought one of those mass-produced ones they sell at the konbini. fresh made daifuku and mass-produced daifuku are two completely separate things -- and it was love at first bite with momiji-an.
zunda-mochi 【ずんだ餅】
green, eh? hmm...green tea?
wrong.
it's actually edamame. you know, green soybeans?
...i know, i was wary too! so wary, in fact, that this was actually my first time eating it!
zunda is a paste of ground edamame mixed with sugar (i KNOW, i know...). the paste is then wrapped around mochi and voila! zunda-mochi.
it actually doesn't taste all that different than regular anko, if not a little buttery (like salted edamame, who'da thought?) and it works well -- surprisingly well. the two azuki (red beans) on the top add a dash of sweetness too. there's no end to the magic that beans can do for sweets it seems.
mizu-manju 【水まんじゅう】
okay let's be honest here -- i'm not a huge fan of jelly-like things. and this is a very jelly-like thing. to be specific, it's kuzuko, which is a type of starch made from kudzu or arrowroot. the starch thickens and turns into a wiggly jelly when cooled, which makes it ideal as a refreshing treat on a hot day, if you're into that kinda thing. the kuzuko jelly is wrapped around anko and served chilled on its own, or sometimes served in a bowl of icy water, and is also known as kuzu-manju.
kuzu itself doesn't have a taste per-say, it just tastes kinda...plant-y? has...medicinal tones? it's VERY subtle, whatever it is, but all i know is that i don't like it in large doses. unfortunately, this is a rather large dose.
the anko is phenomenal -- a lightly sweetened koshi-an that's just as smooth as the kuzu jelly. the whole thing goes down easy, and hey, i'll admit, it is kinda refreshing. i just can't get around the large percentage that is not anko.
while it may not be my cup of tea, it could very well be yours. if you're a fan of things like jell-o, then you'll probably really like mizu-manju. as for me, i'll stick with shaved ice in the summer.
unagi pie
unagi pie.
shizuoka's greatest gift to the japanese omiyage business.
that's two japanese words now i've used without explaining, so i guess
unagi 【うなぎ】 eel.
omiyage 【お土産】 souvenir (it can take on a variety of meanings, but for now, souvenir)
the omiyage business is booming, and while new omiyage are born everyday, only a few remain legends, standards of the industry.
unagi pie is one of them.
...so, what exactly IS unagi pie?
do they bake eel into a pie? is the eel wrapped in pie dough?
is it savoury? is it sweet?
the answer is sweet.
unagi is one of the most interesting concepts for foodstuff.
someone in shizuoka prefecture thought hey! why not combine eel and sugar and butter together to make a delicious, crispy mille-feuille snack? and let's add garlic too! and thus, unagi pie was born. though it doesn't taste like eel (in fact, you'd never know unless someone told you), it is addictive-ly delicious and a standard omiyage to bring back to friends, family, and coworkers.
i generally get a box once or twice a year from a regular shizuokan customer. this time he brought me unagi pie VSOP, which is their premium line made with macadamia nuts and VSOP brandy -- yum! and take a look at this fancy GOLDEN package.
CLASSY.
here's what's inside.
and what's inside again!
layers of crispy, buttery, sugary, brandy-y pie...sprinkled with unagi and macadamia nuts!
the brandy definitely stands out, giving your tongue a buzz before the butter and sugar hit. and you can easily eat like...6 or 7 before realizing OMG I JUST ATE 6 OR 7.
so if you're ever planning on living in japan, you can be sure that at some point you'll be given these tasty little suckers by someone you know. and if you're planning on visiting shizuoka, definitely pick yourself up a case or two to bring back, because sharing is caring.
...or because hoarding them all for yourself is fun too!
shizuoka's greatest gift to the japanese omiyage business.
that's two japanese words now i've used without explaining, so i guess
unagi 【うなぎ】 eel.
omiyage 【お土産】 souvenir (it can take on a variety of meanings, but for now, souvenir)
the omiyage business is booming, and while new omiyage are born everyday, only a few remain legends, standards of the industry.
unagi pie is one of them.
...so, what exactly IS unagi pie?
do they bake eel into a pie? is the eel wrapped in pie dough?
is it savoury? is it sweet?
the answer is sweet.
unagi is one of the most interesting concepts for foodstuff.
someone in shizuoka prefecture thought hey! why not combine eel and sugar and butter together to make a delicious, crispy mille-feuille snack? and let's add garlic too! and thus, unagi pie was born. though it doesn't taste like eel (in fact, you'd never know unless someone told you), it is addictive-ly delicious and a standard omiyage to bring back to friends, family, and coworkers.
i generally get a box once or twice a year from a regular shizuokan customer. this time he brought me unagi pie VSOP, which is their premium line made with macadamia nuts and VSOP brandy -- yum! and take a look at this fancy GOLDEN package.
CLASSY.
here's what's inside.
and what's inside again!
layers of crispy, buttery, sugary, brandy-y pie...sprinkled with unagi and macadamia nuts!
the brandy definitely stands out, giving your tongue a buzz before the butter and sugar hit. and you can easily eat like...6 or 7 before realizing OMG I JUST ATE 6 OR 7.
so if you're ever planning on living in japan, you can be sure that at some point you'll be given these tasty little suckers by someone you know. and if you're planning on visiting shizuoka, definitely pick yourself up a case or two to bring back, because sharing is caring.
...or because hoarding them all for yourself is fun too!
hiroshima: the good, the bad, and the ugly (episode 1: the good)
i know what you're thinking.
another "episode 1" series?
sheesh, how many episodes you planning on starting?
okay, look, i promise there will be follow-ups on the other episodes too, there's just a lot of stuff to say about "episode" topics and i don't want to kill your eyes with tl;dr posts (that's too long; didn't read for anyone who might not know...but i'm sure you do).
moving right along -- as you all are aware, i live in hiroshima city, hiroshima prefecture.
hiroshima prefecture is located in western japan, on the seto inland sea.
here.
and hiroshima prefecture itself is here.
i live in that big middle bit that says hiroshima (the smaller middle bit -- this was the best map i could find, sorry)
most everyone's impression of hiroshima (in the US anyway) is, of course, the atomic bomb. that's understandable -- that's about all you learn about hiroshima and it's definitely an important thing to learn, don't get me wrong. but that's not all there is to it.
what stands out me about hiroshima most is that it's not just a city that was bombed, it's a city that recovered from the bomb.
and that's what's most important.
let's get started.
the good.
1) peace. despite the horrors that the atomic bomb inflicted on the city, hiroshima turned its tragedy into a plea for peace, not war. there is such a huge movement for getting rid of nuclear weapons and encouraging worldwide peace here in hiroshima -- you don't find animosity towards americans nor does anyone try and put the blame on america for the bombing. i'd say that's pretty big of them, and deserves some praise.
2) greenery. hiroshima city is, no doubt, a city. tall buildings and shopping arcades, the works. but it's also a very green city. peace memorial park stands out as an example -- they turned the area around the atomic dome into a vast park where you can find tourists and hiroshimans alike. but everywhere you go has their own greenery -- flower pots line the outside of apartments and stores, flowers grow on the side of the road, between buildings, and in any space they can find.
like here.
and here!
hiroshima is cut up and down by rivers too -- weeping willows and cherry blossoms line most every river bank, which gives you a great sense of the seasons, too. i dunno, i tend to think that cities with this much botanical variety are good cities (tm).
3) world heritage sites. okay, so i know UNESCO world heritage sites probably aren't as a big a deal in the US (at least i didn't know about them until i got here), but hiroshima is home to two world heritage sites: the atomic dome, and the itsukushima shrine at miyajima (i'll get into that later, just keep it in mind). that means that hiroshima gets a fuckton of tourists from both inside and outside of japan, which in turn means they've got a great, easy-to-understand public transportation system, and more guide books and pamphlets than you can shake a stick at (do people still say that?)
4) which is a great segway into my next topic: public transportation. i touched on this on the streetcar post but STREETCARS. efficient, timely, cheap -- what more can i say? there's also a loop bus that goes around the city to major tourist destinations, along with the regular bus service that goes ALL over the city and beyond, not to mention the train and bullet train system that go from hiroshima to ALL over japan. it's not just hiroshima's public transport though, japan's public transport on the whole is amazing.
oh, and there's ferries too! hiroshima has lots of little islands in the seto inland sea, mostly all connected by ferries.
5) safety and security. while there are some seedy places in hiroshima city, it's not like you're going to be mugged for going down the wrong alley. i've never felt unsafe, even if i'm out walking at night. this is actually true for most of japan, but -- unless you're like an elementary/middle school girl, you're very likely to be left alone (esp. if you're a foreigner). though sometimes weird old guys will try and use their terrible english on you... but that's nothing a glare of death can't solve!
6) food. being surrounded by mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, you get the best of both surf AND turf. the seto inland sea has a long and rich fishing history, dating as far back as the yayoi era (300 BC...!) oysters are the main brand seafood, but there's also octopus, billions o' fish, ocean eel (anago, OMG SO GOOD), squid... you name it, they've probably got it. as for turf -- hiroshima-brand kuro wagyu (prime japanese beef), pork, chicken... not to mention brand name rice, local vegetables and fruits...pretty much anything you'd need for everyday cooking, you can get locally.
7) (mostly) lack of natural disasters. major snow storms? nope. typhoons? rarely ever a direct hit. earthquakes! this is japan right?! nope. sorry. hardly any, and even when they do happen, they make people in tokyo laugh by how small they are. other than the recent landslides due to the inordinately heavy rains we've had, hiroshima rarely has anything newsworthy happen.
okay, wait -- this is getting to be a tl;dr post, so i'll hold off here for now. but there's still more good to come! along with the bad, and the ugly. eventually.
another "episode 1" series?
sheesh, how many episodes you planning on starting?
okay, look, i promise there will be follow-ups on the other episodes too, there's just a lot of stuff to say about "episode" topics and i don't want to kill your eyes with tl;dr posts (that's too long; didn't read for anyone who might not know...but i'm sure you do).
moving right along -- as you all are aware, i live in hiroshima city, hiroshima prefecture.
hiroshima prefecture is located in western japan, on the seto inland sea.
here.
and hiroshima prefecture itself is here.
i live in that big middle bit that says hiroshima (the smaller middle bit -- this was the best map i could find, sorry)
most everyone's impression of hiroshima (in the US anyway) is, of course, the atomic bomb. that's understandable -- that's about all you learn about hiroshima and it's definitely an important thing to learn, don't get me wrong. but that's not all there is to it.
what stands out me about hiroshima most is that it's not just a city that was bombed, it's a city that recovered from the bomb.
and that's what's most important.
let's get started.
the good.
1) peace. despite the horrors that the atomic bomb inflicted on the city, hiroshima turned its tragedy into a plea for peace, not war. there is such a huge movement for getting rid of nuclear weapons and encouraging worldwide peace here in hiroshima -- you don't find animosity towards americans nor does anyone try and put the blame on america for the bombing. i'd say that's pretty big of them, and deserves some praise.
2) greenery. hiroshima city is, no doubt, a city. tall buildings and shopping arcades, the works. but it's also a very green city. peace memorial park stands out as an example -- they turned the area around the atomic dome into a vast park where you can find tourists and hiroshimans alike. but everywhere you go has their own greenery -- flower pots line the outside of apartments and stores, flowers grow on the side of the road, between buildings, and in any space they can find.
like here.
and here!
hiroshima is cut up and down by rivers too -- weeping willows and cherry blossoms line most every river bank, which gives you a great sense of the seasons, too. i dunno, i tend to think that cities with this much botanical variety are good cities (tm).
3) world heritage sites. okay, so i know UNESCO world heritage sites probably aren't as a big a deal in the US (at least i didn't know about them until i got here), but hiroshima is home to two world heritage sites: the atomic dome, and the itsukushima shrine at miyajima (i'll get into that later, just keep it in mind). that means that hiroshima gets a fuckton of tourists from both inside and outside of japan, which in turn means they've got a great, easy-to-understand public transportation system, and more guide books and pamphlets than you can shake a stick at (do people still say that?)
4) which is a great segway into my next topic: public transportation. i touched on this on the streetcar post but STREETCARS. efficient, timely, cheap -- what more can i say? there's also a loop bus that goes around the city to major tourist destinations, along with the regular bus service that goes ALL over the city and beyond, not to mention the train and bullet train system that go from hiroshima to ALL over japan. it's not just hiroshima's public transport though, japan's public transport on the whole is amazing.
oh, and there's ferries too! hiroshima has lots of little islands in the seto inland sea, mostly all connected by ferries.
5) safety and security. while there are some seedy places in hiroshima city, it's not like you're going to be mugged for going down the wrong alley. i've never felt unsafe, even if i'm out walking at night. this is actually true for most of japan, but -- unless you're like an elementary/middle school girl, you're very likely to be left alone (esp. if you're a foreigner). though sometimes weird old guys will try and use their terrible english on you... but that's nothing a glare of death can't solve!
6) food. being surrounded by mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, you get the best of both surf AND turf. the seto inland sea has a long and rich fishing history, dating as far back as the yayoi era (300 BC...!) oysters are the main brand seafood, but there's also octopus, billions o' fish, ocean eel (anago, OMG SO GOOD), squid... you name it, they've probably got it. as for turf -- hiroshima-brand kuro wagyu (prime japanese beef), pork, chicken... not to mention brand name rice, local vegetables and fruits...pretty much anything you'd need for everyday cooking, you can get locally.
7) (mostly) lack of natural disasters. major snow storms? nope. typhoons? rarely ever a direct hit. earthquakes! this is japan right?! nope. sorry. hardly any, and even when they do happen, they make people in tokyo laugh by how small they are. other than the recent landslides due to the inordinately heavy rains we've had, hiroshima rarely has anything newsworthy happen.
okay, wait -- this is getting to be a tl;dr post, so i'll hold off here for now. but there's still more good to come! along with the bad, and the ugly. eventually.
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