Monthly Archives: June 2008
Whacking Watermelons and Rhythmic Peaches
“Brian-san, do they (pause) THIS (with rising intonation) (pause) in the United States?”
“THIS” is replaced by all sorts of exciting events like “Obon,” “Undokai,” “Rhythm kai,” and of course “Whacking the watermelon.”
In case you want to play whack the watermelon at home (and I know you do), here’s what you do:… Continue reading
Roe
Ever noticed that roe is a lot like opera? People either love or hate it. And most have made that decision having never experienced either….
On Monday night, we ordered sushi. One of my most favorite things about Japan is that you can have fresh sushi delivered to your door the way you have pizza delivered in the States. And yes, I call the little sushi place on the corner Sushi Hut…
Since its roe season, the sushi platter came with a variety of roes. Each one more delectable than than the last; well, except for that nasty tasting and textured kazu no ko. Continue reading
What’s at your fruit stand?
And so I wasn’t completely surprised to read in the Japan Times this morning that someone paid ¥650,000 (US$ 6,500) for a black watermelon grown in Hokkaido. Continue reading
Fly me to the moon…in a paper airplane?
The grand art of origami continues. The girls not only fold well known shapes, but teach each other their most recently learned or discovered sequence. There is a deligence and devotion akin to the effort put into learning new kanji. Teachers frequently encourage their students to “be the brush” when they practice their kanji. This supposedly takes their writing to calligraphy level heights with Edo-style skill – doing things with no wasted motion. The same principle applies to origmai, where “being the paper” seems to magically ease the folds. Continue reading