Showing posts with label [Culture]. Show all posts
Showing posts with label [Culture]. Show all posts
30 July 2016
Eel day
It's a middle of summer and these days are really hot today was about 30 degrees in centigrade even in cool Sapporo. I smelled grilled eel (うなぎの蒲焼"Unagi no Kabayaki) when I went around my flat this evening. Then I remembered that today is midsummer day of the ox (土用の丑の日"Doyo-no-Ushi-no-hi"), which is as known as the day to eat grilled eel in Japan.
This tradition allegedly started in 1800s. There's many stories about the origin of this tradition, but the most popular one is restaurant owner who was in slump selling eel in midsummer asked Gennai Hiraga(平賀源内). Then he proposed to set midsummer day of the ox as the day to eat grilled eel.
Now we can buy grilled eel almost everywhere in Japan on midsummer day of the ox, we can even buy it at convenience stores. But the price of eels are getting expensive due to lack of elver (glass eel). Most of eels which we eat in Japan are artificially raised in ponds and lakes in Japan, China and Taiwan. These elver are came from many places including Europe. Because there's massive demand of eating eel in Japan, the amount of Japanese eel got shortage, then they started to import elver from Europe.
According to the statistics, about 70% of eels are consumed in Japan. So, now both Japanese eels and Europe eels have been added to "endangered" category of Japanese government's Red List of animals. I went to nearby supermarket and checked the price of grilled eel and that was about 2,000 JPY (about 20 USD). Maybe we cannot buy eel in near future... I hope that won't happen.
Anyway, I didn't eat eel today same as 54% of Japanese people. According to NHK 46% of Japanese people answered that they ate grilled eel today.
Thanks.
This tradition allegedly started in 1800s. There's many stories about the origin of this tradition, but the most popular one is restaurant owner who was in slump selling eel in midsummer asked Gennai Hiraga(平賀源内). Then he proposed to set midsummer day of the ox as the day to eat grilled eel.
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| Hitsumabushi (櫃まぶし) One of eel foods of Japan |
According to the statistics, about 70% of eels are consumed in Japan. So, now both Japanese eels and Europe eels have been added to "endangered" category of Japanese government's Red List of animals. I went to nearby supermarket and checked the price of grilled eel and that was about 2,000 JPY (about 20 USD). Maybe we cannot buy eel in near future... I hope that won't happen.
Anyway, I didn't eat eel today same as 54% of Japanese people. According to NHK 46% of Japanese people answered that they ate grilled eel today.
Thanks.
30 December 2012
Another "This year's Kanji"
The year 2012 will be end in few days. In December, there are many year in review events. As I introduced 2 years ago on this blog, this year's Kanji was selected as usual.
This year's Kanji was "金". It means "gold" or "money", and we read it "kin" or "kane" in Japanese. This is because there were some issues related to money in this year such as scam on expand pension asset, and illegal vesting of social security. Also, there was annular solar eclipse first time in 932 years in Japan. We call it as "金環日食(Kinkan-Nisshoku)" and that include "金".
Another Kanji of the year
I thought they are the only one organization which is releasing this year's Kanji, but this year I found another organization which is releasing similar thing. Last weekend, I was watching TV news rarely at that time I found it. The organization named JA Hokkaido Chuokai(JA北海道中央会) are releasing year's Kanji since 2009. I didn't know this because I was not in Hokkaido until last year.
JA Hokkaido Chuokai is Hokkaido area's central union and main operator of agricultural co-operatives. Well, I'm not sure about these organization, but they are part of Japanese Agricultural Group. Anyway, they are releasing this year's Kanji which represent Hokkaido's agriculture. This year's Kanji was "変". It means "strange" or "change", and we read it "hen" or "kawaru" in Japanese. This is because strange weather in Hokkaido area which effect to Hokkaido's agriculture. And the ruling party changed to the Liberal Democratic Party from Democratic Party of Japan.
Anyway, I will back to Tokyo on 31 December. I need to ride aeroplane but wether looks bad, according to weather forecast 31 December and 1 January would be snowstorm. I hope my aeroplane will fly as usual. Then this might be the final article which I will post in this year.
Thanks
30 June 2012
Bye risky food "liver sashimi"
Due to that food poisoning, 181 people were infected, 32 people were severe injured and 5 killed. After this extremely serious incidents, Japanese government decided to tighten the health code and executed it last October.
Liver sashimi
レバ刺し(Liver sashimi) is also available to eat at many Korean-style BBQ restaurants in Japan. It is raw beef liver eat like sashimi(sliced raw fish). Well, mostly campylobacter the offending bacterium of food poisoning are included in liver.
Which means it's really risky to eat raw liver. The useless Japanese government decided to prohibit to supply liver sashimi. The prohibition of supplying liver sashimi will be applied from tomorrow (July 1st). I don't know why Japanese government didn't consider the availability of disinfection by radiation, but they "just" prohibit liver sashimi.
New regulation will start from tomorrow, so we can eat liver sashimi in restaurants today! Also, it's Saturday then many people might go to restaurants which are offering liver sashimi! According to some news sources, some restaurants which are offering liver sashimi were fulfilled with reservation on Friday and Saturday. I hope they are safe!
Fake one
From tomorrow liver sashimi will be not available at any restaurants in Japan, bus some Japanese want to eat that. Due to such demands, some food companies made fake one. Fake raw beef liver is made with konjac.
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| (Image from http://item.rakuten.co.jp/earth-shop/50024) |
Well, well, well, I don't want to eat this fake one, but it seems like there are many people who want to eat this! I searched this on the Internet shopping site, on that site I need to wait more than 2 weeks to get this due to popularity. Well, I did't order this one at this time, but if I have a chance, I want to try this one! lol
Thanks!
13 December 2011
"バルス" will save the world?
Laputa: Castle in the sky
It's one of Ghibli's animation that had been shown in 1986.
Well, the animation was shown before my born.
The animation was directed by Hayao Miyazaki (宮崎駿), but it was not so good at box office record at first time. But it have really high customer satisfaction according to some sources.
The animation was shown in several times on TV too. Last Friday, the Japanese TV station and one of the partner of Ghibli studio Nippon TV(日本テレビ) showed Laputa again.
According to the video research which is providing viewing rates for each programs that on-aired, the viewing rates of Friday's "Laputa: Castle in the Sky" was 15.9%. It's not so high, but these days the viewing rates are really low then it was not bad rates.
バルス Bals
In the ending of Laputa, there is the word "Bals(バルス)". I don't know this word came from, but this is really famous word for Laputa lovers. This word is keyword to destroy the world of Laputa.
Laputa was aired in 2009, last time. At that time the Japan's largest BBS 2チャンネル(2ch) was knocked down because many people try to write about the バルス(Bals) at the same time.
2 years ago...
Nippon TV aired Laputa again and at this time. Many people tweeted about "バルス(Bals)" at the same time.
Well, here is what happened at that time.
According to the tweet counter the unofficial twitter counter, the TPS(tweet per seconds) at the time of バルス on aired on TV was marked 14594 TPS.
Well, it's nearly doubled the previous world's record 8868 TPS that made by news of Beyonce's pregnancy.
I think, it's crazy. Of course, I didn't tweet about バルス(Bals) because I was working at that time...
Have you ever watched Laputa?
Thank you.
Masaya
09 June 2011
Super cool biz
We the Japanese, love to wear suits even in hot day, I felt. I think, it's really crazy look at the train in summer days in Tokyo. You can see the trains crowded with workers who are wearing suits... Well, it seems so stifling.
Suits is not from Japan, I think. But Japanese people seems to love these suits. Anyway, I don't like it so much.
Some years ago, the government started the campaign "cool biz" to spread business casuals to many companies. They are promoting wears which are better wears than suits and tie during summer. I felt it's really nice campaign, because if these promotion going well, we don't have to wear the suits in hot summer days.
In my opinion, most of these workers are now not wearing their ties. But they are still wearing suits. So the government's campaign seems to be failed.
"Super cool biz" is not so cool
Japanese government started their new summer clothes campaign "Super cool biz". I think, it's not so cool because these wears are just wears for summer. But it looks a little comfortable.
Why they started such a campaign in this year?
Well, the energy shortage to be expected in this summer in Japan. This is due to the major earthquake in March. We still have trouble in Fukushima-daiichi nuclear power plants, and the government ridiculously ordered to stop Hamaoka nuclear power plants in Shizuoka prefecture due to future Tsunami concern. Also, some of Japanese people believe nuclear power plants must stop immediately, and they are now trying to stop all of the nuclear power plants in Japan. (I don't agree with their opinion.)
Because we are in energy shortage, we should reduce our energy spend in this summer. For these reasons, the government started their new campaign "super cool biz". I hope they will promote to wear T-shirts and half pants with sandal. (Of course, I'm joking.)
Starts on cold day
The day one of super cool biz was 1st June. It was really cold day and many people are wearing long-sleeved shirts. Yes, it was totally not suitable day for super cool biz. Day 2 was also cold day and most of people were not trying super cool biz.
In this week, the weather got well and the temperature increased so much. So there might be some people who are trying super cool biz. I've never seen such a people yet.
Well, if I have a chance, I might try super cool biz...
Thank you.
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