Click on photo or link to read the feature Why, Japan, Why?: Japanese ceremonies we didn’t know we needed Everybody knows about Japan’s famous tea ceremony, and of course they also mark weddings, funerals and graduations with appropriate pomp, but the Japanese have ceremonies for all kinds of great things besides the biggies…read more • BeyondContinueContinue reading “MAR-APR 2021”
Category Archives: April
Beyond the cherry blossoms
Pink things that only appear during The Season Sure, the cherry trees are pretty in pink, but The Season offers far more delights (and horrors) than elbowing a million other flower fanatics out of the way for that perfect shot. For example… The sublime: Things lit up in pink at night These buildings deck themselvesContinueContinue reading “Beyond the cherry blossoms”
The cherry blossoms of your dreams…a month after all the rest are history
Hirosaki Castle in Aomori Prefecture See all the crowds? Me neither Cherry blossom season is legendary for good reason—even I have to admit that the pinkness in all its glory WILL take your breath away—but the downside of that is that everybody in the world knows it too. From the middle of March to theContinueContinue reading “The cherry blossoms of your dreams…a month after all the rest are history”
The Aosawa Murders
By Riku Onda Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: This book is one of those rare Japanese mysteries that don’t lose something essential in translation. It’s told in such a way that the reader collects each piece of the puzzle from characters who didn’t necessarily revealContinueContinue reading “The Aosawa Murders”
Japanese Treasure Rice
If you have a rice cooker, this is the easiest made-from-scratch meal ever. All you have to do is measure the dry rice into the cooker, then toss in the raw veggies and cooking broth (plus the raw marinated chicken pieces, if you want to make a meal of it). Turn it on, and theContinueContinue reading “Japanese Treasure Rice”
Japanese ceremonies we didn’t know we needed
In Japan, there are ceremonies for some very odd things Everybody knows about Japan’s famous tea ceremony, and of course they also mark weddings, funerals and graduations with ceremonies. But one of the most interesting discussions we’ve been having at book zooms about The Last Tea Bowl Thief is about how the Japanese have ceremoniesContinueContinue reading “Japanese ceremonies we didn’t know we needed”
Did you win the February book giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of Jake Adelstein’s Tokyo Vice! If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me if you’d like an ebook or paperback (and if paperback, let me know a mailing address you’d like it sent to) and I’ll get it to youContinueContinue reading “Did you win the February book giveaway?”
Did you win the MAR-APR Book Zoom giveaway?
Win a book zoom for you and your friends, hosted by author Jonelle Patrick For the next few months, I’ll be giving away a fully hosted The Last Tea Bowl Thief Book Zoom to one lucky Japanagram subscriber every month! If you enjoyed The Last Tea Bowl Thief and have a few friends who mightContinueContinue reading “Did you win the MAR-APR Book Zoom giveaway?”
Yakitori Chicken Mini-Burgers
This is a little less than half a recipe. I usually freeze half of them, then throw together a batch of sauce on another night for an easy five-minute dinner Serves 8 (if one serving size is 5 mini-burgers) Chicken Mini-Burgers 12 oz (340g) ground chicken 12 oz (340g) silken tofu (the soft, custard-y kind,ContinueContinue reading “Yakitori Chicken Mini-Burgers“
APRIL 2020
Click on photo to read the feature This month’s Book Review: Newcomer Ghosts of the Tsunami is a page-turningly readable piece of narrative non-fiction, written by the Asia Editor of The Times of London. Using fascinating personal accounts – like why Buddhist priests had to brush up on their exorcism skills – he delivers poignant insightsContinueContinue reading “APRIL 2020”
Creamy Sesame Noodles
You’ll never guess how healthy these sesame noodles are, because they’re decadently creamy…without the cream. Creamy Sesame Noodles Ingredients: 3.5 oz. (100 g) dried Japanese soba (buckwheat) noodles or regular pasta 2 T. (about two) sliced green onions Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish Diced cooked chicken (optional, but it makes a satisfying lunch if youContinueContinue reading “Creamy Sesame Noodles“
The OTHER famous spring season
Embracing allergy season, one Japanese nose bra at a time Ahhh, spring is here, and in Japan, that means it’s time for The Annual Season! Cherry blossoms? No, ALLERGIES. And it’s not actually the cherry blossoms that are the big culprits, it’s those dang cedar trees that produce all the fragrant wood used in traditionalContinueContinue reading “The OTHER famous spring season”
Let’s see thousands of fish flags fluttering over a river
This month’s destination: Tatebayashi, in Gunma Prefecture Here’s something you won’t see anywhere else in the world: over four thousand colorful fish flags swimming over a river, just an easy day trip from Tokyo! The Tatebayashi koi nobori festival goes on for a nice long time – from late March to early May – soContinueContinue reading “Let’s see thousands of fish flags fluttering over a river”
Newcomer
by Keigo Higashino Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: Extremely engaging and satisfying In this Edgar-nominated mystery, Nihonbashi detective Koichiro Kaga pursues the killer of a recently-divorced middle-aged woman, solving all the little mysteries that crop up along the way as he eliminates suspects, one byContinueContinue reading “Newcomer”
In Japan, be careful what you wish for
Because you might not get what you had in mind These characters read “ganbaru,” which is usually translated as “good luck.” What they literally mean? “Try hard.” Which explains Japanese culture better than almost anything I know. You think you’re saying one thing, but what someone hears in Japanese can be quite different. For example,ContinueContinue reading “In Japan, be careful what you wish for”
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