Click on photo or link to read the feature • Beyond TokyoCome with me to the northiest north! Okay, I know this isn’t the Norwaygram, and I apologize to be coming to you from a place that is SO far beyond Tokyo this month. To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I wasContinueContinue reading “JUL-AUG 2025”
Category Archives: August
Why do cars drive on the left in Japan?
If Japan had ever been part of the British Empire it would be obvious why they adopted the practice of driving on the left. But they’ve never been invaded or conquered by anyone, and the only country they’ve ever surrendered to—the United States—drives on the right. So…why? In a word, swords. Most samurai (like peopleContinueContinue reading “Why do cars drive on the left in Japan?”
Daikon
By Samuel Hawley Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: N/AEntertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: A what-if scenario set in the final days of WWII, this novel imagines what might have happened if the Japanese captured an unexploded A-bomb in the days before Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Rigorous research and the author’s timeContinueContinue reading “Daikon”
J-Style No-Mayo Tuna Salad
Canned tuna has been having a moment lately, and this tasty, tangy take on tuna salad is about to become your new summer go-to! One bite after my Japanese cousin Yoko brought this bowl to the table I was begging for the recipe, and was extra-delighted to discover it uses only six ingredients (including theContinueContinue reading “J-Style No-Mayo Tuna Salad”
Come with me to the northiest north!
Hiking the Lofoten Islands, inside the Arctic Circle Little red houses everywhere! Okay, I know this isn’t the Norwaygram, and I apologize to be coming to you from a place that is SO far beyond Tokyo this month. To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I was in a country where they wereContinueContinue reading “Come with me to the northiest north!”
Links to fun stuff you might have missed
If you don’t subscribe to my Japan travel site or the blog where I write about stuff you’d never see anywhere else, here are links to a couple of other things you might enjoy… • New post from The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d HadWhat to do in Tokyo when it’s HOT outside Tell meContinueContinue reading “Links to fun stuff you might have missed”
SEP 2024
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Seasonal Secret:Green and Serene: Design secrets of Japanese gardens If there’s one thing we need right now in this brutally continuing summer, it’s a stroll in a Japanese garden. But how can they be such an oasis of cool and calm in the midst ofContinueContinue reading “SEP 2024”
AUG 2024
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Seasonal Secret:Japanese glass bells: the sweet sound of summer The sweet chimes of fūrin bells aren’t just a pretty summer soundtrack! In the dark days before AC was invented, they were one of the major weapons against the relentlessly hot and steamy Japanese summertime…read more • Why,ContinueContinue reading “AUG 2024”
The Emissary
By Yoko Tawada Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: This winner of the National Book Award for translated literature is not only one of the best books by a Japanese author I’ve ever read—and the most stunningly excellent literary translation I’ve ever read—it’s one of theContinueContinue reading “The Emissary”
Japanese glass bells: The sweet sound of summer
The sweet chimes of fūrin bells aren’t just a pretty summer soundtrack! In the dark days before AC was invented, they were one of the major weapons against the relentlessly hot and steamy Japanese summertime. Everything about them exudes coolness, from the clear airiness of the glass bell… to their cheery seasonal motifs, recalling warmContinueContinue reading “Japanese glass bells: The sweet sound of summer”
Snacks with tentacles
Admit it: you can’t wait to dare your travel companions to nom down on some fine squid-on-a-stick when you stroll past the food stands at your next Japanese festival. But did you know they can’t weasel out of it by refusing to travel during the summer matsuri season? Just walk into any convenience store and toss oneContinueContinue reading “Snacks with tentacles”
JUL-AUG 2023
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Seasonal Secret:Splashparks: Tokyo’s secret summer delight You don’t have to be a kid to fling socks and shoes to the wind and dip your hot, tired feet in these inviting summertime streams, pools and fountains. Best of all, these are all in public parks, soContinueContinue reading “JUL-AUG 2023”
What the heckin’ heck is THIS?
First, let’s answer last month’s question and find out what the heckin’ heck was THAT? Answer: A miso muddler And what does a miso muddler do? Well, first, it measures something that’s a huge pain to measure. Miso is the peanut butter of Japanese ingredients (i.e. you’re doomed to getting it all over your fingersContinueContinue reading “What the heckin’ heck is THIS?”
Splashparks: Tokyo’s secret summer delight
You don’t have to be a kid to fling socks and shoes to the wind and dip your hot, tired feet in these inviting summertime streams, pools and fountains. Best of all, these are all in public parks, so they’re free! A typical splashpark has water so safely shallow that even for the tiniest totsContinueContinue reading “Splashparks: Tokyo’s secret summer delight”
Jul-Aug Japan Swag Giveaway
A set of five limited edition “Drinking Cats” gachapon capsule toys The inspired es dreamed up by the companies that make the miniature limited edition toys sold in gachapon machines all over Japan never cease to amaze! This month’s giveaway is a subset of an especially WTF collection of drunken pets. They all come withContinueContinue reading “Jul-Aug Japan Swag Giveaway”
How NOT to say “Get Well Soon” in Japan
As if Japan isn’t complicated enough when it comes to gift giving, visiting a sick friend in the hospital comes with its very own set of horrifying opportunities for The Big Fail. Here’s how NOT to say “Get Well Soon” in Japan… Where I come from, flowers are always a safe bet. They don’t torpedoContinueContinue reading “How NOT to say “Get Well Soon” in Japan”
A town that’s packed with weird, wild & wonderful shrines and temples
Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture MAP to all shrines and temples If you want to set a record for seeing the most entertaining shrines & temples in a single day, the best of the best are just an hour away from central Tokyo in the charming town of Kamakura! Read on, to pick your must-sees. BeforeContinueContinue reading “A town that’s packed with weird, wild & wonderful shrines and temples”
Deviled Eggs with a Japanese Twist
No summertime picnic is complete without a tray of deviled eggs, and this duo of Japanese-flavored variations will have everyone begging for your recipe! The Miso Deviled Eggs pack an extra wallop of sweet and savory, while the Spicy Deviled Eggs get their kick from the citrusy pepper relish known as yuzu koshō. • MisoContinueContinue reading “Deviled Eggs with a Japanese Twist”
Did you win the May-Jun Japan Swag Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won three limited edition see-no-evil, hear-no-evil, speak-no-evil gachapon cats! If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me where to send it. (I’ll need a mailing address). If I didn’t pull your name from the hat this time, you might get lucky next time!ContinueContinue reading “Did you win the May-Jun Japan Swag Giveaway?”
Did you win the May-Jun book giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen by Eric Gower If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and give me a mailing address you’d like it sent to (this one is only available in hardcover) and I’ll get it to you soonest. If IContinueContinue reading “Did you win the May-Jun book giveaway?”
Easy Japanese lunchbox supper
Start with a bed of rice, then arrange bits and pieces of leftovers, pantry staples, and/or quick-cooked fresh foods tossed in dressings that you already have in your fridge. The pleasure of this dish is having so many different tastes in one meal It’s summertime, and the last thing you want to do is slaveContinueContinue reading “Easy Japanese lunchbox supper”
Let’s stroll through a forest of perfect miniature trees!
Bonsai Village in Ōmiya The Ōmiya Bonsai Art Museum is a work of art in itself—the trees are displayed in a beautifully-designed landscape that feels like a contemporary Japanese garden. It showcases the trees amid traditional fences and rockscapes Bonsai Village is the neighborhood surrounding the Bonsai Art Museum in Ōmiya, which is home toContinueContinue reading “Let’s stroll through a forest of perfect miniature trees!”
Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight
By Riku Onda Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: A masterful “unreliable narrator” mystery in which both characters believe the other to be the killer, alternating their impressions of events in a way that points the finger of guilt first one way, then the other, rightContinueContinue reading “Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight”
Extreme lunchboxing
The what, how & why of Japanese bentō boxes To be fair, this King of Tut-boxes was crafted by a stylist at a magazine… No country has made more of an art of packing a bag lunch and no moms* put more effort into this most resented of daily chores than those in Japan. Here’sContinueContinue reading “Extreme lunchboxing”
Floating lanterns on a warm moonlit night
Toro Nagashi at Shinobazu Pond in Asakusa The toro nagashi ceremony has been performed in Asakusa every year since 1946, just after the end of WWII. That year, people began to light lanterns to pray for lasting peace when they sent the spirits of loved ones who died in the war back to the afterlifeContinueContinue reading “Floating lanterns on a warm moonlit night”
JUL-AUG 2021
Click on photo or link to read the feature SEASONAL SECRETThe most delightful summer festival in all of Japan is all about…goldfish! There’s nothing more traditional than ogling insanely fancy (and expensive!) goldfish and, of course, catching your own…read more • BEYOND TOKYOLet’s meander through a park with twenty-three thatch-roofed farmhouses The Nihon Minka-en FolkContinueContinue reading “JUL-AUG 2021”
Did you win the May-June book giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun! 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 itContinueContinue reading “Did you win the May-June book giveaway?”
Green Salad with Japanese Pickled Onions & Wafu Onion Dressing
Add cooked chicken or grilled shrimp to turn this tasty salad into a cool summer meal! Nothing tastes better with grilled everything than a crisp green salad bejeweled with tasty pickled onions and a tangy wafu dressing that’ll knock your socks off! Ingredients: Assorted mixed greens, torn into bite-sized pieces (I like a combo ofContinueContinue reading “Green Salad with Japanese Pickled Onions & Wafu Onion Dressing”
A whole park full of thatch-roofed farmhouses, just outside of central Tokyo
Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden in Kanagawa prefecture There are twenty-three authentic structures in the park, each chosen to feature the clever ways that traditional architecture dealt with local climates and allowed their inhabitants to practice their local ways of life One of the most amazing things to see in Japan is buildings constructedContinueContinue reading “A whole park full of thatch-roofed farmhouses, just outside of central Tokyo”
How to read a haiku
Three great things to look for in a haiku poem I’m going to come right out and say it: nothing makes me want to throw my hands in the air and flee faster than coming across a page that’s filled with verses instead of nice, solid paragraphs. I automatically assume I’m not going to enjoyContinueContinue reading “How to read a haiku”
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