Fox Village in Miyagi prefecture It’s a lot easier to get up close and personal with wild animals in Japan, because it’s the Land that Lawyers Forgot and because the Japanese public is better at following rules and being respectful of animals than people in the country where I grew up. Fox Village is aContinueContinue reading “Let’s go to Fox Village…in the snow!”
Category Archives: December
All She Was Worth
By Miyuki Miyabe Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: A gripping mystery with a satisfying solution, set in an exceedingly genuine Tokyo filled with characters who are appealingly human, and also 100% Japanese This excellent mystery is the first one by bestselling Japanese mystery writer MiyukiContinueContinue reading “All She Was Worth”
Kinako Shortbread Cookies with Salted Black Sugar Buttercream
The classic Japanese flavor combination of roasted soybean flour and Okinawan black sugar come together in these buttery sandwich cookies that will give new sparkle to your holiday table ‘Tis the season for cozy pleasures, so how about a sweet holiday treat with a delightful Japanese twist? These buttery shortbread cookies have a satisfying nuttyContinueContinue reading “Kinako Shortbread Cookies with Salted Black Sugar Buttercream”
One more reason why I love Japan
Because the same culture that gave us this… The red bridge spanning the Hirosaki Castle moat And this The awesome five-story-tall light-up Gundam robot And this The pagoda at Sensō-ji temple and Skytree, lit up at night… Also came up with this This building If this isn’t the most butt-ugly building you’ve ever seen, wrapContinueContinue reading “One more reason why I love Japan”
Let’s stroll down avenues lined with towering gold gingko trees
Tokyo’s ichō namiki Gingko trees are beautiful in every season—there’s a reason their unique leaves have been celebrated in kimonos, pottery, lacquer, and all the traditional arts for centuries—but catching them just as they turn into towering torches and blaze away for a few days in late fall is one of my favorite sights inContinueContinue reading “Let’s stroll down avenues lined with towering gold gingko trees”
Did YOU win one of the five audiobook giveaways?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of The Last Tea Bowl Thief audiobook! If you think one of these is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and I’ll send you the download code and instructions for getting it onto your device! I’m sorry if I didn’t pull your name from the hatContinueContinue reading “Did YOU win one of the five audiobook giveaways?”
Did you win the Sep-Oct book giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of Pachinko by Min Jin Lee! 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 toContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Sep-Oct book giveaway?”
DECEMBER 2020
Click on photo or link to read the feature Seasonal Secret: The Japanese art of gift giving If there were medals for gifting, the Japanese would own the gold and the Guinness record for owning the gold…read more • Beyond Tokyo: Millions of twinkling fairy lights, dancing fountain extravaganzas, and glowing cotton candy, all served up onContinueContinue reading “DECEMBER 2020”
My Book Gift List
This list of excellent books that I read (or re-read) this year have these three things in common: They’re compelling but not harrowing.The characters are enjoyable to spend time with.They’re well-written, thoroughly immersive and escapist. • If you know someone who would like to read moreentertaining books by Black authors: Blanche on the Lam byContinueContinue reading “My Book Gift List”
Did you win the November book giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of William Gibson’s’s Idoru! 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 you soonest. IfContinueContinue reading “Did you win the November book giveaway?”
December 6
By Martin Cruz Smith Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: N/AEntertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: This is a fascinating snapshot of life in Japan on the brink of war, told through the eyes of one of the rare foreign residents Martin Cruz Smith isn’t a Japan expert, but he’s cracking goodContinueContinue reading “December 6”
Nothing is weirder than Xmas in Japan
Santa blasphemy, blue poinsettias and Xmas hats from hell The first Christmas I spent in Japan, my head whipped around in a doubletake at the Santa with reindeer right next to a Godzilla made of white fairy lights. I stopped in my tracks when I heard churchy religious carols being played right alongside Jingle BellsContinueContinue reading “Nothing is weirder than Xmas in Japan”
Let’s go see millions of twinkling lights
This month’s destination: YomiuriLand An overview of the delights in store Even if you’re past the age when roller coasters and carousels thrill you, get thee to Yomiuriland at night to see this annual twinklefest! Every year they deck the aging amusement park with millions upon millions of dazzling lights—designed by Motoko Ishii, the lightingContinueContinue reading “Let’s go see millions of twinkling lights”
The Japanese art of gift-giving
Since we’re careening into that present-exchanging time of year, I thought you might enjoy a peek into the Japanese art of gift giving. Not to put too fine a point on it, they are MASTERS. If there was a medal for gifting, the Japanese would own the gold and the Guinness record for owning theContinueContinue reading “The Japanese art of gift-giving”
Marinated Pork Medallions with Melted Leeks
Special occasions call for special ingredients—this recipe is super simple if you start with ordinary bottled Japanese soba sauce (the kind used for dipping buckwheat noodles) and a relish called yuzu koshō that can be bought off the shelf.* These are both easily available online, if you don’t have an Asian market near you. HaveContinueContinue reading “Marinated Pork Medallions with Melted Leeks”
One stop shopping DECEMBER 2020
Here are books to delight everyone on your list There’s no better escape than reading, and bookstores are the departure gates of 2020 Books are the perfect gift, because they can instantly transport us to other places and times, even when we can’t travel there in person. I’m donning my author hat for a moment,ContinueContinue reading “One stop shopping DECEMBER 2020”
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