If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of They Hang Me in Tokyo! If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me where to send it. (I’ll need an email address if you’d like the e-book or a mailing address if you’d like a paperback). If I didn’tContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Jan-Feb Book Giveaway?”
Category Archives: January
Did you win the Nov-Dec Book Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of Tokyo Noir! If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me where to send it. (I’ll need an email address if you’d like the e-book or a mailing address if you’d like a paperback). If I didn’t pull your nameContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Nov-Dec Book Giveaway?”
JAN 2025
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Beyond Tokyo:Let’s stay in a Japanese inn with seven outdoor hot springs baths by a river! Ginkon-yū Onsen is one of the most magical places I’ve ever been, and I can’t resist taking you along to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime delights of the treehouse bath, theContinueContinue reading “JAN 2025”
Let’s stay at a Japanese inn with seven outdoor hot spring baths by a river!
Ginkon-yu Onsen in Hokkaido This month I’m inviting you to come with me to one of the most magical places I’ve ever been—the inn with seven secluded hot spring baths set in a forest next to a rushing river! We’ll cleverly plan our trip to arrive at the earliest possible check-in time, because there areContinueContinue reading “Let’s stay at a Japanese inn with seven outdoor hot spring baths by a river!”
Traditional Japanese Inns: Heaven…or Hell?
Remote towns like Ginzan are mobbed by gourmet-obsessed, bath-crazy visitors because nearly every building on the main canal is a renowned traditional inn When you tell someone who’s been to Japan which hotels you’re planning to stay at, I guarantee the first thing they’ll do is shake their head in a sad, knowing way andContinueContinue reading “Traditional Japanese Inns: Heaven…or Hell?”
Sukiyaki: Japanese Beef Hotpot
There’s a reason sukiyaki has been one of the best-loved Japanese dishes in the world for decades—it’s truly Japanese, but also satisfying and delicious by Western standards. Watch faces light up when even people who “don’t like Japanese food” see this tasty stick-to-your ribs pleasure appear on the table. This can be a lean andContinueContinue reading “Sukiyaki: Japanese Beef Hotpot”
JAN-FEB 2024
Click on photo or link to read the feature • The Thing I Learned Today:All about Nihonga: A master reveals the secrets behind Japan’s ancient form of painting If there’s an incredibly difficult way of making something and it takes a lifetime to master, you can be sure Japan has perfected it. That is especiallyContinueContinue reading “JAN-FEB 2024”
Did you win the Nov-Dec Book Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of The Last Yakuza! If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me where to send it. (I’ll need an email address if you’d like the e-book or a mailing address if you’d like the paperback). If I didn’t pull yourContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Nov-Dec Book Giveaway?”
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 mold for making penguin rice balls with a special punch to make the features from nori dried seaweed sheets The latest lunch cuteness for the bento arms race! • So now let’s ponder…what the heckin’ heck is THIS?ContinueContinue reading “What the heckin’ heck is THIS?”
Bite-Sized Mont Blancs
These may not strike you as a typical Japanese dessert, but if you’ve been to Japan, you know that not a single bakery fails to have their own version of this cold weather classic. The combination of a buttery, crunchy base with fluffy whipped cream and sweet—but not too sweet—chestnut puree makes this an enduringContinueContinue reading “Bite-Sized Mont Blancs”
Make It Japanese: Simple Recipes for Everyone
By Rie McClenny & Sanae Lemoine Authenticity of recipes: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: N/AEase of instructions: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Recipe appeal : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: An excellent Japanese cookbook for people living outside Japan, especially if you’re a novice at Japanese cooking. We all want to eat healthy and delicious food—especially after the holidays—and deciding to eat more Japanese cuisine isContinueContinue reading “Make It Japanese: Simple Recipes for Everyone”
Zao Onsen in winter: Hot springs, snow monsters and more!
Zao Onsen in Yamagata Prefecture Zao Onsen is a perfect example of what makes Japan so extra—there are plenty of places in the world you can ski through a forest of snowy trees… but where else can you do it chased by snow monsters… and stay at an inn that’s been in business for fourContinueContinue reading “Zao Onsen in winter: Hot springs, snow monsters and more!”
Flavors I do not want to try
Nevermind the challenging everyday aspects of Japanese cuisine—try these squid guts and cod testicles!—it’s the western-style foods in all-the-no flavors that I want to run away from, screaming… Category 1: Things that should not be vegetable flavored Pancakes should never be a vehicle for spinach • Tomatoes and carrots should not be allowed anywhere nearContinueContinue reading “Flavors I do not want to try”
All about nihonga: A master reveals the secrets behind Japan’s ancient form of painting
Ancient painting technique, new energy: Allan West never stops showing the world what nihonga can be If there’s an incredibly difficult way of making something and it takes a lifetime to master, you can be sure Japan has perfected it. That is especially true of nihonga, the vanishing art of painting with pigments ground fromContinueContinue reading “All about nihonga: A master reveals the secrets behind Japan’s ancient form of painting”
JAN-FEB 2023
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Seasonal Secret: Feast your eyes on these Japanese New Year’s decorations From December 28 to January 7, Japanese new year decorations hang on every door, beckoning in good luck and prosperity for the coming year…read more • The Thing I Learned Today: Why do JapaneseContinueContinue reading “JAN-FEB 2023”
Did you win the Nov-Dec Japan Swag Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a realer-than-real sushi fridge magnet! If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me where you’d like me to send it! (I’ll need a mailing address for this one,) If I didn’t pull your name from the hat this time, you might getContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Nov-Dec Japan Swag Giveaway?”
The Buddha in the Attic
By Julie Otsuka Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: N/AEntertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: This book is less like a novel than an epic poem, its layer upon layer of luscious details shining light on every facet of the immigrant experience, mostly through the eyes of the Japanese women who cameContinueContinue reading “The Buddha in the Attic”
Why are used cars, beautiful old houses and vintage kimonos so cheap in Japan?
The longer you’re in Japan—a place known for the meticulous preservation of its ancient sites and the intricacy of its recycling rules—the weirder it seems that Japanese people insist on buying only new houses, new cars, new clothing, new everything. Saddest of all, they often even refuse to adopt pets that had previous owners. It’sContinueContinue reading “Why are used cars, beautiful old houses and vintage kimonos so cheap in Japan?”
Feast your eyes on these Japanese New Year decorations
From December 28 to January 7, Japanese new year decorations hang on every door, beckoning in good luck and prosperity for the coming year, but they’re just plain beautiful too! Shimenawas are stuffed with symbolism (red and white, to scare away evil spirits and attract good luck, rice straw for a good harvest/that raise youContinueContinue reading “Feast your eyes on these Japanese New Year decorations”
Let’s go to the odd theme park that’s amazing in the most unexpected way
Tobu World Square in Nikko What if I told you that I’d visited a place in Japan that surprised me in a way that I never expected to be surprised? When I finally made it to this place in October, I expected the space-time continuum to be so warped that in a single day youContinueContinue reading “Let’s go to the odd theme park that’s amazing in the most unexpected way”
Spicy Japanese Eggplant
One day in Tokyo, I was at a lunch made by the women in this crazy Japanese women’s club I belong to, where each member had made one dish to contribute (and they all looked like they had been made by professional chefs and styled by photo stylists aieeee!) When I tasted the eggplant dish,ContinueContinue reading “Spicy Japanese Eggplant”
The Tattoo Murder Case
By Akimitsu Takagi Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: A real page-turner of a police procedural that also gives a glimpse into the postwar demimonde of the tattooed Why would someone kill a beautiful tattooed woman, and steal her inked torso? That puzzle is just theContinueContinue reading “The Tattoo Murder Case”
Let’s visit the perfect garden for how we’re feeling right now
Kairaku-en Plum Garden in Mito prefecture February is the best time to see Kairaku-en, because there’s a chance a late winter storm will deliver the amazing sight of spring’s first flowers peeking out from under a blanket of snow Like cherry blossoms, which are beloved because their brief but glorious life is the perfect metaphorContinueContinue reading “Let’s visit the perfect garden for how we’re feeling right now”
If you thought quilts were a Western art, think again!
The Tokyo International Quilt Festival Late summer means awaordori dance exhibitions, and this swirl of movement captures that festival atmosphere perfectly (“Dancing in the Wind” by Masako Sakagami) You know how Japan embraces stuff from all over the world, and then turns it uniquely Japanese? Every year at the end of January, Tokyo hosts oneContinueContinue reading “If you thought quilts were a Western art, think again!”
Pre-battered suitcases and other weird travel necessities
Japanese fears, explained by travel products I used to laugh at the sheer array of disinfectant travel wipes for sale at Tokyu Hands (for planes! for trains! for public bathrooms!) but in this day and age, those aren’t so funny anymore. But there are a few Japanese travel aids whose entertainment value never grows old…ContinueContinue reading “Pre-battered suitcases and other weird travel necessities”
Did you win the Nov-Dec book giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of All She Was Worth by Miyuki Miyabe! 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 getContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Nov-Dec book giveaway?”
JANUARY 2021
Click on photo or link to read the feature Seasonal Secret: The grand pooh-bah of Japanese flea markets This treasure trove of a flea market only happens twice a year, but what a goldmine it is! Where else might you find a set of antique lacquer ozonibowls, a disgruntled workman doll, a pre-dial-era telephone, and aContinueContinue reading “JANUARY 2021”
Did you win the December book giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of Martin Cruz Smith’s December 6! 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 December book giveaway?”
Let’s play Jeopardy!
For your New Year’s entertainment: An original round of Japan-flavored JEOPARDY Hello friends, it’s me, your virtual Japan Jeopardy host! Looking for a little fresh amusement? Throughout this long, long, LONG pandemic, I’ve discovered (quite to my surprise) that online trivia is one of the most satisfying entertainments around (not to mention it’s something toContinueContinue reading “Let’s play Jeopardy!”
OUT
By Natsuo Kirino Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: A fabulous thriller that skillfully conveys just how cold and ingenious ordinary Japanese people can be, when pushed over the edge. A brutal murder is just the beginning of this dark novel, where we watch an ordinaryContinueContinue reading “OUT”
Japanagram 