The Japanese are the masters of the kind of weird inventions that make you burst out laughing…then you realize you need one. I love discovering these things, and I hope you’ll enjoy guessing what they’re used for too! Every month I’ll post a photo of something that I didn’t have any idea what it wasContinueContinue reading “What the heckin’ heck is THIS?”
Category Archives: 2020
Did you win the Mar-Apr Book Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of Dead-End Memories by Banana Yoshimoto! 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 where you’d like me to send it. (I’ll need an email address for the ebook or a mailingContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Mar-Apr Book Giveaway?”
Time travel to a samurai village, check out Westminster Abbey, then swoon over the most opulent golden shrine in Japan
Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture Nikko not only hosts my favorite must-see World Heritage Site in all of Japan, it’s home to two eye-popping theme parks—one that lets you wander around an authentically recreated samurai village dressed as the period character of your choice, and another that seems like it would be the acme of camp,ContinueContinue reading “Time travel to a samurai village, check out Westminster Abbey, then swoon over the most opulent golden shrine in Japan”
Japanese Chicken Sliders with a Tasty Trio of Toppings
These juicy chicken sliders with a hint of ginger can be topped with any combination of the toppings, depending on whether you’re in the mood for spicy, savory, creamy or tangy. There’s something for everyone, and the small size means you don’t have to decide which is your favorite until you’ve tried them all! •ContinueContinue reading “Japanese Chicken Sliders with a Tasty Trio of Toppings”
Look up! It’s koi nobori season!
In Japan ’tis the season to look to the sky for swimming fish! May 5th is the holiday formerly known as Boys’ Day, but now the charming flags called koi nobori fly for girls too. On Children’s Day, any child can be the carp that climbs the waterfall to become a dragon. Legend has itContinueContinue reading “Look up! It’s koi nobori season!”
Seven reasons not to fall in love with that $25,000 Japanese farmhouse
The New York Times is only the latest media outlet to jump on the “you can buy a fabulous farmhouse in Japan for cheap” bandwagon, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. To sum up this latest piece of clickbait, Japan’s famously shrinking population has left millions of vintage farmhouses sitting empty and unwanted,ContinueContinue reading “Seven reasons not to fall in love with that $25,000 Japanese farmhouse”
Japan Swag Giveaway
This set of threeSee-no-evil, hear-no-evil, speak-no-evil cats! In honor of our visit to the famous trio of monkeys at the Nikkō Toshogu Shrine this month, I’m giving away this limited edition set of three cats who will out-cute those monkeys in a heartbeat! On the last day of June, I’ll randomly pick one lucky JapanagramContinueContinue reading “Japan Swag Giveaway”
MAR-APR 2023
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Seasonal Secret: Hacking cherry blossom season: How to beat peak pricing and crowds, while still enjoying maximum pinkness You go to Japan for cherry blossom season expecting it’ll be all picnics under the spreading boughs of pinkness, but even if you manage to book ticketsContinueContinue reading “MAR-APR 2023”
Dead-End Memories
By Banana Yoshimoto Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: Although Japanese fiction nearly always loses a lot in translation, this collection of short stories still manages to feature characters and situations that are strangely Japanese, yet truly universal at the same time. If you’ve heard meContinueContinue reading “Dead-End Memories”
Did you win the Jan-Feb Book Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka! 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 where you’d like me to send it. (I’ll need an email address for the ebookContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Jan-Feb Book Giveaway?”
Spring Vegetable Salad with Creamy Sesame Dressing
Dress up a bouquet of colorful spring vegetables in this decadently creamy dressing that’s made without cream! The surprise ingredient is silken tofu, so not only will your loved ones be begging for second helpings of vegetables, they’ll get all the enjoyment of cream without the dairy. • Spring Vegetable Salad with Creamy Sesame DressingContinueContinue reading “Spring Vegetable Salad with Creamy Sesame Dressing”
Let’s hike through the cherry blossom forest!
Hanamiyama Park in Fukushima Let’s escape the elbowing cameramen, blossom-hogging selfie-snappers and crowded parks of Tokyo and head up to Tohoku, where kilometers upon kilometers of wild cherry blossoms line the hiking trails at Hanamiyama. “Cherry Blossom Mountain” is a vast private park planted with so many flowering trees that every vista is painted inContinueContinue reading “Let’s hike through the cherry blossom forest!”
Hacking cherry blossom season
How to beat peak pricing and crowds, while still enjoying maximum pinkness! You go to Japan for cherry blossom season expecting it’ll be like this: But if you come during peak season, you’re more likely to get this: And trip dates are becoming harder to guess. Thanks to global warming, the sure bet of “last-few-days-of-March-through-the-first-few-days-of-April”ContinueContinue reading “Hacking cherry blossom season”
If we’re going to give up cars, we’re going to need more hand towels
Five unexpected things that explain why 21 million Tokyo dwellers choose the train every day, instead of their cars If you want to convince everyone to use public transportation—rich, poor, young, old—it goes without saying that it needs to be faster, cheaper, more convenient and more reliable than using a car. And it’s not wrongContinueContinue reading “If we’re going to give up cars, we’re going to need more hand towels”
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”
NOV-DEC 2022
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Seasonal Secret: Design Festa: Your one-stop shop for predatory purses, zombie nesting dolls & more Twice a year, Design Festa takes over the Big Site convention center in Odiaba, and artists selling everything from zombie matroyshika to predatory purses gather to outdo each other…read moreContinueContinue reading “NOV-DEC 2022”
Did you win the Sep-Oct Japan Swag Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a set of six limited-edition gashapon Attack Cats! If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me where you’d like me to send them! (Note: My apologies—I’m in Japan at the moment and the attack cats are in San Francisco, so I won’tContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Sep-Oct Japan Swag Giveaway?”
Japan Swag Giveaway
The Nov-Dec 2022 giveaway: Ikura Sushi Refrigerator Magnet Yes, this month’s giveaway is one of those high-quality can’t-believe-it’s-not-real food magnets they only sell on Kappabashi Street in Tokyo. All lesser refrigerators on your street will envy yours. I bought this one at the most expensive food model shop on Kappabashi, because their food models areContinueContinue reading “Japan Swag Giveaway”
Miso-Butter Potatoes
Move over, french fries! You may think that potatoes don’t sound like an authentic Japanese dish, but the stand selling hot miso-butter potatoes at all the winter festivals has a line a mile long, because they are awesome. Miso makes everything you put it in taste deeper and richer (while also secretly being good for you!)ContinueContinue reading “Miso-Butter Potatoes”
Why are those trees wearing placemats?
Ever wonder why they wrap Japanese pine trees in those funny little mats in winter?Arboreal stomach warmer? The tree version of black tie for the holidays? Guess again. They’re actually old-fashioned, super-eco pest control! It’s diabolically simple. The mats are girded around the trees as winter approaches, wrapped tightly at the bottom and loosely atContinueContinue reading “Why are those trees wearing placemats?”
Let’s go to the Werewolf Shrine!
Mitsumiya Shrine in Saitama prefecture The Mitsumine Shrine sits high atop a snowy mountain near Chichibu, so far from any train station that you’ll be eligible for a senior citizen discount by the time you get off the bus. At first it looks like a typical Shinto shrine with fox messengers at the gate… …butContinueContinue reading “Let’s go to the Werewolf Shrine!”
Design Festa: Your one-stop shop for predatory purses, zombie nesting dolls & more
Twice a year, Design Festa takes over the Big Site convention center in Odiaba, and artists selling everything from zombie matroyshika to predatory purses gather to outdo each other. Artist: MaliciousX Get one in every color! Artist: MaliciousX Or if that isn’t creepy enough for you, perhaps a crying baby head? Or you can takeContinueContinue reading “Design Festa: Your one-stop shop for predatory purses, zombie nesting dolls & more”
Ghosts of the Tsunami
by Richard Lloyd Perry Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: N/ARepresents real life in Japan: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: Full of fascinating details and well worth reading Ghosts of the Tsunami is a page-turningly readable piece of narrative non-fiction, written by the Asia Editor of The Times of London. And while it centersContinueContinue reading “Ghosts of the Tsunami”
Get the best cherry blossom pix in Tokyo: Where, when & how
Whether you’re an Instagrammer with a mega-following or just want to capture some of the pink magic to show your besties back home, snapping some envy-inducing photos is on every cherry blossom to-do list. But getting those perfect shots isn’t easy, especially if it’s your first time in Tokyo, so here’s how & where toContinueContinue reading “Get the best cherry blossom pix in Tokyo: Where, when & how”
Let’s walk across red-hot burning coals!
Hiwatari Matsuri at Mt. Takao Who can resist the opportunity to do a bit of firewalking? Once a year, they actually let you join in, at the Hiwatari Matsuri, just an hour outside of Shinjuku Station at Mt. Takao. Get there early, because the festivities start with a grand parade of ascetic mountain monks from all overContinueContinue reading “Let’s walk across red-hot burning coals!”
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