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”
Category Archives: 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”
SEP-OCT 2022
Click on photo or link to read the feature • First of all…say hello to an all-new Japanagram feature! Instead of a book giveaway this month, I’m delving into my personal treasure trove of Japanese collectables for the… Japan Swag Giveaway From hilarious limited edition capsule toys to Japanese new year’s ornaments, each month oneContinueContinue reading “SEP-OCT 2022”
Did you win the Jul-Aug book giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight by Riku Onda If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me if you’d like to read it in ebook or paperback. (If you’d like a paperback, I’ll also need the mailing address you’d likeContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Jul-Aug book giveaway?”
Japan Swag Giveaway
This month’s is a set of six gashapon Attack Cats! Say hello to an all-new Japanagram feature—the Japan Swag Giveaway! From hilarious capsule toys to New Year’s decorations, I’ve collected a vast trove of treasures you can’t buy outside Japan, and instead of giving away a book this month, I’ve decided it’s time to shareContinueContinue reading “Japan Swag Giveaway”
Let’s watch an epic pagoda parade…at night
Oeshiki ikegami at Ikegami Hongan-ji temple What better way to spend a fine fall evening than watching scores of five-tier pagodas parade down the street, all lit up and festooned with garlands of paper flowers? For over seven hundred years, the festival of 10,000 lanterns known as oeshiki ikegami has been happening every October atContinueContinue reading “Let’s watch an epic pagoda parade…at night”
Haiku that capture the small embarrassments and ironies of modern life
Yamada Zenjido (known on Twitter and Instagram as y_haiku) is a Japanese artist who pens haiku-like truisms paired with pitch-perfect drawings, and they are hella funny…if you read Japanese. A few translations, to brighten your day… • Elderly uncle buying sake.Do I really have toCheck his ID? • Why does the dirty rice cooker alwaysContinueContinue reading “Haiku that capture the small embarrassments and ironies of modern life”
Nutty Noodles
This is what the dish looks like when made with whole wheat spaghetti instead of soba noodles These savory noodles are deeply satisfying, even though they are made from only five ingredients. Walnuts give them a deep autumnal flavor that feels just right for the season, and although they’re a very traditional Japanese dish, everybodyContinueContinue reading “Nutty Noodles”
What’s the most Japanese thing you could ever do? Go on a bus tour
I thought going to the holiest shrine in all Japan would be the most ur-cultural experience I could possibly have. I was wrong. It was the bus tour that really redefined “cultural experience,” but not quite in the way I was expecting. Thanks to TokyoCheapo for this fine bus photo Right now, the only wayContinueContinue reading “What’s the most Japanese thing you could ever do? Go on a bus tour”
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”
Did you win the Mar-Apr book giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of All I asking for is my body by Milton Murayama 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 paperback) and I’ll get it to youContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Mar-Apr book giveaway?”
Mint-Cilantro Udon & Hamachi with Tomato-Ginger Sauce
Here are two recipes from this month’s book giveaway! Check back in July to see if you won this month’s drawing, but in the meantime please enjoy a delightful summertime supper of Japanese-flavored pesto noodles and seared fresh fish with a piquant tomato-ginger sauce, courtesy of chef and author Eric Gower. The recipes in thisContinueContinue reading “Mint-Cilantro Udon & Hamachi with Tomato-Ginger Sauce”
Why yes, that mold IS a National Living Treasure
Everything you ever wanted to know about making sake This is where the magic happens Japanese sake is surging in popularity as restaurants outside of Japan discover that it makes dishes from all over the world taste even better. My friend Mac—the Kanpai Planet YouTube channel host who delves into All Things Alcoholic in Japan—actuallyContinueContinue reading “Why yes, that mold IS a National Living Treasure”
The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen
The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen By Eric Gower Something different this month: a cookbook! Quality of recipes: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Japanese flavor: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Ease of preparation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: This cookbook is a great favorite of mine, because the flavors are Japanese-inspired but geared to a Western kitchen and what’s available in Western supermarkets. Everything is a surprise and a delightContinueContinue reading “The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen”
International Food Fails of Japan
How can they get it so wrong? In a country where only 24% of the population even have a passport (compared to 45% of Americans and 78% of Brits), the closest most Japanese have ever been to “foreign” food is the restaurant down the block. Not surprisingly, this black hole of experience plays out inContinueContinue reading “International Food Fails of Japan”
Did you win the Jan-Feb book giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of The Tattoo Murder Case by Akimitsu Takagi! 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 Jan-Feb book giveaway?”
Let’s hike through bowers of flowers
Shiofune Kannon-ji Temple in Ome The Shiofune Kannon-ji grounds are HUGE. It’s like the Nezu Shrine on steroids. Every April, this temple’s kilometers upon kilometers of hiking trails look out on riotously blooming azaleas, as far as the eye can see. Around every bend, each view is more jaw-dropping than the last. Shiofune Kannon-ji is out inContinueContinue reading “Let’s hike through bowers of flowers”
The Wizard of Oz is alive and well
…and living in Japan Behold the Japanese train ticket vending machine, which is about as close to infallible as a machine can get. You stick in your money, and—unlike the ticket machine I once encountered in San Francisco, which rained down $14.00 IN CHANGE like some sort of demented Vegas slot machine—even if you putContinueContinue reading “The Wizard of Oz is alive and well”
Fiddler on the Roof…in Japanese
Japanese musicals: So far off Broadway, they’re an art form in themselves There’s nothing more entertaining than a good old-fashioned musical, performed by an all-Japanese cast. Boggle along with me as they tackle these classics of stage and screen… Mozart-san Yep, it’s the thoroughly be-wigged, all-Japanese production of Amadeus. • Just a spoonful of nattōContinueContinue reading “Fiddler on the Roof…in Japanese”
Sweet Sesame Greens
Horensō Goma-ae This magical Japanese way to serve up spinach reduces an entire day’s worth of virtuous greens to a few delicious bites that will leave your family asking if there’s more. Yes, it’s that good. (And it’s fast! Five ingredients, fifteen minutes.) Ingredients: Serves 4 8 oz. (227g) baby spinach leaves 1/4 cup (35g)ContinueContinue reading “Sweet Sesame Greens”
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