Yes, it’s a corn sandwich. Not a sandwich with corn as some sort of minor ingredient or garnish. Just corn. Cold. With wallops of mayo. Then there’s this. Words failed me the first time I saw this carbs-on-carbs noodle sandwich, a hot dog bun filled with yakisoba fried noodle goodness. And this. As if friedContinueContinue reading “Strange Sandwiches of Japan”
Tag Archives: Why Japan Why?
Why is this the most Japanese lantern festival ever?
What made this autumn festival with fireworks and wish-laden lanterns one of the most Japanese events I’ve ever been to? Is it that everyone waited with bouncy anticipation for the signal to be given… then let them fly at the same time? Was it the childrens’ wishes inscribed on each one as they rose toContinueContinue reading “Why is this the most Japanese lantern festival ever?”
Weird Ice Cream Flavors of Japan
Tell me the first thing you thought of when you saw this wasn’t “What happens to the gold leaf AFTER you eat it?” To be fair, it’s always weird ice cream season in Japan, but as climate change stretches the unbearably hot and humid Japanese summer into October, never have we craved a nice coldContinueContinue reading “Weird Ice Cream Flavors of Japan”
Pet treat or human snack? You decide.
The pet product aisles of Japan never fail to deliver new levels of animal pampering, and no product category is more over-the-top than treats. Can you guess which ones are for pets and which are for humans? They all of them claim to be… Dripping with flavor! Crunchy and snackable! Filled with tasty goodness! DrizzledContinueContinue reading “Pet treat or human snack? You decide.”
Food styling fails of Japan
You may recall me saying that the strangest food you might ever encounter in Japan is spaghetti, but even when they try to depict a menu offering that’s unapologetically “foreign,” sometimes the picture is a little…off. This luscious fruit tart, for example. Its job is to make you crave the juiciest peaches, the reddest strawberries,ContinueContinue reading “Food styling fails of Japan”
Why don’t we all wear kimonos instead of Control Tops and neckties?
Photo thanks to Anji Salz at Salz Tokyo Okay, hear me out. For just a moment, clear your mind of cultural biases and entrenched Western ideas about beauty, and consider how much more comfortable and attractive we all might be if we dressed to impress in Japanese kimonos! (Men, don’t sneak out the back—I thinkContinueContinue reading “Why don’t we all wear kimonos instead of Control Tops and neckties?”
The hilarious video game you win with your killer…manners?
From the YouTube video Consider It: The Co-op Mode Only in Japan would a video game go viral for rewarding those who are more skilled at wielding the magic word than the magic sword. But that doesn’t explain why “Kūki Yomi” (a Japanese phrase that means “read the air” and is translated to “Consider It”*ContinueContinue reading “The hilarious video game you win with your killer…manners?”
You haven’t experienced Deep Japan until you ride the overnight ferry
There was an inexplicably fabulous fireworks show as we pulled out of Oarai—probably nothing to do with the ferry—but it was the kind of serendipitous thing that so often happens when you veer off onto a less-traveled path in Japan If you want to truly earn the Deep Japan badge, forget going from here toContinueContinue reading “You haven’t experienced Deep Japan until you ride the overnight ferry”
“Mundane Halloween” costumes I wish I’d thought of
Japan may be the over-the-top costuming mecca of the world, but it’s also the home of Halloween’s most hilarious dress-up trend: Mundane Halloween. These revelers capture ordinary people doing ordinary things who are as nevertheless as recognizable as Godzilla, but twice as funny. Here are some of my all-time favorites, most from the annual “MundaneContinueContinue reading ““Mundane Halloween” costumes I wish I’d thought of”
Inexplicable Animal Toys of Japan
Every time I’m browsing the toy floor of the big Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara, I’m stopped in my tracks by the plastic animal display. Can you imagine some small Japanese child begging their parental unit for…the prehistoric stuff of nightmares? Or a squeamishly realistic octopus? Japanese children must have way more imagination than I did,ContinueContinue reading “Inexplicable Animal Toys of Japan”
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”
Failed rock gardens of Japan
Venerable Zen temple rock gardens are one of the iconic must-sees of Japan. No matter when you come, it’s always rock season, and they’re never, ever, covered in scaffolding. Plus, rock gardens look good even if you never weed, feed, or prune them. The most famous not-failed rock garden in Japan: Ryoanji in Kyoto. YouContinueContinue reading “Failed rock gardens of Japan”
Why do so many top Japanese restaurants refuse Michelin stars?
If you were as riveted by “The Bear” as I was, you have an idea what a restaurant is willing to go through for even a single shiny star. When the Michelin Guide came to Tokyo for the first time in 2008, they planned to honor a number of restaurants with multiple star ratings, soContinueContinue reading “Why do so many top Japanese restaurants refuse Michelin stars?”
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”
The jolly old elf gets a Japanese makeover
It’s no secret that Japan is known for coming up with some, er, interesting interpretations of Xmas traditions, but none are more amusing than their seasonal takes on St. Nicholas himself. Without any religious or cultural tradition behind it, Christmas in Japan is a huge romantic/date holiday (second only to Valentine’s Day), but they haven’tContinueContinue reading “The jolly old elf gets a Japanese makeover”
How can Oreos be more Japanese than sumo wrestlers?
In last month’s Japanagram, we talked about turning foreign things Japanese, but I bet you never thought that the most extreme example of that might be…sumo. Foreigners have dominated this most sacred of Japanese sports since 1990. This photo, for example, is Asashoryu, the Mongolian who introduced revolutionary – and, for a while, unstoppable – techniques based onContinueContinue reading “How can Oreos be more Japanese than sumo wrestlers?”
Why the most interesting food you’ll eat in Japan might be…spaghetti
I know. Nobody goes to Japan to eat spaghetti. It’s sushi that’s supposed to deliver the big revelations, right? The exotic fish. The squicky I-dare-you innards. The arcane serving rituals at a restaurant with no menu. But it’s eating spaghetti in Japan that will really make you think. Because although every “Italian” restaurant in Tokyo offers pastaContinueContinue reading “Why the most interesting food you’ll eat in Japan might be…spaghetti”
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
Japanese ceremonies we didn’t know we needed
In Japan, there are ceremonies for some very odd things Everybody knows about Japan’s famous tea ceremony, and of course they also mark weddings, funerals and graduations with ceremonies. But one of the most interesting discussions we’ve been having at book zooms about The Last Tea Bowl Thief is about how the Japanese have ceremoniesContinueContinue reading “Japanese ceremonies we didn’t know we needed”
Japan’s pet obsession
Dogs in schoolgirl uniforms are just the tip of the iceberg In the land with the most rapidly shrinking birthrate in the world, it’s easy to see where all that energy is going… Now it’s the dogs that are wearing schoolgirl uniforms And aspiring to work at maid cafes They’ve settled the issue of howContinueContinue reading “Japan’s pet obsession”
How to tip the hand of fate
Not your lucky day? We can fix that! If someone told you they wanted to move a meeting you’d scheduled because the astrology forecast for that day is too unlucky, you’d probably be moving them right off the payroll, wouldn’t you? Unless you live in Japan. In Japan, that’s a perfectly legit reason to rescheduleContinueContinue reading “How to tip the hand of fate”
Why is it harder to get a Japanese boyfriend than a Japanese girlfriend?
Dating in Japan: it’s complicated In The Last Tea Bowl Thief, Robin Swann has had a longer relationship with her goldfish than with any man since she arrived. Let’s look at the baffling question of why it’s so hard to get a Japanese boyfriend. One of the first things I noticed when I moved toContinueContinue reading “Why is it harder to get a Japanese boyfriend than a Japanese girlfriend?”
Unexpected drawbacks of being a foreigner in Japan
Tiny pants, the garbage police, and the more friends you have, the lonelier you might be There are some things that nobody who moves to Japan wants to learn. But sometimes it’s these unwelcome lessons that unlock all kinds of other mysteries… Is it me, or are these pants just laughably small? The first time IContinueContinue reading “Unexpected drawbacks of being a foreigner in Japan”
Tall noses, small faces & big feet
Japan beauty goals “Your nose is so tall!” No foreigner lives in Japan for long without encountering this strangest of comments, delivered with an inexplicable tone of admiration. But having a big nose is not the only Japanese compliment that sounds like anything but. Here are five Japanese beauty standards that will have you checkingContinueContinue reading “Tall noses, small faces & big feet”
In Japan you can be “Honorably Alone”
How Japan has perfected the experience of eating, drinking and traveling by yourself We’ve all had that awkward experience of having to dine alone in a restaurant—the meek acceptance of the mingey table nearest the swinging kitchen door and the studious attention to an open book so people don’t think we were stood up. InContinueContinue reading “In Japan you can be “Honorably Alone””
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