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food/plants/animals

メロン – Melon

Melons grow all year around in Japan, but the primary harvesting season is from May through July.  In a grocery store, melons …

Hakone Utsugi

Hakone Utsugi (ハコネウツギ)or Weigela Coraeensis is a flower that is found near beaches in Japan.  Its blooming season is May~June.  This flower is …

Andes Melon

The Andes Melon (アンデスメロン) was developed by a Japanese nursery company in 1977.  This is short for “Anshin-des Melon”. Anshin-des Melon literary …

いちごころ – Ichigokoro

A farm in Yamaguchi, Japan has been producing and selling heart-shaped strawberries named Ichigokoro since 2016.  They can produce only up to …

Christmas Dinner

Just as most American people eat turkey on Thanksgiving, many Japanese people eat KFC or some kind of chicken for Christmas dinner. …

イチゴ – Strawberries

Strawberries or ichigo are one of the most popular fruits in Japan.  Usually strawberries are in season around March and April.  We …

DCの桜 – DC Cherry Trees

In 1909 Mayor Ozaki of Tokyo suggested sending 2000 cherry trees to the U.S. as a gift.  First lady, Helen Herron Taft …

恵方巻き – Ehōmaki

Ehōmaki means “lucky direction sushi roll” and is a relatively new tradition for Setsubun in Japan.  7-Eleven in Japan introduced this practice …

Bonin Flying Fox

The Bonin flying fox (オガサワラオオコウモリ) is endemic to Japan and has been found in a few islands of Ogasawara (known as the …

マリモ – Marimo

Marimo literally means an “algae ball” in Japanese.  A marimo is a colony of thread-like algae that naturally takes on a ball-like …