food/plants/animals
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 means “worry free melon” in Japanese because this breed resists mildew, fungus and other diseases better than other existing varieties. But the name anshin-des would not appeal to most Japanese people, so they dropped “shin” and just called it Andes Melon. Of course this makes it sound like it came from the Andes Mountains, but the nursery company did not have a problem with this – probably because that sounds foreign and stylish. Personally speaking I love the name Anshin-des Melon 100 times better than Andes Melon. lol
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 100 of these special berries per day from mid-December through mid-May. When I checked the website in the middle of January, all the fresh strawberries were already sold out. The price for one largest (3L) ichigokoro, six middle-sized (M), or nine small (S) ones was the same: 5000 yen (approx $45.70 USD). The farm sells regular-shaped strawberries too, but those are all sold out as well. Currently (as of 1/30/19) only available items are phone cases and message cards.
Christmas Dinner
Just as most American people eat turkey on Thanksgiving, many Japanese people eat KFC or some kind of chicken for Christmas dinner. Since we normally celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve, every year on Christmas eve there is a long line in front of KFC outlets. Christmas cake is also a mainstay in Japan for Christmas menus. Christmas cake is normally a shortcake with christmas theme decoration.
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 start seeing strawberries on sale in the store from the mid December until May. Often strawberry themed events are held at the hotels and restaurants during the season.
Photo is for the Tokyo Hilton Hotel Strawberry Fest 2018.
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 accepted this suggestion, and 2000 trees arrived in 1910. However, those trees turned out to be infested with insects and all had to be burned.
Mayor Ozaki was disappointed, but he did not give up. He suggested sending trees again. This time the team was very careful in handling the trees, and obtained help from specialists from the start of the tree-growing process. In March of 1912, 3020 trees arrived safely in the U.S., and people were impressed because every single tree was healthy. About 1800 of those cherry trees were planted around the Tidal Basin in Washington DC, and the rest were planted in the Potomac Park.
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 for the Setsubun in 1998, and it became popular during the 00s. Ehōmaki is simply a sushi roll with seven ingredients inside one for each of the seven lucky gods. You are supposed to eat the entire roll without cutting it up with a knife. It is said that if you look towards the Ehō or lucky direction, think of your wish, and eat the entire Ehōmaki without talking, then your wish will come true. Some people say that this is nothing but a money making idea by sushi industry and I agree, but it is still a fun and delicious event, right?
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 Bonin Islands in English). The Bonin flying fox is called Ogasawara Ookōmori in Japanese. Oo means “big” and kōmori means a “bat.” Needless to say, an ookōmori is bigger than a regular kōmori (its body is about 9 inches long), but also ookōmori eat fruits whereas kōmori normally eat small insects. Also the ookōmori’s eyes are fully functional unlike those of an ordinary kōmori. Therefore, an ookōmori is normally diurnal where a kōmori is normally nocturnal. Strangely, some Bonin flying foxes are diurnal and others are nocturnal depending on the island where they live. Since 1969 Bonin flying foxes have been designated as natural treasures of Japan.
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 shape due to the action of water currents in certain lakes. Marimo grows just like any water plant, but once it reaches about a foot in diameter, it falls apart and the whole process starts over.
Today marimo are found not only in Japan, but also in some lakes of Iceland, the USA, Europe, and Australia. Researchers believe that all marimo in other countries originally came from Japan. You can actually buy man-made marimo from Japan and raise them at home.
Since 1952 the marimo from Lake Akan in Hokkaidō have been designated as special natural treasures of Japan because of their almost perfectly round shape, large size and velvet-like surface. However, this is only an illusion; in fact the surface of a marimo is pretty hard and prickly.
サンマ – Mackerel Pike
Mackerel pike is one of the most popular fish in Japan and is called “sanma (サンマ)” in Japanese. Sanma tastes best in the fall. Many Japanese people think that grilling sanma with grated daikon radish & soy sauce is the simplest yet best way to enjoy this fish. Here is a photo of a grilled sanma with a cat-shaped radish. It’s too cute for me to eat it, but maybe you can enjoy it. 😉
Food and photo by トモ (@tomos0105)