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Seiji Fujishiro is one of my favorite Japanese artists.  He is known for shadow play art.  There is a Seiji Fujishiro Museum in Tochigi (1.5 hours from Tokyo by train), Japan.  I have visited the museum, and I felt like I walked into a wonderful mystical space.

Kawaii Koi Nobori food to celebrate Children’s Day.

May 5^th is an official holiday in Japan called Children’s Day.  Often we raise carp-figure flags (こいのぼり – Koi Nobori) on the roof of the house to wish a child (or children)’s health and strength.  In a Chinese legend a carp that swam against upstream turned into a dragon, so we wish our children to be as strong as the carp.

Join this Scavenger Hunt & win a free 30-minute Skype session

Capture as many as possible of the following items on camera at the National Cherry Blossom Festival 2015 (the street festival) or at the specified location.  Please email your photos to mail@LearnJapan.co.  Please try to include enough background to show that you were at the festival.  You do not have to complete the entire list to win a free Skype session with Learn Japan.

1. キリンビール
2. Doraemon’s favorite food
3. Naruto’s favorite food
4. Paper craft bird that is traditional Japanese culture/activity
5. Music instrument that is related to Mr. Miyagi’s (the original Karate Kid’s Sensei’s) hometown.
6. Signboard/sign for a “シーヴィーエス” within 0.1 miles from the street festival

I will be at the Sakura Matsuri (the street festival) for the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC on Saturday, 4/11/15.  Please come out and join a scavenger hunt to win a free 30-minute Skype session with Learn Japan!

Details will be posted here at 11 am, 4/11/15.

It’s time for cherry blossoms again!!!

Although cherry blossoms are not a floral emblem of Japan officially, cherry blossoms are strongly associated with Japan and Japanese culture.

Photo: 2013年3月 - 壁紙ING管理人の写真ブログ

In Japan we go through fads of food, books, toys, fashion, etc.  Some of fads stay for a while, and some of them disappear after a few months.  Here are some examples.  

 Tom Yum Instant Noodle by Nissin Food became so popular in April 2014.  Demands were so high that supplier couldn’t catch up.  People were willing to pay 4 times as much.

 Another one was Beef Sukinabe by Yoshinoya Fast Food Chain Restaurant.  This sale started in December 2013 and they sold 14,000,000 orders before they temporarily stopped the sale in May 2014.

 As far as fashion, gingham check designed clothes were one of fads in 2014.

Plum wine is well-known in the U.S. as a popular drink in Japan and China.  If you can find fresh plums, plum wine is easy to make.  Just mix white liquor, fresh plums, and crystal sugar.  Seal the bottle tightly and wait for six months to a year.

Plum blossoms bloom in Japan from February through April.  The Blossoms are white, pink, and red.  Plums as fruits are also common in Japan; but we typically consume them as pickled plums, plum wine, or plum juice, rather than eating them straight.  The city of Mito is known for its plums and holds a plum blossom festival every year from the end of February (this year’s festival just started!) until the end of March.