Back in 2012, the city of Fukushima, located on Japan’s eastern coast, created an imaginary district called “Kawaii” (which means “cute”), and invited people from all over Japan to become honorary residents there. Since the Kawaii district is imaginary, becoming a citizen there won’t officially prove your identity or get you a driver’s license; but it has been a good promotion for the Fukuoka’s food, fashion, and special events with a theme of cuteness. As of February, 2015 over 40,000 people had applied to become residents of Kawaii. [Click here to read more about Kawaii Fashion & Lifestyle.]
But if you want to join them you’d better hurry. The special promotion is scheduled to end in March, 2015.
Mariko Shinoda from idol group AKB48 was the first “mayor” of Kawaii district in 2012.
This kind of “kawaii” (please read more under the Kawaii Fashion & Lifestyle post) nabe ryōri, is called “Deco Nabe” coming from decoration of nabe ryōri. I wonder if those cute guys start melting as they are getting cooked…
A popular meal especially during winter in Japan is “Nabe” or “Nabe Ryōri.” To make this hot pot dish, we usually place a small portable stove on the dinner table, and boil meat, fish, vegetables, and noodles all together in a pot of broth. We serve the food as soon as it is cooked, and the family all eat it together. There are many different kinds of Nabe depending on the type of broth and the varieties of meat, fish, vegetable and noodle that are used.
A traditional Japanese roof uses roof tiles that made out of clay. Those are interlocking high-quality tiles and are used for castles, temples, regular houses, etc. Depending on the coating and baking methods, tiles have different colors, but gray/silver ones are most common.
For “ikebana” arrangements, we use a round brass (there are plastic ones also) plate studded with sharp needles called a “kenzan” to hold each flower/plant stem in place. A weak stem may be propped against, or tied to, a stronger one, be wrapped with a leaf, or even placed entirely inside a wider stem.
Centuries ago (in the Kamakura-Edo period), Ninja served feudal lords or Daimyō as secret agents. Unlike samurai warriors who were bound to fight fairly by a strict code of ethics, Ninja were trained to act as spies, commit sabotage, and carry out assassinations. They had to go through hard training since they were little, and they were eligible to climb on walls, to become stealth mode and hide their existence, to keep balance and walk on a rope, to notice a tiny sound that normal people cannot hear, etc.
“Ikebana” is a traditional Japanese style of flower arrangement. The purpose of Ikebana is to enjoy the natural beauty of flowers and plants indoors. So, one rule of Ikebana is that plants that grow tall in their natural habitat should remain taller than naturally shorter plants even after they are cut and arranged. Also, most Ikebana contain just one or a few different flowers / plants, unlike the bouquets in the West. As with many other popular leisure activities, from martial arts and sword fighting (kendo) to learning the proper way of traditional tea ceremony, students attend special Ikebana schools where their progress is rewarded with ranks and titles.
“Tatami” is a traditional Japanese flooring material. It is made from dried grass, and is most often found in the form of a rectangular mat about 3 ft. by 6 ft. We often measure the size of a room by the number of tatami mats that will exactly cover the floor.
“Diamond Fuji” is an atmospheric optical phenomenon where the sun appears to lie on top of Mount Fuji. This brief event only occurs at sunset and sunrise on a few days close to the Winter Solstice and can be viewed only if weather permits. The best sunset view is from the top of nearby mountain, Mount Takao. A lake near Mount Fuji sometimes creates a perfect reflection of the Diamond Fuji known as “Double Diamond Fuji.”
If you look at the first photo, there is no Diamond Fuji on the lake; whereas you can clearly see a double in the second photo.
Furisode is a special type of traditional Japanese dress or Kimono. Furisode are typically worn by young women on very important occasions such as getting married or “Coming of Age Day”.
