Japanese plum wine or Japanese plum juice is not difficult to make.  If you see Japanese plums in a grocery store, you might want to try it.  We normally use sugar crystals (rocks of sugar) for this, but granulated sugar or honey can be used as well.  Japanese plum wine can be made by placing plums (cleaned), sugar, and a clear liquor (such as vodka or clear rum) together in a clean jar and letting it sit for 3~24 months.  The 3-month version has a very light plum taste, while the 24-month version is very thick. Normally in Japan we take the plums out of the liquor after one year. The plums can be eaten as is or used for cakes, cookies, jam, etc.

Ume (うめ) or Japanese plums are slightly different from the plums or apricots that you see in the U.S.  We normally make Japanese plum wine or plum juice from them instead of eating them raw.  Usually Japanese plums are sold at grocery stores in June.  They look green or yellow-green unlike the red or purple ones that you see in the U.S.

I cannot remember where I found this picture from, but this is a picture of tsuyu or rainy season (please click the link for more info). I thought it was very cute, so I wanted to share it with you.

A well-known kabuki actor has started a modern version of Kabuki called Super Kabuki in 1986.  Unlike traditional Kabuki, you will see more modern elements in the choice of story, music, stage effects, etc.  The spoken language in Super Kabuki is easier for young people to understand than traditional Kabuki. When Super Kabuki began in 1986, the plays presented were still based on famous stories that had been told for centuries. But in 2015 they staged “One Piece” a brand new play based on a famous manga as Super Kabuki II (second), and since then they have been performing One Piece over and over.

Ehō means “lucky direction” in Japanese and it is the direction where the Lucky Goddess or Toshitokujin (歳徳神) is based on the Onmyōdō that is a traditional Japanese esoteric cosmology.  Toshitokujin is commonly known as Toshigami-sama.  According to the Onmyōdō, the position of the Toshitokujin changes over time, so the lucky direction changes as well.  The lucky direction of 2018 is south-southeast (南南東).

In Japanese mythology the Seven Lucky Gods are worshiped as fortune bringers.  The Seven Lucky Gods are Hotei, Jurōjin, Fukurokuju, Bishamonten, Benzaiten, Daikokuten, and Ebisu.  Each one has specials characteristics but all of them are related to aspects of good fortune, such as wealth, talents, thriving business, longevity, etc.

Shōhei Ohtani is a professional Japanese baseball player who plays as both pitcher and outfielder.  On 12/8/17 (12/9/17 in Japan) it was announced that he had agreed to play for the LA Angels.  Ohtani is not only a two-way player but also the fastest pitcher in Japanese baseball history with pitches clocked at 165km/hr (102.5mph).

An old Japanese proverb says “he who runs after two hares will catch neither”.  Many people who used to criticize a pitcher for trying to be a two-way player changed their minds after they saw Ohtani in action.  When the U.S. major league teams were trying to get him sign, his concern wasn’t money.  He wanted a team that would allow him to continue to be a two-way player.  So why not?  Ohtani says “as long as I am happy, right?”