Moe

Otaku loves animation very much. For example, "Gundam" and "Card Captor Sakura" etc. They use the Internet to exchange information about animation. And they collect figures of their favorite anime characters. They go to Akihabara to buy them. Akihabara is one of the towns in Tokyo. This town is the best of electric towns. This town has very beautiful neon signs in the night. Therefore, we would call it "the Holy Land" among Otaku. In 2005, a book titiled "Densha Otoko(A Train Man)" was popular in Japan. This is a love story about an Otaku and a woman of great beauty. This book caused Otaku boom. Shortly afterward this book became a movie and a drama. The influence is big, and Otaku keep increasing. At the same time, "Maid Cafes" open in all parts of the country. A maid cafe is a special cafe for Otaku. There they play "Moe moe janken" with maids. "Moe" is Otaku's word which expresses many kinds of feelings. Shall we use the word "Moe"??

Posted by High & Gold

Korean Boom

Korean culture is now being popular in Japan. This is called "Korean Boom" in Japan. It started with "Fuyu-no Sonata(A Winter Sonata)." "Fuyu-no Sonata" is love story and Bae Yong-joon became popular among old women. His goods were made in Japan, and they are sold out. There are always a lot of fans around him. Choi Ji-woo is also popular in Japan. She appears on TV variety show in Japan. This year, a serial drama with Choi Ji-woo has started. From this influence Korean song has sold well because it is the Japanese drama's theme song. "Shigatsu-no Yuki(April Snow)" a movie starring Bae Yong-joon and "Darenidemo Himitsu-ga Aru(Everybody Has Secrets)" a movie starring Choi Ji-woo, after you watch these movies, you cannot stop tears from shedding. From this response, "Fuyu-Sona Tour" was held. In "Fuyu-Sona Tour" people visit the places used for the location of the movie. We hope Korean-Japanese relation will deepen.

Posted by Y&A

Takoyaki

One of the popular food in Japan is takoyaki. Have you ever seen this food? The shape is only round. Just round! The size is various, but standard is about 4cm. Then, let us introduce "how to make takoyaki" for people who don't know what it is.

Material (4 people)
(A) Takoyaki's flour (It is sold in Japan) 300g
2 eggs
water 900cc
10 leeks
Tenkasu (It is sold in Japan)
Red ginger a little
octopus 300g
Green laver, Worceter sauce, Mayonnaise, dried bonito

(1) Cut octopus into small size. Mince leeks.
(2) Mix (A) all.
(3) Heat up the hot plate for Takoyaki (It is sold in Japan), and drop oil.
(4) Put (2) on the plate, and put in octopus one by one
(5) When it begins to harden, turn it over. Sear it till completion. Topping is your choice.

Are you all right? This is famous version. And you can add to flavor on your taste. For example, soysauce, Worceter sauce, mayonnaise, curry, cheese, kimchee etc. How to eat in Japan is various. We dip it in the soup stock made from dried bonito, or in Worcester sauce. Also some deep fry it. Others wrap it with egg. Precisely, takoyaki's derivation come from 'searing to use an octopus.' However, Japanese like not always an octopus. But takoyaki is loved by all Japanese. Takoyaki is really unique food.

Posted by sesame & bean

Miso Soup

"Miso soup" is known to all Japanese and they eat it every day. Usually it is eaten by people with rice. By our eating habit it is eaten only at breakfast, or breakfast and dinner. Well, do you know "miso"? Miso is made from soybean, rice, barley and salt. It is fermented. There are several kinds of miso by region. For example, Akamiso, Shiromiso and Awasemiso. Akamiso's color is reddish brown and taste is strong and salty. Mainly it is eaten by Kanto people. Shjromiso's color is yellow white and taste is soft. Mainly it is eaten by Kansai people. For miso soup, you dissolve miso in soup stock and put your favorite vegetable! For example, tofu, welsh, mushroom, wakame, pumpkin etc. We love miso soup!

Posted by Ogicho

Otaku

――――One day, Linda and Kitty and Angela were drinking juice at STARBACKS.
Angela：This juice is very good.
Kitty：Yes, by the way. It is Otaku over there, Isn’t it？
Linda：What’s Otaku？
Angela：Don’t　you know？“Otaku”is a person who loves cartoon character too much, and they put on same costume that their favorite character’s one.Have you ever seen one？
Linda：Yes, that reminds me of something. Ⅰsaw Otaku at Akihabara in Tokyo.
They bought poster and figure of cartoon. Ⅰfeel their fashion is unclean and old fashion.
Kitty：Ⅰfeel they are nasty. Ⅰdon’t want to be friends with Otaku.
Angela：Ⅰam told that there is one Otaku-man in one hundred people.
Linda：Well, are they Otaku over there？ They wear strange costume like Spider-man.
Kitty：There are Otaku here and there！
Angela：Possibly, are we in a “MEIDO-KISSA”!?
We mistaken！ Here is not STARBUCKS but “MEIDO-KISSA”!

――――“MEIDO-KISSA”is also a coffee shop. The girl who wears strange costume (for example, like rabbit, cat, angel.) works in “MEIDO-KISSA”. They go to meet for otaku-men. Many Otaku come and visit this shop.



Posted by Linda ,Kitty and Angela

Momotaro

Do you know old Japanese stories? And do you know what is "oni," which appears in them? Oni is a monster which is very very big and has red or blue body. They have horns and wear yellow stripe trunks, and shake their serrated clubs at people. So it's a scary monster. They are in, for example, Issun-boushi, Kobutori-jiisan, Momotaro and other stories.

Momotaro is the most popular story. A long time ago, old couple lived somewhere. Husband was gathering firewood in mountain. On the other hand, wife was on the river to wash the laundry. Then, a very very big peace was floating on the water! She was surprised and took it home. The husband cut it, then... Surprisingly, little baby was in there. They named him Momotaro and brought him up. One day Momotaro heard that oni was violent in village. Villagers had a trouble. He decided to get rid of oni. On his way to go to Onigashima where oni lived, he met partners. They were dog, monkey, pheasant. He knocked down violent oni. Peace returned in village thanks to Momotaro, dog, monkey, pheasant.

That is to say, oni is villain. But modern children may not know stories in which oni appear. Poor thing...

Posted by Yukkarin

Omisaka

In Japan, we call Dec. 31 "Omisoka." Many families clean their houses before Dec. 31. Because clean houses give us a good feeling. We can meet a new year with a fresh feeling. And on the night of Dec. 31 we eat "toshikoshi-soba." This means "We can live sharp and long like soba." And, when the new year dawns, some people go to "hatsumoude." It is a traditional event that we pray for health, study and love etc... Foreign countries are lively and cheerful on the New Year's Day. For example, they enjoy fireworks. In contrast, it is silent and slow in Japan.

Posted by Summer Eyes

Onigiri

I'll tell you how to make onigiri. First, wash your hands. Next, put some rice on your hand with a little salt. Next, put your favorite food in the center. For example, umeboshi(pickled plum), salmon, soysauced seaweed. Hold and shape it with both hands with love. Don't use kitchen wrap. It will ruin your love! Next, wrap it with nori, a kind of seaweed looking like black paper. You eat it directly from your hand. It keeps for a long time. And it is easy to carry. You usually take it on a picnic. It's very delicious! Let's try!

Posted by Valignani, Putyatin, and Siebold

Nagoya-jo

This is current fashions among girls in Nagoya.

Nagoya is the biggest city in Aichi.
This city held Aichi EXPO in 2005.
Do you know Nagoya?

Nagoya-jo(girls in Nagoya) is gaudy and florid.
They like brand-name goods very much.
For example,LOUIS VUITTON,CHANEL and so on.
They put on too much make-up.
Their characteristic is curled hair.
Curled hair has another name "Nagoya Maki."
Ironig and hair spraying is necessary to them.
They curl their hair with ironing.
Hair spray keeps curled hair.
People call girls in this fashion "Nagoya-jo."

What do you think about such girls?

Posted by Kinshachi

方言－dialect－

There are alot of dialects in Japan. There are roughly 5 dialects. Tohoku dialect, Kanto dialect, Chubu dialect, Kansai dialect and Kyushyu dialect. But There are several kinds in each of them.
We live in Aichi and use Mikawa dialect. We often say "Jan-Dara-Rin". It is used for ending a sentence. For example, In English say "Why don't you try?" In Mikawa dialect say "Yattemirin." It should be "Yattegoran."in standard Japanese. But among Japanese, We sometimes can't understand other dialects. They are Tohoku dialect, Okinawa dialect and so on. So There are TV programs about Japanese dialects. It is a game in which TV personalities musn't speak their dialect. It is a lot of fun!
Our conversation school teachear said "My country(AUS) has few dialects. So Japan is interesting." How about your country?

Posted by Love Jan-Dara Rin