Rise and Shine to a Japanese Breakfast

TravelLady Magazine has a great article on Japanese breakfasts. When I was in Tokyo for my honeymoon a few years ago, I was astounded by the variety of food at the hotel’s breakfast buffet. They had to cater to foreign visitors, so scrambled eggs and other westernized fare were on display, but they also provided traditional food, and it was fun to mix and match from both cultures.

So what is a typical Japanese breakfast?

Salmon, bowl of rice, and miso soup are mainstays. Asagohan, the Japanese word for breakfast, means “morning meal.” Some people enjoy seaweed, fermented soybeans called natto, and noodles, too. Sounds a lot like lunch and dinner, right?

A diet of veggies, tofu, rice and tea is supposedly one of the reasons that “Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat.” It’s certainly a healthy alternative to Lucky Charms or Count Chocula.

Still, as evidenced by Krispy Kreme and other high-fat, high-sugar trends recently embraced by the Japanese, breakfast is becoming westernized. According to Japan-Guide, most Japanese eat a combination of Japanese and western food for breakfast these days. The western portion includes fried eggs, yogurt, bread and cereal.

Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before Sushi-O’s become a reality!

Sarah S.

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Chug It! Try an Eel Drink to Beat the Heat

Hot, tired and thirsty this summer?

How about some carbonated milk or cucumber-flavored Pepsi?

Just kidding. Those are so 2007. This summer in Japan it’s all about the eel juice. Dubbed “Unagi Nobori,” or “Surging Eel,” (the words also mean “sudden spike”), this new soft drink is supposed to give you a burst of energy to help you combat the summer heat, and contains extracts from eels’ bones and heads, as well as vitamins. Um…yum?

Actually, yes. At least, according to Japan Marketing News, which calls the drink “fantastically tasty.”

This summer is perfect for eel juice’s debut, because Doyo no Ushi no Hi, normally an annual event dedicated to eating eel, occurred twice this year: July 24th and August 5th. Doyo no Ushi no Hi started in the Edo Period, as a response to abysmally hot weather, because eels are believed to increase stamina. Naturally, restaurants capitalized on the holiday and encouraged its celebration, promoting dishes of sliced, grilled eel coated in a sweet barbeque sauce. Not so different from a 4th of July feast, when you think about it.

Still thirsty?
Check out Inventor Spot’s list of Top Ten Weird and Bizarre Japanese Soft Drinks, including kids’ beer, of course!

Sarah S.

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Thinking of doing business in Japan? We can make it easy for you!
JPBizDirect, a Los Angeles based company, provides practical solutions for U.S. ? Japan business projects. Our experienced Japanese staff will support all phases of your business project to seize business opportunities and turn your vision into a reality. >> Learn more
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Hot Pot and World Peace

This weekend I’m going camping with some friends. We’re bringing a big ceramic pot, a nabe, in which we’ll set over a flame and toss in a heap of meat and vegetables. It’s a tradition this time of the year for nabe ryouri, or “hot pot” cooking, because when the temperature drops and the nights grow cold it’s nice to huddle around a boiling pot of food.

Most people eat their nabe in the comfort of their home. Though in some regions of Japan, they take the pot into the wilderness of their local park. Hardcore enthusiasts push back their sleeves and kindle a fire with two branches, but most just turn on a gas stove. Just like cherry blossom season, friends, family and coworkers gather, crack open a beer and revel in the changing of the fall colors.

 

Cooking your own pot of goodness is fairly simple. First you fill the pot with water. Then you add dry fish powder. From there you can experiment with flavors like miso or spicy kimchi. The rest is optional: tofu, carrots, mushrooms, cabbage, green onions, fish cakes, slippery jelly noodles… I’m not a fan of raw fish so I like tossing it into the mix until it’s well-done. (Some people accuse me of not being very Japanese. =/ )

After the pot is filled, put a lid on it and sit back. By now, all your friends have pulled up and are ready to feast. Once the lid is off, let the games begin.

Nabe is the Japanese version of fondue where everyone casually dips their utensils in a communal vat of bacteria-laced liquid. Some people take issue to this, assuming they’ll catch whatever disease their friends carry. That’s why some Japanese will flip their chopsticks around and use the clean end. Wouldn’t want Mono with that fish cake~ !

The best thing about nabe is that everyone is facing each other in a big circle, as opposed to staring down at their plate. This forces people to talk to one another and share what’s on their mind. It can certainly do wonders for feuding families and quarrelsome couples; even warring nations.

Imagine Israel and Palestine hovering over a nabe pot, lovingly jostling for a cube of tofu. It just might do the trick.

 

Himawari

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Thinking of doing business in Japan? We can make it easy for you!
JPBizDirect, a Los Angeles based company, provides practical solutions for U.S. – Japan business projects. Our experienced Japanese staff will support all phases of your business project to seize business opportunities and turn your vision into a reality. >> Learn more
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