January 2018 – Japanese Guide For Tarsiers

Oden

One of the delicious foods from autumn to winter is “oden（おでん）”. It is also sold at convenience stores.

Oden is a kind of hot pot dish. In the shop it is boiled in a large square pot separated by ingredients. Customers order their favorite ingredients and buy it.

General ingredients are as follows.

Daikon（大根）← Japanese radish
Yudetamago（ゆで卵）← boiled egg
Konnyaku（こんにゃく）← molded konnyaku potate
Shirataki（しらたき）← noodles made from konnyaku potate
Satsumaage（さつま揚げ）← deep‐fried minced fish and vegetables
Chikuwa（ちくわ）← surimi of baked fish molded into pipe shape
Chikuwabu（ちくわぶ）← molded flour
Gyusuji（牛すじ）← beef sinew

The ingredients are different depending on the region. You can buy a pack with them set in the supermarket.

By the way, this manga character named “Civita” has skewered Oden in his hand.

Gochisousama

Japanese people say “Gochisousama（ごちそうさま）” to those who offered meals after meals. This is an act of expressing gratitude.

After having a meal in the restaurant, please tell the clerk “Gochisousama”. That person will answer you with a smile. “Thank you, please come again” in Japanese.

A polite Japanese ties the palms of both hands just before a meal. And say “Itadakimasu（いただきます）”. This is an act of expressing gratitude for the life of the creatures who became food, and for those who provided the dishes. It may be similar to the act of Christian crossing.

Sparrow

In outdoor restaurants in the Philippine resort, sparrows steal people’s food. They are small but bullish. Sparrow is a common bird in Japan.

However, in recent years the number of sparrows is decreasing. According to one theory, It seems that crows often aim for sparrows’ chicks because Crows can not easily obtain human garbage by the diffusion of garbage protection net.

Crow

As well as doves, crows are often seen in Japan. They are called “Karasu（カラス）” in Japanese.

Crow’s whole body is black and creepy. And they are often regarded as pests, because they catch garbage put out by people. However, in Japan, all wild birds are protected by law, so permission is required for hunting and disinfection.

Furthermore, crows are more intelligent than other birds and have a good memory, If someone harasses them, it may be counterattacked from that individual at a later date.

Also, I had used to see two crows of pipe-shaped corn snacks called “Umaibou（うまい棒）” and a crow that will fly up. It is unknown how to remove it from the package.

But, the number of crows is decreasing more than in the past. Because now the human side always puts a net on the garbage accumulation place. Then they can’t easily get foods as before.

Shovel snow off the roof

The Japanese archipelago has an elongated shape, and the northern side is colder. So of course Hokkaido, Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata and Niigata are heavy snow areas. Inland prefectures such as Nagano, Yamanashi, Gunma and Gifu also have a lot of snow. In a heavy snowfall region, residents are going in and out of the second floor.

Shovel snow off the roof is indispensable in heavy snow areas. The shovel off is mainly the task of dropping snow from the roof of an old house. When snow is piled up on the roof of the house, someone climbs the roof and drops snow on the ground with a shovel. It is very hard work, because the roof is unstable on the scaffold and the snow mass is heavy. But if someone does not do this, the weight of the snow will destroy the roof or the house.

If so, we think that it would be nice if they put an electric heater in the roof, but that is not the case. In snowy country where temperature is low, even if snow melts, it freezes soon. Although I do not know the principle, hot water freezes faster than water. However if they put enough firepower on the roof that can be evaporate the snow, the fuel cost will be huge .

People in the Philippines who do not have winter may think that “Why do you live in such a cold place?” I do not even understand the thoughts of individuals, however, in cold lands, delicious crops can be collected.

Snow quality

Even the same snow is different in nature depending on the region. The snow falling in Hokkaido is called “Japow”, and for skiers it is powdery snow of the highest quality in the world. Therefore, many visitors come from abroad for snow activity.

Conversely, snow falling in the northern part of my hometown Kyushu contains much moisture, so it is sherbet like. The amount of snowfall is also small. So when we roll snowballs and make a snowman, muddy dirty doll is finished.

Snow

Japan is a country long in the north and south. Many snowfalls and piled up in the northern region and the inland parts of eastern Japan. It snowed in Tokyo the day before yesterday.

Snow falls several times a year also in other areas except Okinawa Prefecture which is the southernmost area. And sometimes snow will be piled up few centimeters to several tens of centimeters. However, in except snowy areas people are not used to snow and sometimes traffic is confused. The operation of the train stops and some drivers give up driving and leave the car on the road. In such areas the government can not cost snow countermeasures for just a few days.

Chanko-nabe

“Chanko-nabe（ちゃんこ鍋）” is one of Nabe-ryori.

However, there is no official definition of contents and how to make it. Because “Chanko” is a word expressing the meal for sumo wrestlers. Therefore “Chanko-nabe” is the food which sumo wrestlers eat daily.

In each sumo-beya, it is traditional that the wrestlers with the lowest rank make it.

Moyashi

The soybean harvested before maturity is Edamame. On the other hand, the one that harvested the soybean sprout is called “Moyashi”.

Moyashi is cheaper than other foods. It is used for various dishes. They are suitable for greasy dishes. Therefore Moyashi is standard as a ingredients of stir-fryed meat and vegetable and toppings of ramen.

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