Ramen is considered one of the icons of Japanese culture, but it is actually from China. Ramen appeared in Japan in 1910 when some Chinese cooks in Tokyo made their noodles with kansui, a sodium-carbonate mineral water. It made the noodles yellow and elastic; the ramen noodles we know. The dish was originally called shina…
Category: Culture
Japan’s Forest of Ghosts–Aokigahara
Aokigahara lies at the foot of holy Mount Fuji in Japan. Also known as the Sea of Trees, it is a dense, dark forest, a place that has long been the focus of myth and legend. It is said that great deposits of iron lay underneath the Earth there, and that they play havoc with…
Antique Bakery
I started to watch this drama because I was on a bakery kick, and I liked the title… “Antique Bakery”. My overall impression was that not a lot happens in this drama. Regardless this drama is heartwarming, and I couldn’t help but cheer the characters on. I have to admit, the real reason I like…
Lolita
Lolita is a type of fashion (and a novel wrote by Vladimir Nabokov) that originated in Japan. Clothing is based on Victorian and Rococo clothing. Rococo is also called the Late Baroque period and developed in Paris, France. Rococo is more lighthearted and intimate than the earlier Baroque periods. The novel (if you are wondering)…
Kawaii
Kawaii literally means lovable, cute, or adorable. Kawaiasa is the noun ( love-ability, cuteness, or adorableness). Kawaii refers to the cuteness that appears throughout Japanese pop culture. Both men and women are expected to look and act kawaii. Interestingly, when cute seems fake it is looked down upon. Women who try to be kawaii and…
PES: Peace Eco Smile
I don’t like advertisements. They are annoying and too ubiquitous; I do everything I can to block and avoid them. But I find PES: Peace Eco Smile very interesting. Peace Eco Smile is an advertising campaign for Toyota Motor Corporation. Promotional anime? Sounds like a corruption doesn’t it? I can only say it is about…