I FOUND RAMUNE!!! ＼(^o^)／

When I went shopping, a sushi counter had been made in the local supermarket. When I went to have a look at what they had, I found ramune! This is a drink that I have always wanted to try. And I found it!!!

Opening the bottle was not as hard as I had thought. But I was extremely excited to drink it! (≧∇≦）
My opinion: It was amazing! My first thought was 'FIZZY!' But I really enjoyed the drink. I think that my expirience would have been more refreshing if I had drunk it on a hot day.

So if you see ramune in the shop, I highly recommend that you try it!

Ramune!!!

Setsubun festival

On the 3rd of February, every year, there is a festival called Setsubun (節分).

On the evening of the festival,  Japanese families do mamemaki (豆まき). This is when, a wooden container is filled with roasted soy beans and then they throw the beans around the room whilst shouting 'Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi' (鬼は外、福は内) which roughly translates as 'Goblins out, good fortune in!' This is to drive out bad fortune and evil and keep good fortune and happiness in.
Afterwards, you eat the same number of beans as your age. So for example if you are 7, you eat 7 beans. But this may not always be possible because if you are, for example 89, there may not be enough to have 89 beans. Eating too many soy beans is not be too good for you as they contain a substance that is not good for us in large quantities, so watch the amount that you eat! Also, there have recently been articles in the news that the beans are a possible choking hazard for children under the age of 3. Here is the article. So sadly, not everyone can take part in the festivities.

The roasted soy beans and the goblin masks
By katorisi (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

This is usually a fun event for families especially if there are young children as someone dresses up or wears a goblin mask while the others throw roasted soy beans at the goblin.

I hope all of the setsubun celebrations go well and everyone has good fortune for the rest of the year!

If you would like me to write about a certain topic, please leave it in the comments!

Christmas in Japan-Food

The food is one of the things that people look forward to at Christmas. And Japan is no exception.

Food

• As most Japanese kitchens do not have ovens, Japanese people do not have turkeys at Christmas. The largest oven that people would have would be an oven toaster. Instead, they have a chicken dinner from KFC

KFC store in Ikebukuro
By kici (-) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

• This is because, in the 1970's, a customer in KFC's Aoyama store supposedly mentioned how there was no turkey available in Japan so fried chicken was the next closest thing at Christmas. 
• Which led to an advertising campaign called 'Kentucky for Christmas. This was a huge success in Japan which also started the tradition of having Kentucky Fried Chicken for Christmas
• Every Christmas, there are huge queues outside shops and some people also reserve food so they do not miss out.
• Also Japanese people have Christmas cake as well.
• It is usually a sponge cake covered in cream and strawberries. Occasionally it can be a Yule log.
• The Christmas cake is a symbol of commercialism and prosperity. 
• In World War 2, American soldiers helped to rebuild Japan. The economy was is a desolate state and food shortages were common.
• To help the people, sweets were handed out by the American soldiers. Sweets were considered a  luxury to the people
• Japan then embraced an American Christmas.
• Sponge cakes could have been made since the 17th century but the sugar, butter and milk were considered a luxury
• After the war, the economy improved and these ingredients became widely available for people to make sponge cakes
• The colours are symbolic, red and white reflect the colours of the Japanese flag.
• This is a picture of the yule log that I made for Christmas this year.

Fun fact: There is even a Christmas sponge cake emoji!

Christmas sponge cake emoji

The next big event for Japanese people in New years eve and day. I will be uploading posts about them soon! メリークリスマス！

Halloween!!!

After the Japan finished in the Rugby World Cup with a win against USA, I ran out of things to write about. Since it's nearly Halloween and I had no idea what to write about, I looked on the internet to see if and how Japan enjoyed Halloween. Here we go!

Halloween is not a national holiday but many people do celebrate it. When you hear the word 'Halloween', what is the first thing that comes into mind? Trick or treating? Sweets? Dressing up as scary things like ghosts and skeletons? For Japan, it's the dressing up. Otherwise known as cosplay (コスプレ)

Cosplay

Cosplay is an abbreviated term for costume play where people dress up and act like a fictional character. The term came from Japan but the concept of costume play actually started in the USA. Just because the term came from Japan, it does not necasserily mean that it is a Japanese or Asian hobby.

Some cosplayers in the USA
By The Conmunity - Pop Culture Geek from Los Angeles, CA, USA (Professor McGonagall, Harry Potter, Severus Snape) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Many young people find cosplaying enjoyable and some even start planning and making their costume months in advance

This year, there will be a MAG festa (a manga, anime and game festival) in Nakano, Tokyo on Halloween. It was first held last year and it attracted 50000 participants so this year, it is predicted that many cosplayers will come this year too! They can prepare in the changing rooms provided and join the parade and cosplay related events

The REAL Super Mario Cart
By MIKI Yoshihito (MARIO CART.) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Sweets

As Halloween gets more popular, there are more Halloween themed sweets around. For example, Krispy Kreme Japan has 4 different monster themed doughnuts. Also Kit Kat has released pumpkin flavoured kit kats which is very exciting. The snack that I really want to try is the pumpkin pudding flavoured Caramel corn. Caramel corns have a similar consistency to cheese puffs or Wotsits and they are extremely delicious and slightly addictive. Yum! ＼(^o^)／

Mister Doughnut doughnuts
By Karl Baron (Mister Donut halloween donuts) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Kawasaki Halloween parade

The most famous Halloween parade is in Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture. Parade participants walk along the 1.5km course near the JR Kawasaki station and the La Citadella shopping center and show off their hand made costumes. I hope you enjoy Halloween. Please write in the comments about how your country celebrates Halloween.

Kawasaki Parade
By Danny Choo from Tokyo, Japan (Kawasaki Halloween) [CC BY-SA 2.0 v(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Sports day

In October, Japanese schools have Sports day! This was to commemorate the first Olympic Games in 1964, Tokyo which was held on October from the 10th to the 24th.

Usually, the Olympics are held in the summer but that year, the weather conditions were not suitable for atheletes from hot and cold countries. The summer months are too hot and humid to compete, spring was unstable weather wise and early autumn is the height of the typhoon and rainy season. Mid autumn was the best time because, the typhoon season is over and there is more sunshine. Thanks to this, the Opening Ceremony was staged underneath a cloudless sky.

Fun fact: Tokyo has hosted the Olympic Games two times and will next host it in 2020!

The teams

Here in England, you may be in a house with a team colour and name. In Japan however, there are only two houses, the Red house and the White house. Very creatively named. The colours of those houses should be fairly obvious. 

The events

The events vary from school to school but here is a list of some events

• Team dancing
• Track events
• Relays
• Throwing small balls into a tall basket
• Pushing a large ball
• Tug of war

If you are Japanese, please write in the comments what events you did when you were at school
もしあなたは日本人だったら、学校の運動会でどのイベントをやったかをコメントに書いてください。

Wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets)

One thing that is very beautiful, delicious and Japanese is wagashi. Now, you're probably wondering what on earth wagashi is. Well, as written in the title, wagashi is a traditional Japanese sweet. It is often eaten with a cup of green tea and often reflects the season that it was made it. So, for example, wagashi made in autumn may have autumnal colours or shaped like a leaf.

Making wagashi is considered an art. Wagashi evokes the seasons and landscapes of Japan and appeal to all of the senses. The appearance will appeal to sight, the scent to smell, handling of the sweet to touch, the musical name which sometimes is associated with the seasons and of course, the taste of it.

There are many types of wagashi. Here is a list of some of my favorites;

• Anmitsu (Chilled jelly-like cubes with fruit and sometimes a sweet syrup)

Anmitsu with azuki paste, black syrup and green tea

• Amanatto (Sugar coated beans)
• Dango (Mochi balls skewered on a stick)

Coloured dango
By gochie* (花より・・・) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

• Dorayaki (Two small pancakes containing azuki bean paste)



Dorayaki
By Ocdp (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

• Kuri kinton (Sweet chestnut paste)
• Taiyaki (A fried waffle containing azuki bean paste)

Taiyaki
By ProjectManhattan (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

• Yokan (A solid block of azuki bean paste, solidified with agar and sugar)

Recently I have been trying some different wagashi. One of them is called 甘納豆 (amanatto) or sugar coated azuki beans.

It came in this really pretty box

The contents

Daifuku bean

Azuki beans with a cup of green tea

Uguisu beans

Opinion: They were sweet but not too sweet and were absolutely delicious with some green tea. Unfortunately, you cannot buy amanatto in the UK so if you are in Japan, definitely try and find some because they are delicious.

Also, I tried some yokan too.

Here is the box

Once you remove the paper packaging, this is what it looks like

Once you open the box, this is what the yokan packaging looks like

I only tried the honey flavored yokan

And this is what yokan looks like

Opinion: I found it very tasty, it was sweet but not unbearably sweet. I would compare it to a really hard jelly baby. Green tea really goes well with it.

So if you are around in Japan, go and try some wagashi. I recommend the Toraya shop in Ginza and the number of shops in Asakusa.

What!?

This is about the Rugby World Cup match with Japan going against South Africa. If you do not want spoilers, watch the match first and then come back, ok?


Are you back? Ok, lets begin!
Just to say, this is just a post that is expressing my confusion
On Saturday 19th September, the Brave Blossoms played against the Springboks in the Rugby World Cup. Japan is not a Rugby team that is considered strong at all, they have never won a match in the World Cup.


They won 34-32! What!?

I was camping with school when I found out. A teacher came over to tell us the suprising results of the match and there was a massive whatsplosion at the campsite. No one expected it. No one could have predicted it. As I am Japanese, you would think that I would be really happy that Japan won but I spent five minutes just thinking "What!?" and trying to take in what had happened.

Japan is not generally amazing at sports that involve strength apart from gymnastics. The average body size is just not adapted for sports that mainly use strength. But after watching the match, they did do more than their best against the two time world champion, South Africa.

I am looking forward to their next match against Scotland, this Wednesday. Perhaps this was the start of many wins against other teams? Go Brave Blossoms!!!🏉🌸🌸🌸

Have a break, read about the Kit Kat!

The Kit Kat was invented in York, England in 1988 and popularised around the world. Some countries enjoyed them so much, so they developed flavours that would appeal to the people in that country. One country that did that was Japan!

Fun fact: When you say Kit Kat in Japanese, it sounds like kitto katsu, which means 'you will probably win'. Kit Kats are very popular gifts for students taking important exams.

Japan is particularly famous for their more unusual flavours of Kit Kat. Here is my list of some on the flavours. I would name them all but there are more than 200 flavours but I will name a few.

Mango
Strawberry
Passion fruit
Pineapple

Here are some more unusual ones;

Sweetcorn
Salt and caramel
Potato
Green tea
Pumpkin
Espresso
Ramune
Wasabi

And here are some REALLY unusual flavours;

Chestnut
Red bean soup
Black sugar
Ginger ale
Blueberry cheesecake
Soy sauce

And in England, they have;

Orange
Dark chocolate
Mint
White chocolate
Cookies and cream
Original

When it comes to flavours, Japanese manufacturers really do not limit themselves at all!
Leave a comment about your favorite flavour of Kit Kat (Japanese or not).

In 2014, Japan released a bakeable type of Kit Kat! Japanese Kit Kats have reached a new level!

Here is a video on the baking process!

Note: If you do not have an oven toaster, you can use a grill.

As I had some in the house, I decided to bake them!

This is what the packet looks like! These Kit Kats are Creme Brûlée flavoured.

And this the Kit Kat in its packet

Kit Kat before.

Slighlty burnt out Kit Kat after.

My opinion: They are very very tasty and really taste of creme brûlée. I would recommend this to anyone! If you are in Japan now or are going to in the future, this is one souvenir that you want to bring back with you.

If you are around in Japan, go to Ikebukuro. Visit the world's first Kit Kat Store where they only sell a small number of flavours of Kit Kat that cannot be purchased anywhere else. They also have new flavours every season so there is always something new there if you go again. I will leave details at the bottom.

Here is a video on the Kit Kat Chocolatory by YouTuber Sharla. She is a Canadian YouTuber who currently lives in Japan. Her videos are always really good so, subscribe to her videos if you are looking for videos about Japan. She speaks in English but there are Japanese subtitles.

Tip: Go early! As demand for the chocolate is large, some flavours will sell out very very quickly.

I hope that this post about Kit Kats hasn't made you too hungry. Please subscribe and follow this blog if you want to read more posts about Japanese food. 

Address: Seibu Department Store, 1-28-1 Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku

Click this link to go to Google maps.

How to get there: Go to JR Ikebukuro Station (JR stands for Japan Railway) by train or underground/metro/tube (whichever word that you use). Follow the signs for Seibu Exit in the station. You will notice the Kit Kat Chocolatory signs at the Seibu entrance or the vibrant advertising on the pillars. Its in the basement of the department store.

Japan festival ♪───Ｏ（≧∇≦）Ｏ────♪

Hi guys! I thought that I would tell you about the Japan Matsuri. If you go to Trafalgar Square in London, on the 19th September, you can eat Japanese food, see taiko players and take part in many Japanese activities. Here is a poster about the details:

I hope that you are able to go and get a snapshot of Japanese culture.

Emoji

This is not a 'Summer in Japan' post as you might have noticed. I am currently writing this after I realised that the violin emoji looked like a cello.
Is this emoji a violin or a cello?

Please leave your comments down below?

I did some research on the internet and it says that it is a violin. Where is the chin rest? The bow is too short.

Anyway, emojis also happen to be from Japan so here is my lists of fun facts about emojis?

About the word emoji

The word emoji comes from the Japanese word for picture, 絵 (e), and the word for word, 文字 (moji). So it literally means picture word.

The sun picture is used for
making weather forecasts clear.

Why were emojis invented?

• In 1999, the letter count for texting was very small, only 48 letters. Shigetaka Kurita (the creator of emojis) tried to come up with a way to send concise messages without going over the letter count. 
• He thought that as we are so used to seeing pictures to convey a message like this sun, for sunny weather, we could use it for sending messages to each other.
• They were popular because one emoji could go a long way.
• They were also popular because, you could express ideas better through pictures than through words.

The difference between emojis and emoticons

Let me make one thing clear. Emojis and emoticons are not the same thing!

Definition of an emoji: A small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication

Definition of an emoticon: A representation of a facial expression such as a smile or frown, formed by various combinations of keyboard characters and used in electroniccommunications to convey writer's feelings or intended tone.

So the purpose is different

←Emojis look like this
             Emoticons look like this→

National emoji day!

So they look completely different as well.

National emoji day 

• There is a national emoji day, it is on July 17. 
• This is because the calendar emoji has July 17 on it!
• You are probably wondering why it is July 17 and not any other date. It is because, the app iCal was premiered at the MacWorld conference in 2002 on that date.
• Here is a link to see how you can celebrate national emoji day! 

Which emoji is the most popular?

I found a website that shows you the live usage of each emoji on twitter. Here is the link to that website. At the time of writing, top ten most popular emojis were:

Which country uses a certain emoji the most?

Researchers from Swiftkey looked at 1 billion pieces of data across 16 different languages for trends in the use of emojis. This is what they found:

The heart emoji is most used by France

The poo emoji is most used by Canada

50% of emojis sent in Britain are smiley
emojis

The winking emoji is the most popular
emoji in Britain

One of the emojis used most by Americans is
the pizza emoji

Arabic users use the rose emoji tens times
more than everyone

If there are any more emoji statistics that you would like me to include, please tell me in the comments. I hope that you enjoy reading this as much I had fun writing this post.