U.S. Living Info
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Beverages
In Japan, tea is the primary drink of choice, and though originally brought over from China, it has become such an important of Japanese culture that it is basically impossible to imagine Japan today without tea. |
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Desserts, Sweets & Snacks
Oyatsu is the general term for snacks in Japanese. This term is extended to include sweets as well, but Japanese snacks and sweets do differ greatly from their western counterparts. On the whole, Japanese sweets tend to have less sugar and be less sweet than western candy, and many use rice, sweet beans or even sweetened tofu. |
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Japan 101
What is Wafu?
Wafu literally means "Harmonious Wind," but in practice, it just means Japanese-style. In Japan, you may be surprised at how similar things seem to the way they are here, yet at the same time, how extraordinarily different they are in reality. That's Wafu!, the Japanese spin on things; and what a spin it is! |
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Japan in California
In Japanese, California is known either as "Karifonia-shu" or "Ka-shu" while Los Angeles is "Rosu" or "Rafu." Whatever the names for them might be; Japanese and Japanese-American people have long been an integral part of this area of the United States. |
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Tofu, Natto & Miso
The common point of Natto, Tofu, and Miso is the humble soybean. Soybeans are as much of Japanese dietary culture as rice. Though the most commonly known oriental soy-based product is probably soy sauce, soy beans are used in a huge amount of Japanese foods, including the three items we're going to talk about. The soybeans are so much a part of Japanese diets, in fact, that it's common to eat them right out of the pod (which has been cooked and salted) in the form of "edamame." |
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Traditional Arts
Ukiyo-e: Is a style of woodblock prints originated in the 17th century that continues to influence Japanese art to this day. Ukiyo-e translates to "Pictures of the Floating World," and centers around themes such as nature, Kabuki, courtesans, and other things outside of most people's everyday lives. The idea behind the style is that these extraordinarily beautiful things are all transient, of the moment, which is a concept still held in very high regard by a majority of Japanese people. |
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Traveling Kyoto
For such a small country, Japan has a huge number of places for sightseeing including various temples and shrines, castles, world heritage sites, museums, bars, clubs, fine restaurants, hot springs, and places of such natural beauty; it'll take your breath away! It would (and has) taken volumes to fully list all the great places one might wish to see when they visit Japan, but here we'll just touch on some of the highlights. |
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