The Japan Foundation Toronto Library is Digital

Huge news for Torontonians looking to stay connected to Japan!

Kobo and Libby
working in harmony to help me devour books

The Japan Foundation, Toronto launched a brand-new digital library last month via Overdrive, the popular library-lending app.

Since the pandemic has closed their physical JFT location, this is huge news for library lovers. It goes without saying that without regular borrowers, the library could find itself in a serious dilemma, and pivoting to a digital platform in the meantime is a great move. (Unfortunately for me as an author, Edokko is a Kindle exclusive, so you won't find it in the JFT catalogue - but maybe they'll pick up Meet You By Hachiko at some point, who knows!?)

Considering that they started from zero, I'm impressed at the collection that's been put together so far - as of this writing, just shy of 500 books, with a good mix of fiction and non-fiction, manga, and Japanese-language materials. Kudos to the library staff for their hard work, here!

JFT library card holders can borrow instantly by visiting JFT OverDrive and logging in with their library card number and PIN (last four-digits of phone number). If you're new to the Japan Foundation Toronto or haven't been in in a while, the staff will need to help you renew your card first, but it's easy and quick, and so worth it.

For me, the timing of the Overdrive launch couldn't be better, as we've almost fully packed up for a move, and all my books are currently in boxes. My Kobo Libre has been saving me with access to tons of ebooks via the Toronto Public Library, and the minute I saw the JFT had gone live with theirs, I immediately headed over on the Android app Libby to get hooked up and browse the selection. My only regret is that I can only borrow five books at a time, and I'm continually running up against that 5-book limit and having to return things I didn't actually get to read yet in favour of the holds I wanted more. 😂 What to read next!?⁠

⁠I still prefer the real-paper feel, but pandemic + moving has finally gotten me aboard the ebook train. How many of you read ebooks as well as physical...?⁠

Writing About Tokyo

Commemorating the 1964 Olympics at Jingu Bashi

I don't think I've ever mentioned on Tadaimatte before that I had written a novel - it's true! 

As you might have guessed, story writing is an outlet for me, and in 2008 while living in Osaka, I devoted quite a lot of effort to penning my first book. At the time, I was enamoured with Tokyo, and deeply interested in studying the evolution of popular culture in The Big Mikan. I went to the library in Hikarigaoka and thumbed through photos of the area from the 60s, I penned thoughtful poems about umbrellas and imagined the lives of the people bobbing through Hachiko Square, watched Rockabilly dancers in Yoyogi Park, traced the steps of Shiki and Beat and Neku from The World Ends With You, read vintage Tezuka manga, attended Comiket, visited all the shops Shigesato Itoi recommended in interviews about MOTHER, sat on the bridge at Harajuku, visited Tokyo 1964 Olympic sites, trolled Jimbocho bookstores in hopes of finding the original 1983 English translation of The Rose of Versailles, and generally fell in love with the way the city had been depicted in works of fiction. I used words like hokoten (short for hokousha tengoku) and expected people around me to actually know what they meant.

In reality, Tokyo - particularly the long trip I took alone in 2008 - was a fairly private experience, simply because I didn't know anyone else who got excited over things like Olympic plaques, croquette rolls and showa retro. I spent something like twelve days wandering the city mostly alone, with no plan, eating curry and rice balls and occasionally having only the vaguest idea of where I was going to spend the night (!). I visited Yokohama and Hakone during this memorable vacation, but spent most of it in Shibuya and Odaiba, having real "down time" in Tokyo for the first time.

One post couldn't possibly sum up how I feel about the capital...but I suppose that's why I wrote a book. I sent it around to just a couple of publishers, as it was such a specialized topic that I couldn't imagine a big company picking it up. I've sat on it long enough now, though, that I've begun to think that self-publishing is the way to go - as intimidating as that is!

So, over the next weeks and months, I'll be continuing to work on this project with the help of my good friend Zippo, and maybe soon you'll be able to download the book right here!

*edit*

And now, you can! Whoa! Check out Meet You By Hachiko on Amazon!

Teaching in Japan

Banners hanging at the school gates for bunkasai

I talk about a lot of cultural things on this blog, but many of my posts are not so much connected to my career in Japan as they are my after-school life. However, teaching seems to still be the #1 method people use to get started in Japan, as there are lots of companies and exchange programmes to get you there, take away some of the headaches of getting established in the Land of the Rising Sun.

I taught English in Japan as part of Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme. JET is a fantastic programme sponsored by three Japanese Ministries and serves not only as a way to educate schoolchildren in English, but also as a grassroots cultural exchange effort. ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) are recruited from all over the world via a lengthy application process, followed by an intense orientation session in Tokyo, and are then dispersed all over Japan to their new schools. Junior high and high school are the most common placements, though elementary schools are slowly taking on more JETs.

When I was accepted, I received one of the most coveted placements - Osaka. Osaka no longer hires prefectural ALTs via the programme (only municipal ALTs, now), so I was very fortunate to have gone when I did, as Osaka was my first choice and has since become my second home. My three years living there were some of the best years of my life.

The JET application process is very extensive. The paper application was enormous, and required a number of documents that took time to put together. A medical self-assessment, proof of Canadian citizenship, university transcripts, a copy of my degree and letters of reference (one of which had to be from a teacher or professor) are just some of the items that had to be included for the application, due in November - to go to Japan the following August!

I had a lot of tutoring experience, which I'm sure is what pushed me to the next stage - I'd spent the summer in my third year of university doing a work experience program very similar to an ALT's job at a local school. However, I was certain I'd blown the interview when they asked questions I hadn't ever considered a possibility, like Canadian census information. Luckily, my personality seemed to make some impact, and I even managed to answer the question about location so well that I received my first choice of destination. I gave the interviewers an explanation of how my hometown dialect was so different from most Canadians' that I knew I'd feel right at home in Osaka, where the people speak in a relaxed and easy way. 

I was determined to broaden my cultural awareness - I initially hoped to join a few clubs at my school, but I felt like I would make them uncomfortable by being there, or be unable to commit the kind of time needed. My students were often at their club practices until evening - every evening! As an ALT, though, I was a de facto supervisor with the ESS (English Speaking Society), and made that my only school-related extracurricular.

In my spare time, I tried out aikido, ikebana, and yosakoi dancing for a time, and stuck with aikido for about a year, as I'd always been interested in martial arts. I returned to yosakoi after returning to Canada, as well. Through school and JET seminars I had opportunities to try out glass bead making, Noh theatre, and tea ceremony. I saw many Takarazuka theatre shows in nearby Hyogo Prefecture. I participated in holiday rituals, including setsubun, tanabata, and New Year's hatsumoude every year.

The cultural divide was very tough at points. I struggled a lot with the Japanese work ethic - work long hours, socialize with your co-workers, and keep busy even when there isn't anything to do. I was free to go at 4:30 as per my contract, but I was always the first person out the door when I did so - it was tough to stay in the office and look occupied when I was itching to go, but I felt bad saying "see you" and strolling out two hours before my co-workers. Besides the work ethic, I was the youngest person by far in the office for most of my time there. I got along well with the students because I was young and approachable and quite media-savvy - but it did set me apart from many of my co-workers.

Aside from that, I really disliked being such an obvious cultural outsider - one of the things that really did bother me about Japan was that no matter how hard I tried to understand, the sense of being "other" was always there. Fortunately, it got better with time!

The most important thing I learned about communication was that insecurity wasn't going to get me anywhere. For a long time, I didn't have the courage to try starting conversations or even going someplace where I'd encounter words that I didn't know - even the grocery store was frustrating at times.

It wasn't long before I realized my Japanese wasn't going to improve unless I used it, though, and that I didn't need to be afraid of talking to strangers - all of my best encounters came as a result of taking a chance with people. City-dwellers often keep to themselves, so many seemed unapproachable at first, but Osakans are some of the friendliest people in Japan!

By far, the thing I missed most about home was familiar foods. Even though I love Japanese food, I found myself craving "comfort food" when I was feeling down - not just my mother's home cooking, but even food from restaurants I almost never visited back in Canada! At one point, I was bringing home McDonalds 2 or 3 times a week - even though I had probably only eaten it a couple of times in the past decade. I craved the familiar, and took what I could get when it came to the selection. 

I also missed the friendliness of Canadian people, and the tendency toward helping strangers - the Japanese showed their friendliness in somewhat of a different way that I found, at times, to be quite a lot more detached. The people of Kansai (including Osaka, and Mie, where I had a wonderful local experience) are somewhat more open, but not in quite the same way as the town I'd been raised in.

Toward the end of my exchange, I visited nearby Mie Prefecture, an area I had been to just once before, despite it being so close to Osaka. It was the first time I truly felt the "small-town values" so many rural JETs speak of. While my visit to Mie was supposed to have been a day trip, a local festival prompted me to make very last-minute plans to stay the night, even though I had only the contents of my purse (a book, a pen, a Netbook and less than 6,000 yen in cash) to work with. Thanks to the attention and generosity of a local hostel owner, I had a place to rest my head and a way back to the train station at 5 o'clock the following morning in order to make it to work on time. Even though she had other guests to attend to, the hostel owner graciously made up a bed for me, a surprise guest, and offered to take me to the station by car, so that I wouldn't have to call a taxi so early in the morning. I will never forget that hospitality.

Teaching in Japan made an immeasurable impact on my life. When I returned to Canada, I knew I had to stay connected to this experience in some way - it really shaped my career aspirations, which until then had been very vague. I moved to Toronto and began working with a youth exchange program, at first as a volunteer and later as a part-time coordinator, helping high school students considering spending a year abroad. Japan is one of the most popular programs we offer, so I feel extra-confident sharing my advice with these students, since I've seen "life in a Japanese high school" first-hand!

As for my travel plans, going back to Japan to visit is in the cards for me in the next two years, I hope. I'd also like to visit Scandinavia, Europe and other parts of Asia - being abroad really opened my eyes to how many different people and cultures were out there. I want to see them all!

Nengajou 2013

あけましておめでとうございます！ Here are the designs I used for my nengajou this year:

It`s the Year of the Snake, of course! Have a great 2013!

Japanese Bathrooms

Cramped business hotel bathroom is still pretty neat.
This is called a "system bath" or a "unit bath" style -
it was introduced during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

I love Japanese bathrooms.

Yes, I said it! Though I'm referring primarily to the room that contains the bathing facilities, not the toilet room/W.C. I thought the bathing rooms in Japanese houses and apartments were very neat. Three primary reasons for this:

1) Shower and toilet are usually separated (unless you're in a cheap hotel bathroom, see above)

2) Completely waterproof (so easy to clean!)

3) Super-deep tubs and separate shower area

Beautiful.

I suppose I was raised to appreciate bathroom decor to some degree, but there was something gleefully satisfying about just being able to hose down all the walls and see it all go into a big drain in the floor. This is a common feature of prefabricated unit baths, which are typical in small apartments, though some unit baths are so small that the washing area is eliminated in favour of a toilet. There are usually no windows in unit baths, either, so the small space makes it wonderfully comfortable for a winter shower or bath. None of the steamy air had anywhere to escape to! I steamed my clothes on a rack above the bath by just turning on the hot water for ten minutes. The idea behind it is to keep the room watertight and thus reduce damaged caused by wet rot, which can be particularly weak in earthquakes.

Many Japanese baths are also set up on a heating system called oidaki. In oidaki, one pipe sends water from the tub to the heater and the other sends the heated water back into the tub. It conserves energy and allows the bath to be used by the entire family or even re-heated the following day. This is popular in larger apartments and homes, though less common in the smallest unit baths.

If prefab plastic isn't your thing, well, there's always the more traditional type of deep bath found in Japanese houses, usually metal or ceramic, but sometimes made of wood in the style of onsen tubs. And who can turn down cypress (hinoki)? The scent of cypress is so relaxing and nostalgic! I wanted to bring home a cypress bath set (stool, basin, water pail) but they run a little expensive. When I have my own place with a sizable bathroom, I'll kit it all out in cypress.

I dearly miss my little bathroom in Japan, and look forward to having a huge deep bathtub again someday.

Photo of the Day - Ikebana

Nothing special, but this was the flower arrangement I did as part of Mid-Year-Seminar cultural studies in December 2008.

I always really enjoyed ikebana (flower arranging) and wanted to study it more, but it seemed like such a waste to bring home beautiful flowers, and put them...where? On top of my VCR? I just didn't have the space to display them. The few times I did ikebana, I brought the arrangements to school, but transporting and re-setting them was quite the hassle.

Nengajou

These traditional mailboxes can still be found around Japan

I've mentioned before how fun and interesting it is to take part in holiday traditions in Japan. During my first year in Osaka, as winter set in and Christmas decorations began to appear, so too did New Year's (oshougatsu) paraphernalia. For those unaware, New Year's is the biggest holiday in the nation, and loaded with customs very interesting to a visitor. Each New Year's, I took in a different type of celebration - once I did it traditionally, with ozouni and a shrine visit on January 1st, once in Tokyo at Aqua City Odaiba's shrine and osechi, and once in my own town with toshikoshi soba, watching the shrine next door burn its old offerings. 

Every year, though, I sent the customary New Year's postcards, called nengajou (年賀状). These cards are mailed to friends, family and co-workers, and as long as you pop them in the mailbox by December 25th, they will arrive in mailboxes everywhere on exactly January 1st. There are markings on the cards signalling to postal workers to hold them until New Year's; in fact, in my city, in December most mailboxes had one of their slots (usually there is a 'domestic' and an 'other' slot) entirely converted into nengajou drop-offs. I bumbled through my first year with some awkward store-bought cards, then moved onto making my own cards with special New Year's stamps.

Before leaving for Japan, I did a Christmas card list, and it was a tedious venture with the amount of friends I included at the time. After moving back to Canada, though, I continued sending nengajou rather than switching back to Christmas cards. I tend to forget about keeping up with communication when you take Facebook and Twitter out of the equation, but I can at least make a commitment during the holidays to remind people I've fallen out of touch with that I'm thinking of them, and sending cards for New Year's is a little more unique than sending Christmas cards...plus, nobody wants to receive a Christmas card after December 25th, but New Year's cards can trickle in a little late with no repercussions during a rough holiday season. It helps when you're sending cards all over the world - my biggest batches go out to the U.S. and Canada, and some to Japan where they'll be held until January 1st as long as I get them in the mail early, but some also go out to the Netherlands, Venezuela, Germany and points beyond, where I can't control when they'll arrive. The time flexibility there is definitely great.

Store-bought nengajou have lottery numbers on them which you can use (if you live in Japan) to win prizes. I never quite caught on to this when I lived abroad (admittedly, I sent far more cards than I ever received) but it's a great concept. Even homemade cards are often made using blanks from the post office with all the lottery information pre-printed. I feel a little bad that the cards I now send to Japanese friends have no lottery opportunities, but living in Canada restricts my opportunities to buy cards. Instead, I pick five or six of the free "make-your-own" templates Japan Post offers every year in November, and I have them printed up with my address and the 年賀 mark on the back, in the more traditional landscape-style design that we see on Western postcards. Looking over the designs each year is a joy and writing out my messages and addresses for Japanese friends is a good way to practice handwriting skills.

My first batch of template cards, in 2011.
Not great examples of my handwriting, but this year's batch looks much better!

Spreading this little bit of Japanese culture that many living outside the country wouldn't normally get to experience is great fun, and I love receiving postcards from my friends in Japan. I also like to think that when my co-workers back in Osaka receive a card from me, they feel a little better about the sort of revolving-door situation that is the unfortunate reality of ALTs in Japan, and know that I am still thinking of them, even years on. 

Tea and Tsukimi

Photo from Secret Teatime's Facebook Page

This past weekend, I went to a nabe and tsukimi tea party held by friends from my time abroad. At times, I really do regret spending so much time in Japan alone and wrapped up in my hobbies - as much fun as I had trying my hand at aikido, ikebana and others, travelling all over Honshu by local train, and of course wandering everywhere in Kansai on foot and by bicycle, when it came time for JET events, I was so embarrassingly out of the loop that I imagine anyone not from my year would have a hard time remembering my name. My Japanese friends were largely in Tokyo, and many local friends, JET and otherwise, returned to their lives abroad. By my third year I was living the hermit life, and I have come to regret it a little since returning. Where I was antisocial in Japan, I now go out of my way to be social back home, via cultural groups, JETAA events and now, meeting up with a few familiar faces from JET.

I didn't even realize there were so many former Osaka JETs here in Toronto! I attended a dinner last month with a group of six or so and had a great time, though the tsukimi evening eclipsed (see what I did there?)  that by far. The founders of Secret Teatime are tea fanatics and students of the Omotesenke and Youkenryuu schools of tea, respectively, and Helen did her JET tenure in a city very close to mine. In case any of you readers forgot, I am a fan of tea of all kinds, so when she invited me over for nabe and tea ceremony, I could not say 'yes' fast enough.

Friends in Toronto, you absolutely must check out Helen and Sorlie's endeavors with Secret Teatime! They are setting up a studio in Scarborough, and are offering lessons in Japanese tea ceremony in the Youkenryuu style. Watching the ceremony on Saturday was a real treat, and we enjoyed luscious dark chocolates from Ambiance Chocolat. The chocolates were handmade and amazing, and brought me back to my days making trips out to the fabulous chocolatiers and bakeries in Kyoto. I'm really hoping to make it to more of their events in future and perhaps a few lessons as I've only learned the very basics of chanoyu. My roommate is almost certainly sick of hearing me talk about tea (though she graciously supplies me with it at Christmastime!) and I have a lot to learn about it, myself, so I'm looking forward to lots more!

Kurogoma Smoothie Recipe

Lately I've been craving those black sesame iced lattes from Dotour - so much so that I've even pledged to pick up some kurogoma marshmallows the next time I visit Chinatown or the Pacific Mall. (In case it wasn't obvious, I'm crazy about black sesame!) Well, I've tried the latte version a few times lately and I find that I drink it very quickly, so I decided it was time to try a smoothie recipe instead!

Did you know that black sesame is very nutritious, and supposedly can help you grow strong, glossy hair? It's also delicious - that's good enough for me!

Kurogoma Smoothie - 1 Serving

• 1  1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 tsp black sesame paste 
• I use store-bought nerigoma, or you can make your own!
• 1 tbsp honey (omit this if your store-bought nerigoma contains sugar already)
• 3-4 ice cubes

Mix the nerigoma with a little hot water to help it dissolve, then add it to the blender with the milk and banana. Add the ice cubes and then the honey last - adding the honey first will cause it to stick to the sides of blenders like mine (I actually use a mason jar blender), so it's better if you pour it over the ice and the banana to prevent that.

Blend on high and serve! Garnish with whip cream, black sesame seeds or kurogoma marshmallows, if you're feeling fancy! Omit the banana and add the ice cubes to the glass instead of blending them for a more latte-like experience.

For Toronto buyers, you can pick up Japanese nerigoma at J-Town or Sanko, and T&T sells a Korean-made black sesame paste made with brown sugar that I recommend. If all else fails, go the mortar-and-pestle route. Enjoy!

Miehina the Kyoto Geisha

If you enjoyed The Floating World and want to know a bit more about geisha in the modern world, I found this short documentary on the day in the life of a Miehina, a famous Kyoto geiko. I would really love to see an expanded version of this documentary or a longer film on modern geisha and maiko. Anyone have any suggestions?

Labels

Japan's most famous anime mascot, Astro Boy

The word "Japanophile" really bothers me. So does otaku. There's really no easy word to describe a passion for Japanese culture that some people won't see as negative, and that's a shame. Do Anglophiles (admirers of English culture) feel like this sometimes?

Looking down on others makes people feel better about themselves, and among foreign residents in Japan, many are quite derisive about those who come to the country because they enjoy popular culture. The perception comes partially as a result of otaku culture in the West, which is usually associated with social awkwardness or out-and-out lunacy, depending on which aspect you happened to walk in on.

Of course, there are some deeply problematic people, and some of them are certainly enthusiastic about Japan as a hobby, or are unwavering apologists. I do think it's unfortunate, though, that people can't just enjoy things.  

I travelled on a GO Transit bus during Anime North weekend this year, whereupon turning down the airport-hotel stretch of Dixon Road, we drove into a sea of con-goers dressed up in everything from cardboard boxes to bikinis. I'm used to this stuff - the other passengers weren't. As we waited at the lights, the crosswalk looking more like Shibuya than little old Mississauga, they peered out the windows and started talking among themselves, wondering what kind of strange carnival was being held out there.

Anime fandom goes hand in hand with an appreciation for Japan, and while some otaku go the opposite way and care little about anything but the media aspect of it, many others are crazy about Japan simply for being The Place Where Anime Comes From, and have little concept of how Japanese society actually functions. 

Fortunately, still more are well-rounded and interested in other aspects of Japan, but the unfortunate trend tends to be that if you started learning Japanese because you happen to enjoy anime or manga, and that path eventually takes you to Japan, you become a target for all the foreigners who moved there because it was a great chance to supplement their party lifestyle and now hate living abroad but can't or won't go home. Then there are the holier-than-thou types who, because they appreciate the higher forms of culture (and don't get me wrong, I practised ikebana myself, and the Japanese arts are beautiful) despise pop culture on principle. 

This is a terrible way to live - I don't see the point in mocking other peoples' hobbies. The unfortunate reality, though, is that after seeing the way otaku, Japan apologists and Japanophiles are openly derided in certain JET communities, I found myself hesitant to socialize with people who seemed to be in Japan for a lark, in case they turned out to be one of these types. I probably missed out on a few opportunities to meet good people, but at the time I didn't feel up to fighting the good fight to defend why I wanted a tatami room and to send nengajo and to cook Japanese instead of Western dishes.

The word otaku doesn't have quite as much negative connotation in Japan as it did twenty years ago, luckily, but Japanese fans are even more secretive about their hobbies. When you cosplay at an event in Japan, you aren't permitted to come in costume from your hotel - you have to register and use the cosplay dressing room to change when you arrive. I suppose this, too, originates from fans not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves. But something I really liked about Japan is that it's OK to be into anime, or manga, or trains, or bentou art, or British television, or anything at all really - it's just not acceptable to be over-the-top about it. No matter what country you're in, the label's not particularly good.

These days, anyway, they're saying that 'the geeks shall inherit the earth,' and I hope that does good things for the perception of fans going forward, especially with the anime boom here in North America dropping off pretty sharply in recent years, Still, someday, I'd like to feel that my interests and hobbies aren't 'strange' to anyone at all.

Melon Soda Recipe

Drinking melon soda and feeding my expensive cake habit.

As you might have guessed, I have a penchant for cooking, and recreating food that I loved in Japan is usually my top target. One thing that I've managed to duplicate recently with some success has been melon soda. 

If you've lived in Japan for any amount of time, you understand the ubiquitousness of melon. It's a favourite flavour, and one I think might have even met with more success in the western world if it were properly marketed. Alas, it is not - the amount of hassle I had to go through to make a satisfactory melon soda (and it's far from perfect) from the materials I could find here is proof enough.

But surely, you might say, if this 'melon soda' thing is so popular, it's been imported? Actually, it has. A company called Sangaria markets their aluminum-bottle melon soda in the U.S. and Canada, including, occasionally, select grocery stores here in Toronto. I paid a hefty $5 USD each to buy these at North Market in Columbus, OH last year and came away extremely disappointed. You might recognize Sangaria as the producers of those cheap aluminum-bottle Ramune drinks in Japanese vending machines...and if you've ever drank one of these, you know they do not hold up to the real thing. The soda goes flat within 5-10 minutes, seems to warm abnormally quickly, and has a distinctive tinny taste. I haven't noticed the carbonation or taste issues with Fanta's aluminum bottles, so I can only conclude that it's something about the 'cheap' variety that Sangaria and other 100-yen soda makers provide.

As I've mentioned before, Coca-Cola has importing issues when it comes to their Japanese products, so it's unlikely we'll see Fanta Melon or Fanta Melon Cream over here at any point. So what's a girl to do when she has only sub-par melon soda to tide her over? Well...first, hit eBay, if you value authenticity as I do, and then when the prices scare you away, try your hand at making it yourself. 

As with Italian sodas and any fountain drink, you'll need to start with a concentrated syrup. This was tough, because the big-name brand that's easy to find in Canada, Torani, does not have a melon flavour - only watermelon. Apparently, Starbucks used to sell under their label and use a Torani 'melon' syrup in their matcha drinks (...what?) but it's now discontinued and the only Torani type I can find is watermelon. You're definitely going to need a cantalope or rock melon flavour!

In the end I settled on a Monin syrup because I could net a 1-litre bottle from Amazon for less than $15. The colour is not right - melon syrup is supposed to be green - but the taste is close. I also picked up some kakigoori melon flavouring; that is, the concentrate that is used to flavour shaved ice. If you have access to this from a local Asian grocery, it's a great idea.

"Cream" soda - melon soda
with vanilla soft serve

That's enough rambling - on to the proportions!

Homemade Melon Soda - 1 Serving

• 500 ml club soda/soda water
• 2 tbsp melon syrup
• 5-6 ice cubes
• Muddler (chopstick or a long spoon will do)
• A few drops of green food colouring (optional)

Pour the soda water into your glass and add the syrup, stirring gently to mix well. You can add a few drops of food colouring (2 is often enough) to get the authentic colour. Add ice until your glass is full. 

For a cocktail look, add the syrup first and do not stir until serving - this recipe can be used with melon liqueur as well. Prefer melon cream soda to the original? Just add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!

Bad Decisions Make Great Stories

I love this quote! So many of my misadventures in Japan turned into unforgettable stories.
Not that anyone wants to be held accountable for poor decision-making,
but it sometimes makes for the most entertaining tales...

Photo via icanread @ tumblr

Quest for Kochakaden: Kirin Healthy Milk Tea

I visited T&T Supermarket recently after I found myself up at Promenade Circle, a fair way's out of my usual neighbourhoods. Promenade is close enough to us, but it's past Steeles Avenue, so anyone in the Toronto area will know that it therefore costs twice as much each way to get there on the bus. If you're feeling energetic, though, you can walk from Steeles, and that's just what we did.

At T&T, I discovered something unexpected and amazing:

Healthy!?

!

!!

Admittedly, I've been burned by Kirin before. As I mentioned in in my previous post about milk tea, I find Kirin's traditional blend to be overly cloying. Other people frequently say it is the perfect sweetness level, but I can't handle it, and I didn't have any better luck with Kirin Afternoon Tea Milk Tea Special, the only other version sold here in Toronto. That one is made from Assam tea, but still no dice. The 1/2 calorie Kirin might work for me, but I haven't found it here.

So I wasn't getting my hopes too high for "Healthy Milk Tea, Yasuragu Earl Grey," but the promise on the bottle of lavender and earl grey (this was my favourite Starbucks latte flavour in Japan) wooed me. At $2.99, much cheaper than my imported Kochakaden, I took home a bottle and hoped for the best.

I took it home and kept it in the fridge for a few days, waiting for the right time. Per 100ml, this stuff is just 12 calories and no sugar - I supposed that would be why it's marketed as 'healthy.' Sweeteners abound! This Earl Grey/lavender variant is obviously based on the regular Kirin Healthy no-sugar version that I have yet to see around Toronto, and is imported by Uncle T Food in Richmond.

The ingredients list seemed standard enough. Milk, skim milk powder, black tea, whole milk powder, salt, artificial flavour (I suppose that'd be the lavender), lecithin, ascorbic acid, acesulfame K, sucralose, stevia. With that combination I was at a loss what to expect. After a good chilling, though, I opened it up and tried it...

Fantastic.

It is almost as good as Kochakaden and much better than Kirin's standard blend! I am very pleased. And given how ridiculously fattening standard milk tea is, I think this is a very acceptable substitute while I am hoarding my limited stash of Kocha. Sadly, with my luck, it's not going to stay on the shelves for long...special-flavour products fly off the shelves in Japan. Soon, I'm sure I'll be mourning Kirin Healthy Milk Tea Lavender Earl Grey alongside all those other wonderful seasonal flavours.

Until then...I think I need another trip to T&T.

Onsen in Toronto!?

Body Blitz main spa room
Photo courtesy of www.bodyblitzspa.com

Not quite. However, we are able to boast a handful of "water spas" that are as close as you're going to get here to the soothing baths of Beppu. Mushy Pony, a blog about Toronto trendsetting, posted this article the year before last about where to find water spas in the city.

Of the places mentioned by the Cowgirls, I've only been to Body Blitz, but I'd highly, highly recommend it if you find yourself missing the real thing. (Perhaps I'll do a full-length review the next time I visit, if readers are interested!) This is an Asian-style womens-only spa downtown where bathing suits are optional - pretty much as close are you'll get around here to Japanese-style bathing. Located in an unassuming old warehouse on Adelaide West, Body Blitz has three main pools and two sauna areas, including a sea salt bath, green tea bath, cold bath, and saunas of both the traditional and steam variety. Personalized spa services are, of course, available. They will be opening a brand new location on King Street East in August 2012.

While I haven't been their Collingwood location, the Scandinave chain of spas also gets a thumbs up - I visited their Montreal location in May and was completely blown away. The experience reminded me a lot of Spa World on a much much smaller scale, and while they only offered two pools (one hot, one cold) the atmosphere was very enjoyable. When next I visit Montreal, I will definitely go back, and should you have the opportunity to visit other locations, they even have rotenburo - outdoor baths!

Found a gem of a water spa, in Toronto or elsewhere? Share it in the comments!

How to use 'Furoshiki'

Furoshiki are squares of cloth (think oversized handkerchiefs!) that are used for wrapping up things either for carrying or just for nice presentation. They're reusable, economical and have quite a lot of charm when you're giving a gift wrapped in one. I wish I had this handy guide around when I was wrapping up my lunch boxes!

Courtesy of the Japanese Ministry of the Environment! もったいないね！

The Takarazuka Revue; A Woman's World

If you've never heard of the Takarazuka Revue, let me open up this post with an image:

Tsuki-gumi's newest production, Romeo & Juliet(te), opens on August 10

These two are Manaki Reika and Ryuu Masaki, popular stars in the world of the Takarazuka theatre. Ryuu/Romeo is an otokoyaku - that is, a woman who exclusively plays male roles within the troupe. Takarazuka's biggest draw is that it's for women, by women, even if the women are pretending to be men - and most of them pretend very well! 

Star Troupe's Aran Kei as Percy Blakeney
in The Scarlet Pimpernel, 2008

The Revue was formed by Ichizo Kobayashi, then-President of Hankyu Railways, a private railroad well-known in Kansai. The city of Takarazuka in Hyogo Prefecture, popular for its hot springs, was at the time the terminus of Hankyu's train line from Osaka City. In 1914 he created the Takarazuka Revue to be a further tourist draw for the area, and designed it to be all-female, based on the way that kabuki was traditionally performed entirely by men. It wasn't long before the musicals and their finales with showgirl-costumes, sparkles and glitter charmed the women who flocked to see the shows. The Takarazuka Grand Theatre was built a decade later.

Since then, the Revue has performed hundreds of shows both original and adapted from Western musicals and Eastern classics, and has a second theatre in Tokyo. There are five troupes within the Revue that each have their own style and way of performing, and marquee showtime is rotated between them to ensure that each troupe has plenty of time to prepare their latest feature. The five are called Hana (Flower), Tsuki (Moon), Hoshi (Star), Yuki (Snow) and Sora (Cosmos). Each troupe is also associated with certain characteristics, such as Soa being the 'experimental' group as the newest of the five, Yuki is heavily operatic, Hana produces the top otokoyaku stars, and so on.

Becoming a Takarasienne is tough. Training is competitive and starts at high school age. No more than 50 applicants each year are accepted to the Academy. Otokoyaku training is even tougher work, as they are expected to dress, behave and speak in a masculine form from their second year of schooling. They work on deepening their voices to sing and speak in a more masculine tone, and carry themselves as refined men would.

Takarazuka Grand Theatre in Takarazuka City
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The Takarazuka audience is said to be about 90% female, and looking at the real thing, I would have estimated the numbers to be even higher than that. While in Japan I saw multiple performances, including The Scarlet Pimpernel, Love and Death in Arabia / Red Hot Sea, Phoenix Wright, The Legend of the Great King and Four Gods and The Rose of Versailles -André- / Exciter!  I was very excited to see Elizabeth, but they were very much sold out for the times we could go. 

Gyakuten Saiban (Phoenix Wright)
performed at Bow Hall in Tokyo by Sora-gumi

I was drawn to Takarazuka when I heard they had performed The Rose of Versailles, a manga I particularly liked in my university days. Tezuka Osamu also drew inspiration from the Revue for his classic Princess Knight, which I'd read at the language orientation in Osaka and is often credited as the very first manga written for girls. (Tezuka was raised in Takarazuka City and one of its other big draws is the Tezuka Museum - more on that in another post.) Luckily, Emily's host mother during her study abroad had been a fan and taken her a few times, and Laura and Marisa were also Takurazuka companions. One of my co-workers, Tanaka-sensei, was a huge fan and we went to see a Rose of Versailles side story together. I was so fortunate to have gotten to see so many shows - living in the Kansai area really does give you access to everything!

Tanabata

Tanabata lanterns in Katano City, Osaka

One of the exciting things about living in another country is discovering its holidays. I don't necessarily mean all holidays, as it's tough to get too into, say, Louis Riel Day. Still, Japan offers a good number of cultural and religious holidays that can be a lot of fun for newcomers to celebrate. You may not believe in oni, but there's something gratifying about throwing around beans and eating 7-ingredient sushi on February 3. Even better is that fact that holidays really are a huge deal in Japan - commercialization is a threat just like here in the west, but the attention that holidays like Girls' Day and Setsubun get helps make them accessible to visitors.

My personal favourite Japanese holiday is July 7, Tanabata.

Orihime and Hikoboshi, the weaver and the herder

Tanabata (七夕, meaning "Evening of the seventh") is a Japanese star festival, originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively). According to legend, the Milky Way separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar.

Katano City in northeast Osaka was said to be quite famous in the prefecture for its Tanabata celebrations, so I attended every year.  Originally, Marisa and I thought this was a perfect opportunity to buy and get suited up in yukata, the traditional summer kimono, and attend a real festival. Katano's festival features 14,000 candles laid out in intricate patterns. One of my students was a resident of Katano and on the planning committee, and she spent many long hours helping to organize the festival.

Katano's beautiful candlelights

Besides the main attraction, the lights, the festival also featured a small collection of stalls along the walking path, with the usual festival food, shaved ice, chocolate bananas, goldfish-scooping and other games. There was a stamp rally at one point, and more star-themed food than you can imagine. That first year, we brought home a bagful of festival goldfish that died within a week. The gentleman at the stall gave us way more than we needed after we utterly failed at catching even a single goldfish on our own.

Keihan Railways, as one of two train lines servicing Katano City, heavily promotes the city's Tanabata festival and likely brings in most of the festivalgoers coming from out of town. Two of the commuter trains on the Keihan Main Line/Katano Line are named Hikoboshi and Orihime, after the deities, and they come to and  from Katano and Osaka City in the morning (Orihime) and evening (Hikoboshi), never meeting. On July 7th, however, both trains are docked in Kisaichi Station, finally in the same place at the same time. It's one of the local events Keihan sponsors, and no surprise that they'd want to capitalize on the popular "romantic" holiday - every year, the Katano Line is packed with festival-goers in yukata on their way to and from Kisaichi Station.

Yukata on the Katano Line

Another year, I went with my co-worker S, her young daughter, and her friend Katsue. This was a lot of fun as Katsue knew a lot about the culture of the holiday, and I had a few wishes I wanted to make, so the four of us tied up our wishes written on tanzaku in the trees. 

These decorations, including Orihime and Hikoboshi, hung over the river in Katano

We ate star-shaped okonomiyaki and S's daughter had her photo taken with people dressed up as Orihime and Hikoboshi. The city was really shining that year, even though it had rained in the morning, with so many beautiful candlelit designs on the riverbanks. My Japanese friends also designed our own tanzaku, but lacking any trees near my low-rise apartment, I hung it up on my balcony...shhh!  

Tanabata wishes written on tanzaku

My final year in Japan was the first time I actually saw a Tanabata rained out. What a tragedy for the volunteers in Katano after preparing those 14,000 lights! Of course, in the legend, if the weather is foul then Orihime and Hikoboshi aren't able to meet, so it stands to reason that no festival of celebration would be necessary...

The rain petered out in the late afternoon, however, so we thought the festivities might go ahead as they had the year before, but there just hadn't been enough time. When we got to Katano, the decorations were up but the festival absent. We settled for dinner in our yukata at Ganko Sanjo in Kyoto, but it wasn't the same as my regular Tanabata festival. 

This year, I'll be writing out a wish again, though my yukata will probably stay in the closet until the JCCC's natsumaturi next Saturday. So, what are you wishing for? Take a little time to think about it tomorrow!

Toronto Taiko Festival

Love taiko drumming and interested in watching a live concert or even learning to play? The three-day Toronto Taiko Festival kicks off next weekend and is sure to be a great experience!

Since the ancient times, taiko has brought people together in rituals, festivals and music making in Japan. In Toronto Taiko Festival, taiko groups from Eastern Canada and beyond will come together for the first time in Toronto to exchange skills and share stories toward building a stronger taiko community.

This Festival is organized by Raging Asian Women Taiko Drummers (RAW), a collective of women who believe in community building and healing through music as a way of achieving social justice.

We hope you will join us in recognizing different leaders, styles, and stories, and, together, adding a page to the 30+ years of taiko history in Toronto.

 There are three workshop levels on Saturday and Sunday, as well as a public forum on Friday and a Saturday night concert with performances by the Raging Asian Women Taiko Drummers, Yakudo, Arashi Daiko of Montreal, Nagata Shachu and special guest, Tiffany Tamaribuchi of Sacramento Taiko Dan. You don't want to miss this!

Get all the details and your tickets at the Toronto Taiko Festival website. Soreya!

Breakfast

Traditional and beautiful breakfast at a ryokan in Yamanashi 

Breakfast is the meal of the day where the expat in Japan is least likely to find themselves missing home, as staples like eggs, bacon, toast, butter, maple syrup, pancakes, muffins, cereal and fruit are all easy to come by in Japan - as long as you like cornflakes and their variations. I used to get up on UFC Sundays and make myself eggs Benedict with English muffins I kept in my freezer. Divine! You can buy all the typical Western breakfasts foods at restaurants too, of course - no problem.

Even my students, when I asked them what they liked to eat in the morning, often said "toast" or "cereal" - though many did have miso soup, of course. Sometimes I had miso as well, but I didn't know enough about the other ingredients to actually make a full meal, and I rarely was up early enough to go to a restaurant on my days off, even on vacation. That's why it took me so long to experience an authentic - and delicious! - traditional Japanese breakfast.

There are a few mainstays of the meal - of course, there's miso soup, as I mentioned, usually with seaweed and tofu. You can customize this if you're cooking it on your own - I like mine with plenty of leek or green onion. Next, you need steamed white rice - in the photo above, there's a beaten raw egg stirred into the bowl too, where the hot rice can cook it. This is called tamagokakegohan and is a good, quick morning meal! Eggs in Japan are perfectly safe to eat raw, but I'd take care making tamagokakegohan with unpasteurized eggs or eggs more than a few days old. For a more at-home style of breakfast, many people stir natto - the fermented, odd-smelling beans that people tend to either love or hate - into their rice. (No natto pictured below - I'm in the 'dislike' camp.)

Traditional breakfast at a cafe in Kyushu

The third major component is the fish. Grilled salted salmon is a popular choice - yum! Dried horse mackerel or salted saury are other good options. Don't overdo it on the fish - just a small slice is usually acceptable.

Don't forget the pickles and dried seaweed!

As you can see in the photo, everything is served in its own individual dish and there are usually common shapes for each dish. You'll always receive the rice and miso soup in bowls, and the egg in a separate bowl, if you have one. The fish is always served on a rectangular plate. Small square bowls are popular for items like pickles and seaweed salads.

Hungry yet? Even if you're a toast or Lucky Charms for breakfast kind of person, it's fun to give the traditional spread a try!