Traditional Japanese Home in the City

Here is a large (for Japanese standards) Japanese home right in Osaka. I usually don’t see houses of this style unless I get away from the city.

Nice isn’t it?

Garden, wall, tiled roof, woody, classic.

And they’ve got a guard-cat.

- Harvey

Sanzenin in Kyoto

I’ve been to Kyoto countless times, but due to friends from out of town visiting back in March, we rented car and decided to stretch our legs a little. We went to Sanzenin (三千院) in Ohara in Kyoto.

There a Wikipedia article on sanzenin in Japanese, but actually I’m not having much luck finding information on it in English… Ah, here’s some good Sanzenin stuff on Japan-Guide.com. They’ve done a good job on the write up, so I’ll leave you with some pictures.

A picture is worth 1000 words huh?

After wading through the crowd at the more famous Kyoto temple and shrine locations, the sparsely occupied Sanzenin area was a great change. I could sit and look at that garden for hours…

- Harvey

A lump of reserve

If you’ve been in Japan for a while you’ve probably heard the phrase 遠慮 (enryo). It basically means to hesitate, to have reserve, or to constrain yourself.

It can be used in many ways…

To refuse an offer…

Kid 1: 明日またカラオケ行こうよ！ - ashita mata karaoke ikouyo! - Let’s go to Karaoke again tomorrow!

Kid 2: えっ、また？行きたいけど、遠慮しとくわ。- eh? mata? ikitaikedo, konkai ha enryo shitokuwa. - Eh? Again!? I want to go but I’ll pass this time.

To tell someone not to hold back…

うわぁぁぁ〜ステーキだ！- uwaaaaaaa suteeki da! - Wow! Steak!

遠慮せずに食べてください。- enryo sezuni tabetekudasai - Don’t hesitate to eat all you want.

There is also a famous saying that goes, 遠慮の固まり。(enryo no katamari)

Katamari refers to a lump or clump of something. You might know that word from the video game Katamari Damacy actually… Anyway…

This, is an enryo no katamari.

As you can see, an enryo no katamari is the last piece of food (or other desired item, but usually food) that no one touches because they don’t want to seem like the greedy person who rudely grabbed the last bite.

Typically in Japan, this last tasty morsel will sit around for a few minutes while people carry on, and then at some opportune time ssomeone will offer it to somebody else in the group. “Hey, eat this Joe!” Joe will refuse, and insist that Sam be the one to eat the last bit.

After some more of this someone will finally eat it and the party will be over.

Or everyone will just hang around and watch more comedy shows on TV.

- Harvey

Spiderman Goods

My friend nicknamed “Babie” loves Spider-man (Check her blog to see her dancing with Spider-man in Japan.)

She’s got a ton of Spider-man goods.

A ton.

The English word “goods” is used in Japanese (グッツ pronounced, gudtsu). It usually means “character goods”, and refers to things such as… figures… or tissue box covers… that are themed after a particular character.

In this case, the wondrous web-slinger.

This cover wraps around a tissue box, so you can pull tissue from… eerrr. so Spider-man can shoot tissue into your nose from the web-slinging apparatus in his wrist.

Push Spider-man’s head for soap.

Spider-man twins help you carry steaming pots of spaghetti.

Spiderman-face magnet.

Half of Spider-man’s body is stuck inside of the refrigerator!

Memorabilia from Spider-man the Ride at Universal Studios Japan.

Spider-man hanging on the side of a building that looks kinda like a coffee mug.

A Spider-man Bear Brick!

Spider-man key cover.

Now that’s a lot of Spidey-goods!

- Harvey

Dango - だんご３兄弟

Mmm…. Dango.

Three individually flavored balls of sweetness.

There was a Dango 3 Kyoudai (The 3 brothers Dango) song made popular years ago in Japan. Thanks to the wonders of youtube, you can enjoy it over and over again today!

Check out the Dango 3 Kyoudai video on YouTube.

Also, if you are into cute school supplies, you can get a dango shaped eraser set from The Japan Shop.

You know. I just noticed that even the eraser set has the dango in order, pink, white, green. It just occured to me that all dango with these flavors all over Japan are ordered the exact same way… I wonder how that got started…

- Harvey

Negiyaki at Yamamoto in Juso

I “found” another incredibly famous and non-hidden negiyaki shop in Osaka.

Pretty much every Japanese person in Osaka knows about the Negiyaki shop named Yamamoto. Negiyaki is very similar to Okonomiyaki, except it has tons of green onions inside, and usually not as much sauce.

We ordered the deluxe negiyaki, so it had pork, squid, and beef, if I remember correctly.

Hey, on a side note, apparently in the world of otaku, these negi (leek / green onions) are popular due to a certain anime in which a “leek spin dance” is featured. They actually sell a “soft leek replica” on JList imported straight from Japan. So.. Uh… If you’ve ever wanted a soft leek replica… To spin… You know where you can get it. Apparently, the original leek spin dance song is 17 hours long!?

Hey, what is this leek spin!? I’m completely out of the loop.

Yamamoto is located right in the heart of Juuso, so it’s pretty easy to find. It’s near the 7th Art Movie Theatre in case you’re looking for it! It gets crowded around dinner time, so show up a little early.

The Negiyaki at Kuishinbo in Shinsaibashi is also delicious. You can get it with ponzu sauce which is another unique and wonderful taste!

MMmmm…. Osaka food.

- Harvey

Quickie: Sale at The Japan Shop

Just a quicky shopping link-fest here.

The Japan Shop is having a closeout sale on a few items, including everyone’s favorite textbook series Genki. They’ve also got Japanese for Busy people on sale at the moment, but personally, I would recommend Genki over the Busy People series any day of the week.

Also, you’ll see on The Japan Shop’s front page that they are having a weekend sale on 5 dollar downloads, including the Cut-tounge Sparrow Story.
The Japan Shop owner let me try a sample of these downloads, as I’m helping to advertise his product and all, and I must say it’s quality material. The owner’s wife is Japanese, so together they create this valuable content from scratch. Basically his wife reads a famous Japanese folktale, and he provides the English and explanations in the files that accompany it. It’s all put together using flash, so you can click vocab to get explanations and whatnot. Also, you can chose to listen to it in regular, or slow speed as well. It’s good stuff for learning.

Happy shopping for your brain!

- Harvey

Omamori, Japanese Good Luck Charms

If you’ve ever been to a Japanese shrine you have problem seen these omamori around.

They’re not tea bags.

In Japanese they’re called omamori (お守り). They’re good luck charms that are said to have a god inside to keep you safe. There are a wide variety of omamori. There are traffic safety omamori, omamori that will allow a pregnant woman to have an easy child-birth, and omamori to help you with your studies, like this one.

Characters on front: 太宰府天満宮 (dazaifutenmangu) Dazaifutenmangu Official Webpage

Characters on back: 学業お守り - がくぎょうおまもり - gakugyou ommori (omamori for studies)

Sometimes shrines will be known to have especially powerful omamori of a specific type. This dazaifutenmangu which is in Kyusu (english wikipedia) is famous for its ability to improve luck in studying. It works. I’m sure.

You are supposed to return the omamori to the same shrine where you purchased it after one year. Otherwise, the charm will lose its effect.

I have only actually ever done that twice I believe… It’s hard when the temple is far away from your home!

Also, you are only supposed to have one omamori at one time. Otherwise, the gods will fight and none of them will work.

Remember these things… And  good luck.

- Harvey

Gift Idea: Chirimen Bears

Learn something knew everyday…

Have you ever seen items, like womens bags or shawls made of a material that looks like it may have been pieced together from a Kimono? Well that style is called “chirimen”, apparantly, and J-List has these stylin’ chirimen teddy bears available.

Bamboo Charcoal Stuffed Chrimen Teddy Bear

These items that just scream “Japan”! Always make good gifts, or coffee table items for our living room… If you’re the type who likes to buy something for yourself every now and then.

If my mom didn’t already have too much Japan memorabelia I would consider getting her one… But she’s got too much stuff.

Three cheers for appropriate shopping on J-List!

- Harvey