From Japan with Love

I had matcha green tea soba that my friend sent me for lunch. What is soba? Soba are noodles made from buckwheat flour. Cold soba is eaten by dipping it in a sauce. Cold soba noodles, which are easy to make, are great on a hot day. I keep a few different kinds of soba in stock. How to cook Here's what it looks like inside the bag I usually eat about two batches per person, but This time I will make only one bunch. The back of the bag has instructions on how to make it. Be sure to check the boiling time, as it varies each items. Boil time this time is 3 minutes. Okay! Adjust the boiling time to your liking. I usually shorten it by about 30 seconds. Boil them in plenty of water. I spread them out to prevent them from sticking. When they're done boiling, rinse them quickly in ice water, drain, and they're ready to go! Make the dipping sauce I use instant dipping sauce. The number in yellow marker is important. This is the type that I...

For those of you who have learned kanji and are thinking of reading Japanese news soon. The words used in the news are a little difficult, aren't they? This is what I recommend for those times. Reference: News Web Easy https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/ What is 'News Web Easy'? News Web Easy is a site operated by NHK  that is Japan’s public broadcaster. Not only is the news presented in simple Japanese, but there are many helpful features for Japanese leaners. The helpful features You can erase the readings above the kanji with the buttons marked in yellow. Click on the button above it to listen to the news! It's a robot voice, but from what I heard, there was no problem with the reading. Word Description Click on an underlined word to see its meaning. In this time, I clicked the word "選手せんしゅ". Is it easier to understand the explanation? The other helpful design Proper nouns are colored accordingly, so that you ca...

Does anyone here like beer? I like Yebisu beer the best. What is Yebis? Yebisu is the name of this god. He is the god of good fortune who brings prosperity in fishing and business. Yebisu Bar Kyoto Yodobashi  In front of Kyoto station, there is a Yebisu beer speciality bar. In this bar, we can enjoy some kind of Yebisu beer. Here is the menu. There are so many different kinds, it's hard to decide. I chose one based on the chart for acidity and richness. It looked so good that I forgot to take a picture and just took a sip.😂 The beer foam is fine and delicious! Yebisu floated up from the coaster after I enjoyed beer.💕 There is an Yebisu figurine at the counter. . If you look closely, you'll see that Ebisu is holding a beer! Hahaha🤣 Offering money to the gods is probably the Japanese style. May you be blessed.✨ −−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−− Yebisu Bar Kyoto Yodobashi  Address Kyoto Yodobashi 1F, 59...

I'm just chilling with a glass of homemade perilla(しそshiso) juice. It is sweet with a slight sourness that is refreshing.😉 We can buy the red perilla at super market in summer. perilla: しそshiso 📝Recipe 1.Boil the perilla and strain it. 2.Add the sugar. 3.Add a little citric acid or apple cider vinegar.

 Today, the Midsummer Day of the Ox is the day that the Japanese people eat eel. The slightly sweet sauce is mainly a mixture of soy sauce, sake and sugar. It's really tasty. But it became expensive due to overfishing. Nowadays it’s a luxurious treat. Eel contains lots of vitamins. A, B1, B2, D and especially E. Rich in calcium, protein and high-quality minerals, too. It’s been considered as one of the most nutritious food. Eating eel on the Midsummer day of the ox is supposedly boosts  one's stamina against the sweltering summer in Japan!!

For all Japanese leaners. I recommend this book to remember kanji. Japanese elementary school students have the same difficulty in memorizing kanji. I wish kanji would just disappear from this world, don't you think? This book is recommended for those who are learning Kanji. It covers all kanji that Japanese kids learn in elementary school.  We can separate pages to make flash cards. It is shown stroke order in front side so that easy to remember.  Back side we can learn how to use these kanjis. I was able to see the details of the page on the amazon website. Please take a look if you like.

 I always stock this tofu in the refrigerator. The texture of it is smooth. However most of the time we use soy sauce with tofu, it goes well with salt or even simply on its own. When you come to Japan, please try it. I am strongly recommended it. 冷蔵庫にはいつもこの豆腐をストックしています。舌触りがなめらかなんです。 豆腐には醤油を使う事が多いですが、これは塩にも合うし、何もつけなくても美味しいです。 日本に来ることがあれば、ぜひ試してみてね。強くオススメします。

Chirashi-zusi  is a kind of sushi that looks a little like a rice salad. What is the chirashi-zusi  Vinegared rice is spread out in a dish, and different kinds of seafood or other ingredients are mixed in or placed on top of the rice.  As usual, we have to prepare many ingredients befor making it. It's also bothersome to make the vinegared rice when we are busy. Easy way In those cases, we use it for making Chirashi-zusi easily. In this package, there are cooked ingredients and powder vinegar. So the only thing we have to do is cook the rice and mix in the ingredients. You can add the toppings as you like. My favorite toppings are the fried eggs, sashimis and snow peas. Use red, green, and yellow ingredients for a beautiful presentation. Avocado is also goes well with Chirashi-zusi. For flavorless ingredients, soak them in a little soy sauce and eat them. I want you to try it! It's fun. ちらし寿司はライスサラダみたいな寿司です。 酢飯に魚介類や他の具材を混ぜたり、乗せたりして盛りつけます。 たくさんの具材や酢飯を用意しなくてはなら...

 Aozora Bunko is a public domain e-book. Reference : 青空文庫 https://www.aozora.gr.jp/ Why is it free？ Aozora Bunko stores two types of works: those whose copyrights have expired 50 years after the author's death, and those whose copyright holders have decided that it is okay to let people read them via the Internet. Tips for beginners l earning  JapaneseSome of the older works have a slightly different wording than the modern ones, so beginners in learning the language need to be very selective. However, there are many wonderful works that will move you. How to search the books If you know the  title or author's name, you can use the search box in the upper right corner to find it. If you have too many to find one book, I recommend children's books. Here is a list of children's literature novels. https://yozora.main.jp/9/1/ndck913.html Find the ones you like. I will be happy to make recommendations based on your preferences. I would be very happy i...