30th April – 卯月 One types of dried fruits, preserved food. Pickling plum in salt and then dry it. Umeboshi has very strong salty taste and includes Citric acid and Malic acid. 梅干し (Umeboshi) is definitely not everybody’s taste, some extremely love it but others hate it due to the strong salty taste. Despite thisContinue reading “梅干し (Umeboshi) – Salted Plum”
Category Archives: Neture
つくし (Tsukushi) – Horsetail
18th April – 卯月 Spring time in Japan, you can see the funny shaped Horsetails on the field, it is called つくし (Tsukushi) in Japanese and written as 土筆 in Kanji. 土 means soil and 筆 means brush – Japanese thought the shape looked like a brush that is why they picked this Kanji. ThisContinue reading “つくし (Tsukushi) – Horsetail”
キジ (Kiji) – Pheasant
11th April – 卯月 Japanese national bird, it was determined in 1947. Pheasant stays in Japan whole year and it is Japanese endemic species. 雉 (Kiji) as a national bird of Japan, is believed to exist most places in Japan exept in Hokkaido and Tsushima, however many people never have seen them. Kiji is veryContinue reading “キジ (Kiji) – Pheasant”
椿 (Tsubaki) – Camellia Japonica
10th April – 卯月 Big red flower petals with yellow vivid style, this gorgeous flower is called 椿 (Tsubaki) and often drawn on the Kimonos. Many people might think this lower blooms in winter time, however some species are blooming in April. It generally blooms between December and April and this flower does not haveContinue reading “椿 (Tsubaki) – Camellia Japonica”
潮干狩り (Shiohigari) – Clam digging
7th April – 卯月 Digging the sandy beach to find shells such as clams when it is low tide. In the spring season in Japan, many family go to the sandy beach to enjoy 潮干狩り (Shiohigari). The sandy ground where normally is deep under the sea comes out due to the low tide, has plentyContinue reading “潮干狩り (Shiohigari) – Clam digging”
花粉症 (Kafunshou) – Hay fever
6th April – 卯月 Hay fever exists whole year in Japan, but the worst season starts from the early February and continues till May – In Japanese spring time, there are Cedar pollen flying around and make illiterate many people. Cedar tree afforestation had done from Edo era, and even after the World War 2,Continue reading “花粉症 (Kafunshou) – Hay fever”
オノマトペ : 動物 (Onomatope : Doubutsu) – Onomatopoeia No. 2:Animals
3rd April – 卯月 Japanese uses onomatopoeia a lot in the conversation, as I said on the previous blog. For the sound of animal barking, Japanese hear it differently to the other countries. -小鳥 (Kotori) Little bird: ピヨピヨ – Piyo Piyo -烏 (Karasu) Crow: カーカー – Car Car -猫 (Neko) Cat: ニャー – Nya- -犬 (Inu) Dog: ワンワンContinue reading “オノマトペ : 動物 (Onomatope : Doubutsu) – Onomatopoeia No. 2:Animals”
桜エビ (Sakura ebi) – Sakura Shrimp
31st March – 弥生 Sakura ebi – named afterits color, just like a pretty pink color, cherry blossom (桜=Sakura). Moreover, Sakura ebi can be taken the most in spring when sakura blooms, this is why it is called Sakura ebi. Sakuraebi lives only in Tokyo bay, Sagami bay and Suruga bay, however the area onlyContinue reading “桜エビ (Sakura ebi) – Sakura Shrimp”
河童 （Kappa）
30th March – 弥生 Less than 150cm height, looks like children but green skin, wearing a dish on the top of the head, and having turtle shell at the back… this strange monster is called 河童 (Kappa) and is believed to live in the river. This creature can stay inside and outside the water andContinue reading “河童 （Kappa）”
柚子 （Yuzu）
29th March – 弥生 Yuzu, is the mandarin or lemon look-alike fruit, and Japan has the highest rate of its bith production and consumption. compared to the other citrus fruits, Yuzu has very strong acidity therefore it cannot be eaten raw like mandarin. However, Japanese love to use Yuzu for condiments as an accent inContinue reading “柚子 （Yuzu）”
Little Japan Dictionary 