Shobuyu: Sweet Flag Bath for Boys’ Day on May 5
A few days ago, I posted an article about Kashiwa Mochi, a traditional Japanese sweet for “Tango no Sekku (端午の節句)” or the Boys’ (Children’s) Day on May 5. Shobuyu (菖蒲湯) The day May 5...
Category: Trivia
Japanese Prefixes and Suffixes that stand for Cooking Methods
In the Japanese language, there are several prefixes and suffixes that stand for cooking methods. For example, the cooking method for Tempura is mainly to “deep-fry”, but the food name doesn’t include the prefix...
Kashiwa Mochi: Wagashi Sweets for Children’s Day
“Mochi (餅)” is a traditional Japanese food made of glutinous rice “Mochi-Gome (餅米)” that has been steamed and pounded. The cooked rice cake has strong stickiness and chewiness, and in Japan, it is often...
Anko: 9 Common Types of Sweet Bean Paste for Wagashi
Anko (餡子) is an indispensable part of Wagashi (和菓子) traditional Japanese confections. It is a sweet paste or jam made from beans boiled in water, sweetened with sugar, and kneaded. As you may know,...
Wagashi Sweets: Neri Yokan, Mizu Yokan, Mushi Yokan
Yokan (羊羹) is a Wagashi or a traditional Japanese confection with a long history. It is a jelly dessert made with sweetened Azuki red bean paste called Anko (餡子), water, and agar Kanten (寒天)....
Why Japanese Hate 4, 9, and 49 as Unlucky Numbers
The majority of people living in English-speaking countries abhor 13 and 666 as unlucky numbers. Such bad luck numbers exist in Japan too. The representative examples are 4, 9, and 49, all of which many...
Nama Shoyu vs. Regular Soy Sauce: What’s the Difference?
A new type of soy sauce called Nama Shoyu (生しょうゆ) became a big hit several years ago, and now, it has become a standard household seasoning in Japan. Nama Shoyu (生しょうゆ) As you may...
Kuzumochi: Kanto-Style vs. Kansai-Style Kuzu Mochi
Several types of Wagashi (traditional Japanese confections) use kudzu (arrowroot) starch as the main ingredient, and as I wrote before, Kuzukiri (葛きり) is among them. Kuzukiri Noodles with Kuromitsu Syrup Kuzukiri is almost tasteless, so when...
