Onsen: What is Bijin no Yu?
If you like Japanese hot springs or onsen (温泉), you may have heard of Bijin no Yu (美人の湯). As I wrote before, the word Bijin (美人), literally meaning beautiful person, refers to a beautiful...
Recommendation of Unique Japanese Products and Culture BLOG
Bikkuriman Dragon Ball Collab Chocolate from Lotte
When I went shopping at a Lawson convenience store the other day, I found a product of wafer chocolate reminiscent of my childhood called Bikkuri-Man (ビックリマン: meaning Surprise Man) from Lotte. When I was...
Yakult 1000: Benefits of the Y1000 Probiotic Drink
Yakult and Calpis (also known as Calpico) are probiotic drinks that are best recognized in Japan, loved by people for a long time, and available in almost every grocery store. Although they both started...
Mizu Gummy: Water Gummies from UHA Mikakuto
Summer is just around the corner, and stores in Japan have started selling goodies related to the season. Such products you can see at the supermarkets include Suika Gummy and Kakigori Gummy, and last...
2 Types of Yaki Kamaboko Fish Surimi Snacks
As previously mentioned, Cheese Kamaboko has another name, Chii Kama (チーカマ), which, as you can easily guess, is short for the former. However, what I introduce here, Yaki Kama (焼きかま), may not be what you...
Ame: 2 Different Meanings of the Japanese Word
When we Japanese hear Ame or あめ in the Hiragana alphabet, what comes to our mind is usually 飴 or 雨 in the Kanji character, depending on the intonation and context. 飴 (Ame), seen in...
Mirin vs. Ryorishu: Cooking Sake Rice Wines
Mirin (みりん) and Ryorishu (料理酒) are Sake rice wines commonly used in Japanese cooking. These alcohols are seasonings that have become kitchen staples in Japan, where almost every household stores them in the pantry....
Pine Awadama: The Pioneer of Fizzy Candies in Japan
Together with the Kit Kats that I talked about in the previous posts, I accidentally found one of my favorite soda candies as a kid called Awadama (あわだま) in the Welcia drugstore. Awadama Soda...
