Author: Yuki

Japanese Culture
Yuki

Who is Japan’s Top YouTuber, Hikaru? What type of videos?

Japanese YouTuber Hikaru is one of Japan’s top YouTubers, ranking third in total channel views in 2020, making him the top individual YouTuber (behind Hikakin when including a second channel in the ranking). Hikaru was born in 1991, and after working in a factory and other jobs, he started a live gaming channel in 2013. He was once considered to have betrayed his fans in 2017, which caused a backlash from all over the country. Despite this, he has regained popularity by continuing to produce quality videos. Unlike many common Japanese personalities, he has a tendency to speak his mind openly and frankly, even if he is not liked. He

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Risk in Japan
Yuki

The situation in Japan regarding COVID-19

As a Japanese citizen, I would like to write about the situation in Japan regarding COVID-19. First of all, the impact of COVID-19 was so great in Japan, and there were major social changes, even if there was no lockdown. The infection caused a media uproar, hospitals were confused by the response, schools were suspended, and citizens were asked to refrain from going outside. However, the resulting death toll has been very low, and although there is a problem with the low number of PCR tests, there is no unnatural increase in the number of deaths across the country. The situation in Japan is strange because the Japanese government’s COVID-19

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Japanese
Yuki

Haruki Murakami for me, a Japanese man

Haruki Murakami is an internationally popular Japanese novelist, you know. Here, I would like to say what I think of Haruki Murakami as a Japanese. Haruki Murakami is popular in Japan as well, but he is actually unique as a Japanese novelist. His novels are not typical Japanese novels. Haruki Murakami’s work has not received the prestigious Akutagawa Prize in Japan. The reason for the low evaluation is that Haruki Murakami’s novels are too heavily influenced by American literature. When reading Haruki Murakami’s novels, people outside Japan may feel Japanese-like something, but Japanese people feel that literature is not like Japan. In fact, Haruki Murakami is known to like novels

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Food
Yuki

TIPS for Buying Fresh Japanese Rice

Fresh rice is delicious. The rice that was just harvested that year is called “Shinmai” (新米, new crop). While the harvest time of rice varies depending on the variety, around September every year, rice labeled “Shinmai” begins to appear in stores. There are some precautions when cooking new rice. New rice contains a lot of water, so you should add a little less water than usual. Another important thing about the freshness of rice is rice polishing day (精米 “Seimai” in Japanese). Polishing is removing rice husks from brown rice (玄米 “genmai” in Japanese) to make white rice. Although it is possible to eat polished rice for several months, it

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Food
Yuki

How to Eat Sushi at Sushiro First Time

Sushiro is a conveyor belt sushi restaurant chain popular for its cheap and delicious food. Here are some tips to help you eat at Sushiro for the first time. Where to find Sushiro Sushiro has more than 500 restaurants across Japan. For example, you can find the following 38 restaurants in Tokyo. Need a reservation? Sushiro is a restaurant with advanced technology, so you can make a reservation with the app. However, this app is not yet available in English. But don’t worry. You may have to wait a little longer when crowded, but you don’t have to make a reservation. What about the reception? When you enter the restaurant,

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Dagashi (snack)
Yuki

What is “Taratara shitenja neyo”

“Taratarashitenjaneyo” is a Japanese dagashi (snack) that became famous in Japan for being eaten by a Japanese professional golfer Hinako Shibuno who won the 2019 Women’s British Open. It is a product made by the same company as “Yotchan Ika” which is familiar to Japanese. I heard that it is in short supply due to her influence, but I found it at a convenience store, so I bought it. “Taratarashitenjaneyo” in Japanese means “don’t be doodling” in English. And “Tara” means codfish. So, it is literally a pungent taste, with the strong pungency of doubanjiang (Chinese broad bean chili sauce). That would be fine, but it’s too salty. It didn’t

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Japanese Knife
Yuki

Why MIYABI Knives Are Made in Japan

Zwilling J.A. Henckels is a world-famous knife manufacturer based in Solingen, Germany. It is also popular in Japan. It produces most of the knives sold in the Japanese market in Seki City, Japan. The reason why German knives are not sold well in Japan is because there are so many wonderful knives in Japan that German knives did not sell well. As a result, it began to produce in Japan and eventually established its own factory in Seki City, which is famous for its cutlery production. However, even though Japanese knife technology is excellent, Japanese kitchen knife production, which depends on craftsmen’s skills, is not superior to Germany knives in

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Dagashi (snack)
Yuki

What is Yotchan Ika? – Japanese Popular Dagashi –

“Yotchan Ika” is a standard snack that nobody in Japan doesn’t know. It is pickled seafood including squid. You will get addicted to its sour and savory taste and texture. Since its release in 1977, it has been sold at any convenience store, supermarket and dagashiya throughout Japan. The official name is “Cut Yotchan”, but it is familiar with the name “Yotchan Ika” (Ika means squid).

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Japanese Knife
Yuki

Where to Buy What Type of Kitchen Knife in Japan

Japanese knives are popular because they cut well. However, Japanese knives are divided into special knives for each purpose, and it is not suitable for home use to prepare all of them. The knives used in Japanese homes are mainly Santoku Knives or Chef’s Knives (Gyuto). If you want to buy your favorite knife in Japan as a souvenir, I recommend one of these. As additional knives, a petty knife and a Deba knife are enough. And don’t forget sharpening. A kitchen knife is not disposable, but you can keep its sharpness by sharpening it regularly. When you buy a kitchen knife, you need to check if you can sharpenn

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