Real Life in Japan

Introduce Japanese real life, culture by a Japanese man

Food

Food 

Do Japanese Eat Insects? How to Make Locust Tsukudani

Yuki

In recent years, insect diets have been attracting a lot of attention. Do Japanese people eat insects on a daily basis? Around me, the answer is ” No”. It is rare to find entomophagy sold in supermarkets in Tokyo. In recent years, I have occasionally seen snacks containing crickets on sale, but they are not popular and often remain unsold. I, too, have no appetite for crickets. Famous Japanese Entomophagy However, it is true that Japan has a culture of eating insects. In the mountainous areas of Japan, eating bees is very popular. The most famous insect food in Japan is locust tsukudani (food boiled in soy sauce and sugar).

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Food 

Popular Japanese Sodas

Yuki

Coke and Sprite are popular in Japan, but there are also popular Japanese sodas made by Japanese beverage manufacturers. Here I would like to introduce 4 Japanese sodas that are popular in Japan. ASAHI Mitsuya Cider Asahi Soft Drinks, a major Japanese beverage company, has been selling this classic cider since 1884. It has just the right balance of carbonation, sweetness, and aroma, and is the most popular in Japan. It is also available in a calorie-free version and can be purchased at any convenience store in Japan.   CALPICO SODA This soda is a popular lactic acid drink in Japan. Calpico is usually diluted, but its carbonated drink is

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Food 

3 Best Japanese Rice Brands Produced in the U.S.A.

Yuki

Japanese people, including myself, eat short-grain rice. Most Japanese people eat rice produced in Japan and consider rice produced outside of Japan to be unpalatable. However, when I traveled to Hawaii, I was honestly surprised to learn that there is also delicious American-grown Japanese rice. Here, I would like to introduce you to some American brands of Japanese rice that are delicious even from a Japanese perspective. Japanese rice is expensive to buy outside of Japan, so if I were to buy rice outside of Japan, I would buy these rice products.   #3 Tamanishiki One thing that all three of the rice brands introduced here have in common is

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Food 

How To Choose a Rice Cooker Made in Japan

Yuki

Japanese people who eat rice on a daily basis are particular about their rice cookers. In this article, I would like to tell you how to choose a rice cooker as a Japanese. Do you really need a rice cooker? Although a rice cooker is convenient, it is not always necessary for cooking rice. We can cook rice in a regular pot as well. See also: How to Cook Japanese Rice Better If you use a special rice cooking pot, you can cook rice better than in a rice cooker. In some authentic Japanese restaurants, rice is cooked in earthen pots. However, cooking rice in a pot has the following

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Food 

How to Make Mugi-cha — Japanese Common Roasted Barley Tea

Yuki

Mugi-cha (Japanese barley tea) is a tea that is commonly consumed in Japan. Although it is called a tea, barley tea is made from roasted barley seeds, so it does not contain caffeine and can be drunk easily at any time. In Japan, people drink cold mugi-cha in the hot summer, or drink it at room temperature in a water bottle. Mugi-cha is also sold as a bottled beverage, but it is easy to make and very low cost. You can always find Ito En’s mugi-cha in convenience stores and supermarkets in Japan. This contains 54 bags, which can make 54 liters of barley tea. Making mugi-cha is very easy.

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Washoku (Japanese Home Cooking) 

How to Make Oden (Japanese one-pot dishes) Easily Using Mentsuyu

Yuki

If you want to make authentic Japanese food, you need to prepare several kinds of seasonings, so it’s hard. In this recipe, I will introduce how to make delicious Japanese food easily using “mentsuyu” (“めんつゆ” in Japanese) which can be purchased at convenience stores in Japan. A complete set of oden ingredients is available at supermarkets (except in summer). Total Time: 45 mins Ingredients Serves 3-4: A set of oden ingredients (fish paste, hanpen, konnyaku, etc.) Half daikon (Wikipedia) 3-4 boiled eggs 100 ml mentsuyu 1200 ml water Method Make all boiled eggs. Cut the daikon into 2cm pieces. Boil 1200 mL of water in a large pot. When it

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Food 

TIPS for Buying Fresh Japanese Rice

Yuki

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 

How to Eat Sushi at Sushiro First Time

Yuki

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) 

What is “Taratara shitenja neyo”

Yuki

“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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