Tamaki SAITO（西東たまき）

Obento, a lunch neatly filled in a box to take away is well-known. It is usually a single box. However, when 2 to 5 boxes are piled up in multiple layers, and with a cover, it's called ‘Juubako' － means piled boxes. A lunch filled in a Juubako must be special   Juubako usually carries meals for more than one person while Obento lunch box is usually for a portion for one person. Therefore, Juubako filled lunch is made to be shared, prepared chiefly for the celebratory opportunities such as cherry blossom viewing picnics and an annual family sports day ...

Have you heard of a 'Japanese style hand towel'? It's called ‘Tenugui' which means ‘hand wipe'. It's a simple and thin cotton sheet about a size of 90cm x 35cm. Unlike western towel which is made from terry cloth, Tenugui is just rough, plain-woven fabric. Both ends are intentionally left un-hemmed to allow it to dry faster for hygienic reasons. In most of the households today, Tenugui is seemingly almost replaced with modern towels in regards to the use of bathing and considered obsolete. However, there's no alternative of Tenugui in some traditional areas. For instance, ‘Kendo' practitioners need Tenugui ...

Vegetables used to be sold at veg shops and supermarkets after passing through multiple agents including agricultural cooperatives and whole sellers, hence many margins. However, farmers now have more options to approach directly to consumers. Direct-sale stalls and stores are everywhere now whether small or large.   Fresh harvest straight from the farm is brought in by farmers every day Many of them have a message label indicating the individual farmer’s name even with a photo to declare ‘this is made by me’ with a pride. You can also read the data and history of the production: the use and ...

Is the ‘Sanma’ you know the supreme Japanese comedian or the seasonal fish known for its superb taste? End of summer you will start seeing some containers of fresh and fatty Sanma back in the market. Sanma, or Pacific saury, those of overall length of approximately 30 to 35 cm, is a symbol of the approaching autumn. The Sanma Although the price can be changeable according to the supply year by year, they are usually inexpensive. The fresh one is the best when it is prepared simply; sprinkle some salt and grill it. Good squeeze of a fresh citron and ...

Flea market has been progressively common and popular since 1990's in Japan. You can find notices of the events being held every weekend and holiday here and there. Unlike regular antique markets which are usually taken place in the open space of shrine and temple, flea markets usually take place in public space like park or large parking lot. Used clothes are the major items sold at flea market among the other used items from households. Especially, children's items are the most popular – people prefer to procure such items that are used only for a short period at the ...

An electric rice cooker is a must-have appliance in the Japanese kitchen. The practical model was first released in the mid-fifties. Soon they were improved to equip with a cooking timer that saved users from being attentive as it switched on itself at your preferred time and turned off automatically when rice is ready. Various sizes are available according to the size of a family The smallest could cook only less than a cup of rice which is suitable for a single-family though the most common size range is from 3gou (450g) to 8gou (1,200g). A commercial purpose cooker can ...

Uniform is common in kindergartens, junior high schools and high schools regardless private or public in Japan. They are usually in the shade of dark colours and often come with the matching bag and hat. Especially, the girl student's school uniform can be one of the issues to be taken into account when they make choice of school to go; girls like to enjoy nice uniform every day. Therefore, schools take it into extra consideration when they designate the uniform because the number of applicants can fluctuate according to the style and design of the uniform!   Students mostly enjoy modification of ...

Despite the known fact that English is largely not understood in Japan, Japanese are very enthusiastic about learning foreign languages, chiefly English. English lesson in official education starts from junior high school when the students are age 13. Private English learning is very common and popular. Parents are keen to raise their children English-friendly. However, the result is as known; Japanese in general does not really understand English. The reason why has been controversial over the years; some attribute to the teaching system which weights much in grammar than practical speaking English. Some say because Japanese are afraid of feeling ...

This might be against the global trend of ‘saving resources' and 'reduction of rubbish' but if you buy a book from Japanese bookshops, they usually put a cover on the book by folding the wrapping paper with the bookshop logo very quickly. Why is the cover supported? One of the two major reasons is because it covers the reader's privacy － many people don't want others to know where their interest lies being learnt from what they are reading. The other reason is that they want to preserve the books as neat and clean as new. There are more practical ...

As Japanese national is always ranked in the top of the longevity list in the world, there are a number of teachings and trends recommended regarding the eating habit. They are actually quite variable; what once largely supported could be obsolete after a few years. There is one teaching commonly shared; ‘Eat 30 Ingredients a Day' The policy is telling you to take 30 different items per day. If you strive to achieve the target, your eating habit will be gradually changed before you know it. You will pick a salad instead of French fries to pair with your hamburger. ...