It’s the great…kabocha?

So here’s the thing about Halloween in Japan. Well, a few things, actually.

They don’t have orange pumpkins in Japan…but they do have “pumpkins” (kabocha in English-or buttercup squash as we know it in North America.)

They don’t carve pumpkins…but I have seen faces painted or drawn on.

They don’t go trick’r’treating…but Halloween parties are immensely popular.

Basically Halloween in Japan is a “holiday” adopted from North America, similar to the Japanese treatment of Christmas. As far as I can tell, Halloween is a great excuse for marketers to advertise and make money. There is nothing scary about Halloween in Japan either-this is the country of cute, remember?

I am completely aware that marketers do the exact same thing in the U.S.A. But-speaking from my personal experience-Japan is missing the essence of Halloween.

Every year growing up, my siblings and I would think of and create our own costumes. Dad would take us out trick’r’treating while Mom stayed home handing out candy. When we came home, we would sit and go through the candy loot while watching “The Wizard of Oz” or “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!”

I stopped trick’r’treating a long time ago, but I still love taking my younger siblings. And who doesn’t love carving pumpkins?!

Even though Japan does Halloween a bit differently, we still have lots of fun. This year we went to a couple great Halloween parties.

Holidays are more about the people you spend them with anyway, right?

I think so.

Last Year's Christmas

This is what our last year’s Christmas looked like…

Our first Christmas together as newlyweds.  It was full of cookies, champagne and candlelight.

Not a bad way to live.  A very fortunate way to live, in fact.

This year, we will not be celebrating Christmas in the traditional fashion.  There will be no cookies, champagne and candlelight.   

Instead, Christmas Eve will find us here…

…in India. 

My husband Karl  and I have decided to spend our two weeks of Winter vacation in the heart of India.  Giving completely of ourselves to people who are in great need.

I have never been so excited for the Christmas season as I am now.

More to come…

さくらさくら (Sakura, Sakura)

Sakura-Cherry blossoms.

This is probably the most famous folk song from Japan...even if you don't think you know anything about Japan, chances are good that you have heard this tune.

When you start learning how to play the koto, this is the first piece you learn.  It's like learning "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" when beginning to study the piano.


When I began my koto studies this past July, I also had to learn Sakura...

This is a very simple version of Sakura.  My teacher recently gave me the "advanced" version, which I have just begun to learn.  More on that later.

Stay tuned for more pieces and a post on the sheet music of the koto. (It's waaaaaaay different from what I was used to reading!)

勿体ない (What a waste.)

This is something you constantly hear in Japan.  It means “What a waste.”  And reads “mo tai nai.” 

I am not a fan of wasting things…but really, who is? 

I try to be good about not being wasteful.  Especially when it comes to food.  Food in Japan (and by food, I mean real food: unprocessed, mostly produce) is pretty expensive.  I expect this is because they rely so heavily on imports.  As of right now, Japan would only be able to sustain 39% of the population on it's own. 

Japan is a tiny country with an enormous population.  Most of the land is mountain ranges.  The only sustainable crops that Japan can produce is rice, potatoes and some vegetables.  The other primary source of the Japanese diet is the sea. 

Fish, seaweed, rice.  Three staples of the Japanese diet.  The makings of sushi. 

Japan is trying to become more self-sustaining.  One thing I have seen on the news and read about is the development and marketing of rice flour.  Wheat does not grow very well in Japan.  This is smart as bread has more nutritional value than rice.

I have also learned to appreciate the grocery stores produce section noticeable rotating with the season.  There have been many times I have gone shopping for something particular and had to improvise with something seasonal. 

A fun challenge.  It has made me more aware about where my food comes from.

So we are getting much better at not wasting food, buying in season and being aware of our foods origins. 

It’s a good way to live!

An Investment

Leaning against a wall in the tatami room, there were six or seven kotos.  Their long, graceful figures reaching towards the ceiling.  I couldn’t believe I was about to call one of these exotic instruments my own.

“Which one do you like?” asked my teacher. 

“Which one is best?”

The one with the orange floral décor was the best quality, she said.  I completely trusted her opinion.  The decision was made.  

Next, the accessories:  ivory picks, the pick case, the silky koto cover, the music stand, the koto stands and the music itself.  

For a musician, this was like Christmas morning.  So. Exciting.

My first koto lesson was spent getting me set up with all of my new equipment, explaining the instrument and simple first instructions.

I was practically bursting with excitement.  I had gone from being a full-time music major practicing for hours every day, to not even having an instrument to play for the past year.  A big change.

I have now been studying koto since early July.  It is completely different from any musical instrument I have ever played-I love it.  This could very well be the groundwork for a future masters degree in ethnomusicology. 

You never know…I just follow my love of music through life.

So far it hasn’t led me astray. 

More on the music (maybe even a video!) and koto learning adventures coming soon.

Expanding Horizons

I am used to regular cheeseburgers.  You know, made with cheddar cheese.  To me, this is “normal.”  The “regular” version, if you will.  (ps-that junk they put on fast food burgers is not even real cheese. In fact, those aren’t even real burgers…or real food for that matter.)

For some reason, using other cheeses to top burgers never occurred to me.  Until a couple of years ago, that is.  I really started getting into other types of cheese. 

Since there is a significant lack of good cheese in Japan, cheeseburgers are not something we have on a regular basis.  Besides that, even Costco doesn’t fulfill my greatest dreams of cheese.  It is missing one of my all-time favorites…

…Jarlsberg.

Sigh.

Fortunately, I have been able to go on a Jarlsberg binge lately because some fantastic people sent me some for my birthday.  Best gift ever!  (In case you’re wondering, vacuum packed cheese does very well when sent overseas. Winkwink!)

Occasionally, Karl and I get our America on and have big, fat cheeseburgers for dinner.  The most recent instance resulted in the best burgers I had ever made.  Ever.

Remember these?  After devouring the steaks, we kept the leftover marinade.  It would have been a horrible waste to toss it!

I mixed some of the marinade into some ground beef with some panko and an egg.  Then fried them nice and slow.  They didn’t shrink at all.  Which means they fit perfectly onto the toasted bread.  

They were veritable gourmet hamburgers. 

Beef and Barley

Alright.  I know I have said this before…but I truly love cool weather and the foods that come with it.  Soups and stews, in particular. 

My awesome sister who lives in New Zealand recently mailed me a bag of barley.  Awesome.

Of course, this means…beef and barley soup.  How could it not? 

I, again, searched through one of the best food blogs I know.  And again, it did not fail me. 

She does not kid: this is the easiest soup ever to make.  I followed it near exact, with a few added carrots and a couple more cloves of garlic.  It was perfect…

Warm.  Comforting.  Aromatic.  Delicious. 

Served with a fresh slice of buttered bread, (that my husband made-What!? How lucky am I?!) this meal hit the spot. 

It’s definitely on my make again list.  

Find the recipe right here.