Japanese pickles Japanese pickles are an essential part of Japanese washoku cuisine. Usually they are served with traditional Japanese dishes along with Miso soup and rice. There are many ways to make Japanese pickles:- pickled in rice bran (nukazuke) , pickled sake lees or leftovers, pickled in miso, pickled in vinegar or in soy sauce. They each have special methods for preparation and a large v...

Washlet toilets in Japan The Washlet is a registered trademark of the Japanese company Toto. Since the launch of this product, a douche-equipped toilet, in 1982, the company has made design updates and technological improvements to their original series almost annually. These have grabbed worldwide headlines with their innovation. Many Hollywood stars and celebrities have also raved about their ...

Convenience in Japan Japan is a country that values convenience very highly. There are many businesses that have become very successful by making services more and more convenient for their customers. Vending machines, for instance are ubiquitous ! Convenience stores are on every street corner in the major cities. And drive-through stores are not rare. In this blog by Igarashi sensei, a Japanese...

Hina Matsuri Hina Matsuri (or Girls' day or Doll's festival) is a celebration of the daughters of a house which falls on March 3rd in the Japanese cultural calendar. There are many traditions surrounding the festival including special types of food and drinks and some superstitions or beliefs that vary from area to area around Japan. But the most well-known point of the season is the decoration ...

Brain training There are many ways to increase brain power and concentration abilities. There was a fad a few years ago in Japan of using the Ninentendo DS game consol to train brain power, but this seems to have quickly died down now (as many quick fads do in Japan). Getting a good night's sleep, eating nuts, blue berries, and fish are well known and long established methods of keeping the bra...