21 January 2010

My dog loves...

It's winter here in Japan.
We have never seen snow this winter yet, but it has been so chilly everyday!

The most popular heating system in our country is KOTATSU. (click!)



We use it like this. (This is not me...)

It's very warm and comfortable.... so I cannot go out once I get into it...



And here is another KOTATSU LOVER!

He spend almost all the day except the time for meals, walking and toilet.

He is sleeping though his eyes are opened !
So funny---!!


09 January 2010

KOTO the Japanese harp






This is KOTO that is one of the Japanese traitional musical instruments.
It's like a harp, and has so beautiful tone!

And this is a music.

It is written in kanji numbers.
It seems to be very difficult, but not so much :)


I have played it since I was little.
But now there are few young people who can play KOTO..

Many of them can play the piano and other western musics,
and they have no interests in Japanese ones.
I'm so sad....

This music will heal your soul... Please listen!!


The woman playing KOTO is a granddaughter of my KOTO teacher.

I love their sounds so much :)




06 January 2010

New Year Food in Japan

How are you spending this holiday season?

I had a wonderful new year with my husband and dog at my small house.
We usually go back to our hometown where our parents live every year,
but it is tooooooo hard for me to get the air tickets on this season...

In Japan we have some traditional special foods on New Year Table.
Please see photos.
We call them "Osechi".
And we put Osechi in three box case like these.
( also much more in refrigerator!!)

I cooked this on Dec.31.
It was very hard and took long time, and I got tired.
But thanks to that, I had no need to work in the kitchen during this holiday!!

 
Each of foods has meanings and wishes.
( I dont know some of them)

*MENU*

black sweet beans
boiled fish paste
mushed sweet potato and chesnut
seaweed and something..
burdock pickles
steamed and rolled egg




salmon rolled with seatangle
pickled raddish shaped like flower
roasted beef
herring roe
roasted duck
candied fish (Ayu)



This is called Chikuzen-ni".
It contains chicken, taro potato, carrot, Konnyaku, lotus root,
Shiitake mashroom, bamboo shoot, green bean.

I didn't like Osechi foods very much when I was a child
because it was a little boring for me...

But now I love them so much!

I love Japanese foods very much :)