Seasons – Jet-Set Japan

Celebrating the New Year in Japan

December 31, 2018December 31, 2018Food and Drink, Nature, Seasons, WinterLeave a Comment

It’s still New Year’s Eve here in Hawaii, but it’s already New Year’s Day in Japan, so…

Happy New Year!!!

Bringing in the new year is definitely the most important holiday & event in Japan, so there are various customs when doing so.

For example, toshi-koshi soba (New Year’s Soba) is eaten on New Year’s Eve. Soba is long and thin, and this represents longevity for oneself and one’s family.

This isn’t a traditional custom, but it’s something that many people still do, despite declining viewership over the past few years ー watch the Red & White Song Contest (紅白歌合戦). In Hawaii, this is shown on New Year’s Day, but it’s shown live on New Year’s Eve until a few minutes before midnight in Japan. There’s even an app you can download to receive alerts of when your favorite artist will perform, but of course, you have to be in Japan for alerts.

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Hatsumoude is the first visit of a shrine or temple of the year. Shrines and temples have vendors selling food and drinks (alcoholic drink also) from well before midnight. When the clock strikes 12, many temples strike the bell (joya no kane) to signal the new year. The photo of Ookunitama Shrine was taken a few days after the New Year, but the photos taken at Zojoji were taken on the morning of New Year’s Day.

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Hatsu hi no de is the first sunrise of the year, and crowds of people gather on mountains, along the ocean, tall buildings, or anywhere there is a good view of the sunrise. As the sun starts to peak from the horizon, many people put their hands together in prayer to pray for good health and/or decide their goal for the year.

Osechi ryori is a traditional New Year’s Day meal where the various dishes and colors have a significant meaning.

Ozouni is a mochi (rice cake) soup that is eaten on New Year’s Day. Depending on the area of Japan, the ingredients, toppings, and taste will be different, but the one thing in common is the mochi. Even if the shape of the mochi used, round or square, is different throughout Japan, mochi is sticky and stretches, so it’s eaten for longevity.

These are just a few customs for New Year’s in Japan, and it’s interesting to see how some of these things have been carried on from one generation to the next here in Hawaii.

From Jet-Set Japan, we wish everybody a Happy New Year!!!

Christmas in Tokyo

December 25, 2018December 25, 2018Modern Culture/Spots, Seasons, WinterLeave a Comment

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Merry Christmas! Mele Kalikimaka! メリクリ（古いかな？）！

Christmas lights in Tokyo start a little after Halloween, so it considerably early, but it’s nice to enjoy the beautiful holiday scenery for almost 2 whole months.

Also, I’m sure some of you have read articles that Japanese people eat KFC for Christmas. It’s so busy that you even have to reserve your order in advance! I guess chicken is the best alternative for turkey in Japan, and there seems to be some history behind it.

In addition to KFC, Christmas cakes are in extremely high demand. Most people make an order in advance and cakes which are not sold on Christmas day are discounted.

For the most part, Christmas in Tokyo (and perhaps most of Japan), is a time for couples and families to exchange gifts and spend some time together.

(Sapporo Trip – Part 4) Mt. Moiwa

November 19, 2018November 19, 2018Autumn/Fall, Nature, WeatherLeave a Comment

Part 4 of Brandon’s Sapporo trip is Mt. Moiwa, which is one of the best spots for viewing Sapporo’s city lights.

Mt. Moiwa is located about 45 minutes from Susukino. This is how to get there:

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From the 4 pictures in the slideshow above:

DO NOT GO THIS WAY Picture: When searching on Google Maps on how to get to the Mt. Moiwa Ropeway from Susukino, it will tell you to take the Sapporo Shiden street car and get off at Denshajigyosho-mae Station. If you take this route, you will have to walk up steep stairs and then pass a temple with a cemetary, which is not very scenic.
The BETTER Way: Take the Sapporo Shiden street car to Ropeway Iriguchi Station. There is a free shuttle bus from the Station to the Mt. Moiwa Ropeway (5 minute ride) that departs about every 20 minutes, which is recommended if you or your somebody in your party has difficulty walking.
From Ropeway Iriguchi Station: It is a 5-minute walk uphill.
Ropeway & Minicar Tickets: First the ropeway will take you most of the way up the mountain, and then you will transfer to a minicar that will take you to the summit. It’s 1700 Yen for a roundtrip ticket for both the ropeway and minicar.

Here’s the view when you get there:

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Some tips when going to the top of Mt. Moiwa:

There is an omiyage (souvenir shop), vending machines with hot and cold drinks, and a restaurant, but we recommend bringing your own snacks, o-bentos (lunch boxes), and drinks.
If you are visiting during cooler/colder weather, pack some warm clothes buy hokkairo (hand warmers) that can be bought in convenience stores or pharmacies.
The summit can get quite windy, so make sure your things don’t get blown away.
Be flexible with your planning because it might be cloudy on one day but sunny on another day.

Last part is:

Part 5 – COSTCO

(Sapporo Trip – Part 2) Japanese Fast Food

November 12, 2018January 9, 2019Autumn/Fall, Food and Drink, Seasons, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Here’s Part 2 of our 5 part series about Brandon’s trip to Sapporo.

When people hear “fast food”, images of McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Burger King, Jack in the Box, and so on will more than likely pop up. Japan does have McDonald’s and Burger King, but the Japanese take on fast food is, for lack of vocabulary, awesome.

Here are a few examples of Japanese fast food:

Tonkatsu Curry with Cheese from Curry House CoCo Ichibanya (aka “CoCo Ichi”)

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This homemade tonkatsu curry is available for a limited time throughout the year. For those who don’t know, ton means pork and katsu is short for katsuretsu, which means cutlet in English. Brandon tried this dish for the first time during this last trip, and this is my (Chad’s) favorite CoCo Ichi dish. You can cut the tonkatsu with your spoon!

When ordering curry at CoCo Ichi, you can choose the amount of rice (“less” 200g and 51 Yen cheaper, “regular” 300g, and “more” which has different amounts) and the spiciness of the curry (mild, regular, 1-10).

Curry dishes with something deep fried will take about 5 minutes to prepare, if the restaurant isn’t busy.
Katsudon

There are many restaurants that serve katsudon, tonkatsu donburi (bowl). Deep fried, tonkatsu (breaded, deep fried pork cutlet) on rice, and depending on the region in Japan, the tonkatsu is further cooked in a sweet shoyu (soy sauce) broth with egg or just has a special sauce.
Tenzaru Soba (Tempura & Zaru Soba)

Tempura, which was originally introduce by the Portuguese, is a seafood and/or vegetables that are battered and deep fried.Zaru Soba is cold soba (buckwheat noodles) with a dipping sauce.What are those three small dishes on the bottom? From left to right, dipping sauce, grated daikon (Japanese radish) with grated ginger, leek and wasabi. Many people put all of these into the dipping sauce before eating a bite, and I don’t think this is the right way to eat zaru soba. In my opinion, first, you should eat a few bites of the soba with just the dipping sauce. The water in the soba will slowly dilute the dipping sauce, so this is why you should slowly add daikon, ginger, leek, or wasabi little by little. By doing this, you will be able to enjoy different flavors. Personally, I first add a little daikon and leek, followed by wasabi, and finishing with ginger. I start with the milder daikon and leek before the bold wasabi and finish with refreshing ginger.
Kaiten-zushi

Kaiten (rotating/spinning)-zushi (sushi) is probably the most well-known Japanese fast food, and the quality of fish available in Sapporo is one of the best in Japan.

There are many other types of Japanese fast food, for example gyūdon (beef bowl), tendon (tempura donburi), and other types that are area-specific. So, don’t be afraid to go out there and explore these different convenient and ono (delicious) fast food dishes!

Coming soon:

Part 3 – Jingisukan (Grilled mutton)
Part 4 – Mt. Moiwa
Part 5 – COSTCO

(Sapporo Trip – Part 1) Susukino – Shopping, Eating, Drinking

November 9, 2018December 31, 2018Autumn/Fall, Food and Drink, Seasons, ShoppingLeave a Comment

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Brandon went on a trip to Seoul and Sapporo, so here are some pictures and info from his adventure!

This post will focus on the Susukino Area. Susukino is considered to be one of the major entertainment districts in Japan.

The Susukino Area can be accessed by taking the Namboku Line (heading towards Makomanai) from Sapporo Station and getting off at Susukino Station, which is two stops from Sapporo Station.

Shopping:

When visiting Sapporo, Susukino is an area you must visit. For those who enjoy window shopping, there’s a shopping arcade/street (shōtengai, 商店街) called Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade/Street. Tanukikoji is located just north of Susukino Station. In modern Japanese society where numerous shōtengai are steadily becoming empty “ghost-streets”, a stroll through Tanukikoji is experiencing a fusion of traditional and modern Japanese culture.

Eating:

For ramen lovers, Sapporo is heaven. Many visitors check out the Ramen Yokochō (Ramen Alley) in Susukino for their first bowl of ramen, but if you are more adventurous, skip Ramen Yokochō and explore less-traveled side-streets to find your bowl of steaming perfection.

Other than ramen, there are many types of food to make your waistline bulge: jingisukan (“Genghis Khan”: grilled mutton), seafood, and more.

For more photos of food, check out this post we wrote about Sapporo and Otaru.

Drinking:

For those who love their alcohol, Susukino has a lot of places to satisfy your thirst while eating delicious food. Just be careful of drinking too much at a nomihōdai (all-you-can-drink)!

When eating/drinking while traveling Japan, if you want to try many types of food and restaurants, we recommend not eating or drinking too much at one place. However, if you are paying a good amount of money at a certain establishment, get your money’s worth!

Keep an eye out for future posts about more food (of course) and other places to check out while visiting Sapporo!

Part 2 – Japanese Fast Food
Part 3 – Jingisukan (Grilled mutton)
Part 4 – Mt. Moiwa
Part 5 – COSTCO