Koala’s March Strawberry Milk is the second in the series of special edition Koala’s March Halloween. You can read about the Koala’s March Chocolate edition here
The Strawberry Milk edition also includes cute koalas in Halloween costumes. The Strawberry Milk Koala’s March is very good and inside the cookie is a sweet Strawberry Milk filling.
This week’s number one single on the Japanese Jpop Oricon charts is Oh My God! by NMB48.
NMB48 is an all-girl Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. They were formed as a sister group of AKB48 based in Namba, Osaka. The group performs at NMB48 Theatre in Namba, Osaka with the name of the group “NMB” coming from “Namba” in the Minami district in Osaka.
NMB48 debuted on October 9, 2010 and originally consisted of 26 members.
NMB48’s debut single “Zetsumetus Kurokami Shojo” released earlier this year also made it to number 1 on the charts.
This song is very cute and fun and typical of the Yasushi Akimoto stable.
Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture, Japan is one of the best places to take a stroll in all of Japan. It has the famous Bikan Historical area, which you can read about here with its canal framed with weeping willows and filled with koi.
Kurashiki Ivy Square is an entertainment area made up of brick buildings covered in beautiful ivy. The complex includes museums, restaurants and an excellent hotel. It is quite an old area and was the site of the first modern cotton mill in Japan. The brick buildings that make up the complex were originally built as part of the mill in 1889.
Koala’s March Chocolate is a bite size Japanese cookie snack with a sweet chocolate filling inside. Koala’s March (コアラのマーチKoara no Machi) is made by Lotte. These cookies are so cute and each one is in the shape of a koala with a picture of a koala on the outside of the cookie. This edition is the special Halloween version of the cookie so it contains some koalas in Halloween costumes. This includes classic Halloween costumes such as witches, wizards, vampires, fairies, and jack-o-lanterns.
This week’s Song of the Week is Ropponpon Fantasy by Ebisu Muscut which has debuted at number 8 on the Japanese Jpop Oricon chart. This is a very cute and upbeat song and is typical Jpop.
Ebisu Muscats (恵比寿マスカッツ) is a Japanese idol group comprised of both gravure idols and AV stars. They have a rotating line-up which continues to change. The group formed and debuted in 2010 with their first single “Banana Mango High School / 12 no 34 de Naite with Namida 4 Shimai” which also reached number 8 on the Japanese Jpop Oricon charts.
Watch the music video for the single Ropponpon Fantasy by Ebisu Muscut
Halloween begins at the beginning of September in Japan with places putting up Halloween decorations in September through to October. The big theme parks go full out and offer fantastic Halloween events during this time.
Tokyo Disneyland has Disney’s Halloween from September 4th to October 31st featuring parades, Halloween decorations and during Halloween, you can visit Tokyo Disneyland dressed in Disney character costumes!
Universal Studios Japan kicks off the Halloween season with a Halloween parade. Universal Studios Japan will hold its annual Halloween events from September 6 to November 3 (National holiday) 2011.
Halloween at Tokyo Disneyland
I will be posting some of the cool Halloween and Autumn snacks available in Japan during the next few weeks.
This week’s Song of the Week is Joshiryoku Paradise (女子力 パラダイス) by SUPER GiRLS which has debuted at number 2 on the Japanese Jpop Oricon chart.
SUPER GiRLS are a twelve member all girl group from Japan signed to the famous Avex Trax label. The group was formed by a public audition process in 2010.
The group known as SUPER☆GiRLS made their stage debut in 2010 and released their first single in 2011. Joshiryoku Paradise (女子力 パラダイス) is the group’s third single. The song is very typical of cute all-girl JPop groups and is very Upbeat and Happy.
Watch the music video for the single Joshiryoku Paradise (女子力 パラダイス) by SUPER GiRLS
Puchi Busse is a Japanese light cake made by Lotte. This is a limited edition snack and only appeared for a short time in Japan. The cake consists of a lemon custard cream filling, and chocolate layer sandwiched between a whole-meal soft cake. The whole cake is only bite size and hence the puchi in the title which means petite. The cake has a distinctive cake smell typical of Japanese cakes of this type and the custard cream has a light lemon flavour which isn’t too over bearing. The chocolate layer gives it a nice touch and brings a bit of a stronger dimension to the cake. The cake was pretty good and I would recommend it to all lovers of Japanese cakes.
This week’s number one single on the Japanese Jpop Oricon charts is Bo Peep Bo Peep by T-ara.
T-ara is a Korean girl group formed in 2009. There was huge buzz about this group before their debut with them called “super rookies”. The group had been in training for their debut for 3 years.
Bo Peep Bo Peep is T-ara’s debut Japanese single and was released on September 28. They continue the great debuts by Korean girl groups in recent years lead by Girls Generation and Kara.
This song is very cute and it is easy to see why it has done so well on the Japanese charts.
Suwako is the largest lake in Nagano Prefecture Japan and a popular tourist destination for travellers to Nagano. The region is famous for its abundance of onsen (hot springs) and natural surroundings.
Suwako is located in the center of Nagano and is a great place to rent a boat and cruise the beautiful waters.
This picture was taken while taking a break at the Lake Suwa Service Area on the Chuo Expressway. The service area offers sweeping views of the lake.
This is a basic method for rolling up sushi. Hoso-maki or Slender roll is one of the easier rolls to start with. Once you master this, try some larger or more complicated rolls.
Makes 6
Ingredients
• 1 nori sheet, halved crossways • 1 cup sushi rice (See Sushi Rice Recipe) • wasabi paste • ¼ Lebanese cucumber, cut into long thin sticks • soy sauce • pinkled ginger (optional)
• Use Te-zu (vinegar water) for handling rice, make by combining 1 cup of water with 1 tsp rice vinegar
Method
1. Place bamboo mat on a board or dry flat surface. 2. Place half a sheet of nori on the mat, rough side up, one edge of the nori lining-up with the front edge of the mat. 3. Dip your right fingers into the vinegar water. With damp fingers, take sushi rice and spread evenly over 2/3 of the nori, leaving a space at the back edge. With your right index finger, draw a line of wasabi along the rice. 4. Place strips of cucumber side by side along the wasabi line in the middle of the rice. 5. Using both hands, lift the front edge of the mat and roll up to the end of the rice. While still wrapped, gently shape the roll, pushing rice in at both ends with finger tips. 6. Keep lifting up front edge of the bamboo mat as you roll the sushi on to the remaining uncovered portion of nori, giving a final light press on the edge before removing the mat completely. 7. With a wet knife, slice the roll in half, then into thirds. 8. Serve with pickled ginger garnish and a dipping dish of soy sauce.
Note: • For your first few attempts at making sushi rolls, it is a good idea to keep fillings to a minimum to make rolling easier until you get the hang of it. • For more variety you can use other fillings like cooked carrot sticks, asparagus, avocado, tamago-yaki, and tuna.
This week’s Song of the Week is Ai wo Tomenaide by Koda Kumi which has debuted at number 6 on the Japanese Jpop Oricon chart.
Koda Kumi (倖田 來未) is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Kyoto known for her sexy image and urban and R&B songs. She has been called the Christina Aquilera of Japan.
Koda Kumi debuted in 2000 but didn’t gain fame until her 7th single “Real Emotion” which was used as the theme for the video game Final Fantasy X. She has had 8 number one singles. She is also seen as a fashion icon in Japan and has won many fashion awards. This current single is a change from her usual style and is a softer ballad.
Watch the music video for the single Ai wo Tomenaide by Koda Kumi
There are many recreational activities in Japan but the following three would have to be the most popular.
Karaoke
Karaoke (カラオケ) was invented in Japan and is the most popular form of entertainment for young Japanese. Most cities in Japan will have some kind of Karaoke Bar or Karaoke Box. The bigger cities will have karaoke boxes that occupy several floors of a building. You and your friends can rent a room to yourself for an hourly rate that often also includes all you can drink, with refills ordered through a phone on the wall. The major chains all have a good selection of English language songs along with the classic Japanese pop songs and enka.
Pachinko
Pachinko is a form of gambling that involves dropping little steel balls into a machine. Pachinko is extremely popular among middle aged Japanese men. Prizes are awarded depending on where the little steel balls land. Pachinko is worth giving a try just for the unusual experience alone, but be aware because most pachinko parlours are full of ear splitting noise and a toxic cloud of nicotine smoke.
Baseball
Baseball is hugely popular in Japan and is easily the most popular sport. Baseball was first introduced to Japan around 1870 by an American professor. Baseball is played in most if not all Junior High Schools and High Schools in Japan with the National High School baseball tournament the most watched sporting event on TV during the summer. Japan has its own professional baseball league known as Nippon Professional Baseball with several Japanese players such as Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui going on to become top players in Major League Baseball in the US.
