JAFA's Kodomo no hi Japan Festival is the biggest Japan festival in Adelaide with a 17-year history. Last year the event was attended by up to 5000 people.
The day is filled with Japan-related performances, exhibitions, activities, stalls and plenty of Japanese food.
Come along for a fun day for the whole family at this unique community event.
This week's Japanese Song of the Week is 1,000,000 Smile by SUPER GIRLS, which has debuted at number 5 on the Japanese Jpop Oricon charts.
SUPER GIRLS are a twelve member all girl group from Japan signed to the famous Avex Trax label. The group made their stage debut in 2010 and released their first single in 2011.
This is the group's 4th single and is old fashioned candy pop that is very upbeat and happy.
Watch the music video for the single 1,000,000 Smile by SUPER GIRLS
Golden Week in Japan is fast approaching. The end of April through around May 5th is called “Golden Week” in Japan and is based around a period of Japanese national holidays. Golden Week in 2012 is based on two separate holidays of 3 and 4 days. The first is from Saturday, April 28 through to Monday, April 30 and then Thursday, May 3 through to Sunday, May 6.
There are four national holidays during this period: Showa Day (April 29), Constitution Memorial Day (May 3), Greenery Day (May 4), and Children`s Day (May 5). This is a very busy travel season in Japan and most tourist destinations are extremely crowded. Many Japanese offices close for about a week to 10 days, depending on the calendar with many people taking a vacation, travelling abroad or to a tourist attraction in Japan. Airports and train stations are usually overflowing with people during this time and it can be very hard to get reservations for accommodation and transportation during Golden Week.
The first national holiday during Golden Week is April 29 and is the birthday of the former emperor Showa, and is called showa-no-hi (Showa Day). The second holiday on May 3 is kenpou-kinenbi (Constitution Memorial Day). The new Japanese constitution was put into effect on May 3, 1947. May 4 is called midori-no-hi (Greenery Day) during which we show appreciation for the environment and nature. The last holiday is kodomo-no-hi (Children`s Day) on May 5. It`s a Japanese Boy`s festival and is a day to pray for healthy growth of boys. It`s a Japanese tradition for families with boys to hang up carp streamers (koinobori) outside their houses around this holiday. Carps are believed to symbolize successes in children`s lives. Also, samurai dolls called gogatsu ningyo (May Dolls) are displayed in their houses.
May is a great time to travel in Japan and I would advise planning a trip to Japan after the Golden Week travel rush has ended. The travel peak is anticipated for around May 3 this year.
This Month’s Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe is Tonjiru, which is a Japanese soup made with pork and vegetables, flavoured with miso.
This is one of my favourite Japanese soups along with Miso Soup. It contains mainly root vegetables and is a real comfort food.
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 200g pork fillets, thinly sliced • 1/3 carrot, peeled and sliced • 100g fresh or frozen gobo (burdock) • 100g pumpkin, cut into wedges • 100g daikon, peeled and sliced • 4 cups dashi • 3 shiitake mushrooms • 1 clove garlic, crushed • vegetable oil • 2 tbsp light brown miso, mixed with 2 tbsp sake • 1 small amount fresh ginger, finely sliced • 1 spring onion stem • shichimi (Japanese seven-spice)
Method
1. Prepare the pork, vegetables and garlic. 2. Heat a little vegetable oil in a saucepan, add pork and stir for a minute. 3. Add carrot, burdock, pumpkin, daikon, shiitake, dashi, and garlic while stirring. 4. Simmer for 30 minutes over a low heat. 5. Add miso and ginger and cook for another minute. 6. Serve in individual bowls, topped with spring onion. Sprinkle shichimi over the soup.
Note: • Other ingredients are also great in this soup like sweet potato, potato and konnyaku (Japanese yam potato)
Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake based on a batter containing a variety of ingredients and cooked on a hot plate. The name “okonomiyaki” is derived from the Japanese word “okonomi” meaning “what you like” or “what you want” and “yaki” meaning “grilled” or “cooked”. The history of okonomiyaki goes back about 500 years. It was originally made by spreading a thin layer of flour paste on a hot plate then adding miso for flavouring and rolling into a thin pancake. Later toppings such as chopped green onion and sliced dried fish were added and miso paste replaced by a special sauce. In modern okonomiyaki, a wide variety of ingredients are used such as shrimp, squid, octopus, pork, cabbage and vegetables. The finished pancake is served with a special sauce, mayonnaise and seasonings such as green powdered seaweed (aonori) and dried fish flakes (katsuobushi).
In Japan, it is popular to eat okonomiayki at restaurants that specialise in the dish. In an okonomiyaki restaurant you can sit around the hot iron griddle (teppan) while the food is cooked in front of you. Some restaurants have dining tables equipped with these hot plates and customers order the ingredients, mix and cook the okonomiyaki themselves. This is usually a lot of fun and many different types of okonomiyaki can be ordered and tried.
Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with the Kansai and Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is popular all over the country with toppings and batters varying according to each region. In Osaka where okonomiyaki is believed to have originated from, it is often called “Osaka Soul Food”.
Hiroshima style okonomiyaki is a variety where the ingredients are sandwiched between the batter rather than mixed together. The batter is cooked like a thin pancake and the ingredients cooked separately before being placed on the pancake. The okonomiyaki is served on top of yakisoba noodles and sometimes served with a fried egg.
Hiroshima Style Okonomiyaki
I highly recommend Okonomiyaki as a must try Japanese dish when in Japan.
Okonomiyaki is also a popular dish to make at home with the whole family. Here is a step by step guide to making Japanese Okonomiyaki
Usuzumi Sakura is one of the oldest cherry blossom trees in Japan and is said to have been planted in 487 AD. It can be found in Neo village, which is located amongst the beautiful mountains of Gifu Prefecture.
The tree is said to be one of the three largest cherry blossom trees in Japan and is reported to be the oldest cherry blossom tree in Japan. This unique cherry blossom initially sprouts pale pink flowers, which become white in full bloom. The tree has been appointed as a National Natural Monument of Japan and is one of the great places to visit in Gifu Prefecture.
Here is a picture of the magnificent tree, which is over 1,500 years old, stands 17.2 meters in height, and 9.2 meters in circumference.
Usuzumi Sakura
There are also many other magnificent cherry blossoms in the area and park around Usuzumi Sakura and there is a lot to do and see there.
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