Happy 2011!
More saké for the new year! Best wishes to all 〜☆
Saké Casks at Ise Shrine
These are saké barrels or casks, known as kazaridaru at Ise Shrine. Go here to read more on why saké casks are at shinto shrines.
Kuwana No Senbazuru
Kuwana No Senbazuru is a special type of Origami that uses a single sheet of paper to create multiple cranes. Kuwana is city in Mie Prefecture. This picture shows a fine example; I literally gave up counting how many had made. Not only were they perfectly balanced, they were gradually decreasing in scale until the end of the sheet of paper used. Click the underlined links for more info.
Resolutions
Of course this could be about photography, but this is about New Year’s resolutions.
I posted something about that a few days ago here. So, as we approach the 31st, I thought this link would be interesting. The survey you’ll see revisits the tax hike on cigarettes in Japan, and asks questions surrounding reasons for quitting, etc. “What Japan Thinks” is a curious website that does online surveys, which is interesting despite potentially questionable data. It also offers occasionally wacky surveys.
But back to the real question: what is your resolution? Of course it’s rhetorical. I think the question itself is more important than the actual answer. So whatever your musings bring you, I’m sure the timeout to think or meditate over it will set something positive in motion.
ho-ho-hoysters!
Christmas Eve celebration with oysters and beer. December 24th is pretty much when most Japanese celebrate Christmas. A family dinner out is the usual fare, especially for couples.
Merry Christmas! ☃how many lighters?
Yes, that’s the question. How many lighters do you really need? In a country that still hasn’t come to grips with rampant smoking, “3″ seems just right.
Of course this is my neighbor, a nice enough person with a not-so-nice habit. And of course I hope each day brings a strong wind to keep the smoke out of my laundry. As New Year’s Day approaches, I can only hope more people can step up to the most difficult of resolutions: quitting smoking.o-choko
お猪口 (おちょこ) o • cho • ko. A saké drinking cup, or glass. They can be made of bamboo, stoneware, pottery, porcelain, crystal… They’re small like shot glasses, ideal for sipping or serious drinking. For the “nama • zake” I posted bofore this, I really wanted to see the color, so this clear glass was perfect. But real tastings are done with a white “o-choko” bearing blue rings inside. They truly help to distinguish color and depth. They’re also small, so it’s easy to finish one o-choko quickly, even two, or three!
Happy holidays!“live” saké
生酒 (なまざけ) nama • zake. Literally, it means “live saké” or unpasteurized “live” saké. The “live” part comes from kōji, or mash, that is key in developing sugars for creating the alcohol in saké. This variety of saké keeps the microorganisms, hence “live” like yogurt. This also means you should finish the bottle fairly soon once opened. This type of saké also bears a more noticeable bouquet, or aroma compared to other sakés. That’s called “kōji • bana”…something like “flower of the kōji”. It helps build up your anticipation for a more exciting, dynamic taste. This particular bottle certainly delivered! It was “やや辛い” (ya • ya • karai), or a little dry, but still zesty and sweet. ’tis the season to be jolly!!
saké
純米吟醸酒 (じゅんまいぎんじょうしゅ) jun・mai・gin・jou・shu. This saké was made only with pure water and rice. This means no additives or brewer’s alcohol. This particular one was quite dry…and went really well with sashimi!
definitely not canned coffee
This is saké. This variety is called 純米吟醸酒 (じゅんまいぎんじょうしゅ) jun・mai・gin・jou・shu.
