This is kagami mochi transformed into arare senbei. Arare senbei are very good to eat, the Japanese answer to popcorn.
2011年1月14日金曜日
Time to Break a Mirror (4)
This is kagami mochi transformed into arare senbei. Arare senbei are very good to eat, the Japanese answer to popcorn.
Time to Break a Mirror (2)
When the kagami mochi goes on display, it is smooth and looks a little like bread dough before it rises. By January 11, it has lost its youthful freshness and developed serious cracks and crevices. This is good, because it makes the "mirror" so much easier to smash.
In my house, the mound of kagami mochi gets wrapped in a towel and smacked with a meat hammer.
Then what? You'll see in the next post.
In my house, the mound of kagami mochi gets wrapped in a towel and smacked with a meat hammer.
Then what? You'll see in the next post.
Time to Break a Mirror
One of the traditional New Year items on display somewhere in the house until January 11 is called kagami mochi. Mochi is boiled rice that has been pounded into something resembling Playdoh, and kagami means mirror. Disks of kagami mochi are piled onto each other in descending order of diameter and festooned with various edible seaweeds to make the display.
Trust me, it does look nice topped off with a tiny, orange mikan.
Unlike holiday decorations in other countries, there is a specific date to remove the kagami mochi display, and that day is January 11. Then what happens? You'll see in the next post.
Trust me, it does look nice topped off with a tiny, orange mikan.
Unlike holiday decorations in other countries, there is a specific date to remove the kagami mochi display, and that day is January 11. Then what happens? You'll see in the next post.
2011年1月11日火曜日
Kimono Time
January 10 was a national holiday in honor of everyone who will become 20 years old this year. That's about 1,240,000 new voters and new drinkers who will officially be considered adults by the end of 2011. All around Japan, events were held to mark the day and remind everyone that adulthood brings responsibilities along with privileges.
Speaking of privileges, there is one special privilege given to young women in this demographic: the "furisode" kimono! This is the one with the long, trailing sleeves that is an explosion of color tied up in back with an obi knotted to look like butterfly wings.
Women only get to wear this style from after high school until marriage. Like youth itself, the "furisode" kimono offers only a brief window of opportunity.
Speaking of privileges, there is one special privilege given to young women in this demographic: the "furisode" kimono! This is the one with the long, trailing sleeves that is an explosion of color tied up in back with an obi knotted to look like butterfly wings.
Women only get to wear this style from after high school until marriage. Like youth itself, the "furisode" kimono offers only a brief window of opportunity.
2011年1月3日月曜日
New Year Food
Once upon a time, Japan closed down almost entirely for the duration of the New Year holidays. Partly because January 1 was a day of rest (and partly because firefighters, too, needed a rest) it was out of the question to light a fire, even for cooking. So, New Year food was invented. It kept well, and it was ready to eat with no further cooking.
Even today, the traditional foods of "o-sechi-ryori" are still eaten on New Year's Day, served in lovely lacquerware boxes.
Even today, the traditional foods of "o-sechi-ryori" are still eaten on New Year's Day, served in lovely lacquerware boxes.
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