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![]() Natto (Fermented Soybeans) Natto is made from soybeans by putting them into a tube made out of straw to allow the fungus to propagate. The string on the straw tube is tightened in order to allow the soybeans to ferment and become sticky. A dish peculiar to Japan, it is a popular breakfast item eaten mainly in the Eastern part of the Japan Archipelago; it is not really liked in the Western part. However, the number of people who eat it is gradually increasing even in the Western part of the country because natto has gained popularity as healthy food for a balanced diet. |
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Flower arrangement is a traditional Japanese art that has flourished since the sixteenth century. Its origin is said to date from the sixth century when Buddhist priests offered up flowers to Buddha. Its fundamental concept is to express the three elements of heaven, earth and mankind in a balanced composition, using natural flowers. The general style is to fill a wide-mouthed simple vase with water and arrange the flowers on a metallic plate with a lot of thick needles pointing upwards. Natural beauty and feelings are expressed by using scissors to adjust the length of the stems and to modify the shape of the leaves ,and by using the hands to add curvature. Today, avant-garde flower arrangement that does not even use plants is one genre of the art. |
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![]() Snow Country "The train came out of the long tunnel into the snow country.” That is the famous opening of Nobel Prize-winning novelist KAWABATA Yasunari’s masterpiece “Snow Country”. This phrase accurately indicates a geographical feature of Japan. In winter, a chilly seasonal wind blows from Siberia, striking the mountain range that runs through the central part of the main island (Honshu) from the northwest to the southwest and causing heavy snowfall on the Sea of Japan side. There is not much snowfall on the Pacific Ocean side of the mountain range. Thus, when one comes out of the tunnel from the Pacific Ocean side to the Sea of Japan side, the snow country, with snow piled high, dramatically appears. The term Snow Country therefore indicates the regions on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu, the northeast area and all of Hokkaido. |
Check out these interesting reads in our archives as well: |
Know Japan 2013 archive |
Know Japan 2012 archive |
Know Japan 2011 archive |
Know Japan 2010 archive |
Know Japan 2009 archive |
Japanese Recipes 2008 archive |
Japanese Customs 2007 archive |
Japanese Customs 2006 archive |
Japanese Festivals 2005 archive |