Tsuyama B Grade Gourmet

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Grade B Gourmet Meeting in Tsuyama


March 20 / 21, 2010 in Tsuyama town, Okayama

おかやまＢ級グルメフェスタin津山
B Kyu Gurume .. Festa in Tsuyama

B Kyu Gurume is the buzzword of Japan these days.
It means cheap local food, served in local restaurants. They have now banded together and make Japan-wide events like this one to sample regional dishes. There is also a prize to be won for the best gourmet dish.





This turned out to be quite an event!

Just the logistics were impressive. The roads on one-way trafic only, frequent buses running from the station and parking lots in the area (some about 6 km further south of the main event area), nearby people selling their front yards for parking for as much as 1000 yen (about 10 dollars) ...
Rows of extra toilets and tank rolleys on many spots to provide extra water.
Electricity generators humming everywhere.
Police patrols and guards everywhere, to make sure the car traffic was smooth around the area.


Blessed with extra warm spring weather, it was really a day to spend there with the family. The beautiful mountains gave the whole colorful space a great feeling of spring and bubbeling life !




. LOOK at the photos
from Nr. 1 to Nr. 25 ! 　



The food was actually not really cheap.

For a simple burger with real beaf from nearby Nagi village we payed 400 yen (about 4 dollars !)

and a small sandwich with a cutlet (not even a letuce leaf was added) was as much as 700 yen !










People waiting in long lines just to get a bite !




It was well worth the experience !

All the smells mixed in the area, smiling people, crying babies, happy families,
and then to decide what to sample next ...


A friend called in the evening telling us there were more than

65.000 people attending today !


Whow, and how about tomorrow ?
They are expecting the same number!


Sunday morning, 21 of March

We had a terrible storm and got a lot of yellow sand from the Gobi desert.
I hope things will go smooth today !

Despite the hard night, there were again many visitors.
In fact, the newspaper reported

150.000 visitors on two days ! ! !

That is 50.000 more than expected, and all wanted to eat well.

There were three different main grounds
with 54 different offers of regional food:

28 stalls on the Southern Ground,
17 stalls on the Northern Ground
7 stalls on the Hamburger Ground
8 stalls on the local ground

Some people had to wait more than four hours on the second day to reach the front of the waiting line of favorite food stalls.


つやま地域産品まつり
つやま夢みのり通信
On the walk between the grounds there was another set of 55 stalls selling local specialities from Tsuyama town.

作州お肉まつり Meat from the Sakushu region


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Some specialities

the official Japanese website
http://b-tsuyama.com/



botanbachijiru ぼたんバチ汁 from 美作市
with wild boar meat and local miso paste

kimuoko キムオコ kimchee okonomiyaki from 吉備中央町


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HAIKU and SENRYU

風薫る　Ｂ級グルメの二日間
kaze kaoru - bii kyuu gurume no futuska-kan

fragrant spring breeze ...
two days of local gourmet
food tasting

Gabi Greve, March 2010


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Related words


. WASHOKU
B-kyuu gurume ... Second Class Gourmet
Ｂ級グルメ
Grade B Gourmet


. WASHOKU
B Class Gourmet from Okayama prefecture 　



***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

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Abare-ichi sales

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"Wild market sales" (abare-ichi)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation


With the ongoing deflation of prices in Japan, many stores have now a special day each month with a "wild market"
(abare-ichi, abareichi, abare ichi　あばれ市).





We get huge advertisement posters in the newspaper with announcements.




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nichiyoo abare-ichi 日曜あばれ市 extra cheap sales on Sunday

niku no abare-ichi 肉のあばれ市 sales of extra cheap meat

sengyo abare-ichi 鮮魚あばれ市 sales of extra cheap seafood

shinsen no abare-ichi 生鮮あばれ市 salex of exgtra cheap fresh food

shiwasu no abare-ichi 師走あばれ市 extra cheap sales in December


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Worldwide use


extra billiger Ausverkauf


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU and SENRYU



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Related words

***** Morning Market (asa ichi, asa-ichi)


WASHOKU : General Information


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B Kyu Okayama

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Grade B Gourmet in Okayama prefecture

The movement for cheap, fast, local food is growing rapidly.
Recently there was a special in our local magazine JAKEN about the regional

Grade B Gourmet of Okayama.


My hometown of Misaki-Cho is one of them.
美咲町　たまごかけごはん




. WASHOKU
Tamagokake gohan TKG 卵かけご飯 / 卵掛けご飯
boiled rice with raw egg


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Click for enlargement, use the LARGE feature to read.











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Specialities from Kume Town
久米道の駅グルメ





the Jumbo Piman Gyoza
from Kume in my neighbourhood

久米道の駅グルメ



janboo piiman ジャンボピーマン jumbo green pepper

One of the specialities of the local farmers in Kume.

It is also processed to　senbei rice crackers
久米の里　ジャンピーせんべい




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. WASHOKU
B-kyuu gurume ... Second Class Gourmet
Ｂ級グルメ 　
Grade B Gourmet


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おかやま地産地消弁当コンクール
Contest of local bento lunchboxes with ingredients from Okayama


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


. WASHOKU
Grade B Gourmet Meeting in Tsuyama

おかやまＢ級グルメフェスタin津山
B Kyu Gurume .. Festa in Tsuyama

March 20 / 21, 2010 in Tsuyama town, Okayama


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. B-1 Grand Prix - Aichi Toyokawa .
November 2012 - Ｂ-１グランプリin 豊川


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Related words

***** . WASHOKU
BIG FONT LINK

WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

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Paleo-food

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Paleo-food (pareo fuudo )

***** Location: Japan
***** Season:
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation


pareo foodo パレオフード paleo food
Paleolithic Diet

Caveman, Stone Age, or Hunter-Gatherer Diet.


food like in the paleolithic times
lean meats, seafood, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables, a lot of nuts
no grains (no bread or rice or noodles)
no beer (but some wine)


pareo daietto パレオダイエット paleo diet



The PALEO DIET is very popular in USA.
Dr. Loren Cordain
http://thepaleodiet.com/


Paleo Food Journal and a BLOG
http://thepaleodiet.blogspot.com/



. . . CLICK here for Photos !

There are also special exercises for people who try paleo lifestyle.

The animals which are eaten, often as raw meat, have to be raised and killed in the ancient tradtions.


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Tokyo Paleo Style
Coconut Milk Cafe

http://coconutmilkcafe.blogspot.com/



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU and SENRYU

paleo diet -
my old man turned
ape man

Gabi Greve


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Related words

***** WKD Reference

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Food offerings equinox

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Food offerings for Spring Equinox

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Mid-Spring
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

March is the time for the Spring Equinox.

Food offerings for the spring equinox include fruit and vegetables.
They are offered at the house altar and the graves of the ancestors.
(And mostly later eaten by the whole family.)




お彼岸のお供えもの　果物



ohagi, o-hagi お彼岸おはぎ
rice dumplings filled with sweet bean paste
another important offering

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Various kinds of special HIGAN sets are now offered at our local stores and shops.


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. Food offerings from the Sea and the Mountains
Umi no Sachi, Yama no Sachi
海の幸 山の幸



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU and SENRYU


春彼岸供へてまずい物はなし
haru higan sonaete mazui mono wa nashi

spring equinox ...
there is nothing not suitable
as an offering

Nakayama Ishino 中山石野


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Related words

***** . Spring equinox 春彼岸 haru higan 　


WASHOKU : General Information

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Bisketto kukkii cookies

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Bisquits and cookies

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

bisuketto ビスケット bisquit
. . . CLICK here for Photos !






kukkii クッキー cookie, cookies
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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bisuketto no tenpura ブスケットの天ぷら bisquit tempura
They are put in a coating of flower, sugar and water, and then deep-fried, eaten for oyatsu snack in the afternoon in some snowy parts of Iwate prefecture, bordering to Akita. During the long winter months, when heavy snow made it impossible to leave the valley, bisquits were easy as a staple food, and making them to tempura gave extra calories to pass the winter months.

a special bisquit is used
kaasan ketto かーさんケット "mom's biskits"




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iCOOKIE iPHONE - iPhoneクッキー
The Green Gables bakery in Tokushima makes chocolate cookies that look like an iPHONE.
The application icons are all deliciously edible.
http://greengables.chu.jp/


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source :　www.hen-teco.jp

manga cookies - all kinds of animals from the woods

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Politicians on cookies - collection



Donald Trump and his "friends" / 2017

Trump cookies outpace Abe buns in Diet souvenir shop |
- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is being trumped by Trump — in the sweets department. Sales of Lucky Trump cookies, maple-flavored and ...
Sales of Lucky Trump cookies, maple-flavored and featuring a cartoon image of U.S. President Donald Trump, initially outpaced those of bean-paste filled buns bearing Abe’s image, according to vendors who sell the items in the gift shop at the Diet building.
- source : Japan Times -


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Shiki Monthly Kukai

Our free format theme for March 2010 is
Cookies (the edible kind).

source : www.haikuworld.org/kukai : current

Entries from Kenya

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4 points
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three safari ants
pulling a biscuit crumb --
March rain

~ Isaac Ndirangu

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3 points
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breakfast --
remains of cookie crumbles
on the plate

~ Hussein Haji


birthday party --
she puts some more cream
on her biscuits

~ Duncan Omoto

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1 point
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hot evening --
a child enjoys ginger biscuits
under a tree

~ Franciscah Katethya



raindrops --
a black hen feeds on a
piece of biscuit

~ Scholasticah Mumbe



washing crockery --
a cockroach trapped in a glass
with biscuit crumbs

~ Stephen Macharia



story telling
around the hearth --
munching biscuits

~ Elkana Mogaka


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Other selected entries see :
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Kenya Saijiki Forum



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU and SENRYU

a piece of biscuit
drops in a glass of milk . . .
in the advert

Barrak Master Elungata
Kenya Saijiki Forum, March 2010


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Related words

***** LIST ... Sweets which are not KIGO


WAGASHI ... Sweets SAIJIKI

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UPDATE WS Toyokawa Inari

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Toyokawa Inarizushi 豊川いなり寿司
Toyokawa Inari 豊川稲荷 Fox Shrine at ToyokawaThe shrine has a compound with more than 800 fox statues.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Toyokawa Inarizushi Festa
いなり寿司フェスタin 豊川
The great fox shrine of Toyokawa in the old Mikawa region, now Aichi, is using this sushi to revitalize the old access road to the shrine.
The mascot of the town is called "Inarin" いなりん, a fox-type character with big white sushi rice grains on his back.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


They serve more than 100 different types of inarizushi, some topped with a cutlet and ketchup, some topped with a piece of broiled eel.

There is also a

okitsune baagaa
おきつねバーガー
"FOX Hamburger"
Instead of a bun, two pieces of square grilled tofu are used to sandwich a piece of cotelette with lettuce and ketchup !
It looks like a real burger !


http://washokufood.blogspot.com/2008/09/inarizushi.html


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UPDATE WS Shinshu Salmon

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Shinshuu saamon 信州サーモン "salmon from Shinshu"

This is a cross-breed of rainbow trout and brown trout. It is a sweetwater lake trout fish.
Its taste is superb and very good for sushi and sashimi.
Its meat is finer than rainbow trout, but invitingly red.
The fish does not lay eggs and thus keeps all its energy for good taste. It is hoped to revive the local food industry with this fish.
From 長野県水産試験場
Nagano Prefectural fisheries experimental station.

. . . CLICK here for fish Photos !

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Ryugu no tsukai Oarfish

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Slender oarfish (Ryugu no tsukai)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Animal

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Explanation

ryuuguu no tsukai 竜宮の使い slender oarfish
lit.
Messenger from the palace of the Sea Dragon God



sea serpent


This fish has been seen in greater numbers lately in the area of Kurobe and along the Nihonkai in winter 2009 / 2010.
In Japan, when these fish show in larger numbers, they are seen as a forebode for an earthquake.

When fishermen find them in their nets, they usually put them back, because their meat is not very tasty.

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quote
Oarfish are large, greatly elongated, pelagic Lampriform comprising the small family Regalecidae. Found in all temperate to tropical oceans yet rarely seen, the oarfish family contains four species in two genera. One of these, the king of herrings (Regalecus glesne), is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest bony fish alive, at up to 17 metres (56 ft) in length.

Apparently solitary animals, oarfish may frequent significant depths up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).

Although the larger species are considered game fish and are (to a minor extent) fished commercially, oarfish are rarely caught alive;
their flesh is not well regarded due to its gelatinous consistency.


Etymology and taxonomic history :

The oarfish family contains four species in two genera.

Genus Agrostichthys
Streamer fish, Agrostichthys parkeri (Benham, 1904)

Genus Regalecus
King of herrings, Regalecus glesne Ascanius, 1772
Regalecus kinoi Castro-Aguirre, Arvizu-Martinez & Alarcon-Gonzalez, 1991
Regalecus russelii (Cuvier, 1816)
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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quote
A rare deep-sea creature - the slender oarfish - is helping Japanese scientists predict major earthquakes.

In Japanese folklore, if an oarfish, which normally lives at depths of more than 600 feet, is landed in nets then major tremors are not far behind.Two slender oarfish were caught in fixed nets recently only days before a series of earthquakes shook Japan. The fish are distinctive with a ribbon-shaped silver body that often measures more than 16 feet long. They have a long tasseled dorsal fin that is bright scarlet and rays out into long streamers.

According to the Tokai University Marine Museum in Japan, an oarfish was caught two days before a major earthquake on Niijima island, near Tokyo, in 1963. When shock waves hit Uwajima Bay in 1968, the same type of rare fish was caught only a few days before.

Using animals as a prediction of tremors is not new.
snip

Scientists are divided on the reasons for animals' sixth sense. Alarmed by vibrations or unknown electric fields, songbirds in Japan are silenced before the ground shakes.

But the phenomenon of the slender oarfish is different in that the animal is dying or dead when caught on the surface. The oarfish has a unique elongated shape that could make it susceptible to underwater shock waves. It may be stunned and then float to the surface, where it dies of asphyxiation.

Another reason could be that poisonous gases, particularly hydrogen sulfide, are released from the earth's crust during seismic activity. Some species of fish are more sensitive to change in the chemical composition of their environment and die because they are unable to absorb oxygen from the water.

source : www.deseretnews.com


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quote
Creatures of the deep pose a puzzle
BY KAZUO ASAMI, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

Marine biologists are puzzling over the rising number of oarfish, the longest bony fish to inhabit deep waters, that are washing ashore along the Sea of Japan.
The unusual fish wash up just once or twice a year at most.

But since November, at least 19 specimens have been confirmed by experts at aquariums and public fisheries centers in eight prefectures along western shores.
When other sightings are included, the total comes to nearly 40.

Most of the oarfish were dead or died shortly after being found. One specimen appeared at a port in Fukui Prefecture on Feb. 3.

"I have worked at an aquarium for years, but this was my first time to see an oarfish straight out of the sea," said Seiji Sasai, a 38-year-old staffer at Echizen Matsushima Aquarium in Sakai in the prefecture. The fish was already dead when he rushed to the port after a call from a fisherman. Four days earlier, another oarfish washed ashore nearby.

"It is baffling why these rare creatures emerged within such a short time," Sasai said.

In Japan, according to legend, the oarfish is a messenger from the sea god's palace and augurs either a great catch--or an earthquake.

The fish, which inhabit waters at least 200 meters below the surface, can grow up to 10 meters long.

Kunio Amaoka, a professor emeritus at Hokkaido University and expert on deep-sea fish, wonders if climate change is a factor.

"The oarfish inhabit warm waters," he said. "There are growing reports in coastal regions of the Sea of Japan that southern fish are now turning up in the (more northern) areas."

Masaki Miya, a senior researcher at the Natural History Museum and Institute in Chiba Prefecture, said: "First, we have no idea where they spawn or how they grow. With few clues, it is hard to say why oarfish have been found one after another."

source : www.asahi.com 2010/02/23


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way




Leafy Sea Dragon

The leafy sea dragon or
Glauerts Seadragon, Phycodurus eques,
is a marine fish in the family Syngnathidae, which also includes the seahorses. It is the only member of the genus Phycodurus. It is found along the southern and western coasts of Australia. The name is derived from the appearance, with long leaf-like protrusions coming from all over the body. These protrusions are not used for propulsion; they serve only as camouflage.
The leafy sea dragon propels itself by means of a pectoral fin on the ridge of its neck and a dorsal fin on its back closer to the tail end. These small fins are almost completely transparent and difficult to see as they undulate minutely to move the creature sedately through the water, completing the illusion of floating seaweed.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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HAIKU and SENRYU


earthquake prediction ...
here comes a rare messenger
from the Dragon Palace

Gabi Greve, March 2010


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Related words

***** WASHOKU : FISH and SEAFOOD SAIJIKI

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MARCH NEWS

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MARCH ... sangatsu 三月

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.............. March 10, 2009


第４回全国ジャンボ大根フェスティバル
広島県尾道市



The fourth all-Japan festival for jumbo daikon radishes !
in Onomichi, Hiroshima.

Farmers from all over Japan brought the biggest 150 radishes. The largest this year from a farmer in Takamatsu had 39,4 kilogram.

The largest ever two years ago had 43, 4 kilogram !


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.............. March 3, 2009

FOODEX JAPAN 2009
(The 34th International Food and Beverage Exhibition)
Makuhari Messe
March 03 - 06
FOODEX JAPAN is held annually, welcoming 2,400+ exhibitors from 60+ countries & regions and drawing 90,000+ visitors over the 4-day show period. With over 30 years serving as Japan's top trade food and beverage show, FOODEX JAPAN is renowned as an established and rewarding event.
　source : www2.jma.or.jp/foodex

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.............. March 14/15, 2009

International Patisserie Grand Prix 2009
Tokyo
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
世界パティスリー2009
Suite Sweets Japan

Reference


Shinsuke Nakajima, Nakajima Shinsuke 中島眞介
Chef Patissier
He is the Executive Pastry Chef at the Hotel New Otani.
Reference

Edo Sweets Mamekan pure
Mont Blanc

His signature Super Dessert Series includes masterpieces such as the Super Melon Short Cake, and sweets that combine Japanese ingredients such as sweet bean paste with Western staples such as puddings and roll cakes. A veteran on the pastry circuit,
MORE
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20090611jk.html


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.............. March 26, 2009

Japan Times
Dairy farming hit by surging feed prices, aging farmers
By DAISUKE KUSAMA

The Japan Dairy Council, an organization comprising dairy-related and raw milk producing groups across the country, predicts about 1,240 farm households in all prefectures except Hokkaido will cease raising cows this year.

The price of grain has been rising sharply around the world since fall 2006 amid a rise in demand for grains such as corn for biofuels and a flow of speculative funds into grain markets.

Imported feed mixed primarily with corn cost about ¥40,000 per ton until two years ago, but the price soared to up to ¥68,000 last year. Takagi said annual feed costs rose from ¥2 million to ¥3.2 million.

He shut down his cowshed Dec. 8 and sold 20 dairy cows for meat. His oldest son had said he would not follow in his footsteps. Cows had been raised on the farm since his grandfather started the business after World War II.

Dairy farmers had their heyday in 1963, when the number of farm households raising dairy cattle totaled 417,600 against the background of the Westernization of the Japanese diet and the expansion of school lunch programs.

However, the number has gradually declined as farmers grew old and gave up farming, while farms themselves have been streamlined on a large scale. The number dropped to 24,400 last year.
According to Dairy Tochigi Agri. Co-op in the prefectural capital of Utsunomiya, one-third of 600 dairy farm households were in the red last year and 30 quit the business.

Dairy product makers raised the price of fresh milk by about ¥10 per kg this month, but Hirofumi Maeda, secretary general of the dairy council, said even that increase will still leave almost all dairy farmers in a difficult position.

Nobuhiro Suzuki, an agricultural economy professor at the University of Tokyo's graduate school, said: "Butter disappeared from supermarkets last year due to a decline in the output of raw milk. It is conceivable that milk will fall into the same situation. It is necessary for those concerned to study the possibility of making use of rice as feed for cattle for domestic self-sufficiency. It is also necessary to increase the purchase price of raw milk."

The country's dairy farming is said to have originated in Chiba Prefecture during the 1700s, when shogun Yoshimune of the Tokugawa clan during the Edo Period (1603-1867) started to raise cows. Milk became a beverage for ordinary people during the Meiji Era (1868-1912).

　© The Japan Times /(C) All rights reserved



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Related words


JANUARY ... ichigatsu 一月

FEBRUARY ... nigatsu 二月

MARCH ... sangatsu 三月


DECEMBER ... juunigatsu 十二月 　



***** WASHOKU ... SEASONAL DISHES SAIJIKI


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Jabujabu Okayama

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Sailors Jabu-Jabu (kako no jabujabu)

***** Location: Ushimado, Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

kako no jabujabu 水夫のじゃぶじゃぶ sailor's jabu-jabu

kako is an old word meaning sailor, seaman.
ka is from kaji 梶(かじ), oar, stirring oar
ko is from kogu こぐ【漕ぐ】 to row a boat




This is a local dish from the port town of Ushimado 牛窓, Okayama prefecture.


The minced meat of fish together with its bones, especially some local types of flatfish, is used.
geta no kuzushi ゲタのくずし（骨ごとのミンチ）
Radish, carrots, konnyaku and other ingredients like sugar, soy sauce, a sip of ricewine are added to a kind of thick soup which is poored over cooked rice.
(a kind of bukkake gohan　ぶっかけご飯).
The minced fish meat is first fried with a bit of oil and later some spring chrysanthemums (shungiku) are added for a green touch and view. All is then flavored with a lot of wasabi, green horseradish.

The seamen had to eat this very fast inbetween work, so they slurped it, making the sound jabu jabu jabu.


In a try to revive this food and do something about the dwindling population of Ushimado, this dish is now cooked for the monthly meeting at the beach (Ushimado Date 牛窓デート) where people come together on the beach, sing and maybe dance and enjoy local dishes.
It is hoped this will also attract tourists.

I saw this on local TV last night. Everybody seemed to have a good time singing and eating on the beach. It was quite a warm day for February.


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU and SENRYU



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Related words

***** Regional Dishes from Okayama


WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

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Agri-Fashion

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Agri-Fashion (agurifasshon)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation


agurifasshon アグリファッション Agrifashion
fashion for agriculture
The short version of AGURI, sounds like UGLY in Japanese.






Local farmers in Biei-Cho, Hokkaido, have started their own fashion show since 2008, with colorful fashion for aspiring farmers, trying to lure more young people to agriculture.

It started in Hokkaido Bunka Fashion College, with Ikawa Kimiko.
There is now a contest every year also.
Biei and Furano 美瑛や富良野
北海道服飾専門学校


agri fashion contest アグリファッションコンテスト
日本ニットウェアデザイン協会



. WASHOKU
Hokkaido, Hokkaidoo 北海道　ほっかいどう


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quote
In Japan, interest in agriculture is rising among young consumers in their 20s and 30s. Focusing on this, the fashion industry has been pushing forward development of "agricultural wear".
A market for "agri-fashion" seems likely to arise.

BAROQUE JAPAN LIMITED, which develops brands popular among young people such as "moussy", has been conducting day trips to farms as a form of employee education. They've also been moving toward the planning of beauty products with cooperation from farmers, as well as agricultural wear with the cooperation of young casual apparel makers. With the economic slump and ecological trend, the image of agriculture continues to change.

The new magazine "Agrizm" is making the statement that "Agriculture is cool".
source : www.senken-intl.com April 2009


『Agrizm(アグリズム)』


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agurifuuzu hokkaido アグリフーズ北海道
Agriculture foods from Hokkaido



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Things found on the way


Not to mix with

aguri bettii アグリー・ベティ Ugly Betty


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HAIKU and SENRYU

agri fashion ...
the scarecrow gets
new robes

Nakayama Ishino, 2008


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***** WASHOKU : General Information

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UPDATE WS various

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kakioko, kaki oko カキオコ omelette with oysters
kaki okonomiyaki ... kakioko was coined in 2008 for promoting the village.
About 10 to 15 oysters per portion are put in a kind of okonomiyaki pizza style omelette with a lot of cut cabbage.
It is also called "Hinase yaki" 日生焼き
from Hinase fishing port 日生地区, near Bizen

Dishes from Okayama
http://washokufood.blogspot.com/2008/05/momotaro-nabe.html



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makurobaiochikusu マクロバイオチクス
macrobiotic food

A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics), from the Greek "macro" (large, long) and "bios" (life), is a dietary regimen that involves eating grains as a staple food supplemented with other foodstuffs such as vegetables and beans, and avoiding the use of highly processed or refined foods. Macrobiotics also addresses the manner of eating by recommending against overeating and requiring that food be chewed thoroughly before swallowing.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


Nishimura Mayumi 西邨まゆみ
born 1956
was the macrobiotic cook for Madonna !
makurobiotikku マクロビオティック
She is promoting regional macrobiotic dishes, according to the ingredients available in each country.
Also a kind of petit-macro プチマクロ , a bit easier to prepare.
西邨マユミのプチマクロで美人ごはん　
マドンナ・プライベートシェフ


kenkoo shokuhin けんこうしょくひん【健康食品】
health food


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tanjooiwaimochi, tanjoo iwai mochi 誕生祝い餅（たんじょういわいもち）
isshoomochi 　一升餅・一生餅（いっしょうもち）
mochi for the first birthday of a baby

fumimochi 踏み餅 "stand with both feet on the earth" mochi
The round mochi weights isshoo (一升, ca. 1,8 kg) and is put into a rucksack for the baby to carry. If it does so without crying, it will have rice to eat for his whole life (isshoo 一生).
The round mochi also represents the sun and the sun deity Amaterasu.
They are also sometimes used for other important birthdays, especially when people get older, with the wish for a long life.
I once was present of the birthday party of a little boy who carried it with great joy.

Rice cakes (mochi 餅)

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UPDATE chikaramochi

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三井寺名物「弁慶の力餅」
Benkei no Chikaramochi

Rice cakes in momory of Benkei, the stron warrior-monk

These CHIKARAMOCHI are also sold at other temples with a relation to Benkei, the strong warrior-monk. For example in Iwate, near the temple Chuson-ji.

... Hiraizumi Fujiwara Festival



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***** 弁慶の力餅 Benkei no Chikaramochi

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UPDATE chopsticks

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Haiku about chopsticks



割箸の毳(けば)雪国のさびしさよ
waribashi no keba yukiguni no sabishisa yo

the fluff of
disposable wooden chopsticks ...
loneliness in the Snow Country

Tomo-oka Shikyo . Tomooka Shikyoo 友岡子郷 (1934 - )

Maybe he was trying to eat some soba noodle soup at a cheap shop near the station in Hokkaido. When he realized he could not break the chopsticks in one fine cut, he became aware of his own sticking to details.


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***** Chopsticks (hashi, ohashi, o-hashi　お箸）

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