Topic: Japan Discussion

Japan is the best in everything guys, lets just agree on that. Down with Chinese restaurants, banzai nihon!!!!!

BEGIN Japanology was on tonight!

Unfortunately, the channel that carries NHK World here, was out for a long time, so I only caught the end of the program.

The episode was about the role of mushrooms in Japan, & I only saw the end of it, where they stated that in recent years, scientists have discovered they can increase the size of farmed mushrooms by giving them an electric shock during a certain time in development.

Jibtv was on tonight! They had another episode of Barasu on tonight.

Tonight they examined a 2007 Super Cub50 Standard 50cc motorcycle from Honda Motor Co, Ltd. It's part of the long running Super Cub line of motorcycles.

The line is extremely popular throughout Asia for it's great feul efficiency. In Japan, it's (well, motorcycles in general are) often used for delivering food, mail, & newspapers. Interestingly, the clutch is located at the foot pedal, instead of the handlebars (as per usual in motorcycles).

Again, the program was sponsored by the East Japan Railway Company.

Journeys in Japan was on tonight! They showcased Katsunuma in this episode.

The city is famous for it's wines (the city has over 30 winerys), some even have international recognition. The wine business in the area is mostly driven by the Koshu grape (a variety native to Japan).

Traditionally, only small Koshu grapes were consisered for wine making (as larger ones have too much water, and not enough sugar), but that has been starting to change in recent times, as certain winerys have developed ways to make wine from larger grapes. The grapes that are harvested for wine, are harvested between September & October.

In addition to visiting a couple of winerys, they showcased an upscale traditional restaurant (where your courses come with varieties of Koshu wine), & they visited the home of a local farmer (to engage in local traditions of consuming Koshu wine).

Nihon wa ii desu desu desu ne~?!

@smexi: 'sugoi' would probably be better than 'ii' for you there :3

japan is the hotspot for video games, so i fell in love with it. then i learned about their bagel-heads, and now i don't want to know it even exists.

I would sooner go to South Korea over Japan..

What's a "bagel-head"?

BEGIN Japanology was on tonight! They covered the role of vending machines in Japan.

They said there were 1.2 million vending machines in Japan, selling anything from drinks (hot & cold), fresh fruit, to umbrellas.

Many vending machines have uses during times of disaster. In crowded areas (like train stations), certain vending machines may have a portable defibulator for use, in case someone needs emergency help (the defibulator gives audio instructions, so anyone can use it, if necessary). In the case of power outage, certain vending machines have battery power, that way they can still be used. Others still, can have their drink prices changed online by the owner, in case they need to give out free water during times of emergency.

Some have other interesting tech. One can scan your face (to get your gender & age), and once it knows your demographic, recommends certain drinks, based on what others in your demographic have picked in the past (it also takes time of day & outside temperature into account). Some speak complementary greetings, to give a greater sense of humanity. While others (to conserve power), run on solar power, & only turn on when sensors indicate someone is close.

The first vending machine in Japan debuted in 1904, mechanical instead of electric, it offered stamps & postcards. In the 1930's, some vending machines would have a small movie projector inside (they would have a screen, & when you bought your snack, a few minutes of a samurai film would play. These racked up lots of sales, as children would buy two or three snacks, to see more of the movie). After WWII, the amount of vending machines boomed in the country, & in the 70's, a revolutionary step was taken (machines that could sell both cold & hot drinks).

In the 70's, vending machines that sold quick hot meals were huge, but their number has actually been dwindling with the prevalence of 24 hour markets in the modern age. Still, there has been a growing amount of people nostalgic for these machines, that are trying to save them.

Please try your best not to stereotype an entire nation please. Just because some weird obscure internet story catches on doesn't mean the entire country embraces something like that. Most Japanese people would have no idea what you're talking about, let alone even want to take part in it.

Yikes...

If there is any country I want to visit, it's definitely Japan. Admittely, a big part of it is due to video games and anime, but I am also interested in the culture, the music, and the food. It'll be awhile thought since I need to understand how Japan really is before I go there (and of course become fluent).

I know a Thai place in Oxford, MS that makes amazing curry.

Also, don't hate but I'd rather visit South Korea than Japan. :3

Tokyo Eye was on tonight! They covered Edomae style sushi (BTW, sushi is short for su-meshi, meaning vinegar rice).

They visited Tokyo's largest fresh fish market, as well as several small shops surrounding it, where the fresh catch is sold to the public.

They then went to a place where you can get a real quick lesson in sushi making for ¥6,300.

They also visited the restaurant of a master edomae sushi chef, where he makes traditional edomae sushi, as it was made 190 years ago! The sushi rolls are 3x bigger than modern sushi rolls. For the purpose of the show, he also quickly ran over the various methods to prepare different sushi toppings (salmon, mackerel, eel, & clams, specifically).

Lastly they showed a couple of modern sushi restaurants, that have started new trends. One was started by a former butcher, who makes sushi with chicken, beef, and the most popular, horse meat (very low in calories, so it's a favorite amongst the health conscious)! The other makes sushi with vegetable toppings (over 30!) for the vegetarian. They use a different kind of flavoring with the rice rather than traditional vinegar, to better suit vegetables.

I like Japan's cuteness culture and deffently wanna move there soon, everyday I see more and more reasons that I HAVE to move there if I wanna stay sane

@Harmoknight I feel pity for you..

But it's just good... >:[

BEGIN Japanology was on tonight! It was a repeat (the episode where they talked about confectionery in Japan).

Jibtv was on tonight! They talked about Shochu, a traditional alcoholic beverage from Japan. It's history, how it's made, traditions for drinking it, variations of it, ect.

They had an hour long Journeys in Japan special on tonight. They covered Ohenro, an ancient pilgrimage that roughly follows the entire coastline of Shikoku (the smallest of Japan's 4 main islands).

The long journey connects 88 Buddhist temples. Some people take buses, but even to this day, many still walk the journey!