Hiroyuki

Of all days, my son picked up some hakka plants on his way from school today. I asked him where he got them, and he said there were a lot of them growing in a field only one minute walk from our house. I didn't know that!

Amazing And you drink all of them regularly, except the dokudami-shu?

The leaves smell like mint toothpaste only. , and I'm not in a hurry.

Here it is. Sorry, I'm not much of a photographer. The stem is reddish as you suggested. I have bigger ones, and their stems are green in the upper part and reddish (or almost brown) in the lower part. Here are some photos here: http://aoki2.si.gunma-u.ac.jp/BotanicalGar...TMLs/hakka.html http://www.hana300.com/nihonh.html

No, it doesn't. Mine is Japanese mint. The steams are green. I'll take a photo of it and post it here to satisfy your curiosity.

You know that some restaurants already have some omakase courses listed on their menus, which may range from 3,000 to 5,000 or even higher. I think it's perfectly alright to tell the restaurant your budget and ask them if they can serve an omakase course with that budget. For instance, you could say something like Hitori xx yen de omakase dekimasuka (Could you do an omakase for xx yen per person?) Average price of a sashimi omakase? Sashimi only? I don't know. As I mentioned above, omakase courses usually range from 3,000 to 5,000 yen or even higher, I think.

Why why why? Why not ask the chef or that friend of yours? It's easy to imagine that the restaurant wants to impress you with something extra simply because you ordered an omakase course.

No, umeshu is sweet and is generally considered a sake for women. My mother used to make it every year. So, you ended up making umeshu or is sake brewery in progress secretly?

Not that I know of. Besides, is there such a thing as sake etiguette? Yeah, that's quite popular, but is that based on seniority/status? A simple "(aa) doumo" ((oh) thanks) should be fine. You can also say: Doumo arigatou. Arigatou. Arigatou gozaimasu. Doumo arigatou gozaimasu. According to one site, you hold a masu with your four fingers, and only your thumb on the rim, you put your lips on one corner, and sip sake. An interesting way to drink sake from a masu is to place some salt near the corner and sip sake with it. That's they way how a tsuu (connoiseur) drinks sake, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you are really a tsuu.

OK, thanks. You two are so quick! I watched him on an NHK TV program in January, and I found him quite impressive.

So, which book is jergra referring to?

I guess so. Just try it and report back! I'm not familiar with memmei(?). Is it a Japanese product? If you can't find men tsuyu concentrate, just replace it with a 1:1:1 mixture of soy sauce, mirin, and dashi. Too much? Well, that depends on how much of each dish you are going to have. Not a wierd combination, but don't forget a bowl of hot rice and a bowl of miso soup. Tamago pan? You have one of those rectangular pans for making atsuyaki tamago?

Sorry, this is myoga. http://www2.odn.ne.jp/shokuzai/Myouga.htm (Japanese only) See the first photo. See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myoga It has a distinctive flavor, which I didn't like when I was small.

If you want to go traditional, just go for katsubo bushi (dried bonito flakes), myoga, shoga (ginger), and negi (Japanese leek). You can use ponzu and men tsuyu (noodle soup) concentrate instead of soy sauce. Otherwise, you can do whatever you want - just put in salad, for example. But then I would'nt call it hiyayakko any more.

So, Helen..., do you or any of your students practice square foot gardening? There is little information on this method in Japanese, so I ordered this book: All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!

Thanks, memesuze. Today, I ordered the book titled, "All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!" I hope I can post a picture or two when and if I succeed in growing some vegetables with this method.

I recentely started a thread on vegetable gardening in the Japan Forum, and a member recommended square foot gardening. The more I learn about it, the more attractive it seems, and I'd like to try that method next spring in my small yard, where the soil is too hard to dig . Has anyone here ever tried square foot gardening? Tell me about your opinions about it.

Hi, Min. Long time no see. They are called shokuhin sanpuru (food samples) in Japanese. You want Japanese sites? Just google 食品サンプル. The first three sites that I found were: http://www.bidders.co.jp/bpu/2472644 http://www.foodmodelstyle.net/ http://www.geocities.jp/mitsuwa_sample/ I also found a food sample making class: http://www.kankou-gifu.jp/en/experience/food.html (in English)

If you want to pickle it in soy sauce, here is a recipe: http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~tomi-yasu/recipe/107_e.html So, pleeeease don't eat it tonight! It should keep for a couple of days.

torakris: How long did it take for you to make that tama konnyaku? smallworld: What is that on top that looks like shredded ao jiso leaves? I searched for ito konnyaku, but in vain. I used tsuki konnyaku instead. Tsuki konnyaku is similar to ito konnyaku but is shorter (about 5-6 cm). My wife, who is native to the Uonuma district of Niigata, says that ito konnyaku is the same as shirataki. I know that the term "shirataki" is used in Kanto while "ito konnyaku" is used in Kansai, but why in Niigata?? My understanding is that ito konnyaku is thicker than shirataki, but this is not at all universal in Japan.

If I remember correctly, sizzleteeth went to Koyasan in his first trip to Japan. See this thread, starting from here. He stayed at an inn called Asunaro. http://www.yado-asunaro.com/english/index.htm Enjoy your trip!

Mint!! I want to say something about it. Do you know that Japanese mint (hakka) has the highest content of menthol in the mint family? Shiozawa is a place where hakka grows wild, and I have transplanted some in my daughter's flowerbed. I'm going to use the leaves to make my version of mojito!

OK, so they call them obanyaki. Oban refers to an oval gold coin formerly used in Japan. I confirmed with their site: The restaurant, Oishinbo, calls them oh-banyaki (same as obanyaki). http://www.mitsuwanj.com/en/store.htm# It's a pity they don't have yakisoba.

Forgot to respond to this thread. There are various types of panko that differ according to materials, particle size, baking method, dryness, and other factors. Examples are http://www.frystar.co.jp/panko/index.html (sorry, Japanese only). Even in Japan, where all these types of panko are readily available, there are some restaurants that boast of their home-made panko. You could instantly love tonkatsu (pork cutlets) coated with coarse fresh panko!

There is only one traditional filling: red bean jam. All other fillings (fresh cream + red bean jam, custard cream, chocolate, etc.) are (silly) departures from the norm .