Daily Nihongo (2003 - 2004)

[torakris]

word for 12/25:

メリークリスマス

merii kurisumasu (may-rhee-koo-rhee-sue-mah-sue)

Merry Christmas

Okay the Japanese don't really say this to each other, but if they did this is how they would say it....

Christmas is not a national holiday in Japan and everybody has to go to work and depending on how the school season works out, some kids have to go to school.

For more on Christmas in Japan check out this thread:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=32166

[torakris]

words for 12/26:

極早生　and 　早生

gokuwase (goh-koo-wah-say) and wase (wah-say)

These can best be describes as extra early (gokuwase) and early (wase) mikan. These are still the unshu mikan, just the early season versions. They are anywhere from completely green in color to a mix a green and orange to just plain orange.

Here is a list of the variations of the unshu mikan and the months they appear:

house mikan April-September

gokuwase September- October

wase October- November

"regular" mikan December- March

There are actually varieties within these varieties but I won't bother (ok bore) you with the details.

picture of the gokuwase mikan:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/gokuwa2.jpg

[torakris]

Actually I wasn't done with the citrus fruit.

When I mentioned there being a lot of mikan, I was thinking of all the mikan that are basically the name of the city in which they are grown followed by the word mikan. There is still a whole other class of citrus that I think of as different because they don't actually have the word mikan in their name.

let start with the ponkan.

word for 12/27:

ポンカン

ponkan (pohn-kahn)

Like ankomochi said this is a wonderful fruit, much sweeter than the average mikan with almost no sour notes. The skin is also thicker and it does contain seeds, difficult to explain but it is softer (not in a bad way), sort of like it is looser in the skin, you can see what I mean by looking at the picture. They are in season from December to March with peaks in January and February. The name ponkan is a combination of two words, pon is from the Indian city of Poona (this is were it originated, then moved to China, then Taiwan and finally into Japan) and kan from kankitsu (which we learned about a week ago, describing anything in the citrus family).

ponkan:

http://www.nogyo.tosa.net-kochi.gr.jp/saib...kan/morita2.jpg

[torakris]

word for 12/28:

デコポン

dekopon

A decopon is a cross between a ponkan and a kiyomi mikan, this is one of the newer citrus fruits on the market here. It is called a dekopon because it has a ryuuki or deko (protrusion) and the pon is from the ponkan, you need to look at the picture to see what I mean about the protrusion. This is a speciality of Kumamoto ( http://www.japan-guide.com/list/e1002.html

Kumamoto is #44) and is in season from December to April.

the dekopon:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/dekopo1.jpg

Edited December 27, 2003 by torakris (log)

[torakris]

word for 12/29:

清見　　きよみ

kiyomi (key-yoh-me)

The kiyomi was creating by mixing the the common unshuu mikan with the common orange. It is orange like in appearance but it is easier to peel and has only 2 to 3 seeds. It season runs February to May and although you will see it in the market is is more common to see one of its offspring. Like we saw with the dekopon above, the kiyomi is the most popular mikan used in creating new types.

kiyomi

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/kiyomi1.jpg

[torakris]

word for 12/30:

伊予柑　いよかん

iyokan (ee-yoe-kahn)

Among the citrus fruits in Japan the iyokan, a cross between a mikan and an orange, is the secong most popular. The mikan of course being first. This ahs a long season stretching from the end of November to the beginning of April. It has a nice balance of seet and sour and is easier to peel than an orange.

iyokan:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/iyokan4.jpg

[torakris]

I have sort of forgotten about this thread while working on my bog.....

word for 12/31

大晦日　おおみそか

oomisoka (oh-me-sew-kah)

This is what the Japanese call December 31st, the last day of the year.

word for 1/1

明けましておめでとうござます

akemashite omedetou gozaimasu (ah-kay-mah-she-tay oh-may-day-toe goh-zai-mah- sue)

This is the New Years greeting, it basically means "Happy New Year"

[torakris]

word for 1/2:

金柑　きんかん

kinkan (keen-kahn)

kumquat

The characters for the name mean golden citrus, the kumquat came to Japan from China in the 14th century. Its season runs December to April and it is eaten plain, used as sort of a tonic for good helath/cold or sickness prevention usually by simmering it in honey, or it is made into a type of liquer.

kinkan

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/kinkan2.jpg

[torakris]

words for 1/3 and 1/4

橙　だいだい

daidai (die-die)

葉付きみかん

happa tsuki mikan

These two citrus fruits are used more for decorations at New Years than for actually eating. Daidai is very sour and is not eaten straight, rather it is more common to find it made into a marmalade or used in ponzu sauce.

Happa tsuki mikan are a type of very small mikan that are sold with the leaves still attached and that is what the name means. Happa are leaves and tsuki means with, so it is mikan with leaves.

You will only see these in the stores in the days (weeks) leading up to New Years Day and they will be used as decoration in homes.

daidai

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/daidai1.jpg

happa tsuki mikan

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/daidai2.jpg

[torakris]

word for 1/5

八朔　はっさく

hassaku (hah-sah-koo)

Similar to an orange in appearance, this is not of the mikan family and has been in Japan for almost as long. It has a thick skin which can be difficult to peel and a sweet slightly sour flesh. Season runs February to April.

hassaku

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/hassak2.jpg

[torakris]

word for 1/6:

甘夏　あまなつ

amanatsu (ah-mah-nah-tsu)

This is one of the varieties of the natsu (or summer) mikan. Its name means "sweet summer" and it has a refreshing taste sweet with some sour tones. It is a very popular citrus fruit here and is available from February through June with a peak around April.

amanatsu

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/veg-fru/i...its/amanat2.jpg

[torakris]

word for 1/7

アンコール

ankooru (ahn-koe-rhue)

This variety of orange was given the name of the English word "encore" becasue they aer so good you will be wanting more. They are more on the reddish side than the average orange and are supposedly very sweet. The season runs February through May and they don't do well in cold regions, so they are mostly grown in greenhouses or the very Southern regions.

I have never eaten one of these and am very curious to give it a try......

encore orange

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/veg-fru/i...ore/encore2.jpg

[torakris]

words for 1/8:

セミノーラ　　ミネオラ

seminola (say-me-noh-rah) and mineora (me-nay-oh-rah)

I am grouping these together because they are both tangelos. The seminola is entirely grown in Japan (though the seeds came form Florida many years ago) and the Minneola (which looks similar to the dekopon) is imported from California. The seasons are similar running from about March to mid-May.

seminola

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/veg-fru/i...neo/semin_3.jpg

minneola

Edited February 16, 2004 by torakris (log)

[torakris]

Let's look again at soem other citrus we covered in the middle of the year.

ゆず　柚子

yuzu (you-zoo)

A Japanese citrus fruit about the size of a tangerine, quite often with bumpy yellow skin, though I have seen smoother ones and there is also a green variety call ao-yuzu which is a little bit smaller. It has a very unique taste quite different from lemons or limes and is used for for it skin (peel) as a garnish/flavoring. Occasionally the juice is added to pickles and they even have a yuzu juice from drinking that is absolutely incredible (but very expensive, since yuzu tend to contain more seeds then juice).

Yuzu is an unmistakable part of Japanese winter cooking and the newest way of enjoying it all year round is in yuzu-koshou 柚子こしょう) a speciality form the Kyushu region of Japan that has been enjoying a "boom" recently and can be found in supermarkets everywhere. Though the word koshou refers to black pepper, in Kyushu it is also used to refer to green chiles, thus this paste is a mix of yuzu rind, green chile and salt.

yuzu koshou

while searching the web for a picture I ran across 100's of sites citing yuzu as a beauty product, shampoos, etc, I have never seen it used this way in Japan............

An interesting article on yuzu (Thank you Sinbad! )

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/03/dining/0...94d10af&ei=5070

Edited January 9, 2004 by torakris (log)

[torakris]

word for 1/10

some more citrus from an earlier post

すだち

sudachi

かぼす

kabosu

these are both small and green, sudachi being smaller, and are used mostly for their juice. Their season runs from late summer to the end of fall, but now in Japan can be found year round at gourmet markets.

They are normally served like garnishes with dishes like grilled fish, grilled mushrooms. sashimi, etc to be squeezed over the top as you like. In season you will often see them used in place of vinegar in salad-y type dishes and it is quite popular to make ponzu with their juice to eat with nabes.

here are pictures:

http://www.marutani-21.co.jp/mikan/sudati-saidebook.htm

sudachi is first, then scroll down to see kabosu

Edited January 9, 2004 by torakris (log)

[torakris]

word for 1/11

シークヮーサー

shiikwaasaa (shee-koo-wah-sah)

This is the tiny citrus fruit from Okinawa, often written either shiquasa or shikwasa in English. Okinawan foods have been riding on a "boom" in mainland Japan recently and the shiquasa is showing up in supermarkets fresh as well as in candy and drink forms.

A friend of mine (originally from Okinawa) grows shiquasa in her yard and often gives me some, they have more of a sour orange taste than any of the other Japanese sour citrus, it is a very unique flavor though.

shiquasa:

http://www.okinawa-bibi.net/tokuysu/shikwasa/

[torakris]

word for 1/12

成人の日

seijin no hi (say-jean-noh-hee)

Today is a national holiday in Japan called seijin no hi, this is the day that honors all of the people who turned 20 during the year (the "year" runs April to April). The age of 20 is considered adulthood in Japan and the youths are now able to smoke, drink and vote. Cities sponsor huge ceremonies and parents dish out incredible amounts of money fort eh "traditional" kimonos worn on the day. The average price on the girls outfit can run $5,000 to $10,000.

A little bit more info (with pictures)

http://japan.chez.tiscali.fr/Th-Index/E-Th-Seijinnohi.htm

[torakris]

sorry I missed yesterday, had a very busy day and barely made it to the computer.

word for 1/14:

マンゴ

mango (mahn-goh)

It looks just like it is spelled, the mango. These have really risen in popularity in the past 3 years, at one time you were only able to find them at International supermarkets but now they are available at even the smaller shops and all year round to boot. There are two popular kinds the pelican mango (ペリカンマンゴ　perikanmango) from the Philippines and the apple mango (アップルマンゴ　appurumango) from Mexico. The apple mangos are also being grown in Japan just the other day I saw them from Okinawa.

the pelican (yellow) and apple (red) mangos

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/veg-fru/i...ngo/mango.2.jpg

[Sinbad]

THanks for the info. When I was buying mangoes in Japana the ones from Mexico were always labelled "Mexican Mangoes" and the one from Okinawa were labelled "Apple Mangoes", I actually thought that they were two differend kinds of mangoes. The ones from Okinawa used to be hard to find, but they were the most delicious.

[torakris]

word for 1/15:

ベリー

berii (bay-rhee)

berry or berries, the next couple days we will discuss the berries available in Japan.

[torakris]

word for 1/16:

おたふく

otafuku

This is food, sort of

The otafuku I am thinking of today is the mumps, which daughter Mia has come down with today, not too much of a surprise since daughter Julia had it exactly 2 weeks ago.

The otafuku that most of you will be more familiar with is the okonomiyaki sauce , for more information on the nmaing of the Otafuku company look here:

http://www.otafuku.co.jp/us/company/default.htm

click on the origin of the company name on the bottom left side

[torakris]

word for 1/17:

back to the berries!

Lets go back over the most popular berry in Japan.

いちご　　苺

ichigo (ee-chee-goh)

strawberry

Strawberries were brought into Japn in the 1830's by the Dutch, they took hold and are probably one of the most popular fruits today. Strawberries in Japan are grown almost entirely in green houses and the season runs from the end of November to the end of May, the season peaks in March. Many of the greenhouses open their doors to the public for ichigo gari or strawberry picking, usually in the form of all you can eat in a 30 minute period. This is a very popular activity for families and groups in late winter to early spring.

To see some of the Japanese strawberry varieties scroll to close to the bottom of this page:

http://www2.nns.ne.jp/pri/bigitigo/

[torakris]

word for 1/19

sorry I missed yesterday had another busy day and never made it to my computer.

ブルーベリー

buruuberii (boo-rue-bay-rhee)

Blueberry

In recent years these have beoome quite popular and you can find them in most stores all year round. The Japan grown blueberries are in season mid-summer, while American blueberries (from Florida, Georgia and Oregon) show up at the same time as well as during the spring. Those from Australia and new Zealand keep Japan in supply during the winter months.

[torakris]

word for 1/20:

ラズベリー

razuberii (rah-zoo-bay-rhee)

raspberry

Nearly every raspberry eaten in Jaapn is imported with the US holding 80 - 90% of the market. Of all the imported raspberries only 10% make it to the market, the rest are used in bakeries, restaurants, etc. They are hard to find outside of International type supermarkets and are quite expensive, a small container contains only about 15 to 20 berries and will cost you about $10 to $13.

[torakris]

word for 1/21:

ブラックベリー

burakkuberii (boo-rak-koo-bay-rhee)

Blackberry

These are not very popular in Japan and can be impossible to find. I have only seen them for a ridiculous price a couple times at International type supermarkets.

and that is pretty much it for berries in Japan.....