Daily Nihongo (2003 - 2004)

[torakris]

word for 11/30:

グレープフルーツ

gureepufuruttsu (goo-rey-poo-foo-roo-tsu)

grapefruit

Both the regular and ruby grapefruits are popular in Japan and they rank second (behind) bananas in the number imported into Japan. The US controls most of the market here with a good 80% other countries include South Africa and Swaziland.

The Japanese tend to cut them up and eat them like oranges and they are also added to salads and dressed foods.

[torakris]

word for 12/1:

さくらんぼ

sakuranbo (sah-koo-rahn-bou)

These are the Japanese cherries, light red to pink in color often with a yellowish tinge they are grown mostly in greenhouse type structures and make a short appearance into the markets around June. Yamagata prefecture is famous for its sakuranbo and produces 75% of Japan's crop. Sakuranbo do not come from the sakura tree famous for its cherry blossom that mark the arrival of spring into Japan, rather they come from a close relative called outou (桜桃）the characters of which mean cherry tree and peach.

the sakuranbo:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/cherry1.jpg

[torakris]

word for 12/2:

ざくろ

zakuro

pomegranate

There was a big pomegranate "boom" in Japan in 1999-2000 and almost every food/drink manufacturer jumped in by producing various foods with pomegranates juice/extracts, etc. Like most "booms" it was quickly forgotten but the fruits still make an appearance every year. Most of the imports are from either the US, Iran or Spain.

the zakuro:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/zakuro1.jpg

[torakris]

word for 12/3:

すいか

suika

watermelon

One of the symbols of summer in Japan, the watermelon is very popular here despite its high price. Watermelons are almost always perfectly round in shape and perfectly uniform in color, they range from about softball size to globe (meaning the globe of the world you see in every classroom) sized with the most common size being somewhere in between. Although you can buy them whole it is more common to buy them cut into 1/4 or 1/6. About 1/6 of a globe sized watermelon will set you back anywhere from $4 to $10 depending on the variety.

A popular summer game to play when you have a group of kids (or drunk adults ) is to take turns hitting a whole watermelon with a stick, while blinfolded, until it cracks open, the smashed remains are then eaten.

suika:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ture/suika2.jpg

[torakris]

some nice pictures of suikawari (smash the watermelon game):

http://www.town.shingu.hyogo.jp/gyousei/ky...u/suikawari.htm

[torakris]

word for 12/4:

スィーティー

suiiteii (sue-wee-tea)

In English this is referred to as sweetie, sweetie grapefruit and sometimes oroblanco. It is a cross between a grapefruit and a pomelo, they are the same size as a grapefruit with green skin but a taste much sweeter than a grapefruit. Though "discovered" in the US, Isreal seems to be the biggest producer. They entered the Japanese market in 1991 on a huge "boom" and were a very popular flavor for gum and candies, sweetie gum is still a popular flavor. Unlike grapefruit which are on the amrket all year round, the sweeties have a short season running November to February.

Sweetie:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/sweety1.jpg

[torakris]

word for 12/5:

梨　なし

nashi (nah-shee)

Usually referred to as an Asian pear or pear apple in English, this fruit native to China, thas too many varieties in Japan to count. Ok maybe they can be counted but there are still a huge number. They are generally divided into two groups, the red ones (more of a brown) and the blue ones (more of a green or yellow depending on the variety). The most common size is probably a little bigger than a baseball, though I have seen some that are too big to hold in the palm of your hand. In Japan they are always peeled before eating their crispy yet juicy flesh. They have quite a short seasonal and are available only from the end of summer into very early fall.

the " blue" nashi:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/nijuss2.jpg

the "red" nashi

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...re/nansui10.jpg

[torakris]

word for 12/6:

洋梨　　ようなし

younashi (yo-nash-shee)

You means Western and the nashi of course refers to the Japanese pear, thus yonashi means Western pear, of what is just commonly referred to in English as pear.

These are quite popular in Japan and though some are imported most are grown here. the most popular with something like 75% of the pear market is the variety called La France (ra furansu in Japanese), it's short season runs mid-November through December.

La France:

http://www.informatics.tuad.ac.jp/net-expo...e/lafrance.html

[torakris]

word for 12/7:

ネクタリン

nekutarin (neh-koo-tah-rheen)

nectarine

Though they are still pretty much newcomers to the Japanese market, the Japanese farmers now produce over 80% of the market. They seem to be rising in popularity every year, their season lasts through the summer but peaks in August.

nectarine:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/nectar1.jpg

[torakris]

word for 12/8:

メロン

meron

Melon, the Japanese love melons and they are they are one of the most popular fruits to serve after a meal. There are a huge variety of melons grown in Japan (less than 10% are imported) and I will spend the next couple of days talking about some of the most popular.

[torakris]

word for 12/9:

アンデスメロン

andesumeron (ahn-day-sue-may-rhone)

I guess in English it would translate as Andes melon, and despite the misleading name this created in Japan melon has nothing to do with the Andes. The creators (Sakata Seed Co.) called it the "anshin desu melon" anshin meaning safe and desu the verb is, it was given this name because it is very easy to grow, requiring little hands on labor and giving a great yield. It was then shortened to andesu, this is a very popular melon in Japan mainly because it is so affordable. the outside has a net like pattern and the inside has a soft green flesh that is wonderfully sweet.

Andes melon:

http://www.hapima.com/prd/01000026/01000026A-005-43/

[torakris]

word for 12/10:

プリンスメロン

purinsumeron (poo-rheen-sue-may-rhone)

This would be called prince melon in English, it was created in 1959 by Sakata Seed Co. a cross between a British melon and a French melon. It was given the name Prince because that was the year of the marriage between then Crown Prince Akihito (current emperor) and Michiko Shoda. This is a small melon with a smooth skin that has a very sweet light orange flesh.

prince melon:

http://www.ic-net.or.jp/home/ds-chizu/tokuspurinsumeron.htm

[torakris]

word for 12/11:

アールスメロン

aarusumeron (aah-rue-sue-may-rhone)

In English this would be Earls melon, thios was one of the first melons to Japan about 100 years ago, it is from an English variety called Earls Favorite. Sometimes just referred to as muskmelon in Japan, this is regarded as the king of melons. It is available all year round as much of it is grown in greenhouses, so it is perfect for gift giving. When you here about melons going for $100 a piece it is usually of this variety, they can be found for much less though. It has a skin with a net like pattern and the flesh can very from almost white to orange depending on the type. Like most melons in Japan they are grown suspended in the air so that there are no ground amrks to mar their beauty (and thus lower their price! )

one of the earls variety:

http://www.uedamelon.com/Shopping/Detailed/Arusu.htm

[torakris]

word for 12/12:

クインシーメロン

kuinshiimeron (koo-een-shee-may-rhone)

I am guessing this is Quincy melon in English....

It is a sweet yet mild flavored or the orange fleshed (red in Japanese) variety that has the netted skin. It appears on the market in late spring to early summer.

quincy melon:

http://kondoh.ktplan.jp/yasaikudamono/frui...kanikumelon.jpg

[torakris]

word for 12/13:

ハネデューメロン

hanedyuumeron (hah-nay-dew-may-rhone)

This is the honeydew melon that seems to be growing in popularity every year. The Japanese markets rely almost entirely on imports, the US supplies the melons from summer to late fall and Mexico supplies the rest of the year. It is close to double the size of most Japanese melons and half the price of a cheaper one, in my area they are usually under $5 a piece.

honeydew:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/honeyd3.jpg

[torakris]

word for 12/14:

ホームラン

hoomuran (hoe-moo-rhan)

This would be called the homerun melon in English, these are tiny, even the large ones would fit in the palm of your hand. They look like minature honeydew with light, smooth skin and a pale green flesh.

homerun melon:

http://www.aso.ne.jp/~melon/syouhin/syouhin.htm

[torakris]

word for 12/15:

夕張メロン

yuubarimeron (you-bah-rhee-may-rhone)

Named after Yubari City in Hokkaido, this is one of the prefectures most famous foods. The skin is off the netted variety and the flesh is a deep orange. The yubari melon is a popular flavor for snacks, jellies,, and sweets, at one time I even saw a canned yubari melon drink.

Yubari melon:

http://plaza8.mbn.or.jp/~yuukin/index.html

[torakris]

anyone else sick of melons?

word for 12/16:

もも　桃

momo (moe-moe)

This is the peach, and this fruit has been in Japan for close to 1,000 years. When you speak of peaches in Japan you are almost always referring to a variety of the white peach (hakutou 白桃. This is by far the most popular peach in Japan with a creamy white flesh and a fuzzy skin with pink and white tones. In Japan the skin is not eaten. There is a golden peach but it is not as popular and tastes nothing like the peaches I grew up on in the US.

some pictures of peaches for you to drool over:

http://www.tamano.or.jp/usr/ranmaru/fruit/...older/momo.html

[torakris]

word for 12/17:

李　すもも　or プラム

sumomo (sue-moe-moe) or puramu (pooh-rah-moo)

This is the plum, sumomo (the meaning is actually sour peach) is the traditional Japanese word but it has mostly been displaced by the English word plum. Though plums have been in Japan as long as the peaches most of the ones on the market today are crosses between Japanese sumomo and American plums. The most common ones I see in the market are:

大石 ooishi (means large stone)

ソルダム sorudamu

サンタローサ santaroosa

太陽 taiyou (means sun)

pictures of plums available in Japan:

http://www.tnt.jp/~ishido/plum..html#17

[torakris]

word for 12/18:

かんきつ類　柑橘類

kankitsurui (kahn-key-tsu-rhue-ee)

citrus

This word covers all of the fruits in the citrus family, some we have discussed already but we discuss some of them again here in case you have forgotten.....

from tomorrow....

[torakris]

words for 12/19:

let's start with 2 citrus fruits that are used more for seasoning than eating and don't play a huge role in traditional Japnese cuisine.

レモン remon (ray-mon) lemon

ライム raimu (rhye-moo) lime

*************

"r" is a difficult sound in Japanese think of it as a cross between an r an l and a d.

[torakris]

words for 12/20 (my daughter Julia's 6th birthday! )

two citrus imports we have already covered

オレンジ

orenji (oh-rhen-jee)

orange

Although there are some domestic growers, most of the oranges eaten in Japan are imported, mostly from California, South Africa and Australia, ensuring fresh fruit all year round. The two types mostly likely to be seen in the Japanese supermarkets are the navel and Valencia varieties.

oranges:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/orange1.jpg

グレープフルーツ

gureepufuruttsu (goo-rey-poo-foo-roo-tsu)

grapefruit

Both the regular and ruby grapefruits are popular in Japan and they rank second (behind) bananas in the number imported into Japan. The US controls most of the market here with a good 80% other countries include South Africa and Swaziland.

The Japanese tend to cut them up and eat them like oranges and they are also added to salads and dressed foods.

Edited December 19, 2003 by torakris (log)

[torakris]

word for 12/21:

みかん

mikan (me-kahn)

Often called mandarin orange or Japanese mandarin orange and occasionally (wrongly) a tangerine. The mikan is the most popular citrus fruit in Japan and during the winter in Japan you can enter any house and their will be a bowl of mikan sitting on the table. Originally from China, the most commonly eaten mikan is actually named after a region in China, the unshuu (温州）mikan. The unshuu mikan is usually what is referred to when someone just says mikan.

the mikan:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/unshu_5.jpg

[torakris]

word for 12/22:

ハウスみかん

hausumikan (how-sue-mee-kahn)

Hausu is the Japanese pronunciation of the English word house, in this case referring to mikan that are grown in a greenhouse. By growing them in a greenhouse mikan can be available all year round, though the Japanese do prefer to eat them "in season". Hausumikan are grown from April to September with a peak in July and August.

hausumikan:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/house_1.jpg

[torakris]

Sorry I missed a day, never made it to my computer yesterday.

word for 12/23

天皇誕生日　てんのうたんじょうび

tennou tanjyoubi

The Emperor’s Birthday (Tenno meaning emperor and Tanjoubi meaning birthday) is a national holiday in Japan and is celebrated on the birthday of the reigning emperor. Emperor Akihito inherited the throne when his father Emperor Hirohito died in 1989, so since 1990 Emperor Akihito’s birthday, December 23rd, has been a national holiday. Emperor Akihito is the 125th descendant of Japan’s first emperor, Jimmu, who acceded to the throne in 660 B.C