Category: Japan
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Friday Foodblogging: Traditional Japanese Miso Soup
One of my favorite comfort dishes is simple Japanese miso soup, often served in Japanese restaurants as an appetizer. Miso soup is made from a few simple ingredients such as miso paste, bonito flakes, and seaweed; while it’s not difficult to make, there are some tricks to make it as close to restaurant quality as…
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Weekend Foodblogging: Spicy Bacon Onigiri
If you’re not familiar with the traditional Japanese dish onigiri, you’re missing out on one of the handiest portable foods there is. Onigiri date back at least to the 11th century, if not older, and were a food used by many Japanese, especially in the military, since they stored and traveled well. Onigiri are traditionally…
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Noren: Your Reputation on a Sheet of Cloth
I was reading in Essence of Ninjutsu by Headmaster Masaaki Hatsumi about a period of time in Japan called the Sengoku Jidai – the Warring States period – when a translation caught my eye. Hatsumi sensei had translated noren as goodwill. If you’re not familiar with what a noren is, it’s the cloth banner that…