Frequently Asked (823) — page 9

FolkloreStandard reikyusha o mitara oyayubi o kakusu霊柩車を見たら親指を隠すthe superstition that you should tuck your thumbs into your fists when a hearse goes by

Food & DrinkStandard anpanあんぱんthe sweet bean bun that made bread Japanese

Food & DrinkStandard odenおでんa winter stew of fish cakes, daikon and eggs

Food & DrinkStandard konnyakuこんにゃくa jelly-like food made from a starchy tuber

Food & DrinkStandard gotochi gurumeご当地グルメlocal specialty foods, and the towns that market them

Food & DrinkStandard sashisusesoさしすせそthe order in which the five basic seasonings go into a Japanese dish

Food & DrinkStandard somenそうめんvery thin cold noodles

Food & DrinkStandard taiyakiたい焼きfish-shaped cake with bean paste

Food & DrinkStandard dorayakiどら焼きtwo small pancakes with sweet red bean paste between them

Food & DrinkStandard onsen tamago温泉卵the egg cooked the other way around

Food & DrinkStandard kaiseki ryori懐石料理the formal multi-course meal, and the two different things called kaiseki

Food & DrinkStandard amazake甘酒the sweet rice drink, with and without alcohol

Food & DrinkStandard kissaten喫茶店the old-style Japanese coffee shop

Food & DrinkStandard sakana o taberu bunka魚を食べる文化how much fish Japan eats, and how that is changing

Food & DrinkStandard ehomaki恵方巻the uncut sushi roll eaten facing a set direction at Setsubun

Food & DrinkStandard sansai to kinoko山菜ときのこwild vegetables and mushrooms from the mountains

Food & DrinkStandard shochu焼酎a distilled Japanese spirit

Food & DrinkStandard shokuhin rosu食品ロスfood that could have been eaten but was thrown away

Food & DrinkStandard sekihan赤飯red rice steamed with azuki beans

Food & DrinkStandard dagashi駄菓子the cheap sweets children buy with their own money

Food & DrinkStandard dango団子rice flour dumplings on a skewer

Food & DrinkStandard chawanmushi茶碗蒸しsavory steamed egg custard

Food & DrinkStandard tsukemono漬物Japanese pickles served alongside rice

Food & DrinkStandard nihon no uisuki日本のウイスキーhow Japan started making whisky, and why the old bottles vanished

Food & DrinkStandard umeboshi梅干しsalted pickled plums

Food & DrinkStandard mugicha麦茶cold barley tea

Food & DrinkStandard meika to miyagegashi銘菓と土産菓子the local sweets people buy as souvenirs

Food & DrinkStandard yoshoku洋食Western-style dishes invented in Japan

Food & DrinkStandard tamago kake gohan卵かけご飯raw egg over hot rice

HistoryStandard sorobanそろばんthe Japanese abacus

HistoryStandard Sekigahara no tatakai関ヶ原の戦いthe 1600 battle that decided who would rule Japan for 265 years

HistoryStandard kurofune黒船the American warships that forced Japan to open its ports in 1853

HistoryStandard Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu信長・秀吉・家康the three who unified Japan

HistoryStandard Sengoku jidai戦国時代Japan's age of civil war

HistoryStandard tenno天皇the Emperor of Japan

HistoryStandard ninja忍者the covert agents of feudal Japan

HistoryStandard Heike monogatari平家物語the war tale about the fall of a clan, recited to the lute

HistoryStandard manyoshu万葉集Japan's oldest surviving poetry collection

Home & LivingStandard wan eru di ke1LDKhow Japanese floor plans are labeled

Home & LivingStandard chabudaiちゃぶ台a low folding dining table

Home & LivingStandard yunitto basuユニットバスthe Japanese bathroom layout

Home & LivingStandard hikkoshi no tetsuzuki引っ越しの手続きwhat you must file when you move

Home & LivingStandard amado雨戸sliding storm shutters

Home & LivingStandard oshiire押し入れthe deep sliding-door closet

Home & LivingStandard katori senko蚊取り線香mosquito coil

Home & LivingStandard sotoboshi外干しdrying laundry and futons outdoors

Home & LivingStandard kawara yane瓦屋根the tiled roof

Home & LivingStandard tatekae to chuko jutaku建て替えと中古住宅why Japanese houses are so often rebuilt rather than resold

Home & LivingStandard kagi to bohan鍵と防犯how Japanese homes are secured

Home & LivingStandard tataki玄関のたたきthe sunken entryway floor where shoes come off

Home & LivingStandard shichirin七輪the small portable charcoal grill

Home & LivingStandard shuno to katazuke収納と片づけliving well in a small space

Home & LivingStandard kamidana神棚the household Shinto altar

Home & LivingStandard uchimizu打ち水sprinkling water on the ground to cool the air