Japan Culture Navi 日本語

Thursday, October 29 (archive)

Today in Japan

Watercolor of a steaming oshibori hand towel, yakitori skewers, fried and shell-on oysters, and motorcycle auto racers on an autumn oval track

What day is it?

  1. 2004年制定Oshibori Dayおしぼりの日

    Today is Oshibori Day, named after the wet towels you get at Japanese restaurants. It's a pun: 10, or ten in English, can be read as te, meaning hand, and 29 can be read as fuku, meaning wipe. A national federation of oshibori rental businesses set up the day in 2004. Many restaurants don't wash them. Rental companies deliver clean towels and take used ones back to wash.

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  2. 1950年Auto Race Dayオートレース発祥の日

    On this day in 1950, Japan held its first official auto race in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. In Japan, auto racing means motorcycles racing around an oval track, and people can legally bet on the races, just like horse racing. The first races were held on a dirt track built inside the Funabashi horse racing course.

  3. Japan-Raised Chicken Day国産とり肉の日

    October 29th is also a day to celebrate chicken raised in Japan. It was set by a national association of chicken producers and sellers. October was chosen because tori, the rooster, is the tenth animal of the Chinese zodiac, and 29 can be read as niku, meaning meat. Chicken is in many everyday dishes, like karaage, yakitori and oyakodon.

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If someone asks you

Q

Do people in Japan really eat chicken skin and cartilage?

A

Yes, and they're really popular at yakitori restaurants. Kawa is grilled chicken skin, and it gets crispy and a little fatty. Nankotsu is cartilage, and people like it for its crunch. You can also order hearts, liver and gizzards. If you're not sure, start with momo, which is thigh meat, and negima, chicken with green onion.

In season Oysters 牡蠣（かき） In Japan, many people say oysters start to taste their best in late autumn. Many people eat them fried as kaki-furai, grilled, or cooked in a hot pot. Hiroshima Prefecture is the biggest oyster-farming area in the country. There is also a large summer oyster called iwagaki, so in Japan you can find oysters in different seasons.
Micro-season 53 of 72 霎時施こさめときどきふる Light Rain Comes and Goes Short showers pass through and stop again. Japanese has a special word, shigure, for this late-autumn rain that never settles into a real downpour.

Phrase of the day

Here's a hot towel for your hands.

Sentence of the day

October 29th is Oshibori Day, named after the wet towels at Japanese restaurants. It's also the day Japan's first official auto race was held, back in 1950, and a day to enjoy chicken raised in Japan.

Related topics

Sources

Earlier days