If you’ve spent some time perusing the aisles of the convenience stores or local supermarkets in Japan, chances are you’ve come across packets or bottles of toppings specifically for rice.
You may have heard and even sampled Okinawa’s signature so-called soul food, taco rice – south-of-the-boarder-seasoned ground beef atop rice with shredded cheese, lettuce and tomato. But, what about its cousin, “omu-taco rice”?
One of the more popular sushi forms found in Japan is the nigiri, which is a simple pressed rectangle of rice (shari) topped with a piece of fish or other ingredient (neta).
Rice is more than just a food in Japan: wet rice cultivation shaped the course of Japanese history, rice plays an important role in Shinto rituals, and it’s the backbone of Japanese sake, mochi, and traditional Japanese desserts.
Kumagaya and surrounding areas in the northern Saitama area were the center of many visitors’ attentions in 2019 due to being host to some of the Rugby World Cup games.
An old Ryukyuan legend has it that a young couple accidentally fell from the sky onto Kouri Island, becoming the first inhabitants of what we know call the Okinawan islands.
You may have heard and even sampled Okinawa’s signature so-called soul food, taco rice – south-of-the-boarder-seasoned ground beef atop rice with shredded cheese, lettuce and tomato. But, what about its cousin, “omu-taco rice”?
If you think of alcohol and Japan, then the first thing that springs to mind is sake – but there are other alcoholic drinks too, one of which comes from the island of Okinawa! Awamori is an alcoholic drink which is also known as shimazakae, or island sake.
According to Showa Sangyo, a major flour manufacturer/supplier in Japan, it was in the Edo Era (1603 – 1868) when tempura became of part of Japanese cuisine publicly.
Okinawan brown sugar, made from sugarcane grown in fields blessed with strong southern-island sunlight and minerals delivered by the ocean spray, is very rich in flavor.
Much like the holiday season in the States, December is the most cheerful time in Japan thanks to endless year-end parties, called bonenkai (literally, forget-the-year party).
