Japan Expo

Japan Expo is a huge annual event that takes place in the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center and is commonly accepted as the biggest festival about Japanese Culture in Europe. It runs from the 2 of June all the way to the 6th. It is definitely on my bucket list.

History of Japan Expo

In France anime is quite popular and over the years a rather large fan base has been created. People watching anime become more and more drawn to Japanese culture and want to learn about it and experience some of it. The Japan Expo was created to fulfill this need, it is mainly and anime convention but also has Games and many other attractions including special guests and even ninjas!

What Happens at Japan Expo

There are many events over the course of Japan Expo ranging from Fashion to anime to manga to video games and toys. There are contests and games to play and screening of different animes. There is even a place for aspiring artists to draw and the chance to meet some of the voices in some of the animes in France. It's definitely something that anime hardcore anime/manga/Japan fan should experience at some point in their life.

Their Website for more information

http://www.japan-expo-paris.com/

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Fred's Phrases: Anime: Fruits Basket Vocabulary

Earlier this week we reviewed the anime 'Fruits Basket' so why don't we learn a bit of the vocab used in the anime?

Daoist (Taoist) symbols carved in stone: yin-yang and animals of the Chinese zodiac. Qingyanggong temple, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Anime Vocabulary Lesson 1: Fruits Basket

Animals of the Zodiac

Eng:             Jap:              Kanji

Mouse:        Nezumi :       鼠

Ox:              Osuushi:       雄牛

Tiger:           Tora:            虎

Rabbit:         Usagi:          ウサギ

Dragon:        Ryū:            竜

Snake:          Hebi:            蛇

Horse:          Uma:            馬

Sheep:          Hitsuji:         羊

Monkey:       Saru:            猿

Rooster:        Ondori:        雄鶏

Dog:             Inu:              犬

Pig:               Buta:            豚

And the extra...

Cat:               Neko:          猫

Miscellaneous words
Landslide:    Jisuberi:        地滑り
Handsome:  Hansamu:      ハンサム
Schoolgirl:   Joshi seito:    女子生徒
Hot spring:   Onsen:          温泉
Curse:          Noroi:           呪い
Hug:            Hōyō:            抱擁

Three Excellent Documentaries on Japan

You love Japan? How about you study up and watch these awesome top rated documentaries?

Life in Japan: This one is about actual life in Japan and the experiences of various foreigners. This personally my favorite documentary and is something that really solidified my resolve to learn the Japanese language.

Japan by Bicycle: It's subbed but still an amazing documentary.

Secrets of the Samurai Sword: is an excellent documentary with a lot of replay value.

What are your favorite documentaries about Japan? comment below or leave a message on our facebook and we will include them in our next list of 'what to watch documentaries'.

Related articles

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Chopsticks

English: Chopsticks for cooking Français : bois à manger (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You are probably well aware that in Japan rather than using knives or forks, chopsticks are the most common eating implement. How much do you really know about chopsticks?

The chopsticks お箸(Ohashi)

At the home in Japan, each family has their own chopsticks. Parents tend to use long chopsticks and children use short chopsticks. There are a variety of colors and designs in department and other stores in Japan.

Many Japanese people carry around their own set of chopsticks. By doing this they avoid having to use the cheap throw away chopsticks (waribashi) that are often supplied at bento shops. Most Japanese find chopsticks easier to use that a knife and fork.

When eating at a restaurant in Japan you will see a Chopstick rest (箸置き hashioki) on the table. If there is no chopstick rest and you need to put your chopsticks down then simple fold the wrapper your chopsticks came in, into an accordion shape and use that as the rest.

Never ever ever

1. Lift chopstick above mouth height.
2. Tear food apart by holding one chopstick in each hand
3. Shake off liquid on tip of chopstick.
4. Swing hand that is holding chopstick.
5. Shovel food into mouth with chopsticks, with the edge of you mouth on the rice bowl
6. Let chopsticks roam around plate while you are deciding what next to eat.
7. Hold chopsticks with hand that is already holding dish.
8. Put food in your mouth that is dripping.
9. Lick cop sticks.
10. Use chopsticks upside-down.
11. Eat with unmatched pair of chopsticks.
12. Tap plate with chopsticks.
13. Pass food from one person to another using chopsticks.
14. Use as toothpick.

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Miso Soup

Hello! I'm Chloe and this is my kitchen!

A bowl of miso soup (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here we talk about cool Japanese foods and I even give you recipes! Today's cool Japanese food is....

Miso

 (みそ)

ヒラツメガニの味噌汁(miso soup) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Miso Soup (Photo credit: carlosj)

Miso is just one of those awesome Japanese seasonings that not everyone has heard of. It is made by fermenting soybeans with salt and a fungus known as kōjikin in Japan. Sometimes rice is included to make the delicious gloopy paste. Just add a little dashi soup stock and you have some tasty miso soup (misoshiru) on your hands! Surely the king of staple foods.

Miso is rich in vitamins and high in proteins and was even around in feudal Japan. Most of the time it has a delicious salty taste but both the taste and smell change depending on how it was fermented.
Miso has quite a lot of variety so it's worth
experimenting with.

Miso Soup (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here is a simple recipe for Miso Soup that I hope you will enjoy!
Vegetarian Friendly!

Ingredients:

4 cups water
1/3 cup miso
3 green onions (scallions), chopped
1 tbsp shredded nori or wakame seaweed
1/2 block firm silken tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
dash soy sauce (optional)
1/2 tsp sesame oil (optional)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Yield: Serves: 3-4

Instructions:

1. Get a medium sized saucepan and put in you water and dashi packet (be sure to give it a good stir!).
2. Bring it to boil on medium heat. When it boils reduce it to a simmer for approximately five minutes.
3. Make sure you've gotten rid of that Dashi packet. Get a Tbsp. of miso and mix it in with your dashi. Kepp on doing it till all of the miso is used up.
4. you can try adding tofu to dilute it if you like. Just cut it into neat cubes and plop it in, give it a gentle stir. You of course don't have too but it is tasty.
5. Get some lovely soak dried wakame and put it in some water for a good ten minutes or so.
6. While that's soaking slice up a nice green onion and serve it in a bowl with your wakame when you're ready,
7. Put you miso soup on simmer till it heated through and then serve.

Top Tips

Kombu Dashi is the best for vegetarians.

Don't boil the miso because it ruins the taste.

Taste as you go!

I hope you enjoyed this lesson! Why don't you post a response on Smiletalk about your experience making miso soup!

Return to Classroom

Related articles About Miso You Might Enjoy

• Food & Drink Bloggers in Japan (amended regularly)
• Miso Soup
• Easy Onion Miso with Nori+Kale
• Let's Cooking! recipe: Miso soup
• Ingredient of the week: Miso
• Homemade Miso Soup
• How to Make Miso Soup (Or My First Attempt at Making Miso Soup)
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• Recipe for Miso Soup
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30 Prompts

Japan (Photo credit: YoTuT)

English: Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion Temple), Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan Français : Kinkaku-ji: le Pavillon d'Or, Kyoto, préfecture de Kyoto, Japon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here are 30 prompts for you to try on Smiletalk

1. Some items you find on a menu (tea, chips).
2. Some terms for describing the weather.
3. Colours and whats associated with them (red=stop).
4. Describing a famous painting such as the mona lisa.
5. Recipe for a healthy lunch
6. Things you can do in your local area
7. Etiquette at the dinner table
8. Your favorite tv show and who's in it
9. Terms for describing family
10. Greetings & Goodbyes
11. Names of items in your bathroom
12. Names of items in your bedroom
13. Describe an animal naming all it's different parts (horns, paws, rear legs, flippers)
14. A trip to a zoo (real or imagined)
15. What you know about Japan
16. How long have you been learning Japanese
17. What motivates you?
18. Some adjectives to do with something positive
19. Some verbs associated with movement
20. What to do in an emergency
21. A paragraph from a favorite book
22. Talk about your favorite character from an anime or manga
23. Describe a drinking glass
24. Talk about what you think is important for a foreigner to know
25. Talk about a famous historical figure
26. Talk about your dream vs battle (e.g Chuck Norris vs Batman)
27. Talk about places you've been
28. Give some trivia
29. Read a poem
30. What you hope to gain by learning a second language.