I’ll Make It Myself!: “Kitchen Library – 8.28.2012”
Blogs, Food & Drink, I'll Make It Myself, Writers 
Comments Off on I’ll Make It Myself!: “Kitchen Library – 8.28.2012”
L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel (formerly The Art of Japan: Kanazawa & Discover Kanazawa), ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan, and curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan.
New Rice Cooker Chronicles submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
Who wants to go behind the scenes of I’ll Make It Myself?
Not everything I do culinarily makes it to the pages of this blog. Some recipes require a special trip to the cheese counter of a department store–seems a bit unfair for my readers in rural Japan, and trust me, I have been there. Some articles are interesting but don’t merit a full rant–er, analysis.
Click HERE to read more.
WIT Life #213: BayStars Baseball Revival
Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #213: BayStars Baseball Revival
WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Continuing with the sports theme, today’s NYT has an article about some of the unusual measures the Yokohama BayStars have incorporated to increase attendance at their games. They include discounts for children and seniors on certain days if they wear the team’s jersey, for cross dressers on Thursdays and for late arrivals. In addition, another promotion is Read More
WIT Life #212: US Open 2012
Events, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #212: US Open 2012
WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Yesterday I went to the first day of this year’s U.S. Open tennis tournament in Flushing Meadows, and managed to catch some matches despite a long rain delay. I was happy to see that two of the outer courts were featuring Japanese players, Kei Nishikori (nicknamed “Air K” because of the jump he takes to give his forehand a little extra power) and Hiroki Moriya. I had never heard of the latter but am a big fan of the former, having first seen him in an exciting five-setter at the Open several years ago.
When my friend and I arrived, Nishikori was up two sets and leading in the third against Argentinian Guido Andreozzi when the downpour began. We camped out at the side court to insure good seats when the match resumed, which it did a few hours later. Andreozzi showed some strength but Read More
I’ll Make It Myself!: Café Mojo (Veg* Out in Kanazawa Series)
Blogs, Food & Drink, I'll Make It Myself, Travel/Tourism, Writers Comments Off on I’ll Make It Myself!: Café Mojo (Veg* Out in Kanazawa Series)
L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel (formerly The Art of Japan: Kanazawa & Discover Kanazawa), ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan, and curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan.
New Rice Cooker Chronicles submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
One thing I dislike about eating out in Japan is “secret meat.” For whatever reason, the Japanese concept of meat and the English one are quite different: if you chop up meat small enough, it’s no longer considered meat; fish/seafood aren’t meat; there’s fish-based dashi stock in miso soup; some shokupan (white bread) contains lard; and, even if you’re really good at Japanese, clearly labeled menus are a luxury. For example, if I order a pizza margherita, I expect it to be vegetarian, and yet some places will throw bacon on it. If I order a “vegetable soup,” there might be chicken in it that wasn’t listed on the menu.
Luckily for me, I’ve found a lot of great restaurants in Kanazawa that specialize in or offer vegetarian/vegan fare. In Kyoto and Tokyo, there are vegan and vegetarian guidebooks being published, but Kanazawa and Ishikawa don’t have their own yet. I can’t be the only one out there who hates secret meat, so I want to highlight my favorite veg* restaurants in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, and Japan here in addition to my other restaurant reviews. I’m including a quick overview to the restaurant (location, type, veg* type) before the longer review so you’ll know at a glance if this place is for you. If you have suggestions about the reviews or for more restaurants, please leave a comment!
I’d like to kick off this series with one of my favorite cafes in Kanazawa, Café Mojo.
Café Mojo (カフェモジョ)
Location: Kanazawa City, Ishikawa pref.
Type: Café, Lunch
Veg Status: Primarily vegetarian and vegan fare; meat options (bacon)
Languages: Japanese, English
I’ll Make It Myself!: “Together in the Kitchen with a Whole Bunch of Eggplants: Eggplant Curry”
Blogs, Food & Drink, I'll Make It Myself, Writers Comments Off on I’ll Make It Myself!: “Together in the Kitchen with a Whole Bunch of Eggplants: Eggplant Curry”
L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel (formerly The Art of Japan: Kanazawa & Discover Kanazawa), ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan, and curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan.
New Rice Cooker Chronicles submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to L.M. at jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
This time on “why did I buy a whole box of this vegetable?”: what to do with six eggplants?
Cheruko is harvesting eggplants–many, many eggplants. They brought eleven of them to dinner a couple weeks ago to distribute, and I took six. My go-to recipes when I am cooking for myself are Italian- and French-style dishes that pair the eggplants with tomatoes, basil, and parsley: ratatouille, gratin, vegetable lasagna. When I am alone in kitchen with an eggplant, these are the dishes I make. However, the texture of these dishes is, unfortunately, precisely what our spouses dislike about eggplants. (Though mine does like Summer Pasta with Eggplant Sauce because the eggplant is cooked down a lot.)
WIT Life #211: Mochi madness
Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #211: Mochi madness
WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
I am wrapping up an interpreting job in Honolulu, and during my time here I have been enjoying local Hawaiian foods like poi and ahi as well as lots of my favorite Japanese dessert, mochi. The food court of the massive Ala Moana mall has a stand called Kansai Yamato where you can get homemade mochi. I have highlighted KY in this blog before, but they offer an amazing variety of flavors ranging from Kona coffee to peanut butter to mango. You can watch the employees making the mochi in front of your eyes, so you know Read More
JET alum Lars Martinson publishes “Kameoka Diaries Volume 2” e-comic
Books, Cartoon/Illustration, Humor, Japan Local, JET Alum Author Beat, Language Study, Notable JET Alums, Writers Comments Off on JET alum Lars Martinson publishes “Kameoka Diaries Volume 2” e-comic
*************
Lars Martinson (Fukuoka-ken 2003-2006), author of the graphic novels Tonoharu: Part Two andTonoharu: Part 1, has just published the Kameoka Diaries Volume 2. This is a follow-up to Kameoka Diaries Volume 1, Lars’ insightful and entertaining (especially to any JETs) e-comic about his return to teaching English, this time in Kameoka, Kyoto.
Notably, you can purchase a copy for $0.99 for iPhone/iPad/iPodTouch or pay $1 for a PDF version for Mac/PC/Android/whatever.
More info here and below: http://larsmartinson.com/kameokadiaries2-now-available/
In Lars’ words:
When I submitted my first e-comics to Apple, ( The Kameoka Diaries: Volume One and Young Men of a Certain Mind ) it took one month for them to get approved, so I’m surprised & delighted it only took two days this time. But hey, I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth!
I’ll write more about the new volume of The Kameoka Diaries soon; I just wanted to get this announcement blog entry out right-away.
So please check it out. And if you enjoy it, please consider writing a review on iBooks, and/or telling your friends, and/or tweeting about it, and/or “liking” it on Facebook. Thanks a bunch!
JETwit Note: I just downloaded a copy onto my iPhone as soon as I saw the announcement. Volume 1 was great, even on an iPhone screen.
I’ll Make It Myself!: “Summer Pasta with Eggplant Sauce”
Blogs, Food & Drink, I'll Make It Myself, Writers Comments Off on I’ll Make It Myself!: “Summer Pasta with Eggplant Sauce”
L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel (formerly The Art of Japan: Kanazawa & Discover Kanazawa), ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan, and curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan.
New Rice Cooker Chronicles submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
Enjoy Japan’s excellent eggplants and tomatoes in this summery dish! -L
Who needs meat when you have the bounty of summer produce? Today I’m happy to share a recipe I think would be amazing at a dinner party–or simply to make something nice for yourself on a quiet evening at home. Bring out the best in summer tomatoes and eggplants with fresh basil, garlic, and a bit of cheese.
WIT Life #210: Of Rice and Retirees
Earthquake Tsunami, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #210: Of Rice and Retirees
WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Last month the NYT offered several interesting articles on Japan’s economic situation, and there are two in particular that I would like to share. The first discusses how consumers are reevaluating their allegiance to Japanese rice in light cheaper options from places abroad like China, America and Australia. This foreign rice which used to be largely shunned is now hard to get a hold of. In addition, one major rice producing region in Japan is Fukushima where last year’s earthquake and tsunami hit. Farmers there are struggling to Read More
I’ll Make It Myself!: “Tanabata Beer Festa Toyama 2012”
Blogs, Food & Drink, I'll Make It Myself, Travel/Tourism, Writers Comments Off on I’ll Make It Myself!: “Tanabata Beer Festa Toyama 2012”
L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel (formerly The Art of Japan: Kanazawa & Discover Kanazawa), ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan, and curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan.
New Rice Cooker Chronicles submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
The Tanabata Beer Festa Toyama, held the first full weekend of July each year in Toyama City, Toyama, is one of Hokuriku’s only beer festivals. I hopped the train south with a couple of our friends for an afternoon of craft beer. I hadn’t been to a beer festival since I left Michigan three years ago, so I was beyond thrilled.
What does one drink when confronted with 20 breweries’ worth of Japan’s finest craft beer? Make a game plan. When I attended the Michigan Brewers’ Guild Summer Beer Festival, I decided to only drink cherry beers, as those are much harder to get on draft than stouts. This time, after three years of living deprived of regular access to stouts, I circled 5 stouts I’d like to try, got a pizza for lunch, and set to work drinking.
NY Times reviews “Triburbia” by JET alum Karl Taro Greenfeld
Books, Celebrity, JETs in the News, Notable JET Alums, Writers Comments Off on NY Times reviews “Triburbia” by JET alum Karl Taro Greenfeld
*******************
JET alum Karl Taro Greenfeld (Kanagawa-ken, 1988-89), author of Speed Tribes: Days and Nights With Japan’s Next Generation), has a new book out titled Triburbia: A Novel which was recently reviewed by the New York Times (“Bobos in Paradise“). Here’s the link to the review: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/books/review/triburbia-by-karl-taro-greenfeld.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
- For more information about Karl Taro Greenfeld, go to his website or read the Wikipedia entry about him.
- To purchase the book on Amazon, go here: http://www.amazon.com/Triburbia-Novel-Karl-Taro-Greenfeld/dp/0062132393
The Rice Cooker Chronicles: “’Rice’ Cooker” by Adam H. Lisbon
Food & Drink, Rice Cooker Chronicles, Writers Comments Off on The Rice Cooker Chronicles: “’Rice’ Cooker” by Adam H. Lisbon
The Rice Cooker Chronicles is a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan. The brain-child of JETwit founder Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, Kariya-shi, 1992-94) (and inspired by the book Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant), this series is curated by L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11), the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel/ The Art of Japan: Kanazawa, ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan.
New submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
“Rice” Cooker
by Adam H Lisbon (ALT, Kobe-shi, Hyogo-ken; 2004-2007), Program Associate at the North American Coordinating Council of Japanese Library Resources & Instructor of Japanese Studies at the University at Albany. Adam just finished his graduate program, receiving a master’s in information science. He is currently undertaking the perilous journey to become an academic librarian.
I fry eggs in my rice cooker. If I were still in Japan this would the kind of story I’d tell at the enkai, or to junior high students during my jikoshokai, explaining my wacky foreigner ways. But the truth is I got the idea from Japanese reality TV. The premise? Survive on 百万円 for one month. One contestant cooked everything in her rice cooker…at work, to cut back on her electricity use.
I’ll Make It Myself!: “Hot Weather, Cool Kitchen: Overnight Oats”
Blogs, Food & Drink, I'll Make It Myself, Writers Comments Off on I’ll Make It Myself!: “Hot Weather, Cool Kitchen: Overnight Oats”
L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. A writer and web administrator for The Art of Travel/ The Art of Japan: Kanazawa, ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan, and curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan.
New Rice Cooker Chronicles submissions always welcome. Just e-mail it to jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
There are two import foods I can’t live without: peanut butter and oats.
Let’s talk about oats–I’ll get to the peanut butter later. Sometimes I buy Quaker Oats in bulk from online import stores; sometimes I buy Alishan or Alara jumbo organic oats at Diamond in Omicho Market; sometimes I get Nisshoku oatmeal from the regular supermarket, though I prefer bigger oats. At any rate, there’s a constant supply of oatmeal in my kitchen, which keeps my cereal-obsessed American self quite happy, especially in the dead of the Hokuriku winter when the morning oatmeal warms the kitchen and dining room.
But what about in summer?
Hello JET community! This is Beau Mueller (Miyazaki-ken, 2009-11), over from JETProgram.ME. We wanted to share the list of excellent essays we received for our Summer 2012 Informative Essay Contest.
See below for a list of all twelve of the diverse entries we have received from JETs in all stages of the JET process. If you like a particular essay, by all means, please feel free to Facebook like, comment and otherwise share. The essay authors will surely appreciate your support and feedback!
 |
“Bringing a Family on the JET Programme” by David Pearce, JET Alum (Mie-ken, 1995-98) |
 |
“Getting Married in Japan” by John McMillen, JET Alum (Fukui-ken, 2006-08) |
 |
“Married on the JET Programme” by Michelle Zimmermann, Current JET (Shimane-ken) |
 |
“Tips for Aspiring JETs – the JET Programme Application Process” by Gemma Villanueva, JET Alum (Fukushima-ken, 2008-11) |
Japanese History and Traditional Culture
 |
“The Discovery of the Fountain of Youth: Japanese Hot Springs” by Mary Shannon Teague, JET Alum (Nagano-ken) |
 |
“The History of the Ninja” by Susan Winterton, JET Alum |
 |
“Traditional Origami” by Carl Moravec, Current JET (Miyazaki-ken) |
Japanese Anime/Manga
 |
“Inuyasha and Kagome – Reflection on the Power of Love” by Hafizhah Fadhilla, Prospective JET |
 |
“Spirited Away the Movie: Gateway to the Ghosted Landscapes of Japan” by Heenali Patel, Prospective JET |
Learn Japanese
 |
“Learning HOW to Speak Japanese” by Nathalie Ng, JET Alum |
 |
“Learning to Speak Japanese” by H.F. Clarke, Prospective JET |
Travel Japan
 |
“Tokyo Attractions — One Gaijin’s Perspective” by Richard Burns, JET Alum (Saitama-ken) |
WIT Life #209: The Amazing Yakusho Koji!
Events, Film, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #209: The Amazing Yakusho Koji!
WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
I had an unusually exciting Friday night as I got to meet one of my favorite actors, Yakusho Koji! He was on hand at Japan Society’s wonderful 2-week film festival Japan Cuts to screen his movie The Woodsman and the Rain. He was also presented with the first ever Japan Cuts prize, the CUT ABOVE award for excellence in film. He is pictured here with festival coordinator Samuel Jamier and interpreter Linda Hoaglund during the pre-screening introduction, during which time he humbly thanked the audience for Read More
