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2004.2.4
A toast to mysteries
Japanese, you may be surprised to learn, are big fans of whodunit
thrillers, snatching up the latest works by both native writers and
foreign authors in translation.
The public’s enthusiasm for mayhem in print is also supported
through corporate philanthropy. Suntory Ltd., which has sponsored
Japan’s mystery fiction awards competition since 1983.
More recently, Yamazaki Distillery, the old home of Japanese whisky,
whose origins date back to 1923 -- the era when Sherlock Holmes was
entertaining readers in Great Britain -- came up with another kind
of competition. Well aware that authors of hard-boiled fiction often
relax between chapters with sips of a tasty bottled beverage, six
popular authors of whodunits were enlisted to concoct their own favorite
blend of whisky. After a tasting competition the winner was selected,
and his formula was produced in a limited, 3,000-bottle edition that
went on sale from December 11.
Named “Nazo 2003 Special Mysterious Whisky” -- nazo means
mystery -- it is being offered limited via on their website at the
price of 5,000 yen (approx. U.S. $47) for a 600ml numbered bottle.
The six mystery authors involved in the project, the variety developed
by Mr. Hase (who is the author of book made into the action film “Fuyajo
-- Sleepless City”) a blend of seven different malts and three
grains aged 15 years or longer, was selected to become Nazo 2003.
Mr. Hase’s creation is described as having a “rich, smokey
aroma.” He also influenced the bottle’s distinctive red
label design, based on imagery described in his books and fashions. |
2003.12.26
Get it while it’s hot
As fans of Japanese cuisine already know, sake (rice wine) is often
served heated in small ceramic flasks -- much like the carafes used
for wine -- known as “tokkuri.” While personal preferences
may vary, the usual serving temperature is between 49 to 52 degrees
Centigrade (120 and 126 degrees Fahrenheit).
This past autumn, Kiku-Masamune, a major sake brewery located in the
Nada area of Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, launched a product in an innovative
container. Called “Hotto Cup,” it is an individual serving
of sake in a 180ml plastic cup. What makes the cup particularly unique
is that it can be set directly in a microwave oven without first having
to open the container. Heating time in typical home-use 500W microwave
oven is one minute; time is shorter for the more powerful microwave
units such as those used in restaurants and convenience stores.
So unique is the design of the new cup that Kiku-Masamune has applied
for a patent. The variety of sake in “Hotto Cup,” by the
way, is rated “karakuchi” -- the dry type said to be preferred
by true sake connoiseurs. Its alcohol content is between 14 to 15
percent. An 180ml cup retails for about 200 yen. (about US$ 1.85).
While Kiku-Masamune’s own roots go back to 1659, the brewing
of fermented rice beverage is believed to date to the introduction
of rice cultivation into Japan about 2,000 years ago. To give people
a greater appreciation for this traditional beverage, the company’s
English-language web site has an extremely detailed section covering
sake FAQs. (Among the questions: Is there any good instant hangover
cure? Advice: “Don’t drink too much.”)
Japan, incidentally, observes Sake-no-Hi (Sake Day) each October 1.
But since sake can be consumed at almost every occasion, any day of
the year is a good one to raise a toast with this tasty and healthy
beverage. Kampai! (Cheers) |
2003.11.26
Making health a fashion
You never know what lurks between the threads of your garments these
days. Fuji Spinning Co. Ltd., a 106-year old company based in Tokyo,
recently announced it had developed new textiles that it claims will
make its wearers look good in more ways than one.
In the two still-unnamed materials are fibers embedded with either
an extract of Japanese rice wine (sake) incorporating amino acids
and other substances, or squalene, an extract from the livers of sharks
that inhabit deep regions of the ocean. Wearing such garments, the
company claims, will help to prevent dryness while enhancing skin
smoothness.
The substances are applied after the thread has been dyed and woven
into fabric, and Fuji Spinning claims they will continue to benefit
the wearer through at least 30 washings.
Blouses, undergarments, pajamas and other women’s apparel with
these substances embedded in their fiber are expected to go on the
market from February 2004.
The new garments follow on the heels of “Wonderslim,” a
line of women’s undergarments incorporating caffeine and sea
vegetables, which the maker claimed the generation of body enzymes
that aid in the breakdown of fat cells, helping the wearer to reduce
weight. |
2003.11.21
Little Rascals, Japanese style
 “KORA!
KONO ITAZURA KOZOU!” (Hey, you naughty little monsters!) reads
the words on the box. Yes, boys will be boys, even in Japan, where
practical jokes and pranks are referred to as “itazura.”
In more innocent times -- before spray paint, butterfly knives and
recreational drugs came into wide use -- kids used to indulge in all
kinds of naughty, but basically harmless, capers. Now MegaHouse has
immortalized some of the more typical into a collection of six activities
named collectively as “Nostalgic Boys.” The set of miniatures
include 1. “Otoshi ana” (pitfall booby trap); 2. “Kokuban
keshi otoshi” (setting the blackboard eraser on top of the door,
so that it falls on teacher’s head); 3. Rakugaki (graffiti) and
three other naughty tricks designed to win their perpetrators a vigorous
spanking.
 The
accompanying image shows an activity referred to as “Pin-Pon
dash” (ringing someone’s door bell and running away), where
one boy is shown pressing the bell of a family named Kaneko while
an excited bulldog yaps at them from behind the gate.
The manufacturer insists that its product is aimed at customers aged
15 and above, and is careful to include the disclaimer “Zettai
ni mane shinai de ne!” (Don’t imitate this) on the box.
A piece of coffee flavored hard candy is included. |
2003.11.06
Paws to clean up
 “Ashi
wo arau,” literally to wash one’s feet, is a time tested
Japanese expression meaning to call it quits. In Japan, in other words,
you don’t wash your hands of something, but rather your feet.
These days, with growing numbers of Japanese animal lovers keeping
dogs in their house, this expression has come to take on an entirely
new meaning. You see, while it's customary for people to remove their
shoes before entering a house, dogs returning from their neighborhood
constitutional do not have this option. So Honda Electronics, a specialty
manufacturer of ultrasonics products, has developed “Kirei da
Wan,” a compact footbath designed to give those four paws a quick
wash before admitting Fido into the house. Cleaning off those paws,
the Aichi Prefecture-based manufacturer asserts, will prevent him
from unwittingly tracking dirt and disease-bearing microbes into the
house, thereby affording added protection to its human inhabitants.
And it serves as good hygiene for the dog as well.
The unit makes use of ultrasonic vibrations to shake out embedded
grime from the pads of a dog’s paws, even without soap. Weighing
1.8kg, it comes equipped with a 40-second automatic shutoff timer,
1.5-meter length power cord and a ground to prevent shock. The green
housing is constructed of sturdy ABS resin. Kirei da Wan, which means
something like “It’s so clean,” is a play on words,
since “wan” is also onomatopoeia for “bow” as
in “bow-wow.” |
2003.10.21
Tiny Japanese-style treats
“Hey honey, what's for dinner tonite?”
“I’ve prepared one of your favorites, dear, shabu
shabu.”
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 Tokyo-based
novelty company Re-ment serves up a mouth-watering miniature
of this popular winter dish, complete with a plate of thinly
sliced strips of tender sirloin, hot-pot, sesame dip and disposable
chopsticks. (A one yen coin (diameter: 2.0 cm) was included
in the photo to give an idea of its tiny size.) This is just
one in a set of 10 Washoku Zanmai (“complete immersion
in Japanese cuisine”) collectible miniatures that are being
sold at retailer outlets around the country.
Other items in the set include tempura, oden (mixed morsels
of fish sausage), kamameshi (rice steamed together with various
condiments) and fugu sashimi (raw blowfish, a dish definitely
not for the timid since improper preparation can be fatal).
So let’s dig in, shall we? Itadakimasu!
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2003.10.14
The Showa Omohide Sento
| Only in Japan, perhaps, do people wax nostalgic
over the days when they had no bath at home. The "Showa
Omohide Sento" (Memories of the Public Bath from the Showa
era) consists of a collection of a dozen miniature figurines
from the good old days circa 1950-1965. These items could be
seen when people walked to the local public bath each evening
for a relaxing soak. Among the items found in each box (you
won't know until you open it) are a dressing table, cooler for
chilled beverages, spigots and mirrors, a "getabako"
(shoe locker), entrance counter with a scale, and, oh yes, a
packet of scented bath salts. From the Takara toy company. |
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2003.10.01
Hi-tech nostalgia
 You’ve
got to give Takara a hand -- the Tokyo-based toymaker really knows
how to come up with some provocative conversation pieces. Imagine
welcoming a visiting friend to your living room, from 50 years ago,
where you can pretend to sit down in a six-mat tatami room that’s
designed to appear like a typical Japanese residence circa 1955, and
watch TV from a 1.5-inch color LCD screen that really works.
“The Showa Television,” which went on sale from September
26, is an amazingly lifelike, down-home replica of the good old days,
when Japan’s postwar baby boomers, now in their mid-50s, grew
up as the first generation to have TV at home. (“Showa”
refers to the era from 1926 to 1989, corresponding to the reign of
the late Emperor Hirohito.) The unit, which measures 21.5cm in width,
20cm high and 16.5cm deep, can receive signals from both VHF and UHF
channels, also boasts a retro-style volume control knob and comes
complete with AV inputs that permit connection of a (full-sized) VCR
or DVD player.
The room features tatami flooring, a tacky souvenir pennant, framed
award certificate, old-fashioned rice cooker, small table set for
dinner and all the other accouterments of the humble lifestyle of
half a century ago, before video games and cell phones invaded our
lives.
This supplements Takara’s series of six miniature figurines of
street peddlers -- including a tofu (bean curd) vendor, noodle stand,
sweet potato vendor and three others -- sharing the name “Showa
no Oto” (The Sounds of Showa). |
2003.10.01
Technology through the ages
 For
centuries, Switzerland and Germany have been famous throughout the
world for cuckoo clocks, toys and other mechanical devices created
by their master craftsmen. These devices, known as "KARAKURI,"
also have a long history in Japan. They were first mentioned in the
Konjaku Monogatari ("Tales of Times Now and Past"), a 31-volume
collection of folklore compiled around 1100 A.D., although none of
the working models remain.
In the 16th Century, Japan imported mechanical clocks and other devices
from Europe, further stimulating interest. During the Edo period (1603-1868),
several individuals around the country became famous for their amazing
craftsmanship. A man by the name Hosokawa Hanzo, who lived from 1741
to 1796, whose claim to fame rests on his amazing mechanical devices,
one of which -- the "Chahakobi Ningyo" (tea-serving robot)
may very well be the world's oldest mechanical robot
--; particularly if robot is used in its original sense of a machine
that performs work.
Hosokawa's mechanical doll, dressed in a formal kimono and hakama
(pleated skirt) stood about 26 centimeters (10.25 inches) in height,
The doll -- whose feet appear to move -- approaches a person carrying
a cup of tea atop a tray, bows its head, and serves the tea. After
the empty cup is returned to the tray, the doll will make an about
face and depart.
The doll utilizes an intricate system of separate gears and springs
that control its starting and stopping, forward movement, bowing and
turning.
Hosokawa also produced an illustrated manual, which stands out as
one of the oldest instruction books on the subject of mechanical engineering.
Gakken, a Tokyo-based publisher of educational materials, now offers
a facsimile of the "Chahakobi Ningyo" in kit form as part
of its "Otona no Kagaku" (science for adults) series. Sold
in toy shops, book stores and also via the Internet (only in Japan
at present), the kit, based on Hosokawa Hanzo's original design, walks,
bows and serves tea -- amazingly without batteries! |
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