Japanese Song of the Week MAMORE!!! by IDOLING!!!

This week’s Japanese Song of the Week is MAMORE!!! by IDOLING!!!, which has debuted at number 2 on the Japanese J-Pop Oricon charts.

IDOLING!!! (アイドリング) is a Japanese female idol group created by Fuji TV. The concept of the group was to watch the girls grow as idols and experience various things. They have a weekly variety show on TV and release albums, singles, DVD specials and perform live. They debuted in 2006, and have gone through many generation changes with the 5th generation of the group due in February 2012. This is the groups 17th single.

This song is in the style of that other famous idol group AKB48 and is very upbeat.

Watch the music video for the single MAMORE!!! by IDOLING!!!

IDOLING!!! Official Fuji TV Website

Melbourne Japanese Summer Festival 2012

The Melbourne Japanese Summer Festival is on at the Docklands on Saturday, February 11th from 4-8pm. Summer Festivals are popular annual events throughout Japan and now you have the chance to experience one here in Melbourne.

Admission to the festival is free and will showcase a number of performances including Dances, Taiko Drumming, Shamisen and Sumo. The festival will be packed with a wide range of stalls with traditional Japanese games, activities and food including Sushi, Okonomiyaki, Japanese Bento and Japanese Beer.

Location:
Waterfront City Piazza Docklands
Melway: 2E D4

The program for the festival

4:00 pm Stalls Open
4:10 pm Taiko Drumming (Wadaiko Rindo)
4:20 pm Opening Address
4:30 pm Dance Performance (The Japanese School of Melbourne)
4:40 pm Bon Odori (Summer Dance)
5:20 pm Shamisen Performance (Tadano Group)
5:30 pm Dance Performance (Murasaki no Kai)
5:40 pm Sumo Wrestling
6:00 pm Bon Odori 2
6:45 pm Taiko Drumming (Wadaiko Rindo)
7:05 pm Raffle Draw (Two Return Tickets to Japan)
8:00 pm Festival Closing Address

More information and details available at www.fest.jcci-jsm.org.au

Japan Australia on Facebook

Japan Australia is now on Facebook. It has been a while in the making, but you can now follow me on Facebook by following this link http://www.facebook.com/pages/Japan-Australia/314387065264301

I hope to see you all there and thank you for the continued support of Japan Australia.

Japan Rail Kanto Area Pass

The Japan Rail Pass is great if you are a visitor to Japan and plan to do a lot of travelling, but what if you already live in Japan. Then the Japan Rail Kanto Area Pass is for you. The Japan Rail Kanto Area Pass is new for non-Japanese passport holders. It allows for unlimited travel on JR trains (including shinkansen and limited express trains) and selected non-JR trains in the Kanto Region on three consecutive days.

The pass allows you to travel in Tokyo and the surrounding Kanto region including popular tourist destinations such as Mount Fuji, Hakone, Izu, and Karuizawa.

The pass went on sale from December 1st 2011 and can be used from January 2012.

The Japan Rail Kanto Area Pass costs 8000 yen for Adults and 4000 yen for Children (6-12 years).

Visit the link for more details
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/kantoareapass/index.html

Shogayaki (Pork with Ginger Soy Sauce)

image from cozymax

This Month’s Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe is Shogayaki, which is a quick and easy dish to make at home. This recipe uses the Teriyaki sauce shown in last month’s recipe to flavour the sliced pork, which is then stir-fried.


Shogayaki is commonly served hot with rice and shredded cabbage.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup teriyaki sauce (See Teriyaki Sauce Recipe)
• 200g sliced lean pork
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger juice
• vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• ½ brown onion
• 2 cabbage leaves, sliced

Method

1. Prepare teriyaki sauce.
2. Marinate pork in teriyaki sauce and ginger juice for 30 minutes.
3. Pour a little oil in a non-stick frying pan and stir-fry onion and pork for 5 minutes or until cooked.
4. Add sauce and cook for another minute.
5. Serve with sliced cabbage on the side.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Takayama Japan

Takayama (高山市) located in the mountainous Hida region of Gifu Prefecture in Japan is famous for its beautifully preserved old town. It is a small beautiful city known for its traditional architecture and crafts. Takayama is a rare place in Japan because it has managed to retain its traditional charm with its traditional inns, shops and sake breweries still in operation. The main town is small enough to explore on foot or by bicycle and I recommend at least 2 days to fully enjoy the place.

A favourite sight to visit for me is the Hida Takayama Folk Village (Hida Minzoku Mura), which is a large open air museum featuring dozens of traditional houses that once belonged to the craftspeople and farmers in the Takayama region.

Hida Takayama Folk Village

Takayama is also famous for its food including specialities such as miso, ramen, mountain vegetables and Hida beef. Walking through the city is a taste sensation. A favourite of mine is Hida beef sushi. 

Hida beef sushi in Takayama

The Takayama festival (Sanno Matsuri) held in April, is rated as one of the three great festivals in Japan. You can check out the floats used in the famous festival at the Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall. The yatai or floats date from the 17^th century and are spectacular creations with magnificent carvings, metalwork and lacquerwork.

Festival Float in Takayama

I love visiting Takayama in Winter as it is a white wonderland with snow and ice dominating its landscape. It is my favourite time of year to visit the city. I love staying at a traditional Japanese ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) soaking in one of the many onsens (hot springs) in the mountains above Takayama and feasting on the world famous Hida beef from the region. Winter is the best time to visit Takayama.

Takayama landscape in winter

This is my submission to the January 2012 J-Festa Winter in Japan

Japanese Song of the Week Pedicure Day by No Sleeves

This week’s Japanese Song of the Week is Pedicure Day by No Sleeves, which has debuted at number 2 on the Japanese J-Pop Oricon charts.

No Sleeves (ノースリーブス) often shortened as no3b is a unit consisting of three members from the idol group AKB48 team A. They debuted in 2008, and have had three J-Pop Oricon top 10 singles to date.

This song is very cute, upbeat and happy. Watch the music video for the single Pedicure Day by No Sleeves