In the second of this series on Japanese Snacks, I would like to introduce the strangely named Japanese snack Collon.
Collon is a cream filled biscuit. It is the shape of a small tube and filled with delicious cream. Now, I know that it is oddly named but again trust me as it is very tasty. If you can get by the name then definitely give this Japanese snack a try. Collon is made by Glico, which is the biggest candy company in Japan.
Here are some pictures of the delicious Collon
You can read about more delicious Japanese snacks at Japanese Snacks
Fashion for Japan is the latest fund raiser organized to help Japan. Supermodel Naomi Campbell is at the Cannes Film Festival to stage a Fashion for Relief show in aid of the earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan.
Campbell has enlisted her A-list friends for the show, which will be held tonight at the historic Forkville market in Cannes. Designers have donated red carpet dresses for the show, while Dolce & Gabbana have made charity T-shirts. The event will be followed by an auction, which includes artworks by Tracey Emin and Dennis Hopper, and a customised Lotus Évora. It is being staged in collaboration with Vogue Italia and all funds raised will go to the Japanese Red Cross.
The supermodel said she was horrified by the images of the disaster and immediately resolved to help Japan. She said "The destruction caused by the earthquake is completely heartbreaking, it's so hard to even begin to comprehend the tragic loss the people of Japan are coping with. I felt very passionate to try and help in whatever way possible, to do our part and to support Japan at this time. I hope that the money raised from Fashion For Relief in Cannes will support those who need it most."
You can also help the relief effort by purchasung a book called 2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake. With all revenue going to the Japan Red Cross to help support the survivors of the Japan earthquake & tsunami. 2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake
You can also buy a CD or MP3 download called Songs for Japan, which has just been released with proceeds from the sale of Songs for Japan to benefit the Japanese Red Cross Society. Songs for Japan
Is it safe to travel to Japan. A lot of people have been asking me this question lately. The March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster, along with fears of aftershocks and radiation from the Fukushima nuclear reactor has been deterring tourist from travelling to Japan. Japan was hurt badly by the disaster but Japan needs tourists to help it heal. Before the disaster, Japan was on a high and experiencing its most tourists on record in the first two months of the year. In March the figure fell drastically due to the disaster. Let’s get back to the key question here, is it safe to travel to Japan. Japan was hit hard by the disaster, but only 0.1 per cent of Japan was affected by the tsunami and the area that was affected is not a popular destination for tourists to Japan. Most tourists to Japan either visit the ski resorts in the north island of Hokkaido, which was not affected, or follow the “Golden Route” from Tokyo along the southeast coast to Hiroshima. The route include Hakone, Nagoya, and the traditional cities of Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Okayama. Most tourist attractions in Japan are now open, although some may have shortened opening hours to conserve power. All international airports are operating and this even includes Sendai Airport, which was damaged by the tsunami, and the bullet trains are all running as normal.
With all this occurring, tourists are still unsure whether or not to visit Japan mainly due to lack of information and not researching. The smart people who have done their research realize that Japan is pretty safe to visit.
Some of Melbourne’s top chefs are getting together to help Japan. The reason is the disaster relief for the Japan earthquake and tsunami. A special dinner and auction has been organized on Sunday May 15th at Izakaya Den in Melbourne. Five chefs – Izakaya Den’s Yosuke Furukawa, with Yoshiki Tano of Yu-u, Kentaro Usami of Kenzan, PM24’s Philippe Mouchel and Mitsuru Yamakoshi, formerly of Daimonji and Kenzan . The chefs will prepare five courses with matched drinks, including Japanese beer, sake, shochu, umeshu and Victorian wine. Suppliers, Chefs and Staff are all donating goods and time, so 100 per cent of the ticket price will go to the Red Cross Japan and Pacific Disaster Appeal. Anyone in Melbourne wishing to attend can make a booking through info@izakayaden.com.au
Children's Day or kodomo-no-hi is a Japanese National Holiday during Golden Week which takes place on the 5th of May. While it is a holiday for children in general, it is primarily for boys (girls have a day of their own on the 3rd of March called (Hina Matsuri).
Children’s Day is a Japanese boy’s festival and is a day to pray for the healthy growth of boys. It is Japanese tradition for families with boys to display carp streamers (koinobori) outside their houses around this holiday. Carp are believed to symbolize successes in children’s lives. Samurai dolls called gogatsu ningyo (May Dolls) are also put on display in homes.
In my home because we have a son we display kabuto (Japanese military helmet worn by samurai). Many people have these as a seasonal decoration displayed during Children’s Day. Kabuto is displayed to express hope that each boy in the family will grow up healthy and strong. We bought quite an expensive one but really like having it displayed during Children’s Day.
You can see a picture of my kabuto below
This is my entry for this weeks edition of Show Me Japan
Okonomiyaki is a popular dish from Osaka and is basically a savoury pancake with ingredients of your choice along with egg, flour and cabbage as the basic ingredients.
1. To make Okonomi-yaki Sauce, mix ingredients together in bowl.
2. Place flour, milk, dashi and salt in a bowl and lightly stir.
3. Break an egg into the mixture and stir to combine.
4. Add spring onion and cabbage and mix.
5. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and swirl some oil over base.
6. Drop the egg mixture into the pan. Top with king prawns and/or pork.
7. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn over and cook for about 4-5 minutes until cooked through.
8. Brush the top with okonomi-yaki sauce, and if desired sprinkle with aonori and bonito flakes.
9. Serve with Japanese mayonnaise.
Note:
• You can buy already prepared okonomi-yaki sauce at most Asian Supermarkets.
• Other kinds of seafood and meat can be added to this dish and cheese is also a great addition.
