Picture of the Week Toei Uzumasa Eigamura, Kyoto, Japan

The Toei Uzumasa Eigamura also called Kyoto Studio Park and Toei Movie Land is a film set and theme park all in one, it is located a short distance from Kyoto. It features a collection of replicas of traditional Japanese building which are used as settings for historical movies and TV dramas. It is an amazing place with whole streets depicting Edo Period town scenes, a replica of the old Nihonbashi Bridge, a traditional court house and a Meiji Period police box. Actual shooting takes place occasionally, and visitors are more than welcome to observe the action. You can also catch various performances, visit a haunted house, large souvenir shop and exhibitions about the popular TV series. One of my favourite things to do there is to dress up as a character and get photographed, you can choose from such things as samurai, ninja and geisha.

This is my entry for This Week's Show Me Japan

The Secrets Of Speaking Japanese Fluently

Earthquake in Japan Man Rescued

The Japanese Earthquake is still creating headlines around the world, but finally some good news. A Japanese man who was swept 15km out to see by the deadly tsunami was plucked to safety yesterday after being spotted clinging to a piece of wreckage. The 60 year old man was discovered floating on a piece of roof in waters off Fukushima Prefecture, two days after the disaster struck. The man is from the city of Minamisoma which has been virtually obliterated by the tsunami and was swept out along with his house after the massive tsunami struck. He is in good condition and was taken to hospital by helicopter.

Earthquake in Japan Update

Friday’s 8.9 magnitude earthquake, one of the biggest ever recorded, unleashed a terrifying tsunami that engulfed towns and cities on Japan’s northeastern coast, destroying everything in its path. Japan’s Prime Minister, Naoto Kan said it was an “unprecedented national disaster”.

The latest new from Japan reports that there has been an explosion at a Japanese nuclear plant, which has triggered fears of a meltdown. An explosion at the Fukushima atomic plant blew off the roof and walls around one of its reactors on Saturday. Japan is desperately trying to bring the overheating reactor under control to avoid further disaster.

In the small port town of Minamisanriku, alone some 10,000 people are unaccounted for, which is more than half the population of the town.

People have reported seeing hundreds of bodies washed up on the shore near the city of Sendai. Up to 400 bodies were recovered in Rikuzentakata, a coastal town of some 23,000 people.

Earthquake in Japan

Japan was hit by a massive earthquake yesterday measuring 8.9, which is the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japan, and the seventh biggest in history. The earthquake hit close to the NorthEastern city of Sendai in Japan and unleashed a monster tsunami that slammed into coastal towns and cities. Estimates put the tsunami at 10m high, and it sent shipping containers, cars and debris crashing through the streets and across open farmland destroying everything in its path. The wave set off tsunami alerts across the Pacific, as far away as Chile in South America, New Zealand and the US West Coast.

The quake hit Japan at 2.46pm and lasted about two minutes. It rattled buildings in Tokyo and was felt as far away as Beijing, China. There was major disruption to air travel and bullet train services causing chaos in major cities.

The earthquake has claimed hundreds of lives, and it is feared that more than 1000 people are most likely dead. A nuclear reactor in Fukushima prefecture is malfunctioning causing radiation levels 1000 times above normal. More than 8 million homes lost power, mobile and landline phone systems broke down and gas was cut to more than 300,000 homes.

I am glad to say that I am currently safe in Australia, but the images of destruction and flooding are heartbreaking. I hope all my friends and family in Japan are safe and look forward to talking to you soon.

Here is some video footage of the devestation caused by the tsunami

Happy Birthday To Me

It is a week late but last Friday was my birthday.
Happy Birthday to Me!!
It seems that there are an aweful lot of birthdays around this time of year (late Feb early March). Must have something to do with the time of year here in Australia.

To celebrate we had a lovely Black Forrest Cake. This has to be my all time favourite cake with several layers of chocolate cake, whipped cream and cherries between each layer. The cake is then decorated with additional whipped cream, cherries and chocolate shavings. It is not only a feast for the eyes, but a taste sensation. Check out the pcitures below.

The cake before being demolished by hungry people

Four candles looks like I am turning four, but I can assure you I am much older

A work of art with all the different layers and chocolate shavings and cherry on top

Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe Sukiyaki (すき焼き)

This month`s Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe is Sukiyaki.

This is a world famous Japanese dish, but in Japan there are quite a few varieties based on regional differences. Cooking is always done at the table for this dish in Japan, and it is a great Party favourite.

Sukiyaki is usually served with steamed rice as an accompaniment.

Serves 4

Sukiyaki Sauce
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 3 tbsp mirin
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 500g dashi

Ingredients
• 600g Scotch filet or sirloin steak, finely sliced
• 1 packet momen (firm tofu), cut into small cubes
• 8 shitake mushrooms
• 4 spring onions
• ¼ Chinese cabbage
• 1 packet udon noodles, cooked and drained
• 4 eggs
• vegetable oil

Method

1. Prepare meat, vegetable and noodles and place on a large plate.
2. Break eggs into individual bowls and lightly beat.
3. Make the Sukiyaki Sauce by combining all the ingredients.
4. Oil the pan and start cooking by sautéing the spring onion, add some of the beef, followed by small portions of the other ingredients and the sukiyaki sauce, a little at a time. Make space for further ingredients by pushing the cooked ones to one side.
5. As the food cooks, guests can serve themselves by dipping the hot food into the beaten raw egg and eating with a bowl of rice.

Note:
• Other ingredients can also be added to the dish such as enoki or shimeji mushrooms.

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

This recipe is taken from the book Japanese Cooking at Home

Picture of the Week World Expo in Aichi, Japan

World Expo 2005 was a specialized international exhibition held in Aichi Prefecture, Japan from March 25 to September 25, 2005.

The theme of the Expo was “Nature’s Wisdom”, with national and corporate pavilions expressing themes of ecological co-existence, renewable technology, and the wonders of nature. The pavilions were built out of recycled or recyclable materials to minimise the environmental impact on the site.

The key attractions for the Expo were “Satsuki and Mei’s House”, a recreation of the house from Hayao Miyasaki’s famous movie My Neighbor Totoro. ASIMO, Honda’s humanoid robot, The Toyota Partner Robots, and the Growing Village Pavillion, which featured a variety of tree shaping art work.

The Secrets Of Speaking Japanese Fluently

This is my entry for This Week's Show Me Japan