Healthy Nutritious Japanese Food

A little while back I wrote a post about healthy Japanese food. This included such well-known things as nori (seaweed), miso, natto, tofu and green tea. You can read the post here

Here are some more really healthy Japanese food that scientists have been raving about recently.

Shitake Mushrooms

Shitake mushrooms are powerful immunity boosters. A compound found in the mushrooms called lentinan, has been found to be a powerful immune strenghthener. Shitake mushrooms are also credited with having anti-cancerous properties, as they contain high levels of powerful antioxidants. They are highly nutritious and also provide good amounts of protein and fibre.

Kaiwaredaikon (watercress)

Kaiwaredaikon called watercress in the west has been used in Japanese cuisine for centuries. It is usually found in salads and toppings. It contains high levels of phytochemicals, known as isothiocyanates, that help fight free-radical damage in the body and help to reduce the risk of cancer. Kaiwaredaikon is also high in iron, folate, calcium, antioxidants and vitamins A and C.

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

Japanese Banana Artist

Japanese artist Keisuke Yamada excels at carving sculptures out of bananas. He uses a toothpick and spoon to create the masterpieces and can spend up to 30 minutes on each piece before they go brown and he eats them.

Yamada, 23 has already made 11 pieces so far. The unique collection includes bananas with the faces of Elvis Presley and Davey Jones from Pirates of The Caribbean.

The artist, who calls himself a ‘perfectionist’, said “I started making them about two weeks ago and since posting pictures of them online they have really taken off,” the Daily Mail quoted Yamada as saying.

'It began when I peeled a banana and thought it might be interesting to carve a face into the fruit,” he added.

You can view many of his unique creations on the web.

Read more about some of the lighter and more interesting stories about Japan at Only in Japan

How to become an English Conversation Teacher

Collon

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

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 help support the relief effort by making a donation to the Red Cross Japan Disaster Appeal via their website https://www.redcross.org.au/Donations/onlineDonations.asp

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

NEFF The Snoop Japan Relief Tee in White,T-shirts for Men, Small,White

Is it Safe to Travel to 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.

This is my submission to the 2011 Special Edition of J-Festa

How to become an English Conversation Teacher

Melbourne Chefs get together for Japan

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

You can also help by making a donation at the Red Cross website
https://www.redcross.org.au/Donations/onlineDonations.asp

Or help the relief effort by supporting the following

2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake
http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/2011/04/246-aftershocks-stories-from-japan.html


Songs for Japan
http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/2011/04/songs-for-japan.html

Most Popular Blog Posts for April 2011

April 2011 was another great month for Japan Australia Blog. We now have 34 followers and many new visitors to the Blog.

The following were the most popular blog posts for April 2011

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