Song of the Week: Fragile - ELT

I have started a new weekly post series called 'Song of the Week' which will highlight one of my favourite J-POP songs from my time in Japan ranging from 1997 - 2015.

First song off the list is Fragile by a group called ELT (Every Little Things). ELT, a pop/rock duo made their debut in August 1996 and from the late 90's to early 00's were one of the biggest and most popular groups in Japan. They are one of the few groups from the mid 1990's that is still active in the music scene.

ELT were huge when I first arrived in Japan in 1997 and you could hear their songs everywhere. Originally formed as a trio, their keyboardist left the group in 2000 leaving the group as a duo. ELT comprises of Kaori Mochida as the singer and Ichiro Ito as the guitarist.

Fragile was their 18th single and was released on January 1, 2001. It was their fourth single to top the Oricon charts. The song was also the theme song for Fuji Television's drama 'Ainori' which was broadcasted from October 2000 to September 2001.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have over the years.

Fragile by Every Little Thing (ELT)

Expat Survival in Japan - HiFX Blog

I was recently asked to help contribute an article to the HiFX Project dedicated to helping the next generation of expats understand the issues people encounter in their first six months living abroad. As an expat Aussie living in Japan and having more than 12 years experience living and working in Japan, I jumped at the challenge to put pen to paper and share some tips on how I survived my first six months in Japan.

Here is a little excert from the article;

What were your first thoughts and feelings on arrival to your new country? 

I arrived to Japan via Osaka and was immediately blown away by the sheer size of the city and dazzled by all the neon lights and electric atmosphere. I remember feeling like I was on a completely different planet. I also remember feeling that my Japanese ability was inadequate as well because what I had learned at school was completely different.

If you are interested in reading more of the article, please head over to the HiFX Blog.

Waffnuts and Chounuts at Krispy Kreme Japan

This month Krispy Kreme Japan released a new line of interesting hybrid donuts called Waffnuts and Chounuts.

After the success of cronuts (the hybrid of croissant and donut) Krispy Kreme is banking on the success of these limited-edition pastry offerings in Japan.

The Waffnuts are a hybrid of Belgium waffle and donut, and are said to be light and crispy, while the Chounuts are a hybrid of chou cream (profiterole or cream puff) and donut.

The Waffnuts come in three different flavours, Strawberry, Green Tea and Almond and cost 240 yen. The Chounuts come in two different flavours, Lemon Cheese and Double Caramel and cost 210 yen.

Waffnuts Strawberry 

The Waffnuts Strawberry Donut features strawberry icing with freeze dried strawberries on top for a sweet and sour flavour.

Waffnuts Green Tea 

The Waffnuts Green Tea Donut features Uji matcha green tea powder in both the donut and icing and is topped with a white chocolate drizzle and chocolate cereal flakes. The matcha used in this donut is from the Uji region of Kyoto, which is famous for producing the finest matcha in all of Japan.

Waffnuts Almond 

The Waffnuts Almond Donut features almond frosting with dark chocolate drizzle and salted almonds.

Chounuts Lemon Cheese 

The Chounuts Lemon Cheese Donut is filled with cream cheese that has been infused with lemon rind and is topped with a white chocolate drizzle.

Chounuts Double Caramel 

The Chounuts Double Caramel Donut is filled with both caramel cream and a salted caramel sauce and is topped with dark chocolate.

The donuts are available from June 10th to July 21st in Japan.

The hybrid donuts look really interesting so we just had to give them a try.

The Taste Test 

We selected three donuts to test and they were Waffnuts Green Tea, Waffnuts Strawberry and Chounuts Lemon Cheese.

The Waffnuts Green Tea had a nice chewy texture from the Belgium waffle and good crunch from the chocolate cereal flakes on top. Unfortunately, the matcha flavour was not as bitter or strong as I would have hoped, especially coming from Uji. More matcha flavour please Krispy Kreme.

The Waffnuts Strawberry had a nice sweet taste from the strawberry icing and good sourness from the freeze dried strawberries on top. It was a great combination. Definitely our favourite of the three with a real authentic strawberry taste.

The Chounuts Lemon Cheese was light and fluffy like a good French Cruller donut and we loved the cream cheese infused with lemon rind filling. A winner in our book.

There you have it. We hope to try the other two on the list and report back soon. Stay posted and if you are in Japan, definitely give these a try!

Krispy Kreme Japan Website

Kodomo no Hi

Children’s Day or “Kodomo no Hi” (こどもの日) in Japanese is an annual Japanese National Holiday held on May 5. It is the fourth national holiday of “Golden Week”, a collection of four national holidays in the space of seven days.

The first national holiday of Golden Week is Showa no Hi on April 29, which honours the birthday of the former Showa Emperor. The second national holiday of Golden Week is Kenpou Kinenbi on May 3, which commemorates the promulgation of Japan’s constitution. The third holiday of Golden Week is Midori no Hi on May 4, which is dedicated to show appreciation to the environment and nature.

Children’s Day is a holiday for children in general, but is primarily for boys. The day is to celebrate boys, and it is a festival to pray for the healthy growth of boys. Girls have their own festival called Hina Matsuri on March 3.

The History of Kodomo no Hi 

Children’s Day dates back to the Nara period of Japan when it was known as Tango no Sekku. It was then a day to celebrate perseverance, strength and well-being of boys.

Tango no Sekku was renamed Kodomo no Hi in 1948 after the post-war constitution took effect.

Koinobori 

It is tradition for families with boys to hang up carp streamers called Koinobori outside their houses on flag poles around this holiday.

Traditionally, at the top of the pole is a large black carp known as magoi which represents the father. Below that, a red carp known as higoi which represents the mother, followed by a blue carp representing the first son. Additional carp are added for each subsequent son.

Carp in Japan are believed to symbolize strength and successes in children’s lives, and by displaying koinobori it is hoped that they will bring the boys of the family future success and luck.

Gogatsu Ningyo 

Samurai dolls called Gogatsu Ningyo are also displayed in homes. These samurai dolls symbolize strength, power and success, all traits of Japanese samurai warriors.

Some families also display samurai helmets called Kabuto or Samurai Armour all believed to represent courage and honour.

Kabuto for Kodomo no Hi

Special Food 

A popular food eaten during Children’s Day is Kashiwa Mochi, which is mochi wrapped in an oak leaf. The oak leaf represents prosperity and good fortune because the oak tree does not shed its old leaves until new ones have grown.

Kashiwa Mochi

Colonel Sanders Dressed for Kodomo no Hi in Japan

Midori no Hi

Greenery Day or “Midori no Hi” (みどりの日) in Japanese is an annual Japanese National Holiday held on May 4. It is the third national holiday of “Golden Week”, a collection of four national holidays in the space of seven days.

The first national holiday of Golden Week is Showa no Hi on April 29, which honours the birthday of the former Showa Emperor. The second national holiday of Golden Week is Kenpou Kinenbi on May 3, which commemorates the promulgation of Japan’s constitution.

The purpose of Midori no Hi is to show appreciation for the environment and nature.

The History of Midori no Hi 

From 1989 to 2006 Greenery Day was celebrated on April 29, the birthday of the former Showa Emperor. As mentioned above the day is dedicated to show appreciation to the environment and nature. The former Emperor loved plants and nature so this special day was established to honour his love for nature.

In 2007, Greenery Day was moved to May 4 with April 29 changed to Showa Day.

May 4 used to be a regular national holiday before Greenery Day due to a law which declares a day that falls between two national holidays is a national holiday. We really like this law!

Greenery Day is the perfect time to head outdoors and enjoy the beautiful spring weather and fresh green leaves of the season. 

Greenery Day at Gifu Park

Kenpou Kinenbi

Constitution Memorial Day or “Kenpou Kinenbi” (憲法記念日) in Japanese is an annual Japanese National Holiday held on May 3. It is the second national holiday of “Golden Week”, a collection of four national holidays in the space of seven days.

The first national holiday of Golden Week is Showa no Hi on April 29, which honours the birthday of the former Showa Emperor.

The purpose of the holiday is to commemorate the promulgation of the 1947 Constitution of Japan. The new Japanese constitution was put into effect on May 3, 1947.

The History of Kenpou Kinenbi 

Constitution Memorial Day was first celebrated in 1948 to reflect on the meaning of democracy in Japan and the Japanese government. The new constitution was created during the American occupation of Japan after World War II, with representatives from many countries contributing to the design of the new constitution and parliamentary form of government which was to follow.

This is the only day of the year that the National Diet Building is open to the public as well.

Showa no Hi

Showa Day or “Showa no Hi” (昭和の日) in Japanese is an annual Japanese National Holiday held on April 29. It honours the birthday of the former Showa Emperor, who reigned from 1926 to 1989. The purpose of the holiday is to encourage the Japanese people to reflect on this turbulent period of Japanese history.

It is the first holiday of the “Golden Week” period in Japan, a collection of four national holidays in the space of seven days. This is a popular holiday period with many people taking extended breaks and taking advantage of their time off to travel and enjoy the warmer spring weather.

The History of Showa no Hi 

The former Showa Emperor, Hirohito died on January 7, 1989 which led to the establishment of April 29 as Showa no Hi. The date used to be celebrated as “The Emperor’s Birthday” but this National Holiday was moved to the date of the new Tennō Emperor’s birthday (December 23). The new National Holiday was originally named “Greenery Day” because of the late Emperor’s love of nature, but in 2007, April 29 became Showa no Hi with Greenery Day moved to May 4.

Showa no Hi was created to encourage the public to reflect on the turbulent 63 year period of the Emperor’s reign. This was an important period of Japanese history which featured World War II, the post-war occupation and dismantling of Imperial rule and Japan’s rise to economic power.