Japan Australia

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

The Flavors of Spring in Japan

Spring is finally here in Japan and if you can’t tell, I’m very excited about it! It has been a long cold winter here in Japan and spring brings with it the promise of warmer weather and the beautiful cherry blossoms. The cherry blossoms usually make their appearance here in Gifu in late March and early April. You can read my post about the must see Cherry Blossom Spots in Gifu.

This time of year also sees a lot of interesting and delicious spring or cherry blossom inspired food and drinks in Japan. A few of my favourites so far have been:

Best Cherry Blossom Spots in Gifu

We are lucky here in Gifu to have so many great spots for viewing the beautiful cherry blossoms. This year they are expected to start blooming close to their average schedule with the estimated start date of around March 25 in Gifu. The peak is estimated for around April 3-10.

A popular past-time during the sakura or cherry blossom season in Japan is “hanami”. Hanami (花見) literally means “flower viewing” and cherry blossom viewing is a traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms.

Below are some of my favourite spots for cherry blossom viewing in Gifu.

Sakura Teritama Burger

The Sakura Teritama Burger also affectionately known as the “Cherry Blossom Burger” is just about to hit McDonald’s Japan stores across the country. Spring in Japan is the time for the beautiful Sakura or Cherry Blossoms, which usually start to bloom in late March in Central Japan. This time of the year also sees lots of spring or cherry blossom inspired food and drinks in Japan. One of my favorites so far has been the tasty Sakura Cherry Blossom Ice Cream from Haagen Dazs. To fit in with the season, McDonald’s Japan will release a spring inspired burger complete with sakura pink-colored buns and a sakura mayonnaise sauce.

White Day 2014

White Day is a special day held in Japan on March 14, exactly a month after Valentine’s Day. White Day is a time in Japan for the boys to return the favour of gifts received earlier from the girls on Valentine’s Day. Why is it called “White Day”? It is simple really, white is the colour of sugar, which is the main ingredient of candy traditionally given as a gift on White Day.

Popular traditional gifts on White Day include white chocolate, cookies, jewelry, white lingerie, and marshmallows. These days anything goes, so the gifts can be pretty much anything.

Hina Matsuri Japanese Doll’s Festival

March 3rd in Japan is a special day called Hina Matsuri (雛祭), a traditional Japanese festival also commonly known as Doll’s Festival or Girl’s Day. On this day, families with girls will display ornamental dolls in the hope of bringing their daughters a successful and happy life.

Platforms covered with a red carpet called hina-dan (雛壇) are used to display the set of ornamental dolls called hina-ningyō (雛人形). The dolls represent the Emperor, Empress and other court attendants in traditional court dress of the Heian period (794-1185) in Japan. The dolls are usually displayed on a five or seven tired stand with the Emperor and Empress at the top. The next step contains three court ladies (sannin-kanjo), followed by five musicians (gonin-bayashi), two ministers (udaijin and sadaijin), and three servants ending the bottom row in a five-tiered display.

McDonald’s Japan American Vintage 1980s Funky BBQ

McDonald’s Japan earlier this year released their new menu series called ‘American Vintage’. The first in the series was the 1950s American Diner, followed by 1970s Soul Food. The last in the American Vintage series is the 1980s themed Funky BBQ. McDonald’s Japan has chosen a BBQ variety from the US with a special smoked flavour from birch and cloves, and made with a blend of 10 different spices and herbs. The 1980s Funky BBQ went on sale at McDonald’s restaurants across Japan on February 18th and will remain on the menu until early March.

Sakura Cherry Blossom Ice Cream in Japan

Häagen-Dazs have just released a Sakura Cherry Blossom flavoured ice cream to celebrate their 30th anniversary in Japan. It is really good with the ice cream containing powdered cherry blossom petals, and is topped with a sour cherry sauce. It is available at supermarkets and convenience stores in Japan from February 3. They have also released a rose flavoured ice cream as well, but we didn’t quite fancy tasting that one. The rose ice cream is a strawberry based ice cream with two kinds of roses included. It is topped with a pink plum sauce. This is the first time that Haagen Dazs has released a flower flavoured ice cream. We certainly hope the sakura one become part of their regular line-up.

The ice cream cost 198 yen (USD$2) at our local supermarket, or 284 yen (USD$2.84) at convenience stores for a 100 ml tub.

Sakura is synonymous with spring in Japan and when various sakura flavoured goods start hitting the stores you know that spring is just around the corner. I hope this great tasting ice cream is a sign of just that with the warmer weather on the way.