The way of life of shokunins, the Japanese masters

職人. Shokunin.  I first came across this word in Matt Goulding’s Rice, Fish and Noodles, where he describes a Japanese chef’s dedication to the art of making sushi. I came across the term again, when I was watching the popular documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, which chronicles the life of shokunin, Jiro Ono.  It is…

From Kabedon to Wabi-Sabi and Ikigai, the beauty of Japanese language

How many languages do you know that has a word for every damn thing? I mean like literally everything. I know one – Japanese.  The language, based on my elementary proficiency and reading popular literature, has a vocabulary so wide that it makes me wonder if there are any situations that cannot be described by…

As the tempura stands today

The story as published in the Hindu Metro Plus dated July 27, 2018 From Buddhist philosophy to pasta, a look at the cultural influences that have left their imprint on Japanese cuisine through the centuries Japanese cuisine is gaining prominence around the globe. The food scene in the US is not complete without sushi and…

Reading Haruki Murakami

I do not understand. I simply do not understand what is so great about Haruki Murakami and his most popular book Norwegian Wood. What the hell was the book supposed to mean? As someone who loves Japan and Japanese culture, it is natural that I want to consume any sort of literature about the country….

Ramen: a foreign bowl of comfort for Japanese

It is only recently that I took a liking to ramen, a popular Japanese noodle dish. It would not be right to say it is just popular, for ramen is part of Japanese food culture and in the last few years have taken over the world. And it is not even a Japanese dish.  You…

Western Sci Fi genre yet to catch up with its Far East counterpart

I have always had mixed feeling about Sci Fi movies. They are futuristic and more often than not, over the top. That is not to say I do not love Sci Fi movies. There are so many layers to Sci Fi genre and it is hard to say what hits your chord and what doesn’t….

When you can eat with your eyes

The story on importance of food arrangement in Japanese culture was published in the Hindu MetroPlus today (March 30).  There is a popular saying in Japan: “Me de taberu Nihonjin (Japanese people eat with their eyes)”. Yuko Shimizu, a Japanese language teacher in Chennai, explains that for the Japanese, the art of arranging food is…

When foreign culinary culture becomes your own

Food culture of a country is complex. With long history of invasion, war and trade, countries have assimilated other culinary cultures into their own. India, for instance, has a lot of Persian and Middle Eastern influence. Naan and samosa that have become a part of India culture were popularised by Persians. I think that is…

Food in Japanese movies

Everyday I go to sleep thinking what I will pack for lunch and wake up planning my breakfast. Not a day goes by when I do not worry about a finding a good snack to munch on or looking for a interesting recipe for dinner. Food or thoughts of food are a part of our…

Haiku

I grew up knowing and reading ‘Haiku’ poems in Tamil right from when I was small. They are short, easy to understand and funny. The topics could be anything from war and policy changes to our mundane life. But how many of you know that the idea of ‘Haiku’ originated from Japan? I’m not sure…