BentoBoxMagazine 49

Contents March M h 2019 20 1 5 5V 49

30 Raijin’s ramen rally is off to a roaring start!

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Feature: For the love of sushi

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Ingredient: The curious white strawberry

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Sake: The everlasting traditions of Yamada Shouten

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Travel: Kawachi Fuji-en Wisteria Garden

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Book: Lion Cross Point

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Only in Japan: Experience the cherry blossoms in historic style

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Event: 9LÃ…LJ[PVUZ H[ [OL 964

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:[HɈ WPJR! Ramen Raijin

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Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter MHJLIVVR JVT ILU[VIV_THN

[^P[[LY JVT ILU[VIV_THN

Editors 5PUH /VLZJOLSL (THUKH 7S`SL` @\TP 5PZOPV ,KP[VYPHS JVVYKPUH[VYZ 5PUH /VLZJOLSL @\TP 5PZOPV Writers (THUKH ;H`SVY (YPLS 3P[[LSQVOU 2H[OSLLU 6»/HNHU 4 *YV^ZVU 5PUH /VLZJOLSL 5PUH 3LL :HYHO +PJRZVU >HS[LY 4\ZJOLUOLPT Designers *OPLRV >H[HUHIL 4PKVYP @HTHTV[V Advertisement & marketing 2Ha\ 4HY\`HTH Publisher 2Ha\ 4HY\`HTH

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F e a ture

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Sushi

MARCH 2019

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Sushi

Feature

Gunkan-maki

Nigiri-zushi

Maki-zushi

Inari-zushi

Temaki-zushi Oshi-zushi

Chirashi-zushi

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Engawa Flounder fin

Maguro Tuna

Saba

Mackerel

Ikura Salmon roe

Anago Conger eel

Hamachi Young yellowtail

Tako Octopus

Amaebi Sweet shrimp

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Sushi

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Feature

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Travel | Talking Tokyo

By Nina Hoeschele

TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO EVERYTHING TOKYO HAS TO OFFER WITH THIS FREE DIGITAL MAGAZINE.

D

o you dream of visiting a city where beautiful pieces of history can be found tucked away between cutting-edge attractions? If Tokyo is a destination on your travel wish list, but you aren’t sure what you should try to see on your future trip—we have just the guide for you. And if you don’t yet know what it is that draws so many North American visitors to Tokyo, then you’re in luck too.

Tokyo Tourism has partnered with a varied group of travellers to put together a review of their experiences in visiting Japan’s capital. The resulting digital magazine, Talk-

ing Tokyo, gives you a look into what these North American travellers have discovered on their journeys through the many attractions that Tokyo has to offer.

The magazine shares stories from a host of visitors to Tokyo: everyone from ordinary travellers to one of Canada’s foremost sake masters, sharing the best-kept secrets and most memorable experiences from each of their unique journeys through the city. Whether you hope to find Edo-period shrines tucked between the city’s high-rises or if you would rather find out where to experience virtual reality, Talking Tokyo will guide you to where you need to go. It

even checks in with some Air Canada flight attendants to learn from their frequent-flyer wisdom.

With a host of experiences to read about— everything from late nights enjoying local fare at small, homey izakaya restaurants, to explorations through the city’s eclectic fashion scene, to a review of some of the most strange and fascinating souvenirs to bring home with you—one thing is clear: the experiences that you can have in Tokyo are as diverse as the travellers who pass through this busy city.

A city to rediscover

YOU CAN READ TALKING TOKYO FOR FREE AT canada-tokyo.ca/tokyodigital-magazine

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Ingredient | White strawberry

strawberry is known as hatsukoi no kaori, or Scent of First Love, which appeared in stores in 2006. Meant to evoke the innocence of a youthful crush, the colour is mostly white with slight blushes of pink.

Other varieties include yuki usagi, or Snow Rabbit, and tenshi no mi, or Fruit of the Angel, which are also both white, while the sakura ichigo is a shade of pale pink just like the cherry blossoms it’s named for.

白 苺 【しろいちご】 かけ合わせの品種改良によって 生まれた白い宝石、白イチゴ。

WHITE STRAWBERRY Sink your teeth into this berry A Japanese fruit not to be missed!

When most of us go shopping for strawberries, we check the box thoroughly for berries with a bright red hue and, if possible, none that are pink or white. But in Japan, where luxury fruit is a major part of any and all gift-giving holidays, and consumers are often looking for that perfect and unique gift to give, white strawberries are a common sight in the food section of department stores. Despite the relative newness of this unique-looking berry and some early resistance among consumers, the white strawberry has cemented its place on the shelves.

The milky colour of white strawberries comes from the fact that these berries

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By Sarah Dickson

lack the chemical anthocyanin that would normally cause the red colour in a typical strawberry. Therefore, even as these berries ripen the colour remains white, resembling the young, unripened strawberries that some of us are used to. Though they have the colour of unripened strawberries, the flavour is anything but. The white strawberry is very sweet, with a texture that’s a bit softer than the usual red variety. They are much larger as well, some weighing up to 50 grams.

There are several varieties of white strawberries with different names and slight variations of colour. The original and perhaps most common variety of white

About five years ago, a new variety of white strawberry appeared on the market called shiroi houseki, or White Jewel. These are produced by a single grower in Saga Prefecture in southern Japan, who created the variety by cross-breeding seeds and restricting the amount of sunlight. Like the other varieties of white strawberry, the flesh is soft and juicy with a sweet but fresh flavour. Some have even described these berries as having the fleeting taste of fresh pineapple.

As you might expect, white strawberries are more expensive than the usual red ones most of us are used to, so expect to pay about $10 or more per berry. They are more difficult to cultivate, and only a small portion of them are grown to full size, which contributes to their high cost. But the unique colour, amount of care required and relative scarcity of these berries makes them highly coveted as gifts in Japan and a source of curiosity for international visitors.

It might be tough to find white strawberries in North America, but it is worthwhile to check your local Asian grocer when the berries are in season in Japan, between December and March. If you get the chance to visit Japan, be sure to make room in your travel budget to splurge on these deliciously unusual berries.

DISCOVER the FLAVOUR of

JAPAN Join the conversation on Facebook

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Drink up! | Yamada Shouten sake

By Amanda Taylor

YAMADA SHOUTEN’S

EVERLASTING TRADITIONS 蔵元やまだ

むかしのまんま ま 【くらもとやまだ むかしのまんま】 んま】

岐 阜の小さな酒 造が 丹 精 込めて作る酒 。

Meet the brewery y where “nothing has changed anged since the beginning.”

Y

ou’ll be ha rd-pre sse sed to find a sake bre w e ryy m ore dedicat ed t o i t s c ra ft t han Yama da S h ou t e n .

It s hand- c ra ft e d sa k e i s b rew ed t hroug h a pain st a k i n g l a bou r of l ove, using t echnique s pa sse d d ow n unchanged for ge n e ra t i on s, a n d w i th good reason. Why m e ss w i t h p erfect ion?

Founded in 1868, Yamada Shouten’s labels proudly display its staunch motto: Mukashi no Manma, or “nothing has changed since the beginning.” And if its Everlasting Roots sake is an indication, nothing should change. Cold or at room temperature, the brew’s citrusy profile takes centre stage. But warming the sake releases rich and nutty notes with hints of cocoa and clove, bolstered by an underlying base of summery orange.

Curling up with a warm cup of Everlasting

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Roots would be just the thing to ward off winter’s chill.

Th e se i m a ib u a i , o r m illin g r a t e , o f E ve rl a st i n g R o o t s is q u it e h ig h a t 5 5 %.

S e i m a i bu a i in d ic a t e s h o w m u c h t h e r ic e h a s be e n p o lis h e d , t h u s re m o v in g t h e st a rc h a n d m a k in g it e a s ie r t o d r in k .

By e xt e n s io n t h is d e t e r m in e s a s a k e ’s gra de . A t 5 5 % s e im a ib u a i, E v e r la s t in g Root s i s a t o p - q u a lit y s a k e t h a t d r in k s i n c re di bl y s m o o t h .

Th e bre we r y is lo c a t e d in G if u P re f e c t u re a n d is k n o w n t o b e o n e of t h e sm a lle s t b re w e r ie s in a ll o f J a pa n . Ya m a d a Sh o u t e n t r u ly liv e s a n d bre a t h e s it s m o t t o . Ev e n t o d a y, t h e c om p a n y m ills it s r ic e b y h a n d — i m pre ssiv e ly r a re f o r a b re w e r y s o sm a l l . A nd t h e w a t e r c o m e s f ro m a n on si t e we ll t h a t c o n t a in s n o s u lp h a t e s or pre se r v a t iv e s .

Bec ause it is such Because B su u ch a small brewery, and the milling is so labour-intensive, Yamada Shouten makes only a few thousand bottles a year, so if you can get your hands on a rare bottle of Everlasting Roots consider yourself lucky. As well, it doesn’t sell anything under 900 ml, which was the standard bottle size back in the day. Just another way Yamada Shouten distinguishes itself as a steadfast upholder of sake-brewing tradition.

Boasting a remarkable adherence to time-honoured methods, and sake lauded for its smooth yet complex flavour, Yamada Shouten and Everlasting Roots are here to stay.

Yamada Shouten Everlasting Roots can be found at select LCBO stores.

Exclusive Agent:

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Travel | Kawachi Fuji-en

By Nina Lee

KAWACHI FUJI-EN

WISTERIA GARDEN 春の藤と秋の紅葉。 四季を通して心奪われる絶景。

Tendrils of fragrant blossoms drape guests in a kaleidoscope of colours in one of Japan’s most Instagram-worthy gardens.

KAWACHI FUJI-EN 【河内藤園】 Kawachi Fuji-en is located about an hour’s drive northeast of Fukuoka City and about 30 minutes southwest of Kitakyushu on Kyushu.

Travel | Kawachi Fuji-en

O

nce one of Japan’s bestkept secrets, Kawachi Fuji-en Wisteria Garden was on few tourist itineraries. Popular with locals who enjoyed strolling along quiet winding paths and taking romantic photos under the tunnels of wisteria blossoms, Kawachi Fuji-en was simply too beautiful a place to keep secret for very long. The lush, colourful gardens were unveiled to the world in 2017 when CNN listed Kawachi Fuji-en as one of Japan’s most beautiful places, and the floral utopia suddenly became one of the “it” places to visit. Every year during the peak season in April and May, scores of visitors descend on the relatively small and quaint city of Kitakyushu to visit the gardens and take photos against a surreal backdrop with millions of tiny wisteria blossoms dotting the scenic hilly valley.

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Opened in April 1968, Kawachi Fuji-en is a private hillside garden located among the wooden slopes just south of the city of Kitakyushu. The gardens welcome visitors and photographers in the spring during the peak wisteria flowering season.

Native to Japan, wisteria (or fuji, 藤) is a thick wooded trellising vine with dozens of varieties that offer prolific and fragrant blooms hanging in grape-like clusters.

The flowers can be found in a multitude of sizes and colours that range from muted shades of snow white, baby pink and yellow to vibrant coral oranges, magenta, bright red, hot pink, royal blue and indigo.

Located in the warm southern climate of Kyushu, the gardens at Kawachi Fuji-en offer the ideal conditions for these plants.

The gardens showcase 22 varieties among more than 150 mature wisteria vines that envelop the 10,000-square-metre park in short-lived, many-coloured splendor. Long

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loved in Japanese lore, wisteria’s delicate and magnificent blooms have been featured in poetry, anime and manga, and many will recall stories of romantic adventures when they watch the flowers sway in the gentle breeze that seems to be omnipresent.

From mid-April to mid-May, the gardens open to the public to celebrate the spring season with the Fuji Matsuri, or Wisteria Festival. Tickets are required and available from convenience stores, and the gardens vibrate with throngs of visitors. It’s a little quieter and more serene at the beginning and end of the festival, but during the celebration’s peak, the prismatic rainbow of petals provides a perfect backdrop

for photos. The most popular locations include the two approximately 100-metrelong tunnels that form an enormous roof of hanging clusters of flowers, and the domes and trellises that dot the park.

The deeply saturated hues of the flowers create an almost alien-like landscape with corals and royal blue shrubs and the lush verdant greens of the leaves and vines.

The show-stopping vista from the top of the hillside gardens features breathtaking views of the surrounding valley known for its bamboo groves.

Continues on page 20

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Travel | Kawachi Fuji-en

Access to the park is easy via public transit; during peak season, a shuttle bus serves the park from JR Yahata Station not far from the downtown Kokura Station.

Getting to the gardens by rental car allows visitors to explore the surrounding villages and sites like the Kawachisakura Park and local nature preserve, but during the height of the peak season, expect traffic and limited parking.

The gardens reopen during the late fall, typically from mid-November until early December, when the 700 Japanese maple trees that dot the park erupt in a blaze of colour. These trees, some over 70 years old, are rarely noticed during the Wisteria Festival, but come autumn, they take over and attract their own crowds. Regardless whether you visit the park in the spring or the fall, make sure you bring a camera; the beauty of the gardens cannot be expressed solely in words.

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New Location (as of Dec.27, 2017) 5775 Yonge Street, Suite 600, Toronto

1-Day Bus Tour

Tokyo’s Best Cherry Blossom Spots

1 Visit Tokyo’s most popular cherry blossom viewing sites on this 1-day bus tour. The tour includes visits to some of Japan’s most famous cherry blossom viewing sites including Showa Kinen Park and Chidori-ga-fuchi (or Shinjuku Gyoen), as well as sightseeing around some of Tokyo’s most iconic landmarks such as Tokyo Tower.

2 Inside Showa Kinen Park, admire a scenic landscape formed by roughly 200 cherry trees and an expansive lawn. When in season, tulips and rapeseed blossoms can also be seen blooming radiantly.

3 Head up 150 metres to the Tokyo Tower observation deck to take in the 360-degree view of Tokyo and the stunning view of cherry blossoms down below.

TOUR BASIC INFORMATION Seasonal Tour: March 20–April 14, 2019

Departure city: Tokyo Visits: Tokyo Tower, Showa Kinen Park, Shinjuku Gyoen Duration: Approx. 8 hours English-speaking guide, lunch, other admission fees and transportation costs included in the tour.

PRICE

CAD $

140

*Price is valid for the month of March 2019. *Price may fluctuate due to change in exchange rate.

HOW TO PURCHASE Reservations can be made by either telephone or email. Please contact JTB International (Canada) Ltd. at Phone: 416-367-5824 | Toll-free: 1-800-268-5942 | Email: jtbtoronto@jtbi.com | Website: www.jtb.ca

ITINERARY 8:30 Depart

from Shinjuku

Showa Kinen Park

Depart from check-in counter on the 3rd floor of Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo’s Main Tower in Shinjuku.

Shinjuku Gyoen

80

min

Shinjuku Gyoen opened in 1906 as a modern European-style garden for the Imperial Family. When spring comes, 65 varieties of cherry tree bloom proudly throughout a long period. Those who missed the cherry trees’ peak blooming times can still enjoy cherry blossom viewing here.

Tokyo Tower Main Observatory

90

min

The entire park is home to approximately 1,500 cherry trees that bloom in full glory. Inside, there is a vast garden with a beautiful landscape formed by roughly 200 cherry trees amidst sweeping lawns. There is also a bridge from where rows of cherry trees can be seen lining the river. Participants will be guided to the captivating cherry blossom viewing spots in the park.

Enjoy spring in Japan to the fullest as you gaze upon delightful tulips, rapeseed blossoms, bonsai trees, a Japanese garden and other blooms of the season.

60

min

Enjoy a bird’s-eye view of cherry blossoms! See a sweeping panorama of the city from 150 metres above the ground. An additional admission fee is required to access Tokyo Tower’s Special Observatory. Those who plan on entering must pay the required charges at the location.

16:25

Depart from Tokyo Station Drop-off available.

Japanese-style Lunch

60

min

Enjoy an authentic meal of Japanese cuisine at Mumon’an, a restaurant located in a former Japanese-style inn.

16:40

Arrive at Asakusa Station Tour ends at Asakusa Station.

For more information, please contact JTB International at 1-800-268-5942 (toll-free) or email at jtbtoronto@jtbi.com www.bentoboxmag.ca

All photos ©JNTO

MARCH 2019

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Hit the books | Lion Cross Point

LIVING IN THE PRESENT, HAUNTED BY THE PAST Lion Cross Point

by Masatsugu Ono Translated by Angus Turvill After a traumatic upbringing on the seedy edges of Tokyo, 10-year-old Takeru struggles to understand his mysterious new life in rural Kyushu.

Author info

Masatsugu Ono is one of Japan’s most lauded contemporary authors. He has received the Asahi Award for New Writers, the Mishima Yukio Prize and the Akutagawa Prize.

His mother is absent for unknown reasons, and so is his older brother, so Takeru is left to settle into his new life alone, hemmed in by the sea and the thick summer heat. He thinks he’s in Takenoura just for summer vacation, staying with Mitsuko, an older woman with some connection to his mother, though he’s not sure about the nature of that connection. What matters most is that she’s kind, and when Takeru

MARCH 2019

MORE FROM THE TRANSLATOR Heaven’s Wind (Amatsukaze) A bilingual collection of stories by some VM 1HWHU»Z ÄULZ[ contemporary women writers.

Tales from a Mountain Cave A young man befriends a hilarious cave-dwelling storyteller … but how much of what he says is true?

Angus Turvill has won the grand prize in the Shizuoka International Translation Competition, as well as the John Dryden and Kurodahan translation awards.

Memory is a slippery thing. As adults, we believe we can call up events of the near and distant past with reasonable certainty, but even these memories can become hazy under the right circumstances. This is especially true for the 10-year-old protagonist of Lion Cross Point, the English-language debut of celebrated writer Masatsugu Ono. Takeru is a quiet, sensitive boy recently taken from the outskirts of Tokyo to the little village of Takenoura on the southern island of Kyushu. Takeru’s mother, Wakako, grew up in Takenoura, but escaped as soon as she could. Her antipathy for the town is the first line we encounter as readers, when Takeru reflects on a memory of his mother’s whispers chafing like dry blades of grass: “I hated it. Detested it. I just wanted to get away as soon as I could.”

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asks if he’s only in Takenoura for the summer, Mitsuko says, “If ya wanna stay, you can, as long as you like.” Takeru also finds comfort in the friendship he strikes up with Saki, a friendly neighbour girl a couple grades his junior, an enthusiastic if underfed companion whose father is a sort of benign alcoholic figure at the periphery of their life.

Some local men in town also reach out to Takeru, and he is baffled by their kindness and interest in him. Maybe he is also a little bit wary because of some of the men his mother brought to their run-down apartments in Tokyo—one man in particular, a flashy gangster who regularly beat his mother, and Takeru, too, if he spoke up.

But the gangster left Takeru’s brother alone, because his brother was frail and mentally ill, incapable of ever speaking out against the violence. Wakako, for her part, mostly left her sons to fend for themselves, leaving Takeru to take on the nurturing role for his brother. Takeru’s brother is the most persistent memory he has of that other life, that life that mysteriously ended, and his feelings for the helpless, frail older boy are a mix of worry, guilt and resentment. These feelings haunt his new life in Takenoura.

But Takeru may also be haunted by something more supernatural: Bunji, a man-boy of indeterminate age, who appears wherever he goes and often seems to speak inside Takeru’s head. Only Takeru can see Bunji, this ghostly figure whose spirit is tied to the stark beauty of the Takenoura landscape. While Wakako escaped early and never came back, Bunji seems destined to spend eternity there.

He seems to live in Takeru as well, as Bunji is somehow tied to the turmoil Takeru feels about his lost family, and all that slips his mind between memory and dreams.

While Angus Turvill’s heavy dialectical translations of the residents of Takenoura might be a bit jarring to some readers, they gesture to a crucial distinction in cultural and linguistic identity. Everyone in Tokyo speaks standard dialect, while the Kyushu characters are all marked by a kind of country-bumpkin rhythm belied by their emotional intelligence. And Turvill translates the descriptions of landscape— both Takeru’s inner world and the stark, coastal beauty of Takenoura—with a moving poetic sensibility that conveys the story’s loneliness, ambiguity and the glimmers of hope.

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Only in Japan | Cherry blossom viewing in historic style

By M Crowson

KAMAKURA

Fall in love with cherry blossom season all over again in historic Kamakura. 海あり、山あり、見どころたっぷり。いい箱作った鎌倉幕府の栄華。

Illustration by Chieko Watanabe

Are you looking for a cherry blossom viewing experience that’s small in scale but big on history? Then consider coastal Kamakura, a small but mighty city just a day’s jaunt away from Tokyo. With a population of under 200,000, Kamakura was once the feudal capital of Japan and has a rich story to tell.

Kamakura is a wonderful place to enjoy hanami, cherry blossom viewing. What better way to celebrate the fleeting beauty of Japan’s blossoms than to do so in a city steeped in such an enduring history? Check out the stunning pink views leading up to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. The shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the god of samurai, and visitors approach the

shrine through a wide path marked by multiple red torii gates—and nearly 300 cherry blossom trees. For the best views, head to the shrine’s Genpei Pond and enjoy the gorgeous blooms reflecting off calm waters. There are also wonderful views and smaller crowds at Kenchoji, the best of Kamakura’s “Five Great Temples.”

Cherry blossom viewing season is generally from mid-March to early April, but if you happen to be in Kamakura a little earlier, it’s worth going to Hase-dera, a Buddhist temple dating back to the eighth century, which is known to get some blooms as early as February.

A major springtime event is the Kamakura matsuri, a week-long festival held from the

second to the third Sunday in April to celebrate the city’s history. One highlight of the festival is the Shizu no Mai (which takes place at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu), a dance performance of a tragic falling-out between two military brothers: the shogun, Yoritomo, and his younger brother, Yoshitsune. Yoshitsune was forced to flee the city, leaving behind his lover, the court dancer Shizuka-gozen. Heartbroken by her loss, and yet forced to dance for the older brother, she defiantly expressed her undying love for Yoshitsune on the stage. This moving story from eight centuries ago is recreated each year at the festival. Another wildly popular event is the yabusame tournament held on the final day of festival week, where traditionally dressed archers on horseback show off their samurai skills by shooting arrows at a target while riding at a full-on gallop. Talk about multitasking!

There are a wealth of other traditional experiences to be had before and after the festival, including flower arranging classes at the Buddhist temple, Tokeiji, which is known as the “divorce temple” because it was originally a nunnery, and a refuge for women fleeing their husbands. Women who stayed long enough were considered divorced, thus the temple’s nickname—but don’t worry, you don’t need to be a divorcee to join their flower arrangement classes.

Can you Kamakura like a boss?

Whether budgeting your time or your money, just follow these handy tips to make the most of your springtime visit to this historic city.

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DO

DO NOT

wash your money at Zeniarai Benten.

pass up the purple potato.

aim to be early for the archery tournament.

;OL ZOYPUL ^H[LY W\YPÄLZ HUK WVZZPIS` multiplies your money. Bigger travel budget, anyone?

Try Kamakura’s Murasaki imo korokke, a hot fritter that’s crispy outside, colourful inside.

It’s extremely popular, so you’ll need to grab a spot well ahead of time.

DO

G O

Let's

llearn earn

N I H O N G O

easy JJapanese apanese HINAMATSURI

Hinamatsuri (雛祭り) is celebrated every year on March 3.

The day is celebrated with ornamental dolls that are dressed in the traditional dress of the Heian period and are given to girls to celebrate.

They are often seen on display in the family home.

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Hinamatsuri is known as Dolls’ Day or Girls’ Day.

Ornamental dolls represent the nobles of the Heian period of Japan.

Hishimochi is a diamond-shaped, three-layer rice cake that is offered only for Hinamatsuri.

ひな人形は日本の 平安時代の貴族たちを 現しています。

菱 はひし形で三層の お で、 ひな祭りの時だけ そなえられます。

/PUHUPUN`Ȭ ^H 5POVU UV Heian-jidai wo arawashite imasu.

Hishimochi wa hishi-gata de sansou no omochi de hinamatsuri no toki dake sonaerare masu.

These dolls represent the royal court of the Heian-jidai, or the Heian period (9th to 12th century), with the emperor (tenno) and empress on the top, their three attendants, musicians and so on.

Hishi-gata (ひし形) means “diamondshaped,” sansou (三層) means “three-layer.”

Sonaeru (そなえる) means “offering,” i.e., Haka ni hana wo sonaeru (墓に花をそなえる) is to offer a flower on a tomb.

ひなまつりは人形の日か、 女の子の日として 知られています。 Hinamatsuri wa ningyou-no-hi ka onna-no-ko-no-hi toshite shirareteimasu.

Ka (か) is used to say “or” in Japanese when there are a few plausible options.

Hinamatsuri is the day to celebrate girls’ health and happiness. Boys have their own day to celebrate on May 5.

Compiled by Andrea Levac and Mitsuku Nobumasa. Brought to you by the Toronto Japanese Language School | www.tjls.ca | @tjlsca | info@tjls.ca

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Event | On being Japanese-Canadian

By Kathleen O’Hagan

ON BEING JAPANESE-CANADIAN:

REFLECTIONS AT THE ROM Eight Japanese-Canadian artists respond to the 1940s internment era in this modern art installation.

A

rt lovers, history buffs and Japanophiles alike are lining up to see the ROM’s latest art installation. It’s called Being Japanese-Canadian: reflections on a broken world, and it’s bound to make you pause and reflect—about things like history, identity and the injustices still going on in our country, and the world, today.

works, Taking The Nancy, British Columbia 1942 and Canadian Born, Alberta 1943, as she “expresses the pain and injustices her family endured” through her art.

The face of this series is Lillian Michiko Blakey’s Reiko, Alberta 1945. Rife with symbolism, the barbed wire at the painting’s forefront can’t help but catch your eye.

It’s a literal and figurative representation of the imprisonment endured by JapaneseCanadians during this unfortunate time in our history.

Check out Emma Nishimura’s etchings and photo-based print sculptures in her collection of “memory, loss and meaning”: An Archive of Rememory, Collected Stories, and Constructed Narratives.

Not only were families taken from their homes and forced to live in overcrowded internment camps, but they were trapped in their own skin by the duality of their identity. JapaneseCanadians were prisoners to politics and to the time in which they lived.

What’s to see?

Look out for Lillian Michiko Blakey’s other

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David L. Hayashida is a ceramic artist who “confronts racism and its reverberations throughout generations” in Low tea in '43 (BRITISH Columbia) still boils.

Steven Nunoda’s sculpture and installation work is a “striking memorial to internment sites in BC.” His work, entitled Ghostown and Ladder to the Moon, is not to be missed.

Set your curiosity free with Laura Shintani’s project, Emissaries of Mission ’42. Her goal is to ensure this history of internment is “known and understood by younger generations.”

Norman Takeuchi uses his paintings to reflect on “the conflicting duality of life in internment camps and a sense of ‘Japanese-

ness’ imposed on him by others.” Don’t miss his work entitled Interior Revisited.

In Jerry, Army Cadet and Continuum: A Cake History, Marjene Matsunaga Turnbull explores history, her family’s story and “the anger and hurt of racism” through ceramic sculptures.

Yvonne Wakabayashi’s textile piece, Tribute, honours her parents’ “strength and resilience” during the internment era.

The installation officially opened last month and will run until August 5. So there’s still time to ponder this multi-generational response to the exile, dispossession and internment of more than 20,000 Japanese-Canadians during the 1940s.

BEING JAPANESE-CANADIAN: REFLECTIONS ON A BROKEN WORLD Until August 5, 2019 | Cost: Included with regular admission | Royal Ontario Museum (Sigmund Samuel Gallery of Canada), 100 Queens Park, Toronto | www.rom.on.ca

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Staff Pick | Ramen Raijin

By Walter Muschenheim

ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, RAMEN! Ramen Raijin is serving up a new ramen dish every month this year.

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Walter Muschenheim

Walter is a Toronto-based translator and writer. A real globetrotter, he has lived in France, Germany and the United States and explored Europe and Japan. On his adventures, he loves to learn about languages and food: the two cornerstones of culture!

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tart your engines and grab your bibs! The ramen rally at Ramen Raijin is off to a roaring start.

What is a ramen rally, you ask?

For the restaurant’s sixth anniversary, the chefs at Raijin decided to celebrate with a brand-new crazy challenge: to create a completely original ramen recipe every month in 2019!

The chefs see the rally as a way to reconnect with the excitement and creative energy they remember from first opening the restaurant, letting them take risks and experiment with different styles. Some of the dishes go back to the roots of ramen and introduce Raijin’s customers to traditional Japanese flavours that are different from what’s most popular here in North America. Others will get creative and try new combinations of styles and tastes, or even try to discover what it means to make a truly Canadian ramen.

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Chef Soma admits that creating a new ramen from scratch every month has been harder than expected. He’s the creator of February’s delicious Spicy Dragon Miso Ramen, an ode to the traditional flavours of his wife’s hometown of Yamagata. Creating a dish from scratch each month takes a lot of creativity and a lot of prep work.

What’s more, customers have embraced the ramen rally in a big way and demand has been high!

With two months and two delicious ramen dishes down, we’re excited to see what Raijin has in store for us next. So you can imagine our excitement when we got a chance to preview March’s new ramen before it had even been revealed to the public.

You heard it from us first: starting March 1, you’ll be able to order Mabo Ramen— the newest ramen rally creation. It’s a

rich, spicy soup that’s perfect for the cold weather. With spicy ground pork, mushrooms, green onion, tofu cubes, cabbage and vegetables on a bed of curly noodles that are made in-house, its complex peppery flavor and rich silky broth will be sure to fill you up—and warm you up!

As the year continues, the tour of delicious new flavours looks like it will only get more exciting, so be sure to check out what new ramen Raijin is cooking up every month.

Ramen Raijin 24 Wellesley St. W., Toronto | 647-348-0667 www.zakkushi.com/raijin OPEN: Sun–Thurs 11:30 am–11 pm Fri–Sat 11:30 am–12 am

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