This year, Valentine's Day was Sunday. Perhaps a certain number of working women felt relieved?
As I introduced Japanese Valentine's Day culture previously on the Valentine's Day, it is a day for girls/women to give chocolates for boys/men in Japan. Then somehow it became common for working women to give "Giri-Choco (Social Chocolates)" to men at work. So, if it was a weekday, many women would feel pressured to bring chocolates to work.
Of course they don't have to be expensive, chocolates; women can buy a big party size chocolates like the Hershey's in the upper left hand side photo and pass out each piece to all male colleagues.
However, it is not so simple. Since Japanese Valentine's chocolates are not free gifts but may be reciprocated. On March 14th, one month later, is called a "White Day" and it is the day for boys/men to return gifts to the girls/women who gave chocolates to them. So if a boy/man also likes the girl/woman who confessed her feelings with chocolates and they became a couple, he would return a very nice gift to the girl/woman on the White Day. Also working men may return some social gifts to the women who gave "Giri-Choco (Social Chocolates)" to them.
This fact can influence working women when they buy "Giri-Choco (Social Chocolates)". Since they may receive some return one month later really cheap chocolates might be impolite. On the other hand what they will get as the reward is unknown. Therefore some women find it difficult to get proper "Giri-Choco (Social Chocolates)" and feel stressed every year.
Before Valentine's Day, shops also have many fanciful Valentine's chocolates with range of prices, such as famous character's chocolates, chocolates with funny shapes, and chocolates to play with. The upper right hand side photo is showing a chocolate tool, and the lower photo is showing a chocolate gift which people can dig up a chocolate fossil. However, for working women, the huge variety might increase their stress level even more.
February 14th is Valentine's Day in Japan, as well! However, events of this day are a little different from that of Western countries. Apparently Valentine's Day culture was originally imported to Japan in late 1950s, but it wasn't really anchored down. Perhaps Japanese people were too shy to enjoy a day of romantic love back then.
In late 1970s, Valentine's gifts started to be common among young girls because Japanese candy companies made advertizements such as "Girls! Valentine's Day is a day for romantic love! Why don't you muster up your courage to give a chocolate gift to the boy you love on this day? The chocolate will tell the boy how you feel!", and it attracted many young girls who are very shy to verbally confess their feelings.
Since then, Valentine's Day has been a day for girls and women in Japan. So, most shopping malls have Valentine's Chocolate gift corners in this season, as you can see in the lower photos, and the customers at the corners are mostly girls/women.
Yet apparently some parts of Japanese Valentine's Day culture is now changing. According to a newspaper survey, nowadays 45% of girls/women are giving Valentine's gifts to their female friends, 41% of girls/women are giving to their father, 30% of girls/women are giving to their husbands/boyfriends, and only 9% of girls/women are giving to boys/men who they want to confess their feelings. It appears that Japanese girls/women are not very shy anymore to use a roundabout way to confess.
Anyway, it seems that one thing hasn't changed in Japan is Valentine's Day is a day for chocolate gifts.
Happy Valentine's Day!
It seems like Mt.Fuji is in the mood to change her appearance a lot today, although she changes her clothes throughout the year as shown on my Today's Fuji page. This morning she is wearing a cloud hat with a pointed crown as if she has a sharp summit.
I have mentioned it in my previous post already, Mt. Fuji is
considered as a goddess in Japanese Shinto and Japanese myths. So I always refer Mt.Fuji as "She".
According to Japanese myths, she is a very beautiful goddess and married to a god named "Ninigi-no-Mikoto" who is a grandson of Amaterasu-Oomikami (Goddess of The Sun). Yes, in Japanese myths the sun is considered as a goddess and the moon is considered as a god which is the opposite of Greek myths.
Perhaps Mt.Fuji is a lady who enjoys a full wardrobe.
Since I wrote about a custom of eating rolled sushi on Setsubun Day (February 3rd), I'd like to introduce a recipe for a very plain rolled sushi today. Nowadays "Sushi" is well known internationally, but somehow it is associated with raw fish or seafood.
Actually fish or seafood is not required for sushi, especially for rolled sushi. Most of common ingredients of thin type of rolled sushi called "Hoso-Maki" does not contain fish or seafood, and the most plain thick type of rolled sushi called "Futo-Maki" usually doesn't contain any raw fish or seafood. In fact regarding thick type of rolled sushi it is called "Seafood Rolled Sushi" when it contains row seafood and it gives an impression of "gorgeous sushi".
The photos are showing a typical homemade thick type of rolled sushi called "Futo-Maki". Since it is a common home cooking, people just use ingredients which are easily available at home. For this Futo-Maki the ingredients are eggs, cucumbers, shiitake mushrooms, and spinach. A the detailed recipe is below.
[Recipe of a traditional rolled sushi, Futo-Maki] For 2 rolls
The recipe is following the numbers on the photos above, and "TBS" means Table Spoon and "ts" means Tea Spoon in the recipe.
For contents of a rolled sushi
①Cucumbers: Cut into long strips.
②Shiitake mushrooms: Soak dry shiitake mushrooms in 1cup of water for several hours.
After slicing the mushrooms, boil them with shredded dry bonito (photo③), 3TBS soy sauce and 1 and 1/2 TBS of sugar until the mushrooms absorb the taste.
④Japanese sweet omelette: Mix 3 eggs, 2TBS sugar, a pinch of salt, and 2 TBS of water.
Then, after put a little oil on a frying pan, cook the egg into a thick omelette.
⑤Spinach: Blanche a bunch of spinach leaves and squeeze out excess water completely.
Mix with a TBS of soy sauce and 1 ts of suger.
For vinegar rice
⑥Mix 100 ML of rice vinegar, 2TBS of sugar, and 1 ts of salt, which is a basic "vinegar mixture" for Japanese cooking.
Wash 300g of Japanese sticky rice and strain it to get rid of water.
*If you have a rice cooker you can use it to cook the rice. Add 300 ML water to the rice and push the button to start cooking.
*If you'd like to use a thick heavy pot, put the washed rice into the pot and add 300 ML water gently. Close the lid and turn on the stove to low heat.
After 5minutes, change to high heat and cook for around 15-20minutes. Then turn off the heat and wait about 5 minutes. (Until this step, be careful not to open the lid at all!)
Open the lid, and take out the cooked rice into a big bowl.
Pour the "vinegar mixture" immediately onto the rice while it is still hot. Mix the rice with a spatula and fan it to cool it down quickly. (Then the rice absorb "vinegar mixture" well)
Making a roll
⑦Place a bamboo mat on a cooking board and place a big sheet of "Nori (seaweed)" and spread rice gently onto it.
Please don't push the rice at all, rice pieces shouldn't be crushed for Sushi.
Leave a space at the edge of Nori as shown in the photo.
Also make a little heap at the edge of rice as the purple arrow indicated.
⑧Place each ingredient on right before the heap as shown in the photo.
Then pick up the side close to you and roll toward the other end.
After rolled and formed the shape, you can add a little pressure to make the both edges of Nori stick completely.
⑨Cut off both edges of the roll and cut into 1inch (2.5-3.0 cm) slices carefully.
Since rice pieces are not pressed, rolls can easily fall apart during cutting.
(additionally you can sprinkle some sesame seeds if you like.)
I'd like to continue the same topic about "Setsubun Day(Feb. 3rd)" today. As I introduced yesterday, Japanese people eat roasted the same number of soy beans as their own age on Setsubun Day to wish a healthy year. Actually there are more traditional customs relating food on this day. Let's take a look at other Setsubun food!
Many people also eat an un-sliced whole rolled sushi on Setsubun Day as shown in the upper left hand side photo. Although it was originally a local Setsubun custom in Western Japan, it became common all over the country these days since supermarkets and convenience store industries thought it would be a good business chance to sell lots of rolled sushi and started to advertise the custom. According to the custom, eating whole rolled sushi facing the lucky direction of the year based on the Chinese zodiac animal symbol of the year would bring a good luck. Therefore, nowadays many shops sell un-sliced whole rolled sushi on Setsubun day with information on the lucky direction of the year. Apparently the lucky direction of 2016 is south-southeast.
Also there is another custom since old times to eat grilled dry sardines for Setubun. Dry sardines are very common food in Japan especially sardines on a stick called "Mezashi". The fish's eyes are stabbed by a stick to hang them to dry. It is one of the traditional styles for dried fish. However it has been said that Japanese ogres hate the smell of dry sardines when they are grilled moreover when people stab some heads of dry sardines on a holly branch and display it on their porch it will threaten ogres to stab their own eyes. Most people don't eat heads of dry sardines, so the left over food became a strong weapon against ogres. Also the smell of eaten grilled sardines can protect people's body against ogres. Ancient people created a very practical scheme utilizing food waste to drive away ogres.
Today, February 3rd is called "Setsubun" day in Japan. “Setubun” directly means “The Boundary of Season”. with Japanese traditional season calendar, February 4th is the day of “Risshun”, which means the beginning of spring, and literary translation of “Risshun” is “The Day For Spring Stands Up”. Thus, February 3rd is the last day of
winter.
On Setsubun day, there are traditional customs of people removing evil things from their houses and welcoming good luck. In old times people believed that evil spirits such as ogres tended to come out during a change of season. Therefore people started some activities to try to expel ogres on the last day of winter. Then it became one of the major seasonal events.
It might
sound funny, but for the ritual to expel ogres and to invite
good luck, people spread roasted soy beans inside and outside of their
houses, because ancient people believed soy beans have some spiritual power. People throw soy beans inside of their houses to invite good luck and outside of their houses to expel ogres. Also some people put holly branches on their front porch, too, because it has been said that ogres hate holly leaves. Many shops sell roasted soy beans and holly branches before Setsubun day as shown in the lower photos above.
Some of roasted soy bean packages for Setsubun contain a mask of ogre as shown in the upper photo above. As a part of the traditional custom of throwing soy beans, one
of the family members plays a role of ogre wearing the mask, and other family members throw soy beans to the ogre-person to expel him. Families with little kids especially enjoy this simulated expelling activity.
After the activity of throwing soy beans, people eat the same number of roasted soy beans as their own age, as a traditional custom for Setsubun to keep a good health for the year. This one is easy to practice. So if you are wondering the effectiveness of soy beans' power you can eat the same number of beans as your own age today and experiment!
