Category Archives: Mirai 2-007

01 FL 107 月, Customs Culture, Food Meals, Mirai 2-007, Mirai 2-124, Obentō 01-092, Obentō 02-092, Obentō 02-110

New Year’s Celebrations, お正月　おしょうがつ oshōgatsu and 　出前

10/01/2013 lamihome Leave a comment

On this website we have been able to present you with photos of amazing dishes on grand occasions. Indeed, some of our friends have been specially treating themselves for photography’s sake. (Yes, we have friends like that! Eat your heart out!)

New Year’s Celebrations お正月おしょうがつ oshōgatsu

However, these photos are more low-key and they are the more practical side to organising a busy time for a family get-together. This meal is still quite expensive, but it shows a more pragmatic approach.

For instance, elderly people do not have the energy during a cold time of the year to go shopping and to stand around in the kitchen preparing food. Grandma loves to have her children and grandchildren around her, but she is not looking for work. A daughter-in-law would take over, but the main food items are bought at the local food hall, taken home and “further got ready”.

Grandma already has all the crockery, the chopsticks ohashi お箸おはし come from the food hall for the occasion and a variety of dishes is ordered. The food is delivered 出前でまえ demae. More photos explaining the service are at the bottom of this page.

The daughter-in-law needs to only sort out what goes where and who wants what and what needs reheating, or further preparation.

A soup is a good starter. Some white-flesh fish, a mushroom, some “greenery” and a carrot for colour. This is an individual dish.

Another dish consists of shellfish, pickles and more fish. These boxes are “communal boxes”, so one takes what one wishes.

This container lacquer box お弁当箱おべんとうばこ obentō bako has meats and some eggplant and peas.

A whole snapper! Very expensive, particularly at that time of the year. Guests can pick at the white flesh to supplement their food. A snapper, or 鯛たい tai, can easily cost up to $100, so it needs to be a special occasion for special guests.

The yellow on the left hand side represents a rolled and sliced fried egg, tamagoyaki, 卵焼きたまごやき (a sort omelette) and the yellow on the right is sliced lotus root. The distinctive holes create an interesting pattern on a plate.

A dish of sashimi 刺身さしみ adds to the variety and the choice for the guests.

Lastly a plate of beef 牛肉ぎゅうにく gyūniku completes the meal.

It is easy to prepare one’s own cooked white rice ご飯ごはん gohan by using the electric rice cooker 電気炊飯器でんきすいはんき denkisuihanki. Altogether a very expensive meal, a lot of variety and a minimum of fuss for a special occasion. No one has to slave for hours in the kitchen.

The other good thing is that the dishes are easily taken care of: the lacquer boxes お弁当箱おべんとうばこ obentō bako can be returned to the restaurant after a rinse.

新年明けましておめでとうございます。

しんねんあけましておめでとうございます。

shinnen akemashite omedetō gozaimasu

Happy New Year!

food delivery 出前でまえ

Depending on the restaurant service, they deliver on the ubiquitous bike, or even by van. Most people would have a menu already at home, so they can choose over the phone what they want and then the firm delivers. Very simple. One can pay at the door, or good customers could also pay later at the restaurant; that would depend on the relationship between the parties concerned.

food delivery 出前でまえ demae

いただきます
itadakimasu
enjoy your meal！

Kimono, Mirai 2-007, Obentō 01-061

Japanese ‘MON’ family crest on formal kimono

03/07/2011 lamihome Leave a comment

01 FL 088 語学, Customs Culture, Mirai 2-007, Obentō 01-061, Obentō 02-136

Altaic Languages and People, Altai

19/06/2011 lamihome Leave a comment

Altai Mountains

Scholars will no doubt discuss this for many PhD’s to come, but what is certain is that the link between the three peoples is close: they’re family one way or another. Whichever way one looks at it, they seem fascinating to the greater world; they represent everything that is beautiful, elegant, cultured and sincere. Aren’t we privileged to be able to visit them all? Indeed we are.

Korean Family

Turkish Family

Japanese Family

When Japanese people speak about the Japanese language as their own native language they learn, it is called 国語こくご kokugo, not 日本語 にほんご nihongo. 日本語 にほんご nihongo implies “Japanese for foreigners”.

01 FL 047 Family, Grammar, KD 3-008 Family, KD 3-009 Family, KD 3-017 Airlines, Mirai 2-007, Obentō 01-061, Obentō 02-009

Talking about someone else’s family

07/04/2011 lamihome Leave a comment

Here is a summary of all the useful family words

01 FL 047 Family, 104g Family, Grammar, KD 3-008 Family, KD 3-009 Family, KD 3-017 Airlines, Mirai 2-007, Obentō 01-054, Obentō 02-009

Introducing my family

04/04/2011 lamihome Leave a comment

This is my family

The Japanese language has different words for members of the family depending on whether they are your own family, or someone else’s family. Then they also have a different way of talking to members of their own family and a way of talking about members of their own family when they are not present. Amid all this children make short-cuts and parents have their own way of communicating with their own children; that is no different in any other language or culture.

On the left (orange) you see the word as it is used for talking about someone else’s family and on the right (light blue) you see the word as it is used when talking about your own family when they are not present.

Sometimes Japanese use the title ちゃん chan instead of さん san, to show how close they feel to that person. It is a form of endearment.

Men and boys use ぼく boku in informal conversation, meaning ‘I’.

However, when you talk to your own younger brother you would use his name (even if abbreviated) and add くん kun to it. You would never refer to him by his rank, if he is a lower rank. It would be regarded as humiliating. The same you would do when talking to someone else’s younger brother. It is not cool to put someone down, even though you know he is younger.

However, when you talk to your own younger sister you would use her name (even if abbreviated) and add ちゃん chan to it. You would never refer to her by her rank, if she is a lower rank. It would be regarded as humiliating. The same you would do when talking to someone else’s younger sister. It is not cool to put someone down, even though you know she is younger.

We have added another point here (a little related because it is about modesty):

Another point that should be made is that, if you begin to learn Japanese, try very hard to leave out the word わたし watashi or ぼく boku or あなた anata. Sometimes it is essential so as not to confuse people, but in 9 out of 10 cases it is perfectly well understood that the conversation is about you or me. To use those pronouns would be a form of attention seeking; no different from (example):

ME wanting to talk about MY horse in MY meadow when the sun was shining on MY land and MY horse jumped over MY fence and then MY vet came to ME to give ME HIS bill for HIS consultation. It all happened on MY land. So there!

Really annoying and one would think that person does not have many friends.

Therefore introduce yourself as:

スミスです。 (My name) is Smith.　or

なまえはスミスです。 (My) name is Smith.

Don’t say:

わたしのなまえはスミスです。

(It really means: “Attention, please! Please note that MY name is Smith!”) Just way too much!