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24
May 10

The Japanese Hamburger

This week we thought we’d do something different when it comes to discussing Japanese food and instead discuss what the Japanese do with what is generally considered a Western food: the hamburger. To have a hamburger in Japan (or just to have one Japanese style) is not quite the same as getting a hamburger in the West. So while you’re on a crusade to sample Japanese food, don’t forget to try some of the food you’re probably more familiar with—only in the Japanese way!

Most Japanese hamburgers (known as “hanbaagu” in Japan) are similar to what is known as “hamburger steak” in the West. Eaten with a knife and fork on a plate (with no bun), the Japanese hamburger patty is made from beef or pork (or both) and is minced together with onions, breadcrumbs, eggs and/or a mixtures of spices. The patty is then served with the diner’s topping of choice, which is typically a combination of any of the following: a fried egg, teriyaki sauce, demi-glace brown sauce, or vegetables.

When the Japanese decide to make hamburgers at home, more often than not it’s the hamburger steak. This is also a popular dish in family restaurants and other restaurants serving Western-style food.

The Japanese actually do have American-style hamburgers complete with a bun, called “hanbaagaa,” in the American-export fast food chains, such as McDonald’s and Burger King, as well as in other Asian burger franchises. However, the Japanese find holding their food directly with their hands unsanitary. If you order a hamburger in Japan, don’t be surprised to find it served in cup-shaped tissue paper that you’re expected not to unwrap. You hold onto the burger by gripping the tissue paper portion (careful not to bite into the paper!), allowing you to eat the hamburger without touching your food directly.

Another way that the Western-style burger differs in Japan is in the toppings. Teriyaki sauce-covered patties, fried egg-covered patties, shrimp croquette-covered patties, patties made from tofu, and even pork cutlets in place of the beef make for popular hamburgers in Japan. Some hamburger buns are even made entirely from rice grains!

Have you ever had a Japanese hanbaagu or hanbaagaa? What did you think of them? Would you be interested in trying one? Do you like the idea of not touching your burger with your hands for sanitary reasons?

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21
May 10

Japanese Prime Minister’s Fashion Faux Pas Makes International Headlines

If you didn’t know who Japan’s prime minister was before, you may by now. Last week, international headlines proclaimed that Hatoyama Yukio had worn a bizarre, multi-colored shirt to a barbeque at his home. Perhaps stranger than the fact that this made the news at all, let alone the international news, was that Hatoyama’s fashion faux pas had caused his approval rating to drop significantly, 33% to 24%1 in just one month.

This is not the first time the Japanese prime minister has decided to wear outfits that are a little bizarre. Japanese fashion critics go on to cite a heart-studded collared shirt over which the prime minister wore a pink blazer, mauve coats, and other multi-colored shirts. The prime minister and his wife are also known in the media for some odd behavior, such as a pigeon imitation the prime minister performed during an interview. There have also been interviews with his wife, Hatoyama Miyuki, in which she claims to have been abducted by aliens and taken to Venus twenty years ago. She also says she “eats” energy from the sun and is instructing her husband to do the same.

While some claim the odd behavior and fashion choices are just the eccentricities of an odd couple who never tried to hide who they were prior to Hatoyama’s election last autumn, the fact that this one bad shirt at a bbq was the one odd thing to inspire such a global discussion is actually fairly telling about what really caused the public opinion of Hatoyama to drop so quickly and so steeply. Hatoyama wore this shirt to a bbq hosted at his home that he called “The Real Hato Café,” as it was supposed to offer the public a chance to meet him, mingle with him, and see that he’s just an ordinary person like they are. Wearing such a bizarre shirt to the gathering, says Konishi Don, a Japanese fashion critic, shows that Hatoyama is actually quite out of touch with the rest of the country—at the very moment he was trying to show them that he’s just one of them. Says Konishi, “This shirt comes from the ‘80s or ‘90s. His ideas and philosophy are old. Japan is facing a crisis and we can’t overcome it with a prime minister like this.” 2

Hatoyama responded to the sudden drop in public approval by stating, “I take it seriously that my approval ratings are down significantly. But I’m not going to quit.” 3 Still, perhaps he’ll hire a fashion consultant—although if they’re unhappy with his policies, the public’s opinion is unlikely to go back up without serious political overhaul.

Did you see Hatoyama’s shirt? What did you think of it? Do you think it’s silly that his fashion choices have made international news? Do you agree with the idea that it shows that Hatoyama is out of touch? What do you think of the prime minister and his wife’s other examples of odd behavior?

1, 2, 3 Lah, Kyung. “Japan’s prime minister under fire for fashion choices.” CNN World. 12 May 2010. <http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/12/japan.hatoyama.fashion/index.html?eref=rss_world&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_world+%28RSS%3A+World%29>. 17 May 2010.

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18
May 10

Carry Things the Japanese Way: How to Fold a Furoshiki

A few weeks ago, we discussed the bento lunch in Japan and briefly mentioned the wrappings via which a bento box is usually carried: the furoshiki. This very large handkerchief-like cloth is reusable and thus makes an environmentally-friendly way to transport food. (The bento box itself traditionally has no handles and is not simple to carry.) It can also double as a food mat to spread out on your desk, lap or even on the grass once you unwrap your bento box, catching spills and making clean up much easier.

The furoshiki dates back to the 8th century CE, when it was originally called the hirazutsumi (“flat, folded bundle”). It became colloquially known as the furoshiki (“bath spread”) during the Edo Period (17th to 19th century CE) when it became a common practice to use the cloth to bring clothes to and from the public baths.

The furoshiki is actually used for far more than just wrapping lunch to-go. The original intent of the furoshiki was something like a modern grocery bag or tote bag, allowing the user to transport food, shopping goods, and other items. It could also be used to protect boxes and items from dust during storage. The furoshiki was even used like wrapping paper for gifts. (Traditionally, the giver receives the wrappings back.) These uses are still prevalent today, particularly for those who wish to reduce their waste contribution.  You’re even likely to see some Japanese businesspeople and government workers carrying documents in furoshiki instead of briefcases.

Furoshiki come in multiple sizes and can be almost as large as a beach towel, only in a square shape. What we think of as a handkerchief in the West is usually not large enough to be considered a furoshiki because you need plenty of cloth with which to craft handles out of the fabric when you tie it around the item. However, if a handkerchief is all you have on hand, you can try wrapping something small. Otherwise, scour Japanese supermarkets and housewares stores for your own furoshiki, both locally and online. The ones made out of material like rayon are relatively inexpensive.

There are many ways to wrap items using a furoshiki, but we’re going to look at three of the most common ways in closer detail:

Otsukai-tsutsumi (“carrying wrap”):

The most basic of ways to wrap a furoshiki is the otsukai-tsutsumi, which is usually the method used for wrapping square or rectangular bento boxes.

  1. Place the furoshiki, non-decorated side (if applicable) face up, on a hard surface. The fabric should be rotated 90 degrees, with the corners of the fabric pointing up, down, left and right. Place the box to be wrapped in the middle of the fabric.
  2. Fold the top corner of the fabric down over the box as far as it will go without shifting the box from its place.
  3. Fold the bottom corner of the fabric over the last fold and the box as far as it will go. Don’t pull too hard. Let the bottom corner flop over the box without tucking it in.
  4. Fold the left and then the right corners of the fabric across the box.
  5. Tie the left and right corners fairly tightly, but leave just a small amount of leeway in the fabric. (This will be the handle.)
  6. Knot the two corners together. Make the knot tight enough so it won’t fall apart on its own, but loose enough that you won’t have difficulty getting the knot undone when you’re hungry!
  7. Carry the box by the knot.

Hon-tsutsumi (“book wrap”):

Sometimes translated as “the briefcase” because it acts in a similar fashion, the hon-tsutsumi allows you to carry rectangular documents as well as books. You’ll need at least two piles of documents or two books of roughly the same height and width to make this wrap work.

  1. Place the furoshiki, non-decorated side (if applicable) face up, on a hard surface. The fabric should be in a normal square shape with the corners of the fabric at the left and right of the top and bottom. Place the books (or piles of documents) diagonally across the fabric toward the center. Leave a small amount of space between the books.
  2. Fold the bottom left and the top right corners of the fabric over the book that they are nearest. Tuck the corners under the book. Pull tightly, but make sure you don’t shift the books. There should still be a bit of space between the books.
  3. Pull the top left and the bottom right corners of the fabric across the books to the opposite side. The corners should stick out a bit beyond the books.
  4. Carefully flip one book over and stack it atop the other book. Make sure the corners of fabric that were sticking out before are still visible.
  5. Pull the two corners of fabric out and up and over the books (in the direction of the place where the book you just folded over originally was). Tie the two corners together somewhat tightly, but leave a little leeway. (This is the handle.) Knot the corners together as tightly as possible (but make sure you can easily undo the knot when necessary).
  6. Carry the books (or documents) by the knotted handle.

Bin-tsutsumi (“bottle wrap”):

Another popular use of the furoshiki is the bin-tsutsumi, which is used to wrap a single bottle either recently purchased or to be given as a gift. (There’s actually another method for wrapping two bottles at once.) Bottles intended for this wrap are traditionally tall and slender, such as wine and sake bottles.

  1. Place the furoshiki, non-decorated side (if applicable) face up, on a hard surface. The fabric should be rotated 90 degrees, with the corners of the fabric pointing up, down, left and right. Place the bottle standing up in the middle of the fabric.
  2. Pull the left and right corners of the fabric up over the top of the bottle. Tie them together fairly tightly, but leave some leeway. (This will be the handle.) Knot the fabric together tightly, but make sure you’ll be able to undo the knot when needed.
  3. Wrap the top corner of the fabric around the front (not the top) of the bottle as far as it will go. Wrap the bottom corner of the fabric across the last fold in the opposite direction.
  4. Flip the bottle around. Grab both corners of the fabric that are sticking out and pull them as tight as they will go. Tie and knot the two corners together as tightly as possible without making the knot too hard to undo. (You will not be using this knot as a handle, so you won’t need any leeway. You want to make sure the knot is tight enough to keep the bottle in place.)
  5. Carry the bottle by the top knot of the fabric.

This post is an entry for Japan Blog Matsuri. Read about more Japanese how-tos at the Nihon Group website!

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14
May 10

Nagano: History and Snow

Home of the 1998 Winter Olympics, the city of Nagano is approximately 150 miles northwest of Tokyo in the central area of the main island of Japan. You can reach Nagano in about 2 ½ hours by train from Tokyo.

Nagano is a large city, but not comparable (population-wise) to much of the rest of Japan. With about 378,000 residents, it ranks 51st on the list of most populated cities in the country. (Tokyo, the most populated, is home to approximately 8.1 million people.) However, it’s that relatively “small, large city” feel to Nagano that makes it an ideal destination for travelers, who will have plenty to see and fewer crowds with which to contend.

No trip to Nagano is complete without a visit to Zenkou-ji, the 7th century Buddhist temple that’s a destination for 1 million tourists each year. Zenkou-ji is closely tied with the history of the city, as the city of Nagano was established in 1897 (1200 years after the temple was built) as a town built with the temple as its focal point.

The temple is famous aesthetically for its images of Amida Buddha, and temple history says that the temple got its name when a priest who rescued images of the Buddha from being drowned in a canal by a rival Buddhist clan. The most famous image of Buddha at the temple, though, is hidden from the public and is known as a hibutsu (“secret Buddha”). According to legend, this hibutsu is the first image of Buddha to have been brought to Japan by China.

You may also be interested in touring parks and museums dedicated to the Battles of Kawanakajima, five major battles in Japanese history that took place in the 16th century. These parks are the principal battlegrounds and are still preserved in Nagano today.

As you could likely tell from its selection as the host for the Winter Olympics, Nagano City and the rest of the Nagano Prefecture is known for winter weather and ski resorts. The most famous resorts may be Iizuna, which doubles as a campsite in summer and has an onsen year-round, and Shiga Kogen, where you can see snow monkeys at the nearby Jigokudani Monkey Park.

Have you ever been to Nagano? Do you remember seeing some of Nagano during the 1998 Winter Olympics? Would you like to visit Nagano?

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12
May 10

Aidoru: The Japanese “Idol”

American Idol may have gotten North American audiences used to the idea of putting a person plucked from obscurity on a pedestal for his or her singing talent for a year or so before the idol (usually) fades back into obscurity, but the “idol” (aidoru in Japanese, but the word is taken from the English equivalent) has long been hot in Japan. Not always (but often) singers, the Japanese idol becomes a massive cross-media hit known more for her (we’ll get to that in a minute) looks and (possibly manufactured) personality than her talent.

Sometimes in the 1970s, the idol boom began in Japan, strangely not after the cross-media popularity of a native Japanese woman in Japan, but of a French musician named Sylvie Vartan. Talent agencies formed keen to produce the next “idol,” the next young woman who would be plastered across all media outlets and become the next big “cash cow.”

Japanese idols are usually women, but some young men may be considered idols (men typically become idols through initially joining the music or acting industry, though, and don’t specifically set out to be an all-encompassing “idol.”) Idols are usually teenagers (specifically 14 to 16), but may be as young as 12 or so and as “old” as in their early 20s. Very few idols remain popular beyond their 20s, but there are a few memorable ones who have preserved and have been recognized for their talents in the long-term.

Idols may sing, act, or model (or all three), but they don’t necessarily have to have a “talent” and aren’t marketed for their one talent. The goal is to have the next, hot new idol permeate everything in the entertainment industry that she can. This typically means frequent appearances on talk shows, variety shows, radio shows, and game shows, as well as sponsorship deals. A Japanese idol must be pretty or cute (as deigned by the talent agency), thin, and must demonstrate a lovable, sweet personality in her appearances. Some are even known for being “lovable airheads” and gladly milk this personality portrayal for all that it’s worth. However, it’s well known that the overly cute “personality” is often just an act and there are sometimes gossip stories about how ruthless and mean—or conversely, how intelligent and down-to-earth—the idols can be when not “on camera.”

The Japanese idol industry is a tough, competitive industry for which thousands of young women compete each year. Only a few successful idols “survive” their few years of fame to become famous in the long-term, and those are usually the ones who have real talent and genuinely act like themselves when interviewed.

Do you know of any Japanese idols? Who are your favorites? Do you think it’s demeaning for women to become idols or does it at least provide a good start for women with genuine talent to become recognized?

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10
May 10

Onigiri: A Simple Way to Eat Rice

While in the West, you might pack or grab a sandwich when you want to eat on-the-go, in Japan, you may grab a rice ball, or onigiri. When you think of white rice, you probably don’t imagine being able to scoop it into a ball and take it on the go without it falling apart. However, onigiri is actually just that.

Onigiri is rice that’s specially prepared to remain sticky so that it’s easily shaped. The rice (white rice only) isn’t rinsed before cooking, which helps contribute to its stickiness and makes it clump together. The rice also can’t be instant rice and is usually short-grain. Depending on the chef, a small amount of salt may be added to help preserve the rice but is not always necessary.

The rice is then shaped into a convenient small form. Although usually translated as “rice balls,” onigiri are more often triangular in shape than circular, but they can also be circular, oval or rectangular (often confusing people unfamiliar with the dish who think that it’s sushi), star-shaped or any kind of shape the chef desires. To help keep the rice together, the outside of the rice is usually (but not always) partially wrapped in a strip of dried seaweed (nori).

Some onigiri are served plain, but there’s often at least one (usually salty) ingredient literally stuffed into the middle of the ball of rice. This helps not only contribute to longer preservation but gives the onigiri more flavor. Popular ingredients include umeboshi (pickled ume, an apricot-like fruit), kombu (dried kelp), satled salmon, dried tuna, and salted roe. In some parts of the world, particularly in Hawaii, onigiri is often prepared with Spam.

Japanese people frequently have onigiri for lunch (either on its own—perhaps more than one at a time—or paired with something else) and you’re more likely to see a student buy or pack an onigiri from home than a sandwich. People frequently make their own onigiri, but they can also buy them from convenience stores, vending machines and cafeterias for cheap. Ongiri are high in carbohydrates, so they’re filling and give you a fair amount of energy. However, they’re not typically a delicacy eaten for dinner or ordered at a restaurant.

Have you ever eaten an onigiri? Do you think you would like to try one? Would you rather have rice or sandwiches for lunch?

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07
May 10

Common Japanese Phrases and When You’ll Hear Them

A few weeks ago, when studying introductions, you learned two basic phrases of introduction: hajimemashite (roughly, “nice to meet you”) and yoroshiku onegaishimasu (“please take care of me”). Today we’ll look at a few more common Japanese phrases as well as the situations in which you’ll hear—and/or be expected to use—them.

Tadaima: “I’m home!”

A cliché from old American sitcoms is when a dad comes home from work and exclaims, “Honey, I’m home!” even if his wife is a few feet in front of him and can see that he walked through the door. Well, in Japan, it’s proper manners to exclaim, “tadaima!” or “I’m home” (literally “I’m back”) every time you come home, even if everyone can see that you’re home. If you spend time living with a Japanese family or roommate, it’s proper manners for you to exclaim “tadaima!” once you walk through the door. This behavior is so ingrained that even Japanese people living on their own tend to say, “tadaima!” to no one once they return home.

Okaeri or okaeri nasai: “Welcome home!”

When someone comes back home, it’s polite to say, “okaeri!” (casual) or “okaeri nasai!” (polite) to the person who’s returning. The literal translation means something like, “You’ve returned!” but the sentiment is “Welcome home!” If you live with a Japanese host family or roommate, it would be polite for you to say this to them upon their return home. It doesn’t matter who speaks first—the person returning home saying, “tadaima!” or the person already at home saying, “okaeri!”—but the person returning home tends to speak first more often than not, particularly if the rest of the family is not immediately present.

Ittekimasu: “I’m leaving!”

When you leave the house, it’s polite manners to shout, “ittekimasu!” as you go out the door. The phrase literally means, “I’ll come back, having gone!”

Itterasshai: “Have a good day!”

“Itterasshai,” which literally means “go and return,” has more of the sentiment of “Be careful!” or “Have a good day!” You say it to anyone who’s leaving the house (when you’re still at home) after or before the person who’s leaving says, “ittekimasu.”

Irasshaimase: “Welcome [to our store]!”

Unless you get a job at a store, restaurant or other customer service-heavy business while in Japan, you probably won’t find the need to say this yourself, but every time you enter such a shop, you’ll hear the people who work there welcome you with the phrase, “irasshaimase!” While many customer service employees will greet you with a smile, don’t be surprised if you don’t always hear the phrase with a lot of enthusiasm. Just like with customer service employees here, if their bosses tell them to greet customers with a certain phrase, they generally will. But a bad day, a general dislike for the job, or a shy personality may make the greeting come out as rather bland and unenthused. Some foreigners, not knowing the phrase is meant to welcome them as patrons of the shop, have even reported that they didn’t know what the employees were saying—and wondered if they were telling them to get out of the store! (But now you’ll know better.)

Maido or maido arigatou: “Thank you, come again!”

When you’re leaving a store, the same employees should shout another phrase at you, which generally means, “Thank you, come again!” but could also be thought of as “Please come back soon!” if you didn’t bought something. “Maido” is a shortened form of the phrase.

Have you ever heard these phrases before? (If you shop in Japanese stores even in the US, you might have heard employees shout the latter phrases, for example.)

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05
May 10

Japan’s Golden Week, Part 2

Golden Week continues in Japan and we continue our coverage of the holidays. April 29th was the first day to feature a specific holiday. The next is May 3rd, which is Constitutional Amendment Day (kenpou kinenbi).

Constitutional Amendment Day was established in 1947 to honor the first day the country came under the laws of the Constitution of Japan, which was developed alongside the Allied Forces. The Constitution turned Japan into a liberal democracy. (It was previously a militaristic, imperialistic system.) It greatly lessened the role of the imperial family, making them more figureheads than policy makers, and also declared that the country would never again declare war. Instead, Japan would only defend itself if necessary, which is why the Japanese military is now called the “Japanese Self-Defense Forces.” The meaning behind the day is for Japanese citizens to reflect on democracy and government. It’s also the one day per year in which the National Diet Building (where the government—the House of Councillors and the House of Representatives—convenes) is open for public tours.

As discussed previously, the next holiday, Greenery Day, takes place on May 4th. Golden Week’s last national holiday is on May 5th —today! Children’s Day (kodomo no hi) is meant to celebrate children and their fun-loving, innocent personalities as well as to honor parents (particularly mothers) for raising them. It was originally known as Boys’ Day and was meant only to celebrate sons (as there is another holiday in March to celebrate daughters), but it was changed in 1948 to Children’s Day to celebrate all children.

An iconic symbol of Children’s Day is the koi (carp)-shaped koinobori flags. Households traditionally hang these flags from their rooftops, one for each of the parents and each of the children who live inside. Another tradition is to display a Kintarou (a fabled adventurous boy) doll and a kabuto (samurai helmet) inside the house, as these are symbols of healthy and strong boys. Today in Japan, many families are eating kashiwa-mochi (red bean rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves) and chimaki (sweetened rice paste in a bamboo or iris leaf) to celebrate.

Have you ever heard of Children’s Day or Constitutional Amendment Day? Do you think it’s fair that Boys’ Day was changed to Children’s Day when there’s still a Girls’ Day?

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03
May 10

Japan’s Golden Week, Part 1

This week, Japanese students and many Japanese businesspeople are sitting back, relaxing and enjoying their week off. The first week in May (actually April 29th to May 5th) is called “Golden Week” (ougon shuukan) in Japan because the close proximity of national and cultural holidays means that schools and many businesses close for 7 to 10 days. Of course, many shops remain open, public transportation continues to run, hospitals are still open, etc., so not every worker in Japan has the time off, but after the time around New Year’s, Golden Week is the second most important nation-wide vacation from school and work and the most popular time for travel.

What holidays make up this Golden Week? April 29th is Showa Day (Showa no hi). The day was the Showa Emperor (better known as Emperor Hirohito in the West)’s birthday and the birthday of the emperor is always a national holiday in Japan. (The current emperor’s birthday is in December.) This should no longer have been a holiday following the Showa Emperor’s death in 1988, but it was first changed to Greenery Day (midori no hi) immediately after his death to continue honoring him (read on for more information on Greenery Day). In 2007, Greenery Day was moved and replaced with Showa Day.

Showa Day, unlike Greenery Day, is not intended to honor the deceased emperor himself. Also, unlike Greenery Day, it publicly acknowledges that the Showa Emperor held his position during “turbulent times” in Japanese history. (The Showa Emperor was emperor during World War II in his youth and encouraged the country’s imperialistic war.) The day encourages Japanese citizens to reflect on that period in history and the way the country drastically changed before, during, and after the war. The Showa Emperor held his position until his death, meaning that during the Showa Era, he ruled during war time, depression, economic recovery and the transformation of Japan into a global industrial and economical leader.

Greenery Day, now May 4th, was originally intended to honor the Showa Emperor indirectly by honoring his love for nature and gardens. The day asks the Japanese citizens to honor nature and recognize all that nature provides, even in a technology-heavy world.

Come back Wednesday as Golden Week continues to learn more about the other holidays during this week.

Do you know any Japanese people who have off for Golden Week? Do you like the idea of Greenery Day or Showa Day better to recognize the late emperor’s birthday? Why?

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30
Apr 10

Nagoya: Golden Dolphins and the Legendary Sword

Perhaps best known globally for its short-listed (failed) bid for the 1988 Summer Olympics, Nagoya is the 4th most populated city in Japan with about 2.17 million inhabitants. Located about 225 miles west of Tokyo in the Aichi prefecture along the Pacific Ocean, Nagoya is accessible by train from Tokyo in between 3 and 3 ½ hours.

Nagoya is home to several art museums as well as the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens, one of the largest zoos in Asia that includes an amusement park as well. You may also decide to tour the Noritake factory, where world-famous fine china is manufactured. Nagoya is also famous for the 5th tallest building in Japan, Midland Square, which just opened in 2007 as the new international sales headquarters for Toyota.

One of the most popular tourist locations in Nagoya is Nagoya Castle, a castle restored to look like the original castle that stood in its place since 1612. It famously burned during World War II, so the current castle is a faithful reconstruction that was completed in 1959. Although many of the artifacts were destroyed, some of the original paintings were salvaged and are on display. One of the most iconic features of the Nagoya Castle is what many people call the “golden fish.” Two giant statues called the kinshachi are actually golden dolphin statues with tiger-like heads. They are placed on both ends of the roof and are meant, in a spiritual sense, to protect the castle from further fire.

If you’re in Nagoya, you should also stop at the Atsuta Shrine, the second most important shrine to the Shinto religion. Besides the beautiful grounds and architecture, you may get a glimpse of one of around 4400 national treasures, but don’t expect to see the legendary Kusanagi sword, a sword literally from legend (think Excalibur) and one of the three sacred treasures of Japan. The sword is rumored to be at the shrine, but no one from the public may see it. Even if you can’t see a sacred treasure, you may be in Nagoya during one of 70 annual festivals, so you’ll have plenty to do to enjoy your tour of the grounds.

Have you ever visited Nagoya? Would you be interested in touring Nagoya Castle, even though it’s a restoration? Do you think the Kusanagi sword exists?

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