(うなぎ) is the Japanese word for freshwater eels, especially the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica. Unagi is often eaten during the hot summers in Japan. There is even a special day for eating unagi, the midsummer day of the Ox (doyo no ushi no hi).
Kabayaki (蒲焼) is a generic Japanese term for a dish of seafood which is filleted, boned and dipped in a sweet soy sauce-base sauce before broiled on a grill. In general, kabayaki refers to the dish made with unagi.
Hokka Hokka Tei (ほっかほっか亭) is a bento take-out chain with over 2,000 franchises and company-owned branches throughout Japan. Hokka Hokka Tei [was] the major brand name of Plenus Co., Ltd., which used to be engaged in office equipment sales before it changed industries to the food industry in 1980 [and then in 2008 split from Hokka Hokka Tei to form the HottoMotto bento chain in 2005.]
Taiko (太鼓) means “drum” in Japanese (etymologically “great” or “wide drum”). Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums (和太鼓, wa-daiko, “Japanese drum”, in Japanese) and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming (sometimes called more specifically, kumi-daiko (組太鼓)).
Suntory was one of the first Asian companies to specifically employ American celebrities to market their product. One of the most notable is Sammy Davis, Jr., who appeared in a series of memorable Suntory commercials in the early 1970s.
Samuel George “Sammy” Davis, Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American entertainer. Primarily a dancer and singer, Davis was a childhood vaudevillian, and became known for his performances on Broadway and in Las Vegas, as a recording artist, television and film star, and the only black member of Frank Sinatra’s “Rat Pack”. In the 1970s, he appeared in commercials in Japan for Suntory whiskey.
A blended whisky (or whiskey) is the product of blending different types of whiskies.
Cup Noodles is a brand of instant ramen noodle snack manufactured by Nissin, packaged in an XPS foam, hard plastic or paper cup. The product is known for being inexpensive and easy to prepare. Other brand names are used in specific countries, such as Cup Noodle in Japan.
Reiko Takagaki (高垣麗子)(born October 11, 1979 in Tokyo, Japan) is a fashion model and actress. She is married to Japanese speed skater former Hiroyasu Shimizu (清水宏保).
Asashōryū Akinori (朝青龍 明徳, born September 27, 1980, as Dolgorsürengiin Dagvadorj, Mongolian: Долгорсүрэнгийн Дагвадорж) is a former sumo wrestler from Ulan Bator, Mongolia. During the January 2010 tournament, a tabloid magazine claimed he punched his personal manager after getting drunk during a night out in downtown Nishiazabu [Minato Ward, Tokyo]. Subsequently, on February 4, 2010, he announced his decision to retire, after discussing the matter at a meeting with the Board of Directors of the Sumo Association.
Fanta has its origins in Germany, when a trading ban was placed on that nation by the Allies during World War II. The Coca-Cola company therefore was not able to import the syrup needed to produce Coca-Cola in Germany.
Pachinko (パチンコ) is a Japanese gaming device used for amusement and gambling. A pachinko machine resembles a vertical pinball machine, but with no flippers and a large number of relatively small balls. In Japan, gambling within the private industry is illegal, but pachinko parlors are tacitly tolerated by the Japanese authorities as “semi-gambling” and are not categorically considered as centers of illegal activity.
The Matrix is a 1999 American science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski; starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving.
Bullet Time refers to a digitally enhanced simulation of variable speed photography used in films, broadcast advertisements and video games. It is characterized both by its extreme transformation of time and space.
Soba (そば or 蕎麦) is a type of thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. Chilled soba is often served on a sieve-like bamboo tray called a zaru, sometimes garnished with bits of dried nori seaweed, with a dipping sauce known as soba tsuyu on the side.
Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. (第一三共株式会社, Daiichi Sankyō Kabushiki-kaisha) is a Japan-based major pharmaceutical company, which ranks number 22 in the world in sales.
The Tōkyū Den-en-toshi Line (東急田園都市線, Tōkyū Den’entoshi-sen) is a major commuter line operated by Tokyu Corporation and connecting south-western suburbs of Tokyo and neighbouring Kanagawa, with its western terminus of Chūō-Rinkan, to a major railway junction of western downtown Tokyo, Shibuya.
The term oshiya (押し屋) [English: railway station attendant] is derived from the verb “osu” (押す), meaning “push”, and the suffix “-ya” (屋), indicating “line of work.”
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest.
Lotte’s current marketing slogan in Japan is お口の恋人ロッテ (o-kuchi no koibito Lotte), which is translated as “your palate’s sweetheart, Lotte”.
Dreams Come True (ドリームズ・カム・トゥルー, Dorīmuzu Kamu Turū) is a music duo from Japan, formed in 1988 that has sold more than 50 million records worldwide.
Ghana, known for its gold in colonial times, remains one of the world’s top gold producers. Other exports such as cocoa, timber, electricity, diamond, bauxite, and manganese are major sources of foreign exchange.
John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor, dancer and singer.
Shōchū (焼酎) is a distilled beverage native to Japan. It is most commonly distilled from barley, sweet potatoes, or rice.
Takara Sake USA Inc. holds the rights to distribute Kirin Brewery Company products in the United States, but have not started importing Chu Hi for distribution in North America.
Shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ, also spelled syabu-syabu) is a Japanese variant of hot pot. The dish is related to sukiyaki in style, where both use thinly sliced meat and vegetables, and usually served with dipping sauces.
Ponzu (ポン酢) is a citrus-based sauce commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It is very tart in flavor, with a thin, watery consistency and a light yellow color.
Nicknames for methamphetamine are numerous and vary significantly from region to region, some common nicknames for methamphetamine include “crank”, “meth”, “ice”, “crystal”, “glass”, “amp” (USA). “shabu” or “syabu” (Japan and Philippines), “tik” (South Africa), “P” (New Zealand), “piko” (Slovakia), and “yaa baa” (Thailand).
The poet Bashō is named after the Japanese word for a banana plant. The “bashō” planted in his garden by a grateful student became a source of inspiration to his poetry, as well as a symbol of his life and home.
[Bashō's] disciples built him a rustic hut and planted a banana tree (芭蕉, bashō) in the yard, giving Bashō a new haigō and his first permanent home.
Fundoshi (褌) is the traditional Japanese underwear for adult males, made from a length of cotton. Before World War II the fundoshi was the main form of underwear for Japanese adult males; however it went out of use quickly after the war with the advent of new underwear, such as briefs and trunks, on the Japanese market.
