Author: Video Ichiban

Take JR Tokai to Kyoto’s Cherry Blossoms

The Philosopher’s Walk (哲学の道 Tetsugaku-no-michi, lit. Path of Philosophy) is a pedestrian path that follows a cherry-tree-lined canal in Kyoto, between Ginkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji. The walk is a popular destination for tourists and locals, especially during hanami.

Kamigamo Shrine (上賀茂神社 Kamigamo Jinja) is an important Shinto sanctuary on the banks of the Kamo River in north Kyoto, first founded in 678.

Ninna-ji (仁和寺 Ninna-ji) is the head temple of the Omuro school of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism. Located in western Kyoto, Japan, it was founded in AD 888 by the retired Emperor Uda. Most of the surviving buildings date from the 17th century, and include a five-story pagoda and an orchard of dwarf cherry trees.

Tō-ji (東寺 Tō-ji) (East Temple) is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect in Kyoto, Japan. The grounds feature a garden and pond, in which turtles and koi swim.

Daigo-ji (醍醐寺 Daigo-ji) is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. More than seven centuries after its founding, Toyotomi Hideyoshi held a famous cherry blossom viewing party called Daigo no hanami in 1598 at the Sambō-in sub-temple.

The Heian Shrine (平安神宮 Heian-jingū) is a Shinto shrine located in Sakyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The Japanese-style garden takes up about half the land area (approximately 33060 m2).

The Central Japan Railway Company (東海旅客鉄道株式会社 Tōkai Ryokaku Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha) is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and in Japanese as JR Tōkai (JR東海).

Japanese Bento Lunches Popular in the USA

Bento (弁当 bentō) is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento holds rice, fish or meat, with pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container.

Lunch is a midday meal of varying size depending on the culture. Since lunch typically falls in the early-middle of the working day, it can either be eaten on a break from work, or as part of the workday.

Books Kinokuniya (紀伊國屋書店 Kinokuniya Shoten) is a Japanese bookstore chain operated by Kinokuniya Company Ltd. (株式会社紀伊國屋書店 Kabushiki-gaisha Kinokuniya Shoten), founded in 1927, with its first store located in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Since 2000, Kinokuniya in the US has capitalised on the growing popularity of Japanese TV / anime by stocking both English- and Japanese-language books / manga, as well as other Japanese TV / anime-related paraphernalia.

Mizkan Ponzu Katsuo

Ponzu (ポン酢) is a citrus-based sauce commonly used in Japanese cuisine. The element pon arrived in the Japanese language from the English word punch. Su (酢) is Japanese for vinegar, and hence the name literally means vinegar punch.

Toshiyuki Nishida (西田 敏行 Nishida Toshiyuki, born 4 November 1947 in Koriyama, Fukushima) is a Japanese actor. In Japan, he is best known for his fishing comedy series, Tsuribaka Nisshi (“The Fishing Maniac’s Diary”), which currently spans 21 movies.

The skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae. It is otherwise known as the aku, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna, or victor fish. Skipjack tuna is used extensively in Japanese cuisine, where it is known as katsuo (鰹 or かつお). Besides being eaten seared (katsuo tataki, 鰹のタタキ) and raw in sushi (寿司 or すし) and sashimi (刺身 or さしみ), it is also smoked and dried to make katsuobushi(鰹節 or かつおぶし), the central ingredient in dashi (出汁 or だし) (a common Japanese fish stock).

Mizkan (ミツカン Mitsukan) is a Japanese company that produces vinegars (including seasoned rice vinegars, balsamic vinegars, and wine vinegars), mustards, salad dressings, authentic Asian sauces, nattō, and other food products.