Ancestors Remembered Around the Autumnal Equinox
The Japanese never go very long without taking care of their ancestors or departed loved ones. In fact, there are many who pray and make offerings at their family altar (butsudan) every single day. In addition, as part of the annual cycle of events, there are four times a year (besides individual memorial days) for special ceremonies in which extra efforts are made for family members who have passed on: New Years, O-Bon (in August) and then the week around (three days before and three days after) the equinox days. In fact, there are national holidays in March and September making it possible for anyone who wishes to do so to visit their family graves for O-Higan (for more detail see my article).
Walking around Tsukuba today, I saw many signs of yesterday's higan-iri (彼岸入）, the first day of O-Higan. First, the graves in all the old neighborhood cemeteries have been swept and decorated with offerings of seasonal flowers.
Rare mound type graves for full burial(before cremation was mandatory)
In and around these graveyards, and in many other places as well (the gardens of old houses, parks, or even along the road), are the amazing higanbana. These flowers are so named for the very fact that they appear, each year, during the higan season.
Higanbana along Tsuchiura-Gakuen Road
At convenience stores, department stores and traditional sweet shops, O-Hagi are on sale. These are oval shaped mochi-rice cakes, covered with a layer of sweet beans, soy bean powder, or black sesame. You can buy them individually, or in sets. The name of these traditional cakes during the autumn o-higan is o-hagi because hagi are a typical flower of this season, while the same sweet cake in spring is called botan-mochi, after the peony, a typical spring flower.
O-Hagi at Seibu
You will notice that many Japanese, when talking about the weather will use the expression- atsusa samusa mo higan made (hot and cold until O-higan), which I guess means that the equinox days (spring and autumn) are seasonal and climatic turning-points. With the crazy weather we've been having who knows when it will get cooler. One thing is for sure, though, the nights will start getting longer and longer, until next spring's equinox.
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And Still More Food For Autumn Foraging In Tsukuba: MUKAGO (or NUKAGO)
I was on my way to a little adventure in the woods surrounding the ruins of Konda Castle, near Sakura Junior High School. As I turned off the road and headed onto a little dirt trail, I noticed a neighbor of mine busily doing something by a bush of some sort. I called out a greeting so as not to startle her (Have you noticed that when Japanese are doing work outside, they never seem to glance up or around? I always attribute this to a deep focus on what they are doing, which is probably true, though some have told me that it's just a way of avoiding having to say hello!), and then I asked her what she was doing. "I'm picking NUKAGO," she said, "why dont you join me?" I thought, "Well, why not?!"
Nukago is the archaic name (still often used by native Ibarakians) for MUKAGO (零余子), which look like tiny potatoes (they are actually tiny yams) clinging delicately to vines which grow out of the stems of the yama imo ( Japanese yams). I say delicately, because to be picked, they merely have to be touched and they come right off. I helped my neighbor gather up a small bag-full. She said she was going to cook them up with the rice in her rice cooker (some people also add ginkgo nuts and some kombu stock). Some Ibarakians also fry, roast, or boil them with salt, sake, soy sauce, etc. I found some original recipes online as well.
Mukago can actually be found on sale at some supermarkets for about 500 yen a fistful (as you can see in the blog linked above), but buying them could never match the fun of finding and picking them yourself. Kids, especially, always enjoy cooking up what they have foraged.
Many of your Japanese friends might not have ever tasted or even heard of mukago (also remember that in Ibaraki it is often called nukago), and those who HAVE might not rave about their taste. Still, having mukago at least once in autumn is considered a MUST by many, since it is a rustic symbol of the season and a welcome change of pace from just plain ol' rice.
Mukago can be found in this area throughout autumn. In English they are called wild yam propagules (or bulbils) as they are how the yam plants propagate (by dropping these little babies to the ground). You can find them in wild fields, by the side of the road, and even in some parks.
Happy hunting!
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Another fruit which grows wild in Tsukuba (and other parts of Japan)- MUBE (moo beh むべ)
By Avi Landau
Before a meeting with Junko Yamamoto, I`m always filled with anticipation. This is because, more often than not, she comes bearing surprising OMIYAGE (gifts), from the seemingly endless stream of interesting places she visits both in Japan and abroad (though what I really do look forward to is her smiling face and lively stories!).
Last Thursday, when I arrived at the Community Center in Hojo, she handed me a bundle wrapped in paper, saying that THIS time, it was not something from some far off reaches of the globe or Japan she had brought, but rather something which she had FOUND growing in her very own garden, right here in Tsukuba .
Opening the package, what I found was MUBE ( pronounced MOO- BEH), which grows, mostly wild, on vines in Japan ( as far north as Kanto), Southern Korea, Taiwan and China. These fruits closely resemble their relative, the AKEBI, which I have written about before ( see-http://blog.alientimes.org/2008/10/still-more-fall-foraging-in-tsukuba-akebi/ ).
Though both of these purple-ish, mango shaped fruits appear in autumn, they can be distinguished one from the other by the fact that AKEBI open, as if slit length-wise, when ripe, and MUBE do not. Also, the leaves of the AKEBI vines fall away, while those of the MUBE do not. In addition, it seems to me that MUBE are generally smaller and less mango-shaped, They come closer to looking like a smooth-skinned, purple and yellow kiwi fruit.
Both AKEBI and MUBE are eaten in the same way. You break them open ( easily done with your bare-hand), suck out the delicately sweet pulp inside( the texture is not unlike that of green grapes), and chew gently, before spitting out the pits ( which are much larger with MUBE).
The abundance of pits makes eating these fruits troublesome and messy, which is why they are not popular commercially ( though you can find them on sale at fancy gourmet shops in Tokyo for about 400 Yen each!).
Mube seeds are spread in bird droppings ( and by other animals, especially monkeys), and thus, these vines can pop up anywhere. Asakura-San at the Azuma Community Center told me that she used to eat MUBE which grew wild in her garden in central Tokyo.
(The scientific name for MUBE is stauntonia hexaphylla, and it appears that the substance stauntonin, found in the roots and stems of its plant, can be used for antirheumatic and diuretic purposes).
Though most older Japanese ( those who grew up during and just after the war) are familiar with both of these rustic fruits ( the akebi and the mube), you might be surprised to find that few younger people have ever heard of them, let alone eaten them, especially MUBE ( I was surprised when while researching this article two professors in the department of agricuture told me they had never heard of MUBE!)
There is still at least one place in Japan where MUBE get a little attention, and that is in a little town on the shores of Lake Biwa, in Shiga Prefecture- Kita Tsuda Cho ( 北津田町). It is there that it is said the MUBE got its name, and for centuries there was a family there who offered ( kenjo suru, 献上する） MUBE each year to the Imperial Family. In recent years the town`s goverment has taken this up as a theme for local revitalization , with MUBE now growing in front of the train station and at various places around town.
Here is the story of how MUBE got its name, and of the fruits connection to this town on the shores of Lake Biwa.
In the 7th century, the Emperor Tenji ( 天智天皇), who reigned from 661-672, went out on hunting expedition to the reedy marshlands around Lake Biwa. It was there that he met a vigorous, elderly couple who had eight strong sons.
When the Emperor asked them how they stayed so healthy into their old age, the couple answered-
” In these parts there is a rare fruit which has the power to give long life and keep sickness away. We eat it each autumn, and that is why we are as healthy as we are.’
When the Emperor sampled one of these fruits for himself, he declared- MUBE NARU KANA (むべなるかな), which in classical Japanese means- It is indeed so!
This is how, it is said, the MUBE got its name.
The Emperor then proceeded to order that these fruit be sent to him every autumn. There are records of offering of MUBE arrving at the palace from this town since the 10th century, and this continued up to 1982, when the family which ahd been traditionally responsible for doing so, moved away.
In 2005, the town was given permission to restart the annual offerings.
By the way, in 1940, the Emperor Tenji`s spirit was enshrined at a Jinja (shrine) in that very same town.
Another interesting story related to MUBE and Kitatsuda Town, is that in the year 1878 ( Meiji 10), while the Meiji Emperor travelled the country, he stopped by and composed a poem in recognition of the towns long history of sending MUBE to his family- O-Gimi ni sasakeshi mube wa furuki yono tameshi to shitau tami no makokoro (大君ささけしむべは古き代乃ためしとしたふ民のまこころ), which I translate ( quite poorly) as: Very Many and Long Years, I Have Been Sent MUBE, a True Expression of the feelings of The People.
All this rushed through my head as a slowly savored the MUBE which Junko had brought.
After spitting out a mouthful of pits, I wiped my hands and face, and said a satisfied -YES, INDEED ( MUBE NARU KANA!)
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Any passionfruit lovers out there?
Though you can find tropical/specialty fruits at UNAGI-YA fruits market in Takezono (near Terashima drugstore and Kasumi), I just wanted to inform you of some passionfruit on sale now (100yen each...they just starting selling them today and will continue until the inventory runs out, I think - they look really beautiful with shiny firm purple/red skin!) at Yao-kane supermarket. If you want to go, hurry and go now because inventory often changes. I was also thrilled to find white asparagus there recently.
That particular shop is a typical friendly local supermarket selling mostly regional produce at prices often lower than typical major supermarkets. The seafood there is QUITE fresh (my housewife friends all praised the quality of the seafood there) and the man behind the counter is happy to clean the fish for you. Special fish at the moment: saba (mackerel) and sama (saury)...saury is best eaten salted and grilled while mackerel is really tasty simmered in sweet miso sauce and ginger! Assorted sashimi fish packs are reasonable and fresh there too.
How to find the place: Go SOUTH on NISHI-odori...turn right (West) on the Andersen Bakery/Doho Park road...and you can see the supermarket just one block down. The place is easy to miss but often you can see tons of cars parked along both sides of the street, mostly customers!
UPDATE: I was told that "tonari no yasai" shop (along Nishi-odori...near Onogawa area and the Coco's around there) also sells passionfruit. Apparently someone is growing passionfruit in Tsukuba these days, hoping it will spark a demand for it.
INFO: Passionfruit is tasty when cut open and eaten as is...though it is INCREDIBLY sour. Many people choose to open it up, put the insides of the fruit into a glass, mix it up with some water and sugar for a tasty passionfruit juice cocktail. Orange juice can be used instead of sugar, too.
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Around Mitsukaido Station, Its Not Arigato- Its OBRIGADO !
Takara`s Brazilian Mall next to Mitsukaido Station
By Avi Landau
The Japanese word ARIGATO and the Portuguese word OBRIGADO, which both mean THANK YOU in their respective languages, can often sound uncannily alike. And since Portugal WAS the first European country to have made contact with Japan ( in 1543), and DID in fact leave several linguistic traces of its presence (not to mention the introduction of Christianity and firearms, among other things!) which continue to live on in Modern Japanese, including the words for bread- PAN, button- BOTAN, cape- KAPPA, alcohol- ARUKORU and even the word TEMPURA, it is not surprising that there are MANY who assume that ARIGATO is also a word of Portuguese origin.
And though I KNOW that the Japanese word for THANK YOU actually derives from the adjective ARIGATAI, which appears in texts as old as the 8th century MANYOSHU, and for this reason CANNOT be related to the Portuguese , whenever I hear a hearty OBRIGADO, I am taken aback by the similarity.
I have met only one or two Portuguese nationals in Japan in all my years of living here, but I have still been fortunate to have often heard the Portuguese language spoken in Japan- in its Brazilian form ( it is often said by language lovers that Brazilian Portuguese is the most beautiful of all tongues!). This is because, since the 1990`s , thousands of Brazilians, mostly with Japanese ancestry of some degree, have come to Japan to take advantage of its (once) booming economy.
They settled primarily in 3 areas. Aichi Prefecture, in the towns with Toyota related factories, in Ota City in Gunma, and- in our very own Ibaraki Prefecture, especially in Mitsukaido and Ishige (which have now merged into Joso City). While most of these immigrants were working at factories (such as Cannon) and had their own special visa status as NIKKEI-JIN, there were of course some entrepreneurs among them who went out and started up businesses of their own, many of these catering mostly to the Brazilian community.
That is why, when you drive to or get out at Mitsukaido Station (on the Joso line, which you can catch in Moriya), not only will you surely be able to catch the melifluous tones of Brazilian speech in your ears, but you will also be able to stock up on , lunch on, or just nosh on your favorite Brazilian foods and snacks. Close by the station`s exit, you will find the little mall called TAKARA, which has a supermarket, fresh bakery, and a kitchen where you can get all sorts of goodies that you cannot normally find in Japan ( or outside of Brazil for that matter).
Leila Kondo serving it up
Maybe its because I always need a little VARIETY, but sometimes I cant contol the urge to head on out to Mitsukaido (by train or car it takes less than an hour) for some Pastel or Conxinhas (these are fried pastries made from flour or casava) which might contain chicken, cheese , ham, or my favorite - palmitas (palm fruit). Leila Kondo, who is behind the counter can also whip up a tasty burger. Whatever she cooks up can be spiced up with the various sauces left out at the tables.At the supermarket, there are several things that are special- the famous Brazilian sausages (perfect for barbecues ) the cashew juice or acai juice, and the baked goods. The breads have a unique CHEWINESS which is brought about by the use of casava flour. I like the bite-sized cheese breads called pao de queijo (47 Yen), especially when eaten just out of the oven.
Cashew Juice
For those who want to try other Brazilian dishes ( including the famous feijao, a hearty and flavorfull bean and meat stew, or sit down for a bigger,more leisurely meal, a short walk around the corner will take you to the restaurant OPCAO. There you can expect your stomach to be more than comfortably weighed down, while your wallet is hardly lightened at all.
![090803_1209~01[1]](http://blog.alientimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/090803_12090111-166x300.jpg)
Immigration to Brazil from Japan began back in 1908 when close to 800 Japanese sailed to the port of Santos (half the expense having been paid by the State of Sao Paolo) to work on the coffee plantations. Over the next 70 years, about a quarter of a million Japanese settled in Brazil as contract labourers or more rarely, as independant farmers. The large majority settled in the State of Sao Paolo and the remainder in the States of Parana and Para. Naturally, there was a trend for later genrations to head to the cities and go into other trades and professions. In Japan`s booming late 80`s and through the 90`s , some of the descendants of these immigrants (and sometimes their spouses) came back to their ancestral homeland , though they have tended to stick together, forming an intersting subculture in Japan.
Freshly baked Brazilian breads
If you need a little variety , why not take half a day to spice up your life with a little Brazilian food around Mitsukaido Station.
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