Garden

Japanese Oden......Never Judge the Book by Its Cover

Something I really enjoy while living in Japan is tasting new food every time I have the chance. It is amazing to know that it doesn’t matter how much new food I have tasted , there is still plenty to discover and to explore with.

Last week I went to the supermarket with my husband, and I saw something that immediately called my attention. There was a stand with lots of bags with many odd things inside. I took one, and I read the name was oden. Even though, it look kind of weird, I decided to buy one for my dinner that night. I asked my husband if he would join me in this new tasting experience, but his answer was a definitive no…….after having a look to that bag.

Oden bag from the supermarket.....

When most non Japanese people first see oden, they usually start by swearing to themselves that it will never, ever enter their stomachs. Newcomers to Japan are most likely to see it in their local convenient stores sitting in big metal tanks (next to the nikuman). The smell that goes along with it is usually gagging, and you'll be forgiven if you think it looks more like a bad science experiment gone really wrong. It's unfortunate that people have to see it in such a setting. Convenience store oden is of course, swill, but if you're daring enough to try it in a real restaurant, or better yet an oden restaurant, you might just become an oden lover like me.

So what is oden? Taking a look in the pot below, it appears to be a bunch of mainly unrecognizable things boiled in murky water. You are correct in this assumption.

Good oden restaurants aren't that common though, and if you've got a craving you might be tempted to go to the convenient store. Luckily for me, before I sunk to those depths I found an oden package set in my local supermarket. Oden in a bag! Mmmm, looks pretty gross....I am sure that’s why my husband refused to eat it…..

Oden in the pot

Ok but you're probably thinking 'What the hell is some of that crap made out of'? Allow me to explain you on what you can expect to find in a regular serving of oden:
Can't get much more normal than a boiled egg right? The brownish color comes from being boiled in brown colored soup. Probably the most common oden ingredient. You'll always find an egg or two in your oden. Yum!

Hard boiled egg

First time for me to see a chicken leg in oden, and after seeing this one, I hope I never do again. It looked like it had already been boiled for a few million years before it made it to my apartment. Grisly tendons and grey bone stuck out everywhere making me think this was some zombie chicken or something. However like most things you find in oden, it ended up tasting so good…... Just close your eyes, and don’t judge the book by the cover….

Still in the realm of normality, although this may look a bit scary, it's actually just a chicken meatball called a 'tsukune' in Japanese. Pretty tasty!

Chicken leg

Looking quite threatening at first glance, you're actually in for a treat. Although it may appear to be a slab of monkey brain or maybe jellyfish, it's actually only a slice of 'daikon' which is just a big radish. Next to eggs, this is another staple. You'll always find daikon in your oden. Very nice!

Daikon

Back home, any plant that comes out of the water is automatically 'seaweed' but here in Japan, they have names for each different one! Not only that, they eat some of them! Living far from the ocean in El Salvador, seaweed never entered my diet, but some of it is actually pretty tasty. Here we have some 'konbu' tied in a pretty little knot. You might know it as that thick rubbery seaweed called 'kelp' (the only seaweed name that I know in English) that always washes up on the beach and stinks. Yeah it's food here.

Oden Konbu

Ok now we're getting into the realm of the bizarre. Cheerfully known as a 'fishcake' in English, this unrecognizable log is pressed and processed fish paste wrapped around a piece of burdock (an unknown vegetable in the Western world). I'll admit this one takes some warming up to, but tasty all the same. Burdock, known as 'gobo' in Japanese, is one of those things that tastes much better than it looks.

Oden Goboumaki

Oden Tsukune

Is it a piece of octopus that's had the crap boiled out of it? A dead and peeled piece of bloated snake? Nope, it's fishcake again. This one is called a 'chikuwa' in Japanese and no one today can figure out why it was ever invented. I suppose the shape is supposed to resemble an octopus leg? Not sure. Anyway despite its horrid appearance, it's also pretty good. Be brave!

Oden Chikuwa

Last on the list of the eight items in my oden bag is perhaps one of the strangest members of the team. Called 'konnyaku', this grey, speckled lump is always cut into a triangle shape but don't ask me why. It may look like a shark fin but it's just a lump of gelatin, completely tasteless gelatin at that. This is another oden staple which you'll almost always find, but definitely tasty.

Oden konyaku

Although there were only 8 different items in the bag, this is by no means a complete list. When it comes to oden, pretty much anything that can be boiled until it's just on the point of becoming mush is fair game.
So what's the verdict on oden-in-a-bag from the supermarket? Well although I do like oden, supermarket bag oden is only one step up from the stuff at the convenient store. If you have a chance to go to a real oden restaurant, take it! You'll thank me later. Don't forget the karashi (spicy mustard), when your sinuses are on fire you'll know you've used the right amount. It's all part of the fun!

WHY IS ODEN SO POPULAR IN JAPAN?

HOW TO PREPARE ODEN AT HOME

Beautiful and strange Japanese shoes: "Jika-tabi (地下足袋)"

I saw so many different and curious things in Japan. Some of them were totally amazing. Now I am back in my country I regret i didn't buy a pair of JIKA TABI. I still don't understand why I didn't buy them......Well, let me tell you what jika tabis are. Jika-tabi (jee' kah tah bee) are Japanese worker boots. They have been used traditionally by construction workers, farmers, painters, road workers, and others since the late Meiji Period (around 1912). They are also worn during festivals and by traditional Japanese musicians such as Taiko drummers. We believe that the sleek designs and comfortable fit of jika-tabi make also them ideal for everyday attire. Now lots of people are using jika tabi because they are so cool.

Jika-tabi come in a variety of types, colors, and styles. The traditional fastening device is a series of metal tabs (kohaze) that hook into a series of loops. A 12-tab tabi reaches about half way up to your knee (which is why they are sometimes called tabi "boots"). Laced, velcro, and zipper versions are also available.

The sole of traditional jika-tabi are made of pliable natural rubber. Soft enough to be flexible, but stiff enough to protect the wearer's foot from ground debris (remember that they are traditionally working boots). The rest of the shoe is constructed entirely of lightweight and breathable cotton except where noted otherwise.

The most distinguishing aspect of jika-tabi is no doubt the split-toe design that separates the big toe from the other toes. This feature enhances their comfort, stability, and is a great conversation starter. For me they are great and they look cool. I promise to buy a pair of jika tabi in my next trip to Japan.

Gyaru Girls

What Is Gyaru?

Gyaru is a Japanese transliteration of the English word “gal”. The name originated from a 1970s brand of jeans called “Gals”, with the advertising slogan: “I can’t live without men”, and was applied to fashion/peer-conscious girls in their teens and early twenties. The term gradually drifted to apply to a younger group, whose seeming lack of interest in work or marriage gained the word a “childish” image.

Japanese style: Gyaru is a huge uproar of girly-glam style, breaking all the rules of "what's pretty" and dwelling in a party of man-made beauty. Hop in a baby pink bubble and explore the world of Gyaru makeup and fashion.

Gyaru is almost as popular as our dear GothLoli, originating around the late 70's/early 80's from a brand of jeans called "Gal" which evolved into a variety of Gyarus. It all started with the Yamanba, a highly contrasted look that rebelled against Japanese society's ideal of beauty. It was severely criticized and seen as a mockery of everyone from black people to California girls.

Literally meaning "mountain hag," the Yamanba look consisted of deeply tanned skin, extreme white eye shadow and a vast array of unnatural coloured hair and bright clothing. Then came the Ganguros and the Manbas, which later died out and now we are circled by Hime-gyaru, Ko-gyaru and Onee-gyaru. Following them, the most popular gyaru style today is Gyaru Kei, the modern type of gyaru. Some popular gyaru kei icon is Tsubasa Masuwaka, Kumicky, Kanako Kawabata, etc

History

The 90's are a turning point in Japanese musical universe, which will naturally mark fashion. This is the birth of J-pop! It all started with the producer Tetsuya Komuro, principal composer and leading figure in the Okinawa Actors School. In 1992, the "school" gave birth to a band : Namie Amuro & the super monkeys.

Namie, then being 18, recorded her first solo single, thanks to Komuro who, convinced by her potential, had her take vocal classes and changed the image of the young idol ... At that time, Namie had a dark complexion, discolored blond hair, mini skirt and plat-form shoes !

Her theatrical performance, especially her voice and her image, seduce the young Japanese teenage girls running low on originality who literally throw themselves on this fabulous marketing product ...

They are called by Namie Amuro herself, the Ko-gals, Ko come from Komuro and gyaru is the japanese pronounciation of the english word girl, so Ko-gals means the girls of Komuro.

Most of Kogals are above 16, but at the beginning, they were sometimes younger like 12 or 13. Unlike Lolita, Kogals were not well-accepted by the Japanese system for several reasons:

The first is that it was the first teenager's "revolution" in Japan. These girls nonconformist as it's possible to be, leaving the conventional Japanese beauty, were classified as "rebels" or "disruptive elements", especially in schools ...

Secondly, it is in adolescence that girls gain some freedom, as their parents are losing their authority and the system is allowing them to have some purchasing power. In addition to their pocket money, which becomes important, there are many odd jobs that can make teenage girls and some don't hesitate to skip school in order to earn money and it is not necessarily in the most legal way.

The whole life of a Kogal revolves around her appearance and her ability to stay cute. Nothing is more important than the look of the others. They want to shock common people and be admired by their peers. The goal is to be as popular as possible, to be known and recognized in the street including by being taken in picture for magazines and to be elected look of the month. What comes closest to Kogal fashion in Europe is Lolita in its European sense, these young girls who think they are sexy at 15 years-old, who try to be more attractive by looking older with makeup, vulgar clothes, and seek to attract more and more boys always older.

Who wears the Gyaru look today

Despite how it's still slightly looked down upon (like any other alternative style), it's thriving amongst girls in their teens to their early twenties. Many Japanese singers adopt the look, especially Namie Amuro and Ayumi Hamasaki, who are both considered to give the Gyaru style its true glory. Gyaru makeup can be gently incorporated into one's own style, or taken to a rather excitingly grotesque extreme.