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A special gift arrived from Miyakojima island, one of the Okinawa islands. My friend sent me beautiful mangos.
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Another umeshigoto- seasonal plum work in early summer!This time at home, I made plum wine with plums, rock sugar and brandy. For the plum juice, I used plums, rock sugar and beet sugar. I love watching the maturing process- it’s one of the joys of this yearly tradition.
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Ume Miso: One of the early summer ume shigoto, plum tasks, is making Ume Miso- plum miso. It’s made by layering plums, suger and miso, then left to pickle in the fridge for a few months until ready to enjoy!
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Umeshigoto. Some people in Japan enjoy making plum wine or plum juice at home- a seasonal activity known as umeshigoto, which literally means plum work.
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Soramame, or broad beans are in season in early summer. In Asakusa, they are especially loved because they appear around the same time as the Sanjya Festival- Sanjya Matsuri, held in May. It is often said that when soramame are on the table, the Sanjya Festival is just around the corner.
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Kashiwa-mochi is a traditional Japanese sweet made from rice cake, typically enjoyed on Children’s Day, 5th May, to celebrate children’s health and family prosperity. It is filled with sweet red bean paste, known as anko, and wrapped in an oak leaf. The type of filling varies by region- popular varieties include smooth paste, chunky paste, and miso paste, which has a sweet taste with a hint of savouriness. The oak leaf is not edible, but it adds a lovely fragrance to the rice cake.
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Japanese strawberries are in season from winter to spring. Each region has its own brand varieties, such as Tochiotome in Tochigi and Amaou in Fukuoka. You can also try strawberry picking, called いちご狩り Ichigogari, where you can pick your own strawberries and eat them freshly picked.
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Zoni is a traditional Japanese New Year’s soup that varies from region to region in terms of the broth and the shape of the rice cakes.
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Jyu-bako boxesNew Year’s Day dishes, osechi, are served in lacqueredstacked boxes. Jyu-bako boxes are usually two, three or five tiers high.
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Happy New Year!!Wishing you all a great year 2025.This is a Japanese traditional new year’s dishes.Each dish has a meaning for celebrating new year.