The furisode
The furisode
Furisode (??) means “long flowing sleeves” .
Furisode is a style of kimono. When a young Japanese woman turns 20 years old, to celebrate the Coming of Age Day, she is recognised as an adult. She has the right to vote, is responsible for any crimes and is allowed to smoke and drink (officially).
Many parents buy the Furisode for their daughters to celebrate this significant point in a young woman’s life. Furisode is the most gorgeous formal kimono for unmarried women, it is an elaborate decorations beautiful designs and colors made of very fine, brightly colored silk..
There are three kinds of furisode which vary according to the length of the sleeves. The longest sleeves are 42.3 inches. The next longest sleeves are 41.3 inches. And the shortest sleeves are 33.5 inches.
The middle-length sleeved furisode is commonly worn at Seijinshiki (coming of age ceremonies), graduation ceremonies, and wedding parties. The style of obi used with this furisode is called fukuro obi , which is an obi that is double the width of a typical obi and is worn by folding it in half. There are many elaborate ways to wear a fukuroobi.
Furisode generally uses flowered patterns and designs. In addition, tie-dyed designs are often used to make the furisode more elaborate and the use of gold foil adds to the richness. Obi-age(Obi scarf) is used to cover obi-makura (small pillow) which supports the obi in the back and holds the obi crest line in place. A carefully selected obi-jime (the cord tied over the obi) is tied at the front. Fastening the obi and also accenting the obi A pair of white tabi (traditional Japanese socks) is always used when one wears a formal kimono
Furisode are mainly worn for major social functions such as wedding ceremonies or tea ceremonies until they get married. Depending on the quality of the materials, design and workmanship, a furisode normally costs around ?100,000 to ?300,000 to rent and over ?1,000,000 (approximately $10,000 US) to purchase.
The second Monday in January is a public holiday called ‘Adult Day’ and many young women attend a ceremony wearing their Furisode kimono
Soba noodles are native Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour (soba-ko) and wheat flour (komugi-ko). They are as thick as spaghetti, and prepared in various hot or cold dishes and with a choice of toppings (vegetable or shrimp tempura, pork, etc.). The most basic soba dish is Zaru soba noodles are boiled , cold soba noodles are eaten with a soya sauce (tsuyu), wasabi, nori seaweed and negi (Japanese leek). The water used to boil the noodles (soba-yu) is mixed with tsuyu, which they drink after the meal. Other delicious Soba dishes are noodle soups garnished with rich toppings such as Kitsune Soba, Tanuki Soba and Tsukimi Soba.
Udon noodles are traditional Japanese noodles made by kneading wheat flour, salt, and water. Udon noodles are are white,thicker and slippery (about 4-6 mm wide) than Soba noodles. Soba noodles can also be served hot or cold with delicious toppings. Udon can be eaten hot or cold and can be cooked in many ways. You might have seen udon noodles in hot soup. Cold udon noodles are also popular in summer. Cold udon noodles are eaten by dipping into dipping sauce. Noodle dipping sauce (mentsuyu) can be purchased or can be made by mixing soy sauce, mirin, and Japanese dashi soup stock. Serve cold udon with choice of topping -usually tempura shrimp or vegetables. and often served in individual casseroles called donabes which are usually one pot meals.
Ramen noodles are about as thin as spaghetti and are served in a soup garnished with delicious toppings(negi (leek), shinachiku (seasoned bamboo shoots), nori (dried seaweed), yakibuta (pork ham), boiled egg,etc),that varies based on region, city and even specific vendor. Ramen’s popularity stems in part from the fact that it is so inexpensive and widely available, making it an ideal option for budget travelers. In addition to freshly prepared ramen at Ramen restaurants (ramen ya), supermarkets and convenience stores offer a large selection of instant ramen bowls.
Somen noodles are also made of wheat flour, salt, and water; however, sesame or cottonseed oil is added to somen. like Udon noodles. But these noodles are much thinner than Udon noodles. Cold somen noodles are served with a light flavored dipping soup(tsuyu), and toppings. Mix toppings in the dipping soup and dip a small amount of somen noodles in the soup to eat. The sauce is usually a katsuobushi based sauce that can be flavored with Welsh onion, ginger, or myoga. In the summer time s?men chilled with ice is a popular meal to help stay cool. S?men served in hot soup is usually called “nyumen,” and is frequently served in the winter much like soba or udon.
The Tachibina is an older form of Japanese Hina dolls from the early Edo period (1603-1827). The earlier Tachi bina dolls were not made to stand up, instead they were made to lay down or lean on the display. The faces of this set appear to be old with a beautiful sparkle on Gofun, probably from the late Edo to early Meji period.
They are related to very ancient protective figures (the amagatsu, a cross of bamboo with a head, and the hoko, an almost armless stuffed doll). They also evoke and sometimes replace the elaborate emperor and empress hina-ningyo which girls display at Hina Matsuri. When made of paper or inexpensive materials, they are appropriate for the nagashibina ceremony, the ancestor of Hina Matsuri, in which dolls are touched or rubbed to absorb one’s sins, and then thrown into a river.
“Shiroi” (白い) means “white”, “koibito” (恋人) means “lover”. White Lover (”Shiroi Koibito” in Japanese) refers to the white chocolate cookies, white chocolate sandwiched between two thin cookies. This is well known in Japan as a souvenir from the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, born from Ishiya Seika’s excellent techniques and passion for confectionary.
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