Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts

Jan 26, 2015

Ama 海女

↑  by Fosco Maraini (via)

↑ by Eishin Osaki (via)
 
↑ by Yoshiyuki Iwase (via)

The ideas and fishing practices of the Ama pearl divers are so different from the ones used in the community where I live. These ladies are so legendary to me. They have such a strong faith in nature and the ocean. The picture above gives me a great feeling of summer and what is like to be a human.

"Ama – The Pearl Diving Mermaids of Japan"
One of the lesser-known but fascinating parts of Japanese culture is that of the Ama pearl divers. Ama (海女 in Japanese), literally means ‘woman of the sea’ and is recorded as early as 750 in the oldest Japanese anthology of poetry, the Man’yoshu. These women specialised in freediving some 30 feet down into cold water wearing nothing more than a loincloth. Utilising special techniques to hold their breath for up to 2 minutes at a time, they would work for up to 4 hours a day in order to gather abalone, seaweed and other shellfish. ...

This is an awesome short documentary on the Ama and features a great interview with a real live woman of the sea!


I highly recommend checking out this article ("Ama – The Pearl Diving Mermaids of Japan") by Michael Gakuran if you'd like to learn more!

Jun 11, 2013

Mr. Maguro マグロ

      Our story begins in Japan, at the famous Tsukiji Fish Market. Our hero? A sword-wielding third-generation wholesale fish-stall owner named Kazuyoshi Watanabe. Mr. Watanabe is know in particular for his mastery with the treatment of a smaller variety of Tuna  - The Blackfin. Until this spring, his dealings with fish were purely literal... until now!

Japanese poster illustrating the deconstruction of a blackfin tuna for sushi. step-by-step, all the different parts of the fish. in japanese, MAGURO
↑ マグロ dissection poster via spookkake



      In the following video - Kazuyoshi Watanabe and the artisans at his stall, Sanwa Co., demonstrate the deconstruction of a Blackfin; about which user jdrw5 comments:

"ある日、私はこのような品質とおいしさのマグロを購入する。今のところ、私は小さい魚の屈辱を被る。ある日、私の刺身の夢が叶うか、私はそのような魚介類を確保する戦いで死んでしまう![One day, I buy the tuna taste and quality like this. For now, I suffer the humiliation of small fish. One day, the dream of my sashimi or come true, I will die in the battle to ensure the seafood like that!]". 




      What an amazing knife sword! I wonder how long it takes to sharpen? Also, how cool is it that the men at Sanwa Co. all wear Adidas tops? (Mr. Watanabe is dressed in the blue, white, and red stripes and makes an appearance around the 8:30 mark.) 



Q: So what's the deal with the beautiful little scaled-down plastic fish bits that they periodically place alongside corresponding tuna parts as they slice the fish apart...?



Kazuyoshi Watanabe's dissectable Maguro [tuna] model by Japanese model-toy makers HobbyStock. model fish, japan

Kazuyoshi Watanabe's dissectable Maguro [tuna] model by Japanese model-toy makers HobbyStock. model fish, japan



A:  They're pieces of Mr. Watanabe's beautiful Dissectable Maguro [Tuna] produced by Japanese model-toy maker Hobby Stock! 



Kazuyoshi Watanabe's dissectable Maguro [tuna] model by Japanese model-toy makers HobbyStock. model fish, japan
Kazuyoshi Watanabe's dissectable Maguro [tuna] model by Japanese model-toy makers HobbyStock. model fish, japan
Kazuyoshi Watanabe's dissectable Maguro [tuna] model by Japanese model-toy makers HobbyStock. model fish, japan
Kazuyoshi Watanabe's dissectable Maguro [tuna] model by Japanese model-toy makers HobbyStock. model fish, japan
Kazuyoshi Watanabe's dissectable Maguro [tuna] model by Japanese model-toy makers HobbyStock. model fish, japan
Kazuyoshi Watanabe's dissectable Maguro [tuna] model by Japanese model-toy makers HobbyStock. model fish, japan
Kazuyoshi Watanabe's dissectable Maguro [tuna] model by Japanese model-toy makers HobbyStock. model fish, japan
Kazuyoshi Watanabe's dissectable Maguro [tuna] model by Japanese model-toy makers HobbyStock. model fish, japan
↑ Pictures via Hobby Stock website

      This incredible 10-piece model comes with its own sword-knife and cutting board and the separate tuna pieces fix together with magnets. I love everything about this! This whole museum-models and learning-tools getting mixed up with playthings and art idea is so cool.  I especially appreciate that this thing is sort-of reminiscent of a fishing-lure, and is way less dangerous to play with!  This fish will cost you ¥29,400 (around $300 USD) - not cheap, but certainly more affordable (and fun to hack at) than the real thing. What a beut!


Aug 23, 2012

Watermelon

      Pretty much all I've accomplished today is eating an entire watermelon with a spoon and listening to Ben E. King records.

watermelon striped shirt, stuffeddoggie holds a watermelon in the summer sunshine
↑ Private

      I love watermelons and I don't care how sticky I get when I'm eating them because, you know, it's summertime.  You know who else loves watermelons? JAPAN!

a square japanese watermelon, expensive shaped fruit, $300 USD
↑ $300 square watermelon. Photo by laughlin


a square japanese watermelon, expensive shaped fruit, $300 USD
↑ $230 portable watermelon cooler keeps your melon cool and can even heat it up. Via JOYBOND



Japanese Gas tank in Tomisato, Chiba prefecture painted to look like a watermelon
↑ Gas tank in Tomisato, Chiba prefecture. Via This is my brother!


      Lastly, a scene from the film Kikujiro (1999). Takeshi Kitano plays a totally gauche but endearing grump who finds himself playing guardian to dorky little Masao. They have lots of weird adventures out in rural Japan enroute looking for Masao's mom. And they eat watermelons.



watermelon guys, Kikujiro

Happy eating, friends!