Tag Archives: japan

Studio Ghibli Museum – Tokyo

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Whether you have seen only one of the films or you’re an avid lover of Hayao Miyazaki’s works among others, the Studio Ghibli Museum located in Tokyo, Japan, is not to be missed. A museum like no other, it encapsulates a real child-like feeling of wonderment with huge scenes depicting castles and cities from films such as ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ and ‘Howls’ Moving Castle’. Step into   the world of Ghibli and straight away you see a gentle moss covered building with large glass windows, portholes and hatches that you’ll see as you wander through the museum.

With your ticket you will receive a free cinema ticket to one of the six short films that play on a random rotation throughout the year in the museum’s own mini-cinema. Not available on DVD or to watch outside of the museum, the films last around 15 minutes and are only in Japanese with no subtitles but are still a joy to see.

stai8ned glassUpon first entering the museum what you will immediately notice is that it is not laid out like normal museums. Normal museums are full of long hallways with exhibitions on clear display with a few ‘interactive’ pieces here and there. Miyazaki states that he wanted the Ghibli Museum to feel like a magical place and in fact the tagline of the museum is ‘Let’s get lost together’.

The museum is set out over three floors with a huge hallway in the centre of the museum connecting the floors. Spiral staircases lead to the first and sometimes the second floor and in archways you’ll see more staircases leading to different levels. An elevator passes between two of the floors and you’ll see a walkway connecting two balconies together on the first floor. Artwork adorns the walls and windows and you’ll see children and adults alike running around, ducking under archways and pointing in awe at the various works on display.

As you walk through the museum you can see the various works that inspired Miyazaki to make some of the great Ghibli films as well as early artwork and storyboards in the art room. On the second floor, if you have young children, you can supervise them while they play in the giant plush Catbus corner among piles of dust bunnies. Unfortunately this is only for younger kids!

The animation room is full of different animation styles and techniques including stop motion, puppets, hand drawn cells and the use of clay figures to give depth to an animation.

giantTake a step outside into the quiet garden world of Arrietty, and if you decide to have a look on the roof you can shake hands with and even take photos of yourself with a giant, full scale robot statue from Laputa; Castle in the Sky.

If you’re tuckered out from running around the various rooms and hallways, the Ghibli Museum has its own tea house with sandwiches and hot and cold drinks available.

Sit on one of the terrace benches or find a place inside for a little break! After having lunch make sure to check out the souvenir shop where you can buy the Studio Ghibli DVD’s as well as artbooks, stationary, plush creatures, glass sculptures, sweets and more. Careful though, it can get quite expensive!

busThe Studio Ghibli museum can be found by hired car or by taking the Ghibli Bus which can be caught at the JR Mitaka Station which can be easily reached from Shinjuku Station and is completely unmissable!

Unfortunately you are not allowed to take photos inside the main museum part, perhaps to maintain the mystery behind the museum, But you can buy books within the museum that contain photos of the museum as well as visual designs for the museum too!

National Tug of War Day

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Wednesday the 19th of February is National Tug-of-War day, so today we here at Penguin are going to have a look at where in the world tug of wars regularly took place. Originally thought to have been practised in ancient Egypt, Greece and China, the Tug of War sport was first made popular in Great Britain in the 16th century by Lord Elliott Simpson.

‘Hook pulling’ in the Tang Dynasty

According to a book dating back to the Tang Dynasty, tug of war was a training method used by military commanders of the time as an exercise of strength for warriors. The Emperor at the time; Emperor Xuanzong of Tang promoted the use of large scale tug of war games to train warriors, and these games normally used ropes of up to 550 feet long with shorter ropes attached for people to hold onto.

Each side of the ‘war’ had over 500 people on it, on the larger tug of war matches, and each side also had a set of drummers to encourage the participants.

Helkustinda in Ancient Greece

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There were three different variations of tug of war in ancient Greece; helkustinda, efelkustinda and dielkustinda. All of these variations come from the word helko which means ‘I draw, I pull’. The first two variations of ancient Greek tug of war seem to be ordinary versions, whereas dielkustinda was tug of war without the rope.

This was done by linking hands with your teammates, and was considered much more difficult as it is harder to sustain grip on hands than on a rope.

Like in the Tang dynasty, all types of tug of war were used by the ancient Greeks as strength building games and also to build up strength in preparation for battle, when they would have to move quickly in heavy armour.

As an Olympic Sport

Tug of War was an official part of the Olympic Games from 1900 to 1920, but has not been included since, perhaps because of health and safety reasons as people have been known to had fingers severed and limbs broken as a result of the rope snapping.

The Tug Of War International Federation hosts annual world championships for tug of war, with both indoor and outdoor contests. The 2014 World Championships is being held at Olin-Turville Court in Madison, USA. Why not hire out a car to help get you to the Championships if you are thinking of going?

‘Naha Tug of War’ in Okinawa

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Originating in the 17th Century, an annual festival held in Naha, Okinawa Japan, holds a giant tug of war contest that correlates with the competition between two ancient rulers in the Naha area. The event attracts over 25,000 attendees each year.

Strawberry Ice Cream Day; Bon Appetit

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2552806737_959657e7bf_oSo today is national Strawberry Ice Cream Day. A universal snack for during the summer, often accompanied by a romantic film or used as a soothing technique when confronted by an awkward break-up. Not many people dislike this fantastic sugary treat – those who are intolerant to lactose not included – and though it’s not a spectacular culinary dish, there can be no denying the popularity of ice cream on holidays. Ice cream and holidays are synonymic in that you can’t have one without the other. So why not have a look at the best places to have one of the world’s most famous holiday snacks?

In the Persian Empire, residents would pour grape juice over snow and eat it as a treat in the hot weather. Later on it was adopted by several other civilisations, where they would use various fruit syrups over ice to make different flavours. Originally it was thought that the Arabs first used milk to make ice cream, using sugar as opposed to fruit juices to sweeten it, and then flavouring it with fruit and nuts. many people dislike this fantastic sugary treat – those who are intolerant to lactose not included – and though it’s not a spectacular culinary dish, there can be no denying the popularity of ice cream on holidays. Ice cream and holidays are synonymic in that you can’t have one without the other. So why not have a look at the best places to have one of the world’s most famous holiday snacks?

Italy first brought ice cream to Europe in the 16th century and since then its popularity has grown immensely. There are countless flavours, both predictable, and strange, such as eel and octopus ice cream made in Japan (where else?), and every country has an associated favourite flavour. So where is the best place to eat it?

Perché No! In Florence, Italy

Translated as ‘Why not!’ This ice cream shop was founded in 1939 and is one of the most iconic ice cream shops in Italy. The ice cream is all made fresh from produce daily, using carefully chosen ingredients. The fruit ice creams and sorbets are made entirely from fresh juice and are free of colouring agents. There are some more inventive flavours; such as the ‘Chesnut Honey and Sesame Seeds’, or you could try the classical ‘Whipped Cream’ flavour, ever present as a favourite.

Glacé In Sydney, Australia

Established in 1984, Glacé has quickly become famous throughout Australia for its innovative ice creams, sorbets and ice cream based desserts., Because it uses fresh ingredients, including full cream milk and fresh cream, Glacé is incredibly popular as a manufacturer of ice cream. The company itself has won over 100 awards by industry groups for their creative ice cream based desserts. Plus they do wedding cakes!

Special Mention: Ice Cream City

19Known for their eccentricity, what is Japan without dipping their toes into the market of ice cream? The ice cream city is a magical place inside the indoor theme park in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, with hundreds of flavours of ice cream, from the traditional vanilla, chocolate and story, to the more exotic crab or snake flavoured ice cream.

Located in the Sunshine City Complex, only a short drive by hired car from the Ikebukuro subway station, the theme park has a small entry fee plus an additional fee to purchase each miniature tub of ice cream, but it is certainly well worth it!

National Tempura Day – A Taste of Japan

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Well yesterday was National Tempura Day! A traditional battered dish made in Japan, Tempura was originally brought over to Japan from Portugal in the sixteenth century. It is a popular dish because it is still delicious while being reasonably healthy.

fried-tempuraTempura is made by deep frying vegetables, fish, shrimp or egg in a light batter. The batter is made from cold water and wheat flour although other ingredients can be used such as eggs, baking soda, oil or spices depending on your taste to change the flavour of the tempura. It can be eaten on its own or as a side dish to a main course of noodles in soup stock or curry.

Because Tempura is only lightly fried, and the batter is made from a special grade of wheat flour which is normally low in gluten, it is still a healthy dish, while being delicious and easy to eat. If you are thinking of making your own tempura, why not try these few tips for extra crispiness and deliciousness!

Use cold or ice water when making the batter

As this prevents the batter from absorbing too much oil, which can lead to the tempura becoming soggy and greasy. Crispy tempura is better!

Make it up on the spot!

Sometimes it is good to prepare foods ahead of time. A lot of Japanese food has to be prepared beforehand so that it has enough time to mature, or so that the food is safe to eat. However with tempura, it is better not to prepare the batter beforehand. Making it right before you plan to cook it is best!

The ideal temperature for frying tempura is between 170 and 180 degrees Celsius (340-360 Fahrenheit), and a way to test this is to drop a little bit of batter into the oil. If the batter bobs down into the oil and then comes up, instead of coming straight to the top, it is at the right temperature.

The order and between batches

If you are frying vegetables and seafood it is better to fry vegetables first, then seafood. There will be leftover batter that will simply fry in the pan when you cover the vegetables or seafood. This is known as Tenkasu and should be scooped out with an Ami Jakushi or small strainer, in order to keep them from burning and thus ruining the flavour of the oil. These Tenkasu can be used in other noodle and soup dishes.

Try your hand at cooking your own batch of tempura, or if you are planning a trip to Japan, it is certainly a simple dish that most will enjoy! There are several thousand great restaurants within walking or driving distance by a Shinjuku hired car in Tokyo and other main cities in Japan, and as Tempura is such an easy dish it is normally included in a main meal or as a supplement in noodle or Udon dishes. Itadakimasu!

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