Temasek Polytechnic Japanese Cultural Group

Fact of the week
Credit to Research Team: Jolin Tan

Prefecture: Whole of Japan

Grades of Matcha

Matcha (抹茶) means grind or fine tea and was originated from China. Unlike other teas which uses tea bag, matcha powder is usually dissolved in liquids such as water. Matcha was used during tea ceremonies in the past, however it is become more popular and it is used in many desserts such as castella and drinks such as green tea latte.

Grade of Matcha consist of 3 grades:

Ceremonial grade: The highest quality of matcha used mainly in tea ceremonies and Buddhist temples. The matcha is stone-ground into a powder by granite stone mills. It is high-quality and expensive, ranging from $100 – $140 per 100g.  Ceremonial matcha has a characteristic of a subtle taste of “umami”.

Premium grade: A high-quality matcha green tea that contains the full nutritional content such as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. The premium grade matcha uses tea leaves from the top of the tea plant and has a characteristic of a fresh and subtle flavour. It is usually perfect for both new and everyday matcha drinkers alike and the price range from $50 – $80 per 100g.

Cooking/culinary grade: Cheapest of all grades ranging from $15 – $40 per 100g. It is usually used for cooking purposes.  Cooking grade matcha uses tea leaves at the lower part of the green tea plant and the flavour is slightly bitter.

Website reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matcha

Fact of the week
Credit to Research Team: Justin Teoh
Prefecture: Whole of Japan
Ramen

History:
Ramen has an unclear origin. Some claim that it originates from China, while others state that it’s from Japan. A record from the Yokohama Ramen Museum states that ramen originated from China and made its way into Japan in 1859.

Composition:
Most noodles are typically made of these four basic ingredients: wheat flour, salt, water and kansui (かん水). Kansui, an alkaline mineral water, is the distinguishing ingredient. Kansui gives the noodles a yellowish hue as well it’s firm texture. Eggs may be used as a substitute for kansui.

The four popular soup bases of ramen are Tonkotsu, Shōyu, Shio and Miso.

Shōyu Ramen

Tonkotsu Ramen

Shio Ramen

Miso Ramen

Brief Summary:
Shōyu (醤油, Soy Sauce)
Shoyu ramen soup is a clear, brown broth flavored with soy sauce (shoyu). It is is usually made of chicken broth but often contains other meats such as pork, beef or fish depending on the region. Shoyu ramen is the most common type of ramen and is usually what is served when the menu does not specify a specific type of soup.

Shio (塩, Salt)
Shio ramen soup is a light, clear broth seasoned with salt. It is typically made from chicken broth, but may also be flavored with other meats such as pork.

Miso (味噌, Soybean Paste)
Miso ramen soup is flavored with soybean paste (miso), resulting in a thick, brown soup with a rich, complex flavor. Originally from Hokkaido, it has spread to the point where it can be found pretty much anywhere in Japan.

Tonkotsu (豚骨, Pork Bone)
Tonkotsu ramen is made of pork bones which have been boiled down until they dissolve into a cloudy white broth. The thick, creamy soup is also often flavored with chicken broth and pork fat.

They typically come with an assortment of toppings Chāshū , Menma, Negi, Moyashi, Tamago, Seaweed, Kamaboko, Corn, Narutomaki and Scallions.

References:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2042.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramen

The Meaning of Love

What is love? Love is defined as “strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties” based on (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/love). 

But, do you know that Japanese has different words based on different type of love?

In Japanese there is different words that is referring to love.

Ai(愛)

Ai(愛) is “feeling of love” and It is pure feeling.

Ai(愛) originally referred to beauty and was often used in religious context.

Following the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the term became associated with “love” to translate Western literature. 

An examples of words with Ai(愛) are Jouai(情愛)Affection, Yuuai(友愛)Fraternity and Aigo(愛護)Tender Care.

Koi(恋)

Koi(恋) is “romantic love” and longing for a member of the opposite sex.

Koi(恋) is typical interpreted as selfish and wanting.

The term’s origins come from the concept of lonely solitude because of separation from a loved one.

Modern usage of Koi(恋) focuses on sexual love and infatuation.

The Manyō used Koi(恋) to cover a wider range of situations, including tenderness, benevolence, and material desire.

An example of words with Koi(恋) are Hatsukoi(初恋)First Love, Shitsuren(失恋)Broken Heart and Koiyamai(恋病)Lovesickness.

A very good anime that show the traditional elements of Koi(恋) is 言の葉の庭 (kotonoha No Niwa) The garden of words.

Ren’Ai(恋愛)

Ren’Ai(恋愛)is being made up of Koi(恋) and Ai(愛).

Ren’Ai(恋愛)is when pure feelings of love and passion are mixed together.

Suki(好き)

Suki(好き) means like.

Suki(好き) is used when you like something.

Example of phrases that uses Suki(好き) is

• Watashi no Onee-san ga daisuki desu. 私のお姉さんが大好きです。

（I love my older sister）

• Anime ga suki desuka. アニメがすきですか。

(Do you like anime?)

Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love
https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/08/love-aishiteru-koisuru-suki-meaning.html
https://www.zerochan.net/Kotonoha+no+Niwa
https://www.japanese-symbols.org/japanese-word-for-i-love-you

Fact of the week
Credit to Research Team: Einar Ang
Prefecture: Whole of Japan

Tajiri’s inspiration to create the Pokémon games

Satoshi Tajiri

In Japan, where Pokémon was born, Ash is called Satoshi; and Satoshi was made in the image of his creator, Satoshi Tajiri, a young outcast who, as a boy living just outside Tokyo, collected insects and other tiny creatures of field, pond and forest. In a nation of ultra-conformists, he was a misfit who didn’t even dream of college. His father tried to get him a job as an electrical-utility repairman. He refused. No one expected him to go very far, even when he came up with the game after six trying years. But it is Tajiri’s obsessions, more dysfunctional than Disneyesque, that are at the core of the Pokémon phenomenon. His monsters are a child’s predilections. As the late, controversial child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim wrote, “The monster a child knows best and is most concerned with [is] the monster he feels or fears himself to be.”

As a boy, Tajiri accumulated insects, especially beetles. Even now, he is proud of the way he captured beetles, looking under rocks to find them sleeping. “Nobody else thought to do that,” he says. The son of a Nissan salesman and a housewife, Tajiri was raised in a Tokyo suburb in the late ’60s, before the city crept outward. “As a child, I wanted to be an entomologist. Insects fascinated me. Every new insect was a wonderful mystery. And as I searched for more, I would find more. If I put my hand in a river, I would get a crayfish. Put a stick underwater and make a hole, look for bubbles and there were more creatures.” In Pokémon the pocket monsters–many in the shape of caterpillars, moths and crabs–can be found anywhere: tall grass, caves, forests, rivers.

Caterpillar-esque Pokémon, Caterpie

Moth-esque Pokémon, Venomoth

Crab-esque Pokémon, Krabby

With a handful of fellow otakus (including his friend Ken Sugimori, who would eventually draw all the Pokémon, up to the latest Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon),

Ken Sugimori

Tajiri began a magazine called GameFreak in 1982 to publicize tips and cheat codes of their favourite games. “Our conclusion was,” he says, “there weren’t too many good-quality games, so let’s make our own.” He took apart a Nintendo system to figure out how to make the games himself. Then, in 1991, he discovered Nintendo’s Game Boy and its prize feature: a cable that could link any two Game Boys together.

GameFreak logo

Link cable

“I imagined an insect moving back and forth across the cable. That’s what inspired me.” Tajiri had hit upon the basic idea that would make Pokémon a marketing wonder. Collecting would lead to trading between handhelds–and eventually between collectors of cards as well.

It took six years for them to complete the project, which will go on to spark a multibillion-dollar franchise which reinvigorated Nintendo’s handheld gaming.

Tajiri continued to work as director for the Pokémon series until the development of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, when he changed his role to simply executive producer.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoshi_Tajiri

http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2040095,00.html

https://www.economist.com/prospero/2016/02/28/the-legacy-of-pokemon-for-millennials

https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ken_Sugimori

https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Satoshi_Tajiri