Jonelle Patrick's Blog, page 13

A killer Japanese garden lit up at night, delicious chicken & ginger yakitori meatballs, and how to get lucky, J-style

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Thanks for being by my side as The Last Tea Bowl Thief went out into the wide world to seek its fortune. Your friendship and support mean more to me than you can know. Please help me celebrate at last by pulling up a comfy chair, picking your favorite sake cup, and letting me pour you a toast to the delights that November had to offer…

Links to the NOVEMBER 2020 Japanagram features:

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JAPANESE HOME COOKING

Chicken & Ginger Yakitori Meatballs

There’s nothing more crowd-pleasing than these delicious ginger-scented skewered meatballs, slathered in tangy yakitori sauce…read more

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BEYOND TOKYO

Gold-leafed ice cream, exploring a restored samurai town, and the world’s most killer Japanese garden lit up at night

The town of Kanazawa surprises and delights with everything from a beautifully restored samurai neighborhood we can explore—both inside and out—to one of the three most famous gardens in Japan lit up at night…read more

WHY, JAPAN, WHY?

Is it your lucky day? In Japan, here’s how they tip the hand of fate!

If someone told you they wanted to move a meeting you’d scheduled because the astrology forecast for that day is too unlucky, you’d probably be moving them right off the payroll, wouldn’t you? Unless you’re in Japan, where that’s a perfectly good reason to change a meeting, wait to buy a car, or…

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SEASONAL SECRET

The weird & wonderful  world of bonsai chrysanthemums

Yes, bonsai chrysanthemums are a Thing. And they happen in Japan every year in November. That’s when growers with wicked smart tricks for shaping this unassuming shrub with the meh flowers into things of wonder compete for the most over-the-top shapes and unbelievable profusion…read more

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BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY

Idoru   by William Gibson

As I admitted in that interview on My Haunted Library, my secret guilty reading pleasure is sci-fi. And nowhere does sci-fi intersect with Japan more spectacularly than in William Gibson’s Idoru. If you love Japan, but you’ve never read this book, I envy you! I’d love to be reading it again for the first time…read more

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LEVEL UP YOUR OWN WRITING WITH THESE GUEST BLOG POSTS

Writing how-tos, killer reviews, podcasts & more!

I don’t usually offer writing advice outside of workshops, but here are links to a few guest blog posts, podcasts and other bits and pieces that came out elsewhere last month, along with The Last Tea Bowl Thief. Level up your own writing with “Beyond the Five Senses: Six Powerful Tricks to Enhance a Sense of Place,” get moving again with “Are you stuck?” and soak up other tips & tricks to make your own writing dreams comes true!…read more

Coming in DECEMBER…

Uber Dandy Kimono: Wildly modern, breathtakingly bold, insanely stunning

[image error] Tia Oguri is so fabulous I can’t even

I’ve been a fan of the divine Tia Oguri since long before she began designing kimono with traditional African fabrics, because her kimono styling has always been out-of-this-world fresh and exciting. Her latest venture, though, is pure WOW. Take a look at her Uber Dandy Kimono designs, and I think you’ll agree that they show off her talent at a whole new level!

[image error] Her first Amazwe collection used traditional African wax printed cottons, combining breezy yukata comfort with touches of kimono style to boost the look past casual



[image error] Who’d imagine that such bold prints could work so well together in infinite combinations of kimono, obi and accessories?



[image error] And she doesn’t stop at yukata—these hakama in African wax prints are the most stylish graduation statement around



[image error] When the pandemic began, Uber Dandy didn’t miss a beat, and was one of the first to demonstrate how fabulous a coordinating mask can be.



[image error] And look at this stunning cape ensemble from her Nkechi collection! What to wear over your kimono if you need a coat is a perennial problem, because the sleeves are too wide to fit inside Western coats and sweaters, and most off-the-rack cape designs tend to be inappropriately witch and wizard-y.



[image error] Her Nkechi collection also uses traditional African prints, but these have a less geometric, almost Japanese flavor. See how beautifully they adapt to eclectic kimono hime styling, and work with modern Western accessories?



[image error] Her Nyoni collection moves into a cooler palette, but is still an eyepopping lesson in how marvelously modern African prints can be.



[image error] Riffing on traditional samurai wear, this Nyoni hakama ensemble is an exciting new direction in kimono-inspired clothing



[image error] The skill required to match and cut these bold patterns requires meticulous precision and an eye for what works and what doesn’t. Shown here are some designs from the men’s collections she’s working on right now

Another fantastic thing about Uber Dandy designs is that they’re sized for people who aren’t Japanese. Kimonos are pretty forgiving (and flattering) when it comes to body size and shape, as long as they’re long enough and wide enough to work with. Uber Dandy cuts are generous and made with Western frames in mind.

How to get yours!

You can see all the current collections on the Uber Dandy Kimono website

[image error] “Traditional Japanese kimono with a hint of madness.”

Or if you’re lucky enough to be in the UK, you can see all the Uber Dandy kimonos at her shops in two Antiques On High locations:

Antiques On High Oxford
85 High Street
Oxford, England OX1 4BG
+441865251075

Antiques On High Sidmouth
26 Fore Street
Sidmouth, England EX10 8AQ
+441395577133

[image error] Tia Oguri also offers styling services for photo shoots, workshops on wearing and styling kimono, kimono ensemble rentals and a shop that sells traditional vintage kimono. It’s all on the Uber Dandy website.

You can also follow Tia Ogui on the Uber Dandy Kimono Facebook page and Instagram. All photos here are from the Uber Dandy website.

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And if you’d like to be in Japan right now…

The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon!

“Patrick’s keen eye for the telling detail reveals her great love for and knowledge of Japan. A great read!” —Liza Dalby, author of Geisha and The Tale of Murasaki

[image error]For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, altering the lives of all who possess it… read more

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly newsletter Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

Japan demonstrates what happens when you go home for the holidays during a pandemic

[image error] Look at all those uncrowded beauty spots, just waiting to be visited!

Back in July, the Japanese government had a great idea: replace those banned virus-ridden foreign tourists with nice Japanese ones. Japan was feeling pretty smug at the time—compared to other countries around the world, they were a major success story—and with the borders closed, felt safe from other countries’ catastrophic pandemic fate.

So the government launched the Go To Travel Campaign, which offered to foot half of domestic travel costs (transportation, hotels and shopping) up to ¥20,000 (about $200 USD) per person.

Wow! Unsurprisingly, people flocked to the participating travel agencies to take advantage.

But wait.

Tokyo didn’t have many cases compared to other places in the world, but it still had tons more cases than anywhere else in Japan. It was quickly pointed out that encouraging people from Tokyo to rush home for the annual O-bon family visit (one of the busiest travel times of year anyway, sort of like Thanksgiving in the US) risked transporting COVID to areas mostly untouched by the virus, and—even worse—spreading it to the vulnerable elders they were there to visit.

[image error] Look at all those bucolic areas just waiting to be infected!

Travel to and from Tokyo was quickly exempted from the promotion (causing a justifiable uproar, because lots of people had already snapped up the cheap tickets from Tokyo, and refunds were not so quickly forthcoming).

[image error] LikeJapan published details of the government offer, in English, but warned against traveling between Tokyo and other parts of the country during the pandemic

The virus was still in its first surge in Tokyo, and throughout July and August, a belatedly alarmed government warned people not to travel to their hometowns for O-bon. People grudgingly complied. Trains remained empty, family graves went unvisited.

The spike in Tokyo died down because so much of the populace wore masks and practiced other precautions. Heading into fall, Tokyo continued to be a huge success story compared to other world cities, so in October, the government lifted the ban on Tokyo travel for their Go To campaign.

And here’s what happened.

[image error] This was posted by Twitter user Isseki Nagae on November 18, 2020.

His comment reads:

“According to the Medical Association Chairman, the current round of infections isn’t due to nightlife and retaurants—it’s because of the Go To travel program. Household-based infections have increased dramatically! I hate to say it, but nightclubs, restaurants and bars have got it under control. Is he mistaken?”

Let’s look at the chart which compares mid-July infection percentages with current infection percentages. These figures represent positive test results from all over Japan (not just Tokyo)…

• Nightlife district-based infections (the early favorite in the blame game) dropped from 18.1% to 2.7% of the total.

• Restaurant-based infections (meeting your besties for lunch, drinking with your pals and going on that hot date) dropped from 13.2% to 8% of the total.

• Infections caught at home (from someone in your family/household) increased from 24.7% to 40.6% of the total.

• And infections in care homes for the elderly/infirm and hospitals increased from 5.3% to 18.8%.

Sort of a counterintuitive and puzzling pattern, right? But the head of the medical association figured out that once the Go To travel promotion was extended to Tokyo dwellers, savvy travelers made up for lost time and took full advantage. With cheap travel once again on the table, everybody took those delayed O-bon visits and returned to their hometowns all over Japan to see their relatives.

And suddenly, the main way people caught COVID shifted dramatically from eating and drinking and partying, to family gatherings and visits to elderly relatives in care homes.

As the big year-end family holidays speedily approach all over Europe, Scandinavia and the Americas, I hope Japan’s experience teaches us something about how to handle them. And how not to.

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If you found this interesting, please feel free to share it. And if you’re curious about other insights into how Japan ticks, I write about them every month in my free newsletter, Japanagram

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Every month, there’s also a Beyond Tokyo destination, a Japanese home cooking recipe, a book review and giveaway, and more…

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly newsletter Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

Biden Burger’s secret ingredient eerily predicts election outcome

[image error] In an act of extraordinary prescience, the Biden Burger was concocted by Tsunami Navy Burger’s owners, Shigeru and Keiko Iida

The owners of an eatery just outside the Yokosuka Naval Base wanted to be prepared in case the US election changed their Trump Burger* from today’s special to yesterday’s leftovers, so they added a Biden Burger to their menu before the voting started.

[image error] This more-than-respectable homage to the former Vice President is no lightweight, weighing in at over a pound. It’s made of ground beef, sauteed mushrooms, onions, peppers and coleslaw, seasoned with paprika, and garnished with a scattering of potato chips. But it’s the final ingredient that boosts the Biden Burger into the fortunetelling bigtime: Philadelphia cream cheese!

Yes, the signature taste of the Biden Burger relies on the very city whose votes put him over the top to victory!

Maybe we should all keep an eye on Tsunami Navy Burger next time, instead of reading the polls.

*The Trump Burger is a huge beef patty topped with heart-attack-waiting-to-happen bacon, fried egg, cheese, pate, peanut butter and sloppy joe sauce, garnished with lettuce, tomato and onion. The only thing it predicts is four years of stomach pain.

Thank you Japan Subculture Research Center and Kyodo News for the photos and burger details!

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“A wonderful blend of history and mystery.” —Laura Joh Rowland, author of The Iris Fan

The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon!

[image error]For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, altering the lives of all who possess it… read more

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly newsletter Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

A convent with a secret, sesame-miso hotpot, and why it’s harder to get a Japanese boyfriend than a Japanese girlfriend

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Hi friend, it’s me again.
Last month there was a special edition of Japanagram because I found so many things I wanted to share with you while I was getting ready to launch The Last Tea Bowl Thief. The book is finally out now, YAY! And I was very surprised and excited to see it was named an Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense by Amazon. I hope you’re intrigued enough to have a look and maybe even try a sample. Meanwhile, here are the extra goodies that Japanagram subscribers got in October!

Links to the SPECIAL EDITION Japanagram features:

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WHY, JAPAN, WHY?

Why is it so much harder to get a Japanese boyfriend than a Japanese girlfriend?

The American character in The Last Tea Bowl Thief has had a longer relationship with her goldfish than with any man since she arrived, and I think the reason might surprise you…read more

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BEYOND TOKYO

The convent with a thousand-year-old secret

Come with me to Jakko-in, the venerable convent that appears in The Last Tea Bowl Thief, and pull up your chair to hear the most amazing true story I’ve ever come across in my travels through Japan…read more

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JAPANESE HOME COOKING

Savory Sesame-Miso Hotpot

The Japanese tradition of cooking fresh ingredients at the table in a clay pot is extra-magical. I make this hotpot whenever I invite people who don’t know each other very well to dinner, because cooking together somehow always leads to great conversations and lasting friendships…read more

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BOOK REVIEW

The Last Tea Bowl Thief

This is the story of a tea bowl that passes from one fortune-seeker to the next for three hundred years. It’s also the story of two women—one American, one Japanese—whose futures depend on finding it. But neither can get her hands on it without the other’s help…read more

Coming in NOVEMBER…

A secret castle garden, a killer Japanese cocktail recipe, & why the more friends you have, the lonelier you might be

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Hi everyone, it’s me, Jonelle. Whether you’re venturing out or sticking close to home, I hope this month’s features deliver a little break from whatever’s on your to-do list, or (in the case of the original Last Tea Bowl Thief cocktail), at least make checking it off a bit more fun!

Links to the OCTOBER 2020 Japanagram features:

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WHY, JAPAN, WHY?

Tiny pants, the garbage police, and the more friends you have, the lonelier you might be

There are some things that nobody who moves to Japan wants to learn. But sometimes it’s these unwelcome lessons that unlock all kinds of other mysteries…read more

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BEYOND TOKYO

Holy log-riding, a secret castle garden, and a fire-breathing stone dragon

This month we’re heading to Suwa City, a place that has probably never been on your Japan trip list, but it should be! It’s home to a festival where people ride killer logs down a mountainside, a castle that hides a gorgeous garden inside its walls, and the best sake you’ll ever taste…read more

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JAPANESE HOME COOKING

The Ninth Attachment Cocktail/Mocktail

These apple-ginger sours—with a name that will make you laugh when you read The Last Tea Bowl Thief—have a secret ingredient which turns it into one of the tastiest Japanese-flavored bevvies you’ll ever sip, with or without the alcohol…read more

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BOOK REVIEW

The Tale of Murasaki

Written by Liza Dalby, who lived and researched for a year in a Kyoto geisha house before writing her acclaimed books Geisha and Kimono, The Tale of Murasaki vividly imagines 11th-century court life through the eyes of of Murasaki Shikubu, the Imperial lady-in-waiting who wrote the epic novel, The Tale of Genji…click here

And in NOVEMBER…

Perfect 2020 Halloween costumes from Japan

If you’re desperate to get out after months of quarantining and can’t resist that invite to a good old-fashioned Halloween party, the ace variety store Don Kihote suggests some costumes that will enforce that social distancing with a vengeance!

[image error] Hard to get any clearer than this!



[image error] If you’re worried your fellow revelers might have trouble recalling the protocols after a few shots, this sumo-riffic suit will keep them and their nasties at a safe remove



[image error] And for a look that’s both a social distancing dream costume AND a commentary on 2020, THIS

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“I don’t know when I’ve been more caught up in a story. A masterful achievement.” —Terry Shames, award-winning author of An Unsettling Crime for Samuel Craddock

[image error] For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, altering the lives of all who possess it… read more

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly newsletter Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

When Nothing But Unnecessarily Large Tanuki Testicles Will Do

You’ve probably seen these adorable tanuki figures outside of your favorite Japanese bar or restaurant, but did you happen to notice how, er, well endowed they are?

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Yeah. Can’t unsee. Now that you know to look, it’s amazing you never noticed before, right? But nobody celebrated these giant gonads more inventively than Edo period artists. You might not think that having a giant hairy ballsack would be a particularly useful body part, but Japanese woodblock artist Kuniyoshi delighted in imagining how the well-endowed tanuki might wield such a gift to its advantage…

[image error] Naturally, tanukis can save on gym memberships because they have their own built-in kettlebells



[image error] And big hairy testicles definitely keep them warm in the winter, making it unnecessary to invest in mufflers, blankets, sleeping bags, or a kotatsu table quilts



[image error] A naturally large protective ballsack comes in handy, should a tanuki get caught in the rain…



[image error] …or need some shade when offering fortune-telling services



[image error] and shopkeeping tanukis have no need to buy signage when hanging out their shingles



[image error] Should a ruffian be encountered, monster scrotum to the rescue!



[image error] Although it would be a mistake not to pay protection money to the local tanuki gang



[image error] And in times of sickness, a testicular privacy screen comes in handy for doctor visits



[image error] When catching eels, a ballsack net expands to fit the job



[image error] and of course, the world’s heaviest testicles do come in handy when reeling in the world’s largest catfish



[image error] When hunting geese, flinging a giant scrotum at them is sure to knock a few from the sky



[image error] At festival time, tanuki testicles can be wheeled through the streets, representing the heros usually enshrined on floats



[image error] …and there’s nothing quite like a scrotum drum to keep the dance beat at O-bon



[image error] Boys’ Day games are always better with giant testicles that resemble koi nobori fish flags



[image error] And what could be scarier than being chased by a giant gonad ghost?



[image error] At new year’s, there’s the traditional (OUCH) pounding of hairy tanuki ball mochi…



[image error] …and what could promise better luck in the coming year than a giant hairy Daruma figure made from, yes, tanuki balls

The reason scrotally well-endowed tanuki figures are so often found outside businesses in Japan is that tanukis are known as shape-shifting tricksters who can deceive everyone from shopkeepers to brothel owners into taking worthless dry leaves for payment. Apparently, putting a tanuki outside the door fools other marauding tanukis into thinking one of their kind is already preying on the patsies inside.

And the reason their balls have grown to be so legendary in size is that goldsmiths used to wrap chunks of gold in tanuki testicle hide to pound them into the thinnest of gold leaf. Because this tanuki leather was so tough, it was said to be able to stretch the gold into a sheet large enough to cover eight tatami mats. Wallets made of tanuki hide became popular, because it was believed they could stretch other kinds of money as effectively as they stretched gold, and the depiction of the tanuki’s bodacious ballsacks stretched along with the legend.

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And although tanuki tackle plays no significant part in The Last Tea Bowl Thief...

“The brilliance of this novel sneaks up on you as the pieces of its puzzle come together.” —Mac Salman, Tokyo Authority

[image error] For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, changing the lives of all who possess it… read more

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly newsletter Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

The World of The Last Tea Bowl Thief

The new book is a two-timeline tale, with one thread taking place in the samurai era, and the other unspooling in modern-day Tokyo, where two women from opposite sides of the globe discover that both their futures depend on possessing a cultural treasure that’s been missing since before they were born, but neither can get her hands on it without the other.

But the places in the book are based on real stuff that still exists in Japan today. Here are a few of them!

Those of you who have been joining me here and on my Tokyo travel blog, The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had will recognize all kinds of stuff in the book, because all that time you thought I was just franting about town, I was actually doing Serious Book Research! (Okay, also some franting.)

But check these out:

[image error]You recognize Kappabashi, right? The kitchenware district, where you can make your own plastic food? The shop on the left actually says “Okuda” across the top, and that building is what inspired me to give Nori’s family that name too. (The interior of her family’s shop is more like the one to the right, though)



[image error]And do you remember this crazy hollow gingko tree at the shrine near where I live in Tokyo? It gets a place in the spotlight too. This shot is looking straight up inside the trunk, and even though it looks like just a shell of bark with branches, it still spouts a boatload of bright green leaves every spring



[image error]And you know how I love the Nihon Minka-en, that park filled with old-fashioned farmhouses that’s about an hour outside of Tokyo? They furnished some excellent fodder for the Edo Era bits that happen at the potter’s house and kiln in rural Japan



[image error] This is Hikone Castle, not Yodo Castle (which has sadly been reduced to its stone footings), but they would have looked very similar. The room on the right actually belonged to a very high-ranking samurai in Kanagawa, but it was the inspiration for the audience room where Lord Inaba receives Saburo, the poet

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“A wonderful blend of history and mystery.” —Laura Joh Rowland, author of The Iris Fan

“I don’t know when I’ve been more caught up in a story. A masterful achievement.” —Terry Shames, award-winning author of An Unsettling Crime for Samuel Craddock

“An immersive page-turner, meticulously researched and perfectly plotted. Without question, the best book I have read all year.” —Susan Spann, author of the Hiro Hattori mysteries and CLIMB

[image error] For three hundred years, a stolen masterpiece passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, indelibly altering the lives of all who possess it… read more

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly newsletter Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

Subway manners meet covid—with a side of prejudice—in these new posters

Subway manners posters have admonished commuters not to whack fellow commuters onto the tracks with their rockabilly hair, avoid grabbing the station employees by their neckties, and stop dying from overwork, but this is the first time they’ve taken on rudeness in time of pandemic.

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Dashing onto a car just as the doors close and phone zombies causing head-on collisions have always been frowned upon, but others have joined them in this “nuisance ranking” with new (and slightly unfair) twists.

[image error] The “don’t take up more than one seat” scolding has been expanded to include new beefs about people being obliviously rude when it comes to how other parts of their bodies annoy others



[image error] The “don’t talk loudly or even play loud music with headphones” tsk-tsking has been expanded to denounce the dangers of pulling down your mask to speak, and talking to someone who’s not sitting right next to you. (Most commuters would prefer you not to talk AT ALL, but this elevates it into a legit sin against public health)



[image error] And finally, frowning on “letting your stuff annoy others” has escalated from a schoolboy bonking grandma with his hella huge backpack, to a poor benighted soul who lugs a ridiculous amount of oversized shopping onto the train with her

But did you notice something else about these new “nuisances”? They’re all drawn in comic book style to make it seem like no particular group is being singled out for bad behavior, but all the subway scofflaws except the guy sneezing all over his fellow commuters have red or yellow hair, while most of the victims have dark hair, Japanese clothing, and Japanese body language.

And while most of the egregiously manspreading commuters I’ve seen are middle-aged Japanese men, only foreigners sit with their legs crossed or elbow resting on the empty seat nest to them, and only foreigners who haven’t had shoe etiquette drummed into them from an early age let the soles of their shoes touch anything but the ground.

Drawing attention to the fact that the way you’re used to doing things is less than polite in the country you’re visiting is a pretty legit heads-up, but the one with the woman toting grocery bags filled with bread, butter and wine is pretty obviously aimed at foreign residents.

And unfairly so. It’s true that I’ve never seen a Japanese person burdened with household goods on the subway. You know why? All Japanese know that for a few hundred yen (even for huge rugs and such) the store will messenger your purchases to your apartment so you don’t have to carry it home by train or taxi. Even groceries were routinely delivered before there was a pandemic, because lugging multiple bags up and down the subway steps and onto the train is not for the weak. But most foreigners don’t know about this until long after they arrive, so they end up like the woman in the picture while buying the stuff they need to set up their apartments. And even when they do discover the joys of takyubin, it takes pretty advanced Japanese read-and-write chops to fill out the detailed messenger form in triplicate at the store.

This subtle blaming of foreigners for “nuisance” behavior isn’t completely undeserved, but I’ve seldom seen it called out so blatantly before.

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And if you’re up for a deeper dive into the ups and downs of being a stranger in a strange land, I’d like to introduce you to Robin Swann in The Last Tea Bowl Thief…

“Without question, the best book I have read all year.” —Susan Spann, author of the Hiro Hattori mysteries and CLIMB

[image error] Two women from opposite sides of the globe are both chasing the same missing artifact, but what happens when they discover that neither can get their hands on it without the other?… read more

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly newsletter Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had