Never Dine Alone in Moomin Café

There’s a theme restaurant in Japan that offers a very special accommodation to their solo diners. Moomin Café, inspired by the popular classic anime—Moomin—has been keeping their solo customers in company with cute giant stuffed toys of Moomin characters!

According to Benelic, the company that manages Moomin Café branches, “…the policy has been in place since the café opened in 2003.” The café’s decorations, foods, drinks, as well as their merchandise, are also inspired by the series’ artwork.

However, this sweet and unique albeit eccentric accommodation has gathered both positive and negative comments from people. Some are saying that they feel more awkward sharing the table with a huge stuffed animal.

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Rice Paddy Art - 田んぼアート

Rice paddy art 【田んぼアート，tambo āto】is a form of art that originated in Japan. The art is defined by people planting rice of various types and colors to create giant pictures on the paddy field. It started in 1993 when people of Inakadate looked for ways to boost their village. The villagers then decided to honor the village’s 2000-year history of growing rice by creating the rice paddy arts. A mock castle was also erected at the village office so people can view the giant pictures from above. Over the years, the designs had become more complex and well-known.

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Green Tea - 緑茶

The Benefits of Green Tea

Green tea helps to prevent cancer.
Green tea restricts the increase of blood cholesterol.
Green tea helps to control high blood pressure.
Green tea has the capability of lowering blood sugar levels.
Powerful antioxidising agents such as vitamin E and vitamin C restrain the aging process, green tea contains
both these vitamins.
Green tea deters food poisoning.
Green tea has the ability to kill certain bacteria. 
Green Tea originated from China, but had become a huge part in Japanese history and culture.
 Matcha (抹茶) is powdered green tea 

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Rilakkuma Rims

For those of you who are obsessed with the popular San-X character, Rilakkuma rims will go on sale in April. They will come in two colors:

Pearl White

Silver

Even the valve caps are cute!

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Hinamatsuri - ひな祭り

ひな祭り is also known as “Girl’s Day” or “Japanese Doll Festival”. It is a traditional Japanese holiday that is celebrated on March 3rd. It is also called 桃の節句 (momo no sekku) or “festival of peach blossoms.”

ひな祭り (hinamatsuri) is a day to pray for young girls’ growth and happiness. To celebrate, Japanese families who have young girls display ひな人形 (hina ningyō – hina dolls) in their homes. Traditionally, these dolls were believed to have the power to take bad spirits. That is why they have to be taken down from display soon after ひな祭り (hinamatsuri) ends. If the dolls are left up past March 4th, it is said that it will result in a late marriage for the daughter.

 Some traditional ひな祭り foods!

菱餅 (hishimochi) is a special kind of mochi (rice cake) that is colored pink, white, and green. The pink (peach blossoms) is for chasing evil spirits away, the white (snow) is for purity, and the green (new growth) is for health.

ひなあられ (hina arare) – sugar-coated popped rice. 

桜餅 (sakura mochi) - pink mochi filled with sweet bean paste and covered with cherry leaves.

甘酒 (amazake) - sweet sake. 

ちらし寿司 (chirashizushi) – sushi rice with a variety of vegetables, egg, and fish or shrimp on top. Chirasu is a verb that means “to scatter” so chirashizushi is like “scattered sushi”.

Nattō - なっとう

Nattō is a popular breakfast food in Japan, which has a strong smell and taste and if you stir it, it will make it stringy with a sticky texture. It's also rich in vitamin K, which helps in preventing osteoporosis. Long ago, straw bags were used to ferment the nattō soybeans, until scientists found a way to ferment them using a nattō starter culture containing Bacillus subtilis natto (a bacterium).