Japaneats その1 - きつねうどん and たぬきそば (Kitsune udon and Tanuki soba)

"Japaneats" will be a series of posts about things that you must eat if you come to Japan - I'm going to make it a rule!

Today's Japaneats are きつねうどん and たぬきそば. Udon are thick white noodles made of wheat flour, usually served in soup. Soba are thinner, darker coloured buckwheat noodles which are possibly a bit closer to what we're used to at home. "Kitsune" means "fox" and the "tanuki" is a Japanese animal like a raccoon or a badger (officially translated as a "raccoon dog"). Thankfully neither of them are actually in their dish!

裸祭 (はだかまつり - Hadaka matsuri) - The Naked Festival

裸祭 is an intriguing festival that takes place in February every year in 岡山 (おかやま - Okayama), two hours out of Hyogo by local trains or half an hour by 新幹線 (しんかんせん - shinkansen - bullet train). Thousands of men flock to 西大寺 (さいだいじ - Saidaiji - Saidai Temple, a Buddhist one if you remember that post!) for a chance at a cash prize and the promise of health and luck for the rest of the year. Fortunately, the "naked" isn't taken literally - they all wear 褌 (ふんどし - fundoshi - loincloths) and 足袋 (たび - tabi - Japanese split-toe socks). Even so, it makes for a very strange sight... particularly when you remember it's the dead of winter!

Worried about your exams? Try an octopus or a Kit Kat!

A couple of little Japanese plays on words for those of you who are a bit superstitious.

神社とお寺の違い - jinja to otera no chigai - The difference between shrines and temples

This is something I've wondered for a while and maybe you have too. The terms "shrine" and "temple" are used almost interchangeably, but there are differences. Given that I visited Nagata Shrine a couple of weeks ago and just got back from Zenkou Temple in Nagano, I figured it was a good time to try and spot them.

節分 - せつぶん - Setsubun

節分, or the Bean Throwing Festival, is a ceremony that occurs on the 3rd of February each year. This is the last day of Winter according to the Chinese calendar, the 4th being 立春 (りっしゅん - risshun) - the first day of Spring.

It didn't feel very springy to me when I headed out, but I pulled on my coat and braved the cold anyway. Setsubun is not a public holiday, but it is quite a significant part of the Japanese calendar and a lot of shrines have special events throughout the day and evening. For that reason, I caught the train out to one of Kobe's three big shrines and spent an evening with the ogres.