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2007 March archive at Japanese Cultural Group

Archive for March, 2007

Review: Wacha

Wacha LogoHidden up in old Ann Siang Road (near the Maxwell Food Centre) is Wacha, a tea salon and Japanese crockery store.

As you enter, you are greeted with shelves of delicate Japanese plates and elegant cups. Towards the centre of the store is a bar for four, and a romantic room at the back where you can dine privately in candlelight. There is also a second room below for another more private setting.

Wacha’s selection is rather small but features a special dinner menu, which is a delight on its own if not rather expensive. Everything is served with gorgeous lacquerware and unique Japanese crockery.

Review: Karei Naru Ichizoku

Karei Naru Ichizoku LogoIt took a while for the realisation to sink in – Karei Naru Ichizoku, or The Grand Tribe in English, was one of the most-watched dramas for the Winter 2007 season. And it took one night of boredom and a couple of episodes to understand why.

The one star fronting the drama is the member of boyband SMAP often called the king of J-dramas – Takuya Kimura. He plays Manpyo Teppei, director of a steel-making firm and member of the Manpyo family, one of the most famous in Japanese financial circles.

Review: Arashi no Yoru Ni

Arashi no Yoru Ni LogoA cute show which supposedly appeals to both children and adults – that was what this reviewer thought Arashi no Yoru Ni, or On A Stormy Night, was. The first of a series of novels by author Yuuichi Kimura, this is an animation about the relationship between a sheep and a wolf.

Two animals find shelter in a barn on a stormy night. Ironically, the two animals are a sheep, Mei, and a wolf, Gabu – two different species on different levels of the food chain. As they couldn’t see each other in the storm and only had their voices to rely on, the two animals somehow developed a fast friendship.

Writeup: Hina Matsuri

Hina Matsuri 1Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival or Girls’ Festival) takes place on March 3 of the Lunar Calendar, when the Japanese pray for happiness for their daughters.

To celebrate this day, families display dolls within the house, and offer rice crackers, peach blossoms, rice cake cubes, hishi mochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes) and some items to the dolls. The customary drink is the amazake, a sweet, non-alcoholic version of sake, and for food it is coloured arare, soy sauce flavoured crackers.



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