12
Bundle 12: Favorite Foods
芋
potato
JOK: 1011
From Hokkaido to Okinawa, the Japanese grow many types of white potatoes and sweet potatoes and have scads of ways of eating them. Find out when 芋 represents which of its many definitions, why a "new potato" label is crucial, what "sweet potato color" means, and what a potato stamp is. Also see why sweet potatoes prompt passion, nostalgia, embarrassed laughter, and excuses.
寿
longevity
JOK: 1351
See how to invoke a god's name while saying, "Granddad is fully smiling.” Discover a waterfall that prolongs life. Unpack the riddles inherent in terms for auspicious birthdays. Learn to say, "He lived to a ripe old age," "The human lifespan has become twice as long as before," "Here's to a long and happy life!" and “For eons humans have longed for perpetual youth and longevity.”
麺
noodles
JOK: 2118
Japan has oodles of noodles! Aside from udon, soba, and ramen, there’s chilled tsukemen, stringy somen, slender sanuki udon, horse chestnut flour noodles (which inspired a figurative term), and noodles named for Go stones. Read about ethnic separation of noodles, as well as manga and films centered on noodles. And see why the names of some non-noodle foods include 麺.
拉
kidnap
JOK: 2128
Find out all about the bizarre "abduction issue" in Japan, a mystery that has persisted for decades. Delve into questions about the origins of ramen and various ways of representing that word. Discover a manga character inspired by noodles! Learn to use 拉 to indicate that you've been crushed by misfortune or weighed down by worries. And see how such random meanings all connect to 拉.
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