Month: August 2011

On Wednesday, July 20, millions of people watched the Japanese women’s team, nicknamed Nadeshiko Japan, prevail in a dramatic victory at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.  This win lifted the spirits of the Japanese people from the turmoil of the March 11 tsunami and nuclear disaster.  Not many Americans are familiar with the word nadeshiko, but the Japanese know that it describes a women’s group. Nadeshiko is a plant that is often called “Wild Pink” or “Fringed Pink” in English.  It grows in temperate zones of the Northern hemisphere.  While …

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Before I came to America, I lived in Uji City, southern Kyoto Prefecture.  Uji is famous for its fine tea production.  On my way to and from school I could see undulating tea bushes stretch over the hillsides.  The smell of fresh tea drifted from the tea shops alongside of Byodo-in Temple Street. Japanese tea became ever more popular with the vast development of Japanese Sushi restaurants in America.  People drink Japanese tea as a health drink because it contains catechin, a natural antioxidant.  There is a tea plantation in …

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