Hiroshi Yamada (born 1932), Mrs. Mitsuko Miyagawa's brother.
*GETA
Geta are traditional wooden clogs worn with kimono.
*YAMADA
*YAMADA FAMILY
*YAMADA FAMILY MEMBERS
Yamada is Mrs. Mitsuko Miyagawa's maiden name. Her parents, Tatsu Go-Ro and Nami, had eight children. From oldest to youngest, they are as follows:
Mitsuko (born 1928)
Aiko (born 1930)
Hiroshi (born 1932)
Yukiko (born 1934)
Reiko (born 1937)
Taeko (born 1940)
Natsue (born 1943)
Toru (born 1947)
The Yamada family members as they appear (clockwise, from left to right) in the sketch of the lunch at Uncle Hiroshi's, where Shigeru was guest of honor:
Toru, Hiroshi's brother, does not appear in the sketch of the family lunch--he does not live near Hiratsuka and was not in town for the lunch.
Ritsuko, Hiroshi's wife, was also at the lunch but does not appear in the sketch.
I received Corky's wonderful notes about food after describing the lunch at the shoe store to her!
"Anything about food really turns me on! So there you were at this great dinner--and it was one of those classically gorgeous meals, feast for the eyes indeed! What I especially like is how the foods arrive at the table in all those beautiful small dishes, each different. Americans tend to go for matched dinner ware, all the same pattern, but Japanese serve each other food in a dish which suits it--color, shape, and style. I like this idea of the food itself driving the presentation rather that the (rather boring and predictable, I think) American dinner party serving.
"Also, usually a formal meal in Japan will be served in tiny dishes before each individual, not in large serving dishes to be passed or served form as we do in America. A really fancy meal will have a sort of rhythm, with a nice order of small tasty dishes, leading to maybe a lovely small fish, grilled in the shape it had while swimming, tail up, or a plate of elegantly fried tempura, or even a lobster strapped to a lacquered board, the tail meat delicately cut in cubes while the lobster continues to live, waving its claws as you eat. (Well, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it.....)
"Rice, soup, and pickles come at the end of a meal in Japan, and that is how you know there are no more dishes to come. Dessert is not a big deal in Japan, traditionally, but now fruit or maybe a sorbet is served. But do they know how to make pies and cakes! Some of the best French pastry I've ever had in my life, I ate in Japan!"
...More about food...including recipe!
"When I was a grad student living in Japan, I thought I'd do something fun on the side, so I got myself admitted to a traditional Japanese cooking school, in the "professional course." which was terribly hard: for several weeks, all I was allowed to do was sharpen the knives, until I proved that I could do it the right way (and there was only one "right way). Finally, we all cooked a meal together and ate it, and I was so happy that I didn't let the others down in my share of the cooking.
"Speaking of food I have a great recipe for chawan-mushi, which maybe the students would like to try! And maybe a little cucumber "sunomono" to go with it?"
Chawanmushi: recipe
This is a broth-based egg custard cooked individually in small cups with mushrooms and shrimp and chicken hidden in it. It is very good for a first course in a Western or Japanese meal.
Ingredients
6 large eggs
3 cups of dashi (this is a plain broth, easily made from dashi no moto which is a kind of bouillon powder you can buy in Japanese or Korean grocery shops)
2 tablespoons of sake (rice wine) or dry vermouth or dry white wine (you can substitute plain water)
1/3 cup soy sauce (use a Japanese brand)
1/2 pound boneless breast of chicken, cut into small pieces, about 1/2 inch
6 medium shrimp, peeled and cleaned
6 mushrooms, preferably shiitake or other brown mushrooms
6 slices of bamboo shoot (fresh if you can get it, available in Markets in Chinatowns, or in cans if you can't)
6 sprigs of mitsuba or parsley
Have six small heat proof custard dishes or bowls handy. Prepare a large covered pot, like a Dutch oven, with hot water just to come half way up the sides of the custard cups. Put the cups aside and keep the water just slightly simmering.
Beat the eggs slightly in a mixing bowl; add the dashi, which should be cooled, the sake or wine or water, and about half the soy sauce. In a small bowl, mix the chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, and bamboo shoot with the remaining soy sauce. Divide these equally among the custard dishes, with a sprig of mitsuba or parsley in each, and place the dishes in hot water. Then carefully pour the egg mixture equally into the dishes, and cover the pot. Let the dishes steam covered over low heat for about 15 minutes. When it's done, you should be able to pierce the surface of a custard and the juices won't seep out. But don't overcook it! It will separate if you do. Let them cool just a little before serving. This is one Japanese dish which is usually served with a small spoon, not chopsticks!
And with it, how about a small cucumber salad?
Ingredients
2 cucumbers (if you can find Japanese or Asian cucumbers, small and thin, use them)
3 tablespoons sake vinegar
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 cup dried wakame, soaked in cold water. (This will expand greatly! You probably won't need all of it, but it's good with other things too)
sesame oil (optional)
Peel the cucumbers and slice lengthwise down the middle. With a teaspoon, scoop out all the seeds, leaving a sort of boat shape. Slice across with a sharp knife, or a vegetable colander, into very thin, translucent half moon slices. Place the cucumbers in a sieve or colander and sprinkle with salt. Let it drain over a bowl or in the sink, for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together the vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce. Cut the wakame into small shreds, toss with the cucumber and dress with the vinegar mixture. You can add a few drops of sesame oil, if you like.
*SATOSHI
Satoshi Yamada (born 1965), son of Hiroshi Yamada (Mrs. Miyagawa's brother) and his wife Ritsuko.
*SCHOOL UNIFORMS
*DRESS CODES
Uniforms play a much greater role in Japanese society than in the United States. Besides providing business for such shoe shops, the institutionalization of uniforms in schools was said to promote equality and comfort among children.
Most schools and teachers feel children are happier when they are more like each other, and uniforms minimize differences in wealth and tastes. Most junior and senior high schools, and most private nursery schools, have such uniforms.
In the 19th century, the style of secondary school uniforms was borrowed form Prussia and other European models, and many schools still use variations on those costumes--semi military looking jackets for boys, middy blouses and skirts for girls.
Among some teenagers, altering the uniform slightly, such as adding a gaudy lining or pegging the pants legs, is an act of creative individualism--or if caught, an act of "school violence."
The following list of school regulations is taken from the Appendix to Merry White's book, The Material Child: Coming of Age in Japan and America, New York, Free Press, 1993 --
"School Regulations in Japan:
"School regulations in Japan are not standardized. Each elementary and secondary school establishes its own. Junior-high schools tend to have the most.
"Boy's hair should not touch the eyebrows, the ears, or the top of the collar.
No one should have a permanent wave, or dye his or her hair. Girls should not wear ribbons or accessories in their hair. Hair dryers should not be used.
School uniform skirts should be __ centimeters above the ground, no more and no less. (This differs by school and region)
Keep your uniform clean and pressed at all times. Girls' middy blouses should have two buttons on the back collar. Boys' pants cuffs should be of the prescribed width. No more that twelve eyelets should be on shoes. The number of buttons on a shirt and tucks in a skirt are also prescribed.
Wear your school badge at all times. It should be positioned exactly.
Going to school in the morning, wear your book bag strap on the right shoulder; in the afternoon on the way home, wear it on the left shoulder. Your book case thickness, filled and unfilled, is also prescribed.
Girls should wear only regulation white underpants of 100% cotton.
When you raise your hand to be called on, your arm should extend forward and up at the angle prescribed in the handbook.
Your own route to school is marked in your student rule handbook; observe carefully which side of each street you are to use on the way to and from school.
After school you are to go directly home, unless your parent has written a note permitting you to go to another location. Permission will not be granted by the school unless this other location is a suitable one. You must not go to coffee shops. You must be home by __ o'clock.
It is not permitted to drive or ride a motor cycle, or to have a license to drive one.
Before and after school, no matter where you are, you represent our school so you should behave in ways we can all be proud of."
