“Nabe” or “Nabemono” refers to a style of Japanese cooking that is prepared in some kind of big Japanese pot. It can be prepared in many different ways and depending on the region of the country different ingredients are used. The easiest way to prepare nabe is using water with miso, soy sauce and dashi for the soup. Then add vegetables, mushrooms, fish and meat as desired.
August is fireworks season in Japan. Events and festivals are held all throughout the country so that thousands of people can enjoy beautiful firework shows; the events usually are between one and two hours long. “Fireworks” in Japanese language is translated as “hanabi” and is written as 花火, whose kanji characters mean “flower” and “fire” respectively.
One of the most spectacular “hanabi” in Summer in Japan is the Edogawa hanabi, at the outskirts of Tokyo; however every year the “spectacularity” of each famous hanabi varies. These variations are noted in the fireworks official rankings that are published in magazines and on TV. The “spectacularity” of the hanabis is measured by counting the number of explosions. The top-ranked hanabi this year lasted for one hour and fifty minutes and 24428 explosions/blasts were recorded during that time, the second had 22776 explosions/blasts.
If you travel to Japan in August ask in the hotel where you are staying when and where are the nearest fireworks. It’s really worth it!
