Latest news with #Udonko
SoraNews24
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Can putting a giant dragonfly on your head repel bugs?
If you can't beat 'em, wear 'em. Aside from the energy-sapping heat of summer in Japan, the season also brings with it swarms of insects. There's nothing worse than sweating buckets outside, only to hear that ultra-high-pitched whir of a mosquito graze your ear. Blindly waving your hands and hurling epithets at it is useless because there's only one language bugs understand: eat or be eaten. That's why our writer Udonko invested in Oniyanma-kun, a plastic figure of an oniyanma dragonfly. 'Yanma' is the Japanese word for larger types of dragonfly and an 'oni' is a type of mythical demon that's similar to an ogre, but the word is often used figuratively to mean something like 'mother of all' in a superlative sense. So, 'oniyanma' can literally translate to 'the mother of all dragonflies' and is also known as the 'jumbo dragonfly' in English. Needless to say, they can be pretty big — up to 10 centimeters (4 inches) in fact — and they get that way by being a voracious devourer of other insects. Udonko figured that such a notorious predator in the insect world stood a good chance of keeping bugs off her and her beloved dog, so she ordered one online for 964 yen plus 460 yen for shipping and paid a total of 1,424 yen (US$10). Oniyanma-kun is about the size of a real oniyanma, which is to say really big, and it has a safety pin on the mouth so you can attach it to clothing or bags. According to the package, it's most effective when placed somewhere that other insects can easily see it, like on a hat or backpack. The package also said it would work for dogs as well, so she decided to pin Oniyanma-kun to her pet's harness and go for a walk in an area where bugs are known to be. This way she could clearly monitor how well it worked. She repeated this for about two weeks to get a good sense of Oniyanma-kun's effectiveness and came to the conclusion that it kind of worked sometimes. She could clearly see that wasps and mosquitoes that would normally beeline it for her dog veered away when Oniyanma-kun was spotted. However, really small bugs like gnats did not seem deterred by the plastic dragonfly. Perhaps they lacked the ability to detect it well, but either way, that was acceptable since it was more the wasps and mosquitos that Udonko was worried about. Another problem was that when a mosquito was out of the line of sight with Oniyanma-kun it didn't hesitate to bite into her prized pooch, either because it was smart enough to get out of the dragonfly's field of view or because it was stupid enough to not even remember the beast was there once it was out of sight. One really good point about Oniyanma-kun was that it worked across a range of insect species, whereas bug repellants often only target certain ones. Although it definitely had its limitations, there was a certain degree of effectiveness and if used in the right way or in combination with other methods, it could be a useful tool. It also gave Udonko an added sense of confidence. When a wasp approached her, she would say, 'Are you sure about that? I got an oniyanma here,' and she could stay calm until it flew away. All in all, the positives outweighed the negatives and it was well worth the purchase both for her and her dog. Related: Amazon Japan/Oniyanma-kun Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
22-04-2025
- SoraNews24
Kyoto's crazy expensive luxury chirimen nut clusters cost as much as a lunch, but are they worth it?
A very unique, very pricy snack from Japan's classiest town. Kyoto is Japan's classiest city. The buildings are classy, the way of speaking is classy, the trains are classy…and are even the nuts classy? That's what we were wondering while looking through the wares of Kyoto's Shimogamo Saryo. Shimogmo Saryo is a ryotei, the term used to describe ultra-fancy restaurants with exclusive clienteles and menus carefully crafted by a master chef. Our Japanese-language reporter Udonko remembers strolling by Shimogamo Saryo during her student days when she lived in Kyoto, but never had the room in her budget for a meal there. However, as a full-fledged member of working society, she's finally reached a level of financial security where she can buy some of their nuts. Udonko didn't have to go all the way back to Kyoto to do this, either, since Shimogamo Saryo has an online storefront on Rakuten, which is where Udonko ordered her Ryotei Chirimen Nuts from. At 2,052 yen (US$13.75) these aren't the cheapest snacks, but that price is for a whole box of them at least, and the box itself is very nice to look at, elegantly understated and bound with a vermillion cord. But the real visual impact came when Udonko untied the cord and opened the lid… …and saw that there are only five nut clusters inside! Again, it's 2,052 for the box, which makes those nut clusters more than 410 yen each! For that much, you could get an entire rice bowl or noodle lunch at a casual restaurant, so this is definitely some luxurious snacking. Oh, and if you're thinking that price is justified by the size of each nut cluster, that's clearly not the intention, as they're decidedly bite-sized. ▼ We're not sure we've ever plated a single nut cluster by itself before, but at this price, such presentation seemed appropriate. So just what exactly goes into the Ryotei Chirimen Nuts? Well, obviously there are nuts: almonds, cashews, and walnuts. Also right there in the name are the chirimen, which is what Japan calls small dried sardines. Fish and nuts might seem like a bizarre combination, but it's not unheard of in Japan, although usually the mixture is anchovies and almonds alone. Accompanying the nuts and chirimen are dried blueberries, and there's another way the Ryotei Chirimen Nuts distinguish themselves too, which is that they're held together by a sweet glaze made from honey, soy sauce, and mirin (sweet cooking sake). Again bearing in mind how much each bite was going to cost her, Udonko sat up straight with her very best posture, reverently picked up a nut cluster, and placed it delicately in her mouth, anticipating a hearty crunch from all the nuts. So imagine her surprise when there was absolutely no crunchiness or crispiness at all! Instead, however the Ryotei Chirimen Nuts are prepared leaves the clusters moist and tender. The flavor was everything that the list of ingredients had left Udonko hoping it would be. You get a rich nutty sensation coupled with the sweet tang of the fruit. The chirimen, sparingly, have only a mild effect on the flavor profile and make their presence felt more in terms of texture. The glaze ties everything together in an extremely harmonious way, with all of the components playing nicely with one another and no harsh transitions or unpleasant muddling of tastes. Shimogamo Saryo recommends Ryotei Chirimen Nuts buts for a wide variety of pairings, saying that they go well with tea, coffee, milk, juice, wine, sake, or cocktails, and we're apt to believe them, seeing as how the nut clusters themselves have such a complex but satisfying flavor. ▼ We are going to have to think long and hard about which of those pairings we want to try first, though, since we've only got a few lest. So in the end, Udonko feels that, as expensive as the Ryotei Chirimen Nuts are, they're completely worth it, and if you're looking to treat yourself too, they can be ordered online here. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
