April is truely the beginning of spring in Japan. Here in Saga, the weather is typically pleasant, just slightly humid. It is a great season to visit the mountains and explore before all the insects come back, and before the rainy season comes. Of course, be wary of wildboar and the monkeys when doing this.

For the ALTs, your new school year and students will begin in the second week of april.

My goal with this seasonal calender is to highlight seasonal foods you might find in the supermarkets and household chores. This is mostly as I (Sarah) have an interest in this area, and hope you can enjoy your day-to-day life in Saga more!

野菜　Vegetables

葉つきにんじん Carrots including carrot leaves

Did you know can eat carrot leaves, not just the root? I never thought about it until coming to Japan. During autumn is when carrot root (the orange part) is at it’s most delicious, the leaves are thinned and yellowed. However, in spring, they become vibrant and full of nutrients. When selecting carrot leaves, choose bright green leaves, with a smaller, thinner carrot root for softer and easier to eat leaves.

Uses:

Fresh: If the leaves are soft, they can be eaten fresh in salads as a bitter component. In soups, they can be used like spinach. Add at the end to preserve the colour. Stir-fried carrot tops are good for tougher leaves. They can be finely cut and stir-fried to a longer extent then softer leaves. If you dont like bitter tastes, blanching and washing with a little salt while cooling down, helps reduce the bitter taste. Mix with salad dressings or other seasonings for a quick side-dish. Lastly, anything tempura is good.

新じゃがいも New Potatoes

New potatoes are the same variety as regular potatoes but they are harvested early, giving them thin skin and a higher water content. Normal potatoes are harder and have a higher starch content. This means new potatoes are not good for making mashed potatoes. New potatoes also have shorter shelf life then normal potatoes due to the water content. It is said that new potatoes have the same vitamin C content as a lemon and that the starch in potatoes can help protect vitamins from degradation during cooking. I am not a doctor so this is not medical advice!

春キャベツ Spring Cabbage

Once again it is the same variety as a normal cabbage, but it is planted in autumn. They have thinner leaves which are less curled and are more yellow/orange then the winter cabbage. It is believed that you should enjoy the freshness of spring cabbage, so it should be cut thinly to be eaten in salads or very quickly stir-fried. Also, it is good for pickles and okonomiyaki.

 ブラッドオレンジ Blood Orange

 レタス Lettuce

新玉ねぎ　New Onions

Peas and Beans

お菓子　Sweets

花見団子（はなみだんご）Flower-viewing Dango

Flower-viewing Dango is the most iconic looking Dango in my mind. Pink, white then green mochi are threaded onto the skewer.  This is said to represent the season as pink for the Cherry-Blossom flower petals, white for the spring haze and green for the fresh sprouting buds. The atmosphere of eating Dango under cherry blossom tree while drinking green tea is must be unbeatable.

桜餅（さくらもち）Sakura Mochi

There are actually two types of Japanese sweets called Sakura mochi, and visually, they are similar however are completely different in texture. In Saga, the most popular style of Sakura mochi is “Kansai Style” (Osaka/Kyoto area). It is sweet red-bean paste wrapped in a chewy, sticky rice cake that is dyed pink. The outside has a salt-pickled cherry-blossom leaf.

Rare in Saga is “Kanto Style” (Tokyo area) Sakura mochi, also called “Domyoji Sakura-mochi”. This version also has a sweet red-bean filling and a pickled cherry-blossom leaf, but the pink mochi part is actually pan-fried like a crepe and (sometimes) has real Cherry blossoms incorporated into the batter allowing you to enjoy the smell of the blossoms.

Another Japan wide divide is whether to eat the Cherry-blossom leaf or not. Really, it’s down to individual preferences as the leaves are perfectly safe to eat and give a salty taste to a sweet treat. Other people don’t enjoy the tastes of the leaves, and some believe they are not.

キャロットケーキ Carrot Cake

I think we all know carrot cake, but I don’t often see it in Japan. This is the time to buy it if you’re a fan like me. I am not sure why it is an april food, maybe because of easter?

海鮮　Seafood

Unfortunely, seafood is not something I am so familar with so I can not give good details regarding using and eating seafood.

鯛　 Sea Bream

ホタルイカ　Firefly squid

白子　White bait

家事　Household Matters

Spring Cleaning

Japan, like many other countries, embrace the idea of spring cleaning. It is a chance to “reset” and think out what you have and need, and what you don’t need. This might be especially important as getting rid of things is difficult in Japan. If you are a leaver, it’s definitely the time to get started on organising for departure. You will only have four chances from now to throw out non-burnable and recyclable rubbish.

衣替え（ころもがえ）と冬物の手入れChanging Clothes and Storing Winter Items

Another custom in Japan is the distinct seasonal wardrobe and items. For Japan, this is done in April, as the chill leaves and you should reflect on what you intend to wear and use next year and recycle what you won’t. There is an emphasis on cleaning your coats at this time so they can be worn cleanly next year.

Bamboo Shoot harvesting 竹の子掘り

Bamboo shoot harvesting is only possible during a short window of time and the success rate varies greatly. In the mountain where bamboo grows, the young shoots can be dug up from the ground. They must be boiled in an alkaline solution, usually rice bran water or baking powder to avoid the poisoning and help remove the bitter taste. Luckly in Kyushu, we are safe from bears who also compete for the softer bamboo. Wild boars and mountain monkey are still the threat so be careful!

Of course, now bamboo is sold in supermarkets but finding fresh bamboo shoots is a little difficult. There is always pickles bamboo however.

Flowers

As I am writing this, the cherry blossoms are all but finished. Small pockets of flowers remain, but for the most part there time has finished. If you are willing to travel into northen Japan, you will still be able to find bloom until around May.

つつじ　Azalea Flowers

Likely from late april azalea flowers will come into bloom. Yutoku Inari Shrine in Kashima is said to have up to 50,000 flowers.