KOTATSU こたつ
Since most Japanese homes do not have central heating and since most of the older homes are very drafty Keiko always depended on an electric kotatsu. It’s simply a low table with a heating element under it. The top lifts off so that a warm futon made especially for the kotatsu can be inserted. Turn it on, sit at the table with a hot cup of tea and a snack and winter won’t seem so awful. Students used to sleep under their kotatsu on cold nights. And everyone knows that cats love kotatsu!
MIKAN みかん
Japan has many different kinds of citrus fruit which are only now becoming known worldwide. But an easy one that you’ll find in every Japanese person’s home during the winter is “mikan.” They are usually translated as tangerine, but when Keiko introduces foreign friends to mikan they say that it tastes slightly different from any tangerines they’ve had. Parents often caution children from eating too many of them lest their palms turn orange. Is that an old wive’s tale or could it really happen? Paging Ms. Google!
YUZU BATH 柚子湯
Hey! What are the yuzu doing in the bath? The first time I encountered this was at a public bath. It brought back an old Jewish question. “How is this night different from all other nights? There is one night in December and yes it is a winter solstice event. It is said to be good for one’s health.
