Explore everyday life in Japan
This is yuzu, an incredibly fragrant citrus fruit that is often used in Japan to make delicious jams, teas, sorbets, seasoned salts, soup seasonings, chocolates, etc.
Not only that, but on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, there is an old tradition here of putting fresh yuzu in the bath and soaking in water that has been infused with this fruit. It is thought that yuzu acts as a purifier, one that will help cleanse your body and conscience for the upcoming year. Additionally, it is also thought that yuzu warms the core temperature of your body during a time of year that is generally quite cold and by doing so helps ward off illness.
Preparing a yuzu bath is quite easy, assuming you can get your hands on fresh yuzu. Just poke some holes in one or two yuzu with a fork and throw them in the bathtub. To really unleash their fragrance peel them in the bath. Be careful not to use too many, though, or you may find your skin tingling in a warm and uncomfortable way. Believe me.
In my opinion, the fragrance and flavor of yuzu are an essential part of truly experiencing Japan.
If you find yourself traveling here, be sure to look for foods and drinks, and lotions and soaps that are made with yuzu. You may find yourself embarking on a new love affair.
So, how about you? Are there any peculiar customs that are practiced on the winter solstice in your country? Please let me know.
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.
Yuzu tea is pretty popular all over Asia I think. I wonder if it's caught on in the West at all. Yuzu Ponzu is one of my favorite things in the entire universe.
I read your post about kids beer...i was going to comment but then wifi went out and forgot later.
Anyways I just restarted my Japanese blog. We need to chat on discord some time. I am locked out at the moment until i verify by a phone number that's not on hand right now.... maybe tomorrow I'll be back on there.
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I feel like I remember having yuzu ponzu in the States years ago and never realizing it. I could be wrong, though. Yuzu has a great flavor. It’s so nice in nabe and when added to salt for flavoring tempura and other things. The tea is good to.
I check in on the Blogger Central Discord server every day. I use the name Boxcarblue in Discord too. Hit me up when you’re online.
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I had my first Yuzu bath today. Usually I never bath we both shower, only the little one is bathing. So it was a nice to have some change tonight.
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They’re great, aren’t they? The smell is so nice, and they really do warm your body up. Did you have pumpkin for dinner too?
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Actually yes I did. Right that was the kind of food they use to have on that day.
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Yeah. Apparently it’s thought of as a detoxifier, something to keep you from getting sick in the winter.
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It looks a lot like a lemon to me. I had one a long time ago they sort of tasted like a cross between a grapefruit and a lime. Or am I thinking of something else?
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You’re probably thinking of the right thing. Yuzu lie somewhere between a lime and a lemon and maybe even an orange or a grapefruit. Their color is similar to a lemon, but their shape is often more like a slightly shrunken tangerine or something.
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This looks good, but it looks exactly like a lemon. I would definitely like to try it
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I imagine Lon’s would have a similar effect. If you can buy yuzu at a supermarket, I definitely recommend putting it in your bath. It’s great!
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Ooh, I that sounds so refreshing to soak in a bath with yuzu. I live in Florida where we have many types of citrus trees, but that one is new to me!
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It’s interesting, isn’t it? I had no idea how many kinds of citrus fruits there actually are. Growing up in the States, I thought that lemons, limes, grapefruits, tangerines, and clementines represented all of the citrus fruits. Boy was I wrong. In southern Japan, there is a citrus fruit that is eaten with the white pith still attached and it isn’t bitter at all.
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That is interesting. We have a key lime tree in our garden. Great for making key lime pies!
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I forgot about key limes and key lime pie, which is funny because I spent a winter in Key West making them and had to just key limes everyday. That must be nice having a tree right in your yard.
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You were in the right place for key lime pies then I'm in northeast Florida,but my tree has surprisingly survived the winters here, and it provides fruit for all the neighbors who want it too! I'm honestly tired of key lime pie, but my husband can't get enough of it. I guess I need to make one this weekend. Lol!
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That’s funny. Too much of a good thing, right? How about making a key lime cheesecake this year?
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I actually have a recipe that's kind of a cross between the 2 - it uses cream cheese, but not quite enough to qualify as a cheesecake. It's what I'm tired of. LOL! I may actually make a cheesecake, botw that you mention the idea!
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Have you ever tried making a chiboust? It’s a little complicated for at home cooking, but it’s fun to make and has a nice texture. It’s a meringue that is set with gelatin. These often go well with citrus flavors.
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Good job :) so nice keep going :)
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Thanks crazy3. You can count on it.
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in Bangladesh this fruits called orange may be
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It’s not an orange, though it has a similar shape. Usually, it’s smaller than an orange and has a smell and flavor that lies somewhere in the middle of a lemon, a lime, and possibly an orange.
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oh ok my mistake
thanks
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Hi...how are you? I live Japan. The sun rise country. I want to travel there. I don't know when i get the opportunity?
Yuzu..We called it "Komolalebu". It is not very cold here. Though winter season is running. Just last night takes a little cold. Thanks for sharing a sweet and wonderful post.
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Komolalebu? What language is that? It must be nice to live in a place with warm winters. I like snow and I enjoy winter, but the older I get, the more I think it would be nice to live in a warm place during the winter months.
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This is a new tradition to me. We had a kadomatsu last Christmas and New Years, as well as a kagami mochi that we displayed but didn’t eat. Looking forward to reading about your holidays this year.
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Happy holidays to you!! We haven’t set out any New Year’s decorations yet. My wife usually takes down the Christmas stuff on the 26th and then starts getting ready for New Year’s. It’s like a mad dash. I like those kadomatsu decorations.
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Thanks! Merry Christmas to you, and wishes for all the best in the New Year. Do you incorporate any of the Chinese New Year into your New Year celebration? When we lived in Japan, we would even put an ornament with the next year's animal on the Christmas tree but, then again, we were gaijin. When I asked about Year of the Dog things at the Daiso store (our connection to Japan here in California) the clerk reminded me that "that's Chinese."
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Well, we don’t do much in the way of New Year’s decoration, mostly just the kagami Michu and whatever my wife’s parents give us, but the animal zodiac symbols from the Lunar New Year are always on our New Year’s cards. And I feel like you often see them on diaries, day planners, and things associated with the year. I was just given a dog calendar today, actually.
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It maybe a lemon I guess.
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It’s like a cross between a lemon, an orange, and a lime. It smells great.
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Oh,naruhodo.ヾ(๑╹◡╹)ﾉ"
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I want too :)
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Give it a try.
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super intresting, i would love to test this some day :)
I might get a chance next year, because i'm planing to travel to japan with my bf. It will most likely be in the summer season but who knows ;P
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There’s no rule that says you can’t take a yuzu bath in the summer. Whenever you make it over here, give it a try.
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since it was winter solstice, I ate pumpkin! I heard many part of japan have citron bath for the winter solstice, but not Hokkaido 😊
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Hokkaido is very different from Honshu, isn’t it? I have to go there someday.
My mother-in-law often brings us simmered pumpkin on the solstice, but she didn’t yesterday. I often do both, eat pumpkin and take a yuzu bath on the solstice, but yesterday I just settled for the bath.
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