Celebrating the New Year, Japanese Style

By Sandy Hu

For a Japanese-American kid growing up in Hawaii, there wasn’t a more exciting time than the New Year. Our holiday season was far from over after Christmas. New Year’s brought firecrackers and feasting.

On New Year’s Eve, we kids, dressed in our new Christmas bathrobes, were out on our porch all night, blasting firecrackers, ostensibly to chase away evil spirits. We did it for the sheer thrill, reveling in the bang and flash. The Camel brand produced smaller firecrackers for beginners; the Duck brand was twice the size, making a more substantial explosion. Our arsenal, also included cracker bombs, sparklers, roman candles and bottle rockets.

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Food Adventures in Japan

By David Hu

I just got back from Japan last week and after unpacking, I look forward to checking out my photos. Beyond the standard pictures in front of this shrine and that landmark, this time I had chronicled my trip with a new type of photo – food porn – the close-up shot of that meal you’re just about to eat.

I don’t normally take pictures of my food but I did want to share my Japanese culinary experience on Special Fork, so I snapped away. As it turns out, it’s a nice way to remember great meals like the excellent sushi at Tokyo’s world-famous Tsukiji Fish Market, where delicious morsels are made with tender raw fish fresh off the boat. Or the lavish 11-course dinner at a country inn in Fukushima, renowned for having hosted one of Japan’s emperors.

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