"Doyo ushi no hi" is a day in late July dedicated to eating eel. The day falls on July 24 this year. The custom began in the 18th century. Since Japanese summer is hot and humid, many people suffer from natsubate (summer fatigue). It is believed that eating nutritious eel helps to increase stamina and beat the summer heat. On Doyo ushi no hi, you will find eels sold at every supermarkets. Long advertisement flags (nobori) are often around to promote sales. I love eel. Una-don (unagi-donburi) is one of the dishes that I always request from my mom when I go back to Japan. It is particularly good with sansho pepper. I feel hungry!


Japanese Translation

I went to the dentist the other day. In the middle of the treatment, the power suddenly went off. I got little bit nervous, as I had to keep my mouth open. What would happen if the power didn't come back on? Luckily it came back a litter later and they were able to finish fixing my teeth. Speaking of teeth, the Japanese are less concerned than the west with having straight teeth. "Yaeba (a double tooth)" is probably not desirable in the west, but many Japanese find yaeba cute and charming, especially for girls. Some celebrities and models show off their yaeba smiles. "Yaeba" is also often seen in female characters in anime and manga, too.


Japanese Translation