Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Randoseru Japanese Elementary School Backpacks

Randoseru

Randoseru (ランドセル) are stiff, leather backpacks used by Japanese elementary school children from ages 6 to 12.

They are exceptionally well-made and are expected to last for the whole of a child's elementary school education.

The range in price up to 800 USD for the very best made-in-Japan quality.

Randoseru
Randoseru

The Name

The origin of the loan word randoseru is not clear. It may derive from the German Ranzen or Dutch ransel which both mean "backpack" or "satchel".

Another possibility is that the word comes from the German Landser or soldier as the Japanese backpack has some similarity to a Landser's equipment bag.

The practice of elementary children carrying randoseru began at the Gakushuin (学習院) or Peers School in Tokyo, at the time an elite institution for educating children from the highest levels of Japanese society.

Randoseru now come in a variety of colors
Randoseru now come in a variety of colors, though black and red are standard

Colors

Randoseru now come in a variety of colors but the standards are navy blue or black for boys and red for girls.

Yellow covers are sometimes seen over the backpack to protect them from the rain and also to increase visibility on roads where there are no sidewalks.

They can be found all year round in department stores but are often purchased in the spring before the school year begins in April.

Contact Us

The best randoseru are hand-made in a time-consuming process.

GoodsFromJapan has randoseru on sale or if you are looking for a specific color please contact us.

Order a randoseru from GoodsFromJapan
School satchels on sale in a department store

Related

ランドセル人気 再燃

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Thursday, October 14, 2021

We love Natto!

We love Natto!

先日、東京農工大の研究グループが、納豆に含まれる成分に新型コロナウイルスの感染を阻害する効果があるとの実験結果を発表しました。

これ、本当だったら嬉しいですよね。納豆生産のお膝元、茨城県で生まれ育った私にはかかせないご飯のお供。これでコロナを予防できたら百人力です。

真偽のほどはまだ検証を要するでしょうが、納豆が体の免疫力を高める栄養食品であることは確かです。

We love natto!
納豆
S-903
コロナにも勝つ? 注目の納豆菌 S903


納豆神話のもう一つに「外国人は納豆が苦手」というのがあります。

果たしてこれ、本当でしょうか?

確かに最初はもちろんあの独特の匂いにやられて、鼻をつまむ人は多いです。

でも私の知る限り、一度食べ慣れると、外国の方も結構 Natto 好きですよ。

「安いし、お腹にたまるし、サイコー!」なんて言ってます。

英国人やオーストラリア人にはしょっぱさが Marmite というビール酵母を主原料としたスプレッドに似ているらしく、懐かしさも感じるようです。

日本は諸外国に比べて物価が高いので、スーパー等で買い求めやすいのも魅力。

納豆大使としては、このコロナ禍、ぜひ納豆でみなさんの健康を維持していただきたいです。

生の納豆は輸出できませんが、海外にも送れる人気のフリーズドライ納豆、納豆パウダー、サプリをご紹介します↓

Natto Supplement Capsules | Goods From Japan

Natto
Natto Supplement Capsules


外国に住む日本の方へのプレゼントにも喜ばれますよ。

私のお友達は、英国でなんとか納豆を自家製造しようと日々格闘しています。大豆を買い込み、ヨーグルトメーカーに放り込んで、菌を混ぜ込み、ひたすら発酵待ち。。。

納豆はまさに毎日食べずにいられないdaily foodsなんですね。お豆腐みたいに、早く外国のスーパーにも置いてほしい!

Natto
Natto Powder

Natto Supplement Capsules | Goods From Japan

Natto Powder | Goods From Japan

Monday, October 11, 2021

Japan's Wholly Edible Organic Banana

Japan's Wholly Edible Organic Banana

We think we know bananas, but you don't know them properly until you've met the "Next 716" from Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan. This very expensive banana is not only cultivated organically, i.e., completely chemical-free, but you can also eat the skin!

Next 716 organic Japanese banana in its own box.
"Next 716" organic Japanese banana.

We splashed out and tried a "Next 716" at our local supermarket here in Tokyo. It looked beautiful and, this being Japan, it was beautifully packaged in its own special box.

As you can see from the photo of the banana in the box, it wasn't quite ripe when we bought it, so we gave it four or five days.

When it had turned a beautiful golden-yellow, we cut it up - skin and all - and put it on our breakfast. 

A ripe Next 716 organic Japanese banana.
A ripe "Next 716" organic Japanese banana.

We were most interested in how the skin would taste. Well, it certainly wasn't as sweet as the deliciously sweet banana itself, but it wasn't face-screwingly bitter either. In other words, they had done a pretty good job of making the skin edible.

And, of course, with no chemicals used in cultivating the banana, there is no risk of ingesting chemicals by eating the skin.

Would we buy the "Next 716" again? Yes, if we were trying to impress a visitor with a uniquely Japanese product! (Or, should we say, a uniquely Japanese version of what is originally a South-East Asian product.)

The "Next 716" was by far the most delicious banana we've ever tasted and is a lesser-known food delicacy that any visitor to Japan should try.

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