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Win a Trip to Japan With Kizuna AI
by Kizuna Ai (Paid Advertisement),
Hello! I'm Kizuna AI, the (self-proclaimed) world's first YouTuber! Thanks to your amazing support, I've been chosen as the Japan National Tourism Organization's (JNTO) ‘Come to Japan’ campaign ambassador!
This campaign features many components, including a sweepstakes with a pair of round-trip tickets to Japan as its grand prize! You need to get a high score on a quiz about Japan to enter, so there's going to be some studying involved.
Luckily, I've been learning all about Japan with the help of JNTO and Tokyo Otaku Mode, so I'm going to help you prepare for the quiz in this video and others to come! Although I've never actually been to Japan before, I think I'm pretty knowledgeable about the chic way to eat sushi, different types of ramen noodles, and the wonders of wagashi!
Let me also tell you a bit more about the topics covered in my Japanese culinary culture video!
When people hear the word sushi, they often imagine a piece of raw fish placed on top of rice. That's exactly what Nigiri-zushi (hand-pressed sushi) looks like, but there are actually plenty of other different types of sushi! Some other types I didn't have a chance to cover in the video include Temari-zushi and Gunkan-maki. Temari refers to a type of Japanese ball that children play with, and just like its name, Temari-zushi are pressed into adorable balls that can easily be eaten in a single bite. Gunkan-maki is also known as “battleship sushi” because the seaweed wrapped around pressed rice creates a pocket that ingredients can “ride” in. I'd love to try all the different types of sushi, but if I were to choose just one, I think I would go with Chuu-tori (medium-fatty tuna) Nigiri-zushi because it just looks so good!
Ramen is probably just as famous and popular as sushi is, but did you know that ramen didn't originate in Japan? This might sound a bit technical, but the instant version of ramen was invented in Japan, while the ramen noodles available at restaurants are mostly rearranged versions of Chinese noodles. In Japan, there are multiple instant noodle museums where you can knead, season, and flash-fry your own instant ramen noodles! There's even a tasting room that offers rare instant ramen noodles that are usually available only in certain areas!
And, of course, we can't end a discussion about Japanese food without mentioning the beautiful confectionary! Commonly referred to as wagashi in Japanese, these sweets are just as pleasing to the eye as they are to your taste buds. In fact, they are widely considered a form of art that incorporates elements of Japanese tea ceremonies and traits from each season. For example, some spring wagashi are designed to resemble cherry blossoms, and certain types of summer wagashi are made with plenty of water to help you stay hydrated. Some of them look so good that I still don't know if they're meant to be eaten!
In addition to learning about Japanese culinary culture, I also took some time to brush up my English skills! Be sure to check out my progress in the intro!
Making these videos with JNTO and Tokyo Otaku Mode is a ton of fun, and I hope you will join me as I continue to introduce the charms of Japan in other videos. Be sure to visit the ‘Come to Japan’ campaign website via the link below for more campaign details and content!
‘Come to Japan’ Campaign Website
http://us.jnto.go.jp/cometojapan/
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