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Bhutanese home cooking class

2019.03.19

I participated in a cooking class, "Bhutanese home cooking by Bhutan Museum" on March 17th, 2019 and experienced cooking the home-style Bhutanese food. I made buckwheat pancakes and three kinds of stewed dishes.

The most distinctive characteristic of Bhutanese cuisine is its spiciness. At the class, we put much less chili pepper than most Bhutanese people usually use for cooking. I've heard that chili peppers are considered as more vegetables than spices in Bhutan.

After we finished cooking, we all shared the foods that we cooked.
I liked the simple dishes and I wouldn't feel there would be anything strange about seeing the them on Japanese tables. I wondered what the home-style Japanese food is.

In general, so called "Japanese cuisine" is not considered as the home-style Japanese food. I don't know how I can explain what the characteristics of the home-style Japanese food simply.
T.S

Dishes in the photo above
Top left) Shamu Datse : Mashroom & Green pepper with cheese & hot chili
Top right) Kewa Datse : Potato with cheese & hot chili
Bottom left) Khur-le : Buckwheat pancake
Bottom right) Sikam : Dried pork & Radish with hot chili

First Snow Public Holiday in Bhutan

2019.02.07

Bhutan

February 5th, 2018

*The photograph above was taken on February 5th, 2018 in Fukui City.

In Fukui City, we usually have so much snow and it's very cold during winter, but it's nothing like the usual winter this year. As a person from Fukui City, I feel that it's strange not to have snow but to have the warm weather around this time of the year.

first snowfall of 2018 in Bhutan on December 18th

This is a photograph that the poster girl of Bhutan Museum Fukui, Ms. Sonam Choki sent to me. She told me that they had the first snow of the year in Bhutan, and she took the photograph.

In Bhutan, when they have the first snowfall of the year, it becomes the national holiday. Most of the public places such as schools, government offices, banks and so on are closed.

She thought that she was going to have a day off. On that day, it was a day of her Japanese lesson and she was supposed to go to the Japanese school. In the school, everything is scheduled based on Japanese calendar, so the school wasn't closed.

On February 5th, it was the Bhutanese New Year, Losar. The date of the New Year changes every year.

Sonam Choki in front of the poster of Bhutan Museum Fukui
Sonam Choki and the founder of Bhutan Museum Fukui, Genji Nosaka

*The 2 photographs above were taken when Ms. Sonam Choki stayed in Fukui City last year.

I asked Ms. Sonam Choki to send me photographs of what she was doing on the New Year.

bhutanese food

She said that she enjoyed eating with her sister. She didn't go to her parents house this year because she was very busy with her school and she stayed in Thimphu where she goes to school. She said she would enjoy it more if she was in her hometown.

I wish everyone in Bhutan very Happy New Year 2019!

T.F

First Hanami in Japan! -Bhutanese Family-

2018.04.18

Bhutan

I went to Hanami with Mr. Ugyen Dorji and his family. Hanami is a Japanese flower viewing tradition. In Japan, during the cherry blossom season, we enjoy and appreciating the blooming of cherry blossoms. We celebrate it by having picnic parties under the cherry blossom trees.

Mr. Ugyen Dorji is from Bhutan and he’s studying as a teacher trainee at University of Fukui since around October of 2017.

Mr. Ugyen Dorji and his family

His family arrived in Japan at the end of March. It had been 6 months since the last time they saw each other. They seemed very happy to see each other. He said that he was worried that his son would not remember him at all. But his son smiled at Mr. Ugyen Dorji as soon as his son saw him. Mr. Ugyen Dorji was very happy about it.

It was interesting for them to see the moving dinosaurs in front of Fukui station.

Mr. Ugyen Dorji's family is listening to Mr. Tsukihara who is a chairman of Bhutan Museum Fukui about dinosaurs
moving dinosaurs in front of Fukui Station

cherry blossoms near Asuwa river

They said that it was their first time seeing cherry blossoms in real life and they were amazed by them. It was such a beautiful day so we all felt nice walking under the cherry blossoms.

We all enjoyed with Mr. Ugyen Dorji and his family viewing the cherry blossoms and having lunch

It was also their first time to have Hanami (a Japanese flower viewing tradition), they seemed to enjoy it. They brought some homemade Bhutanese food. I tried it and it was spicy and I liked it very much. It was such a great and interesting experience for me to have Hanami eating Bhutanese food, hearing Dzongkha (Bhutanese) and communicating people from outside of Japan.

T.F

The girl in Bhutan Museum Fukui's poster visited Fukui!! -Farewell and Welcome party on January 27th, 2018-

2018.04.03

Bhutan

On January 27th, 2018, farewell party for Ms. Sonam Wangmo and Ms. Chedon who had studied in Fukui University for about one year, and welcome party for Mr. Ugyen Dorji who started studying in Fukui University since October, 2017 and Ms. Sonam Choki who was invited to Fukui by Genji Nosaka, the former president of Bhutan Museum Fukui.

Ms. Sonam Choki

Ms. Sonam Choki who is the image girl of Bhutan Museum Fukui.

Mr. Ugyen Dorji is giving a speech

Mr. Ugyen Dorji talked how he wants be helpful as much as possible for Bhutan Museum Fukui during his stay.

Ms. Sonam Wangmo and Ms. Chedon

They will return to Bhutan soon.

Right: Ms. Chedon　

Left: Ms. Sonam Wangmo　

Ms. Chedon was saying that the sceneries of Fukui and Bhutan are smilar.

Ms. Sonam Wangmo likes the Japanese pancakes called "Okonomi-yaki".

enjoying a meeting in a friendly atmosphere

We all enjoyed talking about Bhutan and Japan.

Ms. Sonam Wangmo is giving a speech

The Bhutanese people seemed quiet but they spoke confidently in front of everyone. They talked about how they were surprised that there is Bhutan Museum Fukui in Fukui. They all said that they were grateful to be in Fukui and they liked the scenery in Fukui which is like Bhutan’s and kindness that people have.

I started being interested in Bhutan more and more, so I hope to learn about the country and its culture.

T.F

Enjoy our previous blog!

A Girl from Bhutan -Miraculous Reunion-

The girl in the Bhutan Museum Fukui's poster visited Fukui!! -January 22nd, 2018-

The girl in Bhutan Museum Fukui's poster visited Fukui!! -Visiting NHK in Fukui on January 23rd, 2018-

The girl in Bhutan Museum Fukui’s poster visited Fukui! -Visiting Fukui TV on January 26th, 2018-

At Bhutan Museum Fukui, you can see many interesting things from Bhutan!

Official Website of Bhutan Museum Fukui

The girl in Bhutan Museum Fukui’s poster visited Fukui! -Visiting Fukui TV on January 26th, 2018-

2018.03.27

Bhutan

In our previous blog, we have introduced that Ms. Sonam Choki who is the image girl of Bhutan Museum Fukui and she appears in its poster came to Fukui from Bhutan. She stayed in Fukui City from January 20th, 2018 for about one month.

She was only 14 years old when the photograph that has been used for Bhutan Museum Fukui poster was taken. She is now 23 years old.

On January 26th, 2018, Genji Nosaka, the former president of Bhutan Museum Fukui and visited Fukui TV, we learned about Fukui TV and their TV programs.

We talked in front of the cameras about Bhutan, how Ms. Sonam Choki was found in Bhutan after several years of searching her, education system in Bhutan and so on. It was broadcasted on one of their TV programs. I was very excited and graceful to see it because it can help more people to know about how great Bhutan is, and Fukui has such a great relationship with Bhutan.

Ms. Sonam Choki spoke softly and confidently in front of cameras and staff at Fukui TV. I was worried that she had many questions from them, but she was answering each question nicely with smile. The way she spoke calmly, nicely with grace and dignity made everyone around her comfortable. We all enjoyed talking to each other.

Ms. Sonam Choki and the former president of Bhutan Museum Fukui, Genji Nosaka

The former president of Bhutan Museum Fukui, Genji Nosaka and Ms. Sonam Choki took a photograph with “ear-ear chan” the official mascot character for Fukui TV. I asked Ms. Sonam Choki if she was nervous taking in front of the staff at Fukui TV. She said that she was not nervous, she enjoyed learning about the TV company.

T.F

Enjoy our previous blog!

A Girl from Bhutan -Miraculous Reunion-

The girl in the Bhutan Museum Fukui's poster visited Fukui!! -January 22nd, 2018-

The girl in Bhutan Museum Fukui's poster visited Fukui!! -Visiting NHK in Fukui on January 23rd, 2018-

At Bhutan Museum Fukui, you can see many interesting things from Bhutan!

Official Website of Bhutan Museum Fukui