Wakame - noun.

Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida), is an edible species of seaweed popular in Asian cooking. However, although it has been farmed for hundreds of years, it's also considered an invasive species. Pronounced wuh·kaa·may.


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Kotatsu - noun

A kotatsu is the evolution of hearth and heating used in Japan. It consists of a futon placed over a frame and is an inexpensive way to heat an area. Modern versions are electric, although the more traditional kind features a futon and frame over a small recess of coals.


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We have all experienced arigata-meiwaku, or unwelcome kindness. It expresses the sort of "I know you were just trying to help" feeling when someone does you a favour that you didn't want them to do. Maybe it even creates more trouble and stress for you, but you still have to express gratitude ( Read more... )

Here's an interesting word, technique and historical textile that I learned about in one of my classes this semester. Boro (ぼろ) refers to clothing that is repaired many times over, creating a unique look. Historically, materials used would be natural woven cloth such as cotton and hemp that were woven by peasant farmers in the Edo period. The ( Read more... )

Kuchisabishii

Shamelessly borrowed from ghost_light, this Japanese word translates to "lonely mouth" and doesn't have a direct English translation. Peckish, eating your feelings or grazing may come closest to the feeling of mindless eating, although, according to this article, it may also refer to cigarettes.

Tsundoku - a Japanese word to describe collecting books that you never get around to reading or that pile up.

Tsundoku shouldn't be confused with bibliomania, which is the compulsive hoarding of books.

I learned about this word the other week and it is notable enough to have a Wikipedia entry.

This week in my main journal I've been running words English acquired from Japanese, so here's another:

rickshaw or ricksha (RIK-shaw, RIK-shah) - n., a light two-wheeled vehicle pulled by a person on foot or a bicycle.


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ko·do·ku·shi [co-doe-coo-she]:
origin: [1980s] Japanese; 孤独+死= "alone" + "death"

Click to view

noun
"Lonely death", the phenomena of dying alone, and not being discovered for some time (thus often leaving a body-shaped dark stain behind) -- a phenomena on the rise btw, like this man whose oozing flesh was partly absorbed by his 6-ton pornography collection.

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ikebana, n. \ˌi-kā-ˈbä-nə, ˌi-ki-, ˌē-\

: the Japanese art of flower arranging that emphasizes form and balance

Etymology:

Japanese, from ikeru to keep alive, arrange + hana flower

mo·e [Moe-Eh]:
origin: Japanese; 萌え= budding, blooming, to sprout.


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