the West and the East
As you know, Japan is a long and narrow country.
Therefore, the climate is totally different depending on the region.
The south belongs to subtropical zone, the middle to temperate zone and the north to subarctic zone, which varies the average temperature from 6 to 22 ° C from north to south.
As a result, culture can also be different in each region. But it is largely divided into two: the West and the East.
1. Soup of the west and the east
A: the West
The water of the West is sweet and goes well with broth of seaweed (Kombu).
Then, they add light soy sauce (usu-kuchi Shōyu), tender in color.
It is for this reason that the soup of the west is soft and refined.
B: the East
On the other hand, the water of the east is hard and goes well with bonito broth.
Then, they add strong soy sauce (koi-kuchi Shōyu), dark in color.
As a result, the sauce of the East is full-bodied, both sweet and salty.
2. Eel (Unagi)
A: the West
In the west, eel is cut from the belly side.
There is an expression in Japanese; “open his belly” which means to verbalize frankly his opinions or feeling.
In general, people in the west (especially Osakaïst) tend to communicate more directly than people in the East. They love to chat and laugh a lot.
B: the East
On the other hand, eel is cut by the back in the east.
The action of cutting the belly reminded warriors (samurai) of the hara-kiri.
“Hara” means the belly and “kiri” means cutting. The “hara-kiri” is a ritual suicide that the samurai was obliged to execute when they had committed an unpardonable fault.
Many warriors (samurai) lived in Edo, today’s Tokyo.
3. Sekihan
The third difference is the beans used to cook Sekihan.
A: the West
In the west, people use Azuki (red beans), when they cook Sekihan.
This is the orthodox way to cook Sekihan.
Because the red color of Azuki is vivid and looks beautiful in Sekihan.
But unfortunately, the skin of Azuki is thin and it is too soft to keep its form completely in the process of cooking.
If you are interested in Azuki (red beans), visit here
⇒Red beans
B: the East
On the other hand, in the east, they use another type of bean called Sasagé (black‐eyed pea).
Although both Azuki and Sasagé belong to the same genus called vigna, they are totally different beans.
The first difference is its color. Each bean of Sasagé looks darker and duller than Azuki.
The second difference is the thickness of its skin. The skin of Sasagé is thicker than that of Azuki and as a result, Sasagé keeps its form even after being cooked.
As well as the eel mentioned above, the appearance of broken Azuki beans was a reminiscent of Hara-kiri for Samurais.
That is why Sasagé (black‐eyed pea) has been widely used in the East.
4. Escalator
A: the West
On the escalator, people place themselves to the right in the west.
Many merchants lived in the west and merchants preferred to stay on the right.
It was to protect their belongings by holding them firmly in the right hand.
This story also points to another fact: the vast majority of Japanese people are right-handed.
In Japan, parents tend to give corrections to their children who are found to be a southpaw.
B: the East
On the contrary, in the east, people place themselves to the left on the escalator.
As I mentioned above, many Samurai lived in the east and they preferred to stay on the left.
It was to draw his sword quickly at the right moment.
