Quintessential Japan

I’m not an expert about Japanese culture—you are much more qualified than I could ever be. So, this week’s questions are going to require some thinking about Japan and Japanese culture. However, first, there is a vocabulary word you need to know:

quintessential/kwintəsénʃəl/—クィイントエッセンシャル—
形容詞｟形式的｠真髄の, 典型的な
(example: the quintessential Japanese movie｜典型的な日本映画.)

So, the questions this week are:

What is the quintessential Japanese meal?
典型的な日本食は何ですか？
What is the quintessential Japanese clothing?
典型的な日本の服装は何ですか？
What is the quintessential Japanese pastime?
典型的な日本の娯楽は何ですか？
What is the quintessential Japanese drink?
典型的な日本の飲み物は何ですか？
Is your hometown or home prefecture different? In your hometown (or home prefecture), what is the quintessential food? clothing? music? pastime?
あなたの生まれ故郷、あるいは出身の都道府県で、典型的な食べ物、服装、音楽、娯楽は何ですか？

Since I want you to answer about Japan, I will answer the same questions for America.

I think the quintessential American meal has to be a cheeseburger, french fries (フライドポテト) and a Coca Cola. I used to eat this a lot when I was younger.

I think the quintessential American clothing is blue jeans and a T-shirt. I still wear jeans and a T-shirt almost everyday...

I think the quintessential American pastime is baseball. The greatest sport ever invented.

And the quintessential American drink is beer (or perhaps, “Coca Cola”). And I love them both!

My hometown is Saint Paul, Minnesota. Like most places in America, each city or area has different characteristics. Because of that, my answers about Minnesota are different from the answers for America. For example:

I think the quintessential Minnesota meal has to be “hot dish” a kind of casserole that can have many different kind of ingredients. If you are interested to know more, ask me when we speak next.

I think the quintessential Minnesota clothing is a flannel shirt. In the fall and winter time in minnesota, most men (and women) wear these warm and soft shirts.

I think the quintessential Minnesota pastime is fishing. If you are from Minnesota and you don’t like fishing, people think you are a little strange.

And the quintessential Minnesota drink is milk. Minnesota has a lot of dairy farms so there is a lot of good milk, cheese, and other dairy products from local farms. DELICIOUS!

I will look forward to hearing your answers or questions when we speak next.

Be well,

Keith//

Some important vocabulary

pastime (pǽstàim | pάːs-/ 名)　詞娯楽, 気晴らし, レクリエーション. ⇒PLAY[類語])
Golf is my favorite pastime.｜いちばんの気晴らしはゴルフだ.

dairy farming らくのう【酪農】彼は酪農に従事している｜He runs a dairy farm. 合成語
酪農家｜a dairy farmer
酪農産物｜dairy products
酪農場｜a dairy; a dairy farm

casserole (kǽsəròul/ 名　詞)
蒸し焼きなべ, キャセロール；｟主に英｠シチューなべ.

flannel (flǽnl/ 名　詞)
Ｕフランネル, ネル, フラノ；（綿）ネル；｟主に米｠綿布.