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Sushi

Sushi is cooked vinegared rice that is commonly topped with other ingredients, such as fish or other seafood,or put into rolls. Sliced raw fish alone is called sashimi, as distinct from sushi. Sushi that is served rolled inside or around dried and pressed layer sheets of seaweed (or nori) is makizushi . Toppings stuffed into a small pouch of fried tofu is inarizushi. Toppings served scattered over a bowl of sushi rice is called chirashi-zushi.

The common ingredient across all the different kinds of sushi is sushi rice. The variety in sushi arises from the different fillings and toppings, condiments, and the way these ingredients are put together. The same ingredients may be assembled in a traditional or a contemporary way, creating a very different final result. In spelling sushi its first letter s is replaced with z when a prefix is attached, as in nigirizushi, due to consonant mutation called rendaku in Japanese.

Nigirizushi (hand-formed sushi) consists of an oblong mound of sushi rice that is pressed between the palms of the hands, usually with a bit of wasabi, and a topping draped over it. Toppings are typically fish such as salmon, tuna or other seafood. Certain toppings are typically bound to the rice with a thin strip of nori, most commonly octopus (tako), freshwater eel (unagi), sea eel (anago), squid (ika), and sweet egg (tamago). When ordered separately, nigiri is generally served in pairs. A sushi set may contain only one piece of each topping.

Gunkanmaki (warship roll) is a special type of nigirizushi: an oval, hand-formed clump of sushi rice that has a strip of "nori" wrapped around its perimeter to form a vessel that is filled with some soft, loose or fine-chopped ingredient that requires the confinement of nori such as roe, natto, oysters, sea urchin, corn with mayonnaise, and quail eggs.Gunkan-maki was invented at the Ginza Kyubey restaurant in 1931,its invention significantly expanded the repertoire of soft toppings used in sushi.

Temarizushi (ball sushi) is a ball-shaped sushi made by pressing rice and fish into a ball-shaped form by hand using a plastic wrap. They are quite easy to make and thus a good starting point for beginners.

New Japan PM affirms US ties in call with Obama

Japan's new prime minister made his diplomatic debut Sunday in a telephone call with President Barack Obama, reaffirming his country's alliance with Washington and promising to work hard on an agreement to relocate a contentious U.S. Marine base.

Naoto Kan, a straight-talking populist, was elected prime minister Friday, replacing Yukio Hatoyama who stepped down last week after breaking a campaign promise to move the Marine base off the southern island of Okinawa.

Kan told Obama that relations with Washington are a "cornerstone" of Japan's diplomacy and vowed to "further deepen and develop the Japan-U.S. alliance to tackle global and regional challenges," Japan's Foreign Ministry said.

He also promised Obama to "make a strenuous effort" to tackle the relocation of Marine Air Station Futenma, it said.

Under an agreement signed last month between the two governments, the base is to be moved to a less-crowded part of Okinawa, but Kan faces intense opposition from island residents who want it moved off Okinawa completely, as Hatoyama had promised. Because their opposition is so intense, some analysts have questioned whether the plan can actually be carried out.

A White House statement did not mention Futenma, saying "the two leaders agreed to work very closely together" and consult on the nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran. An administration official added the leaders "hit it off well on a personal level."

The Futenma issue is just one of many tough challenges facing Kan, whose foremost mission is to win back voters disgusted by Hatoyama's broken promise and the corrupt image instilled by party heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa, who also resigned last week from the party's No. 2 post.

Kan spent the weekend crafting his Cabinet, which he plans to formally announce early this week. He told reporters that he had asked Reform Minister Yukio Edano to become the party's deputy leader, in an apparent attempt to distance himself from Ozawa's influence and corrupt image. 

Akihabara marks deadly rampage

Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district marked on Tuesday the second anniversary of a man's murderous rampage.

omohiro Kato, a 27-year-old former temporary worker, is on trial for running down pedestrians with a rented truck in a part of the district closed to vehicle traffic on the Sunday afternoon of June 8, 2008, exiting the vehicle and stabbing random targets with a dagger. He left seven people dead and 10 injured.

At a memorial set up at the intersection where the rampage took place, people, including survivors, placed bouquets and offered prayers.

Hiroshi Yuasa, a 56-year-old former taxi driver who was seriously wounded in the attack, laid flowers at the memorial early Tuesday.

"I came to pray for those who lost their lives. I hope many people will remember this tragedy," Yuasa said.

Hiroshi Asakawa, a 42-year-old company employee and frequent visitor to the district over the past 30 years, placed a bottle of water along with flowers at the site and said: "I still can't believe what happened here. It should never happen again."

Kato, who was arrested at the scene, is accused of murder and attempted murder. Ahead of the attack, he posted messages on a mobile phone bulletin board warning about the deadly rampage.

The anniversary came at a time when an Akihabara city planning group consisting of local residents, shop owners and police is seeking to re-establish the vehicle-free zone as early as mid-July because the Chiyoda Ward district is a mecca for both Japanese and foreign fans of electronics, "manga" comic books and "anime" animation.