[Jackie07]

'Kanji' = Han (Chinese - from the 'Han Dynasty') word. Japan sent 'exchange students' to China during the Tang Dynasty (618– 907 A.D.) and brought everything Chinese back to Japan. The traditional Japanese dress (kimono) is what the Chinese wore in that period of time. Same as the Korean traditional dress - modeled from another time period.

The traditional Chinese dress - 'Qi-pao' - most people know from the movies is the dress worn in the 20th Century and was modified from the Ching Dynasty (Manchu Dynast) court dress. The Manchu people conquered China (Ming Dynasty) more than 400 years ago and adopted everything Chinese (Han people) - the only trace of the Manchu tribe (also called 'Manchu' or 'Qi' people) culture is the 'Qi-pao' (Literally, Qi-robe; the high split was for horse-riding).

When the Western world knocked on the door of Japan (with canons and dynamite), the Japanese adapted quickly and devised their own 'alphabets' - that's why you see Kanji and the Japanese 'alphabets' in modern Japanese writing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji
Kanji are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana (ひらがな, 平仮名), katakana (カタカナ, 片仮名), Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin a...



When China was faced with the same delima of the 'Western invasion', she modeled after Japan and had almost completely depended on the translations from the Japanese for a long period of time. Many of the 'modern' Chinese words of 'Western expression' were actually used first by the Japanese...

Found some interesting information about mugicha:


Health Benefits of Barley Tea
Mugicha has been claimed to be beneficial to your blood. It seems to increase blood fluidity, and may also help cleanse impurities from the blood. At least the Japanese believe it's good for the blood!

Drinking Mugicha has also been linked to stress reduction, another good thing, by Chinese studies. In my case, drinking any kind of tea is always linked to stress reduction so I can buy this one!
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Of course roasted barley is caffeine-free, so for anyone looking for a hot or cold refreshing beverage without caffeine in it, this is a good one!

In my opinion, barley tea is definitely a great alternative to the sugary soft drinks on the market, and to the "sugar-free" versions which have other unpleasant chemicals in them. Barley tea is quite tasty, but pleasantly so. When you're looking for a beverage that's not just plain water but is remarkably refreshing, this is a great alternative!
Barley tea style drinks are popular around the world. For example, Horchata, one of the flavors of Aguas frescas originating in Mexico, may also be made from barley. And roasted barley is often used as a caffeine-free coffee substitute in America.

In Japan, Mugicha is most often served cold, like an iced tea. It's really a good accompaniment to Japanese food, just light enough not to dominate the flavor of the food. Also, since Japanese food is not usually very sweet, the slightly tangy flavor of the barley is perfect, much better than sweet lemonade or soda!
Barley Tea
Strictly speaking Barley Tea is not a "tea" at all, since all true teas are from the Camellia sinensis plant, and barley tea is, well, from the barley plant. I found a photo of barley growing in Scotland, my original homeland, so I just had to use this one even if the barley isn't quite ripe yet!


Source: www.squidoo.com/mugicha#module48939712