Sake and Fermentation, an interesting combination for the Stomach

Today was my easy day. Slept in until 9AM, and Mayumi wasn`t up. She woke up later when her Mom came in. I didn`t know how to operate the cafe, so I didn`t turn on lights or heat, and went outside to get my blood flowing and body heat operating.

Went to a local place that Mayumi`s friend knows about, everything there was in the style of Nukazuke, which is a fermentation process in rice bran. Think Eggs, Fish, Pork, Veggies... However, all this was done without the use of salt, so the flavor was very light and clean. I had a 5 course tasting menu (one dish made just for me!), and I went with two of Mayumi`s friends, Yuki and Aki. Both were great company, and I learned alot from them and the chef lady. Her family is huge into cooking, as her son works at a Japanese restaurant in Spain, Miyama. It really is kind of a small world, when you think about it.

Anyways, after a great lunch of fermented goodness, I went with Yuki to a temple south of the city to take part in a great winter festival. It involves drinking sake heated over a fire to prevent cancer. We did it a bit backwards, but I`m ok with that. You`re supposed to go to the temple, pray, get your sake cup (for a fee, of course), and then drink. We walked around, found the sake, wondered how to get the cups, and then met some old men who were already drunk.

Yuki, I should mention at this point, speaks Japanese, and tries really hard to speak English. We get along great, and he`s alot of fun, but there is some communication difficulty.

So, he talks to the man, and uses me as an introduction. I see pointing at me, and `American` that, and then two of the guys went and got their cups filled and handed them to us. Not a bad way to start. They then boisterously introduce us to the other Americans at the festival, a young couple teaching English in Osaka (I believe they were introduced as Latvians by the old Japanese guy, although I`m not sure why). We chat for 30 seconds, get our pictures taken by the old men (using our cameras) drinking the sake (somehow I got a huge stalk, and had to chug... hey, when in Rome, right?), and they were all about shaking my hand, and one even gave me his card (My email address is in the hands of so many Japanese, I wonder how you`re supposed to follow that up...). One even sang a great song about Sake and Americans, although I`m not sure of the exact translation. It involves dancing and waving your hands around really high (this same man made fun of me when I had to run off to the toilet 10 minutes later... grabbed his crotch and imitated running while shouting `Toy-ire`... Very humorous).

And you get a picture. Only because Yuki made me move some to the computer. Can you guess what part of the story this corresponds to?


Needless to say, I had a great time. 7 cups of sake (I think, and not including the big one), and then we got to the temple, which was a very cool experience. One guy was going at the Taiko drum while the other monks would beat everyone`s back with a stick that had bronze rings on it. I could feel the cancer coming out of my pores. Then, we went back (on Yuki`s suggestion), to get more sake. I think 3-4 more glasses. There was a water station next door, but that`s for wimps and Christians.

And then I got on the bike to ride back.

Oh yes, I rode a Japanese bike. You know those stunt bikes that are popular in the US? Think those, except actually designed for someone who is under 5 feet tall. Now, it was exciting being on a bike again (to those that don`t know, mine was stolen a few months ago. So it goes), but very difficult to ride (oh yes, and the brakes didn`t work.. minor detail). Riding back after, let`s say, a fair amount of sake... hehe.

We made it back OK though, but we were singing John Lennon together, and the theme from Power Rangers. So I guess it wasn`t all ok. There are like 6 people in the cafe, and I suddenly freeze up. It`s tough to comprehend a language you don`t understand enough to communicate when one is sober. When you are drunk, it`s like trying to find (thinking of a colorful metaphor here) a housewife at a Nine Inch Nails concert; doable, but you have to concentrate.

So I went out shopping for dinner. I made everyone except Mayumi dinner, because she had plans already. Butter sauteed chicken with wilted Chrysanthamum leaves, and a Trumpet Royale/Persimmon Chutney. MMMMM...

Spent the night chatting with Aki, who is in that state of figuring out life. I`m meeting alot of Japanese like that. The older generation is very traditional and observant of customs and rites and all of that, but the younger generations are basically the same as us. Which is comforting in a way, because it makes us closer as humans. However, it is destroying the culture of the country. Not that it`s a totally negative thing, because there are definate problems with some of these customs that don`t fit into a modern society. However, as an American who feels that America is without culture, I don`t like thinking that globalization, however nice of an idea it is, will get rid of a big part of what makes us unique as humans.

Many of the Japanese I`m talking to seem to have a more Western Style of thinking, but I think it`s a huge case of wanting to be different than your parents. Or at least not conforming to the normal cultural mould. Talking to Aki about nature, she was lamenting on how Japanese can`t enjoy nature as seperate from normal life, how it isn`t really a destination. I, on the other hand, relished the fact that I could go to Kyoto, a huge city, and climb a mountain during the day and go shopping/karaokeing at night (see earlier post, in which I get lost and dirty).

It`s all relative, as Einstein said.

I`m sleepy.

Soylent Green is DEER!

Alright. Those deer I was talking about before are rampant throughout the park. And they have no fear of anything. The pamphlets say docile, but I say ``no fear of anything, with the side of being fed all the time.`` You can spend 150 yen to give them cookies, and they hang around the shops that sell them because they know. I went to one place to get ice cream (Ice cream Sean? But it`s winter!), and when I walked up to the counter, they came up right next to me. Hrm...

Anyways, I`m more of an early riser than Mayumi (she is a chef, after all), so after some tea, I set out on this very cold day. Saw some nice temples, and found out that Nara is a big cutlery town. Kikuichi is based here... http://www.kikuichi.net/ Yeah, I was in that store, totally randomly. So I bought a cheap Yanagi. I probably should have bought more, but I wasn`t thinking. Oh crap. Between that last sentence and now, I`ve probably decided to go back tomorrow. When in Rome, get the pizza.

So, after lunch, I decided to climb a mountain again. There was a wide trail this time, but I found the thin one on the way back down, and it was almost as fun as last time, more because of the mud and cold than the lack of trail. Mayumi`s mother made dinner tonight, traditional konnyaki and hijiki; A root vegetable soba soup; soy cooked daikon, and buri (good hamachi). Yum. I bought some supplies as well, thinking I was going to show Mayumi how to butcher fish, but that didn`t happen. It`s ok.

After dinner, I went to the sento near here (look it up), and after going into the wrong side to begin with (hi ladies!), took part in ``Sean versus scalding water part 2! This time with electric water!``

That`s right, water with an electric current running through it. Writing about it makes my legs tingle. You know those games where you pay to hold the metal thing that shocks you until you can`t take it anymore? It`s like that, except in water. The closer you are to these holes, the stronger the tingling is. I`m not sure of the benefits of such treatment, but it freaked me out a little bit, not going to lie. The bubble bath was better.

That`s it, no philosophy today, my whole body is at a state beyond relaxed. The water gets so hot, it stresses you out. You may not know what I`m talking about, so fill your tub with boiling water, and try to sit in it for 20 minutes. You`ll figure it out fast.

Tomorrow, Sake out of bamboo!

I bumped my head twice, it hurt

Yeah, so I'm a bit tall for this country. Or at least some parts of it. I hit my head coming out of a store today, and going to the bathroom. Not in the same place, but it hurt nonetheless...

So I`m in Nara right now, staying with a couchsurfer, Mayumi. She runs a cafe, and above it she has a few rooms where people stay. Her kitchen is quite nice, lots of fun things, but she needs some sharper knives... =)

Anyways, Nara is amazing. It's a very small town, the old capital of Japan, yet it a perfect example of the dichotomy of the country. There is the older part of town, where the cafe is located, with alleys and old buildings, with the feeling that you are walking in a very old part of town. Right next to it there is the modern area, complete with shopping malls, pachinko parlors, and a nice train station. Old and new, living together. Oh, and with a huge park with tons of ancient temples very important to Japanese History and Buddhism-Shintoism.

I just walked around today, getting to the cafe around 1PM. All of the temples close around 4.30 or 5PM, so I wandered around the old city area. I found a closed photography museum, which is supposed to be great (I guess I'll find out later), and about a million deer. They are everywhere around the park, and they are servants of the gods, so they are not to be harmed. However, they are to be fed, and they will bow to you when they get food, as if thanking you for the eats. (It`s amazing what you can learn from the older Japanese, when actually able to communicate).

I stopped in at this Soba place, where the picture outside made it look like everything was homemade, and very well known. I walk into this beautiful cabin style restaurant, with a little garden in the back, and lots of antique stuff all over the place (a mini organ, old general electric fans, etc...). I immediately get chatted up by this guy who hands me his flyer for his architecture firm, but naturally doesn`t speak any English, so communication was difficult (it took 10 minutes and an atlas to figure out he wanted to know what part of Kyoto I stayed in). The chef came out, and he spoke English pretty well. I told him I was a chef who cooked Japanese food in America, and the floodgates opened.

I`m talking picture taking, shoving food down my throat (above what I ordered, including some of the best Dashi I`ve ever had. He said it was his pride and joy), showing me pictures of his 1944 US army jeep that he shipped over from the US to drive, explaining to me the difference in soba noodles (the part of the buckwheat seed used), and helping me feed the deer. I stayed at his place for an hour and a half, having good times (he jokingly called me a movie star), talking shop, and commenting on the most beautiful part of the buliding (the bathroom, which the architect guy with us designed).

This is a guy well known for his noodles (he said during busy periods, he has a line 100 people long out his door), and just hanging out and being so open and friendly to a foreigner he has a little in common with. I am not sure if this exists anywhere else, but it damn well should. I keep saying the people in this industry are amazing, and it`s my favorite part about cooking. Leaving a place feeling all warm and fuzzy for the human race. This keeps on happening over here.

The oddest part is, I don`t think I could have done all this stuff if I had a traveling companion. Walking into a small shop with a few people is a bit daunting for a person behind the counter, especially if they all speak a language that is not the native tongue. The Japanese are so shy to begin with, I would imagine it being very intimidating. On my own, I am forced to try and communicate, and not seem like a fly on the wall. I mean, this is my style anyways, and I do want to know about the culture (food especially), but everyone who was worried about the solo traveling, believe me, looking back I wouldn`t have it any other way.

On the flip side, I'm going to have a buddy in a few days as well. Yuka should be meeting me in Osaka to see the Aquarium and travel to Kyushu, and I am definately looking forward to it. Traveling also produces fast friends, and I am so very excited to be able to say I have native Japanese friends (and Australian and British too, it looks like). So, in essence, I mean to say that there are many different ways to travel, and each has its upsides and downsides.

But I get a personal translator, so there!

(She can read the blog too, because her English is good, so I have to watch what I say. For example, I shouldn`t mention how she forced me to brush my teeth, against my will. Torture, it was.)

On a side note, speaking of people reading my blog, someone seems to think I look and sound like Bert from Sesame street. I think that`s banahners. Can I have my wonderful friends and family who would never speak badly about me because they like me so much weigh in?

After soba and more exploring, I came back to the cafe, and I got to cook dinner again. Or at least part of it. I made a chicken stir fry thing with lotus root and Mizuna (look it up), and Mayumi made Yamaimo and miso soup with fried tofu. Mmmmm. The place is very cozy, and Mom would love the decorating. I have to take some pictures, but then again, I have to charge my camera.

And I should also get another memory card. That`s right ladies and gentlemen, I`m taking lots of pictures.. get ready for a 3 hour powerpoint slide show when I get back...

Kyoto with a guide.. good stuff

Today I had some company. Yuka, whom I met through couchsurfing, accompanied me around town today for some much needed Japanese Translation. We went all around town, and I saw Kyoto through a local`s eyes, which was a very cool perspective indeed. Hit the local spots, and I could ask questions and actually have them answered.

And I got to cook. It`s been a while, and we were at this honey store (Yes, a whole store devoted to honey. Not quite the quality you can get back in the states, but the variety makes up for it), and tasting honey (or at least trying to while the sales lady was shoving it down our throats), we came upon Soba Honey... Honey flavored with buckwheat.

Really good. And immediately salmon came to mind. Wrong fish to get in Japan though, was my next thought. Alaskan salmon in Kyoto? That`s halfway around the world. However, apparantly Hokkiado fishes salmon as well, and it was damn tasty. A Soba-Honey glaze, broiled in the oven, with some curry daikon-carrot salad and sticky rice. Not bad for a kitchen in a living room in a small apartment in Kyoto. And Yuka`s sister cleaned up at Uno. This trip is not bodin well for my card skills, but at least I get good food out of it.

Tomorrow continues the streak with the couchsurfers, going down to Nara and actually sleeping on the proverbial ``couch.`` I`m halfway through with the trip, and it kind of feels it. Comfortable enough like I could keep on going, but new enough where things are still fresh when I see them. Except for temples and shrines. To my un-Buddhist eye, they are all the same. I will not ever say that they aren`t in beautiful locations. The nature is still amazing. The scenery still blows my mind, but there are only so many times you can look at a gate that looks like all of the other ones you`ve seen and be excited.

This isn`t diluting Japan for me, as I still get to hang with the locals, which is a good way to spend a sunday. Nara is supposed to be full of Castles, and Osaka has a whale shark, and Kyushu (Southern island) has volcanoes, so there is still much different to see. But I think I`m all set with temples.

Let`s hope I don`t feel the same way about Australians.