Eating And Traveling
Arriving in Japan, I realized a dream that had been brewing ever since seeing Lost in Translation almost 20 years ago, and was fascinated by the extremely polite culture, the overwhelming homogeneity but especially the food. Continue reading “Tokyo ~ Food (mostly sushi)”
The crushing population, weird fashion, delicious fish, tasty beer, flashing lights, bowing politely, expensive taxis: it’s Tokyo. Although the culture shock wasn’t too much for me after living in Seoul for seven years, it’s still quite a place to see. There are lots of different neighborhoods, tiny alleys, broad boulevards, a plethora of small noodle shops, cute shopping districts and crazy nightlife. Continue reading “Tokyo ~ Sights in the City”
My beautiful lady, Jordyn, traveled to Japan for work last month, and since she speaks fluent Japanese, she was able to get deep into the local history and experience some authentic traditions. Continue reading “A Traditional Time for Jordyn in Japan: Kusatsu Onsen, Mt. Asama and Fukuoka”
Such a quaint little big city must be full of quaint little houses, and these are the few I saw before the sun set.
I really enjoyed my five days in the Land of the Rising Sun. And that name really is appropriate due to the fact of the sun appearing in my window at around 3:30 a.m. Kyoto was my favorite visit and these are the visuals from a close proximity.
After visiting the Kinkaku-ji golden temple, which was surprisingly underwhelming, we took to the streets to explore and found an awesome Zen garden. Kyoto, like the rest of Japan is immaculately clean making for a pleasant stroll. The Zen garden was full of functional beauty. It was a peaceful place with an enchanting pine aroma and the sound of running water surrounds.
The walk continues…
I found these amazing temples and a cute street with a cute family where a cute girl was walking a cute dog. Walking remains my favorite way to explore a new city.
These were some of the stones we walked on, and a bad English sign making me wonder if they just mean “Don’t pee on the seat.”
Weary travelers (who have plenty of money) can find an amazing experience at the classic Japanese inn, a.k.a.–Ryokan. It’s a combination of restaurant, sauna and community center. We checked in, stocked up on sake at the local 7-11, took a quick dip in the volcanic heated spring water pool and put on our robes for dinner.
This bowl of seemingly simple noodles was extraordinary. It looked like every other restaurant on the street, but what a dish! The pork was so soft and tasty, the noodles al dente, and plenty of green onion. I was so happy eating this.
So great, look at the sesame seeds and bubbles of tastiness floating there.
The left dish was egg wrapped around rice and drowned in a gelatinous goop (tastes better than my accurate description). The right dish was a pretty good ramen soup, but not nearly as good as that first one.
The streets of Japan are eerily clean, almost as if it was cleaned for a obsessive recluse who they were trying to lure outside. There are bicycles putzing along, freshly washed Toyota’s, Honda’s and Mazda’s gleaming down the road and plenty of street food vendors. It has mountains visible from all angles. And, just like any big city, surprises around every corner.
Look at that street! Good lines, no trash, no illegal parking, well done Japan.
Look at that cat! So fluffy and cute, he ran away before we could touch him.
Look at those cheeks! Mom is so happy and proud of her munchkins.
These guys were rail-thin, and looked at their phones as they crossed the street.
Bikes and buildings everywhere.
Takoyaki–octopus fried with flour. I kept saying, “I’ll try it later, I’ll try it later.” And then I never tried it.
I taught Jordyn how to make a fist and she punched me very hard and accurately. Something about a boxing gym makes people want to fight.
The old guy bought us some sushi on the street and so we followed him back to his bar where we met his crazy wife who talked constantly and laughed loudly like a Japanese Fran Drescher. We drank several bottles of sake here.
I was impressed with the friendliness of the Japanese people. They didn’t bow as much as I thought they would, but they emphatically say “Hai” whenever you ask a question imparting such a sense of importance of your question, “Where is the bus stop?”
Back during the time when the Japanese were tormenting the Korean peninsula in the late 16th century, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the king of Japan, began construction on his massive castle. The base stones are enormous, the gilded perch is beautiful, the symmetry is calming and it gives off such a Japanese flavor of strength and sensibility. It’s both utilitarian and stylish. They had little 3D movies telling the story of the king and his people. Unfortunately, Japan was both at war with its neighbors as well as itself. So, the new shogun, Tokugawa, routed Hideyoshi and thereby took over the region. Tokugawa, in his new role as leader, built the almost identical structure of Nagoya Castle (about 60 miles from Osaka) probably to prove he could build better than his predecessor.
Osaka Castle
The Japanese know gardens.
I can’t read the inscription, so maybe it was KIng Hideyoshi?
Love the grey stone and grey sky.
E.A.T. 