It's been a busy week. Last I posted, I wasn't sure if I could bring our parents on the trip we'd planned for them due to the earthquake incident. And it didn't help that we needed to be in Kanazawa (~2hr drive via the Noto Yuryo (Noto Toll Rd) before 9am for our train. Footages and reports of the earthquake on the television showed us that huge chunks of the Yuryo had broken off so obviously some parts of the Toll Road was unusable. Yay for anxiety and having to wake up extra extra early to start on the journey.
Anyway, the trip is done, and Rob's mum is on her way back home to Perth. My parents will be staying for a few more days. Even though Rob and I have previously been to all the places that we brought our parents to, we had some new dining experiences that we didn't manage to fit in on our previous trips. I will soon write about them as soon as I have some extra time on my hands.
A few things:
- on our drive down to the city for our train to Osaka on Monday morning, we actually felt the tremor of another aftershock whilst in the car. I thought someone in the car was thumping their feet to the beat of the music in the car. Apparently Noto had many more aftershocks during the week, including a pretty major one on Wednesday morning hitting around 5 on the Richter scale. I told Rob that the aftershocks were probably more terrifying than the first one. The first one hit without warning and I didn't really have time to react. With the aftershock tremors, I was filled with the dread that it might build up worse than the first one.
- I found out last night that the lady who died as a casualty from the earthquake was my supervisor's sister-in-law. How sad.. He also just got transferred to another school so he will be my 'ex' supervisor as of this week (yet another thing that annoys me about the Japan education system - the Board of Education decides who stays in a school and who gets transferred to another school in April every year).
- it's amazing how quickly the Japanese people recover from a disaster. Reading, seeing memorials and watching videos about how the people recovered from the Hiroshima 'A-bomb' and the 1996 Kobe earthquake is one thing, but actually witnessing it is another.
That's all from me for now! Thanks for all your concerns - life is back to normal for the Noto-ites, like the earthquake never happened..
Saturday, 31 March 2007
Sunday, 25 March 2007
Earthquake!!
Our first earthquake experience in Japan less than half an hour ago around 09:40am. A pretty major one too. Just having a relaxing morning with my parents (Rob's mum was still in bed) then bang, it hit. The epicentre was only 20kms away from us, and the Richter Scale was measured at 6.9!! Eeek! The scenario during the earthquake: my mum was freaking out and praying out loud to God for safety, I was yelling "Stay calm! Don't panic!" and my dad was hanging onto all the breakables on the dining table. Needless to say, the earthquake woke Rob's mum up.
We're all okay otherwise - the TV fell off its stand and was upside down on the floor, a glass was broken and there were lots of mess on the floor. Still a bit shaky from the experience. Rob's on his way back from New York so he missed it. I wonder if the trains will run tomorrow for us to go on our Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe trip. Just had an aftershock tremor a few minutes ago. There is a tsunami warning out. What an experience for our parents... And for me!
edited to add an update
The map showing the seismic intensity of today's earthquake. The red bit is Ishikawa prefecture, and the Noto (the northern part of the peninsula) got the worst brunt of the earthquake. One casualty in Wajima (40mins drive west from here) and about40 160 injured.
We're all okay otherwise - the TV fell off its stand and was upside down on the floor, a glass was broken and there were lots of mess on the floor. Still a bit shaky from the experience. Rob's on his way back from New York so he missed it. I wonder if the trains will run tomorrow for us to go on our Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe trip. Just had an aftershock tremor a few minutes ago. There is a tsunami warning out. What an experience for our parents... And for me!
edited to add an update
The map showing the seismic intensity of today's earthquake. The red bit is Ishikawa prefecture, and the Noto (the northern part of the peninsula) got the worst brunt of the earthquake. One casualty in Wajima (40mins drive west from here) and about
Wednesday, 21 March 2007
Gold, glass and ceramics
What do these three have in common? Not much - only the fact that we did kinpaku (gold leaf) pressing, glass-making and ceramic molding last weekend.
Gold!
This prefecture produces about 98% of Japan's gold leaf. The shop that we went to in Nanao handcrafted omikoshi (portable shrines) and we tried our hand at simple gold-leaf pressing. Use cotton wool to press the gold leaf onto a surface primed with glue, then you use a brush to gently press the leaf onto the surface. Spray with a lacquer spray and it was done. Interesting stuff, but not terribly exciting or creative.
Holding about 300000yen (AU$3000) worth of gold between my fingers; these mini gold bars are pressed thin to produce gold leaf which are then used to decorate them portable shrines:
Trying our hands at gold leaf pressing:
Glass!
At the glass museum in Notojima, we had a mini-workshop on glass craft. For this particular workshop, we made small glass beads. We chose our desired colours and pattern, and set to making our beads. We sat in front of a hot bunsen burner and melted the glass to mold it into a sphere, and then 'painted' the surface of the bead with more melted glass of a different colour. The bead was left to cool, and then decorated with other glass beads to make a necklace or a keitai (mobile phone) charm.
Making the glass beads; the final products (one adorning my keitai)
Ceramics!
Maneki neko is a "beckoning" cat sculpture popularly displayed in Japanese restaurants, stores and pachinko parlors. The Japanese believes that a raised right paw brings in fortune whilst a left paw attracts friendship/luck/etc. We had the chance to get our hands dirty to make a ceramic maneki neko - I was greedy and made my neko with two paws raised :P We will receive our glazed and baked neko in a few weeks time..
The kanji character I wrote on my neko means 'happiness', and the one on Rob's neko means 'freedom':
and Spa!
We found the time in between these activities to visit a 'foot onsen' in Wakura (a famous town next to Nanao founded on the discovery of natural hot spring 1200 years ago) in our prefecture). There were instructions on how to make Onsen Tamago (Hot Spring Eggs). These are like soft-boiled eggs, except that the yolk is harder than the whites. This is achieved by cooking the eggs (in shell) in hot water below boiling temperature for an extended period of time. This particular onsen water was 80degC, and the suggestion was to submerge the eggs for 15minutes.
Enjoying the free foot onsen; cooking onsen tamago:
We also visited the Nakajima Aquarium where we were given a tour of what happens behind-the-scene in that aquarium. We also enjoyed an amazing dolphin show and had the opportunity to pat the dolphins!
Gold!
This prefecture produces about 98% of Japan's gold leaf. The shop that we went to in Nanao handcrafted omikoshi (portable shrines) and we tried our hand at simple gold-leaf pressing. Use cotton wool to press the gold leaf onto a surface primed with glue, then you use a brush to gently press the leaf onto the surface. Spray with a lacquer spray and it was done. Interesting stuff, but not terribly exciting or creative.
Holding about 300000yen (AU$3000) worth of gold between my fingers; these mini gold bars are pressed thin to produce gold leaf which are then used to decorate them portable shrines:
Trying our hands at gold leaf pressing:
Glass!
At the glass museum in Notojima, we had a mini-workshop on glass craft. For this particular workshop, we made small glass beads. We chose our desired colours and pattern, and set to making our beads. We sat in front of a hot bunsen burner and melted the glass to mold it into a sphere, and then 'painted' the surface of the bead with more melted glass of a different colour. The bead was left to cool, and then decorated with other glass beads to make a necklace or a keitai (mobile phone) charm.
Making the glass beads; the final products (one adorning my keitai)
Ceramics!
Maneki neko is a "beckoning" cat sculpture popularly displayed in Japanese restaurants, stores and pachinko parlors. The Japanese believes that a raised right paw brings in fortune whilst a left paw attracts friendship/luck/etc. We had the chance to get our hands dirty to make a ceramic maneki neko - I was greedy and made my neko with two paws raised :P We will receive our glazed and baked neko in a few weeks time..
The kanji character I wrote on my neko means 'happiness', and the one on Rob's neko means 'freedom':
and Spa!
We found the time in between these activities to visit a 'foot onsen' in Wakura (a famous town next to Nanao founded on the discovery of natural hot spring 1200 years ago) in our prefecture). There were instructions on how to make Onsen Tamago (Hot Spring Eggs). These are like soft-boiled eggs, except that the yolk is harder than the whites. This is achieved by cooking the eggs (in shell) in hot water below boiling temperature for an extended period of time. This particular onsen water was 80degC, and the suggestion was to submerge the eggs for 15minutes.
Enjoying the free foot onsen; cooking onsen tamago:
We also visited the Nakajima Aquarium where we were given a tour of what happens behind-the-scene in that aquarium. We also enjoyed an amazing dolphin show and had the opportunity to pat the dolphins!
Traditional and not-so-traditional Japanese food
Just a quick one before I go AWOL for the next week or so for parents' visit to Japan.
After being educated on how shoyu (soy sauce) is made and dabbling with tencha-grinding (amongst other things), we had some yummy Japanese food. The first meal was a nice traditional Japanese at a restaurant in Nanao's Fisherman's Wharf run by the world-famous Kagaya Hotel located in Wakura Onsen (about 1 hour's drive from us). The food included chawan mushi (steamed egg cup), sashimi (buri (yellowtail), maguro (tuna), ika (squid) and ama-ebi ('sweet' prawn)) and of course the ubiquitous white rice, misoshiru (miso soup) and tsukemono (pickled vegs). The sashimi was excellently fresh, and the chawan mushi was yummy (we've had so many bad chawan mushi). Everything else (rice, miso soup and pickleds) were quite ordinary.
Meal at Kagaya:
The second meal was a tonkatsu lunch set at a restaurant called Mikasa in Nanao, and it was significantly more substantial than the meal at Kagaya. A generous serving of tonkatsu with a couple of tempura prawns resting on a huge piece of omelette with a side serve of mash potatoes and salad. And if that wasn't enough, there was a huge bowl of rice, a bowl of soup and some tsukemono to accompany. Phewy! That was a filling meal! Thank goodness I had Rob to help finish off my set.
Untraditional Japanese meal at Mikasa:
After being educated on how shoyu (soy sauce) is made and dabbling with tencha-grinding (amongst other things), we had some yummy Japanese food. The first meal was a nice traditional Japanese at a restaurant in Nanao's Fisherman's Wharf run by the world-famous Kagaya Hotel located in Wakura Onsen (about 1 hour's drive from us). The food included chawan mushi (steamed egg cup), sashimi (buri (yellowtail), maguro (tuna), ika (squid) and ama-ebi ('sweet' prawn)) and of course the ubiquitous white rice, misoshiru (miso soup) and tsukemono (pickled vegs). The sashimi was excellently fresh, and the chawan mushi was yummy (we've had so many bad chawan mushi). Everything else (rice, miso soup and pickleds) were quite ordinary.
Meal at Kagaya:
The second meal was a tonkatsu lunch set at a restaurant called Mikasa in Nanao, and it was significantly more substantial than the meal at Kagaya. A generous serving of tonkatsu with a couple of tempura prawns resting on a huge piece of omelette with a side serve of mash potatoes and salad. And if that wasn't enough, there was a huge bowl of rice, a bowl of soup and some tsukemono to accompany. Phewy! That was a filling meal! Thank goodness I had Rob to help finish off my set.
Untraditional Japanese meal at Mikasa:
Monday, 19 March 2007
Tencha-grinding
More about the cultural stuff we did last weekend, and I will tell you how matcha (powdered green tea of the highest grade used in Japanese tea ceremony) is made. Although I'm not a huge fan of drinking matcha, I love matcha-flavoured stuff - ice cream, cake, lollies, and there's even matcha chocolate! In the old days before machines and electricity, these powdered stuff were produced by hand-grinding dried tencha leaves using a stone/wood grinder. Rob and I both had a go at grinding tea leaves inside a tea shop, and then enjoyed the fruits of our labour plus a wagashi to accompany the matcha.
Rob: "I'm very serious about grinding these leaves!":
Close-up of the grinder, and all the gorgeous matcha powder inside it (that scoop is called the chasaku):
Whisking up our tea using the chasen (bamboo whisk); and enjoying the wagashi sprinkled with some of the matcha powder:
Rob: "I'm very serious about grinding these leaves!":
Close-up of the grinder, and all the gorgeous matcha powder inside it (that scoop is called the chasaku):
Whisking up our tea using the chasen (bamboo whisk); and enjoying the wagashi sprinkled with some of the matcha powder:
Saturday, 17 March 2007
Shoyu-brewing
Do you know how shoyu (soy sauce) is traditionally made? Rob and I had the chance last Saturday to have an inside look at one of the shops that specialises in shoyu. Since soy sauce features a lot in many Asian dishes, it was very insightful to learn how it is traditionally made. The lady shopowner was very animated and genki (energetic) and that certainly made it an interesting visit. Although the soy sauce sold in this shop is quite expensive (a small 150mL bottle fetches around 250yen (~AU$2.50)), the stuff tastes good and is very full-flavoured.
First, the soybeans are steamed/boiled and the wheat are roasted, and then blended together on a large table. A type of 'yeast' called koji (the same koji used for brewing sake) is then incorporated to the soybean/wheat mixture.
Boiling the soybeans and straining them:
Roasting the wheat and then processing the wheat using a grinding machine:
Combining the boiled soybeans, the roasted wheat and the koji, and airing/cooling the mixture on a table:
The soybean/wheat/koji mix is then kept in a dark room to allow the koji to grow, and when enough growth has taken place (a few days), the mix is poured into large tanks and mixed with brine. The atmospheric condition is quite critical for the growth, so the growth process is not usually done during the hot and humid summer. Then, usually the resulting moromi is then left to ferment for six months, but this particular shop has a fermentation process that takes two years. No wonder the stuff is very flavourful! This shop has 12 fermentation tanks (about 2m high), and no one goes in this area once the moromi are placed in them.
The 'growth' room:
and the huge fermentation vats:
So fast forward to two years later, and the fermented moromi is removed from the fermentation tubs and placed inside this 'rowing' contraption where it is compressed and the liquid extracted from the solids. We tasted both the liquid (shoyu) and the by-product cake and they were good. The solids tasted a little bit like miso (this part is usually discarded but some customers do request them).
That's our animated host demonstrating how to use the machine to extract the liquid
and the other side of the machine where the good stuff drips out:
After the demonstration, we were treated to some yummy shoyu-flavoured gelato - sounds like a weird combo, but it was quite nice. The shoyu flavour was very mild, and the gelato was pleasantly sweet. This visit was certainly the highlight of the day.
First, the soybeans are steamed/boiled and the wheat are roasted, and then blended together on a large table. A type of 'yeast' called koji (the same koji used for brewing sake) is then incorporated to the soybean/wheat mixture.
Boiling the soybeans and straining them:
Roasting the wheat and then processing the wheat using a grinding machine:
Combining the boiled soybeans, the roasted wheat and the koji, and airing/cooling the mixture on a table:
The soybean/wheat/koji mix is then kept in a dark room to allow the koji to grow, and when enough growth has taken place (a few days), the mix is poured into large tanks and mixed with brine. The atmospheric condition is quite critical for the growth, so the growth process is not usually done during the hot and humid summer. Then, usually the resulting moromi is then left to ferment for six months, but this particular shop has a fermentation process that takes two years. No wonder the stuff is very flavourful! This shop has 12 fermentation tanks (about 2m high), and no one goes in this area once the moromi are placed in them.
The 'growth' room:
and the huge fermentation vats:
So fast forward to two years later, and the fermented moromi is removed from the fermentation tubs and placed inside this 'rowing' contraption where it is compressed and the liquid extracted from the solids. We tasted both the liquid (shoyu) and the by-product cake and they were good. The solids tasted a little bit like miso (this part is usually discarded but some customers do request them).
That's our animated host demonstrating how to use the machine to extract the liquid
and the other side of the machine where the good stuff drips out:
After the demonstration, we were treated to some yummy shoyu-flavoured gelato - sounds like a weird combo, but it was quite nice. The shoyu flavour was very mild, and the gelato was pleasantly sweet. This visit was certainly the highlight of the day.
Monday, 12 March 2007
Flatt's Restaurant
Flatt's by the Sea is a fantastic little place owned by Ben Flatt, a chef from Sydney, and his Japanese wife Chikako who speaks fluent English. Apart from running the bakery and cafe, they also run a little minshuku (Japanese-style inn) and restaurant, serving only three groups of diners each night and reservations are very important. Restricting the number of dinner guests ensures an intimate atmosphere, and allows Ben and Chikako to give a personal attention to each guests in terms of cooking and serving.
Ben is truly passionate about food, and it shows through his creations. Most of the ingredients for the meal have been hand-picked and hand-prepared by the family, and the dinner course showcases the local specialties. Chikako's parents run a mminshuku nearby and they are real foodies too. According to Ben, his mother-in-law has a food calendar in her mind, and have a date to harvest each type of food at their prime. And if they weren't at their prime, she'd trial another date the following year until she got the date right). That is the epitome of labour of love.
I often buy their baked goods, and we've eaten lunch here before so we know that dinner would be good. We didn't realise just how good it was. Foodies from all over Japan visit this tiny place to sample Ben's cooking, and we are lucky that this place is literally on our doorstep. Tetsuya Wakuda of the world famous and critically acclaimed Tetsuya's in Sydney, has even dined at Flatt's and gave his approval over the food (I wonder if Ben was crazy nervous cooking for this famous chef).
That Saturday happened to be Hina Matsuri (Girls' Festival), and households with daughters will often display a doll showcase. Inside Flatt's, there was a beautiful doll display, and we had a cultural discussion with Chikako about the Girls' Festival and how it is celebrated.
The first course
The meal began with Creamy Potato Soup with Shirako. "Shirako" literally means 'white children', and is the soft roe (more correctly, the sperm) of a fish. It sounds gross, but the shirako complemented the potato soup very well, lending a creamy texture and eggy taste to the soup. The soup was seasoned with the locally-produced ishiri which is a Noto fish sauce made with iwashi (sardines). The soup was served in beautiful Wajima lacquerware, which was a nice touch to complement our visit to the Wajima Lacquerware Centre earlier in the day.
Snails and foccacia
We're only onto the second course, and I can imagine some of you squirming in your seats. First fish sperm, then snails? These Garlic Sazae (sea snails) were prepared French-style, with a delicious homemade sweet mustard sauce. The snails were nicely prepared, not too greasy and not too chewy. And the sweet mustard sauce was so yummy, that I sopped it all up with the freshly baked foccacia bread that was served with the snails.
Handmade Tagliorini
Can you believe that we still have not yet arrived at the main course? And I was getting quite full already! We were served some beautiful creamy Squid Tagliarini complete with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and some nori (toasted seaweed) flakes. The pasta handmade on the day by Ben himself, and freshly made pasta is always good. The squids were done just right - not overcooked and not chewy. The pasta sauce was a little too rich and creamy for my taste (especially when I was already getting full), but Rob thought it was delicious and was more than happy to finish off my plate.
The star of the meal
For the main course, we were presented with Grilled Madai (sea bream). The fish was so nicely done that the flesh literally melted in my mouth. A brief research on the internet reveals that madai is also known in Japan as the king of fish. So Ben did well by choosing madai to feature as the main star of the meal. The sauce was a lovely light sauce which allowed the taste and texture of the fish to shine through. (It never fail to break my heart whenever chefs drown fish in heavy sauce or batter). The fish was "done to perfection" (Rob's words). The side dish of salad was dressed with some homemade persimmon vinegar, which did not have a harsh taste and was pleasant to the palate.
Towards the end
Chikako came out to enquire whether we still had room for pizza. Chris and I were done, but Rob was keen to have the pizza (and why not, since it would not cost any extra). The pizza, also handmade, was simply topped with cheese, tomatoes and some olive bits. What can I say? It fell victim to Rob's stomach.
Dessert
Dessert was White Chocolate Passionfruit slice. It had a chocolate base and a mousse-like creamy filling with a passionfruit centre. It was lovely, but was a little too milky for my liking. Needless to say, Rob was more than happy to finish off the remainder of my dessert.
It was a fantastic meal and for only 4000yen (~AU$40) per person (it's an additional 4500yen to stay overnight at the minshuku, which also includes a delicious and filling Japanese-style breakfast). The menu changes seasonally to use only the best ingredients in each season and our only regret is not coming here earlier to sample the summer and autumn menu. We will definitely come here again.
Ben is truly passionate about food, and it shows through his creations. Most of the ingredients for the meal have been hand-picked and hand-prepared by the family, and the dinner course showcases the local specialties. Chikako's parents run a mminshuku nearby and they are real foodies too. According to Ben, his mother-in-law has a food calendar in her mind, and have a date to harvest each type of food at their prime. And if they weren't at their prime, she'd trial another date the following year until she got the date right). That is the epitome of labour of love.
I often buy their baked goods, and we've eaten lunch here before so we know that dinner would be good. We didn't realise just how good it was. Foodies from all over Japan visit this tiny place to sample Ben's cooking, and we are lucky that this place is literally on our doorstep. Tetsuya Wakuda of the world famous and critically acclaimed Tetsuya's in Sydney, has even dined at Flatt's and gave his approval over the food (I wonder if Ben was crazy nervous cooking for this famous chef).
That Saturday happened to be Hina Matsuri (Girls' Festival), and households with daughters will often display a doll showcase. Inside Flatt's, there was a beautiful doll display, and we had a cultural discussion with Chikako about the Girls' Festival and how it is celebrated.
The first course
The meal began with Creamy Potato Soup with Shirako. "Shirako" literally means 'white children', and is the soft roe (more correctly, the sperm) of a fish. It sounds gross, but the shirako complemented the potato soup very well, lending a creamy texture and eggy taste to the soup. The soup was seasoned with the locally-produced ishiri which is a Noto fish sauce made with iwashi (sardines). The soup was served in beautiful Wajima lacquerware, which was a nice touch to complement our visit to the Wajima Lacquerware Centre earlier in the day.
Snails and foccacia
We're only onto the second course, and I can imagine some of you squirming in your seats. First fish sperm, then snails? These Garlic Sazae (sea snails) were prepared French-style, with a delicious homemade sweet mustard sauce. The snails were nicely prepared, not too greasy and not too chewy. And the sweet mustard sauce was so yummy, that I sopped it all up with the freshly baked foccacia bread that was served with the snails.
Handmade Tagliorini
Can you believe that we still have not yet arrived at the main course? And I was getting quite full already! We were served some beautiful creamy Squid Tagliarini complete with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and some nori (toasted seaweed) flakes. The pasta handmade on the day by Ben himself, and freshly made pasta is always good. The squids were done just right - not overcooked and not chewy. The pasta sauce was a little too rich and creamy for my taste (especially when I was already getting full), but Rob thought it was delicious and was more than happy to finish off my plate.
The star of the meal
For the main course, we were presented with Grilled Madai (sea bream). The fish was so nicely done that the flesh literally melted in my mouth. A brief research on the internet reveals that madai is also known in Japan as the king of fish. So Ben did well by choosing madai to feature as the main star of the meal. The sauce was a lovely light sauce which allowed the taste and texture of the fish to shine through. (It never fail to break my heart whenever chefs drown fish in heavy sauce or batter). The fish was "done to perfection" (Rob's words). The side dish of salad was dressed with some homemade persimmon vinegar, which did not have a harsh taste and was pleasant to the palate.
Towards the end
Chikako came out to enquire whether we still had room for pizza. Chris and I were done, but Rob was keen to have the pizza (and why not, since it would not cost any extra). The pizza, also handmade, was simply topped with cheese, tomatoes and some olive bits. What can I say? It fell victim to Rob's stomach.
Dessert
Dessert was White Chocolate Passionfruit slice. It had a chocolate base and a mousse-like creamy filling with a passionfruit centre. It was lovely, but was a little too milky for my liking. Needless to say, Rob was more than happy to finish off the remainder of my dessert.
It was a fantastic meal and for only 4000yen (~AU$40) per person (it's an additional 4500yen to stay overnight at the minshuku, which also includes a delicious and filling Japanese-style breakfast). The menu changes seasonally to use only the best ingredients in each season and our only regret is not coming here earlier to sample the summer and autumn menu. We will definitely come here again.
Friday, 9 March 2007
Meigetsu, Wajima (Ishikawa)
This little Japanese restaurant was recommended by my supervisor who lives in the region. The restaurant owner is very friendly and eager to talk to gaijins (foreigners), and he gave us a whole bunch of handmade chopsticks to bring home. The food are a bit on the pricey side, but the seafood was really fresh and tasty! Chris said that the taxi driver in Tokyo mentioned the crabs in Wajima is really good, so she was hoping to try some.
We were ushered into our own private tatami room and had a look at the menu which was completely in Japanese! Thankfully, the restaurant owner came in not long after, held up a kani (crab), and between his limited English and our limited Japanese, we understood that for 3000yen (~AU$30) per person, we'd get the kani, kaki (oysters) and ama ebi sashimi (sweet prawn sashimi - my favourite sashimi!) included in the course. The seafood were presented simply, but in my opinion that is often the best way to have seafood.
Crabs are in season during winter, and this crab was presented to us the best way: simply boiled, with its shell cracked for easy eating. The flesh was tender, juicy and sweet. There was a vinegary dip to go with the crab, but I didn't think that the sauce helped to enhance the taste - the flesh was beautiful on its own.
The oysters came out nestling in a nabe (pot) in some simple kombu dashi (stock made with seaweed kelp) atop a tiny stove. We waited until it was just-cooked before tucking into them. Being a huge oyster fan, I couldn't have been happier with the plump, juicy and fresh oysters.
The sashimi prawns were gorgeous, and that's why ebi sashimi is my favourite sashimi food.
The rice, miso shiru (miso soup) and tsukemono (pickled veges) came out last. The miso soup had some yummy stringy seaweed in it but the texture was a little too slimy for Chris' taste. More for me!
With kani and kaki being one of our favourite food, and ama ebi being my favourite sashimi, I was a very happy girl after lunch. But dinner at Flatt's later that day was to make me an even more happy girl!
We were ushered into our own private tatami room and had a look at the menu which was completely in Japanese! Thankfully, the restaurant owner came in not long after, held up a kani (crab), and between his limited English and our limited Japanese, we understood that for 3000yen (~AU$30) per person, we'd get the kani, kaki (oysters) and ama ebi sashimi (sweet prawn sashimi - my favourite sashimi!) included in the course. The seafood were presented simply, but in my opinion that is often the best way to have seafood.
Crabs are in season during winter, and this crab was presented to us the best way: simply boiled, with its shell cracked for easy eating. The flesh was tender, juicy and sweet. There was a vinegary dip to go with the crab, but I didn't think that the sauce helped to enhance the taste - the flesh was beautiful on its own.
The oysters came out nestling in a nabe (pot) in some simple kombu dashi (stock made with seaweed kelp) atop a tiny stove. We waited until it was just-cooked before tucking into them. Being a huge oyster fan, I couldn't have been happier with the plump, juicy and fresh oysters.
The sashimi prawns were gorgeous, and that's why ebi sashimi is my favourite sashimi food.
The rice, miso shiru (miso soup) and tsukemono (pickled veges) came out last. The miso soup had some yummy stringy seaweed in it but the texture was a little too slimy for Chris' taste. More for me!
With kani and kaki being one of our favourite food, and ama ebi being my favourite sashimi, I was a very happy girl after lunch. But dinner at Flatt's later that day was to make me an even more happy girl!
Thursday, 8 March 2007
Hello, Spring?
WHERE ARE YOU?!
Yesterday morning - Rob (wearing slippers!) scraping the snow off the car before I had to leave for work:
The weather so far has not failed to surprise me (or the Japanese people for that matter). As if to spite my praise of the glorious 20degC weather we had on the weekend, we had a cold snap. Literally. The next day, the temperature barely rose above 1degC and it even started snowing! Unbelievable, really. We'd even changed the snow tyres on our car to the ordinary tyres on Monday because we were unnecessarily wearing them out driving around with hardly any snow this winter.
It stopped snowing today, but there was more snow cover on the ground than yesterday. Just for fun and experience, I decided to ride to school today on my bicycle. I won't know until I try, and I can't always be afraid of the unknown, right? (The locals already see me as the 'crazy gaijin (foreigner), and it can't get worse than that, right?) Most of the snow had already melted so it wasn't really all that bad. Admittedly, I wouldn't do it if there was more snow because I don't have any snow tyres on my bike.
One of the teachers at school this morning asked how I liked the snowy scenery in spring. According to her, snow doesn't usually happen around this time. Even the insects are confused. After a few blissful months of not having to deal with bugs, Rob told me he'd caught (and released) a few bugs on the weekend. Not surprisingly, I don't see any around at the moment (where do they go?). Let's hope that is the last of the snow, and that we can enjoy Spring and hanami (flower-viewing) soon. Knowing our luck with weather, I'm sure I'll be posting under this tag quite regularly.
On another note, our location on this side of the Noto Peninsula allows us to sometimes enjoy breath-taking views of the mountains in the next prefecture Toyama across the Japan Sea. Why only sometimes? Well, I don't really know why. The locals often say that when you can see these mountains on a fine day, it WILL rain the next day. And that is true. The mountains are often visible on rainy days too. This shot was taken by Rob on Monday (at my request as I did not have my camera with me at school). Beautiful, isn't it? One of the teachers at school said that it was difficult to take a photo of these mountains, and that many tourists would come to this part of the Noto hoping to see the beautiful scene because it is a scene often printed in tour catalogs. I wish it was a view I could enjoy everyday, without the rainy forecast attached.
Yesterday morning - Rob (wearing slippers!) scraping the snow off the car before I had to leave for work:
The weather so far has not failed to surprise me (or the Japanese people for that matter). As if to spite my praise of the glorious 20degC weather we had on the weekend, we had a cold snap. Literally. The next day, the temperature barely rose above 1degC and it even started snowing! Unbelievable, really. We'd even changed the snow tyres on our car to the ordinary tyres on Monday because we were unnecessarily wearing them out driving around with hardly any snow this winter.
It stopped snowing today, but there was more snow cover on the ground than yesterday. Just for fun and experience, I decided to ride to school today on my bicycle. I won't know until I try, and I can't always be afraid of the unknown, right? (The locals already see me as the 'crazy gaijin (foreigner), and it can't get worse than that, right?) Most of the snow had already melted so it wasn't really all that bad. Admittedly, I wouldn't do it if there was more snow because I don't have any snow tyres on my bike.
One of the teachers at school this morning asked how I liked the snowy scenery in spring. According to her, snow doesn't usually happen around this time. Even the insects are confused. After a few blissful months of not having to deal with bugs, Rob told me he'd caught (and released) a few bugs on the weekend. Not surprisingly, I don't see any around at the moment (where do they go?). Let's hope that is the last of the snow, and that we can enjoy Spring and hanami (flower-viewing) soon. Knowing our luck with weather, I'm sure I'll be posting under this tag quite regularly.
On another note, our location on this side of the Noto Peninsula allows us to sometimes enjoy breath-taking views of the mountains in the next prefecture Toyama across the Japan Sea. Why only sometimes? Well, I don't really know why. The locals often say that when you can see these mountains on a fine day, it WILL rain the next day. And that is true. The mountains are often visible on rainy days too. This shot was taken by Rob on Monday (at my request as I did not have my camera with me at school). Beautiful, isn't it? One of the teachers at school said that it was difficult to take a photo of these mountains, and that many tourists would come to this part of the Noto hoping to see the beautiful scene because it is a scene often printed in tour catalogs. I wish it was a view I could enjoy everyday, without the rainy forecast attached.
Wednesday, 7 March 2007
Our first overseas visitor
I've been mad busy this past week, with my school's exams (yep, writing AND marking) and planning itineraries for our visitors. Rob's aunt, Chris, was in Tokyo last week for a work conference and she paid a visit to our little prefecture for a couple of days on the weekend. Chris and her husband Laurie lives in Hong Kong (our dream residential destination) and they were fantastic hosts to us when we went to Hong Kong for our honeymoon more than two years ago. This was our chance to repay the kindness (at least to Chris) and hospitality shown to us.
As you probably can tell from our tales of travels, I like to organise and plan trips - haha, probably due to my tendencies towards OCD. When Chris, Rob's mum and my parents told us they'd be visiting (all within one month of each other!), I told them to leave their Japan's travels to me (my parents and Rob's mum were worried about getting around in a foreign country, which is totally understandable at their age). Being our first visitor, Chris was our guinea pig to test the itinerary planned, and she was a gracious test subject. Readers, take note - this is the likely itinerary we'd have planned for you if you come for a short visit (this is also my online reference). (My parents and Rob's mum will be here for a couple of weeks so their itinerary will include (another) trip to Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, and we will accompany them to reduce the stress of being in a foreign country.)
I had a great time this weekend, and it is always fun to chat with Chris. She is a seasoned traveller and fellow foodie, and I love to ask her about other countries that she's been to. Chris really enjoyed the food (Rob and I did too!), and it was great fun bringing her around to try the seafood specialties of the Noto.
Saturday around the Noto
Picked Chris up from the airport at 11am, and drove west to Wajima, famous throughout Japan for its lacquerware. We dropped by the Lacquerware Centre with a mini-museum upstairs and a store downstairs. There are some very expensive items, but a lot of care and effort goes into each piece. The art of lacquerware is a time-consuming and elaborate affair, and there are many beautiful pieces.
We went to a Japanese restaurant nearby called Meigetsu for lunch, which was one of the places recommended by my supervisor who resides in Wajima. The seafood was great! Review will be added later.
We made a stop at the Kiriko Hall which Chris thought was fascinating. Inaka (countryside) Japan is amazing for its matsuri (festivals), and it truly is quite an experience. A kiriko is an omikoshi (portable shrine) lantern that are often used in these matsuri, and this hall held and displayed many of the kiriko used in the Noto area.
Hall full of kiriko used in festivals:
We then headed off for a scenic drive up the Sosogi coastline towards the tip of the Noto peninsula. We made a stop at Senmaida, the "thousand rice paddies". The winter scenery without the usual snow cover is not as beautiful as the summer and autumn views. I've seen photos of the field in winter, and the sight is breathtaking with the whiteness of the snow contrasted with the blue ocean and sky.
The fields of Senmaida in winter sans snow:
Following up the coast, there is a rock called Madoiwa (Window Rock), so named because of a 'window' in the rock formation. We almost missed it (like we did last time) because the 'window' is only visible in the other direction.
Madoiwa aka Window Rock:
Then we cut across the peninsula through the mountains to the east coast of the peninsula (north of where home is), and made a short stop at Mitsukejima (Battleship Rock), so-called because of its shape. The following photo was actually taken during our first month in Japan last August when we first stumbled across this place by accident (we got lost).
Mitsukejima (Battleship Rock) with a bell under an archway:
By now it was already almost 16:30, and were feeling a bit travel-weary from all the driving, so our final sight-seeing stop for the day was at the Blueberry Farm/Winery in Yanagida. Blueberry wine is actually pleasantly mild and sweet. It was yummy, but being non-alcohol drinkers, we walked away with some good blueberry jam instead.
Dinner was at Flatt's, which has got to be the highlight of the day (I've talked about the Flatt's previously). Apart from being a bakery and a cafe, the Flatts' also run a restaurant and a minshuku (Japanese-style inn) next door. This place is quite popular and foodies from all over Japan travel to this remote location to try Ben's cooking - it gets booked out quite far in advance. The food was awesome, prepared by the talented Ben Flatt - we're still talking about how great the food was, and a review will be written later. Chris stayed overnight at the minshuku, which she enjoyed as she did not have the chance to stay in a traditional Japanese-style inn before.
Sunday in Kanazawa
It was an early start on Sunday as the next part of the itinerary whizzes us through Kanazawa, which is 1.5hrs drive away from home. It was a lovely warm day, the warmest it has been since winter began. And there was quite a crowd at each place we brought Chris to. We bumped into many familiar faces today..
First stop was the Myoryuji (aka "Ninja" Temple), and Chris thought that the traps and tricks within this temple were quite fascinating.
We stopped by Monja-tei for okonomiyaki lunch, which was a first experience for Chris. We then took the short walk to Kenrokuen, one of the must-see tourists sights in Kanazawa, and it was packed! The garden was beautiful, as always, but the best sight for me was probably the plum blossoms. The plum blossoms were in bloom, and that can only mean one thing: the cherry blossoms are not long away! There is a section of the garden called the "Plum Grove", and that was where half the crowd in the garden was at (which made it difficult to take nice photo shots). According to one of the veteran JETs we bumped into, that was the first time in 3 years she got to view the plum blossoms in Kenrokuen - it was usually too cold or snowy when they bloom.
The pink and white blossoms of the plum trees:
Winter? Hah! One of the lakes in the garden, and an ancient tree planted by a 13th Lord of the Maeda house(?). The tree supports used during winter season were still up:
We stopped by the Castle Park next door for a look-see, then we headed off to the Gold Foil Museum (Kanazawa produces approximately 98% of Japan's gold foil production). Unfortunately we arrived at the museum just after it closed, so we decided to just head into the Forus complex and have an early dinner.
Wow, it's a long post. Well, it was a busy weekend, and I had fun playing host. I wonder if I'd still find it fun if I was working in the tour industry...
As you probably can tell from our tales of travels, I like to organise and plan trips - haha, probably due to my tendencies towards OCD. When Chris, Rob's mum and my parents told us they'd be visiting (all within one month of each other!), I told them to leave their Japan's travels to me (my parents and Rob's mum were worried about getting around in a foreign country, which is totally understandable at their age). Being our first visitor, Chris was our guinea pig to test the itinerary planned, and she was a gracious test subject. Readers, take note - this is the likely itinerary we'd have planned for you if you come for a short visit (this is also my online reference). (My parents and Rob's mum will be here for a couple of weeks so their itinerary will include (another) trip to Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, and we will accompany them to reduce the stress of being in a foreign country.)
I had a great time this weekend, and it is always fun to chat with Chris. She is a seasoned traveller and fellow foodie, and I love to ask her about other countries that she's been to. Chris really enjoyed the food (Rob and I did too!), and it was great fun bringing her around to try the seafood specialties of the Noto.
Saturday around the Noto
Picked Chris up from the airport at 11am, and drove west to Wajima, famous throughout Japan for its lacquerware. We dropped by the Lacquerware Centre with a mini-museum upstairs and a store downstairs. There are some very expensive items, but a lot of care and effort goes into each piece. The art of lacquerware is a time-consuming and elaborate affair, and there are many beautiful pieces.
We went to a Japanese restaurant nearby called Meigetsu for lunch, which was one of the places recommended by my supervisor who resides in Wajima. The seafood was great! Review will be added later.
We made a stop at the Kiriko Hall which Chris thought was fascinating. Inaka (countryside) Japan is amazing for its matsuri (festivals), and it truly is quite an experience. A kiriko is an omikoshi (portable shrine) lantern that are often used in these matsuri, and this hall held and displayed many of the kiriko used in the Noto area.
Hall full of kiriko used in festivals:
We then headed off for a scenic drive up the Sosogi coastline towards the tip of the Noto peninsula. We made a stop at Senmaida, the "thousand rice paddies". The winter scenery without the usual snow cover is not as beautiful as the summer and autumn views. I've seen photos of the field in winter, and the sight is breathtaking with the whiteness of the snow contrasted with the blue ocean and sky.
The fields of Senmaida in winter sans snow:
Following up the coast, there is a rock called Madoiwa (Window Rock), so named because of a 'window' in the rock formation. We almost missed it (like we did last time) because the 'window' is only visible in the other direction.
Madoiwa aka Window Rock:
Then we cut across the peninsula through the mountains to the east coast of the peninsula (north of where home is), and made a short stop at Mitsukejima (Battleship Rock), so-called because of its shape. The following photo was actually taken during our first month in Japan last August when we first stumbled across this place by accident (we got lost).
Mitsukejima (Battleship Rock) with a bell under an archway:
By now it was already almost 16:30, and were feeling a bit travel-weary from all the driving, so our final sight-seeing stop for the day was at the Blueberry Farm/Winery in Yanagida. Blueberry wine is actually pleasantly mild and sweet. It was yummy, but being non-alcohol drinkers, we walked away with some good blueberry jam instead.
Dinner was at Flatt's, which has got to be the highlight of the day (I've talked about the Flatt's previously). Apart from being a bakery and a cafe, the Flatts' also run a restaurant and a minshuku (Japanese-style inn) next door. This place is quite popular and foodies from all over Japan travel to this remote location to try Ben's cooking - it gets booked out quite far in advance. The food was awesome, prepared by the talented Ben Flatt - we're still talking about how great the food was, and a review will be written later. Chris stayed overnight at the minshuku, which she enjoyed as she did not have the chance to stay in a traditional Japanese-style inn before.
Sunday in Kanazawa
It was an early start on Sunday as the next part of the itinerary whizzes us through Kanazawa, which is 1.5hrs drive away from home. It was a lovely warm day, the warmest it has been since winter began. And there was quite a crowd at each place we brought Chris to. We bumped into many familiar faces today..
First stop was the Myoryuji (aka "Ninja" Temple), and Chris thought that the traps and tricks within this temple were quite fascinating.
We stopped by Monja-tei for okonomiyaki lunch, which was a first experience for Chris. We then took the short walk to Kenrokuen, one of the must-see tourists sights in Kanazawa, and it was packed! The garden was beautiful, as always, but the best sight for me was probably the plum blossoms. The plum blossoms were in bloom, and that can only mean one thing: the cherry blossoms are not long away! There is a section of the garden called the "Plum Grove", and that was where half the crowd in the garden was at (which made it difficult to take nice photo shots). According to one of the veteran JETs we bumped into, that was the first time in 3 years she got to view the plum blossoms in Kenrokuen - it was usually too cold or snowy when they bloom.
The pink and white blossoms of the plum trees:
Winter? Hah! One of the lakes in the garden, and an ancient tree planted by a 13th Lord of the Maeda house(?). The tree supports used during winter season were still up:
We stopped by the Castle Park next door for a look-see, then we headed off to the Gold Foil Museum (Kanazawa produces approximately 98% of Japan's gold foil production). Unfortunately we arrived at the museum just after it closed, so we decided to just head into the Forus complex and have an early dinner.
Wow, it's a long post. Well, it was a busy weekend, and I had fun playing host. I wonder if I'd still find it fun if I was working in the tour industry...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)