A Sashimi Feast

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Watching fish being cut into sashimi and then arranged into a work of art on a bed of shredded daikon radish and shiso leaf is fascinating…..we were an audience revering an artist and master.  So impressive!

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Our hosts invited us to a feast of sashimi. We had no idea what to expect except that it would be wonderful because of the way they raved about the chef.  Long trays of nigiri sushi were also placed in front of each of us with beautifully arranged strips of eel, octopus, etc.  These strips were so long we thought they should be cut into bit sized pieces; but, no, they are folded over and put into your mouth whole.  Each one is a huge mouthful. The mouthfeel is luxurious, creamy, well…..not really creamy but smooth and fresh.

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A very sour, pickled plum (ume) was included with each tray.  Ume is a digestive and generally believed to contribute to good health.  We mixed wasabi into the soy sauce we used for dipping sashimi.  But no, no, no, not the nigiri sushi because…..the rice would fall apart.  It was so nice to have experts guiding our every bite.  So much fun!  We each had a small bowl of potato salad and bowls of rice and miso soup with vegetables and tofu. What an amazing feast!

We love the Japanese tradition of presenting everyone with oshibori, a warm, moist cloth before a meal. It feels wonderful to come in out of the cold and refresh yourself by wiping your hands.  After watching everyone else doing it, we quickly fell into the routine. With each new experience, our respect for the Japanese people and their traditions grew.

There are so many different kinds of feasting.  We feasted on food, of course.  We feasted on kindness and generosity.  We feasted on the visual beauty of the time and place.  We feasted on our new and exciting experiences.

While feasting can be interpreted as gluttony, we now have our own definition.  Feasting: enjoying the moment to the fullest and basking in it’s revelatory love and light.  Isn’t that the difference between a meal and a feast after all: our intention and perception?!!!

The Spirit Of Young Satsuma

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Positioned proudly on Amu Plaza is The Spirit Of Young Satsuma monument celebrating the nineteen students who defied the Overseas Travel Ban in 1865.  They were brave young pioneers of the emerging new Japan in the nineteenth century, symbolizing freedom from the oppression and old traditions of the Shogunate.  They look out in all directions, a sculptural metaphor for venturing out into the world to learn from the technologically advanced European countries and the US.

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Many of them returned home years later to be diplomats, educators and industrial leaders. One became a pioneering settler in California, the state and the era’s leading viticulturist earning him the title Grape King.  They all had different abilities, interests and perceptions, of course. They all had different experiences.  And, they all contributed to the modernization of present day Japan.

There is so much more to the story having to do with Kagoshima’s location, it’s unique ability to trade with other countries, the foresight and bravery of it’s leaders and the daring of each individual young man and their families. It’s a monument rich with the symbolism of creative thinking and pride of accomplishment.

In a way, we’re all erecting  monuments with the living of our own lives.  Who we are becoming is contributing to the lives of our families, friends and business associates and by extension our present day world.  I enjoy thinking about my ancestors coming to Utah from Sweden, Ireland and England in search of freedom, well-being and happiness.  I love watching my children and grandchildren thrive as they pursue those same dreams.  Life on planet Earth is miraculous and delicious.  I’m busy savoring it.

Amu Plaza, Kagoshima Chuo Station

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I have such respect for bullet trains in Japan.  They’re so comfortable.  The seats are large and comfy.  They zoom along at 250 miles per hour so smoothly and quietly, whoosh, the countryside just swishes by.  When the train approaches a station, a very pleasant voice calmly lets you know it’s time to gather your belongings and line up at the door.

Lining up at the door is essential, because when the train stops, the door slides open for 45 seconds.  Think about it.  How many things do you do in 45 seconds?  Hopefully, anyone ahead of you in line will move quickly through the door and out of the way so that those following will have time to do the same.  Because, 45 seconds later the door closes and the train starts accelerating.  Wow!  Talk about efficiency!

I recently heard about a travelling mother, in a similar circumstance, telling her children: “Hocus, Pocus, Focus”!  I love that. It’s such a concise message. It certainly applies in this case.  Pay attention.  There’s no time to dawdle.

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The Amu Plaza terminal building is a huge mall with 190 restaurants and stores.  Commuters can relax and have a steak or quickly find anything from that item they’d forgotten to sushi, sandwiches, snacks, coffee, or bottled drinks to enjoy on the train; plus, local specialty sweets and souvenirs.  To top it all off, see a movie in the 10 multiplex theatres and check out the ferris wheel on the sixth floor.  It’s so dramatic!  Bullet trains in Japan are the best!

Kagoshima Black Pig

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You’ve heard of Kobe Beef; but, have you heard of Kagoshima Black Pig?

Kagoshima is known for its black pig, I was told.  When I heard that, I immediately thought of Kobe Beef…..really my only reference point.  But, when you start discussing the particular conditions that must be achieved to label beef Kobe, people start yawning.  It must be Tajima cattle, born and fed in Hyogo Prefecture, be slaughtered in certain places, have a certain marbling ratio, a certain meat quality score, etc.

Well, I was curious anyway…..what is black pig?  This is a much simpler discussion.  The Kagoshima Kurobuta, trademarked black pig, is a rare breed of pig originating from the English county of Berkshire.  It is known for its juiciness, flavor and tenderness.  And, you can find it all over Japan.  It’s delicious!

Kagoshima Kurobuta

So far, my favorite pork dish in Japan is Tonkatsu.  It’s a pork cutlet coated in flour, then egg and finally panko bread crumbs and then fried or baked.  It’s served with rice and fermented peppers and a spicy curry sauce.  Tonkatsu is served in most restaurants.  I even had this very dish in a restaurant in the Narita Airport as a last supper in Japan.

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A Japanese friend told me about the curry sauce mix that can be found in grocery stores. The brand I found is Golden Curry.  It’s medium hot…..and so good.  The directions on the package have you stir fry some meat and onions, add some veggies, cover with water and simmer til everything’s tender and then add the sauce mix and stir until it’s thickened. That’s good too.

But I prefer frying a pork cutlet, steaming rice and adding the sauce on the side.  Be prepared to want to lick the plate.  Whether you will or not probably depends on who you’re with.  My advice:  Don’t give a rip what anyone else thinks!  Go ahead and lick.

My Alice-In-Wonderland Tokyo Experience

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Arriving in Tokyo, suitcase in tow, on the bullet train was an Alice in Wonderland experience for me.  A wonderful sing-song voice warns of the approaching station.  Then everyone begins collecting their belongings and lining up at the doors of the car in anticipation of disembarking.  The train pulls into the station, everyone who wants to get off does, hopefully, and 45 seconds, did you register that:  45 seconds later the train pulls out of the station.  I stood there for a few minutes in sort of a comatose shock on the landing.

And then…..the escalator going down from the landing into the station offers no clue as to the gargantuan, light and shiny, shopping mecca below.  Again, I have to take a minute to grasp where I am, who I am and what is this place…..?!!!  It’s beautiful.  It’s people are bustling in every direction so smoothly, so purposefully and so politely.

Then, slowly, because there are so many sights and sounds in every direction clammering for my attention, I make my way through the mall and up another escalator to street level. Here again, going through the doors to the plaza outside, I almost heard a symphony heralding another new, exciting panorama.  It was like the music reinforcing a glorious sunset in a movie or the exact moment HE saw HER and knew it was love at first sight. There I was in the center of the Ginza District with it’s Cartier’s, Bulgari’s and Chanel’s…..open seven days a week.

I’ve read in fashion magazines about Barneys New York.  I’ve read about the innovations Barneys offered in the way of brilliant window design and introducing New York shoppers to designers from all over the world.  So when I found myself standing in front of Barney’s New York Tokyo store it was a no-brainer, I had to check it out.  Most of the main floor was devoted to food.  There was counter after counter of fresh fish, sashimi and sushi being cut and prepared right in front of us.  All kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables:   beautifully arranged eye candy.  The french bakery smelled and looked just the way that I think heaven does.  Dazzling!

I loved staying at The Hotel Monterrey La Soeur Ginza.  Yes, there are hotels more familiar to Americans in Ginza like Marriott, Hilton and Four Seasons.  But, I loved the unfamiliar, charming, total immersion experience I had.  I thought it interesting that the restaurants in the hotel were Italian, San Michele, and french, Escale.  Though I quickly learned the french influence is everywhere in Japan.

In Tokyo, it’s obvious someone has put some thought into making the manhole covers attractive, even little works of art.  Don’t you love attention to detail. I enjoy manhole covers.  I know!!!  But, it’s a fact.  Really.

At home, our manhole covers are printed with “water”, “sewer” or one I particularly enjoy walking past everyday:  “South Davis Sewer District Established 1959” with a picture of a landmark silo in Layton.

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As I walked along the streets, I noticed there were no trash cans set out for public use. After a while, I began to look for them.  Then I noticed, there were no paper cups or scraps of garbage on the streets either.  Tokyo is immaculate.  Does everyone carry their garbage home?  Pinch me.  Am I dreaming?  Or, is my name Alice?

Okonomiyaki Pancake

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Konpai!  It all started with a big mug of beer and went from there to sake, whiskey and finally to tea…..oolong tea for digestion at the end of the meal. Who would guess that we were there to taste the famous Osaka Okonomiyaki Pancake?!!!

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Osaka is famous, I was told, for the Okonomiyaki Pancake.  Okonomi means whatever you like and yaki means cook or fry.  It was brought to the table with a dramatic flare.  It smelled wonderful.  We cut it into wedges and shared it.  Describing it hardly does it justice.  It was at once, creamy and rich and crunchy and fresh.

okonomiyaki pancake Osaka

In Japan, it seems, the meal may feature a local specialty, but, it still includes sushi, miso soup, ginger, wasabi, fermented veggies and rice.  I’m experiencing withdrawal symptoms just thinking about the aromas and flavors.

Toto Washlet In Japan

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When was the last time you went into a restroom in an airport or restaurant or hotel and saw a hole in the floor…..granted a good-looking, clean, porcelain mounted in tile, but, nonetheless, hole in the floor.  I’m speaking to women.  I haven’t been in the men’s restroom.  I hadn’t been warned in advance.  Which makes me smile.  I’ve learned since that they’re called squat toilets.  And, yes, you feel it in your quads.

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I’ve peed in the dirt, in a bucket and over the side of a boat.  So, I’m not unaccustomed to making do.  I’ve just never had this experience before.  After my turn in the restroom, I watched many well-dressed women in very high heels enter that space without a scream of shock or chuckle of surprise and come out looking relieved….and just as poised as when they went in.

My experience was that if there were more than one toilet stall, say two rows of stalls, one side was equipped with Toto Washlets and the other with squat toilets.  I soon began to watch who was going into which side.  Japanese women used both sides as they became available while others waited for the Toto.

At first, I wanted to live as the natives do; but, soon I realized that the Toto’s not only had a seat, but it was heated.  HEATED!  Life had changed for me.  My wish list is now topped with a Toto Washlet.  Did I mention that the Toto is also a bidet and massager and blow dryer? And, they have already come to America.  I haven’t heard a word about it.

If you google it you’ll find some calling it the Japanese Wonder Toilet.  I agree!  Think about it.  You sit on a warm seat, comforting in itself; then, when you’ve finished, you wash, massage, giggle a little, and dry.  It’s like going through a car wash.  You feel so much better when you emerge into the light.

 

Korean Barbeque

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I live in the west, in the western United States, in Utah.  That means I live in close proximity to cowboys, cows, horses, chickens and barbeque.  I’m familiar with differences in barbeque from the South to Texas to California; every state and region seems to have their own special methods and recipes. Barbeque is a well-known staple, especially in the west.

But, Korean Barbeque…..never heard of it.  Boy has my head been in the sand.  In the Salt Lake area, where I live, there are now at least six restaurants specializing in Korean Barbeque on my list to try as soon as possible:  Myung Ga, Jang Soo Jang Korean Restaurant, Cafe Seoul, Korea House, E Jo and It’s Tofu.

It would have been a shame to miss out on it while I was right there in Korea where it originated.  Fortunately, friends knew right where to go in Daejeon for great barbeque.  It was roasted in a hot kitchen just outside the restaurant door and then brought to the table sizzling on an extremely hot plate that was placed over an in-the-table grill.  As we emptied plates of onions, mushrooms, edamame, radishes, cucumbers, peppers, green onion salad, fermented vegetables, kimchi, rice and miso, attentive waiters kept replacing them until we said “no more, please”.

The combination of hot and cold, sweet and spicy, salty, crunchy and sumptuously smooth and rich made this meal a memorable experience.  I vote yes for Korean Barbeque.  I must admit though, that the detailed instruction and explanation of how to eat it was so enchanting that the food could have been crap and I would still have been romanced.  There’s nothing that makes a meal more satisfying than interesting, enjoyable companions.

Taegeukgi And Big Bang Theory

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Do you watch The Big Bang Theory?  It’s possible that I laugh more watching this show than anything else I do.  There are so many recurring themes running through the relationships between Sheldon, Amy Farrah Fowler, Leonard, Penny, Howard, Bernadette, and Raj that I enjoy.  I think about them in the oddest moments.   So much fun!  Anyway…..

Fun With Flags is Sheldon’s baby.  How he conceived it is a mystery.  If the writers revealed it’s inspiration, I missed that episode;  but, I don’t think they did and I don’t think I have. No matter, but, I do find myself noticing flags more than I have before.

The South Korean Flag, Taegeukgi, is a background of white symbolizing peace and purity, and a circle in the middle surrounded by four trigrams.  The circle in the middle represents the balance of the universe.  The blue represents the negative cosmic forces and the red, the positive.  You’ll recognize the yin and yang design signifying the interplay of negative and positive forces.  Nothing is black or white…..hence, the push and pull that creates balance.

South Korean Flag rich with symbolism of us and our world and universe.
South Korean Flag rich with symbolism of us and our world and our universe.

The trigrams represent the principles of movement and harmony.  Each one represents one of the elements: heaven, earth, fire (sun), water (moon) encompassing nature, seasons, virtues, family and including justice, fruition, wisdom and vitality.  Wow!  That’s pretty comprehensive.  Is anything left out?

I’ll never see the Korean Flag again without being reminded of it’s symbolism. I love the fact that an image, a gathering of elements, can evoke such a feeling of  oneness,  of wholeness, with all humanity and the universe.

So, thank you, Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, well…..all fifteen of you brilliant creators.  I appreciate the message I receive from you often:  there’s always more than appears on the surface and….. have fun with flags and…..JUST HAVE FUN!!!

Jogyesa Temple, Seoul

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The Buddhist Headquarters of the Jogye Order, established 1,700 years ago, was moved into the center of Seoul to provide a place of meditation in the busy city.  Have you noticed it’s not easy to meditate when you are cold.  It was freezing!  But we were grateful we hadn’t come the week before when it was 17 degrees below zero.

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The Hall of the Great Hero, Daeungjeon at Jogyesa Temple was covered in symbols and artwork, beautiful and fascinating. The tree on our left is Baeksong,  a 500 year old Lacebark Pine Tree.  It has been preserved as a Korean Natural Asset.

About 50% of Koreans profess no religion.  Our guide told us that these are the enlightened ones.  Of the remaining 50%, about 60% are Christian, just under 40% are Buddhist, with small numbers of other religions. This temple was filled with women.  Our guide explained it was testing time in the schools so the mothers were there praying for their children to be successful.

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The Golden Buddha Triad (Samjonbul) is huge and dazzling in person. The central Buddha gained enlightenment through aesthetic practices, the one on the left represents the future and on the right, the past.  All three combine into one consciousness. There were many women kneeling in prayer and meditation before them.

Outside, there were ferocious dragons in many forms around the grounds to protect the temple.  Each one was so unique and detailed.  I wanted to take them home with me.

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Just write down the details of what it is you wish for:   health, wealth, happiness, success. Then with your donation, slip it in the slot.  If you are a true believer, you will surely get what you want.  Give and receive.  This laughing Buddha was so happy, cheerful and welcoming that everyone approached him.  Korea Japan February 2016 023

Every dusk and dawn the giant Dharma Drum and Temple Bell fill the air with a sound that resonates from the heavens deep into your soul and those who can unload their mind’s heavy burden, even for a moment, can realize their dream of a happy life.