Tag Archives: Tokyo

A Sashimi Feast

Deep Thoughts and Musings, Travels, Waxing Poetic about Food, , , , , , , ,

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?!!!

My Alice-In-Wonderland Tokyo Experience

Deep Thoughts and Musings, Travels, , , , , , , ,

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?