Night Prowling in Kawasaki!

Having a car can be really convenient. Who likes having to eye their watch all the time worrying whether or not they’ll miss the last train home. I don’t, and since the car has been sitting in the parking lot for weeks now I decided to take it out for a spin.
In English it’s called “cruising” in Japanese it’s the same but with the usually mangled pronunciation“クルージング or it’s ku-ru-jin-gu. I was out around Kawasaki cruising at 2a.m. in the morning.
Of course the first order of business was food, but what’s open this late besides the typical ramen shops and izekaya’s? There was but one place and that shop is called Seikai no Yamachan’s of Nagoya. What luck, one out of the two chains stores in Kawasaki were still open this early in the morning. The long hand on my watch was approaching half past two in the morning and I didn’t mind scarfing down a few plates of these chicken wings called Tebasaki.



But there was another interesting drink on the menu called nigori umeshu! Nigori means unfiltered and umeshu is plum liquor. It’s worth a try.

After finishing up my wings I headed out for a little night walk in one of the most slummiest parts of Kawasaki.

Of course this is after they lock their gods up for the night. And then, the whoring starts and a whole other world emerges from these dark alley ways and back streets.

More importantly though are the little sake shops along the streets which had only a few patrons.

Kawasaki has a unique quality all its own. Some even say it’s a city full of soul, but all I saw that night were streets full of foreign prostitutes. However, I’m sure the daytime population is completely different. Osaka at night has more soul for me than Kawasaki.

How could I miss my favorite type of eye candy beautifully clad in a gorgeous kimono, a Jukujo.

Patrol car crawling through the night.

Night time revelers causing a stir over some nonsense at a bar.

3a.m. birthday party!

Kawasaki is an alright city, really. I love all of the culinary delights one can enjoy, and the seemingly endless ramen stalls. Whenever I am out this way I try to get out and try something new.
I may prowl around Enoshima tonight, who knows.

Ehime Prefecture’s Natsugin Ishizuchi

Tonight's summer type sake is made by blending two rice grains; Yamadanishiki at 50% and Matsuyama Mitsui at 60%( a type of sake rice currently grown exclusively in Ehime Prefecture). The water used for this sake comes from the Ishizuchi mountains, the tallest mountains in the Shikoku region. This is a special funashibori type sake as well, which means it is sake that’s pressed slowly using old-style mashing equipment(labor intensive).

The nihonshu is plus 5 making it dry. Acid 1.6. Alc 15%. Served very cold. This is also a very light sensitive sake which means it should be stored in a cool dark place.

Nose: Large bouquet of summer flowers. No pear nose for me this time.

First taste: Ooh, god! What kind of taste is this? Fruity, sharp, and very dry! god in a glass. The aroma from the air I'm getting in my mouth cavity is milk chocolate. Taste is smooth and with a very clean finish. The whole inside of the mouth feels clean after drinking it. What a wonderfully made sake. This is high grade.

Now to the pouring. After watching the video please come back and finish reading this post:

Tonight's dinner was a very special miso produced by Biwako Shokuhin; from Shiga Prefecture.

Special point: Garlic, spices, without any additional seasoning you can make from nabe to miso dishes. Make: one cup of water, large spoon full of miso, bowl of vegetable and meat, standard dish. Standard is just miso paste made from bean, rice , or koji. This miso is already seasoned. Fax orders are accepted. Price: 2700grams/ CoD 0749-8512510

In addition, I added three large ginger buds(myouga in Japanese), which are native to Japan and is a perennial herb. This was actually given to me today by one of my favorite Jukujo students. Another ingredient added was Chinese cabbage, or hakusai in Japanese which is very popular in many parts of Asia, as evident in various cuisines all over this region. Meat used was salmon and pork; lots of it! Within minutes everything was done!

Then my own homemade miso soup. The only difference is that I add a lot of pork and fish whereas in Japan “ less is more.” They add less of everything I added, which is from an aesthetic point of view more with less. Typically, the miso you buy at the market may require additional seasonings, this one didn’t.

When I imagine the taste of this prefecture coupled with this nihonshu from Ehime prefecture of Ishizuchi I get this Jukujo image:

Optimistic, radiant, intuitive, refined, elegant, sharp. The strong bouquet nose is exactly her and the sharpness represents her keen sense of intuition and attention to detail. Earrings of modest appearance, hair perfectly in place. Make-up well done.

The Soul of Japan

In Defense of Toshio Tamogami

Toshio Tamogami ( legitimate Japanese )

Tobias Harris ( enemy of the State residing in Japan)

How is the legality of the European empires any different than the legality of Japan's colonies in Northeast Asia? If anything, the European empires were more secure in their rights in their colonies than Japan was in its colonies, seeing as how it acquired both by coercing the governments of China and Korea. The Dutch had ruled the Dutch East Indies directly for more than two centuries. India had been directly ruled by the British empire for nearly a century at the time of the war. The French had ruled Indochina directly for nearly as long as the British ruled India. In short, international law didn't apply; a Japanese attack on these colonies was legally indistinguishable from an attack on the French or British homelands. And one may recall that Japan did in fact attack these colonies, a fact unmentioned in connection with this argument, meaning ipso facto Japan was an aggressor in the war.

The legality of the European empires? More secure in their rights in their colonies!? Whose rights are you referring to, the people that were oppressed and colonized by Western nations? Japan wasn't a "white" nation, so of course it didn’t fall under the white rule of law( international law is a misnomer). Did not Western empires acquire colonies through coercion and force? This is the point that Tamogami was making in his first paragraph in his words, not your spin Toby. You speak as if Western expansionist policies through colonial rule was legitimate, because they had a firmer grip on the people they were oppressing, and Japan's wasn't. Maybe if Japan had colonized Korea and China for centuries their occupation would’ve been considered “their right?” Even in China today there is evidence of Western aggression by English forces lead by Earl of Elgin.

In 1898 Germany seized Kiau Chau in China. Britain responded by seizing Wei-hai-wei, and the next year the Russians took possession of Port Arthur. A flame of hatred for the Europeans swept through China. There were massacres of Europeans and Christian converts, and in 1900 an attack upon and siege of the European legations in Pekin. A combined force of Europeans made a punitive expedition to Pekin, rescued the legations, and stole an enormous amount of valuable property. The Russians then seized Manchuria, and in 1904 the British invaded. Your Western powers were busy carving up other asian country’s for your own gain with no regard for anything, anybody, or anyone. From 1931-1937 Japan was the aggressor, but in the case of Western powers they had centuries of aggression and oppression against non-white nations in the world, and because Western aggression was more established their legitimacy was more “right?”

What difference does it make whether one colony was more secured than the other? Japan's colonies weren't secured enough to be considered a legitimate colonial power? That's an out right lie since it was Japan that built infrastructure and schools and roads in Korea and educated many of those people. Maybe Japan didn't have centuries of experience in slavery and brutality through colonization as Western nations did, but to paint Japan’s history as one of wars and aggression is wrong, especially when Western powers try to justify theirs with Western law.

Western powers grew their wealth off the backs of free slave labor for centuries, Japan was merely copying what these expansionist Western nations were doing at the time. That doesn’t make them the worst of all evil, and it certainly doesn’t make them the poster child of a bad nation either. I am sick and tired of academics like you who find anything and everything wrong with Japan’s wartime past.

In short, international law didn't apply; a Japanese attack on these colonies was legally indistinguishable from an attack on the French or British homelands. And one may recall that Japan did in fact attack these colonies, a fact unmentioned in connection with this argument, meaning ipso facto Japan was an aggressor in the war

Again, there was no such thing as international law back then, there were only rich Western expansionist rules labeled as "international law" which were exclusively dictated and prosecuted by colonizers of Caucasian extraction. Now, whether you say so- called " international law" didn't apply is left up to interpretation. Japan didn't attack Korea and China in the same way Hitler marched on Poland and France, or the way Napoleon bombed the shores of Haiti and murdered its people, or the way the native Americans were exterminated on their own soil. What about the crown of England, how much blood is on her hands for their aggression through-out Africa and the colonies of North America? Laws didn’t apply to these incidences either, right? But whenever topics of reparations come up then all of a sudden laws are invented to justify not paying back the people Western nations have so arrogantly oppressed for centuries.

Japan didn't put in place extermination protocols in order to wipe out an entire race of people, Hitler did, and other European nations followed similar models of eradication through different means and through different methods, which makes Western nations no different than Japan at that time. Here is one instance where a group of people were targeted for unethical experiments based on race in North America. Some may refer to this as the Tuskegee Syphilis experiment. Even lynching laws which largely targeted a specific race of people was deemed legal even from America’s highest court. These laws were largely put in place to control and contain a specific race of people with the sole purpose of weakening their will to resist.

Japan had done similar experiments on the Chinese for research purposes too, there are faults on both sides here. Dr. Ishii , the head physician of these experiments, was protected by the United States even after the war. Why he was spared criminal prosecution? I don’t know.

Moreover, instances where Western colonizers had similar protocols as Hitler through-out the continent of Africa and North America were evident in the systematic murder, castrations and the torture of thousands of slaves for centuries and then building your vast empires off the backs of free slave labor. You didn't educate those slaves to make them self reliant, you didn’t incorporate them into your societies and governments, you excluded them and kept them ignorant, poor, and dependent on you and your institutions – Jim Crow.

Japan did incorporate Chinese and Korean sympathizers into its larger scheme. There were Korean kamikaze pilots who fought for the emperor, and who are honored still to this day at Yasukuni Shrine, and that included quite a few Chinese soldiers there as well! But of course you wouldn't know that Toby. In Hitler’s Germany African American soldiers who fought on the Beaches of Normandy were still treated as second class citizens even after Germany was defeated. German P.O.W.s were given higher status than African American soldiers, even in chow lines. AA soldiers were second after the German P.O.W’s (America’s enemy).

Both China and Japan's Emperor were very close and shared many common ideals and even bonded on major issues of that time. These two countries weren’t the de facto enemies like you portray them to be. China was in utter ruins because of idiots like Chiank-kai shek and Mao Tsedong's and his private cultural revolutionary policies which cost the lives of millions of his own people. How dare you attack Japan with your inaccuracy's Toby. You are trying to differentiate Western expansionist policies(aggression) from so-called Japanese aggression!? There is no difference between the two evils, just your arrogance and bias at play.

You live and work here and attack these people with your commentary at the same time.

Hakudake Sen of Fukui Prefecture

Hakudake Sen; Ginjo Nama; Gohyakumangoku(premium brewers rice); harvested in Fukui prefecture; 55% rice; alc 15 to 16.


I would like to emphasis that this is a summer type sake, meaning it’s only brewed and available during summer only.



Usually, lots of nama type(unpasteurized) sake which are available during this time of year, and with the Ginjo rating makes it a winner as it is considered a premium grade sake.


Smell : pear nose(right nostril/ left nostril was stopped up); faint chocolate. Summer taste!


first sip: light with a noticeable bite before and after the first swallow.


Taste: Very delicate on the palate and tongue. dry. As you continue to drink it the characteristics of the first sip are hardly there anymore. I still get the light chocolate and pear on the tongue sensation. The finish is very clean now and almost unassuming.
I’m enjoying this sake with premium Alaskan pink salmon right out of a can as is. I didn’t add anything to the salmon. Excellent combination.



The brewery is called Yasumoto and has been around since the 1800s. Drinking this sake is like drinking the history of Echizen – refer to the links.


On a side note, In the wine world when you sip on wine, believe me, you are drinking the history of not only Pharaoh's Egypt, but of all of Europe also. Jesus drank wine.


Sake carries with it the exact same apotheosis like effect which wines does to Europe but in Asia. You are drinking the best of the best in terms of taste thanks to modern technology and better rice growing and brewing techniques. You are drinking better sake than Tokugawa Ieyasu, and even all of Japan’s Emperors from antiquity to the present.


Hundreds of years ago common folk didn’t even drink sake/nihonshu because drinking it was only reserved for shinto priests, gods and soldiers. The Kamikaze drank it(their last drink)! 2.4 million Japanese soldiers drank it, are they not worthy? I drink it and so can anybody else. Sake has come along way.
Let’s examine the pouring:

After watching this video continue reading towards the bottom of this post.
Japanese sake, Mt. Fujii, sushi, Yasukuni, Japanese cuisine, onsen, all have meaning in Japan. For me, and on a personal note here, sake also embody older Japanese women namely “Jukujo” I plan to redefine this term because for many Japanese it’s considered derogatory. I disagree. It’s not. It’s actually a beautiful word for a ripe Japanese women in her 40s and 50s!
After drinking this sake I have found the perfect Jukujo that matches this sake:

This is a momma! A fully girthed and well developed life giver. A shy and reserved type. Delicate and composed, yet spry and full of emotion. She is so soft on the outside yet warm on the inside. This is Japan! Within her bosom is the very Soul of Japan.
( God is talking to me standby)


Do not be fooled. What you believe to be Japan with it’s gropers and child predators, and it’s ridiculous cross dressers is merely an illusion. Only the backcountry mamma-sans embody what is Japan.
No, not its manga or it’s largely impotent male population who refuse to breed or to protect their country and their women. Those aren’t men. Mishima was a man and so was Tojo. No one drinks in their honor.
[end of rant]


Not one hair is out of place and her nylons are perfect. No runs and no tears. Some day fifty years from now people will finally understand what drives me.
Hakudake-Sen of Fukui Prefecture! A summer sake.

Takao

Special shout out to Through Eyes From Afar for hosting this months blog matsuri

Takao is an area in Tokyo famous for good hiking and nature. But for those like me who’d rather just stroll around languidly while soaking in the surroundings, then Takao may be the right place for you. This is one of those lazy days where I had nothing to do. I don't think I really cared whether or not I had something to do.

Even for father and son the lake running through Tama Goryo Park is always fun to walk around in, which is usually always full of kids and their parents playing and fishing together during the long summer months. I don't think they really cared whether or not it was summer, just as long as there was a watering hole to get in to on a nice hot day, and they probably didn't even care if there were any other people there for that matter.

I have no idea what exactly he’s trying to catch, but he was out here for hours wading through water. I’m sure the cool water on his feet was refreshing enough, though. Maybe he didn't care whether or not he'd catch anything. Maybe he just wanted to look like he was catching something.

Mommy and Son.

Little one has lost something here….Mom is telling her to forget about it, she’ll buy her another whatever it was. Probably some little rare looking shell she spent hours looking for, something she'd probably lose again had she found it. Maybe she doesn't really care whether she finds it. Her mother wishes she'd just 'never mind' it.

Unknown figure, but this time a bit more identifiable. Could this be my good friend Ichibay? No. Just another passerby. What a lazy day I was having. I was beat.

Picture below is of a guy lazily fishing as the evening sun began to set. Still no catch. Maybe he didn't even care whether he'd catch anything for that matter. He was just having a lazy day. Maybe he'll just sit there and keep his thoughts company.

Kid struggling with his bait and tackle, and when he gets bored with whatever the problem is, he probably won't even care anymore.

Lovely flowing man-made river feeding all of Tama Goryo. No care in the world.

It’s good to just take it easy. Get out and go to a park and just relax is all anybody really needs. I love observing ordinary Japanese people. Just everyday type people who go about their day to day activities not worrying at all about anything. Good to see families playing together and having no care in the world.

Another thing I always notice are the cicadas in their distinctive mating calls. This is the true sound of summer. Below is an excellent video.

夏の吟醸にごり酒: Hakuryu

Some may call this type of sake the pino colada of the sake world. Nigori sake is unfiltered, hence the milky color. In this picture you can see the limited summer edition of this delicious milky colored unfiltered Ginjo nigori sake made by Hakuryu in Niigata prefecture. On a side note. I’ve been to Niigata over 40 times in the last five years. I have travelled extensively through-out that region and have sample not only sake but food and have soaked in many onsen.

In Japan there’s something called Mondai Selection which grades the quality and taste of a products. The brewery that brews this sake has always been a gold standard winner for many years.

In ginjo type sakes 40% of the outer layer of rice has been polished away putting it in the premium class. You can stop over at esake for more tidbits on comparisons.

Up close and personal with the bottle. I feel you baby!

Flavor characteristics are good:

Smooth! Most nigori sake people drink is very thick and heavy whereas this one is very light and smooth, now that I think about it this nigori is the best I have ever had. A good nigori shouldn’t be too heavy. It should be light, silky, and smooth. and also sweet. This is summer! It shouldn’t feel like a meal. If it’s too heavy than that taste profile is representative in a lot of nigori type sake. Not this one. What’s being drank, or I’m being drank, is a smooth, light, and clean unfiltered nigori sake that works well with sashimi or pork dishes.

Sushi works well with this. And so does this dish below.

The dish you are looking at now is called “sanma” in Japanese or “pike” in English. This sanma is from Hokkaido, the largest prefecture in Japan, located up North. Sanma has a taste all of its own. Sometimes it can be fishy….when served raw, but delicious nevertheless and especially with this type of sake.

Okay. Next let’s drink it with me!

You can also watch this in HD ( high definition ). The description that some people may get according to other websites is dark, rich, and sweet. I find it sweet, but not necessarily dark and rich. Smooth and full! The perfect summer nigori over ice!

Tottori Prefecture’s Yama Shitataru

I love her. Green apple, green apple! I can taste it. She’s young and she’s fresh. The label on the back says 8/2009! This is as fresh as it gets ladies and gentleman.

Here she is:

Yama Shitatataru Drip style sake

Tokubetsu-Junmai Nama; Tottori Prefecture; Yamane Shuzo; Yamadanishiki; 58% rice; plus 7; acid 1.9; August 2009 made; I can smell and taste green apple and cotton candy. Apple nose. soft tail, pleasant after-taste, small bite at the back of the throat, goes down smooth.

What’s important to understand here is that this is a summer brewed sake, which means it’s a limited edition and sells out very quickly and is made only during summer. I had to search far and wide for this one.

What to drink from:

I always use Riedel daigenjo glasses to make the first taste. I check for color and legs; she has fine legs and a good clear color.

And then I go with my sake cup for the aesthetic effect. Real men understand sacrifice. The Toji understand that he must sacrifice for the sake of tradition in order to preserve the national drink of the nation. And that by doing this you preserve what’s left of the nation as a whole. Japanese men have no excuse not to drink their own national drink.

This authentic commemorative sake cup was sold to me by Rich over at his site http://www.imperialjapansakecups.com/

Now on to the drinking part:

Asahiyama 300

Hailing from Niigata, the mother lode of sake, is Asahiyama 300, which in actuality is brewed by the same makers(Asahi Shuzo) of Kubota, a nationally recognized nihonshu that’s not only enjoyed here in Japan but also in North America.

Seimaibuai: 65%
Nihonshu-do: +5
Acidity: 1.2

 

Definitely has Niigata flavor characteristics:

Nose of strong koji, lots of alcohol  with mild flavor characteristics. Lots of umami, which in Japanese means “tasty” or” savory.”   The  finish though is very smooth.  Traditional.   This is also a Futsuu-Shu type, which means it has no special designation and has less than 70% polished rice.

Let’s drink it now.

This cup is a commemorative WW2 ocho-ko sold by Rich over at his amazing site. 

Enjoy!

昭和天皇 武蔵野の陵

The title in English would be Emperor Showa. And his Majesty's Mausoleum is named the Musashino no Misasagi, thus the long title:

( しょうわてんのう むさしののみささぎ）。

This is the imperial mausoleum of Japan and it is here where his Majesty’s remains are honored. Here in this hallowed ground where over a hundred and seventy ginkgo trees line the pathway leading up to his tomb, one can get a sense of the awe and reverence bestowed upon this whole cemetery, which is called Tama Goryo located in Takao, an area rich in nature and abundant waterways and rolling lush green hills.

In American and European history textbooks, Showa Tenno is referred to as Hirohito, a blasphemous name uttered by Westerners and Asians when it is heard by conservatives and elderly Japanese people. The proper title is Showa Tenno. In America you don't honor Ronald Reagan by referring to him as " Ronnie" or " that "old gipper" posthumously , do you? Neither do you call Pol Pot "Old Potty," or Caesar Augustus “Old Cease."

After WWII, in accordance with the American mandated Constitution of Japan, the Emperor was positioned as the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people. Accordingly, Showa Tenno performed his duties as stipulated in the Constitution on the advice and approval of the Cabinet, including receiving the credentials of foreign ambassadors, attesting the appointment of Ministers of State and other high officials, welcoming foreign Heads of State and other eminent foreign guests, and granting audiences.

The biggest irony here, though, is that these same duties were performed by every other Emperor since the Kamakura period! The only difference today is that the current Emperor lacks the power to make or declare war. And it was only Emperors Meiji and Taisho and Showa who possessed this power, so in theory the Emperor of today is merely fulfilling the exact same roles of previous Emperor's and Empresses before his great great grandfather.

With such a fact, the emperor really hasn’t lost much in terms of his influence at home and in the world on a diplomatic level. One sided Westerners and even some Japanese will never truly understand this point.

His Majesty ended the war. It was his words alone that ended the war. Millions went to war in his name, and all of them stopped fighting in his name only. You could’ve dropped ten atomic bombs on Japan, and the Japanese never would’ve stopped fighting. It was the Emperor that ended the war, not MacArthur! This should give you a sense of the Emperor’s power back then.

As I approached the entrance I saw off to the right a small body of water, so I approached it. As I got closer a crane flew up out of a thicket and into the branches out of plane sight. I remember in school my teacher telling me that the bellowing of a crane in Buddhist mythology signifies the soul crossing over into the after-life upon ones death. The eerie sound that comes out of these creatures is mystical and carries with it the nostalgia of thousands of years of religion and history. Millions of souls have been carried over.

Continuing my journey down this holy wooded area I felt something like a minty ice cold nudge press down upon the top of my head for some strange reason(strange). I kept wiping the top of my head with my towel, but there was nothing. Can’t understand what happened to me.

At any rate, I felt pleasantly aware of my surroundings. As I was making my way down this long and wide winding pebbled foot path, which seemed like trillions of tiny little stones being moved under my feet, there was a cool breeze blowing through what seemed like thousands of swaying trees filtering and cleaning the air around me; the smell of summer finally permeating through and revitalizing my mind, body, and soul. I was truly happy to have made this trip there. After leaving I felt so refreshed.

There were so many security details roaming around incognito everywhere. They were hiding inside small security boxes and even behind trees. I was impressed!

Getting there is easy: Take the Chou line from Tokyo or the Yokohama line from Yokohama to Hachioji. Change to the Chuo line bound for Takao. From Takao station it’s a 25 minute walk, and by taxi, if he drops you off by the entrance is 710 yen; 1.5 km. Signs pointing to the this place are in English. They close everyday at 4pm.

This sake hails from Niigata and is made by Uehara Chuzo, the only sake brewery( last time I checked) in Japan that's licensed under the imperial household to brew sake for the royal family. This sake is one of the finest and is well known throughout Echigo Yuzawa in Niigata. This is a Junmai-shu!

In closing, I do feel that for Japan to have a Monarchy that has the longest unbroken lineage in human history is a amazing. Unlike its neighbor China who overthrew theirs back at the turn of the 20th Century. Five thousand years thrown away and then as a result the country was plunged into utter civic chaos for decades, which created the perfect environment for other dictators to seize power costing the lives of millions of Chinese people and years of hardship, toil, and pain.

The Emperor for me represents and embodies the very essence of Japan. I can’t think of anything or anybody else who does. Human beings need order and control. They need symbols and gods and rules to live by and to govern their thoughts and actions by. Freedom and responsibility are very hard to align in society. I feel that Japan today suffers from a lack of leadership which it needs more now than ever. Political figures have been utter failures and will continue to be for years to come . The Emperor’s presence always heals and brings comfort no matter where he goes and he is honored and respected the world over.

Long live Japan’s Emperor.