SofJ Update March

There has been a lot of unusual geothermal activity going on under Mt. Fujii these days, and about a dozen other volcanoes on this island which only indicate the death knells of time ringing. What we have all learned since the Tohoku-Chiho Earthquake is that what took man centuries to build can be destroyed in an instant by mother nature's wrath. I am humbled at how insignificant we are against the powers that lie underneath our feet, and am grateful to be alive.

(“No one will come back here,” he predicts of his old neighborhood, saying he will stay in town but move further inland.") survivor

I'm still here monitoring the events as they unfold day-to-day. I will not abandon Japan because this is a place that I have chosen to commit myself to. I do not run for the hills, but if others wish to then let me encourage them, I can die here in JAPAN IN THEIR STEAD. There will never be another NIPPON, that's how I see it and I will go down with this TITANIC because everything for me is here. There's just something about the people, the landscape, the Jukujo, the temples, the shinto shrines, the cuisines, the largely mono-cultural and linguistic elements that supplant any desire for me to leave. Big deep flutters as the Hinomaru folds and coils from the wind and the sun; images of cherry blossoms collaged in with that majestic aura of Mt. Fuji, Yasukuni, and the Tenno.

Many of the areas that have been devastated by the quake and the tsunami are areas I have written about back in 2008 when I published my first book on hot springs. I am now in the process of reprinting and publishing it again, and I am working until late at night to put everything together in order to recollect areas and places I have been to, areas that have either been destroyed or left half intact.

As clean up efforts are underway, I applaud the many men and women who are working tirelessly to bring healing and comfort to the victims up north. I also want to bring attention to the orderliness of society and communities working together to save energy. No riots, no civic unrest here. Need I say more...?

Ambassador Roos and his people, the Armed Services, are also doing their part by supplying thousands of pounds of food and water, and assisting in the clean up of the Sendai Airport, which have enabled them to fly in more supplies. I am not totally comfortable with this intervention by the U.S., but it is much needed and greatly appreciated by those who need it. Japan is NO Haiti and it does not need a command control center operating here. I hope this charity by the U.S. comes without conditions attached, and when it's time to go back to the bargaining table over bases in Okinawa.

("Good charity is without conditions attached").

I'd like to give a big shout out to Todds Wanderings for organizing this.

This post was dedicated to helping raise money for the survivors of the Japan Tsunami. I want to keep this as simple and light weight as possible. As such the concept is simple, if you have a blog, newspaper, or other way of publishing information and are willing to support the Japanese Survivors I would ask you to reproduce and promote this article:

Kakuemon

The brewery that makes this sake is called Akita Kimura Shuzo, and the name of the sake I am drinking is called Kakuemon Tokubetsu Junmai Shu. This is a special brew that falls in between a junmai and a junmai ginjo; in other words an especially brewed premium sake.

The breakdown is as follows:

Seimaibuai/Remaining Rice = 60%
Sando/Acidity Level =1.6
Alcohol = 16.5
Nihonshu-do=+2.0
Amino=1.2

The history of the brewery goes back centuries, which can be reflected in all of its sake. Key word: SMOOTH, like the Akita Beauty. I love the complex fruits I get out of this one, and it's sweet. It's one of those sake you can only get if you are in Japan. It's a modest sake that holds up well to a variety of different dishes and occasions. You never get tired of it. Me and my Jukujo drank down this whole 1.8 liter bottle and crashed down on the mattress and slept deeply for hours.

This is not a competitive sake, which means you don't enter it into a tasting competition. It's more like an everyday, I-love-sake kind of drink you can binge on and know that you are getting what you paid for, and be satisfied. It's not easy to get, and it's not even rare for some awkward reason. I highly recommend grabbing one for yourself.

SofJ

Tengumai: Junmai Nama Genshu

The Tengumai brand has become synonymous with words like gamy and wild. What that means in laymen's terms is nihonshu that's tangy and bold flavored. How it gets that way has a lot to do with how bacteria is used during the sake making process called Yamahai(Shikomi). Just know this, sake made this way is the most traditional, and there are only a hand full of brewers who master the technique.

The classification this sake falls under is called Junmai/premium ( no alcohol added. Just water and koji). Nama( unpasturized) Genshu (undiluted). The seimaibuai is 60%, which is how much rice is left after milling.

The brewer is called Shata Brewery and they have consistently received gold awards in National Sake Competitions in Japan. The significants for me choosing this sake for tonights posts is because #1 this particular version of the sake I am drinking tonight is *only* available in Japan. #2 because I'm home and all the hot springs in my area are closed due to the quake! #3 mother is home with her real kids. #4 All the young girls are brain dead and sake-retarded. #5 Ichibay is scared to hang out with me. #6 I can't access Sendai to help out. OK. So, I'll educate the world about one of the things I like to indulge myself in. Sake ( ask - ay).

The nice thing about living in Japan is that you have so many opportunities to try real genshu and nama type sake. My blog is full of sake related posts about nama(s), and genshu(s), and Junmai(s). If you stick around long enough you'll gain a lot of knowledge in famous brands that enjoyed both here in Japan and in the U.S. I am by no means a sake master, more like a sake drinker and I've been at it for long time.

Enjoy

Earthquake in Japan

So as I type this post all of Japan is on edge for what might be another megaquake, sources tell us. When the first one struck, at approximately 2:44 Tokyo Time last Friday, I was sitting in a Starbucks having a sakura latte. My Macbook was uploading data and for some reason it was unusually slow.

I started noticing trimmers under my feet, but nothing too noticeable. Most Japanese, generally speaking, ignore small quakes. I looked up and scanned around the cafe for any visible signs of distress from other patrons. Nothing. Everybody was just chatting it up and giggling over whatever. I looked back down at my keyboard and started typing away again. I stopped for a moment, took a nice full sip of that delightful sakura latte, and kept typing away. Another trimmer, but this time it wouldn't stop. Then there was a big thud and I heard glass shatter across the cafe!

That trimmer went from tiny little massage trimmer to the largest megaquake in recorded history in a blink of an eye! People jumped out of their seats and ran for the door. It was utter chaos. The staff were moving frantically to hold on to glasses and equipment. The sliding door had jammed on one patron. It had to manually be pried open by one of the staff as they were both trying to escape. The track lighting above my head was shaking out control, like I was in some kind of horror movie. I stood up and moved away and placed both my hands against the wall, just over my table. When the quake died down I gathered my belongings and headed for home. From my KYMCO I could see thousands of, perhaps as far as the human could see, salaried workers walking home. I felt like I was a part of some kind of Armageddon flick. Some of them had to walk upwards to 4 hours just to get home as all lines were halted. I sped across intersection after intersection, by car after car. I should've filmed it. I started receiving texts from friends while navigating through traffic with one hand on the throttle.

We have been feeling over 150 aftershocks since last friday and they come in intervals of 20 or 30 minutes apart, lasting anywhere from a minute to 5 minutes. Something shifted big under the earth, I said to myself. We never get quakes like this in L.A., just jolts from time to time. I think North-ridge was the last big one for L.A. Japan rests on three tectonic plates and only one plate was responsible for the last Fridays big one. Two other plates are expected to shift.

I received dozens of texts and well wishes from people back home and in Japan. The Japanese people are so well mannered and behaved. Not one single incident occurred in spite of there being food shortages. Lines for gas stretch one kilometer at every single gas station. We are having schedule rolling blackouts, express trains have stopped running. All of this is an effort to save electricity. Most of the country is not in rebuild mode, more like wait mode; waiting for the next couple of quakes which may take place in the next few days.

Most of us are stocking our shelves and refrigerators with what's left in stores. So far I haven't found one single bottle of water since Sunday, just juice and milk based products. We all still have running water, gas, and electricity. I snapped up two packs of face masks for the weather. We are expecting shower tomorrow. I plan to stay in doors all day for fear of radioactive fallout that may be drifting along. Even though harmless, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Kinpou Shizenshu

One In a Million by Ne-Yo

Back to blogging about sake again. Today was a gorgeous and sunny day in Kanagawa, so I headed over to Kamiooka Station to visit the Keikyu Department store's sake corner, located in the basement. Once there I ran my eyes across so many incredible looking sake bottles, all neatly adorned with beautiful floral patterned labels each commemorating spring. I never get too carried away with labels though, just go for something I know. I'm pretty good at picking them and I chose two very good sake this afternoon! Normally what I do is look for the classification first, of course - junmai. Then, I look for rice and koji information; brewery, and so forth and so on.

First, I would like to point out a few things. There's a lot of talk nowadays about organic sake. Does it taste better? Will this new trend change future sake production? The answer to both of these questions is a resounding "hell no!" Sure, there will be brewers who will experiment with organic sake, and will realize how cost prohibitive it is to use such methods then revert back to the traditional way, or a slightly modified method. As far as taste goes, no, organic sake does not taste better than conventional sake. So let's lay that hype to rest. Are there good organic sake out there? Yes. I bought one, but in no way does it replace a good traditionally made sake, the Japanese way.

Organic sake generally has less body and complexity than traditionally brewed sake; sort of like a young French Beaujolais wine. Organic sake appeals to new drinkers and those with less developed palates, or for those who are not yet accustomed to rice brew..

The sake in the picture hails from Fukushima Prefecture and is 100% organic and is called Kinpou Shizenshu, a junmai genshu, not ginjo. Genshu means that it's undiluted and has higher alcohol content. The taste has a mellow richness with hardly any tail. Very clean and unusual textured, yet delightful. I actually loved, to be quite honest. I can see myself buying another bottle of this. I do feel that this sake could easily appeal to the first time drinker. Anyway, it would pair well with light dishes. According to the brewer you can also enjoy it over ice.

Real Soba: 湧水

According to investigative journalist Hirokatsu Azuma, Azuma writes, if you eat buckwheat noodles, you can be almost 100% certain you’re eating a Chinese import. About 70% of all buckwheat flour consumed in Japan is sourced from China; but the remaining 30% is served only in the highest class specialty soba restaurants [Japan Times].

Now, this all sounds like a bunch of malarkey to me, especially since the Japanese take so much pride in their culinary legacy. But, for the sake of clarity, I’ll give this writer the benefit of the doubt, being that he is Japanese and that he should know his own cuisines - sorry if I’m sounding a bit unctuous here, I’m mean, you can lead me to the water, but you can’t make me drink. I do still believe that there’re a plethora of good soba shops that use 100% Japanese grown buckwheat noodles, and today I will introduce one.

Near Jindaiji, one of the great epicenters of Japanese Edo tradition, located in a sparsely populated enclave in Tokyo, is this gem of a soba shop. It’s called Yu-sui. The restaurant itself dates back about 100 years, it’s clean, every well maintained. Even the window locks are in their original form and still work. The tables are sturdy and made of solid wood. The whole mood and atmosphere is not only pleasing to the eye, but to the soul as well, very folksy.

I opened the menu and knew immediately what to order; the large zaru soba ( cold soba). And then, just to try something different, I ordered up something called “sobagaki” which is a soba donut that you dip into this soy/mustard sauce. I can’t even begin to describe the taste, but I recommend everybody try it at least once. I enjoyed it. My last order was trout tempura ( deep fried trout) with eggplant and pumpkin. Very good. This soba was fantastic as all the ingredients were made right here in the womb of Japan, so to speak?? Not only was this soba good, but the prices on the menu were reasonable, too. Another thing I noticed was how thin and delicate each buckwheat noodle was. I was also impressed at how al dente the noodles were when I masticated every single strand of noodle that came between my teeth. Perfect. This is real Japanese soba.

This is the sobagaki

Freshly fried vegetable tempura

Green leaf tempura.

Yu-sui

Menu's are available in English.

Yoshiko-Private Body Sushi

My blog has attempted to bring together the things I find to be beautiful both naturally and spiritually, artistic and aesthetically pleasing to the senses in Japan. My focus has always been on Japanese food, nihonshu, the Jukujo, the shrine, and the hotspring experience, and those things which enhance that focus. I have searched far and wide for others with similar qualities, like in the case with Leonardo Fujita, and Toyoshige Watanabe. Both of these men express beauty in different forms. Fujita's was white skinned beauty, Toyoshige's was blackened devil beauty, two polar opposites reunited. These opposing elements that somehow infuse the whole of humanity stroke after stroke, brush after brush, all somehow merge into one whole defining beauty. All aspects have to be merged and not necessarily reinterpreted, and I think these men have accomplished just that.

Recently, a new talent has emerged on the art scene, a designer, who goes by the name of Andrea Rosagni from Genoa in northern Italy, a son of Milan, birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci and Alessandro Verri. Mr. Rosagni has over 20 years of experience working as a designer and producer and has received numerous accolades for his work. He has worked for some of the biggest names in Italy since 1996 and has reshaped and refined his own unique style of artistic expression. A true definitive genius of his time. I look forward to his next creation. For now, I want to get my hands on a naked private body sushi tablecloth. His Facebook page is here

When I think of places like northern Italy images of the infamous Shroud of Turin come to mind, which supposedly bears the likeness of the Christ, so how befitting another great who would showcase another type of cloth, but this time one that bears the exact likeness of the Japanese Bijin( Japanese beauty), would take the art world by storm. Mr. Rosagni is a sort of provocateur to some maybe? I say he's a daring genius.

Nudity is beautiful. Nudity is art. A shroud of beauty. The models name is Yoshiko.

An interesting thing is that all the finishes (length, the edges of the table cloth and confection) had been done by tailors of the San Vittore (the prison of Milano). The craftsmanship is simply amazing. Naked tablecloth where you can enjoy sushi and naked beauty all infused into one whole beautiful experience.

Naked sushi art or Nyutaimori in Japanese, date back to the Meiji era and was typically enjoyed by the wealthy. It's chic and in vogue now, so it's not surprising to find chefs experimenting with naked model sushi. In West Japan, if you look around a bit, you should be able to find some establishments that do this. If not, then do it yourself with a delectable looking Japanese matron.

Honke Maguro

The title goes something like 本家鮪屋(Honke Maguro), an old favorite restaurant of mine I used to go to years ago. NHK had aired a special about Izu's famous Maguro (tuna) one evening and according to the broadcast Izu has a long history with tuna, its own brand of tuna.

When most Japanese think of maguro they think of places like Oma in Aomori, and Tsukiji in Tokyo, or Misaki in Yokosuka which all claim to have the most delicious maguro in all of Japan. I have been to, and have sampled all of these famous tunas and would have to agree that all three brands are the best.....I suppose. In Oma the tuna is so fresh the meat shines - a protein sheen left on the meat after it's been cut.

The Honke Maguro restaurant is unique in the fact that it specializes only in tuna it catches, and with an emphasis on style and eclecticism when it's being served. If you have a chance to stop by and enjoy Kawazu River, stop at this restaurant for dinner.

Any dish is delicious. Service is in Japanese as well as the menu.

Kawazu River of Shizuoka

Kawazu River of Shizuoka

It's officially spring in Japan, and in spite of all the shitty weather we've been having off and on last week, cherry blossoms are in full bloom in some parts of the mainland. The place to be this weekend is Kawazu River in Shizuoka Prefecture, Izu, a place regarded by many old timers as being the Mecca of cherry blossoms in Japan!

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I agree if you want to take in scenic river views lined with pink cherry blossom trees. On a perfect day it's absolutely gorgeous down there. It just doesn't get any better unless you go to cities like Kyoto or Kakunodate - in April. There's just something about rivers, pink trees, and delicious sake with seasonal dishes that really create that special mood of freshness and newness spring brings during this time of year. My favorite treat is this

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This is a photo I took last time I was down there and the weather was beautiful. If you decide to head down this weekend remember to try the wasabi-soft ice cream, and to visit Joren no Taki, a famous waterfall with beautiful views. I highly recommend purchasing freshly grown wasabi there too - the best! Best season for visiting this area would be between lat Feb. to mid. March. Izu is one of the most accessible areas for tourist coming from Tokyo and Yokohama.

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