Tokyo, Japan Yes, the time has come to say farewell, Japan.
You have surprised us, delighted us, confused us, enlightened us, astonished us, entertained us, amazed us, educated us, tantalized us, spoiled us, and sometimes perplexed us.
But you have never been rude, never predictable, and never boring.
I’m ending this chronicle of our adventure with special thanks to my incredible tour guide, Don. Despite innumerable challenges, he managed to get us around this country, when we were supposed to be, where we were supposed to be. He continues to be the best leader one could hope for.
Also, huge thanks to those GoKnow readers who were with us along the way. Your ‘likes’ and comments were just the support I needed to keep on keeping on.
And finally, a big shout-out to McNeil Labs/Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Extra-Strength Tylenol. Couldn’t have done it without you!
So long till next trip — except for the occasional moment that has to be shared.
Where should we go next?
Don’s Food Corner
Jo, who has never been a fan of Japanese food, can barely look a piece of raw fish in the eye and flees the room when I eat raw oysters to avoid the sight, predicted that these six weeks in Japan would be a starvation test or at least a culturally-imposed diet plan. Neither happened.
While my palate is somewhat more adventuresome, I was a little hesitant at times because it was difficult to know exactly what was in these various dishes. Mostly, I wanted to avoid any contact with eels. There’s a word for that fear: cheliphobia. Although I think that refers to fear of encountering living eels whereas my fear is focused on the dead and cooked forms.
Eels aside, I’d say the standout meals I had was one sushi meal and my introduction to the Osaka/Heroshima pancake, okonomiyaki.
The sushi meal was a revelation. It set the standard for every other sushi meal I had — here and into the future. As I said at the time, I’m ruined. The freshness of the fish at that meal and the artful presentation was breathtaking. I didn’t go to any of the Michelin-starred restaurants that are all over Tokyo, but I can’t imagine that the sushi in any of those other places could beat that one experience in a tiny place in Takayama. A highlight of the trip.
The okonomiyaki meal, which I first had in Hiroshima, was particularly thrilling because I sat at the counter overlooking the grill where they were making these concoctions of thin pancakes piled high with egg, veggies, meat, dried fish flakes. All grilled at a high heat, flipped over to be grilled on the other side and then swabbed with some type of barbeque sauce and then with a final flourish squirted all over with mayonnaise. Fantastic. I intend to learn how to make these.
Other highlights were the fruit sandwich and the fluffy pancakes at Happy Pancakes in Tokyo. I’ve found recipes for both the fruit sandwich and the fluffy Japanese pancakes. I think both require special Japanese ingredients — like Japanese flour that produces that soft, soft, soft bread and those fluffy, fluffy, fluffy pancakes. But I’ll try it.
The noodle bowls we had — both soba and udon — were exactly as you can find them in American Japanese restaurants. The difference might be the depth of flavor of the broth. But the differences were (to me) very slight.
The biggest disappointment was my encounter with oysters. They were gigantic. And I couldn’t cope with eating such a large animal raw. I found the cooked versions of the oysters both flavorless and disgusting.
Our in-between meals were bolstered by the ever-reliable offerings at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawsons. The egg salad sandwiches are justifiably famous. (The key here is also the soft, fluffy bread.)
We didn’t try many desserts beyond the French pastries that the Japanese do so well. We tried red bean paste once. And that was enough.
I developed a liking for matcha tea; Jo did not. We see matcha tea showing up more regularly on menus in New York. In Japan, they have matcha in everything — from soup to candy bars. Often, the only ice cream cones you can get are filled with matcha ice cream. I suspect it’s the high caffeine content that makes matcha so popular because otherwise it tastes just like freshly-mown lawn clippings.
Beyond the food, the challenges for the tourist and especially someone who is trying to be the tour guide in a land never seen before is the complexity and confusion with transportation and directions. It took about a month before we started to understand the rhythm of Japanese life and culture.
The language barrier was greater than we expected and had been led to believe in guidebooks and tourist information on YouTube, etc. English is NOT widely spoken. English translations of signage, menus, and street makers are NOT consistently available. Internet translation programs of both spoken and written Japanese are essential if you are travelling around without a knowledgeable guide at your side. And even then, they’re not fully reliable.
Above all else, however, besides the exotic atmosphere of the whole trip, the beauty of much of the country and its architecture, the fascinating historic and cultural experiences, it was the charm, politeness, friendliness, and ready helpfulness of the people. Our most memorable moments were of the various encounters we had with the Japanese people. And they all looked great, too!