Japan: Okayama, My family hometown

"Where is your family from?" they ask.

"Japan," I reply.

"Right, but where in Japan?" they persist.

I let out a mental sigh trying to figure out the best way to describe the geography of Japan, knowing that nine times out of ten they will have know idea where I'm talking about.

"They're from Okayama...it's a small town in between Osaka and Hiroshima," I gamely try to explain, "and the town is known for its Kibidango [mochi], the setting of the fable 'Momotaro' [peach boy], its honey sweet white peaches, and grapes bigger than my eyeballs."

It was clear that I lost them at "Okayama".

This is the best I can do in describing where my parents and thus, where I come from.  Okayama is approximately 225 miles west of Osaka along the Seto Inland Sea.  A little over 300 square miles in size, the population is a mere 700,000 [give or take].  A tourist lost in this area would be stared at, even by me, with the one thought running through the local's minds, "What the heck is the gaijin [foreigner] doing here??  Must be lost..."

Personally, the one thing that keeps me coming back to Okayama, aside from all my fond childhood memories, is my family. Kind, funny, and welcoming are the best ways to describe them.  Other families mention how great my family is.  It's true - they bent over backward when we came into town - from Tokyo all the way down to Okayama - "all hands on deck" was the motto.  

My summers in Japan were filled with idyllic days roaming around the countryside, slipping and nearly drowning in rice paddies, and best of all, playing with my cousins while trying my best to communicate in my very broken Japanese in a way that only kids seemed to know how to do.  I watched my youngest nephew take to his second cousins in much the same manner, playing in the playground 50 yards from my Ojiisan's [grandfather] home.  He had no idea what they were saying, they had no idea what he was saying, but somehow they managed to have fun together...

Walking through Shinpon Village, located in Soja City where my mom grew up, I couldn't believe the changes that I saw.  Even, paved roads; beautified paths heavy with hydrangeas and alstromerias; cleaned up streams; and rebuilt retaining walls.  But the biggest change was my Ojiichan's roof that used to beckon me home.  I used to anticipate seeing my Ojiichan's bright blue tiled roof as soon as we entered the valley.  Instead I was devastated by the drab grey tiles that greeted me.  I managed to find some of the roof pieces underneath the house.

This is what I used to see:

I recall my summer of being a young, know it all teen "trapped" in the country.  All I wanted to do was go shopping, be in the city out of the country and the rice fields.  This time, as a much older version of that self, all I wished for was one more day to walk around here:

and to stare at the rice paddies that was almost my undoing until my mom pulled me up and out

Or hang out at the top of the small water fall that we used to fish and play in [there was never that much water when we were growing up...or hydrangeas for that matter]:

Mostly, it would've been nice to just relax in the rock garden that my Ojiichan created that used to be filled with Matsu [Pine trees].  Ojiichan brought these huge rocks down from the mountains when he was over 65 years old.  I once asked him how he brought it down and he slapped his biceps twice and said, "chikara" or "strength".  I looked at him skeptically.  He was a very, very slight man.  He proved his point by reaching over to my unsuspecting cousin, pinching her slowly with his vice-like grip until she started howling in pain.  Thankful that he didn't pinch ME, the granddaughter he only saw a handful of times, I gave him the "A-OK" sign with a nod of acknowledgment.

This is the Japan that I associate most with.  I don't have the same type of city experiences that all the chic travelers to Japan have.  This is where I come from and where I love to come back to. Thanks for visiting with me. 

Japan: Nishiki Market

Every time I go to Japan I try to make it to Kyoto.  I see the same things time after time - Kiyomizudera, Gion, Kinkakuji, Arashiyama...beautiful sites not to be missed but it's important [for me] to remember that there's more to Kyoto than just the historical sites.  As I've mentioned before, my family [and our traveling friends] are a bunch of Kuishinbo's and we love food.  Nishiki Market was just the place for us...

Unfortunately, due to the heat of the day [hot, humid, AND sunny] on top of [self diagnosed] dehydration, I nearly passed out so my energy level took a nose dive.  I perked up a little as I saw all these shop but I was not in my "A" game.

I decided that it was time to get some food in my stomach...

Crispy fried chicken balls.  It was a really welcome treat.  I had to laugh when I saw a dog being pushed in a doggie stroller get one, too. 

I  had to have this. Mostly because it looks so freaky [it was quite tasty].

Kyotozuke is fantastic!  Perfectly salted and light on the palate...I was tempted by the rows and rows of Tsukemono.  If I had a bowl of rice, I would've been in heaven.

I wanted to pick this plate up and run off with it.

More kyotozuke...barrel after barrel...my sister in law found a cucumber stick that she just raved over.  

What can be better than a huge fish, squid, and eels on a huge stick?? Yeah, I decided to forego these tasty treats, though. I just wasn't feeling it.

Ok, Aritsugu.  Knife store extraordinaire.  This place perked me up a lot.  My laser beam vision quickly sorted through knives that I wanted. My mom, dream crusher and voice of reason, killed the shopping spree. Luckily.  I did pick up a few other odds and ends because really...how often would I really use a soba knife?

The neat thing about this Tea Shop was that the tea leaves were roasted on site.   I had a great time sniffing the variety of tea leaves that were filling the canisters.  

Plan for 2 - 3 hours just to roam down this street, pick up little tasty nibbles, and gifts to bring to friends and family back home

How to get here:
From JR Shinkansen Kyoto, go out to Kyoto Ekimae the front of the station.  Slightly to the right you will see a bus port area.  Take Bus Number 101 to Shijo Karasuma stop, Nishiki Market is just past [and one street in back of] the Daimaru Department store.  Enjoy!!

BusNavi, the Kyoto City bus, has two options, either pay 200 Yen per ride or 500 Yen for All Day adults pass.  To purchase the All Day Adult pass, be sure to stop in the Information Office at the JR Station in Kyoto.  You can pick up city maps and other information there as well.


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Daring Bakers Challenge: Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake

I'll admit it. I'm still in Japan mode. My family and I are still coming off our high so when I saw this month's Daring Bakers' Challenge, I decided that I needed to make something with some of my spoils from the trip - Green Tea, Sakura Essence, and Azuki.  

The July 2010 Daring Bakers' Challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita's world - life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that's then used to make a bombe with hot fudge.  Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

I love Japanese pastries - never overly sweet but rather light and fluffy in nature with just enough sweetness to let the eater know that it was dessert.  I saw a recipe for a Green Tea Roll in Orange Page, a Japanese Magazine and thought I'd give a variation a try.  The Sakura Ice Cream came out as a screaming pink concoction mainly due to very shaky hands.  The fudge layer was mixed with azuki beans which I started to eat by the spoonful.

In my  mind's eye, I pictured a perfectly layered creation that was even all around, smooth without bumps and creases. The reality was much different:

This pink sakura ice cream that managed to seep through?  It was a lot worse on my first attempt - the  whole thing was pink.

I have to say, when i took a bite of it, it was really good.  I was a little surprised seeing as how the combination was a little crazy but it married together well. I'm still tweaking the recipes a bit and will post up when I'm happy with it. 

Japan: Okonomiyaki - Hiroshima vs Osaka style

My brothers and I have fond memories of eating Okonomiyaki as children. We had some discussions [me not remembering much at 5 years old but still being insistent anyhow] about where and with whom we had our Okonomiyaki's but the one thing we all agreed on was that we wanted to try both the Hiroshima style as well as the Osaka style in a head to head match up THIS time around.  

Our first city was Hiroshima so we headed down to Okonomimura Okonomiyaki Village.  This building has 3 floors of Okonomiyaki shops with over 20 vendors.  I have no idea how to tell one from another so I just picked a floor arbitrarily [4th Floor].  

As we had a group of 15, it was much more convenient for us to split off into 2 groups with all the shop being  virtually side by side.

The Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki had batter on the bottom, topped with Nappa cabbage, bean sprouts, bacon, noodles and/or whatever other kinds of filling you request [i got squid, shrimp, and garlic. my brother, gary, told me stay away from him. I'm still not sure if it was because of the garlic or he just wanted me to stay away from him].  It's topped with a fried egg [scrambled and flattened into a pancake], okonomiyaki sauce, and aonori.  It's great to be able to watch all the action unfold in front of you without actually having to do the work.

The first taste of Okonomiyaki was great.  It separated pretty easily since it was built in layers but at least I was able to pick off the overabundance of garlic.  The cabbage center fell apart a lot but I'm a fast eater.  I took control of the situation rather quickly.  We left full and happy...

...Until we got to Osaka. I love Osaka.  It's probably one of my favorite cities in Japan.  Why?  It's the food.  I've never had a bad meal in Osaka. The food is always good, plentiful and creative.  My nephews are picky eaters but even they were willing to at least try Takoyaki [octopus dumplings].  I'm so proud of them!

 

Our travel counterparts, the "S" family, decided that they wanted to go find some place closer to the hotel [probably code for, "We're sick of you and your nutty family and we need to get away from you"].  Luckily, my family are a bunch of kuishinbo's and are willing to be team players for food.  My cousin, Hiroko, who is now living in Osaka likes to spend time with friends around the Dotonbori area said, "This is my playground...Let me know what you want to do and I will take you!"  Our directions were, "OKONOMIYAKI ON DOTONBORI."  She took us to a restaurant right next to Chibo [where I had my Okonomiyaki the last time I was in Osaka] called, "Dohtonbori":

This is where my brothers, sister in law, and i discovered that our favorite, hands down, was Kansai style okonomiyaki, which shouldn't be such a surprise since it's said that Osaka invented the okonomiyaki.  The ingredients are all  mixed together to make a thick batter. It takes far longer to cook than the Hiroshima style but it is well worth the wait...and it gave you a chance to enjoy a very, very tall beer [thank you, Sapporo].  

The end result was a nice dense patty that had just enough chew on it, topped with a nice savory Okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayo.  I really don't care for Aonori so I left it off of mine but I was pretty generous with the fluffy, flaky katsuobushi that was provided in a stacking box just above the aonori where all the condiments were.

I'm sure there are far better Okonomiyaki joints than the ones we went to but we were allbpretty happy with our end results!

Okonomimura Okonomiyaki Village

5-13 Shintenchi, Naka-ku, 

Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture

From JR Station: take the tram to Hatcho-bori, exit from tram and continue on the same path as the tram for another block, left at Chuo Dori, then right at the 5th street [pay attention, signage is not great].  The building will be on your left hand side.

Dohtonbori

[chain restaurant, this one was on the main Dotonbori street]

Japan: Tour and visit of Tsukiji Market Place

The world famous Tsukiji Fish Market.  A busy and bustling auction house filled with darting carts and some irritated Japanese men.  The crowds at Tsukiji Fish Market had gotten so out of hand that the Administrative offices were forced to set up ground rules for visitors.  There are now 2 viewings for the market 5:00am and 5:40am.  Visitor reception [located at kachidoki gate] is open from 4:30am, only 70 people are admitted at a time.

We left the hotel at 4:00am to arrive at the offices just after 4:30am on the Friday morning after our arrival.  Unfortunately, our taxi driver didn't drop us off at the right corner so we had to do some walking and searching for the visitor reception area.  Fortunately, my cousin was meeting us there so I called him to help direct us.

I had to admit, this guy kinda scared me.  Typical Japanese - stern at the onset and loosens up when you chat them up.  He was wearing this plastic coat and told me [in Japanese], "I'll be perfectly comfortable wearing this because it's like a meat locker in the auction area...you may be cold."  Luckily, it's been hot and humid so the cool temperatures was very welcome to my overheated body.

We were all forced to wear these vests so that we'd stand out like a sore thumb [and to hopefully prevent me getting killed by those speeding carts].  

Each Tuna was marked with a special kanji so that you knew which fish you were bidding on .  Each of these fish were flash frozen after they were caught.  I was told that the fish has gotten smaller over the years but back in the day, the fish were huge and went for a ridiculous sum of money.

See the guy in the foreground?  He's using a flashlight a pick and a tear off sheet where he makes his notes on the fish.  Here's the tools of the trade:

I was fortunate enough to catch the eye of one of the workers because I had so many questions.  Luckily, my guy LOVED to talk and to share his knowledge with me, the girl with the big @$$ camera.  Please note that he's not looking at me...he was a bit shy after I did my initial head nod of acknowledgement, which he reciprocated.  

That's when I leaned over and started with my questions...and then look at how he lit up:

He gave me pointers on where to stand to best view the auction [the right hand side away from where the majority of the tuna actually was], why they were feeling the tuna & what the flashlight was for [density and firmness and a rich fatty tuna], and where each fish came from [which region] and how they were split up on the floor.  He told me how to recognize the auction callers [they wear a special sign] versus the bidders.  He pointed out the ol' pros who can pick out a good quality fish with their eyes closed, both hands tied behind their backs as well as what cuts were used for what purposes.  He was an awesome addition to my tour.  Sadly, this only works if you understand and speak Japanese [or you have someone who does].  My  mom  asked if he just came over to chat or if I was talking to strangers again.  Duh.  We're all amazed that I'd never been kidnapped - I've never been good at the "don't talk to strangers" thing.

After we left the auction, we took a stroll around the fish market

Seriously, amongst all my family members, it's amazing that we didn't get killed by these carts. I'm half way convinced they were aiming for the stupid tourists [me].

I was tempted to try some of this but these things were seriously as big as my head.  Plus the lady selling this was M.E.A.N.  She was calling people stupid and telling them to go away.  

No trip is complete without a visit to a sushi bar.  Two popular ones are Sushi Dai [still haven't gone in there since I don't believe in lines...and there was one for this place] and Sushi Daiwa, right next door.  Both excellent choices and I really love my sushi chefs at Sushi Daiwa - they tell me my Japanese is good for a Sansei. [hee hee!]

I asked for permission to take photos but felt a little bad since I know they don't really like people wasting time taking photos...i took a photo of him on the downlow and he told me, "No, no...i'm a good looking man  so I LIKE to have my photo taken ."  Love that guy

The highlight of this day for me was when my 10 year old nephew said to me that the top 3 things he loved about Japan was (1) Clean Trains, (2) Cool Sights, and (3) GOOD FOOD - he loved the sushi bar!! So proud of him!! 

Make Someone Smile Week, July 18 - 24, 2010

Make Someone Smile Week [MSSW] was created in 2000 by Teleflora in an effort to bring smiles to the faces of those who are hospitalized, in nursing homes, VA hospitals and other places where people may not usually receive bouquets.  Now in its 10th year, the goal is to deliver 50,000 bouquets [10,000 more than in 2009] during the week of July 18 - 24, 2010.  This is the largest charitable project in our floral industry and I'm proud to have been a part of it this year.

Granted, I don't know how helpful sweeping was to the operation of MSSW, but I'm convinced that it made for a tidier workspace for those designers working on these lovely arrangements.  [Just in case you were wondering, I also believe in Santa Claus.]

Each of these particular arrangements will be brought to our local VA Hospital, bringing smiles to those who receive it.  I know that every time I send an arrangement to a friend,  as small as it may be, it brings a smile to their face and brightens their day.  I'm reminded of the times when I visit a convalescent home and see the senior citizens looking hopefully towards the door for their son, daughter, granddaughter, grandson, niece, nephew, ANYBODY to walk through the door to come and visit them.  Some [many] of those people never have a single soul visit them more than once a year [I sincerely hope that's not any of you doing that to your relative and if you are, take a day out of your busy month to go for a visit].  This project is not for us, it's for those lonely souls to make their day just a little brighter.

I hope that this project will inspire you to go out and Make Someone Smile, not just this week, but throughout the year!!

Omiyage: Gifts from Japan

Omiyage. The gift of giving.  The Japanese have elevated the art of giving gifts to ridiculous proportions.  They give a gift for EVERYTHING, as evidenced by the ridiculous availability of gift items everywhere - on street corners, temples, train stations, stores.  I can't walk 25 feet without being faced with gift options [many times in the form of food].  Whenever I  go to Japan, it's usually months of planning and purchasing of gifts for my family members. It used to be so easy when I was a kid - my mom took care of everything.  As an adult, I'm on my own.  Added to that, since my brothers haven't gone to Japan in years, for the first time there was the new aspect of, "What are my brothers getting for everyone??".  None of us wanted to be the dud gift giver.

I'm blessed to have a large family in Japan.  Although my first cousins and I live an ocean [and sometimes a language] apart, we've managed to stay pretty close.  I know that my cousins spend just as much time scouring the countryside to find new, unique things for us to see, eat, and do - things they know I would enjoy!  Some things that I received and picked up myself in Japan included:

Mandoline.  The Japanese really know how to make 'em.  You can adjust the width of your slices from .3mm up to 5mm thick! I've seen this at stores in Los Angeles for about $100.  This was about $30 in Japan.

Let me first confirm one thing - I can't really read Japanese above a 1st grade level [I'm being seriously generous here].  That doesn't stop my from TRYING to read these magazines.  Haru.mi is a beautifully done magazine [she's like the Martha Stewart of Japan].

Aritsugu is located in Nishiki Market in Kyoto.  They've got some beautiful knives but as my mom was standing over my shoulder, giving me the look that said, "buy it.  i dare you, 'you who doesn't cook enough to deserves knives this nice.'"  I ended up with some nice wagashi molds [nadeshiko on the left; fan on the right] and a sakura shaped onigiri mold instead. 

Sake.  I was told that the Okayama prefecture has one of the greatest numbers of microbreweries of sake in Japan.  We weren't able to get in tastings at these particular sake breweries due to  my time constraints so my aunt and uncle made sure we had something to taste.  [Hopefully, my brother still hasn't managed to find my blog, therefore will continue to have no idea that I kept these bottles for my own personal consumption...]

Sakura Essence.  Thank you, La Fuji Mama. If it wasn't for her, I'd never have discovered this.  If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have known where to send my cousin to pick it up for me. Luckily, that wasn't the case.  Now my cousin is thrilled to have discovered a new shopping location in Tokyo.

Green tea.  Yes, you can get that here in the states but what I love about this particular green tea is that it was harvested from an area only a few hours away from this Nishiki Market location and roasted on site.  I'm excited to open this batch of tea up!! [and at $20 and ounce, it'd better be a life changing experience...]

Yuzu Koshio.  I don't know why it's taken me so long to discover this.  I love this crap.  I had it for the first time at Ippudo Ramen in Okayama.  Holy cow, it's excellent - salty chili paste with hints of yuzu.  I licked my plate clean of this.

..and finally, my family received about 80 pounds of noodles - udon, somen, ramen...the only type we didn't get [VERY disappointed] was soba.  It appears every single person who knows my family knows that we like our noodles.  Hence, the 80 pounds of gifted noodles.

I wish I had more time to shop for stuff but as this was a family trip, we had to get in  more sightseeing activities.  This just means I'll have to go back soon to shop!