SHIZUOKA

After my 8AM-6PM trip to Kyoto on my third day, I hung out with other young professionals at Jesus Lifehouse Osaka (the Hillsong church at Shinsaibashi which I didn't get to on my first day). We sang, listened to a preaching, dined out together and talked with local believers. To my surprise, there were a lot of Aussies, Brits and Americans in the church. So there actually is a lot of opportunities to get involved in an English community when in Japan. An hour later, I rushed back to my hotel in Umeda to fetch my baggage, and took a taxi to Umeda Sky Building. Before boarding the bus bound for Shizuoka, I charged my phone because it was used the entire day while in Kyoto and I needed battery to keep track of where my bus was. I couldn't understand a thing the conductor said during the trip. He assumed all the passengers were Japanese. And it's a good thing my phone wasn't updated to the new iOS, otherwise I'd be lost. 

I met my student's husband at JR Shizuoka station at six the following morning, and eventually met her (and her cute dog) in person at their lovely modern Japanese home. Breakfast was elaborate- better than she had described it over Skype. I felt like I had come over for Osechii (New Year's meal). The bento box was huge and had quaint details all over it. I had neglected to take a picture of it because I was excited to eat what was in it. I documented the content of each compartment instead.

Fig 1. The infamous Natto
(fermented soybeans) 

It was my first encounter with Natto (fermented soybeans) and I loved it. Well yeah, it does smell like feet, but I try not to imagine eating parts of my body while eating it. I ate it with mustard and some soy sauce. It was really sticky- kind of like mozzarella cheese on pizza; but you had to eat this with chopsticks, so it was all the more challenging. Other foods included breaded oyster and chicken (figure 2), Edamame (mature green bean) and Gomame (black sesame) tofus (Fig 6), Tsukemono (Fig 7), and fish cakes with a herb that tasted lemony and minty at the same time (Fig 8).

Fig 2. Tempura oyster and chicken

Fig 3. Another breakfast item-
I forgot what it's called.

Fig 4. Boiled salad,

Fig 5. Miso Soup.

Fig 6. Two varieties of tofu.

Fig 7. Clockwise from top:
Pickled eggplant, cucumber and plum. 

Fig 8. Kamaboko with shiso.

Fig 9. A staple of Japanese meals
- short grained rice.

Like all Japanese meals, my breakfast came with hot tea. My appetite was sated, and I thought that would last me the entire day. But little did I know, there was more in store for my stomach.

Fig 11. The Sado master at work.

Fig 10. Japanese me.

By nine, my student took me to a tea ceremony class at a traditional Japanese home. The teacher was a Sado Master, so she's been catering to guests for more than ten years. I got to fit a kimono and while I was changing, Japanese music played in the background. I felt like Sayuri in Memoirs of a Geisha.. all I had to do now was get my face painted white and do a geisha dance. I entered the tea room with my student and the teacher verbally demonstrated how to make tea using sophisticated utensils. There were times wherein she had to rotate the cup in a certain direction before serving it to us. I wondered why all the routine in preparing tea, but I had forgotten to ask her the reason. 

We had the tea with wagashi (Japanese sweets). After eating, it was my turn to impress the Sado Master- fortunately I passed, I just don't have the jpegs to prove it. 

Fig 12. Japanese sweets to accompany the tea we drank.

We had some Kaki (persimmon) after the ceremony. I hesitated at first because I have never liked the taste of the fruit whenever my cousin bought me some from the market around my hometown. But at the same time, I might insult the lady if I refused. So I accepted them, and it was not bad at all. In fact, my perception of kaki changed; maybe because it was served cold. Lowering temperature of foods, does make food taste sweeter. I appreciated her gesture and gave her Philippine wagashi in exchange for hosting the unique experience. 

Fig 13. My student and I at Choji-ya.

My student and her husband drove me to a local wasabi museum. I saw the different ways how Japanese use the 'spicy' root- in KitKat, embedded like a chip in Nori (seaweed) sheets, incorporated into soy sauce, put into soda, and even to flavor soft serve. They challenged me to do the wasabi shower where I had to push a button afterwhich wasabi gas would diffuse from the ceiling, at a rate of what seemed to be a rapid ten meters per second. The vapor reached my eyes and before I knew it my sockets profusely swelled up in tears. I exited the room laughing at myself. I love wasabi but I'm not used to getting it in my eyes.

Next we headed to Chojiya, an old restaurant which specializes in Tororo-Jiru (wild yam soup). It was my first time to sit on the floor at a restaurant. Though I didn't get pins and needles while sitting, I was more conscious of my blouse because it wasn't long enough to cover my lower back. Still that didn't stop me from my 'annoying' ritual before eating. I spent three minutes of shooting the food before we finally dug in. 

Fig 14. Hijiki (seaweed) salad.

Fig 15. I forgot what this is.

Fig 16. Amazing starchy tororo jiru. 

Fig 17. Karaages topped with fish and shiitakes.

We literally ran back to the JR station, to catch up with the next shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo. FYI, all trains in Japan follow a schedule and they stick to it. If you miss a shinkansen, you'll have to wait for the next schedule, which in my case was ninety minutes later. Incidentally, the train's schedule is displayed on google maps, so you can check it up and make plans ahead of time.
I thanked my student for a wonderful gastronomic experience and hospitality then bid farewell. Tokkaido region did not disappoint one bit. I enjoyed there a lot and left with a good glimpse of Mount Fuji.

Fig 18. Snow capped mountain- something I don't get to see
everyday while riding the train.