Japanese cuisine!

As always, food featured highly on our Japanese Sojourn. We make it a habit to taste the local area's specialty and sample the local brew. Our fabulous Ryokan in  Hakone offered traditional evening meals served in your room by our Nakai. So we donned our kimonos and sat at our low table to be served. There was a variety of dishes to tantalise the taste buds. Delicately sliced pork sizzled on a ceramic pot over a tea light candle, sushi, tofu, pickled vegetables, kaki-age tempura, udon noodles and a couple of dishes that we couldn't quiet recognise but were delicious none the less.

In a little cafe across the road from our Ryokan, two lovely ladies served us their specialty dish of Smelt fly fish. Agreed the name is by no means appetising but these little locally caught and fried fish were very tasty indeed.

We visited the Edo era inspired Amazake-chay tea house on the Tokkaido Highway. Here we sat on cushions at a low table and enjoyed hot tea to warm us up. We ordered their signature dishes of hot gooey mochi (pounded rice) cakes which are grilled over the hot coals and then dusted with soy powder or coated with sesame seeds and translucent, jelly like balls;  warabi mochi which is cooked in the same manner but made from bracken fern starch. While the gooey was sweet and quite tasty, the warabi was really horrid. We physically could not finish them and had to do a Mr Bean act and stuff them in our bags.

Back in the big city of Tokyo we enjoyed gyoza. These little Japanese dumplings filled with mince, cabbage, ginger and garlic were a firm favourite. We also visited a traditional Okonomiyaki restaurant. Okonomiyaki means " as you like it" Hence you choose your ingredients from a variety of combinations; pork, beef, seafood add your choice of vegetable, egg & cheese then cook your own savoury pancakes on a hot griddle. We have tried to recreate this dish in Australia but like a lot of creations from around the world they are only worth eating in the country of origin.

Pepper steak; the new  fast steak franchise in Japan is extremely popular in Tokyo. We just had to check it out and so glad we did. This idea was created in 1994 by Kunio Ichinose, who wanted to serve quality fast food without hiring a chef. He invented a method using hot metal plates that are heated by an electromagnetic cooker. The raw meat of choice with vegetables and rice are then served to the customer to cook to their preference. A special, secret recipe sauce is used to coat your meat. This sauce certainly gives Colonial Sanders a run for his money.

Kampai!

Onsen Etiquette!

The term  温泉 aka  onsen means hot springs. As Japan is a volcanically active country, you can find thousands of onsens scattered along its length and breadth. The onsen were traditionally used for public bathing and now days play a central role in Japanese tourism. Onsen water is believed to have healing powers derived from its mineral content. The water is steaming but very cleansing and leaves you with a healthy, rosy glow. 

We chose to stay in a traditional Ryokan whilst visiting the lovely area of Hakone. Our tatami room boasted excellent views of Lake Ashi and the Torii gate. There were both indoor and outdoor onsen on the top floor with spectacular views to match.  

Our onsen was gender segregated. The noren or entry curtain, blue for otokos (boys) and red for onnas (girls) ensured you did not stray into wrong area. We were given kimonos, bath towels and little red shoes to use for our visit to the onsen. After entering through to correct door, you must remove your shoes before stepping into the change room. There you must remove all your clothing and modesty and place in the basket provided. You can only take your small wash cloth through with you into the bathing area. In the bathing area, you are required to soap up and shower off before entering the water. Your bath towel must never enter the onsen water, the idea is to balance it on your head whilst bathing. When you are finished bathing, you are expected to dry off with the bath towel before walking back through to the change room. Oh, yeah and no water angels or muff diving permitted. etiquette states that you must sit quietly and relax.

Hakone Open Air Museum

She lies fallen in a pool, eyes closed as if dreaming of some utopia, as the tendrils  of ivy wrap around her head; a misshapen and ginormous woman, clutching her handbag and dressed by Daiso watches over a fallen comrade who lies legs akimbo as if they have surrended to the effects of an all night karaoke session. Warrior women gather in the central courtyard as a crescendo of sound generates from the jenka like wooden forest and giant carp stare upwards in expectation of a feed.  Near by a tower ascends to the sun emperor and whose interior resembles a kaleidoscope that dazzles and memorises.   At the top of the tower  a viewing platform provides the observer with a panorama of Picasso Pavilion and fields of artifacts.

Welcome to Hakone Open Air Museum a place where art meets nature.  Opened in 1969 it provides a permanent home for approximately 120 works from well known contemporary artists which stretches over 70,000 metres and blurs the lines between the elements and art.  There are no walls or protective glass, instead manicured gardens, forest and natural springs form the setting.  In fact, the setting itself becomes part of the magic and where else can you bathe your weary feet in an art work known as 'hot foot' surrounded by floating citrus and soak in your surroundings?

Konnichiwa Lake Ashi!

Well, here we are in the land of the rising sun for our mid year sojourn. (have graduated to bi-yearly OS jaunts) . After landing in Tokyo , we bit the bullet and zoomed to Hakone. Our Ryokan "The Musashiya" is a lovely, traditional building set on the banks of Lake Ashi in Moto-Hakone. Upon arrival our lovely Nakai showed us to our lake view room, explained the why & wherefore whilst making us some traditional green tea.  

We spent the afternoon exploring our little lake port. Hakone is a mountainous district within view of the majestic Mount Fuji. (On a clear day) . Gorgeous lush forests surround the lake and we found ourselves just meandering before making our way back to brave the Onsen.

We donned our kimonos and little red, Dorothy shoes with trepidation then headed up to the fifth floor. The Japanese culture is very rigid, so we felt a little intimidated about entering the bath without making too many faux pas. Brad true to form; stripped off and was washing in the hand basin in the changing room. Men never read instructions first . (Watch out for Onsen rules, travel tip).  The idea is to strip and then go into bath area, where there is a line of hand showers; soap up, rinse off and then bob's your uncle.

Our communal, segregated baths are luxurous. There is huge baths overlooking Ashi and the Tori gate. The smaller outdoor baths were preferred choice. (same views) . Gosh, it is so invigorating! We are addicted. Your skin feels so clean and your body feels to refreshed.

The rooms are traditional tatami bedding that is set up each evening by our Nakai. Wondering if it is an age thing or are these futons just bloody uncomfortable?  Don't get us started on the rock hard pillows! Maybe that is why it is a good idea to start each day with an onsen.

Went on the lake cruise and up the cable car  yesterday, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the mountain. No luck, low lying cloud made visibility impossible. Dawn at 0430 hours; however, holds promise. A patch of blue! Heading off to enjoy in early morn with a soak in a hot bath.

Sayonara!