Sumo Wrestling In Japan

Sumo

Of course when you think of Japan, one of the things that usually comes to mind is sumo wrestling. The sport of sumo is unique to Japan and incorporates tradition like no other sport that I can think of. It is probably one of the only sports that hasn't undergone changes year after year due to safety concerns and corporations. We didn't know much about sumo when we got here but we knew we had to watch some sumo while we here. Lucky for us, there was a 15-day tournament in Nagoya (only an hour  away by train) and so we were able to plan a day to stop by Nagoya on our way to Tokyo to see some sumo wrestling and to see Nagoya Castle.

Nagoya Castle

The Sumo Gymnasium

The Sumo Tournament Brochure (In Kanji, you read from right to left)

Tokyo DisneySea

For those of you who know me, you should know that I have an affection for all things Disney, especially the theme parks. Therefore, when I found out Nick got into NSF Japan, I was very much ready to book tickets to go to Tokyo Disneyland. I started sharing my plans with others and I quickly learned from those who have been to Japan before that Tokyo Disneyland was no different from Anaheim Disneyland; that they were mirror images of one another except in different countries. With that information, I decided I would not allow myself to go to Tokyo Disneyland since there is no point in spending time at a park I have been to a million times in the States when I am in a new country that has much more than just Disneyland to offer. Then I found out that there was another Disney theme park in Tokyo called DisneySea. As soon as I learned that Tokyo DisneySea was a unique Disney park, I booked our tickets! Luckily, they offer a night ticket where you enter the park after 5pm and it is half price, so we managed to "save" some money. Plus, Disneyland has always been more magical to me at night. Our tickets cost a measly 3300 yen ($33), which is ridiculously cheap compared to a day at the Disney parks in Anaheim (currently $92), which was a nice surprise. 

DisneySea Land Map

Climbing Mt. Fuji

 

 "The Japanese say that to climb Mt. Fuji once is wise, but to climb it twice is foolish."

The Yoshida climbing trail

Ain't that the truth! When I found out Nick got accepted by NSF to go to Japan this summer, I immediately started researching things we could do. When looking at a list of top things to see/do in Japan, one of the things that stuck out the most to me was climbing Mt. Fuji. Some of the best experiences we have had while traveling the world have been adventure/active type things like; hiking the snow caped mountains in Alaska, kayaking in Canada, hiking the sacred seven pools in Hawaii, spelunking the glow worm caves in New Zealand, and so on. Therefore, something like climbing Mt. Fuji sounded perfect and I immediately made it a top priority for our travels in Japan. Although I was a little worries about the distance, most of the websites we read listed climbing Mt. Fuji as a relatively moderate-beginner hike, where it would take an average of 6-7 hours to the top and 3-4 hours down, starting from the halfway point (5th station). Seeing as how we hiked the Grand Canyon last summer and we basically hiked down and back up in half the time that was estimated for certain trails, I figured this would be no problem. For the most part that was true.

Food In Japan

Here is a photo journal of our food experiences in Japan thus far: 

Okonomiyaki: prepared much like a pancake with flour, eggs, cabbage, meat, seafood, and so on. The ingredients are blended in a bowl and then cooked on a griddle

My okonomiyaki on the left contained pork, beef, kimchee, fried egg, and green onions

Nick's okonomiyaki on the right consisted of pork, beef, cuttlefish, and shrimp

Takoyaki: ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a batter and cooked in a special takoyaki pan. It is filled with minced or diced octopus (tako), tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onion served with Bonito fish flakes

 Deep fried chicken and potatoes

 Pictured left: Chinese dumplings stuffed with pork

Pictured right: Deep fried soy (tofu) with green onions and radish

Pictured left: Seafood salad with lettuce, lemons, shrimp, squid, salmon, and olives

Pictured right: Salad with lettuce, ham, hardboiled egg, tomatoes, corn, and croutons

Pictured left: Fried shrimp, quail eggs, renkon (lotus root) etc.

Pictured right: seafood rice with shrimp and smoked salmon (the yellow stuff is grated egg)

 Pictured left: Yakisoba noodles (similar to chow mein) 

Pictured right: chicken dish with sprouts and green onions

 Shrimp Tempura, served with rice, miso soup, tartar sauce, green tea, and some pickled vegetables

 Shaved ice with strawberry syrup, most are served with condensed milk and sometimes the Japanese sweet bean curd

 Sushi at home: Crab, Tuna, Salmon, Shrimp, Scrambled eggs, and Salmon Eggs

 Sushi in a restaurant (kindly hosted by Nick's professors). This ship platter includes (starting from the right to the left): wasabi, eel with plum, Bonito, Yellowtail, Tuna, Steak, Snapper, Squid, Sea Urchin, a miscellaneous mollusk, and Abalone

 Pictured left: raw horse meat; apparently some horse in Japan are raised solely to be eaten by humans (Nick's professors love it). Pictured right: more sushi hosted by Nicks professors; Cooked eel, Sea Urchin, Yellowtail, and Squid

Myself, Nick, Sensei Kauai, Sensei Toyoda, and the restaurant owner

One quick sidenote: I am surprised by how many things they eat raw in this country. They eat shellfish raw including shrimp and other things like scallops, squid and octopus etc.  They also eat raw meats including pork. These things are unheard of in America but people in Japan eat it all the time. I have not allowed myself to try any of these things, I am sticking to only raw fish (although I did try the raw horse). 

 

Pictured left: cabbage salad with a sesame dressing, seafood fried rice, and pork cutlet

Pictured right: Stir fried Udon noodles with steak, rice, miso soup, beans

Japanese version of Mexican nachos (we were desperate for something not Japanese)

 I'm making sure we get our salmon fix while we are here since it is so cheap. These are some home made dishes I prepared. Pictured left: broccoli, rice, and salmon cooked in a soy sauce and sesame oil reduction with green onions and garlic. 

Pictured right: rice, mixed potato pancake, and garlic pepper salmon

 Dried fish products found in the store

One of my home made concoctions: yakisoba noodles, garlic, onions, cabbage, green onions, miso broth, and thin slices of pork

 

We are enjoying our Japanese food experiences but it is very repetitive. We both miss pizza the most but we will wait until we return home to fill that craving because the pizza here (advertisements pictured above) are quite different (primarily seafood toppings) and quite expensive, a large is upwards of 3000 yen ($30). 

Respect In Japan

Living in Japan, although tough at times with the language barrier, has been very eye opening. The Japanese culture is all about respect, something I think most of America lacks. Japanese people have respect for others, themselves, and the Earth. Here are a couple ways I have experienced respect first-hand. 

• The most common thing to encounter is the use of the bow. Japanese people bow to one another out of respect. The duration and angle of the bow is based on how much respect they want to show, therefore to show the highest respect you would bow to a 90 degree angle at a slow pace. The most common bow is between 10 and 30 degrees and is quite swift.

• When waiting to board a subway, they stand in a line. When the subway arrives, you enter in the order you arrived. We haven't yet been in a situation where the subway has been too full to fit everyone in line, but it is very respectful to stay in an orderly line so as to guarantee those who were there first get to board before others. 

• Another common custom is that Japanese people do not wear their shoes past the threshold. The same goes for dressing rooms, any place of holiness, and all households. Therefore, it is customary to remove your shoes before entering someone's house or going to worship in a temple. This way the floors stay clean and pure.

• One of the biggest misconceptions to me was the reason for why Japanese and other Asian cultures wear the face masks. I always thought they wore them so as to not breathe in pollution or to not get sick from others, but I have learned that the most common reason to wear masks is out of respect to others when you are sick. Wearing the masks helps to prevent spreading your sickness to others. Also, one of Nick's lab mates mentioned that at times women will wear them to cover their faces (no need to apply make-up) and then other times if there is an outbreak of some kind then more people will wear them to avoid catching a sickness. 

• Another sign of respect is shown in the way bikes are "locked." We have come to discover that most Japanese people use locks on their bikes to show ownership but they are not locked to anything. The crime rate in Japan is quite low, and I believe it is because people respect one another too much to steal. I read somewhere that Japan has the highest rate for turned in lost wallets. I'm not saying there is no crime and that things wont get stolen in Japan but it is a very safe culture due to the respectful traditions.

• Japan is a very green culture. They respect the Earth. This is exhibited by recycling options everywhere, the high use of hybrid and green cars, and one of the best public transportation systems I have ever experienced.

• Most adult men and women dress relatively modestly. Most adult women wear bottoms that go past their knees and tops that cover their shoulders and hide cleavage. Of course this is different for younger people, but anyone older than mid-twenties. Same goes for men, rarely do men wear shorts or tank tops. 

• At a dinner party, you must wait until everyone has their drink and a formal toast is said ending in Kampaii (cheers). Therefore, everyone begins eating and drinking together at the same time.

• Also, it is customary to finish a meal that is served to you, you should never leave a plate with food on it. This shows the chef respect by showing them how much you enjoyed your meal. The same goes with being a noisy eater, like slurping soup, it is polite to make noises when eating rather than keeping quiet. 

• Last but not least, the Japanese language is very respectful. They are very formal and will use polite phrases to show others respect. For example, instead of just saying arigatou to say thank you, they will say arigatou gozaimasu, meaning thank you with respect. They also use your family name followed by the word san, which is about equal to saying Mr. Sakamoto. Therefore in Japanese you would use Sakamoto San, which shows a great deal of respect. It is more common to be called that then to be called by your first name unless with close family and friends.

Grocery Shopping In Japan

So one of the most frustrating things for a foodie living in another country where they don't speak or read the language has got to be buying groceries. There is only so much you can understand by seeing and feeling things. I know that I have a desire to cook while living in Japan and to create some delicious Japanese infused dishes but it is hard when you can't even figure out that the cooking oil you put in your cart is actually vinegar...luckily I figured that one out before buying it (thank God for the strong scent that vinegar emits even when the seal is not broken). I have managed to find some normal things but then there are items like butter and/or milk...I thought I finally bought some butter only to find out when I got home that it was more like margarine, which is fine it's just not what I wanted. Same goes with what I thought was Alfredo sauce, turns out it was more like a condensed soup pasta sauce, it works it's just not what I really wanted...etc. 

Japan

Hello there blog world, I thought I would give you some insight on my current whereabouts. I am currently living in Osaka, Japan for the next 5 weeks. My husband was chosen for a summer grant fellowship through the National Science Foundation (NSF) to do research with a professor at a university in Osaka for 11 weeks. Lucky for me, my employer allowed me to take 5 weeks off (half vacation, half unpaid) so that I wouldn't have to be apart from Nick for too long. Therefore, I planned my visit to be smack dab in the middle of his stay. So far it has worked out perfectly because Nick had a little over 2 weeks to take part in his orientation with NSF in Tokyo and to get settled in his apartment in Osaka and with his professor at the university. Plus, I got here just in time to celebrate my birthday with my hubby in Japan. My plan for the next couple of weeks on this blog is to share my experiences living in a new country. I will do my best to share the differences, and the things I am learning, especially as it pertains to food since it is so very different.

To begin, I must mention what I have found to be food staples in Japanese cuisine (washoku): all kinds of seafood(including squid, eel, etc.), rice, noodles, pork, pancakes, "European" breads, soybeans, waffles, breaded things with tempura or panko, eggs, root vegetables, apricots, green onions, sprouts, curry, sweet beans, seaweed, etc. 

 I have a few items already to share by photos of course (please note these are from my experiences in Osaka, a very very populated area):

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce wraps are one of those things that are always delicious. I think it is a healthy way of getting something different than a salad or skipping out on a complete meal. For a long time I did not realize that normal lettuce wraps were so easy to make because my most favorite lettuce wraps are served at Cheesecake Factory. Unlike the usual ground meat based wrap, Cheesecake Factory uses grilled chicken and tons of cold sides so that you assemble your lettuce wrap to your liking. Although I love the Cheesecake Factory wraps, I do not mind the simplicity behind the normal wraps and so when I had the perfect ingredients lying around for lettuce wraps, I decided to make this recipe. I based this recipe off of some Asian flavors specifically Chinese with the use of Hoisin and Thai with Srirancha. I think all in all I came up with a great recipe that I feel I had to share. So please give it a try.

Kale Frittata

 

I had a bunch of kale and since it is much too hot to make any of my usual kale dishes, zuppa toscana and/or kale and cheese casserole, I decided to make this recipe I found for a delicious kale frittata. I made it ahead of time and ate it for lunch for a couple days in a row, it was quite tasty and perfectly hearty for a lunch meal. I halved the recipe since I was cooking for one and it turned out just as great. Also, I didn't broil mine long because I do not like browned eggs, but a normal frittata should be browned on top. 

Baked Coconut Shrimp

Sorry for my absence, but we have been quite busy over here (I will explain more in another post).  For now, here is the latest new recipe I have made. I love coconut shrimp even though coconut is not one of my favorite ingredients. This recipe is awesome because you bake the shrimp rather than deep fry, so it's a bit healthier...I think. Either way, these were delicious and quite easy to prepare. 

Indian Butter Chicken

This is another Indian food recipe that I found on Pinterest. While it was tasty, it wasn't my favorite (although Nick still enjoyed it quite a bit). I think out of all the Indian food I have made lately, my fave is still Chicken 65 or Chicken Tikka Masala. Either way, this one is still worth while.

 

Calzones

 I don't know if any of you have taken notice but we love pizza in our household. We have made pizza many many different ways: on the grill, in the oven, in rolls, as bites, and now as calzones. This is a recipe my good friend Megan shared with me and it was delicious! If you like pizza as much as we do then you should give all these recipes a try!

Zesty Cheesy Chicken (Slow Cooker Recipe)

 I found this simple slow cooker recipe on Pinterest. I knew it would be a great change in menu from our usual Mexican and/or Italian cuisine. This was very simple to make and it went great with rice and broccoli. 

Cajun Chicken Pasta

My friend shared this recipe with me on Pinterest and I just happened to have all the necessary ingredients on hand and so... I made it. It was very delicious, the only problem I had was that I used angel hair pasta because I didn't have any Fettuccine on hand and the sauce was a bit too thin for angel hair pasta, I know it would've been a much better fit if served with Fettuccine.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Nick and I went away for our anniversary to a somewhat local state park, called Turkey Run State Park. I figured I would make some bread to take with us for breakfast while we were staying at the Inn inside the state park. I knew I wanted to make a cinnamon coffee cake but there are so many recipes online that it almost became overwhelming, in the end I decided on this recipe and thank God I did because it was absolutely amazing! This is seriously the best cinnamon coffee cake I have ever had and Nick agrees. I highly recommend this recipe.

Chicken Tikka Masala (Slow Cooker)

As part of my Indian food fix, I found this awesome slow cooker Tikka Masala recipe. This was absolutely delicious and it will be a new go to for me. 

Creamy Lemon and Spinach Pasta

I found this recipe on Pinterest and it peaked my interest because of the lemon and spinach. This recipe really puts a summery taste to a usually heavy winter cream sauce. This is great served with chicken (seasoned with onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika) but I did not include chicken in the recipe because its not needed.

Crispy Tilapia Sandwich

So there is an obvious fish sandwich trend right now because basically every fast food place is promoting some kind of "fresh" fish sandwich. All these commercials have really made me start craving a good fish sandwich, but I didn't want a fast food version. So I decided to make my own. This was delicious and it truly satisfied my hunger for a real fish sandwich. All this said, good job fast food marketing, you got me hook line and sinker...kinda ;)