Bach would have enjoyed this too!!

Hi, Mom!!

Called my mom in Chicago the other day, and told her about my blog (and sorta expecting some compliments....). Obviously been reading my blog thoroughly, the young lady that gave my birth asked, "do you eat in Japan all the time?"
"No, " I said, "I don't eat when I am not eating."
I don't know about your mother, but my mom just does not let me get away that easily. "Then why you wrote about food all the time?"
"But I had an article about Japanese space program...", I tried to remind her.
"Even that was about food", as I told you, you just can not fool her.
"Eating all the time is not good for your health!", I could tell she was trying to be very patient with me.
(Silence......)

In fact, mom was right. Plus some of you folks probably started getting bored with my food talk anyway. So, let's detour from food talk for a healthy change.

On the way to a meeting I needed to take the O-Edo subway train at the Tokyo City Hall station. Walking down the stairs in the station I heard this music which was rather different from the usual elevator music. That got me started looking for the source of the sound. At the corner of the hall way, there was this gentleman dressed in his comfortable Japanese outfit, holding a Shamisen (三味線) and picking some random notes - and they are wonderful music to my ears!!

I always like the Shamisen, a 3-string Japanese music instrument. The body, or sound box, is relatively small but capable of generating an amazing volume of sound. The rectangular shape box is frame by hard wood, such as red sandalwood, and covered by two pieces of animal skins. (Well, I did not want to tell you this, but the orthodox Shamisens use the cat skins!) The bridge is placed directly on the top skin. Shamisen players use a "T" shape pick(a Bachi) to strike the strings to make sound. The well-trained musicians, as this gentleman in the video, can play extremely fast notes because of this Bachi.

In such office hour at the subway station, everyone was moving briskly to or from somewhere. I was the only person could afford the time (and having a not-so-real-job I guess) to stop and listen. That made us the only two static human being!! As if to reward this having-nothing-to-to guy, the Shamisen musician started playing this extremely difficult piece that I could not resist recording it on my digital camera. There is no doubt at all this gentleman must have spent years and years perfecting his art!!

The music style somehow sounded familiar to me, although it was a purely Japanese melody. It was not until much later that I realized the rhythm was similar to some phrases in JS Bach's Partita for Solo Violin. That just got me totally excited!!In fact, according to Wikipedia, both Shamisen and violin could trace their common origin to the equestrian cultures of Central Asia, the Mongolian instrument of Morin Huur, back to over 1,000+ years ago. If my beloved JS Bach were here, he would have liked this too, haha!!

Thank you, Shamisen-man. You made it my happy day!!

If there is a well, there is an eel.

"Where have you been?", one friend asked me. "And what happened to your space food taste result?", asked another. Sorry, guys, was away to Kanazawa to visit my mentor Alice. Oh, BTW, she always buys me good stuff that you can't get in Tokyo. So, my dear friends, before I talk about our space food report, I have to share with you the goodies Alice fed me.

The debate was between sushi or unagi (eel). Although in the spring, the weather was pretty freezing, so eel easily won the decision. (Urgh, for some unknown reason, in the real cold and real hot days, people feel like eating unagi. Among many reasons, unagi is supposed to fill you with energy to fight extreme weather. ;-) In the middle of no where, Sumidagawa, a hundred year old unagi restaurant passing thru generations of the same family, stood silently by the quiet neighbourhood. It was so quiet outside that I thought it was not open, and only to find out we would have to wait after slipping thru the sliding door.

There were two things very special about this restaurant: 1) The people were eating. I mean, for a Sunday brunch, the customers all looked pretty serious eaters. Everyone ordered lots of food, and quietly working on them. Unagi, of course, among sashimi, tempura - smells good and looks great. 2) There was a small aquarium at the corner, with some big, brilliant and colorful koi (carp) swimming inside. In fact, they were not really swimming. They sort of stared at the customers with a funny look. You would feel the company if you were there, guaranteed.

I asked the kami-san (the head lady who was looking after us the lost people) about the koi, how could they look so good?! "A decent unagi place must have a good well", she told me. Indeed, the unagi tasted wonderful, but, I was asking myself: what does that have to do with the well? And the koi? She smiled, obviously noticed I was not going anywhere. Yes, I was ready for the Sunday morning education. So she let other customers wait and explained to me how things worked.

The unagi must be kept alive, so they were staying in a pond of fresh water inside the restaurant. However, they can not get used to the city water. The faucet water would have killed the eel; not to mention the chlorine would wipe out the flavor. For hundreds of years, the wise unagi chefs decided to dig their own wells. And they were in search of the best wells they could find. The fresh unagi brought from the rivers would be kept in the well water for a day or two to rid off the muddy odor. The fresh well water would enhance the meat flavor further. It is also important to assure the water' s purity and safety, so the traditional unagi-ya (a unagi restaurant) keeps koi in the pond for sanity check. In a simple math: if the koi is happy, the unagi is happy, and the customers are happy!!

As you can see, Sumidagawa makes their koi happier than any others on earth!! These big happy gold fishes have been there for over 20 years!! The restaurant even displays their well water in front of the store for your quality check - and now you and I all know what that was for!!

Oh, I forgot to mention their unagi. They were among the best unagi I have ever tasted. By all means, if you happen to visit the beautiful Kanazawa Bunko (to the south of Yokohama City) by the Sagami Bay, you should pay this rear unagi restaurant a visit. Be prepared to wait for several minutes. Bring a book, that might help to kill time. But you will find it is worth the wait.

P.S. Forgot to tell you one thing. You have to order this "kama-kushi" which is a whole skewer of unagi cheek meat - the most delicious of an eel. (See the picture to the right, this was yaaamiii...) Unagi cheek meat can only be found on fresh live eels, and it takes 15 eels to make one skewer!! You don't get to see this just in any other regular unagi-ya. Avaialbe as supply lasts, you'd better order it early.

Space Washoku? Space Japanese Food!

Hmmm.... WHAT is THAT?? You are likely to ask, because you have no idea what I am talking about. Well, I am talking about having Japanese food in the space!! Yes, THE space as in the space shuttle and the space laboratory.

Having lunch appointment with a friend at Tokyo Station, I arrived at the station several minutes early. To my surprise, the Tokyo Station has been totally remodeled with many cool building and lots of nice (or expensive) looking shops all over. While I was looking for the eatery I bumped into this place looks like a science store where you can see a space suite standing in the window. It turned out to be an exhibit space offered by JAXA, or Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. As an ex-space enthusiast, I went in for an exploration.

Ms. Matsumoto, the knowledgeable and patient exhibit guide, explained to me with great details of the Japanese space program and the articles being exhibited. She did a great job, and the exhibit was FUN. If you happen to be in the area, I highly recommend a visit. It was highly educational (time for you decadent people to get some real education!!), and the admission cost nothing - uncle J picks up the bill!

Somehow, the video game like boxes in the glass case caught my attention - wouldn't it be fun to play a space shuttle landing game? Ms. Matsumoto laughed, and told me that the silver box was a "space food". Or, to be more exact, "space Japanese food". This is neither Nintendo nor PS3. What you see in the silver box is a "Space Curry". It even got the food manufacturer's mark on it!! Standing in the back of the curry box, not the game controller as you might think, are the sweet red bean pastes (Yohkan)!! Chris and Alex, you guys gonna love these stuff, they are so totally cool!!

Ms. Matsumoto told me the space food actually tasted as good as their street counterpart in any Tokyo restaurants. These foods in exhibit can also be purchased, so I bought 4 packs of different kind: space curry, space yohkan, space daigaku imo (yam), and space takoyaki.

Getting way excited, I told my buddy Eddie, a CalTech aerospace engineering graduate (how appropriate!!), about this new discovery and ask him to come over for a taste test and he happily agreed. We plan to do that test and post reports on this blog!!

Do come back to visit again, and EXPECT to see TokyoTracker's entirely serious "Space Japanese Food" tasting reports!!

Hanami. Japan's Spring Blossom Symphony!

In Tokyo, spring comes like Beethoven's first symphony: a slow introduction with discords, with Beethoven's search for harmony - one discord after another, just like the rumbling rainy and cold oceanic late winter in Tokyo. Finally, the symphony found a small coordinating chord, then another chord, then another.... And eventually it bursted into this assuring and comfortable Allegro Con Brio... wohh!!... welcome to the wonderful bright harmonies of C major!! The spring cherry blossom in Tokyo always reminds me of this fantastic music work created by the maestro. The flow of the pleasant string ensembles flows just like the ocean of cherry blossoms that waves thru the spring Japan!! Well, for those of you who care to listen to me, I happily hum Tokyo cherry blossom when I conduct Beethoven's C Major symphony.

Hanami, 花見, or the cherry blossom viewing, could be traced to Nara period (AC 710 - 794) where the aristocracy held spring parties with food and dance and drinking while watching the spring flowers. Whatever the legend says, Japanese regard Hanami as a seasonal event as important as the new year!! In fact, in many cases this marks the beginning of the year. A Japanese friend of mine told me that Japanese companies and schools start on 4/1 because of cherry blossom. Believe it or not?! Don't know about you, but I believe what he said!! You ought to come to sit under the mad blossoms of cherry trees, let cherry petals falling on your head, tasting fresh sushi and sipping newly brewed rice sake (and trying hard to stay sober which most of us failed drunkenly) to know how important the hanami is to Japanese and Japan!! (Without hanami, this would have been a different country!)

Tokyo has some of the most beautiful Japanese gardens on earth (it sounded so redundant, but I love to say it anyway, dah!!) which makes the city a premium place to enjoy the cherry blossom hanami. I am showing you some pictures freshly taken at THE Gyoen (or the Royal Garden which was indeed THE private garden exclusively built for the emperor family) where you can see how people enjoy hanami, as well as some of the most peaceful tranquillity you can find in Japan. And....

Urgh, my buddies are calling, and I have to go sakeing now. Chat you later!

A Perfect Spring Lunch

SHIN came to visit in the late morning. An old friend forever, Shin is definitely one of my best buddies. We've always got endless subjects to talk, from economics to drama to philosophy, and often could get more excited than we should. The more importantly, we always have these chats over good food. So, it was time for lunch, and we were sitting there cranking our brains trying to figure out where to go for something special.

We had French last time we met, and Yakitori the one before. So those nice choices were out of our scope. All of a sudden, I thought of a place way up on the top of a high rise building, with great view on this bright sunny spring day - the air is so clear we ought to be able to see miles and miles away from 250 meters above the ground. The place I had in mind was a tepanyaki steak house. What can be better than a nice tender juicy Japanese steak, freshly prepared by a seasoned chef in front of you, and have great service while having impeccable service around you?? The decision was a no brainer. Fantasizing the sizzling aroma arising from the huge cooking plate, we were hasting on our feet!!

The teppan place is located on the 52nd floor of the building. In the cool spring air, walking thru the sidewalk sourounded by good-looking hotels and offices, aligned with cherry trees under the bright spring sun, we were ready to attack the steak before we reached the restaurant. This is the time you started wondering if life could get any better than this, haha.

The lunch started with a totally delicious fresh sweet tomato chunks which were lightly marinated in apple vinegar, fresh lemon and sesame oil. The lightly pickled daikon slices added just enough juiciness and crunchiness to the starter. Boy, are we not ready for the steak?! As a ritual in this service-is-bigger-than-life restaurant, the chef showed us the raw steak for our inspection. We took our most serious look at the steak to make sure it was not moving anymore, and nodded the chef to let the cooking drama start.

The steak was a nicely cut Wagyu (pronounces "wah-gi-you", means Japanese beef, typically what I could not afford in the supermarket) with snow flake texture evenly distributed through it. At the rim of the steak was a nice piece of crystal white fat that the chef cut it to oil and sizzle the teppan plate. We asked the steak to be medium rear (the way you want the nice tender Japanese steak to be, if not served raw, haha), and that was exactly how it came. The first bite was, Mmm...mmm.... jui..seeii... The tenderness was what in between of a red snapper sashimi and cantaloupe, its nicely juicy with very gentle steak aroma. Another secret of Japanese teppan yaki steak is at its sauce, THAT is what separates it from the steaks we are so used to at home. Today, we had an barrel-aged soy sauce blended with vinegar and garlic powder. The steak with the sauce tasted soooo good that I seriously believed that Shin and I were becoming better friends!!

As if to reaffirm with us that this lunch was a total departure from our normal life, after the perfect spring steak ceremony, the manager showed us to a separate room to sit on a bar where we had a clear view of entire western Tokyo expanding all the way to the Mt. Fuji. That, again, made me wonder why we did not do this everyday??? The closing ceremony was presented with a beautifully decorated green tea ice cream and freshly brewed coffee. And we sat on the bar happily talking ever after.....

Sakura Arrives at Tokyo!!

Hola! Right after April Fool's Day here comes THE April Fleur's Day in Tokyo. Typically a week after 4/1 is the week of the wonderful cherry blossom time in this beautiful city. As if intricately timed by a clock, all the cherry trees virtually blossom at the same time, within a short span of several days. Nothing better represents the beauty of Japanese gardening than the ferociously blossoming cherry flowers, particularly when they stun your vision by doing it all together like a full-parkful of syncronized swimmers!!

These pictures were taken in the Shinjuku Central Park right in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building (you can see the city hall in the back of the cherry blossoms). BTW, the city hall, designed by the highly respected architect Tange Kenzo (1913/9/4 - 2005/3/22), smartly projecting the image of traditional Japanese castle while blended with some of the most modern design and styles - a landmark building you must visit in Tokyo. With our office building located at right across steet from the park, we are extremely fortunate to have the immediate and luxerous access to these beautiful plants without the risk of stompping someone's feet in those typically madly crowded weekend hanami (flower watching) parks. Folks in Japan love these cherry blossoms, and they go way out to peek at these flowers. There are flocks of cherry trees in the US, such as Washington D.C., which blooms beautifully as well. But in my view, nothing resembles what you can see in Tokyo!!

Squid!! What you can not miss in Fukuoka!!

Ika （いか、烏賊）, or squid in 横文字, is THE grandee royal treat in Fukuoka. Showing here is the art work (AND it is actually edible!!) created by the renowned executive chef Aoki of Kawasho, one of the most exquisite sushi restaurants in Fukuoka. If you happen to be in Fukuoka, and not too concern with your cuisine budget, I highly recommend a dinner visit to the renowned sushi restaurant in town.

Squid sushi is one of those that looks easy to do, but actually requires a lot of effort to excel. Not to mention a lot of practise to perfect the art. Aoki-san would have to peel the squid's almost invisible skin with a towel and lots and lots of patience until its surface was all perfectly smooth and shiny. The next step is to use a sashimi-bocho (Japanese sushi knife) to cut evenly-paced fine and absolutely parallel lines through the squid's entire outside surface. Then the maestro would turn the squid 60 degrees around, and did the same thing. Again, even-interval, absolutely parallel, and exactly the same depth cutting lines to create a stunning delicate grid pattern. Click the pictures to the left for an enlarged picture to see what I am talking about.

There are three reasons to do so: 1) Aesthetics. Without the grids, the squid's smooth surface creates glare which does not look appetizing. Instead, the fine cut grid pattern creates a beautiful image to enhance appetite. 2) Health. More importantly, for practical serving and digestion purpose. Squid has very tough skin which is difficult for a normal person to bite and swallow. The fine cuts in fact divide the tough skin into many small parcels which are easy to chew and digest. 3) Taste. Lastly, to enhance the tasting pleasure and experience. When squid's sensitive meat, or muscle, meets the air it will quickly oxidize. With proper oxidization, the meat becomes softer and sweeter. However, there is a catch: you need to consume it right away. Otherwise it will become too watery to be tasty. Here, Aoki-san's work was a masterly demonstration of craftsmanship, precision and art. The picture is truly for any one's eye pleasure. The taste? It was absolutely surprising and pleasing. What a gracious tasting experience with Aoki-san!! Thank you, Aoki-san!!

玄海 Where the Best Fishes Come From!!

In Fukuoka, rather different from what you are used to in Tokyo, the fishes tend to be of firmer texture, sweeter, and more lively. When you ask where the fishes come from, the mighty sushi master at the sushi bar is likely to annouce with great deal of pride that all his wonderful local selections come from Genkai.
So what is Genkai, you are likely to ask, as when I first heard this word from my sushi chef. If that is your question, congratulations to you, my friend. By asking that question, you have just marked yourself a click up of knowldge in enjoying this seemingly simple yet extremely sophisticated sushi culture.

Yet, before I get into the explanation of this one of the world's richest fishery oceans, let me show you some wonderful sushi pictures from the cusine artists in Fukuoka.
Enjoy the pictures, and I will come back to talk more about the rich Japanese culinary culture and my beloved sushi and sashimi. 　Yes, yes, I shall not forget my subject: we shall talk about Genkai as well.

The Day & Meditation

The days started with meditation, that was of course if the house cleaning was not counted. (For those lazy buns like me that have problem getting up early in the morning, you should know that house cleaning in this dusk is part of the Zen ritual!!) Meditation in the morning is a great idea, provided if one can get up early enough to do that. Anything less than 30 minutes will not give you a quality meditation.

This is how I handled it: a 30 minutes mediation divided into two 15 minutes sessions. Take brisk break between the sessions. Rub your feet, arm and face to make yourself feel at ease and relaxed. Right breathing is essential. You should breathe in thru nose, and away thru mouth. Both as gentle and slow as possible. On your better days, you'll breathe so gentle as if you do not feel it at all.

The challenge is to rid off everything from one's mind. Think of nothing and let your mind rest at peace. It surely takes lots of practise to make that happen. Or, to be more accurate, to assure nothing happens. And you shall feel totally relieved and ready for the day. Whatever that will be, nothing is gonna bother you. Meditation is called "Zazen" in Japanese. Literally meaning "Zen Sitting", or "Zen Meditation". Take a look at the morning sight of Mt. Fuji, the spiritual symbol of Japan, you feel the calmness. Let zen take you for a ride. Be Zen and have a nice day.

PS. The pictures were taken in a trip to Mt. Fuji. To look for the peace not normally found in Tokyorian urban life, I tried to avoid tourists, and went to the lake at the hill of Mt. Fuji that most of the tourists, whether domestic or overseas, have little knowledge of and rearly pay a visit to. On the way to the lake, I bumped into this inconspicuous Udon & Soba place, nice and quiet, and totally intended for local villagers. In addition to the healthy and tasty udon, soba, o-bento, they also have this wonderful noodle called "Houtou (ほうとう)" which is served in a cast iron pot with lots of local organic vegetables. The Houtou, created by General Takeda (1521-1573) for his soldiers engaging in field battles, was unexpectedly delicious which deserves a thombs up!! To the dear nature lover Alex, I have to take you here to try your favorite soba, you gonna love it!!