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!!