Exotic Foods of Japan

I’m sure many of you are familiar with Japanese food. You have probably experienced sushi rolls and delicious ramen soup.  You may have thought that these items were all there was to Japanese food.  That would have been a very false assumption!

During this wonderful trip to Japan, we have had an opportunity to learn and experience why Japan ( Okinawa to be more specific) is classified as one of the Blue Zones. Blue Zones are areas where people live past one hundred years old due to several factors. Among these are a sense of purpose, getting outside to walk and move your body and the foods they consume.  It makes perfect sense that the fuel we put into our mouths would create or destroy health.  Several Japanese foods can help us live longer in a state of ease instead of disease and who wouldn’t want that?

First I will mention fermented and pickled foods.  Every morning at breakfast the breakfast buffet includes a huge and varied array of pickled vegetables...pickled daikon, pickled cucumber, pickled beets, and many others. The Japanese know that pickled foods aid with digestion.  The fermented foods are rich in probiotics, also promote gut health and aid with immunity.  You may have had kombucha or sauerkraut, but there are many more fermented foods available here. Miso soup and umeboshi plums are always on the buffet. If you are feeling under the weather, a chopped up ume plum in a cup of green or twig tea will fix you right up. I never travel without my ume concentrate, a concentrated form of ume.     

If I have overindulged, I put a dot of this thick paste into a hot glass of water, mix it up and drink it down. Pretty soon, I’m feeling much better.

Another type of food common to Japan is seaweed. You may have had nori on the outside of your sushi roll or wakame in your miso soup. In Japan, hijiki is a frequent element of the breakfast buffet.  Seaweed has iodine to help with thyroid function, contains antioxidants and is a great source of vitamins and minerals.

Then there is the category of noodles. Whether it is thick udon noodles, buckwheat soba noodles or ramen noodles in a delicious broth, they are a staple food here in Japan.  As it vegan it has been difficult to find broth that isn’t made with fish, chicken or beef broth, but we have discovered some vegan restaurants that offer delicious vegetable broth.

Next there are the unusual foods I have never seen before.  The first one is okonomiyaki.  We joined a long line to try this delicacy when the restaurant’s window boasted, “Vegan food.”  This was the strangest concoction. On a grill in front of us, several cooks were making a pancake, topping it with bean sprouts and other veggies, topping that with noodles and then turning it over to crisp and then top with a kind of ketchupy barbecue sauce.  Most customers opted for chicken, beef and cheese on theirs. It was surprisingly tasty.

A food creation that is common here is called Tamagoyaki. It is an egg omelette that is stuffed with rice and topped with ketchup and mayo.   

Takoyaki is a flour mixture, mixed with onion, diced octopus and pickled ginger and poured into molds to cook. These balls can be found everywhere!  Curry is found in many establishments here.  It is like a brown gravy served with rice. We were able to try a vegan version and it was pretty good.

Japanese treats are an art here. Cookies with intricate designs, cream puffs, mochi stuffed with bean paste, monju cakes filled with pumpkin, green tea filling and many others, and I could go on and on.  The basements of department stores are filled with booths with the most beautiful desserts I have ever seen.  Unfortunately they were made of the eggs and milk and sugar I am trying to avoid. 

Our trip to Japan has been a true culinary experience and a feast for our eyes and our other senses.  I feel so fortunate to get to enjoy this amazing culture.

Japan Musings

Japan Musings

When I decided to travel to Japan, it was the place I thought would be most out of my comfort zone.  As it turns out, that is not true.  Tokyo was easy to navigate and brimming with vegan restaurant choices.  The biggest problem I have had is whether to walk on the left or right!  It turns out that the hordes of people will walk right at you no matter which side you are on. Its a bit like being caught in a stampede with nowhere to hide!

Since I was anticipating some difficulties with the language barrier and directional challenges, I booked us on a Colette Tour.  There are many advantages to a tour and I am finding the best one is the people you meet. Our tour is composed of people from Australia, New Zealand, America, India and the UK.  These people are so friendly and welcoming. No matter who your table partners are, you can count on a stimulating interlude.  Last night I enjoyed my conversation with a couple from Liverpool England. We discussed growing up around the Beatles and since the man is part of the National Trust he recounted the story of Yoko Ono buying John Lennon’s home and donating it to the National Trust and how Paul visits his childhood home every time he is in the area. This man’s accent is so charming and I feel like Paul is right in the room.  I thought I traveled a lot and everyone tells me I do, but this couple just got back from driving Route 66 for three weeks, without a plan! They have been all over the world and recounted many travel stories for us, whetting our appetites for future journeys.  On the way out of dinner, we encountered a group from New Jersey. The woman’s cousin had done the windows for one of Trump’s buildings. Upon completion, Trump called him in and pointing at each window told him he had not wanted that particular glass. He told the cousin he would only give him half payment for the expensive job. The cousin quietly gathered up his contracts and papers and sued Trump for the whole amount and he won!  We then had a rousing conversation about the state of our government. It felt good to share my outrage about the state of things with like minded folks!  The people from India are vegetarians so we are connecting about that.  A tour exposes you to many different viewpoints and experiences and I am feeling entertained by our interactions.

I have some observations regarding the Japanese people.  The Japanese people pride themselves on cleanliness.  The public bathrooms, restaurants, subway stations and cars, and streets are immaculate!  During a driving rainstorm, we watched a man in a uniform sweep the individual leaves up that were falling from a nearby tree. He was out there for an hour insuring the ground was tidy!  Strangely though, nary a trashcan can be spied in the whole of Japan! People take their trash home with them. Our teamaster stored her trash down her beautiful komono’s sleeve so that she could dispose of it in the privacy of her own abode.

Another inconsistency involves the wearing of masks.  All over Tokyo you will see citizens wearing them.  Even some teenagers in a crowd will be using these white masks. I suppose it’s to prevent disease from spreading.  If they are trying to avert germs, why then is there never soap provided in the public bathrooms? I don’t think just water will cut it when you have to do a number two!!! 

The Japanese people have a very strong work ethic.  They work long hours and may even spend the night in the office. Often they commute an hour each way to work. The subway stations are like mini cities where people can procure all their meals.  You can rent a girlfriend, a wife or grandparents here for a day or longer.  They just don’t have time to date and even having sexual relationships is not so common here.  The Japanese identity is wrapped up in the job performance and even children feel the pressure of succeeding.  For this reason, suicides rates are high here.  On the other hand, there are no guns,  little crime and you feel safe wherever you go.  I wonder if a safe life is a good enough exchange for all this work pressure and group identity culture.

These stark differences from our American culture are spurring an avalanche of conversations and making me really think about the importance of balance in one’s life.  This is a concept we learn in macrobiotics and it is really coming to the forefront in my observations of Japan.

Next blog will be about the food of Japan.

Japan Land of the Rising Sun

Japan, Land of the Midnight Sun

Our next macro adventure begins in Tokyo, Japan. For the next two weeks we will be immersed in Japanese exotic culture, unique food and rich history.  For this journey, I have chosen a guided tour to make our traveling easier as this is our first visit to Japan and I thought the different language and finding our way around might prove problematic.  

For our first two days we are on our own in Tokyo.  I am writing this blog at 2 am as this is when I am waking up after a 12 hour flight and a 12 hour time difference. Hopefully this will improve as the days pass.

I have already made several observations. As it turns out, the challenges I feared before arriving here  have proven easy to surmount.  Between google translate, my partner KO’s aptitude for simple Japanese, and the pictures on all the Japanese menus, we have been able to navigate the complicated subway lines, order our food easily and even figure out how to purchase organic, vegan makeup with little stress.

Yesterday we decided to visit the Shibuya district.  A lovely stroll along a tree lined pedestrian only area speckled with colorful flowers, led us to the subway station and a short ride to this busy area.  Shibuya is a shopping district known for the Scramble.  The Scramble is not a breakfast dish, but rather a four way crosswalk where a multitude of humans cross the street at the same moment!  Viewed from a Starbucks above the street, it is hard to believe this feat is achieved with noone getting plowed down!  In my life, I have never seen so many people in one spot at one time, even in New York City.  Near the Scramble Crossing,  we enjoy a fascinating visit to one of the basement food halls, Tokyo Food Show.  Found in the lowest level of department stores, these food meccas spread out with a colorful array of delicacies.  A myriad of booths brim with freshly prepared salads, crispy dumplings, home made chunky noodles, golden vegetable tempuras, carefully created sweet confections, brightly colored fresh fruit and vegetables and jarred umeboshi plums and pickled daikon.  I carry with me a card that details in Japanese that I do not consume anything that contains dairy, fish, meat, chicken or egg. I bravely hand my card to each vendor and each vendor shakes his head from side to side to indicate that everything here includes pork or milk or other non vegan products.  I settle for a simple green salad.  My experience is not dimmed by the fact that I can not sample the foods because this market is a true example of epicurean art and I am thrilled to have the chance to see it.

Our own plant based culinary adventure always starts at home where we scour Happycow.com to choose our vegan restaurants and schedule them into each location.  Once we arrive, it is like following a treasure map to our wonderful discoveries. Our first breakfast is experienced in a traditional quick Japanese restaurant.  My macrobiotic background is proving invaluable here in Japan.  As I am already quite familiar with natto( fermented beans), Kinpira, nishime, miso soup with wakame, and various fermented foods that make up the Japanese diet, I am not confused by the items on my plate and understand the nutritional benefits of all of them.  Thank you Michio Kushi!  You will not find a single overweight person walking these streets and most of the population is quite slim! A combination of healthy food, not overeating and walking everywhere contributes to this healthy lifestyle.  Our first breakfast consists of natto, which we mix with mustard and scallions and eat with white rice, miso soup with wakame and a fermented cabbage salad.    Brown rice used to be fed to the poor and still hasnt caught on here.  Miso soup in Japan is a mainstay, but in most restaurants it is prepared with fish stock.  Vegan restaurants prepare it with veggie stock. Either way, miso is good for your gut and a tummy tamer.  The total price for our breakfast...$4!

Tucked away in a tiny alley that took us an hour to find, is Hanoda Rosso , an organic vegan macrobiotic jewel.  I have been hoping to try out the traditional Japanese curry KO has been talking about for nine years, but it is usually prepared with beef or chicken.  My vegan version is filled with vegetables covered in a mildly spiced black gravy which blankets my rice.  It is delicious!  KO chooses a  “chicken” croquette dish, made of seitan and gently fried golden brown. It is accompanied by crispy lotus root slivers and a delicious miso soup which has just the right amount of salty flavor.  We really enjoy this spot off the main drag.

Walking along the streets of Tokyo is an amazing visual treat.  Since I am a blond and brown haired, blue eyed Caucasian, I am feeling quite the minority among the black haired, brown eyed beautiful Japanese people.  The differences don’t stop there.  The Japanese men and women have a real flair for fashion!   The men are neatly dressed in nicely tailored slacks with formal button down shirts and suit jackets while the petite women look so classic in flowing skirts or floral dresses.  On their feet are Doc Martens or shiny black chunky platform shoes.   Often we see younger girls in matching school uniforms or “Little Bo Peep” dresses with frilly slips underneath.  Their hair is done up in curls and  lacy bows.  It seems the Japanese are making a statement of individuality and uniqueness through their fashion. You do not see any t shirts and jeans.  We also observe that it is very clean here.  We see no litter on the ground and street cleaners are hand sweeping the streets.  Everyone here greets you as you enter their shops, but my friendly smile is never returned on our walk.  The people are very helpful, even leaving their stores to lead us two blocks away to a desired destination!   

I am so pleased we are having this opportunity to be among the quiet, helpful Japanese people and to explore this city before we join our tour tomorrow evening!