Limeys Sell Out Too!

I took these photos on my cell phone on low resolution while I suffered through the worst allergy attack of my life in the middle of the Japanese version of Walmart. So enjoy my brief post and fuzzy photos then forgive me and move on.
That's Keira Knightly, some emaciated chick from the terrible Pirates of the Caribbean flix. They Photoshopped in some flesh and hair then tacked on a mermaid tail so she could push that Lux shampoo that J Lo was pushing awhile back. On a standee display near the checkout area was Orlando Bloom hawking some kind of hair wax. I think they found the only angle where this guy doesn't look like a douche. Sorry if I'm in a foul mood. Matt's gone so I'm back on my diet of 7-11 katsudon and chuhais.
Oh...and if Walmarts across America added surreal second floors full of trendy showcase rooms where the cheapest coffee table was three hundred dollars and yet the bottom floor was still the linoleum and fluorescent discount mecca as usual....that would be Homes, a.k.a. Japanese Walmart.

The Tale of the Ginkgo Nut, or"Why I Sorted Through Rotting Fruitthat Smelled of Dog Feces on My Only Day Off"

Squished orange splotches along the road alerted me to the annual falling of the ginkgo fruit this year. It's a hoot to drive around Yokosuka and spot the occasional American stepping around the horrifically smelling fruit. Some check their shoe for dog poo; others curiously stare wondering if it's a weird Japanese kumquat or badly decomposed cherry. Me? Well, I had anticipated this, literally, all year long remembering how I missed out last year. Stick with me on this long post as I take you through the ginkgo nut harvest and the wonderful pay off in the end...

This photo is the second round of ginnan, or ginkgo nuts, that I gathered in a week. This tree's fruit were a tad bigger than a cherry; the other tree's fruit were the size of chocolate covered peanuts. So, this photo was the score! I suppose the fruit only begins to smell after it falls from the tree where it quickly begins to ripen and rot. The smell is like baby poop, dog poop and vomit scrambled together and left in the hot sun. I'm not exaggerating. II suppose many people pop the nut out there on the spot but being the novice that I am, I took the bags home where they stunk up my car, turned my garage into a stench hole and made my kitchen reek for days.

After the most grueling task of removing the flesh from the fruit, (forget double bagging-try eight!) I then rubbed the nuts together in my hands under running water. This only took a few minutes. I then spread the nuts out on a towel to let them dry and turn white. I followed some foodie blog's instructions by the way. At this point, they resemble pistachios.
Now the second most tedious part: shelling. It's not like I own a teeny tiny nutcracker for situations like this so I had to use my molars. (Thanks mom for stressing dental hygiene my entire youth,) If you bite too hard, you instantly break the gentle nut... They are now a nice off-white, bordering yellow color with think husks.
I've only had them two ways: in a stir fry made by a Japanese lady and on a stick grilled yakitory-style. I decided to toss them in a hot cast iron skillet with a few drops of olive oil and a dusting of salt. In about a minute, they change from an off-white to a light yellow and gradually become a beautiful jade green. As they become less opaque and start to look almost glassy, you know they're done.
And that's the story of the ginkgo nut. The next time you're in the pharmacy isle of your local supermarket or drugstore, you'll know why a ginkgo supplement costs so damn much.

You Say Hurricane; We Say "Typhoon"

This is only the second typhoon I've had to deal with since our move to Japan a year and a half ago. Matt has to leave when one is coming near which means (joy!) I get to move everything indoors and buckle down on my own. The eye is supposed to hit about 30-50 miles from us which means this should be more exciting, wet and windy than the last one. I did get the day off work though...

Click the image below to see a larger version. There are two red dots: one being the eye of the typhoon and the other, our town.

Click here to see the storm in motion...
Emergency Supplies:

Rather than fill up the tub with water, I filled up the fridge with beer. Instead of canned goods, I opted for Japanese potato chips and ramen (not pictured.) The pups are good too with plenty of rawhide chews and dog food. I did get my lighters, bottled water and candles stockpiled...just in case.

Gifu & Itadori Trip

Click the image to view the Itadori/Gifu Album:

Ukai Fishing in Twelve Seconds

Pissing Off P.E.T.A.(again)

Last weekend, we went to Gifu, (A few hours west of Tokyo,) an hour outside Itadori, a rustic town filled with rivers that sits in pine tree coated mountains. Our purpose for the journey was to see the World Bike Trials Championships in Itadori, a sport that Matt is passionate about. (Click here to see the photos from the event.) The closest hotels were in Gifu and since I wasn't about to camp in 90+ degree weather, we stayed in the city. The first night, we lucked out and got reservations on a boat trip to watch cormorant, or "ukai" fishing, a method of fishing for delicious ayu that's over 1300 years old. This lantern shot was taken on our flat bottomed boat but also decorated many small shops and restaurants in the area, the ukai being a symbol of the city.

Attached to strings linked to the choker around their neck, the ukai dive into the shallow water to catch the shy ayu. Full moons and swollen lakes mean the fishing is canceled. The fishing master watches the birds carefully and quickly begins to untangle the many strings in his hand to pull a bird toward the boat if it has a fish. It looks a bit rough, but he then forces the fish from the throat and pushes the bird back to the water where it quickly starts fishing again. They claim the birds are very spoiled, live longer than the ones without careers in tourism and eat very well after they finish working.
We got to paddle down the river next to this boat for a good five minutes. It was pitch black except for the blazing cluster of pine wood at the front of each boat, a near-full moon, the lit castle perched atop the mountain along the river and the glowing paper lanterns on each boat. There was some spooky, japanese banjo and flute music filtering down from the castle and oddly, I could only hear the music, the quiet splashing of the cormorants and the cooing noises that the boat master was calling to them. I felt like I was back in time a few hundred years and the entire boat of people behind me didn't exist. I was surprised when I played the video I took and heard all the chatter that I'd tuned out while I floated along next to the fishing boat.

Here's the standard method to cook the small sweetfish: bamboo skewered, heavily salted and grilled over super-hot charcoal. The fish is truly delicious and needs nothing more than the salt. We had it again later that night at an izakaya near the hotel. (Gifu, Japan)

A Whale of a Lunch Break

Yesterday, my boss took his admin staff out to a rotating sushi bar not too far down the peninsula. Above is whale sushi. When I asked my coworker what part of the whale, she raised her arm and pointed to the area directly below her armpit. So, I guess it's rib meat or lower-pit...take your pick! It was yummy!

Here's our table with the sushi belt behind my colleague, Makiko. In front of the menu/sign is an intercom. No need to wait for a server to happen by your table--just buzz and command your order and the kitchen will handle the rest. It's Magic! It's Instant! It's Japan!












Here are a few more cellphone snaps of what I ate. The tuna belly was of course--delish--and the minced Salmon was a new one for me and equally oishi. (Rotating Sushi Bar in Uraga, Japan)

What the Hell IS This?



















Yes of course I know what it is! I ate it! But when Yumi put this down in front of Matt and I and with a devilish grin said "it's gift from my father--please eat," well, I was scared.
So, just to mess with you guys, I'm not going to tell you what it is. Feel free to leave a comment with your guess. When I leave another post in a few days, I'll end the suspense......or not.
(Hideyoshi Yakitori, Kamakura)

"You Ate WHAT?" Poll Results
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Here are the poll results from 14 unique voters:

Sushi, (the kind with raw fish) 50% Snails, Snakes or Something Slimy 50% Horse Meat 21% Something Else 21% Something that Was Still Alive 14% Some Insect 7% Kangaroo 7% Dog Meat (Chinese Food Doesn't Count) 0%

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I know one reader has had dog for certain; I'm guessing she didn't take test? (Mom???)

How The Japanese Poop



I posted this photo for two reasons: one, it illustrates a significant cultural difference between us and the Japanese--poop. Yup, we draw poop in a Mr. Hankie sense, a long or short log, usually brown in color. The Japanese illustrate poop as a pile similar to soft-serve ice cream. I've seen "unchie" drawn all colors of the rainbow, usually light brown or pink though. Also, toy machines, cartoons and stuffed toys also feature cute piles of poop, usually with arms and hands.
The second reason is that I, like this sign outside a bar in Yokosuka, am busy. I've been working hard at the new job and volunteering with this event: www.yokosukapatriotproject.blogspot.com
I'll have some new photos and experiences posted soon...try to control your anticipation. :)
(Chuhai Bar, Yokosuka)