Adding pieces to the puzzle

7 years has passed since I (H) have studied for real. Of course there has been various courses and training activities provided at work since I left the Technical University in Lyngby, but this summer I returned to the real school bench again as I attended an eMBA class at Temple University’s Tokyo campus titled: “Managing the Enterprise from a Global Perspective”. The aim of the course has been to add additional theory to my practical experience at work, partly through studying the course material and equally important through the discussions with fellow alumni and the teacher. The class consisted of Mexicans, Japanese, Americans, an Australian and an Austrian, whom all presented different perspectives because of their cultural background and their different corporate cultures. This is for sure an effective way to broaden ones perspectives.

The classes took place on Saturdays, starting 6:16 a.m. at Koriyama station catching the train to Tokyo and ended again in Koriyama 8:29 p.m. (The trains are always very precise in Japan!) Long days. In matter of fact - long weeks, but worth it. Imagine that you have a lot of puzzles to solve (plus some puzzles you didn’t even know existed…), in some cases you are missing a piece to complete the puzzle, in other cases you don’t know what the puzzle will look like when it is finished. The theory and discussions in this course has helped solving some of the puzzles I have been working on for a while, like answering questions like “Why is it such a challenge to engage in business between different nationalities?”

The biggest lesson though, has been the realization of a need and desire for continuously discovering new puzzles, pieces and outlines. It will most likely not be long before I return to the school bench again.

And thus we were three: us and Nukachan - our companion for life.

As Mika-san and I(B) had arrived early for a Nuka-lesson at Gunji-sensei's house, we were invited as guests to a tea ceremony class. Its always hypnotizing to watch the details that a 'go Teishu' (tea ceremony master) puts into preparing the tea, so of cause we joined in. One student had studied for 20 years, another for 17 years...kind of indicate the complexity of this art form right?

The summer-tea ceremony differs from the winter-tea ceremonies, not just because of the 'light' service used (like thin glass cups opposed to thick ceramic cups, light bamboo tray opposed to wood trays during winter etc), but also because of the temperature of the water used for making the tea. During winter the water is heated to 80°C (Sencha 100 °C) before it is mixed with the tea leaves. Two pots of tea can be made of one batch of leaves(ichi-sen & ni-sen).
During summertime, the water is only heated to 25°C, more leaves are used, and three pots of tea can be made of one batch of tea leaves (ichi-sen, ni-sen & san-sen).
As three students practiced tea ceremony today it meant we each had 9 cups of tasty green tea!

The second best part of the tea ceremony – the tea being the best of cause – is the o Kashi, a typical Japanese sweet that goes well with the tea. Often it is made of beans.

The design of the cake is decided upon the occasion or the season of the year. Today's 'o kashi' was made by an 82 year old cake-artist here in Koriyama, and the cake was inspired by the sea. The white beans in the translucent jelly symbolize stones in clear water.

After the tea ceremony class and a tasty lunch, the Nuka-class could begin.

One of the three most important components of a Japanese meal is pickles (the other two being miso soup and rice). Pickles are made in many different ways, but the most demanding one must be the vegetables pickled in nuka, as nuka needs constant love and care.

Nuka is a kind of fermented paste made of mainly rice bran(nuka), salt and water. In the old days every family would have its own Nuka-pot handed down from generations, because the thing is that a nuka-pot can live forever, if well taken care of.

To the rice brand, salt and water, we added as well yoghurt, and the following for taste: Dashi (bonito flakes), Kombu (kelp), Shitake musrooms, Niboshi (dried baby sardines) and thinly sliced Togarashi chilis (which also keeps the bugs on a distance.)




Because the nuka paste contains live bacillus, it must be carefully monitored meaning I every single day from now on, must mix the nuka paste by hand to avoid molds. If this is done well, Nuka-chan (as Mika-san kindly has baptized it) will stay with us forever.

To create the pickles, vegetables like cucumber, eggplant, burdock or carrot are buried in the paste for one and a half day, and then ready to be served!

Vietnamese rolls

Banh Trang stuffed with salad, carrot, cucumber and shrimps/ham and with the most delicious spicy-sweet dressing on the side.


Another tasty gift from our neighbor dropped off at dinnertime.

Ikebana

Todays Ikebana project. This time, Gunji-sensei had prepared a decoration pre-hand for us to copy. The copying went so well, that she for the first time ever didn't changed a single thing about my decoration. I guess she was in a very good mood today.
After class we had a great lunch at a local healthy restaurant. After I've changed my diet, my friends do their best to support me which I really appreciate. Many restaurants have a fixed lunch menu, which make the choice of restaurant really important. We also visited a couple of ceramic shops, as I need a new Ikebana vase after my old one broke during an earth quake. The only thing we have lost in a earth quake so far.


Mie-chan is Gunji-sensei's old, but cute cat. She always greets the students when we arrive and expects a lot of cuddling. The first cat I ever met who adores to be brushed with a broom.