Together with Meg, Z and Keiko I(B) went to a treasure of a soba place. I swear, - this place serves the World's best soba salad.
Handmade cold soba noodles, thinly sliced radishes and daikon, grinded sesame seeds and topped with daikon sprouts, served with a yummy tsuyuu-like dressing and wasabi.
One of our favorite restaurants in Koriyama is tucked away behind one of the many parks. It comes with a superb view of the cherry trees during Spring and the place is the perfect goal for a random Saturday midmorning walk which is just what we were in the mood for today.
Japans strong culture of gift exchanging is ever present in our daily life. A co-worker brings cake for Henrik to pass on to me (whom he has never met), friends bring souvenirs from recent holidays or day trips, the neighbor stops by with home cooked food, teachers bring flowers from their garden and strangers share knowledge, advices and rice crackers as we hit the road touring the country. Acquaintances share sacks of fresh vegetables and fruits with us.
Seldom a fortnight goes by without something finds it's way to our house and hearts. Quite overwhelming for someone coming from a culture where one has a tendency to only share with whom one has already bonded with.
We have become most grateful for the gift exchange ritual, which in many ways has served us to a better integration and understanding of Japan. When a stranger on the train decides to give us a paper crafted kimono doll it opens for conversation and thus breaks down barriers between us and the locals. A gift from a friend or an acquaintance makes us feel home and accepted in a culture where feelings are most often implicit. The gift itself teaches us about the local food culture, traditions and handicrafts as it often comes with a story about the place it was bought, the season of the year or the traditions of the country.
Today, our kind neighbor stopped by with a feast consisting of homemade tea flavored bread, jam and two different kinds of traditional Japanese sweets.
The bread was still warm and with a lovely sweet scent of black tea. Impossible to resist, despite our mainly wheat-free diet. The cakes were as always a treat.
Persimmons are hung in rows to dry, for later to be enjoyed as a C vitamin rich snack.
A natural ailment for sore throat. 'Karin' pickled in honey. My Ikebana teacher surplied the fruit. The honey was bought at Kokoroya, an NGO helping mentally challenged people and local farmers, while promoting chemical free produce.
I always have food cravings. Food cravings for any kind of Japanese food. Preferably Japanese food cooked by Japanese people.
Food here is made with such care. Focus is solely on the ingredient, its quality and freshness. The Japanese acknowledge that food taste better when it is in season. It's common to shop for groceries almost every day, thus securing fresh ingredients for every meal. The trolleys for groceries at the supermarket are no bigger than a shopping basket. That says a lot.
Right now chestnuts, persimmons and grapes are at their peaks.
Chestnuts are delicious cooked in rice with mirin and a pinch of salt. Persimmons are perfect tossed in Shiraae - a mixture of grinded white sesame seeds, miso, mirin and tofu. Grapes are superb as juice.
Takeda-san from my Chigiri-e group gave me a lot of grapes the other day. I mashed them and cooked them on low heat for 10 minutes. Then I sieved the juice. It gave me two big glasses of thick yummy sweet grape juice. So tasty that it was all gone within seconds. A perfect way to start the day.
P.S.: I wanted to dazzle my sis on visit with homemade Kuri-gohan (rice with chestnuts). I ended up with exploding chestnuts in the oven. For those of you who want to do the trick as well, - don't cut a cross in the chestnuts before you heat them in the oven. For those of you who want to avoid the explosions, do as my Ikebana teacher taught me today: Just soak the chestnuts for a while and you can easily peel them without using the oven at all!
These lovely adzuki bean filled sweets were a gift from our neighbor. Love, love, LOVE anything filled with adzuki bean paste.
Its Autumn now. Despite 28 degrees Celcius, shops agree that Autumn is over us or at least around the corner and thus decorate to celebrate the second most beautiful season in Japan (First one being Spring with the Cherry-trees in blossom of cause). Red maple leaves in plastic decorate the hallways of the malls, and national produce like beer has leaves printed on the cans. The restaurants and delis have as well taken the Autumn spirit to them as seen on this lunchbox (o bento) with carrots in the shape of leaves delicately scattered over the mushroom seasoned rice, a piece of salmon, a bit of sweet potato, a shitake musroom, a fish ball and Tamago yaki - a yummy kind of sweet egg omelette. Included is also a sweet bun made of rice and adzuki beans.
Price? 598 jpy or 27,50 d.kr.
The other day we found the official tourist video for Fukushima, the state we currently live in. It gives a pretty good idea of 'our' region. It can be seen here: Fukushima Prefecture video
(Warning: don't let the music get to you).
Yesterday, our kind neighbor stopped by to check if we would be home for lunch today. We confirmed, so today she came by with a full lunch menu for us: cold somen noodles and crisp warm tempura. Sometimes living in Japan can feel like paradise.
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!
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.
We have found a great Farmers Market in Koriyama which we try to find our way to every Sunday morning 9 o'clock sharp.
And we really do mean sharp! 30 minutes before the market opens, cars start to gather on the parking area in front of the indoor market. The drivers stay put in the cars watching the invisible queue to the market. As soon as a line actually starts to form, people jump out of the car to join in. When the doors finally open a huge line has formed.
If you arrive at the market 30 minutes after the market has opened, - you will find most shelves boring or empty, but if you make it on time you find an abundance of veggies and fruits.
We love filling up our baskets with tons of vegetables. We eat mainly vegetarian now, so we do consume quite a bit of vegetables. The market only carry local produce, so it is also the perfect spot to learn what stuff is actually in season at the moment (opposed to supermarkets that has too much imported stuff).
Last time we went there it was all about bamboo shoots, Fuki (which we accidently mistook for Rhubarb, but thats another story) and Strawberries. This time we stocked up on Cherries, cauliflower, asparagus and squash. Ohh, - and Heart Sticks! Who can live without Heart Sticks? A cucumber in the perfect shape of a heart!
B's grandmother came for a three weeks visit to Japan, which meant a great opportunity for us to spend some rare quality time with her, as well as to see a bit more of Japan. We were excited about both and worked out an itinerary for her stay with highlights being Geisha hunting in Kyoto, Island hopping in the tropical part of Japan and Kabuki show in Tokyo.
First and most of all though we wanted to show her our region.
In total we spent a bit more than a week in Koriyama, which gave us sufficient time to introduce her to our everyday life, starting off with a drive on 'Gold line' in the mountainous landscape, to see the first signs of autumns arrival.
And then she got to meet some of the people B spends her time with:
B's Ikebana & Japanese teacher had arranged a trip to Fukushima city to visit a museum featuring an exhibition af Uemura Shoens works. Uemura Shoen was born in Kyoto in 1875, and is famed for her stunning 'Bihinga' drawings (images picturing the beauty of women).
The paintings were really beautiful and gave away many details of the ancient life of Japanese women. Our company kindly tried to explain all curiosities that came to mind looking at the pictures, giving us a good insight in the days long gone.
It was a bit difficult to only focus on the pictures though, as we found ourselves surrounded by ladies and men dressed in beautiful kimonos! To promote citizens use of kimonos anyone dressed in kimono could enter the museum for free, and many had followed the invitation, so sometimes our talk would wander of and be about the visitors clothes. We learned that the way the obi is tied shows the marital status, and so do the length of the sleaves. Often the color of the kimono gives away the womans age. I can't help thinking on Taquile Island on Lake Titicaca, eventhough it is a very different world. There too the clothes tell the status of the owner, e.g. a boy's hats design show you if he is married or not. 
After the exibition we had lunch at a traditional soba-ya. Both Tempura(deep fried food) and Soba(Buckwheat noodles) tasted great - and fun it was to grate our own Wasabi. (The fresh wasabi root is on the top left of the picture)
The Chigiri-e friends had also prepared an fun day for us.
The day's project was Fujisan in eruption - perfect as Fujisan became a mythical theme of Grandmothers visit.
Sensei had prepared a feast for us - freshly picked chrysanthemum flowers and persimmons turned into delicate tempura. The best tempura is the one with the lightest layer of dough:
And a more challenging homemade treat...Crickets boiled in soysauce! Sensei had caught the crickets herself in the rice field, so who can refuse to give it a go. (well Grandmother could). Insects are not my favorite food, but having said that, these tasted quite ok,- if you could let go of the thought of what unusual thing you were eaten.
After the class we gathered together in front of the house, for pictures and talk about nature, as a perfect way to end the day. Senseis house is just next to a river. 
The other days in Koriyama were used on a tour at Hs workplace and with introductions to some of our daily routines, including encounters with the hospitality in Japanese shops. When Grandmother wanted to buy tea for a friend, it gave us a memorable experience in the local teashop where matcha - the traditional whisked green tea - was prepared for us.
Lastly we had some good food experiences while she was here. We went to a tempura restaurant and had anything from deep-fried wild mountain vegetables to deep-fried fish organs served. We also went to one of the citys good Teppanyaki restaurants located with a great view over the city and with an amazing grilled menu. You haven't really tasted grilled beef, before you have tasted it in Japan.
In the end, Grandmother wasn't really impressed by the architecture of Koriyama, BUT the local citizens left a great positive impression on her. So they do at us, so that wasn't really a surprise :-)
'O Bento' is the Japanese refined version of lunch boxes. It's either home cooked (eg. B always brings one for her Chigiri-e class) or bought in convenience stores (which we btw have zillions of), supermarkets, department stores, train stations and specialized o bento-shops. You can find them in any price range.
The main ingredients are typical rice, meat/fish, cooked vegetables and pickles. 
But often you find regional or seasonal specialties as well, always making it an exciting hunt to find the best o bento where ever you are in the country. 
An o bento bought at a train station is called an ekiben (eki means station) and is really popular. Its impossible to travel by the shinkansen (bullet train) with out having half the train eating ekiben. 
It gives the train a distinguished smell of food, which you only notice as a gaijin.
Itadakimasu!
After a couple of months hunt, we finally succeeded in finding a Tempura restaurant in Koriyama.
Tempura is the Japanese version of deep fried food, less greasy than any variation we so far have come across in Europe and one of our favourites when it comes to Japanese food.
The restaurant was empty when we arrived, so we had the chef and his wife all by our selves. It turned out that they had lived in South America for 20 years, so their Spanish was quite good, making it for once, possible for us to have a relaxed conversation with inhabitants of Koriyama without a big language gap.
Our menu included octopus, shrimps, asparagus, tororo, different kind of fish, shitake mushrooms and beans (mame) all gently deep fried and then dipped in either the tasty sauce thickened with grated daikon or just by dipping it in salt.
Actually, there was no 'just' about the salt. It was grated in front of us, from something that looked like a pink/orange semitransparent ice cube. This was not just salt. This was salt from the Himalayas!
We will go back again, for sure. Great company, good food and a superb chance for us to practice our Spanish :-)
The final dot was set at a good coffee place, practicing Japanese. The test coming up, is really motivating us.
A new product has found its way to the Japanese shelves: A very green cucumber flavoured Pepsi! What does cola and cucumber have in common? (Please let us know if you figure it out).
Having said that,- it does feel good to be in a place where we are frequently amused by the great variety of products - many we have never heard of or could imagine.
Where else can you meet square melons and tomatos and Kit Kat in endless flavor variations such as green tea, pumpkin, cherry blossom, chestnut, mango, apple, kiwi, cinnamon, sweet potato, plum etc.?
One of the most curious foods we so far have come across in Japan is Natto. Especially in our region (Tohoku) it is a very popular eating for breakfast, but we haven’t really had our way around it, wholehearted, yet.
But there is a first thing for everything.
Our Japanese teacher knows how fond we are of trying the local dishes, so when she yesterday went to a neighbouring city that apparently is famous for its Natto production she bought us a souvenir.
The wrapping was beautiful simple and very traditional, with straws tied together. She hadn’t given away what the present was, so when it was opened the smell mislead one to believe it was some sort of strong cheese.
Natto is a sticky dish made by steaming soy beans and letting them ferment with natto fungi. As said the smell can be quite aquired for a newbie and the look as well. When you touch the nattos, strings like a spiders web is created.
The most traditional way to eat Natto is on a bowl of rice, supplemented with a little soy sauce and mustard. Itadakimasu.
A laid back weekend in Koriyama included great food, rice field watching, new company, lots of shopping, lots of blog updating and hours of sunshine and strong wind.
We discovered a couple of new eateries. A ramen restaurant with modern style decor and good noodles, a cool restaurant with bamboo all over the place, plates decorated with orchids, modern food from asian countries and a waiter that spoke really good English, and, with a japanese/australian couple we had met earlier that evening we went to a kind of french wine bar. Yep, we have everything in Koriyama, We sure do :)
No kidding, it was a great weekend where we somehow for the first time felt we belong in Koriyama. This is our home now and why not?
P.S. We also went to a really good kaiten-sushi... but as we have already been there a couple of times before it does not really count in this post.
A kaiten is a kind of fast food sushi place, where tiny plates of sushi circulate around in the restaurant on a conveyer belt. Whatever comes by on the belt you like, you just take. When you are full the waiter will count your stable of empty plates and you pay. Our record so far is 22 plates.
In Kalmia, b had the opportunity to learn how to make chinese dumplings, as another member gave a lesson.
It was a fun day - the best detail being the making of the stuffing with only chopsticks! Asian style of cooking :-)
The dumplings ended being delicious. Love them!!!
To celebrate one of our anniversaries, we had made reservations on a local restaurant, Ikkon.
The great thing about Japanese restaurants, is that when you make reservations, you can either select something from the menu - or have what ever you are in the mood for. The choice is all yours, as long as you tell the chef a couple of days in advance so he can shop for ingredients.
We asked for the chef to decide the menu as long as it contained both meat and fish, and he said he would prepare something special as it was our anniversary. 
When we arrived at the restaurant, we were shown into our own little personal booth. If we needed a waiter, we could just lift the phone and call, if not, we would be left to our selves unless food was being served for us.
Privacy you would think... But as (we counted) 13 different dishes were served to us, the waiters paid us a visit quite often!
The most interesting thing we tasted this evening was raw sea urchin gonads (see pic. 1). The gonads is the organ that produces the roe. As strange as it might sound, this is actually a delicacy and quite tasty.
The other picture shows the meat dish we had to grill on a stone. The very best meat in Japan, is meat with well distributed fat (the cows are actually getting massage because of that). 
With the dessert we received a big flower decoration as an anniversary gift from the restaurant. The flowers looked so perfect, that we could not decide whether they were made of plastic or not. When we later unwrapped them at home, a nice scent of freshness greeted us. For sure they are real.
13 years of dating or 13 years of marriage...whats the big difference? (See the text on the card from the restaurant by doubleclick pic.).
