100 Things We’ve Learned in 100 Days
1. While it’s probably true all around the world, breasts are literally worshipped in Japan – the Jison-in temple in Wakayama is covered in boobs. 2. If you tell a Japanese person something unexpected, an involuntary noise will escape from them: “Eiiiiiiigghh!” If you tell them something truly extraordinary, it will become deeper and longer: ...
A Gaijin’s Guide to the Ryokan
Staying at a ryokan – a traditional Japanese inn – can be an intimidating experience for the first-timer. With that in mind, we present our handy cut-out-and keep to surviving enjoying your stay. Step One: Take off your shoes. It’s preferable if you can do this by reversing neatly, thereby allowing a quick getaway when ...
Food Glorious Food
A long time ago, in a prefecture far, far away, we first began talking about Japanese food. One of the things I decided to monitor was my weight because, as anyone will tell you, Japanese food is inherently healthy. Ninety-three days later, I can exclusively reveal that this is a total myth. Yes it’s true ...
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Squid Marks
Squid. It’s all over Japan – it’s all over Asia for that matter. On our very first day in Kanazawa we went to a market and saw a neat little row of the bug-eyed, jelly-bodied little guys, frozen in shock. Since then, I don’t think we’ve been to a prefecture where it’s been unavailable. In ...
The Deadliest Catch
Twenty years ago, just as it was entering its golden era, The Simpsons introduced the world at large to fugu (or blowfish, or pufferfish, or balloonfish). At Lisa’s insistence, the jaundiced family headed out to a Japanese restaurant for some sushi. All was going well until Homer insisted on ordering the potentially deadly fugu, which ...
Al Fresco Fukuoka
For over a thousand years, Fukuoka has had dealing with its Asian cousins. Though it used to be a perilous trip across the Japan Sea – just ask the would-be invaders from Mongolia – today it’s a mere three hours by hydrofoil to the Korean peninsula. China? For Fukuoka, Shanghai and Tokyo are equidistant. With ...
Five, Seven, Five
My home town of Ayr isn’t known for much, although, over the years, we’ve had one or two famous denizens. The bloke who invented tarmac, for one; a tan-and-white cow for another. By far and away the most famous, though, is Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet. Ring any bells? Maybe not, but if nothing else, ...
Spectres, Blue and Dancing Too
Truth be told, Tokushima prefecture offers us little we’ve not seen before. That might sound incredibly negative, but bear with me while I explain. We started today by visiting Aizumicho, a government-endorsed indigo dyeing studio and museum. The technique was imported from China around 800 years ago, and Tokushima has made itself the Japanese home ...
What Udon?
My great auntie Dolly would never have tolerated it. In her hey-day she tolerated little: holding a knife and fork incorrectly, talking with one’s mouth full, inappropriate napkin deployment… Born at the end of the First World War, she worked in some of London’s best hotels after the second instalment, and grew up with a ...
Where’s The Beef?
It was two of my friends that first told me about it. The pair, who are unusually extravagant and humble at the same time, were in Las Vegas, trying to further their fortunes by playing poker. One night they decided to visit an upmarket steak restaurant. At the top of the menu was the Kobe ...