#Oita rice bowl

[summary-cooking]

料理トリビアのまとめ #0026

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からし蓮根 福岡の料理

「からし蓮根」は、福岡県を中心に広く親しまれている料理で、蓮根をからし漬けにして揚げた料理です。 1. 蓮根を使用 蓮根を薄くスライスし、からし漬けにしてから、衣をつけて揚げます。蓮根のシャキシャキとした食感が特徴です。 2. からし漬けの風味 蓮根をからし漬けにすることで、独特の風味と辛味が加わります。辛味は強くなく、程よい風味が楽しめます。 3. 衣をつけて揚げる からし漬けにした蓮根を衣を付けて揚げることで、香ばしさとサクサクした食感を持たせます。 4. 一口サイズの食べやすさ 一口サイズにカットされており、手軽に食べられる点も特徴です。 からし蓮根は、食べる際には醤油やマヨネーズなどをつ��て食べることもあります。福岡の家庭料理や居酒屋などで親しまれ、おつまみや副菜として人気があります。辛味と食感のバランスが良い、福岡ならではの郷土料理です。

✄🔪🥄🍽✄🔪🥄🍽✄🔪🥄🍽✄🔪🥄🍽

Oita rice bowl Oita cuisine

"Karashi lotus root" is a dish that is widely popular in Fukuoka prefecture and is made by marinating lotus root in mustard and deep-frying it. 1. Use lotus root The lotus root is thinly sliced, pickled in mustard, then coated and fried. It is characterized by the crunchy texture of lotus root. 2. Flavor of pickled mustard Pickling lotus root with mustard gives it a unique flavor and spiciness. The spiciness is not too strong, and you can enjoy just the right amount of flavor. 3. Batter and fry The lotus root pickled in mustard is battered and fried to give it its aroma and crispy texture. 4. Easy to eat in bite-sized pieces It is cut into bite-sized pieces and is easy to eat. When eating mustard lotus root, it is sometimes eaten with soy sauce or mayonnaise. It is popular as a snack or side dish in home cooking and izakaya restaurants in Fukuoka. It is a local dish unique to Fukuoka, with a good balance of spiciness and texture.

[fajitatacoplace]

What is Chicken Tempura?

If you are looking for a tasty dish that you can serve to your family and friends, you can try cooking chicken tempura. This delicious dish is made from chicken and batter, which is fried in a pan. It is also very easy to cook. Just make sure that you use a frying pan that can handle high heat.

Introduction

Chicken Tempura is a dish of fried chicken coated in tempura batter. The uniqueness of this dish lies in the crispy exterior and juicy interior meat. Often, it is served with a soy-ginger vinaigrette. This sauce cuts the greasy taste of the fried meat and complements the dish.

There are many variations to this delicious dish. You can choose to serve it with a side salad or a variety of dipping sauces. Besides chicken, other ingredients used in this dish include vegetables, such as carrots and onions. These are typically cut into thin strips.

To prepare, wash the chicken thoroughly. Cut the meat into two inch strips. Set the strips on a large platter and season them to your liking.

When the oil is hot, dip the strips in the tempura batter. Make sure to turn the strips frequently. They should be cooked through golden brown and reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

To serve, remove the strips from the heat and set them on a cooling rack. Drain the oil using paper towels.

What is chicken tempura?

Chicken Tempura is a Japanese specialty that was invented in Oita Prefecture, which is part of the Kyushu region of Japan. It is a unique dish that is typically eaten with a spicy mustard ponzu sauce. A good preparation of tempura results in a crispy, fluffy exterior that is accompanied by juicy meat inside.

To make this delicious treat, you need to start with a bowl of rice. Stir in some vinegar, salt, sugar, and soy sauce to create a tasty marinade. You can also add shrimp, fish, or vegetables to the mix.

Now you can cut your meat into strips. Next, you need to coat them in batter. This step will help ensure that the chicken will stay crispy during the cooking process.

If you want to make a healthier version of the tempura, you can use cauliflower. Brown rice can also be used as an alternative.

For best results, use a deep fryer. In addition, you should preheat the oil to 350 degrees F. However, if you don't have a deep fryer, you can use a non-stick pan.

How to make chicken tempura?

Chicken tempura is a delicious and easy to make dish. This Japanese style dish is made from batter, which is coated on chicken pieces and deep fried until golden brown. These crispy chicken pieces can be served as an appetizer or a main course.

Before starting, you'll need to prepare the chicken. Slice the chicken breast into thin strips, about three inches wide. If the breast is not very thick, you may need to use a meat tenderizer.

You'll also need cake flour and corn starch. Sift both of these into a mixing bowl. Be sure to mix well.

The first step in making chicken tempura is to marinate the chicken in the marinade. A good way to do this is to combine all of the ingredients in a zip-lock bag and leave it for at least fifteen minutes.

After the chicken has marinated, it's time to fry it. Oil should be heated to 180 degrees Celsius and should be used when frying.

You'll want to fry your chicken strips in batches. During each batch, the chicken should be dipped in the tempura batter and then dragged through the oil. It should take a few minutes for the chicken to be browned and crisp.

How long should chicken tempura be cooked for?

If you want to make a delicious chicken tempura, you need to know how to prepare it. Chicken tempura is a Japanese style dish. It can be eaten as an appetizer or a main course. You can serve it with your favorite dipping sauces.

Tempura is typically served hot. It is high in calories and sodium. Soy sauce, ginger and garlic are used to marinate the chicken. This makes it extra juicy and flavorful.

Chicken tempura is easy to prepare. You can either fry it in oil or bake it. Either way, you should cook it in small batches.

To fry chicken, you should use a deep fryer. The temperature of the oil should be at least 375degF. A digital thermometer can help you reach this temperature.

Alternatively, you can cook it in an air fryer. An air fryer can be a great option if you are planning to reheat leftover chicken. During reheating, you should turn the pieces over halfway through. Afterward, you should place them on a paper towel lined baking sheet.

Chicken Tempura Recipe

Chicken Tempura is a unique Japanese dish. Its crunchy tempura coating is paired with your favorite dipping sauce. Whether you're cooking for yourself or for a crowd, this recipe is easy to prepare.

In addition to being delicious, it's also healthy. You can add vegetables to your batter. This recipe uses corn starch to create extra crispiness. Also, using low-fat chicken breast will help keep the chicken tender.

Tempura is made from a mix of flour, egg, and water. The batter is thin enough to form a mesh-like texture, but not so thick that it gets stuck to the chicken. To avoid this, use chop sticks to stir the batter.

Next, a mixture of ice and water is added to the batter. Another way to keep the batter cold is to put it in an ice bath. Once the batter is chilled, you can now dip the fried chicken strips into it.

After frying, place the crispy fried chicken on a paper towel-lined plate. Let the excess grease drip off.

How to store chicken tempura?

One of the most popular Japanese dishes is chicken tempura. Chicken tempura is made using a batter that is then dipped in hot oil. The result is a crispy outer coating and tender, juicy meat inside.

Chicken tempura is easy to make and can be prepared in the oven or in the deep fryer. You can even use the air fryer to crisp up leftovers.

First, cut the chicken into strips. Then, marinate it with ginger, soy sauce, and garlic. Once the marinating is done, let the chicken cool for a couple of hours. After this, slice it into small pieces. Place them into a zip lock bag, and then store in the fridge.

When you are ready to eat the chicken, slather it with sauce. If you prefer, you can also serve it with rice. Make sure the sauce you choose is low fat and sugar free.

Tempura chicken is an easy-to-make party food. It is also a great appetizer for a crowded gathering. With a little preparation, you can enjoy delicious chicken tempura in just 10 minutes!

Frequently Asked Questions

Chicken tempura is a popular Japanese dish. It is made with batter and dipped in oil. The result is crispy chicken. This can be served as a main course or an appetizer. Some people serve it with rice or vegetables.

When making chicken tempura, it is important to keep the temperature of the oil consistent. You can keep the temperature of the oil as high as 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature of the oil drops, the result will be less-than-stellar.

Using an air fryer is a great way to crisp leftovers. Alternatively, you can deep fry. A deep fryer is a medium-sized pot that is filled with oil.

Tempura is a light food that is very easy to make. Although it is high in calories, it is still a healthy option. Unlike other fried foods, it does not contain bones.

It is recommended that you pound your chicken pieces before cooking. Pounding makes the chicken easier to cook. Once the chicken is cooked, set it aside on a cooling rack.

What does tempura chicken taste like?

The chicken tempura has a juicy and crunchy texture. The batter gives it a light and flavorful taste, while the chicken itself is tender and moist. It also has a slightly sweet flavor due to the addition of sugar in the batter.

Is chicken tempura good for you?

Yes, chicken tempura is a healthy option as it is low in fat and calories. It also contains healthy proteins which help keep you feeling full for longer. Additionally, the use of high-quality oil to fry the chicken minimizes unhealthy fats and makes the dish even more nutritious.

How do you serve chicken tempura?

Chicken tempura is usually served as an appetizer or an entree. You can also make it into a meal by adding sides like steamed vegetables, rice, and salad. However you choose to serve it, chicken tempura is sure to be a hit with your family and friends!

What is chicken tempura made of?

Chicken tempura is made with chicken, flour, egg, sugar, baking powder, and oil. The batter is created by mixing the dry ingredients together until a thick paste is formed. The chicken pieces are then added to the batter and fried until crispy. This dish can also be spiced up with different seasonings for extra flavor.

Is tempura the same as fried?

No, tempura is not the same as fried. Tempura is a Japanese cooking technique that involves coating ingredients with a batter consisting of flour, egg, and cold water before deep-frying them in oil. This results in a light and crunchy texture which makes it different from regular fried dishes.

Conclusion

There are many ways to make the ultimate fried chicken. Some of them involve the use of an air fryer. Other options include the use of a deep fryer. You can even cook it in the oven.

To get the perfect fried chicken, you'll need to follow some guidelines. The best way to go about it is to use a thermometer to ensure you are frying at the right temperature. While it may sound like a hassle, you'll thank yourself in the long run.

For the most part, the temperature of the oil will determine how crispy your tempura turns out. For optimal frying, you'll want to keep the temperature in the low to mid-180s, preferably between 180 and 170 degrees.

Another important factor in achieving the perfect tempura is the batter. To do this, you'll need to use a mixture of cake flour and corn starch. In fact, you can even use rice flour to achieve the same effect.

To make sure you get a crisp tempura, you'll also need to add a little oil and salt to the batter. It's also worth noting that the calorie content of a tempura may be a little higher than other fried dishes.

[sketch-story]

Shōganji temple, Oita prefecture on Kyushu Island, Japan... one week living at temple’s pace in December was amazing. Appreciating the small things in life, like a cup of tea, a ray of sunshine, a bowl of rice... and enjoying samu... chopping bamboos for hours in a quasi meditative state. Thank you Jiho-san.

[virginiaovers]

18 Best Japanese Chicken Recipes for Dinner Tonight

From miso chicken to chicken katsu to teriyaki meatballs, here are our best Japanese chicken recipes – approved by kids and adults alike. With so many delicious options, you’re sure to find something you’ll want to make for dinner tonight.

When comes to weeknight dinners, chicken is always the ingredient that comes to mind. In my household, we have chicken dinner at least once a week. They are always dependable and crowd-pleasing. Here, I’ve pulled together a list of Japanese chicken recipes that have been thoroughly approved by our readers and my family, including my two self-acclaimed food critic kiddos.

With easy ingredients and fail-proof methods, each of these recipes is the workhorse of Japanese home cooks. You’ll find sweet and sour chicken meatballs, teriyaki chicken, butter shoyu chicken, crispy bite-size karaage fried chicken and more on the menu.  I hope they will be your favorites too!

18 Best Japanese Chicken Recipes for Dinner Tonight

1. Chicken Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Sauce

You can always count on meatballs when you need a winning dinner recipe that will please every palate. What makes this chicken recipe stands out is its irresistibly sweet and sour sauce. It goes so well with steamed rice or noodles like slippery udon. To save time, feel free to make extra for freezing and reach for it during an emergency meal.

2. Miso Chicken

This Miso Chicken is one of the most popular chicken recipes among our readers! Marinated in a homemade all-purpose miso sauce and pan-fried till crispy, you’ll get chicken so moist and flavorful that you’d want to make it regularly.

3. Chicken Teriyaki

Chicken teriyaki doesn’t require any introduction since every household outside of Japan is also making the famous chicken dish for dinner. But if you’ve been using the bottled teriyaki sauce, it’s time to ditch it for an easy homemade sauce. My recipe shows you how to prepare the classic Chicken Teriyaki in the authentic Japanese cooking method. Not only it tastes better, but you’d also be surprised how easy it is to make your own sauce!

4. Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

Karaage is a very popular home cook dish in Japanese. Because they are cut in bite-size pieces, it makes deep frying so much easier. For those with an air fryer at home, you want to use it to make karaage more frequently. Thanks to the potato starch, the chicken is fried to perfection with a crisp texture on the outside and super juicy and tender on the inside. It’s so good that you may want to fry up extra pieces for your bento lunch box.

5. Chicken Katsu

Consider this a Japanese version of chicken schnitzel. We use panko breadcrumbs for a lighter yet ultra-crispy exterior, and drizzle the chicken cutlet in tonkatsu sauce. Serve it with a simple salad or in a rice bowl!

6. Gluten-Free Baked Chicken Katsu

This gluten-free chicken katsu is coated with panko made with rice flour that yields a really crunchy texture. It is also oven-baked, which makes a healthier option than the original deep-fried katsu. Serve with homemade ponzu and grated daikon, it is easily a favorite chicken recipe you want to make frequently.

7. Chicken Karaage with Sweet Chili Sauce

Coated in a delightful sweet chili sauce, you’d be smitten by this sweet and spicy version of Japanese fried chicken. No take-out dinner can beat a homemade chicken dinner like this!

8. Oyakodon (Chicken & Egg Bowl)

Oyakodon is cooked in one pan where onions, chicken, and egg are simmered in a dashi-based sauce. It is then poured over a bowl of fluffy steamed rice. Simple, delicious, and utterly comforting, this is the kind of one-bowl meal you can cook in less than 30 minutes!

9. Chicken Tempura

While chicken is not a common ingredient for tempura, it is actually a regional favorite in Oita Prefecture of Kyushu region in Japan. Thanks to the tempura batter, you can use chicken breast for this recipe. The meat stays juicy and tender inside while the batter stays crispy and fluffy. It makes such a special treat on a weekend dinner!

10. Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs

These Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs are so juicy and fluffy, and my kids love them! The savory homemade teriyaki sauce adds a whole layer of deliciousness to the meatballs.

11. Braised Herb Chicken with Shio Koji

On cooler days, this Braised Herb Chicken is exactly what you need for a chicken dinner. In this recipe, chicken thighs are simmered in a white wine and herb broth with chunks of potatoes and carrots. It’s incredibly flavorful and elegant enough for your holiday table.

12. Butter Shoyu Chicken

Glazed with a simple soy-butter sauce, this Butter Shoyu Chicken will easily win your family’s heart! 30 minutes is what you need to dish up a chicken dish that is big on flavor.

13. Soboro Don (Ground Chicken Bowl)

This colorful rice bowl follows the grain-protein-veggie formula – featuring ground chicken, scrambled eggs and sweet peas atop of fluffy rice. It’s almost a no-brainer but highly dependable. If you have the rice cooked in a rice cooker in advance, everything else comes together so quickly that you’d happy that you make dinner at home instead of taking out.

14. Japanese-style Sweet and Sour Chicken 

Rooted in Chinese cuisine, this Japanese-style Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe use black rice vinegar in the sauce to create a deep, malty savory flavor. There’s plenty of root vegetables for texture and nutrients too. Complete the meal with steamed rice and a side of soup.

15. Teba Shio (Salted Chicken Wings)

Wings are a favorite for parties and game day, but I like to serve them on Friday night family dinners too. They are economical, fun, and so easy to make. Can you believe you only need salt, sake, and black pepper to make these Salted Chicken Wings?

16. Grilled Miso Chicken

Grilled chicken breast can get pretty dry and flat in flavor, but not this Grilled Miso Chicken! The chicken gets its bold flavor from the ginger miso marinade that packs a lot of punch from miso, chili paste, and aromatics. Enjoy with a side of healthy green salad, and you’d agree that dinner at home is much more satisfying than eating out.

17. Teriyaki Wings

Cooked in one pot and finished up in the broiler to get the perfect char, these Teriyaki Wings are finger-licking delicious! They are unbelievably easy to make too. Once tried, they will be loved and cooked many times.

18. White Stew

This creamy, hearty, and delicious Japanese Cream Stew is a popular western-style (yoshoku) dish consisting of chicken and vegetables with a savory white sauce.  Cooked in the Instant Pot, it’s true comfort food in cold winter months!

Looking for More Delicious Chicken Recipes?

I hope you enjoy making these chicken recipes. Browse here for more recipes and ideas!

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  18 Best Japanese Chicken Recipes for Dinner Tonight published first on https://zenramensushi.tumblr.com/

[westboast]

The Strange Weather

Seattle, June, 2016.

Michael called. He said there wasn’t a point. I only had a month left in Seattle. My plane tickets were at home in a cream envelope embossed with the golden words Government of Japan. My hands were submerged in dishwater. Carlos, the cook, brought a pile of scorched pans into the pit. Bits of penne vodka still steamed on them and I scraped them into a clean bowl for myself. A lull in the dinner shift. The servers leaned against the dessert counter. I took out my phone and typed.

Two people can have something, even if it’s only for a month.

He didn’t understand that.

I went out to the dumpsters to smoke and a guy came up to me with a big plastic bag.

I’m a nurse at Swedish. We ran out of gas. Do you have five dollars.

No. I have water though.

He handed me the plastic bag.

Meet me around back in five minutes.

I moved Carlos’s pans aside and filled the bag in the sink. I hauled it, fifteen gallons, out to the back door, where the man waited. He took it away and didn’t say thanks. I went back inside and finished the dishes, mountains of them. It’s quiet in here, Carlos said. If you’re gonna be a dishwasher, you gotta get a radio. His shift was over. I swept the kitchen and pushed all of the dirty water and food scraps toward the drain. When I finished, Carlos was smoking weed by the back door. I said goodbye. At eleven I took the sixty-six bus to Wallingford. I fell asleep on Emma’s bed again. I only worked the dinner shift.

I woke up and wanted a shower. I got in and turned the knob to the right temperature. I’m leaving soon. I washed my hair. I was about to wash my face, but my hands stopped. I’m leaving soon. I couldn’t move them. I was having trouble catching my breath. I wanted to feel something that I knew was real. The shower walls are real, they must be. So I touched them. But it was hot in the shower and I didn’t want to be in it anymore. I got out and crouched down onto the floor. There was a red, shaggy rug. I knew it was real too, so I touched it for a long time. It was rough and damp. I touched it with my hands and forearms and pressed my torso against it until my breathing returned to normal. I put my clothes on and went to the living room. I sat on the couch until I fell asleep.

When I woke up I went to Volunteer Park with Cindy. We brought wine and bread to drink and eat behind the art museum. People walked their dogs and we realized we were having a picnic in a dog park. It didn’t matter. I think it will be peaceful in Japan, I said. I think I’ll just calm down. As weird as everything is right now, I think it’ll calm down just because of how it looks. We put our cigarette butts into the empty wine bottle. I didn’t want to say goodbye to her. Maybe I didn’t want to leave at all. I had my confirmation paperwork with me. I don’t know. Maybe I should just call the consulate and back out. What business do I have in Japan.

No, she said. That would be a mistake.

We went together to the consulate, in a skyscraper downtown. We exited the elevators and a gold chrysanthemum—the imperial seal—was affixed to the wall. A metal detector had appeared that wasn’t there a week before. A rent-a-cop slept next to it. I emptied my pockets but wondered if I actually needed to. The rent-a-cop said something to me but I just smiled and breezed through. I submitted the paperwork. A week later, when I came back, the metal detector and the rent-a-cop were both gone.

I needed a health check, so I went to an urgent care clinic in Queen Anne. I took the E-Line bus down Aurora Avenue and got out near some woods. I climbed through bushes and puddles and emerged, dirty, onto the tidy Queen Anne streets. The clinic was part of a chain that had only one doctor for the whole region—Dr. Fann. She seemed overworked. She measured me on a busted height chart.

Five-ten? Is that right?

According to my driver’s license I’m six-zero.

She erased her measurement and went with the state’s.

Says here you need a colorblindness test.

She googled “colorblindness test” and went with the first result. I’m not an optometrist. At the end of the test, the screen informed me that I was a mild protan, meaning I’m a little bit colorblind. For example, if  dark purple and black are beside one another, I can’t tell the difference. She marked the chart. Maybe get that checked out? I don’t know. The screen blinked with an advertisement for color-corrective glasses, made by the same company that made the test.

One month passed. On my last night I went to Cindy’s house with her and Emma. Cindy’s mom made egg rolls. We ate as many as we could and took the rest back to Emma’s place. I put mine in the fridge, as usual. We all slept near each other in the living room, Cindy and I on the floor, Emma on the love seat. In the morning we took the train to the airport. Normally we took the forty-nine bus, but the stop was closed, covered in caution tape. When we arrived at the airport the other teachers were already gathered near the ticket counter. They watched impatiently as I hugged Emma and Cindy. I didn’t want to leave them. I said, I’m going to come back and be a better person. I don’t know why I said that. They both laughed. It couldn’t be delayed anymore. They went down the escalators. I couldn’t look, so I turned around.

The teachers took a photo. When we boarded the plane I stared out the window at the evergreens. I clutched the armrests as we ascended. I saw the Space Needle, and then clouds.

Ten hours later, we landed at Narita International Airport, on the outskirts of Tokyo. Beyond the jet bridge was customs, where immigration officers handed us our Japanese identification. I held the ID, turned it around a few times. I wasn’t smiling in the photo, taken at a drugstore five thousand miles away. My hair was greasy and I hadn’t shaved. Through the airport doors we spilled into a sun-drenched parking lot with masking-tape arrows on the ground. Every twenty feet or so someone stood smiling with a sign and our program’s name—JET—on it.

A fleet of buses. They brought us to Tokyo. The drive was green. It was July and the scenery was bursting. As we approached the city I could see the Sky Tree towering above everything below. The highway curved high above the buildings and was covered with all kinds of unfamiliar markings—blinking lights of different colors in the asphalt, thick white dashes on either side of the lane, Japanese words. We wound through the clean, organized, cavernous streets of Shinjuku and arrived at the front doors of the Keio Plaza Hotel for orientation. It was a grand, golden place where the hundreds of new teachers milled about under the chandeliers, staring at their feet, making small-talk near water fountains. I didn’t talk to most of them. I had been through this sort of thing before, at the beginning of college. I made my friends about a month after that. I don’t remember having seen them at meet-and-greets. Several presenters said that now was the time to network, that these bonds would be the beginning of enduring friendships that would last all throughout our time in Japan—and beyond.

I shared a room with two other Seattle hires. Our room overlooked Tokyo City Hall, a cyberpunk skyscraper emblazoned with Tokyo 2020 posters and topped with blooms of satellite dishes. I took the bed closest to the window. When the other two went to sleep I opened the curtains. In the morning I wanted the light to flow through from beyond City Hall and wake us up. I went outside to smoke but saw no one else doing that. I found a secluded area near the hotel. When I was finished I stamped the cigarette out onto the sidewalk and left it there. I went for a walk. An hour later I circled back, and it had disappeared. I learned that Japan has basically outlawed smoking in the streets. Most buildings had an airtight smoking room inside, choked with smoke, never big enough to be comfortable and never with chairs. At the Keio Plaza, ashtrays stood around the room and a vent overhead sucked out the putrid air in thick curls.

I went to bed. A few hours later, I woke up to loud voices. My roommates were having an argument about one of their snoring. I stared at the window and pretended I hadn’t heard anything, most convincingly when one of them apologized to me the next morning. The lights twinkled on Tokyo City Hall. One of them came over and snapped the curtains shut.

A few days later we were sorted into our prefectural groups. Mine was bound for Oita prefecture, in the south, near the ocean. I was told it would be hot. Everyone went to a reception in the hotel ballroom. All I could think about was The Shining, when Jack Torrance hallucinates the party in the Gold Room.

The plane touched down in Oita. There was ocean to the east and green forever to the west. My new coworkers and supervisors met me at baggage claim. We took a bus toward the interior, through the mountains. We were going to a city called Hita. All I knew about it was that it was a logging town. Oita prefecture is famous for hot springs, onsen in Japanese. We passed the city of Beppu, from which onsen steam rose and smelled of sulfur. We passed through tunnel after tunnel. The ocean was gone and now it was lush, steep mountains. We reached Hita, flat in the basin of the mountains. When the bus doors opened it was sweltering hot. This is the hottest city in Japan, one of my coworkers said. My sunglasses slid down. I pushed them back up the bridge of my nose.

I gave most of the money I had to my supervisor, so she could give it to my landlord. I got to my new apartment and opened all of the windows. The floors were wooden. There was a gas stove. I laid down on the futon that my predecessor had left behind. There were still whispers of him, and his predecessor too, in the house. A mug for Mexican hot chocolate, Japanese-English dictionaries, a rice cooker, dishes, shaving cream, hair clippers, shoes, shoe polish. A bicycle. I looked under the futon and it was covered in mold. That night I slept on it anyway.

The next day I got on the bike. Near my new apartment ran a river with concrete poured along its sides. Dragonflies buzzed and the warm water spilled over the rocks in the bottom. I rode into the basin and parked so I could walk along the rocks. Fishermen in highwater boots stood in the water and cast long lines. An announcement wailed over the city PA system. I didn’t know what it said, but I didn’t see anyone reacting to it. I moved along. The announcements happened periodically. If I didn’t see anyone running, I didn’t either. I think this is how language is acquired.

Hita sunsets are tangerine and pink. As the light fades the mountains turn from green to an ashen blue.

I rode home. I only had a little cash left. I rode to the twenty-four-hour grocery store. I didn’t know where anything was and spent about two hours looking for eggs and bread. I didn’t know what the words for egg or bread were. Even if I did, I couldn’t read any of the signs in the store. I finally found what I needed and rode home in the dark. It stormed later. Almost every night thunder shook the house. It was that loud. Violent summer storms, like in Maryland.

The first storm was the most alarming. I thought for a moment that the walls would fall down. The lightning lit up the bedroom and reminded me of two other storms. The first was in Vermont. I was eating at the co-op—since demolished—in Brattleboro, with my friend Jan. A crack of thunder and a flash of lightning. Every window on a nearby nineteenth-century industrial building turned gold in the light. Jan was from New York City. I wondered if it stormed like that there. The second was in Maryland. My grandmother was driving toward North East. The sky was dark gray, almost black. As the car moved all of the lights around us went out—the supermarket, the traffic lights. A brownout. We looked at each other. She leaned harder on the gas.

I went to work every day and came home. It was hot. That was it. I hadn’t been paid yet. At first I didn’t have internet. I had some Japanese textbooks and I began to study. Every Japanese word can be broken down into several repeating sounds, like Legos. Wa-ta-shi wa e-i-go no se-n-se-i de-su. I am an English teacher. Hi-ta ni su-n-de i-ma-su. I live in Hita. A-ma-to De-bid-do de-su. I’m David Amato. The first step is to learn the sounds and the written Japanese syllabaries, the hiragana and the katakana. I had heard of these, but learning them assumed new urgency when I walked down the street and had no idea what I was seeing.

It was still summer vacation for the students, and the teachers spent long, hot days at the education office in the center of town. From my desk I watched the Japanese flag—the maruhino—flapping outside. We fanned ourselves in the heat. One day on a lunch break we walked to the Ohara shrine, in the middle of town. There were archways (torii), koi, sculptures of elephants and lions, fountains. An enormous staircase led up to the main shrine, made of wood. In its forbidden interior were gold and fruit. Around back were graves and smaller shrines. One was for used butcher knives. The one next to it was for the animals they slaughtered. Around the corner was one for fallen police and fire fighters.

The clouds were dark. My family might say, that’s lookin’ wicked.

Every night, I rode my bike around the city, studying it. Some neighborhoods were old, filled with traditional architecture and gurgling streams which led to rice fields. The word Hita means sun field. Away from the city center were the more commercial areas—box stores, highway on-ramps, pachinko parlors exploding with neon. When I got paid I started going to the conbini at night. A conbini is a convenience store but better. It’s a fluorescent oasis, open twenty-four hours, a godsend in the countryside. It has everything: hot coffee, iced coffee, ice cream, sandwiches, sushi, noodles, juice, hardboiled eggs, candy, chips, glossy magazines, soda, soap and bath salts, manga, clean bathrooms with the good toilet seats—heated, and they play nature sounds when you flush. Cigarettes, wine, shochu, toys, outlets, clothes if you need them.

In Washington, at night, Cindy and I went to the pool at Gold’s Gym in Redmond. She had a membership and would sneak me in. We always went after midnight, when no one was around. They had an Olympic-sized pool. We laid on our backs and floated back and forth until two in the morning.

Classes started up in August. When I arrived for my first day of school I was drenched in sweat from the bike ride. I had my introduction to the teachers written down in my pocket, but I was nervous and bolted for my desk. One of the English teachers introduced me. Kids poked their heads in and out of the teachers’ room. They wore crisp uniforms. White shirts and gray pants for the boys, white shirts with an ascot and gray skirts for the girls. I went to the break room and chugged green tea.

The teacher led me to our classroom. The halls were wide, with hardwood floors. All of the windows were open and a warm breeze filled the halls. There were fresh-cut flowers in vases around the building. We passed the genkan, where the students took off their outdoor shoes and put them into cubbies. We entered the classroom. All eyes turned to me. I was terrified. The wind whipped the curtains. Dark clouds loomed beyond the mountains. The students slid the windows shut.

They rose and bowed. I had pictures with me. I told them about America, my America—the beaches in Maryland, the snow in Vermont, the geysers in Wyoming, the tulip fields in Washington. They told me about Japan, their Japan—the fireworks in summer, the fish in the river, udon and ramen, the shops at Hakata Station in Fukuoka. Their teacher said the students had made notecards about their summer vacations. They made a line and handed them to me one by one. I collected them and flipped through. I stopped on one:

Summer was hot.

Some days, a lot of thunder and lightning in Hita.

The strange weather.

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Kyushu island, Japan: shrines and shugendo on the Kunisaki peninsula

A walking holiday on the Japanese island takes in rice-covered valleys, forests of cedar and bamboo, and the spirit of shugendo though fortunately not its testing rituals

As Japanese lifestyle fads go, the ancient art of shugendo isnt going to knock Marie Kondo off the bestseller lists. Its secret rituals, practised in the mountains of the Kunisaki peninsula, include treacherous climbs on rusty chains and regular dowsings in freezing cold waterfalls. Its disciples spend days and nights on the mountainside with little more than a blanket and an occasional bowl of rice. It makes that Tough Mudder your mate bangs on about look like an egg and spoon race at a church fete.

Kunisaki, Japan, map.

There are, however, less punishing ways to explore this awe-inspiring and undervisited area of northern Kyushu, one of Japans four main islands. Walk Japans guided tour of Kunisaki is for those who want to spend a week stretching their legs, but have no intention of yomping all day with a heavy pack. Now FinnAir has launched a flight to Fukuoka from Heathrow, its an attractive introduction to the regions rice-covered valleys, forests of cedar and bamboo, and 6,000 years of history.

There are nine in our walking group, a mixture of couples and friends and solo travellers, as well as our guide Llew, who is a font of Japanese history. Mount Futago, the volcano at the centre of the Kunisaki peninsula, created an unusually symmetrical pattern of valleys when it erupted, and early practitioners of Buddhism, who arrived in Japan in the 7th century, saw in it the auspicious symbol of the lotus mandala. As a result, the surrounding hills are full of ancient shrines and statues folklore has it that one priest called Ninmon carved 60,000 Buddhas alone.

Cloud back-up Emma John enjoys the view.

An hour-long climb brings us to a small teahouse where Mr Imakuma, an art-loving monk, serves us tea and buns and satsumas, and enthuses about Antony Gormleys visit here two years ago, when he left behind one of those naked cast iron men with which he likes to populate the world. There was a bit of controversy, admits Imakuma, because some people didnt like the idea of a naked figure on this sacred pilgrimage route. But his artwork is all about the relationship between humans and their environment and thats what this place is about.

Gormleys figure juts out from a peak that seems miles away, yet within 40 minutes were standing next to it, gazing over the valley. Clouds hover like spaceships above the ridge opposite, then roll down the mountains, their arrival sprinkling us with rain. When they clear, you can see east to the Inland Sea.

Its no wonder this place inspires reflection. When we discover, at one of the ryokans we stay at, that our chef Junyo is also the priest of the temple next door, I surprise myself by getting up at 7am to join him for a short bout of silence. After 20 minutes of listening to the sound of the rain as it beats the timbers around us, Junyo dings a bell, changes out of his priestly robes and whips up breakfast. His cold soba noodles are the perfect return to earth.

Peaceful retreat meditation to start the day. Photograph: Tani Kun/Walk Japan

There is no danger of asceticism on our trip. Our kaiseki dinners are multi-course wonders, a progression of lacquer bowls and boxes dazzling us with local seafood, fish and vegetables. At the other end of the scale theres crisp tempura and deep rich miso for lunch in roadside cafs. The omnipresent savoury egg custard takes a bit more getting used to, but by the end of the trip Ive come to love its indulgent creaminess. The Oita prefecture produces 40% of Japans shiitake mushrooms, spored in the trunks of sawtooth oaks.

While we see plenty of evidence of farming half-harvested rice paddies, piles of corn husks we see few people working the land; rural depopulation is a major concern here. In many places, clumps of scarecrows are arranged in tableaux of village life, part of an official programme to make them seem less devoid of life. Well pass a park bench and realise that the two old ladies sitting on it have faces drawn in marker pen and plastic bags over their heads; or that a disconcerting sense of being watched is caused by the creepy straw-stuffed man lurking next to a nearby wall. Stephen King would have a field day.

As a company, Walk Japan is keenly aware of the problems of depopulation. Part of its mission is to help revive the local community in Kunisaki through farming, forest regeneration and education projects. Theyre less interested in showing you the culture of rural Japan than immersing you in it literally, in the case of the hot baths that become part of our nightly routine.

A kaiseki dinner. Photograph: Tani Kun/Walk Japan

Theres nothing that will bond a group of strangers as quickly as throwing them together, naked, in an onsen although requiring them to come to dinner each night wearing traditional yukata robes comes a close second. By our final night, in the lively spa town of Yufuin, we were comfortable enough to head to a karaoke bar in them. We found ourselves sharing the bar with a group of suited businessmen, who duetted with us into the small hours.

In the morning the group split up. Inspired by the weeks walking, I made a solo climb of Mount Yufu (1,583m). I had a hangover and I forgot to take snacks. It was the closest Im ever going to get to shugendo, and for that, Im grateful.

Way to go

Finnair flies direct from Helsinki to Fukuoka from 27 April to 28 October; return from Heathrow to Fukuoko via Helsinki from 579 (finnair.com). Walk Japans five-day, four-night fully guided Kunisaki and Yufuin Walk costs from 1,600pp (walkjapan.com)

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from Kyushu island, Japan: shrines and shugendo on the Kunisaki peninsula