taykimchi-blog

[taykimchi-blog]

I was on Japanese TV... and I HATED it.

I was fortunate enough to be on a Japanese TV show. I don't mean, like, someone else is being interviewed and I'm in the background. I was actually in the studio, along with emcees. Before I get into the nitty-gritty of things, I just want to say that it was a really cool experience overall.

But just because it was cool experience doesn't mean it was a good experience. As much as this was something that I wanted to check off my bucket list (and I was glad to do so), I fucking HATED every minute of it.

It all started when a few coworkers and I were shopping in Harajuku. A woman comes up to me with a TV crew. I just thought it was going to be a small one-off thing, but apparently the things I said in that interview, to that woman, really impressed her and it really impressed the producers and directors as well.

I get a call from the lady a few days later, asking, "Do you want to be on the show? It's going to be a panel with 30 other foreigners. The emcee will ask certain questions about the Japanese society and how Japanese culture works, and I want you to talk about it, representing your foreign ethnicity." In my case, being an America-born Korean.

I just thought, "Cool. I get to be on a TV show. I get to spout my opinions about certain things. Sign me up." It seems that was mistake #1 because on the day, about a week later, I got invited to the studio, along with the 30 other foreigners. No disrespect to the foreigner because I actually got to be friends with them. A lot of them were like me - they'd been living in Japan for an indefinite amount of time and their language abilities were far beyond mine.

The problem was everything else. Problem #1 was that we were invited three hours before we were going on air. They say, "Better late than never," but really? For three hours, we sat in a room with nothing but a bunch of chairs and tables, and we were just left there to wait. I just slept. Because what else was I supposed to do?

The three hours pass by and we were finally invited into the studio. The studio itself was really cool. It was so cool to finally be on a TV set. I've never been on any kind of TV set, even though I work for a big animation company.

On the set, there were three bundles of seats, excluding the emcee chair where the emcee would run the show along with famous talents and guests. I sat in the middle section, which had the 30 foreigners. On the left and right sections were 30 Japanese representatives on each side - 90 people total - because we're talking about the Japanese culture and how foreigners see it, and how a lot of foreign cultures are different from Japanese culture.

To give a brief idea of what we talked about in the show, it mainly covered three topics. The first one was the fact that, in Japan, the possession of marijuana is just as illegal as the possession of any other more dangerous illicit drugs, like crack, cocaine and heroine. Though, scientifically speaking, marijuana doesn't actually do anything bad compared to the others mentioned, but since a lot of Japanese people aren't really educated in that kind of drug ethics, a lot of people are saying that they should legalize marijuana in Japan, and what effects that could bring.

The second topic had to do with sex education. Like the first topic, a lot of Japanese people aren't really educated in sex ed because they don't teach it in schools and a lot of parents don't teach it because, according to their society, it's a little embarrassing to talk about. It's ironic because, if you go to Akihabara, there are massive stores dedicated to porn and other adult goods, not to mention Japan having some of the most messed up porn in the world. Because of that weird societal norm that Japan has about sex education, there are a lot of sexual crimes that happen, so the point of discussion was, "Do you think this is good for society? Do you think this is good for the Japanese culture, and the future of Japanese culture? Do you think that sex education should be enforced in schools? If not, do you think parents should be enforced to teach sex education?"

The third, and final, topic had to do with the fact that, in Japan, there is a lot of people who die from overworking. Yes, this is a thing. Japan even has its own word for it, which has even been incorporated into the English dictionary, called "Karoshi." The point of discussion was what foreigners think about this kind of messed up part of the Japanese workplace. It really only happens in Japanese society. What are the causes of that? Why is that happening, and how should we prevent it? These were three really interesting topics that I honestly have pretty strong opinions about.

I looked at the show, what the questions were, what was going to be covered, and I was excited. I was excited to talk about how things were in an American and Korean society, but for two and a half hours of recording, I didn't say a single word. Not because I didn't want to, but because I couldn't. There were 90 people in the room, all trying to say their opinion at the same time. And literally the emcees, because they're retarded, they only let the same ten people speak, so the rest of the 80 people that were there were like me. They sat in silence and frustration because they didn't get to say what they thought.

What made it exceptionally aggravating for me especially is that, before the show started, one of the producers called me over to run me through how the recording was going to work and that I had a chance to say my opinions that I said in the street interview which I was originally called for. I was supposed to speak twice, once for sex education topic and again for the overworking topic. I was like, "Cool. I get to say my own opinion about it on TV." Since it's one of those shows that really likes to take itself seriously and, I think, purposely tries to make it a controversial topic to get discussion going not only within in the show but within the audience that is watching from home. They were like, "Just say what you think, and if it's really bad, then you can just tell us and we'll be sure to cut it out."

I thought it was nice because it seemed like everyone was getting a chance to talk about both sides of the spectrum. I thought it was a surprisingly open show, especially for such a PC culture that the 2010s decade has become, since everybody gets triggered about everything nowadays, even the extremely innocent stuff. Somebody out there is going to get offended for some stupid reason.

I was sitting there in anticipation as to when my name was going to be called and when my opinion was going to be put on the screen for everybody to see...and it never happened. I just sat in silence thinking, "What the fuck? I thought I was supposed to say something." Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but I legitimately thought I had pretty valid opinions on certain things. I'd thought up enough arguments to make any of the discussed topics into my own blogs on my own, which I am actually now really tempted to do because, you know, I was put on Japanese TV and the mother fuckers didn't let me say my own opinion that they asked for.

What made it even more aggravating was not that I couldn't say my own opinions, despite telling me that I would be able to, but the opinions that were said on the show were stupid beyond belief. I couldn't believe some of the arguments that some of these people were saying. Not just the foreigners' opinions, but also the Japanese's and the emcee's opinions. If you got that entire show and I made it into a script for a video, I would scrap it immediately because it makes no sense. It's the most obvious bullshit that a person can say.

For the whole overworking and "karoshi" thing, which I had the most opinion about, this entire segment went for an hour and 99% of it consisted of the two, same two, people who were just saying the same shit over and over and over again. It kind of went like,

Person 1: "I'm a freelance artist who works on his own, and I think that people should have the right to work overtime if they want to." Person 2: I'm the owner of a company and, uh, yeah, I agree, but the economy, man." Person 1: "Yeah, I agree. The economy is pretty important, but human rights, bro." Person 2: "Yeah, I understand human rights, but-but the economy, bro."

So what you're saying is the main argument was that people should have the right to work overtime if they want to because they have the right, but it's difficult to because of the economy... NO FUCKING SHIT. That is literally the most obvious answer you can give in this situation.

We're not discussing that fact that people have the choice to work overtime if they to. That's not the point. Everybody knows that. Obviously, we know it's going to affect the economy, and we know that people have the rights in the workplace to work overtime if they want to, but that's not the point.

The point is: HOW is it going to affect the economy, and WHAT is the problem? WHY does this problem even exist in Japan, yet barely exists in every other country and culture? I wanted to talk about that. I actually had a theory as to why the problem might exist in the first place, but no. Let the fucking retarded people speak first because the people who are watching this want to act smart, but they're just dumb.

Honestly, I could tell that the creator and the writer of this show were a bunch of retards. It's like they want to write a smart show, but all the answers need to be dumb so that it can appeal to peopple who don't know how to formulate an opinion. It's like a top-level weeaboo trying to go for the top-level Japanese proficiency test. "Bro, I know Japanese. Proficiency test? Easy. Let me show you," and when they come back with a near 0%, they make the excuse, "Yeah, but, like, no one needs to know that kind of difficult Japanese, man. You can get by with just the simple shit." Yes, you can get by with the simple shit, but if you're building a TV show that is trying to delve, not only into the simple shit, but also into the more difficult under-level shit, then you've got to let people speak about the under-level shit.

Now that I think about it, those kinda of shows, especially when they get a bunch of foreigners involved, a lot of those shows are pretty racist. I'm not the type of person to bitch on about every single racist comment, but honestly, a lot of Japanese TV programs, I find, seem to have a really weird look on "Western culture." Whenever someone in the foreign panel spoke, it was usually another girl from America. It's like Japanese TV thinks that American culture represents all of the Western world. That's no disrespect to Americans and the American culture. I love you guys, but it seems that Japanese TV programs love you a little bit too much. If you're just going to let the American girl talk about American culture and presume that all other cultures outside of Japan and America are exactly like America, then why did you gather 29 other people from 29 other countries?

There some people, from that panel, from countries that I had never even heard of, or I have heard of but I knew nothing about the culture. I was excited to hear these kinds of problems from their points of view and from their point of view of their own culture because, not only do I want to learn about how Japanese culture is different to mine, but how Japanese culture is different to every other country that was on the panel. I wanted to know about the different cultures, and I'm sure the emcees and the audience watching the show want to know about the different cultures of the world and how they are different. But no. Let's let the American chick represent all 30 of us because, you know, America is the rest of the world according to Japan (news flash: it's not).

I'm glad that I was about to cross one thing off my bucket list, which is to go on a Japanese TV show, but will I go onto that show again? No. If it was any other more innocent show, like a quiz show or a regular casual talk show where I just get to answer some questions, I'd love to go onto those shows. I'm sure being on those kinds of shows would be so much fun.

Honestly, going onto Japanese TV was a cool experience, but not exactly a good experience. After going onto that type of Japanese show, I'm really glad that I'm working 16 hours a day instead of being in that bullshit because I actually get to say what I think about something at work, not be invited to say what I think and then end up listening to everybody else's retarded opinion. It's not that I'm opposed to the opposite opinion or anything like that, but you first have to make valid opinion before you start to reiterate your invalid opinion.

Seriously, after that show finished, I actually wanted to go talk to whoever made that show and I wanted to show them how to make a proper opinion piece based show. You can go on to any opinion piece related channel on YouTube and they do a much better job than the shit I had to sit through. These guys might think they have a "smart show" going on that covers "controversial topics," but they're delivering it in the most stupid way possible. To anyone who is part of this show, or is responsible for creating this show, fuck you. The mother fuckers had the nerve to invite me again for the next episode, and all I can say is, "Hah. Nah, bitch."

[taykimchi-blog]

How difficult is it to travel Japan without Japanese?

One of the most intimidating and anxiety-inducing aspects of travelling overseas is the sudden inability to communicate with the world around you. It's probably no surprise, then, that one of the most popular questions I've been asked is, "How difficult is it to travel Japan without Japanese?"

In the run-up to the 2020 Olympics, many businesses across Japan are investing all their pocket money in preparing for foreign tourists. There's no doubt that the language barrier exists in a homogeneous culture where English speakers can seem few and far between.

In this blog, I'll discuss the most common problems that will pop up along the way, from public transport and dining out to some useful communication strategies that will help you break down the language barrier with the locals.

I'll start with two pieces of reassuring news. First, a recent survey asked if foreigners found Japan difficult to travel without Japanese. Out of 3600 responses, 2/3 said they didn't find it difficult. The second piece of reassuring news is that I know numerous expats living and working in Japan, across various sectors, who have lived comfortably in Japan without knowing any Japanese whatsoever and, while it's not ideal, it is completely doable.

Japanese people are very understanding and fully aware that Japanese is almost exclusively spoken within Japan, and that it is quite difficult and takes a long time to learn. Thus, if you do make an effort and show that you know some Japanese, you'll instantly win favor with the locals because you'll be in the minority of foreign travelers who can speak and use a little bit of Japanese.

Better still, though, is that English is almost everywhere these days, from restaurant menus and road signs to trendy t-shirts. The English might not always be native speaker level of English, but it gets the job done.

Getting Around

Having just landed in Japan, typically at Haneda Airport or Narita or Kansai International, you'll find getting out of the airport and into the city a fairly easy and seamless process. Everything is wonderfully signposted.

But soon after arriving at the city, problems might arise at one of the smaller stations when you look up at the map to find it is exclusively written in Kanji characters. Perhaps you'd think, "No problem. I'll just use the ticket machine and hit the ‘English’ button and type in the name of the station." For local trains, rather than typing in the name of the station, you need to know the ticket price of the place you're going. To find out the cost of the ticket, you need the map that you can't read. You can get around this easily by asking a member of staff; as long as you say the name of the station or the general direction of where you want to go, no problem.

My favorite option is to just get a Suica card, or a passport card, which you can get for just about 500 yen at pretty much any ticket machine across Japan. Rather than knowing the cost of your ticket price, just keep your Suica card filled up with a few thousand yen every day, and you're all good. Same goes for the JR Rail Pass. Half the benefit of the JR Rail Pass is that you don't need to worry about using ticket machines all the time.

I would strongly urge first time travelers coming to Japan to get a SIM card or some form of portable WiFi so you have the Internet with you, mainly just so you can use Google Maps. It is the main way that most foreign travelers get around Japan. All the train and bus times are input into it seamlessly.

Accommodation

As somebody who travels around Japan quite a bit, I found that this isn't an issue at all. I think you'll have no problems with accommodation whether you're using hotels, Airbnb or even staying at a traditional Japanese inn.

Well, actually, there might be one issue. If you're lucky enough to have a public bath or a hot spring built into your accommodation, you'll find that they are segregated by male and female, and sometimes they'll be poorly labelled as to which one is which. This could end in spectacular disaster and lots of awkward conversations with hotel staff. Not only do public baths use it, but also restrooms across Japan. They sometimes only have Kanji characters in male and female, especially at smaller bars and restaurants. Because of this, I would actually encourage foreign travelers to learn these two characters: 男 for male and 女 for female. They're probably the only two characters you'll ever need to know.

Dining Out & General Communication

As somebody who eats out more than they probably should, I tend to find less of an issue in bigger restaurants - you will find English menus, or at least menus with pictures that you can point at. Typically, the smaller the bar or restaurant and the further out into the countryside it is, the less likely you'll find English. In the terrifying event there's neither English nor photos you can desperately point at, you are going to have to wing it.

The most important phrase I would recommend learning is, "Osusume wa?" which means, "What do you recommend?" If you point at the menu and say "Osusume wa?" typically, the staff will probably chuckle in surprise and then they will try and do their best to explain what it is before you enthusiastically order it.

In the case where you are a vegetarian, you can just point to yourself and say, "Vegetarian." Fortunately, the word for "vegetarian" in Japanese is, "Bejitarian." This is another really useful point for dining out in Japan - many names for foods are Gairaigo, or foreign borrowed words. Take beef, chicken or pork for example. For beef, you can say, "Bi-fu." For pork, you can say, "Po-ku." For chicken, you can say, "Chikin." For fruit, orange is "Orenji," banana is "Banana," and apple is "Appuru." The only other two words you need to know are beer, which is "Bi-ru," and whiskey, which is "uiski." Don't be afraid to try and say the word. Just say the word in English and the staff will most likely catch it and understand what you're saying.

Super Basic Essential Japanese

You'll find that, in the absence of English conversational practice at school, most Japanese people do tend to lack confidence in speaking and listening to English.

Even though Japanese students study English for six years, from middle school to high school, they can't speak or listen. What you have to do when you come to Japan is make your sentences simpler.

For instance, when you ask if the food is good or bad, you might say, "Is it good?" But when you say, "Is it good?" it sounds like one word for Japanese people, so you could just say one word - the most important word - which, in this case, is "good." Say "good" or "bad" - just one word - and they'll understand you. Instead or saying "Where is the toilet?" you can say, "Toilet? Where?" If you need to ask if someone can speak English, just say, "English? Okay?" If you make it really simple, they'll get you.

Aside from using simpler English, there are four phrases that I really recommend knowing when you come to Japan, which will help you get by. First one is "Konnichiwa," which is "hello." The second one is "Sumimasen," which means "I'm sorry" or "Excuse me." Thirdly, "Arigatou" means "Thank you." Lastly, when you don't understand or don't know what someone is saying, you can say "Wakarimasen," which means "I don't know" or "I don't understand." These are four useful phrases that you might want to use when you come to Japan.

Last thing I'd like to mention is that, while Japanese people tend to be pretty shy and reserved, they're also extremely helpful and selfless in the event you need some help or assistance. Never be afraid to ask somebody on the street, or at a convenience store, for help if you need it. In the past, I've had shop staff stop working, stop what they're doing, and draw me an elaborate map of where I need to go. Don't be surprised if some shop staff stop working altogether just to escort you down the street. It's happened to me numerous times. People here are surprisingly selfless, and that's one of the best things about Japan.

[taykimchi-blog]

7 Big Differences Between College and Graduate School

Many students begin graduate school believing that it's basically an overgrown version of their undergraduate education. I mean, you're a student -- right? How much different could taking classes and writing papers possibly be?

The truth is, there are some big differences between undergrad and graduate school. Being aware of the changes you'll be expected to make can help the transition to graduate school feel less daunting. Here are seven of the biggest differences between life as a college student and life as a graduate student.

1.) IN GRAD SCHOOL, YOU'LL SPEND (A LOT) MORE TIME ON EACH INDIVIDUAL COURSE

It's not uncommon for undergraduate students to take 5 or 6 classes a semester in college. In graduate school, five classes would be nigh impossible. A full course load is generally 3 courses -- and for good reason.

Each graduate class will require a lot of reading, more than you ever thought possible in college -- and more than might actually be possible in a week. You'll have to learn to prioritize the most important readings and actively skim the rest.

Moreover, the structure of the courses will be different. There are virtually no lecture classes in graduate school; all or nearly all of your classes will be small seminars with 15~20 students or less. Even as few as 2~5 students in a class is not uncommon.

You'll be expected to be prepared for seminars and to speak up and participate in the intellectual conversation. Your professors will be interested in hearing your insights. Higher quality is expected from your papers, presentations, and group projects. You'll devote much more time to each class than you did as an undergrad.

2.) YOU'LL DEVELOP A LASER FOCUS ON YOUR TOPIC OF INTEREST

Undergraduate education is primarily about breadth. In graduate school, your education will be focused on developing depth in a particular subject area. Coursework in graduate school is designed to help prepare you for your comprehensive exams and for writing a dissertation.

This is good news for anyone who knows exactly what they want to study and is ready to polish their knowledge in that field (which -- at least theoretically -- should be everyone in grad school). You'll spend a great deal of time reading deeply within your field and participating in high-level discussions with scholars in your area.

The caveat, of course, is that this is not the time to explore brand-new avenues. While there is some flexibility and plenty of room to grow in grad school, for the most part your job is to specialize and become an expert within a specific field. You'll want to build upon the knowledge you've gained in college.

Develop a clear idea of what you want to study before you start graduate school, because you won't have the same freedom to explore different disciplines as you did in college.

3.) YOU'RE EXPECTED TO BE(COME) INDEPENDENT

In college, you were likely shepherded through the process of selecting a major and a class schedule. Graduate programs expect you to be much more independent -- both in selecting your classes and in directing your research program.

Your classes themselves will also be more self-directed. While many undergraduate professors provide constant deadlines for big projects (ie. by asking you to turn in a topic and an outline before turning in the final research paper), most seminar classes in graduate school will simply set a single deadline for the final paper. Moreover, that final paper may be your only "official" assignment for the entire term.

It's your job to pace yourself and figure out what internal deadlines you need to set in order to get all your work done without overwhelming yourself into uselessness.

In research, too, you'll be expected to be more independent. While you will get more guidance toward the beginning of your program, by the end of your first term you will be expected to have some fresh ideas about potential research or scholarly projects with potential to contribute knowledge to your field.

4.) YOU'LL BE JUDGED BY COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STANDARDS

In college, the most important thing was performance in your classes. If you did well in classes, you received good grades, and you were considered a "good student."

In graduate school, classes are just the beginning -- and frankly, one of the least important aspects of your program. Good grades are commonplace and expected.

You'll come to understand the oft-noted phenomenon whereby a "C in grad school is like an F in college."

You'll also be expected to get involved in research and/or scholarship early on in your program. The quality of your ideas and your research will be a far bigger part of how your advisor and other professors perceive you within the program than your performance in classes.

5.) YOU'RE HIGHLY VISIBLE

Even at a small college, you might have been one of a hundred other students in your major, while at large universities there are thousands of students in every department.

In graduate school, you're part of a much smaller cohort within your department, and as a result you'll be much more "visible" to your peers and faculty. The faculty in your department will form opinions about you based on the way you act, think, and speak in classes and at departmental events and meetings.

It's important to remember that unlike in college, you can't just fade into the background if you want to succeed in graduate school and beyond.

This is good -- and necessary! These same faculty members become part of your network and you'll want them on your side down the road when a hiring committee calls them for their opinion. You also want to be at the forefront of their mind just in case the perfect job for you crosses their desk or email inbox.

6.) YOU'LL BE MORE INVOLVED WITH YOUR DEPARTMENT AND LESS INVOLVED WITH THE REST OF THE UNIVERSITY

Many college undergraduates become highly engaged with the life of their campus -- joining campus groups, cheering the football team on Saturdays and hanging out at campus hotspots.

While some graduate students are more active than others, in general graduate students are less involved in the social life of the campus and more involved in their department as the hub of their experience in graduate school.

Most of the people you interact with on a daily basis will be other students and faculty members within your department, to the point where you may find yourself completely unfamiliar with faculty and practices in other departments at the same school.

Graduate student organizations do exist, but typically they meet less frequently and tend to focus on different things than typical undergraduate social clubs. And while some graduate students live on campus, most will live outside the campus ecosystem.

In any case, the halls of your department will quickly become your home on campus, for better or worse.

7.) IN GRADUATE SCHOOL, EVERYONE WANTS TO BE THERE

Compared to college, the biggest difference in graduate school is that everyone wants to be there. Many graduate students think of their schoolwork as their job (and chances are, it is or will be) and this difference in mindset changes everything.

Your peers will stimulate and challenge you, and they won't come to class in their pajamas. Faculty within your department will actually be interested in what you have to say. And because of this fundamental dynamic, you'll learn more and discover that you have more to offer than you might previously have imagined.

This point should also be something that you think hard about before you decide to attend grad school: are you sure it's what you want to do? If not, there's no rush: wait until you know exactly what you want to study and make sure you can confidently answer the question, "Why do I want to go to grad school?"

If it's where you want to be, you'll find yourself in good company.

In the end, graduate school is a completely different animal from undergraduate college. From studying to socializing, you're entering a new world. But if you choose to go to grad school to study something you're passionate about, you'll likely find it much more rewarding than college.

[taykimchi-blog]

What happened in Japan after the tsunami? Stories from Tohoku’s Coastline

Standing in the middle of a bustling modern street, it's difficult to that a town - the town of Onagawa - was once on the front line of the tsunami that struck on March 2011, at 2:46 in the afternoon. A magnitude 9 earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami which swept through the bay and washed away the entire town. In the space of a few hours, the tsunami, with waves of up to 15 meters high, destroyed 70% of Onagawa's buildings and claimed the lives of 827 people, almost 10% of the town's population.

Looking at images of the aftermath, you might easily wonder how the locals could have possibly hoped to recover from such a disaster, and yet from the debris of the tsunami, Onagawa and many towns along the coastline have not only quickly recovered, but have also gone on to thrive and succeed with a stronger sense of community and a renewed spirit of entrepreneurship.

Seven years have passed since the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan wreaked havoc upon the Tohoku coastline, but the echoes of the disaster still live on through the people whose lives were forever changed by it. I traveled to the towns of Onagawa and Kesennuma and the Tohoku coastline to hear the inspiring stories of those who are breathing new life into the region - from an eccentric mayor who brought a town together, to entrepreneurs (and even Japan's most famous actor) who have chosen to start new businesses in the region, to the owner of an award-winning inn who tragically lost her family but never stopped looking forward to the future.

Yosuke Kajiya owns his own workshop, called the "Glide Garage," designing handcrafted luxury guitars. Originally from the distant island of Tanegashima at the Japanese mainlands southernmost point, Yosuke moved a thousand kilometers north to the town of Onegawa to start his new business.

His innovative guitar, known as the "Questrel," is unique for not using any screws or glues; instead using the same tradition Japanese carpentry techniques used to build shrines and temples, where wood is carefully carved and slotted together. It was designed in collaboration with Ken Okuyama, one of Japan's most celebrated industrial designers, who previously masterminded the Enzo Ferrari. Between the guitar's famous designer and the unique production method, the Questral has been selling for up to $7500 to enthusiastic buyers keen to get their hands on the exclusive instrument.

Glide Garage is one of the new innovative companies that sprung up in the heart of Onagawa town. Rather than rebuilding the old town, the people of Onagawa invested their reconstruction budget, starting from scratch, building a modern town center, and aiming to turn it into the hub for the local community and the air of change has attracted entrepreneurs, like Yosuke, to relocate to a typically isolated fishing town.

"When I started this guitar business, I thought about where it should be. I often came to Tohokou and the regions affected by the earthquake, so I began searching around Tohoku for where to start. I first took to Onagawa when I thought it had a wonderful atmmosphere. I think when you're producing something, the positive atmosphere of your surroundings is reflected through the things you create." - Yosuke Kajiya

Next door to the Glide Garage is an equally innovative business, acting as a showroom for the unusual sight of the Damborghini. Produced from 500 pieces of corrugated cardboard and on a one-to-one scale, the Damborghini is the brainchild of local business owner Hideki Konnou. It's also a clever play on words, given that "Danboru" is the Japanese word for cardboard.

Hideki owns a corrugated cardboard company and, in recent years, he's branched out into producing toys and model replicas, from a giant Gundam robot to an impressive A.T.A.T. walker from Star Wars. I wanted to find out how he had gotten involved with the new town's developoment.

"The mayor of Onagawa is an old high school friend of mine. By chance, I met with him when I went to Onagawa. He said, 'We're building a new town here; a brand new shopping district.' 'No problem,' I said. 'If you have an event on or something, I'd be happy to help.' 'Not an event. I want you in one of the new shops.' I can't do that! I'm in the manufacturing industry; I've never done any retail before. What should I sell? What should I exhibit? I couldn't decide. But he said, 'I want you in that shop!' Coincidentally, at the time, we were working on the 1:1 scale Damborghini, and we decided that it would be ideal to feature in the showroom." - Hideki Konnou

With Lamboghini's blessing, the Damborghini soon became Onagawa's unlikely mascot, helping to reinvigorate the town's image and, remarkably, even leading to Hideki meeting the Emperor himself when he paid a visit to the region.

"Since we started exhibiting the Damborghini, we wanted people to come and see it; and we've certainly hit that goal. Onagawa's mayor often refers to it as 'Onagawa's killer content.' We've seen visitors from across Japan and abroad travel to Onagawa to see the Damborghini." - Hideki Konnou

Hideki's inspiration for the Damborghini came from his long-held dream of owning a supercar - a dream that seemed far away when he and his family were forced to move to prefabricated housing after their home was damaged by the tsunami. However, seven years later and with business booming, he's finally been able to get his hands on the real thing; slightly better than the cardboard version.

Becoming the mayor of a town that's been almost completely destroyed is no easy task, and yet Yoshiaki Suda put himself forward for the challenge in the months after the tsunami, in his home town of Onagawa. I met him overlooking the construction site of the new waterfront, which is still being terraformed and raised several meters as a preventative measure for future tsunamis.

"When it came to rebuilding the town once again, 70% of Onagawa had been destroyed. One reason for choosing to rebuild a new town from scratch was that the reconstruction budget came from around Japan. We wanted to make sure that budget was well spent, building a town that had a connection to future generations. In the days following the tsunami, the new generation of junior high school students gave a presentation. One of the things that was discussed was what to do about the fallen building on the waterfront. Should it be there or not? They thought about what action to take. It's being turned into a message board to last a thousand years to stand as a monument of what happened in 2011; and in the event of another emergency, to encourage people to escape quickly and drag away fellow bystanders if necessary. It also asks the people of Onagawa in a thousand years, 'What's the town like now?' When we saw this, we realized we can't give up on the reconstruction. If we give up, we're taking the younger generation's future away. It was they who cheered us up. We keep going for them." - Yoshiaki Suda

While Yoshiaki is trying to attract new people to Onagawa, in the nearby city of Ishinomaki, there's an entire industry attempting to attract younger generations to their profession through some unusual entrepreneurial initiatives. The profession of being a fisherman is becoming less and less popular to younger generations and, with that in mind, the local fishermen have launched a brand known as "Fisherman Japan" to showcase the more exciting and adventurous aspects of the trade.

Last year, they launched a somewhat unconventional service that went viral online, called "Fisherman Call." The idea is, if you're a lazy student or somebody who's struggling to wake up in the morning, you choose the time you want to be woken up and select your fisherman and then the next morning, the fisherman who's out there somewhere, working in the Pacific Ocean, will drop you a line (yes, pun intended) and wake you up and maybe even show you what he's caught. I mean, it does sound a bit gimmicky and yet there's something quite nice about connecting two different people from different backgrounds and professions through the difficult daily task of waking up in the morning.

My second stop was Kesennuma, a port town further north which suffered extensive damage, and I'd gone to hear how Japan's most internationally recognizable actor, Ken Watanabe, came to open his own restaurant in the town in the years after the tsunami.

Unfortunately, Ken Watanabe was not there during my visit. He was off around the world somewhere and making a movie (maybe), but every day, he sends a fax to the restaurant for customers to read so they can get some sort of connection with him nonetheless. The restaurant keeps a book of all the messages he sent recently. The message during my visit read, translated, "Snow has begun to fall on the mountains. Even though I'm accustomed to the winter scenery, why do I still find the sight of it thrilling?" It's weird to think Ken Watanabe is out there somewhere in the world, and he sent that to welcome in the winter season.

I asked the manager, Megumi, what was Ken Watanabe's motive for getting involved with Kesennuma and how the K-Port came to be.

"As to why Ken opened this cafe, after the earthquake, he often came to the Tohoku coastline to help out with the food distribution to affected families. When he arrived in Kesennuma, he befriended many of the locals and encountered many nice people along the way. After meeting so many people in the area, he said he wanted to start his own business in the town. He continued his friendship with the owner of a local sake shop and the owner of a fish shop who is now next door. He also befriended the manager of a coffee shop. The three of them became close friends with Ken and discussed building a coffee shop in the bay area overlooking the sea. Once the fisherman's dream of opening the shop next door was realized, Ken felt motivated to get his own shop up and running here." - Megumi Kumagai

And of course, the inevitable question. How often does the man himself visit the cafe?

"When he's in Japan, he'll visit as often as every two months. When there's a long holiday, his fans travel from far away to visit. They tell me, 'I've come here because I'm a fan of Ken! When's he next coming?' I'm amazed when they tell me." - Megumi Kumagai

After the tsunami, many people from around Japan and internationally came to volunteer during the difficult years of the region's recovery. Nisshant Anu came to Tohoku as an English teacher on the Japan exchange teaching program. After teaching, he returned home to the U.S., but has since come back to Kesennuma to work for the local tourism department. I wanted to find out what factors have led him to return.

"The first apartment I lived in, in Kesennuma, was actually right behind a place called the Yatai Mura, which is the recovery village - temporary housing establishment for people who had lost their businesses in the tsunami. There's maybe, like, 15 or 20 different shops and restaurants that I'd have to walk through to get home. Walking through the Yatai Mura on my way home, people would be like, 'Hey Nisshant! Haven't seen you around in a while! Are you doing alright? Sit down, have a drink. I've got a fish for you. Come eat this fish,' and then I'm like, 'Oh. This is beautiful. I'm home.'" - Nisshant Anu

If you spend time in Kesennuma, it's a mindset you'll find in abundance - a friendly optimistic attitude that can often feel at odds with the scale of the disaster and what the people have been through.

Ichiyo Kannou is the energetic owner of the Tsunakan Minshuku, a traditional Japanese bed-and-breakfast. The Tsunakan has a reputation that stretches far beyond Kesennuma and Tohoku on account of Ichiyo probably being the world's friendliest person. In 2011, her entire home was destroyed by the tsunami. However, he and her husband - a prominent local fisherman - rebuilt it and elevated it several meters and reopened it as the Tsunakan. It quickly became popular with famous faces, including Ken Watanabe, often visiting and winning numerous awards along the way. Ichiyo became a pillar of the local community in the years following the tsunami.

"The characters of this bed and breakfast are that we're on a peninsula facing the sea and so we have many local delicacies from the sea such as oysters, scallops and seaweed. We're blessed with fresh local seafood here. That's the kind of place we are. We have a lot of customers here who say they come here to meet me. Why do they come for me, I wonder. When they visit, many of them want to come back because they say I've raised their spirits. Maybe that's the reason they come back." - Ichiyo Kannou

Just as Ichiyo and her family were putting the disaster behind them, tragedy struck again in 2017. One day, Ichiyo's husband, eldest daughter and son-in-law went out fishing and their boat overturned. All three of them lost their lives in the accident. For several months, Ichiyo contemplated on the future of her business before deciding to reopen the Tsunakan and continue doing what she loved.

"My way of living now is I don't look back at all. If I look back at what happened, it'll be when I'm 70 or 80 years old or when I pass away. I don't want to dwell on the past, nor do I expect too much from the future because then I won't get shocked if things are different from what I expected. For now, I won't think about the future either. I won't really think about it. If I can get by now, if I can live in this moment, I can keep going." - Ichiyo Kannou

When people think of the Tohoku coastline, often they still picture those same images we all saw on our screens in March 2011, but today if you visit the region, you'll find quite opposite. You'll find that people carry a strong sense of optimism for the future. Their stoic attitude towards the worst imaginable circumstances is not only inspiring, but a testament to the strength of the human spirit.

"Obviously, a disaster is not a positive thing, but I think the unique spirit of the people here is that they've sort of taken the disaster and taken the positives away from the disaster. The disaster happened and there's nothing we can do about that, but where do we go from there?" - Nisshant Anu

[taykimchi-blog]

The Most Expensive Beef in Japan

If you watch a cooking show or anything on TV where food is being reviewed, you always hear that phrase, "melt in your mouth." It seems to be a substitute for thinking up an original opinion. Why bother thinking when you can just say, "Oh, this salmon melts in my mouth. How extraordinary!"

Forgive me when I tell you that few things beat the sensation of having high grade Japanese wagyu beef melt in your mouth. It actually does! The high quantities of unsaturated fat streaking through the meat gives it a beautiful marbled texture. Because the fat melts at a low temperature, the beef dissolves in your mouth like butter. That's right. It literally melts in your mouth.

The most well known brand of wagyu beef is Kobe beef, but there is another level - considered by food critics - to be superior and it's called Matsusaka beef. In fact, one of the most expensive cows in history was sold in Matsusaka for a staggering 50 million yen. Many people know that the secret to amazing wagyu beef is the quality and care shown to the cattle. That story you may have heard of cattle being fed beer and given massages to help stimulate blood flow really is real.

This weekend, I accompanied my coworker, Ruben, to the restaurant, which owns the farm that originally popularized that method, to try some Matsusaka beef first hand. The only thing is that Matsusaka is about an hour from Nagoya, and Tokyo to Nagoya isn't exactly driving distance, so we had to get up early in the morning to fly down.

That morning, I'd been on a plane (which had a very beautiful view of Mount Fuji), boat, bus and car. We were finally in Matsusaka City in Mie Prefecture; about to try Matsusaka Beef, the most expensive beef in Japan.

Before that, we needed to climb up a cliff. The top of the cliff looked like a hand coming out of the mountain. There's a shrine under the "hand," and there's a way you're supposed climb up.

Ise Sanjo is a mountain once used by monks to carry out spiritual training with a small shrine nestled beneath the cliff. However, to get to the shrine, you have to free climb halfway up a cliff, which is considered to be half of the training. In fact, "Ise Sanjo" literally translates to "Powerful Mountain Top."

I spoke with a 71st generation monk, Eisho Segi, the owner of the temple, about what I could expect from climbing up the mountain. "You can train your soul. If you come here regularly, you can rid yourself of worries and concerns and go home feeling refreshed. It's a little difficult," he said.

There were no safety ropes; just a slippery metal chain. While I had an experienced guide who was kitted out with climbing shorts and boots with a pair of gloves, I had worn down converse and a pair of jeans. I was unprepared. If I had fallen, it would've been game over. It's no understatement to say this was easily one of the most dangerous things I've ever done. But the view was worth it.

Matsusaka region is the third largest grower of tea in all of Japan and there was no way I was gonna pass through the area without trying some myself. The view of the tea leaf fields were quite picturesque.

I was a little bit on edge because there was a huge hornet that kept following me. If you don't know what a hornet is, it's like a giant bee. If you get stung by one, you won't have a happy ending.

There is no better way to relax your mind than drinking some Japanese tea. It was a bit difficult, but there was a sheet on how to drink the tea in the traditional way. It felt more like a ritual than drinking tea. Preparing the drink was as important as drinking it. When I look back on it, it seemed more like a way of relaxing rather than just drinking tea. There was a spiritual element involved. It was definitely a lot more than just about drinking tea.

The restaurant Wadakin dates back to the late 1800s, where it started out as a beef shop. Today, it is widely considered to be the home of Matsusaka beef with its very wn farm to maintain quality control. I've never been to a restaurant with this kind of famous reputation before.

Apparently, the restaurant is very well known throughout Japan and it looks like a hotel. The restaurant itself was a five story building. The floor I was eating on had at least 10 rooms, including VIP rooms. Other floors had 20 rooms each. We were given an almost intimidatingly large private room with our very own cook and a charcoal fireplace in the center of our table.

Because it was sukiyaki, we ordered two slices of very thin beef. It cooks really fast. It was 13200 yen for just two thin slices. It was definitely the most expensive beef I've ever had. You can get steak as well. It's 32000 yen for a cut of Matsusaka sirloin steak

The charcoal at Wadakin is special, being very easy to light and giving off very little smoke, which enabled us to enjoy our meal in our tatami mat room. The beef was added to the pot while it was still cold and marinated with sugar and thick soy sauce as the slices of beef cooked rapidly in the pot. Finally, the mouth watering beef was dipped into a beaten raw egg to help bring out the flavor of the juicy beef, the sweet taste of the sugar and the salty taste of the soy sauce.

This was something that I had been dreaming of eating, as Matsusaka beef is the number one beef and the most expensive beef in Japan. The sukiyaki, the flavor of the soy sauce, and everything was just all perfect. I was left speechless. When I bit into it, the piece of beef that I had bitten into just tore off so easily. I didn't even really have to chew it. The beef just broke up in my mouth. I enjoyed it so quickly and it was over. When I picture steak or beef, I picture a lot of chewing. For this, there was no chewing involved. It just dissolved on impact, like magic. The egg really brought out the flavor, and it had quite a nice sweet taste to it thanks to the sugar and the sauce that was put on. It tasted better than steak because it had a lot more flavor to it. That was the most complex beef I've ever had. 10 out of 10. Would buy again, but I can't because it's too expensive.

If you're a lover of beef, Matsusaka beef should be at the very top of your list to try. If you're interested in visiting any of the places I mentioned, I've added links to the end of this blog.

It's amazing what you can get done when you get up really early as 5am. You can see Mount Fuji, nearly fall down a cliff, nearly get stung by a hornet overlooking a beaufitul field of tea, and you can go to the best steak restaurants in Japan - all if you get up at 5am.

You can go from Tokyo Station to Matsusaka in just three hours via bullet train to Nagoya and then switching to a local train from the Chubu International Airport. The area is easy to access by boat from the airport as well.

Wadakin Restaurant:  http://e-wadakin.co.jp/en/aboutus.htm

Matsusaka City: http://www.matsusaka-kanko.com/language/en/index/

Ise Sanjou/Ibuta-ji Temple: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1019676-d8150184-Reviews-Ibuta_ji_Temple-Matsusaka_Mie_Prefecture_Chubu.html

Green Tea Shop: http://www.miebrand.jp/en/html/tea.htm

Orix Renta Car (cheap place to rent a car if you're in Matsusaka)

► (English site): http://car.orix.co.jp/eng/

► (Matsusaka branch): http://car.orix.co.jp/shops/?md=view&shops_pk=909&pn=20&pg=2&ret=search_shops&division=mie&ns=1

[taykimchi-blog]

Wandering through the Aokigahara Forest

The Aokigahara Forest is at the base of Mount Fuji and has the reputation for being a notorious suicide hot spot; so much so that it has been nicknamed the "Suicide Forest." In recent times, the forest has been featured prominently in films and documentaries - all looking to exploit the reputation to make lots and lots of money.

Ever since I moved here, numerous annoying people have said to me, "Oh. You live in Japan. You should go to the Suicide Forest and write about it." To that, I've always thought, "No! YOU go to the Suicide Forest. Why can't I go to the Tokyo Lollipop Museum or the Sendai Donkey Farm?"

Truthfully, I never planned on journeying to Aokigahara Forest, but the other day, a friend and I were in the area taking pictures of Mount Fuji. Afterwards, we actually wanted to go to McDonald's. It turns out the forest was actually on the way to McDonald's, so we thought, "Well, let's go check it out and have a look." Ironically, it was supposed to be a date as well...

I was a bit creeped out by the forest. I kept worrying that I was going to see something in the background. Luckily, I didn't see anything, though when I look at my photos of the forest, it seems three times as scary.

In 2010, it was estimated that 200 people had successfully committed suicide in Aokigahara Forest. Hundreds more go to plan it, but don't go through with it. Many come and actually camp in tents, sometimes for days, deciding whether or not they want to live.

As of 2011, the local government doesn't actually publicize the number of people who go to the forest to do it because they don't want to promote it. They don't want to keep this reputation up. Because of popular culture, it's more prominently known more than ever. There was a film with Matthew McConaughey and Ken Watanabe, recently. Natalie Dormer from Game of Thrones; she was in some film, that was shit, that was made there.

I was surprised. We had been walking along the path (and off the path) for a little bit and we hadn't seen anyone. It made me feel a little uncomfortable. Were we the only ones stupid enough to visit the forest?

From a random foreigner's blog online: "Some believe there are mournful spirits lingering in the woods. Folklore claims they are vengeful - dedicated to tormenting visitors and luring those that are sad and lost off the path."

It is creepy. I'm not even exaggerating. There is a strange eerie creepiness to this forest. There were a lot of holes in the ground. We went off the path a little bit and that's not a good idea given how dense the forest is. It's quite easy to get lost.

I wasn't really enjoying the whole exploration aspect of this forest given its reputation and what its reputation is for. There's kind of a sense of foreboding just around every corner and every little cave hole, of which there are many. You don't want to look down them. If you do go off the path, be careful because my foot accidentally went down one of those holes. It's pretty terrifying.

We found a sign that said, "Jesus loves you. Hello!" Something else must have been written on it at one point or another. I doubt someone just randomly put a metal placard thing there and then scribbled on it with some black marker. There must have been a real message on the sign at some point.

Whenever I feel a little bit uncomfortable, or on edge, I really like to listen to music, like "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire. It always raises the spirits, though I probably don't want to use the phrase "raise the spirits" in this kind of topic. However, I didn't want to piss off the spirits, so I didn't.

On a random foreigner's blog from the Internet, it says, "You may not be able to call for help, as the forest is rich with magnetic iron. The soil of the forest plays havoc on cellphone services, GPS systems and even compasses. Some believe this feature is proof of demons in the dark."

Honestly, who writes this stuff? If you do visit Aokigahara Forest, I can assure you that you do have signal. I had two bars and a full LTE, so don't worry. You can still enjoy YouTube and various other services from the Internet.

During our visit to Aokigahara Forest, we found something - a bag! Um... That's all we found in the forest actually. Just a bag and the red metal placard thing telling people Jesus loves them, which will, of course, help people not want to kill themselves. We didn't find much there, which is good ebcause I didn't want to find anything in the forest. It's probably the first time I've visited a place and not wanted to do anything or have anything happen.

I just wanted to document what it was like, so everyone who's been winging at me for the past month about going to Aokigahara Forest. I feel like I've been vindicated now. I've talked about the forest. I've explained how wonderful it is. Don't go there, by any measure. It's not even a nice place to go for a stroll. It's just horrible. You can't even listen to Earth, Wind & Fire. Just avoid it, really.

After that, we went to Shibuya where I made up for the day. On the way out of the forest, I was attacked by a bee. It was a really nice date. I enjoyed it very much. It actually was a date, by the way. I didn't just make that up. My date is a complete dickhead.

[taykimchi-blog]

5 Must-Try Meat Dishes in Japan

Today, I visited the city of Oshu in Iwate, a region with a reputation for its many meat dishes; from chicken and pork to its famous Maesawa wagyu beef - one of the top ranked cuts of wagyu in all of Japan. I uncovered five of the meat dishes, enjoyed by the locals, that give the area its reputation for being the land of meat.

My diet-shattering day began at 9am with a somewhat unhealthy breakfast - on a quiet street in front of a shop that looks like a film set for a horror movie. It looked like the house out of "The Grudge." It was weird. There was just a pile of chicken sat in the window. I think that was the only giveaway it wasn't the Grudge. I don't think the Grudge had fried chicken.

"This chicken," my coworker explained to me, "is like the people's soul food. People grew up with it." The chicken is a little bit different from back home. It's marinated in soy sauce, ginger and mirin. It's not healthier, as it's still batter, but it's got a little bit of a different flavor to, say, Kentucky Fried Chicken. It's beautifully crispy. I loved it - just standing at the side of the road, in a rural neighborhood, eating fried chicken.

My coworker also explained, "The people around this area actually buy this chicken for Christmas, like Kentucky Fried Chicken. But it's incredibly messy and they don't give you hand towels."

The region we were in is famous for Maesawa Beef - one of the top cuts of wagyu beef in Japan and winner of numerous awards. We went to see it prepared in various ways, but first, we needed to try a cut of steak.

"Wagyu" means Japanese beef. The beef we had was Maesaza, which is a cut of wagyu beef. It was a little early for steak, as it was 11am. But given that I was trying to cram in so much meat, it seemed only right to have it at that time.

There were three sauces that came with the steak - rock salt, sesame and an actual wasabi root, which is really rare. Normally, wasabi comes in a tube; as an artificial mustard, which is quite spicy. An actual wasabi root is not that spicy, but it has a more refreshing taste. Wasabi and steak is the ultimate combination.

For the steaks, I got a cut of fillet and my coworker got a sirloin. The sirloin was a little bit thinner. Both were beautifully juicy. It was the best "blunch," as my coworker put in, I'd ever had.

The sirloin cut amazingly. It was like I didn't even need to do anything with the knife. It just sliced, likely because the sirloin was fatter. If you want to get a cut of wagyu beef and you want the real wagyu experience, sirloin is better. It's got more fat content.

Beef sushi isn't too difficult to find in Japan, but it can be difficult to find it done well. At Sukehachi Zushi, they use the local Maesawa beef to prepare their sushi.

When the sushi first arrived, at first, I thought it was half fish sushi, but it turned out everything on the plate contained Maesawa beef. We had sliced Maesawa beef sushi, minced maesawa beef rolls with a quail egg and maesawa beef rolls with cucumber.

Sometimes when you go for sushi, you look at it and you think, "I don't want to eat it because it looks like art." That's what the beef sushi looked like - so artistic. It was really good. It took my breath away. It was my first time eating beef sushi. If you close your eyes, it tastes a bit like eating fatty tuna, but it's slightly saltier. I think my favorite one was the quail egg because, as you bite into it, the egg soaks into the beef and the rice, and it has a really rich flavor. The best one for my coworker was the sliced beef on top, dipped in wasabi salt. "The wasabi salt is to die for," she said.

For our fourth course, we decided to pop into a local popular cafe called Ryon Ryon, where we grabbed a simple but filling dish and a much welcomed break from beef. The owner had surprisingly good English. Having eaten fried chicken, steak and beef sushi, I was about done eating this week, but then a dish was put before me and the smell of bacon rose upon my nose and my desire and lust for food returned once more.

The dish was simply rice wrapped in pork, kind of like bacon. It was really good. It reminded me of the kind of bacon you can get back home in the States. Japanese bacon leaves a lot to be desired.

The dish was kind of like a sticky BBQ sauce. The pork had been marinated in sugar, soy sauce, and a little bit of sake. The juices from the pork had soaked through the rice, giving it a nice juicy taste. It was pretty good. It had sesame and some herbs inside too.

Our last stop of the day was one of the best reviewed Yakiniku grilled meat restaurants in all of Tohoku. If you're looking to try various cuts of meat at a reasonable price, yakiniku is the way to go, as you get a lot of bang for your buck, although the menu can be pretty overwhelming. We wanted to try things that were exotic and interesting. We got everything from ultra premium spare ribs to uterus and loin.

A typical cut of Maesawa steak usually costs around 8000 yen ($80), but given yakiniku cuts are thin, a prime cut of Maesawa at this restaurant will set you back 2500 ($25); and with a discount like that, it's no wonder Yakiniku BBQ is so popular in Japan.

After the 5th course, I felt so full of meat. It genuinely is a meat land. I'd eaten a staggering amount of meat; more meat than I've ever eaten in any other day of my life. In fact, for the next 24 hours, I'm probably going to avoid eating any kind of meat.

Probably don't eat as much as I did in one day, but if you want to try award winning Maesawa Wagyu beef steak, sushi, pork or fried chicken, Oshu city is about a two hour bullet train north of Tokyo station.

Restaurants in the Post

Fried Chicken/Chicken Karage: Fukamiya 

Maesawa Beef Steak: Ushi no Sato 

Maesawa Beef Sushi: Sukehachi Zushi 

Rice-Filled Pork Ball: Coffee House Ryon-Ryon 

Maesawa Beef Yakiniku: Ryuen

[taykimchi-blog]

Tsukiji Fish Market & Itamae Sushi

It was 4 o'clock in the morning. I don't think I've ever gotten up that early. Honestly, I wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

I went to explore the world's largest fish market, which is Tsukiji Fish Market. It's often described as one of the must-see things in Japan. Though I've been there a few times before, I've never really been in the market during the morning rush hour to see the tuna fish auctions.

Fortunately, a coworker's friend who works for a popular sushi chain had offered to take us in and show us behind the scene firsthand. Therefore, I think I can justify getting up at 4 in the morning just this once.

Over 2000 tons of marine products are handled at Tsukiji Fish Market every day. Due to the dangerously chaotic atmosphere, tourists aren't actually allowed in until 9am. However, thanks to my coworker's friend Mr. Kondo, we were given some magic orange clothing, so we could access the entire market and get almost run over. It's like some sort of video game or obstacle course. One wrong move could end in tragedy.

Being at the fish market feels like being underwater. There's so much fish. There's so much water running. The atmosphere is very damp - the air is quite damp. It's such a bustling atmosphere. I don't think I've ever been anywhere that was quite like the Tsukiji Fish Market.

With the tuna auction due to begin at 5:30, we headed over early to first inspect the fish. It's quite weird to stand in the middle of hundreds of tuna. I've seen this kind of thing on TV and videos all the time, but to be there for the first time, in person, is quite surreal. It's such a weird atmosphere. Everybody inspecting the fish; examining them so thoroughly in way that I can't even begin to comprehend.

I asked Mr. Kondo how many people one fish could feed. He replied that one sushi, or one fish, weighed 12 grams. "Maybe 3000 pieces," he said. 3000 pieces! With one fish! That's quite a lot!

With the buyers having inspected the tuna for freshness and fat content and settling on their price, the bell began to ring, signalling the start of the auction. Buyers would quietly show their bid with a simple hand gesture. The first tuna had been sold in just 10 seconds.

Everything happens so fast. The buyer makes a gesture with their fingers and it's sold; it's gone. The auction had only been going on for 6 minutes and already half the tuna had been carted off; off to their new owners to be chopped up and sold at a tasty profit.

The largest and most prized tuna came in at 200 kilograms and was sold for a remarkable 2.6 million yen ($26000). Not surprising, given that this one fish could literally feed 5000.

Having witnessed the most intense and fast-paced auction I'd ever seen, and our tuna being carted off, it now made sense to go and give the tuna a real send off.

Later that evening, we headed for Itamae Sushi, where we found our friend Kondo-san outside, with his brand new haircut; along with the catch of the day and lots of impressed passers by. The tuna was getting good reactions from the street. Everyone was looking and being amazed.

Itamae Sushi has a reputation for having a ruthless pursuit of delicious sushi. Every January, the restaurant chain holds a ceremony to bless the first tuna catch of the year, showing their appreciation to the tuna and bringing Itamae Sushi good fortune throughout the year -- a ritual that fish and chips shops in the West would do well to consider.

That night, the restaurant would be holding an event where customers could watch the freshly caught tuna being skillfully carved and prepared. But before the event, we decided to kick things off with a few pieces of sushi.

It was all going well until my coworker and I were dared to eat a large shrimp - a large shrimp that was still alive. They brought out live shrimp for us to eat. I didn't know if I could actually do it. I thought I would just be sick. My excitement quickly went to dread. I genuinely didn't think I could eat that.

After a few minutes, the chef generously removed the head. I felt a bit like Gollum eating it, but the shrimp was pretty good once the head had been taken off. When it was moving around, that was terrifying.

Unfortunately, it turned out I still had to eat the head. With the shell intact, I shoved the entire head in my mouth. It had a bit of a crunch. It was crunchy. It was better than I was expecting.

Having enjoyed eating a live shrimp, it was time to see the freshly caught tuna being carved. In many ways, I'm not sure what was more impressive; seeing the gigantic tuna being carved up to reveal the delicious raw meat or the overexcited reaction from the huge crowd of customers. It took 20 minutes to carve the tuna and as the sushi chefs went to work preparing the sushi, we were able to scoop out the remaining tender raw fish using seashells. Scooping with the seashells was really easy to do.

Having waited all day, it was time to try the freshly caught and prepared tuna. It had such an awesome texture. It's quite hard to think of adjectives that do this sushi justice. Delicious. Outstanding. Magical. Perfect. It was just like magic.

That was Itamae Sushi - perhaps the best sushi restaurant I've had in Tokyo so far. It's absolutely delicious and I highly recommend going. It's a chain you can find throughout Tokyo. It's so fresh - straight out of Tsukiji Fish Market!

[taykimchi-blog]

How Expensive is it to Travel Japan? Budget Travel Tips

I think, to many people, the words "budget" and "Japan" seem to be something of a contradiction. There's this assumption that the cost of visiting Japan for a two-week holiday would be enough to bankrupt a dictator, but it doesn't have to.

In the last few years, Japan has experienced a boom in tourism. From 8 million overseas tourists in 2007 to 24 million in 2016. With it came a whole new wave of hostels and hotels, rail passes, buses and low-cost domestic airlines that have made it cheaper to experience and travel the country than ever before. In fact, in 2017 in the UK, Tokyo was ranked as the cheapest long-haul destination thanks to a fall in the value of yen.

I’ll be providing a few ways that you can use to save money on transportation, accommodation and dining out, as well as giving you a general idea of how much you could be spending on any given day.

Accommodation on a Budget

The boom in tourism has seen an explosion of new hostels and hotels opening across Japan, especially Tokyo. Whether you're staying at a hotel, motel or holiday inn, the cheapest place to stay in Tokyo is the area of Asakusa and Ueno, where the majority of the hostels are.

The absolute cheapest option, accommodation wise, is staying in a hostel; in a dormitory where you can find a bed for as little, sometimes, as 2000 yen ($20). If I'm traveling in a group, that's usually the option we go for.

The second best option is staying in a capsule hotel, which is a bit more expensive, between 3000 ($30) to 5000 yen ($50) per night. If I had to choose between a hostel and a capsule hotel, I would usually go for a capsule hotel just because the beds are bigger, there's some degree of privacy with the shutter and you get your own TV! What more could you want?

After capsule hotels, the next cheapest option is to stay at a business hotel where you can find a single room for about 5000 yen ($50) per night if you're lucky, but typically between 5000 ($50) to 7000 yen ($70).

I could recommend some budget hotel chains, like "Toyoko Inn" or "APA" hotels, but actually, I've found that the best way is to just go online and compare prices for about half an hour. The three best websites are probably Booking.com, JAPANiCAN.com, Rakuten Travel and HOSTELWORLD if you're booking a hostel. You can find bargains on Airbnb as well, especially if you're traveling in a group of like three or four people. If you're traveling solo, I tend to find that Airbnb works out to be more expensive, and I use it more for the experience of staying somewhere interesting rather than to travel on a budget.

The wild card option is to stay at a love hotel where you can find a room for about 8000 yen ($80) per night on average. With a love hotel, you're paying for the room rather than people in it, so if you're going with two people, then it still works out cheaper than a standard hotel room. It's typically a lot bigger than a standard hotel room, with things like cages, teddy bear caves and jacuzzis at your disposal.

Try and book all of your accommodation at least three months in advance to save quite a bit of money. For hostels, it's kind of essential given that they are still a bit of a rarity. Try and book the ball three months in advance not only to get a room, but to get one cheaper as well.

The last option, and one that I use a heck of a lot, are "overnight buses," which leads us on to transportation.

Transportation on a Budget

Japan's transportation infrastructure is legendary. Riding on trains is an effortless joy. They're never late, they're always clean and passengers aren't shouting down their phone about how drunk they were last weekend with their friends Barry and Deborah. It is a little bit pricey, though, especially the bullet trains.

The first conundrum most foreign travelers have when coming here is whether or not to get the Japan Rail Pass. For about 46000 yen ($460), you can travel the country freely for two weeks on Shinkansen (bullet train) and local trains, and save quite a bit of money and have peace of mind along the way. To give you an idea of how much you could save, if you came to Japan, for a two-week trip visiting Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima, the cost of catching bullet trains and a round trip would be around 43000 yen ($430). If you take into consideration other costs such as subway trains and buses, that would likely add up to another 10000 yen ($100). At the minimum, you're saving about 6000 yen ($60), but probably more. More importantly, it'll save you the time and stress of standing around at ticket machines every day for two weeks buying train tickets and bus tickets, and that alone is a good enough reason to consider it.

However, there is an even cheaper way of traveling the country. Some coworkers and I traveled the same route from Tokyo to Kyoto and Hiroshima. Instead of using three bullet trains on the round trip, we used two night buses and a domestic flight from Hiroshima back to Tokyo. On top of that, we probably spent another $10000 yen ($100) traveling around the cities on the subway trains. That gave us a total of 34000 yen ($340), which is quite a bit cheaper than getting the Japan Rail Pass.

If you're traveling Japan on a budget, let night buses be your secret weapon because, as well as being half the price of a bullet train, if you travel through the night, you're also saving on accommodation as well. For example, we traveled on the night bus for two nights and thus, saved two nights of accommodation, which would have been around another 8000 yen ($80).

That said, if you are traveling by night bus, there are a few additional costs. For example, you'll need to spend at least another 600 yen ($6) on a bottle of wine to make sure you're fully knocked out for the duration of the trip. I'd say, 50% of the time, I'm able to sleep on the night bus. The other 50% of the time, I arrive at my destination a broken person, cursing the day that buses were ever invented.

The two best websites for booking are Willer Express and JapanTravelBus.com, which are both in English, as well as nice and easy to use.

In recent years, though, Japan's also seen a steady stream of low-cost airline carriers popping up. For example, a flight from Sendai to Osaka costs as little as 5000 yen ($50) with Peach Airlines -- far cheaper than by train and even by bus.

If you still want to know whether the Japan Rail Pass is worth it or not, you can use the Japan Rail Pass calculator on the Japan Guide's website where you can input the length of time you're staying and your itinerary to get a rough idea whether or not it's worth it.

If you want to save even more money, there's an even cheaper way than traveling by bus. You can travel by skateboard. Seriously. I'm not even trolling you. I know a guy who traveled all the way from Sapporo to Hiroshima on a skateboard. It took him 33 days and he saved at least 5000 yen ($50), which is the cost of traveling by plane. The only question that remains is: How budget are you willing to go?

Eating Out on a Budget

The cheapest style of restaurant to eat out, in Japan, are the fast food restaurants. The three main ones are Sukiya, Yoshinoya and Matsuya, which can be found on most city streets across the country. All of them sell the same style of rice bowl dishes, covered in toppings; the most popular being Gyudon, which is thinly sliced beef.

I usually get Gyudon with three kinds of cheese for 490 yen ($4.90). Without the cheese, it’s 350 yen ($3.50), which is disturbingly cheap. It’s not something you’re going to write home to your family about, but it is very filling. After you’ve had it, for the next six hours, you’re soaring. Also, it comes with Tobasco. They give it to you with the bowl to give it some flavor.

Fast, filling and without the same sense of guilt that comes with eating at a western style fast food restaurant; these are the ideal places to drop into for any budget traveler. It is slightly healthier than western fast food. Although, if you’re like me and you smother your food with three kinds of cheese, you are going to lose those groundbreaking health benefits.

Another good and cheap fast food option is the standing restaurants, dotted around train stations. You can order a bowl of soba or udon from the vending machines for as little as 400 yen ($4). If I’m in a hurry around lunch time, I’ll quickly dive in and grab a bowl of mushroom soba, which tastes surprisingly good.

Then again, even if you’re a budget traveler, you probably didn’t come all the way to Japan just to eat a bowl of rice with three kinds of cheese for two weeks. Fortunately, there’s a really easy way of spending money if you’re going out for the evening.

There are a few Japanese words you really need to know before you visit. One of those words is “Nomihoudai,” which means “all you can drink.” It’s the holy grail of a cheat night out. For around as little as 1200 yen ($12), you drink as much as you can from the extensive drink menu for up to two hours. Some types of restaurants also have “Tabehoudai,” which means “all you can eat,” particularly at Yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurants. If you do some research online, finding bars and restaurants with “Nomihoudai” is pretty easy to do.

If you’re not a big drinker, but still fancy a beer, the cheapest place to buy alcohol is at the supermarket or convenience store. One really good thing about Japan is you can actually drink alcohol out in public, which you can’t do in the States. You can go into a convenience store and you can grab your beverage of choice, and go over to the park and have a bit of fun.

A convenience store is also a great place to pick up breakfast or lunch, such as onigiri rice balls or cheap ready-meals. Soba noodles are usually around 348 yen ($3.48), which is pretty cheap. It’s the perfect thing for a picnic or a light snack. To give a rough idea of the price of certain popular dishes, here’s a full price breakdown with meals such as sushi and yakitori, unsurprisingly, being amongst the most expensive. Wagyu beef is so expensive that I didn’t even bother putting it on the list.

Onigiri (rice ball)..........................................100 yen ($1.00)

Sandwich…………………………………........220 yen ($2.20)

Udon/Soba……………………………………..500 yen ($5.00)

Ramen………………………………………….700 yen ($7.00)                     

Katsu Curry…………………………………....700 yen ($7.00)                

Tempura (meal)............................................900 yen ($9.00)                     

Sushi (meal).................................................1500 yen ($15.00)              

Yakitori (meal)..............................................1600 yen ($16.00)                  

Sake One Cup………………………………...219 yen ($2.19)                       

Beer (from convenience store)....................230 yen ($2.30)

[taykimchi-blog]

12 Things NOT to do in Japan

I won't lie. I didn't know a whole lot about Japan before I got here. I actually did most of my reading about Japanese etiquette on the horrific 12-hour flight between Los Angeles and Tokyo. And I've pretty much just winged it ever since. In hindsight, there are a lot of things I know now that I would've done well to comprehend before I got here. I've taken half a month of experience in the field and compiled it into this list of "12 Things Not to do in Japan." So, when you're on your flight here, you needn't worry about reading about cultural etiquette; you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the in-flight entertainment.

1.) DON'T eat & drink while walking

Walking down the street while eating and drinking isn't illegal; you're not going to get shouted at and you're not going to get arrested. What you will get is the stare of disapproval. A lot of people don't know this one until they get here and never see anyone doing it. What you'll find is, if someone wants to eat or drink something quickly outside, they'll buy it at the convenience store and then eat it or drink it outside in front of the store. Same with vending machines; if they buy something from the vending machine, they'll drink it there and then next to the vending machine. The main reason is, people are very conscious about keeping the streets clean here, and you don't want to ruin someone else's day by having them walk through your spilled coffee. That said, all you need to do to avoid the stare of disapproval is to just stop and eat and drink whatever it is there and then. Maybe it's on a bench, maybe you're just standing at the side of the road, whatever. Just don't walk while eating and drinking and you'll be all right.

2.) DON'T do various things with chopsticks

Three things to point out here. Number 1: Never put your chopsticks upright into the rice, as this is part of a ritual conducted at funerals when offering rice to the spirits of the deceased. Similarly, number 2: never pass things from chopstick to chopstick because, again, this is done during funerals to pass the bones of cremated relatives. That kind of imagery doesn't go down well over dinner, as you'd expect. Probably best not to conjure up imagery surrounding death before you've even had your lunch. And thirdly, don't do the rubbing of the chopsticks. You know, when you open wooden chopsticks and you like to do that to get rid of the splinters and just because it's fun. Everyone loves doing that. But don't do it in Japan because it's seen as rude to the owner because you're basically saying, "Oh, your chopsticks are probably cheap," which, let's face it: they probably are. In fact, they usually definitely are.

3.) DON'T tip

This is probably the greatest thing about Japan ever and is the reason that I eat out several times a week, just because I save 20% automatically. In Japan, it's believed that customer service should always be exceptional, with staff giving 120% every time. It's not necessarily rude to tip someone. It just creates this awkward situation where the worker, the staff, would feel like you're assessing their performance and they could potentially lose face. You might think you're being nice by giving someone a tip, but you're not. You're just creating an uncomfortable situation for the worker and they'll probably just reject your tip outright, so don't be tempted to do it.

4.) DON'T use your phone on public transport

There's a real emphasis on being mindful when you're using public transport in Japan that's often completely absent in many countries. Numerous are the times that I've been riding a bus in the States and someone nearby has been screaming at their partner down the phone and I felt like I was part of the argument, like some kind of unpleasant 4D experience. But, given Japan's density, it's especially important to be mindful when you're stuffed in a train alongside fellow commuters, many of whom are sleeping, as well. With that in mind, don't ever talk on your phone on the train. That's a massive NO thing to do here. Even talking loudly is looked down upon. If you're on a local train or a subway train and you get a phone call, just ignore it until you get off. If you're on a bullet train, you can go to the little compartment in between the carriages and take your call there.

5.) DON'T underestimate the importance of business cards

I remember whenever someone handed me a business card, I was utterly terrified because until then, business cards, to me, had always just been a bit of paper, a bit of card, with some writing on. But in Japan, they are so much more. Once you've exchanged business cards, the trick is to imagine you've just been handed the lost treasure of El Salvador or something. First, study it meticulously: the name, the job position, the details. Then either put it in your business card holder, or just put it on the desk if you're at a business meeting. Just put it on the table. Never play around with business cards or put them in your back pocket because they're seen as a physical extension of the person themselves. You don't want to stuff somebody's physical extension down your back pocket. If you're doing business in Japan, always carry business cards. You don't want to be that awkward foreigner who's stood there writing out their name and number 50 times in one hour on the back of a tissue. And for the record, I AM usually that awkward foreigner scribbling down my details because I do forget to bring them and subsequently, I hate myself when it happens.

6.) DON'T blow your nose in public

If you've got a runny nose, standard procedure here is just to keep sniffing or just to find a toilet or a broom cupboard to hide in. Blowing noses in public is pretty rude. Interestingly though, handkerchiefs are pretty popular here; not in the way you would think, though. People use them to wipe sweat off in the hot summer weather or, even more commonly, to dry their hands in public toilets. Surprisingly, many public toilets in Japan don't have any hand-drying facilities, despite having space-age toilets that reside in the same room. It's quite a weird contrast that I don't quite understand.

7.) DON'T get physical

Physical contact in Japan isn't really a thing. You'll bow a lot. You'll nod enthusiastically daily. Occasionally, you might shake hands with someone if they're a good friend or a business client that you get along well with. But generally, I avoid it unless someone makes the first move. Hugging, in particular, doesn't go down well. It's just met with expressions of awkwardness and despair. Among couples, public displays of affection are phenomenally rare here. Don't be surprised if you get the stare of disapproval if you're kissing your partner frantically in the street.

8.) DON'T be overly opinionated

If you're the sort of person who feels the need to have a debate or an argument about things or throw your opinions out there constantly, people will find you obnoxious and dislikeable and probably just avoid you. Embedded heavily within the culture is this idea of keeping harmony and avoiding conflict at all costs. It's a lot easier to do that when people aren't at each other's throats, throwing around opinions. If there's one reason I've never seen a fight anywhere in Japan in the last half month, it's probably this reason. The people are a lot more careful about expressing their opinions and holding back what they really think.

9.) DON'T forget to take off your shoes

Everyone seems to know this one already. When visiting someone's house, or entering a public building like a school, or going to a hot spring, you take off your shoes and switch to slippers before you go in. The easiest way of knowing if you have to change your shoes is there will be a change in elevation in the floor. When you go in, there''ll be a little stair and that's when you know. This is the one thing on the list where failing to stick to the rules will have noticeable results. A friend and I visited a public bathhouse recently. We went in and you're supposed to take your shoes off. For some reason she didn't. I don't know why. I don't think she noticed or saw. There was a little old woman sitting behind the entrance counter where you pay, and when we walked in, she saw that my friend still had her shoes on and she shot up with terrifying energy and ran over and grabbed my friend and took her to the front and was like, "Get your shoes off! Get your shoes off!" That image has stayed burnt into my mind. This quiet little old woman suddenly becoming so alive and animated by this...terrible event. Ever since then, I've never forgotten to take my shoes off when entering a building.

10.) DON'T litter despite the frustrating absence of bins

For whatever reason, rubbish bins and trash cans are disturbingly rare in Japan. Outside of convenience stores, it can be a nightmare to find one. I've wandered through Tokyo for up to 20 minutes, sometimes, just in search of a bin and can't find one. The streets though, despite that, are shockingly clean here because people -- if they can't find a bin, they just take the rubbish home with them. It can feel like some kind of mini-game, sometimes, going in search for a bin; because when you do find a bin, you feel a real sense of achievement. Despite that, don't be tempted to litter. Just keep trying and you'll find a bin one day.

11.) DON'T cross on a red (even in the absence of traffic)

Seems like a fairly obvious addition to the list, and yet in the States, we just cross the street whenever the hell we want; whenever there's an opening in traffic, as opposed to waiting for the green light -- same as many countries. In Japan, however, people do not cross the road on a red light. It's incredibly rare and it's one of the greatest ways of seeing this sense of order and obedience to the law that exists in Japan. If you stand at a roadside in Japan and there's no cars coming, you can't see any cars whatsoever, people still will not cross the road until it goes green. This is the thing that shocks foreigners the most: the idea of not crossing the street when there are no visible cars there; the idea of abiding by a rule that doesn't seem necessary. For me personally, the main reason I abide by it is, you don't want to stand out; you don't want to be this stereotypical rule-breaking foreigner. As well as that, you don't want to run the risk of getting caught out by the police. Those are two things worth taking into consideration before you dash across the seemingly empty road.

12.) DON'T worry about not knowing anything about Japanese etiquette

As I said earlier, there aren't gonna be any real consequences to not following any of these points -- apart from maybe the footwear one. The reason I say don't worry too much is because a lot of people come here and they're very nervous and very anxious about following etiquette; etiquette they don't really comprehend. That includes even me when I came here. I didn't know anything. I was constantly anxious and nervous that I was making mistakes. Really, as a foreigner in Japan, you get kind of a free pass to make mistakes. People are understanding and they're kind and they will let you off, so don't become too nervous about following all the rules. Do your best, but don't become a nervous wreck.