Slaving over the stove

I've heard it more than once - if I want to go to a restaurant, I want them to cook my food! But not everyone feels this way. There are several types of "do it yourself" restaurants in Japan, like yakiniku and kushiage.

My family really enjoys these restaurants. They are a little different and my son loves how interactive they are.

We recently went to a seafood BBQ restaurant. Similar to yakiniku where each person grills their own meat, this restaurant has people grilling their own seafood.

We started by picking out our shrimp, clams, and oysters from water tanks. The shrimp were still alive, so we gave the honors of grabbing them with tongs to our son. He was determined to collect them and quickly came up with a plan. He looked for "lazy" shrimp and went after them with the tongs as fast as he could. He was glad that an employee came and skewered the shrimp after he collected them from the tank.

There was also a case with various sausages, octopus on a stick, rice balls, and more. Variety was definitely on the menu!

After paying, we were assigned a table, which housed a long grill. We didn't waste any time and loaded up the grill right away.

Our meal didn't take long to cook. It was fun to watch everything sizzle. Our son got an extra thrill when the clams and oysters popped open.

The wire basket is to prevent the shellfish from popping open
and splashing us with juice.  The table next to ours demonstrated
what could happen if you don't use the basket.  Oops!

We could have easily gone to a restaurant that prepared everything for us. But making our own food was much more entertaining.

Rinse and repeat

We are in a vicious circle and it is incredibly discouraging. I have spent so much time ignoring the reality of my surroundings that when I heard today that the Japanese government is declaring, once again, a state of emergency order due to Covid, I was really irritated.

Just last week the schedule for immunizations in Nerima was communicated to the residents. They are currently vaccinating healthcare workers and those residing in elderly care facilities. In late May, people aged 75 and older will become eligible for vaccines. Those 65 and older can get vaccines starting late June. Mid July will open to those with preexisting conditions. The general public will have their time in August.

Although I highly doubt the schedule will remain the same, the news of this state of emergency gives me even less hope for the near future. It is really discouraging. When will I ever be able to see my family and friends again? Right now, it feels like never.

Eye on the prize (Gunma Prefecture 3 of 3)

Back in 2003, my mom came to visit me in Japan. Before she came, she asked my nephew what he wanted her to buy for him. With a smile on his face, he declared he wanted a daruma doll. When she told me that is what he wanted, I replied with a resounding "huh?"

I had no clue what a Daruma was, nor where to find one. After asking around, I learned that the famous good luck charm is one of the most well known folk rituals in Japan. The doll, most commonly red in color, but also available in other colors, is purchased without any eyes painted onto its face. The owner tells the doll their wish, dream, or goal, entrusting the doll with their hopes. Once the wish has been shared with the Daruma, the person then paints the left eye onto the doll. After the wish has been fulfilled, they paint the right eye on as well.

The doll helps people to focus on defining their goals, working toward achieving those goals, as well as appreciating the outcome. Daruma takes expression "having both eyes open" to a new level, as it is a common Japanese attitude of focusing on success and wholeness.

Since learning about Daruma, I have seen them everywhere. I just hadn't noticed the quirky little round dolls beforehand.

While exploring Gunma prefecture, we had some extra time. So, my husband asked if we wanted to go to Syorinzan Daruma-Ji, where Daruma were first carved around the year 1680 following a flood. The temple itself was quite beautiful, with several flowering cherry trees around the grounds.

There are several buildings throughout the property, and lots of stairs taking you from one to the next. At the top of all these stairs is the Reifudo, the main hall that houses heaps of Daruma, as well as a small Daruma Museum (which is actually just an incredible collection of Daruma dolls).

The mountains of red, with splashes of other colors, were impressive and fun to see.

Although I love going to temples (and shrines) in general, there was something special about this one. I could have spent a lot more time there, enjoying the scenery (there is a lovely view from the top of all those stairs), and feeling the sense of peace that was blowing through the trees.

Stopping here was the perfect way to end our little adventure in Gunma prefecture.

Cone what? (Gunma Prefecture 2 of 3)

When I moved to Japan in 2002 to teach English in Osaka, I knew next to nothing about daily life in Japan - especially the food! When I think back to my ignorance, I shake my head in wonder. I was young, energetic, and enthusiastic. I was not knowledgeable or, as my husband likes to say, living in reality.

I remember going to the grocery store and staring at items, trying to figure out what they were and how they were used. This was before the days of everyone having cell phones (I didn’t), so I couldn’t just snap a photo and send it to someone or use Google Translate. Sometimes I was brave enough to ask a friend, but not always. I often relied on asking friends over for cooking dinner together or inquiring when I was invited over to other people’s houses (“This is so delicious! What is it?” “I’ve never heard of that. What does it look like?”).

I lived in an apartment that was contracted by the city. Over the years, many English teachers from abroad had lived in that apartment, several of whom left little things for the next tenant. While going through these items, I found a very helpful book that had photos of products in Japanese grocery stores, along with the names in Japanese and English. This grocery store guidebook proved to be invaluable to me as I tried to learn about the local ingredients. I knew what flour to buy for baking bread and so forth. The one thing it didn’t tell was how to use the foods I had never seen before!

One of these foods I had never before experienced was konnyaku. Either white, gray, or green in color, with a extremely firm jello-like texture, this food was completely new to me. Served in several popular savory recipes, like oden, nikkujaga, and more (all of which I ate for the first time after moving to Japan), it kept popping up on my radar. But I still didn’t know WHAT it really was.

Since first being introduced to konnyaku, I have been a fan. I learned it was made from a root, but didn’t know much beyond that. When planning our trip to Gunma, my husband asked if I would be interested in going to a konnyaku factory. He barely finished the question before I replied with a resounding “Yes!” So, he quickly added Konnyaku Park to our agenda.

Konnyaku Park combines a factory, classes, gift shop, and restaurant into an educational excursion destination.

We started with the factory tour, where we were able to peek down at huge machines processing and packaging konnyaku for sale. 

Along the way we learned that konnyaku is made in two ways - from a konjac potato (Araceae) or powder.  It is high in fiber and low in calories, making it a popular food for people trying to loose weight. The konjac potato is very delicate and takes 2 to 3 years to harvest. They also don’t store very well, which is why it is often turned into powder.

Konnyaku is made into lots of different products, like jelly that Japanese kids love to snack on and noodles for adding to soup for extra body. The gift shop is packed with so many different items made from konnyaku.

Always up for getting our hands dirty, we signed up to make konnyaku. The hands-on class had us mixing the powdered konnyaku with water until it was a very thick consistency. Then we divided the mixture into three bowls so we could make plain, seaweed, and yuzu flavored konnyaku. We rolled the raw dough into ping pong sized balls and then boiled them until cooked (probably 10 minutes).

After making our own konnyaku (that was packaged up for us to take home), we were taken to the all-you-can-eat free restaurant. People can try konnyaku prepared in a variety of ways. While I enjoy konnyaku, it was a bit much to have a meal entirely made from the one ingredient.

With our bellies full and a little bit of newfound knowledge in our heads, we continued on our way to see and do more in Gunma.

Silky smooth (Gunma Prefecture 1 of 3)

At some point my husband decided enough was enough. We needed a break, an escape of sorts. In order to really get away from it all, he rented a car and planned a trip to Gunma Prefecture.

Due to our son's ballet rehearsal schedule, we couldn't make it into an overnight trip. But a day trip had the possibility of giving us a bit of escape from our reality while simultaneously recharging our batteries.

He, of course, had several activities on the agenda, but I was probably most interested in the World Heritage Site known as Tomioka Silk Mill. I am very fond of visiting places that have earned the rank of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as it gives me a glimpse into history that is still felt today.

Tomioka Silk Mill was a government-operated silk-reeling mill from 1872 to 1987. During the 115 years of operation, it revolutionized the mass production of raw silk. When they first opened the doors to the mill, the workers used silk reeling machines imported from France. Over time, technology developed and following World War II automatic reeling-machines were introduced.

The grounds have been preserved and restored with great effort over the past 15 years. We were able to go into only a couple of the buildings, including the East Cocoon Warehouse (which has gift shops and a few museum-like exhibits) and Silk-Reeling Plant. We were intrigued to see the 1960's style automatic reeling machines inside the plant.

The West Cocoon Warehouse recently opened to visited after 6 years of conservation work. The museum inside this warehouse was the highlight of our tour. It told interesting facts about the employees and life inside the walls of the factory. I am always most impacted by hearing true stories about the people who lived before us and this museum fulfilled that inclination.

Women between the ages of 15 and 25 made up the majority of the 300 employee workforce. Men only held managerial positions. The ladies lived in dorm-like housing on the grounds of the mill. The work/life balance of these women changed drastically over the years, as the laws regarding the treatment of factory workers evolved. I was shocked to learn that at one point the women worked 12 hour shifts, receiving only 2 days off per month! Later, employees only worked 8 hours a day for 5 days a week. The 12-hour/day workers worked almost twice as many hours per month as the 8-hour/day workers!

Silk has always been an important product in Japan. From kimono to purses to handcrafts, the fabric is seen everywhere here. Beyond the actual product, it was interesting to learn about the industrialization of the silk mill as well as imagine how people lived and worked at the mill.

***************

Stay tuned for more interesting sites we saw in Gunma!