The California Roll-My Introduction To Sushi

Even though its been a few years since Ive had my first cali roll, I have still yet to jump on the wagon of eating the raw stuff. Firends rave about the freshness and quality of all kinds of sushi, cooked and raw, on our trips to Japan. However, I have not been able to get over my food phobia of a raw piece of fish. That is why I have raw sushi at most once a year. Normally, this involves salmon but I have taken to ordering spicy tuna. the chili sauce tends to take my mind off the texture of the fish. Thats my biggest hang up about it, having a raw piece of somewhat gelatinous fish in my mouth. It detracts from the flavor and prevents me from enjoying it.

Many years ago in college, people had just begun to eat sushi and the general populace were not as familiar with this iconic japanese dish as they are nowadays. At the time, I had assumed that all sushi was uncooked fish with rice. Little did I know that there were cooked items and other contects aside from just the fish. A friend practically had to shove one in my mouth in my first encounter and I have been enjoying them and other kinds of sushi ever since. Cali rolls are rolled with the nori(seaweed) on the outisde or on the inside. I have no particular preference but I find the nori on the outside less of a mess as I dont have any lingering kernels of rice stuck to my fingers after popping one into my mouth. The contents usually include crab in various forms. The crab could be real or imitation and it could me mixed with mayo or included as a solid piece. An odd pairing on first glance was the avocado. Accompanying it is usually come cucumber. My favorite addition is the organge fish eggs, tobiko, which give it a salty flavor and a crunchiness.

I have gone on to try other sushis. Unagi is cooked eel slathered with a sweet teriyaki sauce. Ebi is cooked shrimp. Spider rolls include deep-fried tempura crab. Other rolls have a comination of items and are called by different names depending on what restaurant you order them from. I will try to broaden my sushi horizon

When I Think About Going Away...I Think About Tokyo/Japan

There are certain places people think about when they daydream about getting away from work. Alot of folks probably think about going to some tropical paradise such as Fiji, Bali,or locally like Hawaii. Some harken back to the old world charms of Europe and/or Russia. Other places evoke sentimentallity that draws them back time and time again. Its no secret that my go to place is Tokyo/Japan. At times when my brain lapses and I begin to daydream, it never fails to flashback to trips that I have taken. The sights of the people, buildings, and lights become vivid in my mind. The background sounds of the trains, footsteps, and crows grow clearer. The smells of curry and ramen hasten the hunger pangs as mealtime apporaches. The touch of the rubber escalator handrails, push-to-open door handles, and plastic bento box containers all add to the sensory memory of my brief moments that I spent there

You could almost say that I get homesick for that one place that has always been the first place that I wanted to travel to internationally. Ove the last few years, I have consoled myself time and time again that I would not go back the following year. Time and time again, I find a way to rationalize a reason to go back or find some other convenient reason for making another trip. At this point, I have resigned myself to these yearly trips that I take abroad. This upcoming year, I have visions of visiting Japan in the summer. All of my previous trips have occured during the winter and spring seasons. Because of fears of the high heat and humidity, I have stayed away from the summer months because I tend to wilt in those conditions. This time, I believe its time for a change. Some of the things that I would like to do during the warmer months include walking around Tokyo in shorts, attending some of the many festivals that spring up this time of year, going to one of the 5th stations on Mt Fuji and visiting Sendai.

I sually have to pack warmer clothing on my visits. When visiting the Snow Festival in Sapporro, I have to bring even heavier, thicker clothes. Most times, the climate in Tokyo is not too different from what we have here at home. I dont have to bundle up anymore for a winter day in Tokyo than I do at home. However, that does usually entail long pants and a windbreaker/jacket of some type. I imagine it would be nice to bring a smaller suitcase with me packed with lighter clothing to take advantage of the sunny summer days. To walk around Shibuya/Shinjuku ins shorts and sandals on a warm summer eve is a vision that has entered my psyche on occassion.

On this year's trip, I passed through Aomori on the way to Tokyo via the train from Sapporro. I got to visit the Nebuta Museum that houses some of the awarding floats that travel the streets of the city during the Nebuta Festival held in early august. Although the floate were nice to see in a static environemnt, I think it would be a bigger impact to see them being paraded around the city after night has fallen. Many of the festicals are celebrated in summer and participants are seen walking around in yukatas, purchasing food from street vendors, and playing games for prixes at sidewalk tents. The air is festive with large numbers of people enjoying the nice weather well into the evening.

I heve never had delusions of being able to climb Mt Fuji. But, I have wanted to get up close and personal by getting up to one of the fifth stations that dot the mountain. There are a number of stations that climbers can stop at on their ascent. The last highest ones accessible via car or bus are the fifth stations. These are only open during the summer climbing season. During one late winter/early fall trip, some friends and I took the train to Gotemba and attempted to take the bus up to a fifth station on the south side of the mountain. Things looked bleak as we could only see the base of the mountain upon arrival at Gotemba station. Nonetheless, we purchased bus tickets but were disheartened when we were dropped off at a nearby military base as the bus did not proceed any furhter. We had not even step foot on the base of the montain.

Lastly, we had decided to skip Sendai on our way back to Tokyo this winter. A month later, an earthquake and tsunami had ravaged the area an I was heartbroken to hear of the tragedy. I wanted to put Sendai and the area surrounding it into my travel plans. I wanted to help by spending some of my tourism money in that area. I will never know what the area looked like in person before the tragedy. but, from pictures and reports that I have seen, the people are resilient and getting back to their normal way of life as best they can.

Recently, the Jpanese government has devalued the yen. Thats great news for me as I hope the exchange rate against the dollar improves so that my chances of a visit next year increases. Until now, the yen has reached an all time high against the dollar. This is great for american businesses but bad for American tourists. Im keepiog my fingers crossed and Japan on my mind

On The Job-East Mall, Japantown

I have posted about Japantown before.  Today, we have an area that infrequently visit in comparison to the other 2 major areas of the mall.  This thrid structure is much smaller than the Kinokuniya and Kintetsu building.  Ergo, there are fewer shops and restaurants whitin it.  Not to mention, there is no physical connection to the rest of the complex.  The other 2 are connected by an elevated walkway.  This is seperated by an open plaza, The Peace Plaza.

Throughout the entire complex, there are small areas that are built up to convey the Japanese feel and sensibilities.  Fountains and rock gardens evoke a sense of being in a faraway land.

This small hallway connects to a neighboring hotel that holds small animation conventions.  A small row of shops and a restaurant line the hall.  I dont believe that I have ever ate here

Most of this is a 2 floor structure with an open area to transition between the elevations.  Alongside a few Japanese restaurants in the second story is a Korean restaurant.  There are two discount stores that can be found here.  In the far corner is Ichiban Kan.  They sell a wide variety of housewares and food stuffs.  Several years after they opened, another discount store from Japan opened a location downstairs near the bottom of the stairs.  All items, unless makred otherwise, are $1.50.  Some items like drinks could be less than that.  They sell many of the same type of things as Ichiban Kan.  This store, called Daiso, originated in Japan and I have been to a few otheir locations their.

On The Job-Ocean Beach

There are several beaches dotted along the city's borders with the bodies of water that surround the peninsula.  The largest one, Ocean Beach, borders the Pacific Ocean.  This strip of sand takes up the majority of the western border of the city.  The tide was low during the time I was there so much of the beach is exposed.  From the Cliff House, it runs south to the SF Zoo.  A portion of that is adjacent to Golden Gate Park.  Along this mutual area, the Beach Chalet restaurant and some windmills make their homes.  The windmills are being restored but one is almost complete while the other hasnt entered is renovation stage.

Theres not much to see at the shoreline unless you are planning to take in the surf and the sun.  The waves around here are not known for being particularly tasty or awesome.  They are more know for the undertow than anything else.  Many solar orbital cycles, decades for that matter, there was a beachside amusement park called Funland.  It was never in competition with the grander boardwalks like Coney Island or even smaller local boardwalk in Santa Cruz.  Long existent even before my arrival to the city, it was the place to go in the city.  There were carnival rides and all the usual accutrements of attractions of that era.  Once gone, it never returned.  However, people have tried to petition to bring something similar back.

Overlooking the surf is a renovated Cliff House, where I took the previous pictures.  There are some gourmet restaurants with great views of the sand and water to accompany lunch or dinner.  A visitor's center provides information about the history behind the building.  A small distance away is Louis'.  This cafe has been in existence for quite a while and still draws a good crowd of people for breakfast or lunch.  the restaurant is situated above what used to be Sutro Baths

Not much is left of the baths except for its foundation.  The indoor pool was supplied by heated seawater from the ocean.  From pcitures that Ive seen, the building had high ceilings and looked to be very large.  Just off in the distance are rocks where birds and seals like to use as a rest stop or perch.  As cold and foggy as the city gets, an indoor pool versus outdoor pool was a no brainer.  However, there was an outdoor pool built near the SF Zoo called Fleischer(?) Pool



Innocence Lost-Halloween

Halloween is fast approaching.  However, if you've visited your local Costco or retail outlet, it feels like we've past Halloween and Thanksgiving and went straight to Christmas.  Many of our childhoods are spent anticipating the sacks of candy and sweets we could get while pandering on the streets of our local neighborhoods.  Even back when I was a child, there were the persistent rumours of tainted candy and the overwhelming fear of biting into an apple with a razor blade in it.  Unfortunately, this age old tradition has begun to lose its luster as I hear from parents and the news about the world around us.  Parents are gripped with fear at the thought of treats that may have been previously tampered with.  None of which are eased with the possibility of predators roaming the streets with their children.  The darkness of night helping to shield them and their nefarious plans.  Parents I know have told me of how they take their kids trick or treating but not allowing them to ingest any of their gains.  Instead, they buy items that they know are safe and trade them in for what they have recieved that night.  The unfortunate sweet tooths at the office the next day are left to be the canary in the mineshaft as they unwittingly partake of the previous nights returns..