Here’s an article on etiquette in Japan, although it’s kind of a mish-mash of topics. Brush up on some of your knowledge before you visit, or read to get some vocabulary if you’re a student of English.
Etiquette in Japan?
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Tag Archives: Culture
The World of Maya, Aztec, and Inca in Fukuoka, Japan
If you’re in Japan, and you have never been (or have no plans to go) to any of the three major areas of Pre-Columbian culture, then you should check out this exhibit at the Fukuoka City Museum (time is running out!) The Mayan artifacts come from Guatemala and Campeche, Mexico, and they represent a decent collection for being outside of the Maya area. For the real deal, I recommend the Museums of Anthropology in Mexico City and Merida (and all the Mayan pyramids!) I haven’t been to the Peabody museum at Yale, which I understand has many of the goodies taken in the early part of the 20th C., but it’s on my list. The museum in Mexico City has a definitive collection of Aztec artifacts, and nothing beats walking through the ruins of the pyramids at Tenochtitlan. I have nothing but the Nazca exhibition to compare with the Inca display, but Peru is on my list of places to visit. The exhibition in Fukuoka is trying to do too much. It is hard to do justice to each culture in just one display. But, as I started this entry out, if this is all you can do, then go check it out.
Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion
The circus is in town! The circus is in town! After seeing Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam (in Fukuoka), Alegria 2 (also in Fukuoka), and La Nouba (at DisneyWorld in Florida), I couldn’t miss the latest manifestation, Dralion now showing in Fukuoka. Dralion combines Asian, African, and European themes (the ‘Dra’ is for dragon, and ‘lion’ is, well, lion 
). There are the usual suspects: clowns, trapeze, individual and choreographed acts of athleticism, rope (actually cloth) work, dance, and trampoline. Dralion uses some of the trampoline work that I saw in La Nouba, where they bounce to incredible heights all with precision timing–very cool stuff. There were three official clowns, and one ringer; the interplay between them all is quite fun to watch. The routine with the hair, etc. between two of them needs work; it was too predictable and tedious. The singers were great, as was the band. The woman representing the African portion of the show was incredibly talented; make sure to keep track of her when she’s on stage. This is a show to watch if you have a chance.
Nazca Exhibition in Kumamoto
Last month we got a chance to go to the Nazca display at the Kumamoto Prefecture Museum of Art (one of my students reminded me about it; thanks Yoko!) I have to say that it was very interesting. The first section moved through a bit of the history and geography of the area, and there’s an illustrative timeline to give some perspective. This site has a good rundown on the details.
The artifacts on display were simply amazing. I guess because of the climate (the area looks awfully dry), many of the items were well preserved. Several items were more than 2,000 years old and were in excellent condition. There is a well-kept mummy that you have to see to believe.
The end of the display is dedicated to the huge line drawings in the desert floor. This area of Peru is a World Heritage site, so it’s on my list of places to visit. Unfortunately, people are doing great harm to the area with cars and motorcyles. I hope that kind of activity is stopped ASAP.
The Nazca display continues until January 27th. Get your tickets and go now!
Sushi Ota
World, meet Mr. Ota. His San Diego restaurant, Sushi Ota, is just about the best sushi shop I’ve been to (I’ll save my other favorite, Daiki, in Ise, for another post). Besides being a great guy, Mr. Ota runs a smooth-running ship with fantastic food. We were trying to figure out when we first started going; it must have been not too long after he opened in the late 1980′s. That was back when there were exactly two people behind the counter: Mr. Ota and a nice guy nicknamed Joe. Now there are seven or eight people perfectly choreographed. It’s a big coincidence that Mr. Ota’s hometown is a couple of hours south of Kumamoto (in Hondo). He’s in my hometown, and I’m near his. Mr. Ota knows what my family likes, and he takes great pride watching our expressions after putting his original California- and Kyushu-fused creations in front of us. He has never missed with us. This meal took place about four months ago, so I’m working from the photos and my feeble memory. If the details are lacking, just enjoy the photos, and use your imagination…
Our meal started off with the above creation, although I broke it up before I remembered to take a picture of it. It was crab meat and tomato in a savory gelatin, and it just melted in my mouth.
I need to take some notes when I go back next time because I cannot remember what was in this original masterpiece. I do remember that the avocado matched perfectly with the grated daikon, tare (sauce?), and the fish inside.
This was one of those one-bite experiences that last only as long as you can chew it. There was crab involved and squid and a white fish, and that sauce!
Yes, your honor, guilty as charged. I forgot what kind of fish this was, but it was grilled to perfection and it was tender and extremely tasty.
I understand the giant bluefin tuna is dwindling rapidly. A few orders of various parts of maguro is usual for me. This time we had one order of toro and left it at that. I hope the tuna population returns to normal soon. We should all think carefully before catching/ordering/eating any more giant bluefin tuna.
Uni (sea urchin) is a delicacy in Japan. It just so happens that the waters of the east side of the North Pacific Ocean are filled with sea urchins. Sushi Ota serves them up from both California and Japan.
My wife likes the awabi (abalone); I can do without it. It’s a bit too chewy for me. She said it was wonderful!
Memory lapse again. As you already know, the one on the right is sake (salmon), but the one on the left eludes me right now. Perhaps another trip is in store, so I can ask…
Our final order was tamago. I think it was the first time to order it at Sushi Ota. Check out the cool brand. 
Thanks for (another) excellent meal, Mr. Ota. I can’t wait to go back! 
Thanksgiving in Japan
The American holiday is usually a working day in Japan, and this year was no exception. Fortunately, the next day was Labor Thanksgiving Day here, so I just moved the day to Friday.
This is the loaf of bread I put in the bread machine early on the morning of the day after Thanksgivng. I haven’t been brave enough to go 100% whole wheat (I’m working with an unfamiliar brand of WW flour) yet. The loaf in the photo above is 75% WW; the other 25% is plain ol’ bread flour. Anyway, this post has taken me longer to put together than I wanted it to, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Speaking of cookies..
We baked these after the bread was done. Many of them went out to neighbors and/or friends, but that’s what cookies are for: bringing joy to those who eat them.
After all the baking was taken care of, I started on the chicken (a turkey is way too much food for us). I shoved a sizable chunk of butter in strategic places on and under the skin and added salt, pepper, and rosemary.
It went in the oven for 20 minutes. Then I flipped it over and spread chunks of carrots, onions, celery, and potatoes all around the bird. I cooked it another 20 minutes and flipped it over again. After about 10 minutes, I started to keep my eye on it. It needed another 20 minutes, for a full hour of cooking.
I kept the neck and the bits I cut off from the chicken before roasting it. All of that and all of the bones and bits of meat went into a big pot. I added carrots, onions, and celery and covered it all with water. I turned up the heat until it just was getting ready to boil. Then I turned the heat all the way down. I let it simmer for two and half hours (I should have let it go another 30 minutes or so, but it was getting late) and scooped off the fat from time to time.
I let it cool off and strained it into a big bowl. This went into four plastic containers. The soup stock has been a source of some great soup and a nice risotto in the past few weeks. I can’t wait for the next excuse to roast a chicken…
Halloween in Japan
Just like Mexico is beginning to celebrate Halloween, I noticed much more Halloween activity here in Kumamoto this year. Most of it seem to have the commercial angle. Most of the convenience stores have a Halloween corner when you walk in. Our favorite cake shop was all decked out in decorations and most of the cakes on sale had a Halloween angle. All the department stores I went to in the past month had Halloween cakes and food of some kind for sale. Even the ¥100 stores were selling something to play with or wear.
I did not see any full costumes being worn outside of any of the stores, but there was a local news report showing a Halloween parade downtown in the big shopping arcade. I saw a group of four students below my office having a picnic; they were trying on each others’ masks and having a fun time. Four of my students came to my office saying, “trick or treat,” and they got some of my stash of Hersheys dark chocolate—smiles all around.
I hope some of the commercial aspect wears off and people can enjoy the day dressing up as their favorite characters (or even teachers! 
)
Amakusa Research Project
There has been a push at work to connect better with the local community. The idea is to share ideas for research with those already doing similar work. I joined in on a trip this week to Amakusa, an island area south of Kumamoto connected by bridges and a system of ferries. The photo above is of the first bridge that connects the island of Kyushu to the first large island of Amakusa. The photo below is a view from that bridge.
We first stopped at a junior high school where there is a group of four or so people who develop and produce foods made from octopus. We learned that they get a supply of 30-40 kgs. a day of octopus, from which they make octopus ‘steak,’ giant ‘takoyaki’ (a kind of savory ball made from dough, vegetables, and seasonings), and other dishes. These products are then sold at the local souvenir shops. We sampled some of the octopus they use, and it was very tasty.
We next went to one of the local offices where the archives of Amakusa are kept. There was a long hallway where photos from various local events of the 20th and 21st centuries were hung on the wall. We then toured some of the rooms where the archives are stored. We did not really get to see any of the materials since they were all in boxes. Another missed opportunity was that the PR materials that were given to us were mainly photos of boxes. I think in the future some examples of the kinds of materials stored there would be enlightening; otherwise, it was a waste of copy paper.
From there we moved to Amakusa Airport where we learned about Amakusa Airlines’ business. Amakusa Airlines has one plane traveling: Amakusa to/from Kumamoto, Amakusa to/from Fukuoka, and Kumamoto to/from Matsuyama. We learned that their business has grown steadily over the years and that most of the passengers are business people.
We then went to Tomioka Castle which was fought over during the Shimabara Rebellion, but was destroyed in 1670 during the Shogunate period. The current site was rebuilt in modern times. The dark rocks below are the original rocks used to build the castle; the lighter ones were shaped for the reconstruction.
Here is a shot of what they found when they dug out the site. You can see that the castle was rebuilt with new walls.
I am a big fan of the coast in Amakusa. I would have to guess that I did about 50 dives at Myoken ga Ura (along the west coast of Amakusa) in the period from the summer of 1994 to the summer of 1998. I did not get many chances for a good shot, but this one is typical of the west coast:
We continued south and went to Oe where many Christians lived (and still live) before, during, and after Japan was closed to the West. Nagasaki’s Shimabara and Amakusa are so close that they share a lot of history. Here’s a shot of Oe Catholic Church:
and one of Sakitsu Catholic Church:
Both were destroyed during the Shogunate period and were rebuilt in the 20th century.
The day finished up at a nice Japanese Inn where the University members were joined by some of the workers of Amakusa City and Kumamoto Prefecture. I got to meet Mayor Yasuda of Amakusa City, a very friendly person. Amakusa City turns out to be a sister-city with Encinitas in San Diego. What a coincidence! Moonlight beach may just be the beach I have visited the most.
If you are planning a trip to the Kumamoto area, make sure you plan some time for an Amakusa trip. You will be glad that you did.
The Kiyo Masako Festival
There’s a festival held here each year for the shrine next to Kumamoto Castle. We went up to the shrine at first. We were more than an hour early, and it was blazing hot, so we headed back down the hill. The group above show some children playing taiko (Japanese drums). I’ll let the videos do the talking, but I have to say I had a major case of operator-error that day! My favorite one had a series of four taiko groups, including one with women and another with young children. They all sounded great! For some reason, when I got home, the two videos I has taken of the groups were not to be found on my camera… Boo hoo!
These men are dressed as Shito priests:
Some of the mikoshi (I guess ‘float’ works here) were carried:
Others were on wheels:
Some groups were small, and some had many members. This one seemed to be a blend of two:
This group was working all the way down the shopping arcade:
Check out the festival next time you’re in town during the end of July…
Cesar Rojas’ guitar at Hard Rock Cafe, Fukuoka, Japan
Cesar Rojas’ guitar at Hard Rock Cafe, Fukuoka, Japan
Originally uploaded by technicle
This was the view in front of me. On the bottom is one of David Cassidy’s guitars (did your heart start pounding when you read that?) On the top is one of Cesar Rojas’. Seeing that triggered some memories with the missus and me. The two of us have seen Los Lobos perform twice: once at the Paladium in LA for New Year’s (I believe that was 1990). That was a great show. The other time was at the outdoor amphitheater at Balboa Park. During that show, Cesar came up into the audience and played a solo for my wife. We were about two feet away from him. I think I can say that was the closest I’ve ever been to someone in concert. Needless to say, it was an awesome show!