The collected private thoughts of the Hairy Technician.
Some of this is about travel and technology. Some of this is about life. Some of this is about me. Some things are fact. Some things are Fiction. Not necessarily in that order.
Ramen. In the west we get it all wrong. Even at so-called 'authentic' Japanese restraunts its not the same. Sure you can get okay ramen noodles and broth in a bowl but the experience here is different.
People revere ramen here. Every ramen place - from the cheapest machine token fast booth ramen to high end table service place - has its speciality. And in every case its executed with the same care and attention that I mentioned in my previous post.
So you don't need to spend a lot of money to have amazing Ramen. In fact its hard to spend a lot of money on ramen. usually it lands between 800 and 1300 yen per bowl, most often towards the lower end.
We tried out a new place. it was actually a location Luke and I used to visit when I lived here. Previously called XXX or, as I would refer to it 'Volcano Ramen' (the kanji of the name was a mountain and fire combined to make up the work 'Volcano'). We went there back in 2009 when it first opened and it quickly became one of our favourite spots. but since then, it has closed, reopened, changed hands, become a cow tongue restaurant (Gyutan or cow tongue is a local speciality which I've not had the opportunity to have this visit. next time!). most recently it was a family restaurant (and quite a good one apparantly)
But it just reopened as a ramen place once again, with new ownership and menu, so it was highly appropriate for my visit that we check it out. Kinda strange Deja vu for us trying this place for the first time... again!
We were not disappointed. I had a 'spicy micro shrimp' ramen with a thick broth and miso that tasted very similar to Laksa - and laksa is the king of all noodle dishes. so I was pleased as punch We also had a couple of additional 'onsen' eggs (soft/hard yolks) and some friend chicken pieces to go along with it.
Came to about 1000yen per bowl. And there it is. You just can't get ramen this good, this cheap in the west. its always more than that. and its never done this good (or this fast). So, like Sushi, another thing to treasure when I visit.
I’ve said it before (somewhere) that everything the Japanese do, they do it with care, attention, pride and most importantly of all, craft. People strive to find perfection and once found there is additional pride in executing a task perfectly. This applies to everything. From a safety check before a train driver to the way a parking attendant waves his flag, to the technique you would use to proof and knead dough at a bakery. The Japanese name for a master in this is ‘Takomi’
With that in mind Let's talk about food in Japan.
And I’d like to start with the best example olf the above statement I can think of: Toast.
Yes, toast. Plain white bread toast.
This is quite possibly the best slice of toast I’ve ever eaten.Its thick, but light and fluffy, perfectly textured and dreamy in taste. I don’t know what, exactly, they do to white bread here (although I plan to find out as I make bread at home every week).
it's not uncommon to seek out a bakery just for a specific item. I often did that when I lived here. A shop might literally make a single item. but make it perfectly (of course). Different places have different specialties - breads, pastries, rolls, buns, sandwiches.
Like this place at the bottom of the road from Luke’s house. People travel here from far and wide and they literally only make one thing - a soft white sandwich loaf.
Now we may scoff at this in the west. After all, we can buy tasteless spongey sandwich sliced loaves anywhere in the western world - even at a gas station. But this ain’t that. this is… white bread perfection.
Trust me, don’t knock it till you try it.
Of all things japanese that are presented to you has a visitor, food here is often the most different from other cultures, either visually or by taste - but often both at the same time.. Sure we are all familiar with Sushi (or at least the pitiful version we are often passed off with in our own countries) and Ramen is indeed popular around the world, but there is so much more, many of which you can’t experience easily outside of Japan.
One example of this is Soup-Curry. This is a dish that originates in the Hokkaido Region and has roots in Indian Curry in terms of flavours and spices, but is as liquidy and thin as a consume and bares little visual resemblance to the cuisine of western asia. It uses more local vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots and broccoli in its base, along with mincemeat, chicken and shrimps. I should add that it can also be extremely hot. Sometimes much hotter than anything you’d be served in india and the relatively few places that specialise it often offer a heat chart ranging from 1 to 100 for you to choose your desired spice level. I’ve never gone over 50 I’d I’d out myself in the top 5 percentile in the world of being able to eat hot food (thats not a fanciful claim, I have proved it and its documented).
I first tried it on my last visit in 2016, at a small backstreet place in Yokohama. when I lived here prior to that it hadn’t really gained popularity outside of its native Hokkaido. This is a relatively new food phenomena, such that I wouldn’t even call it a craze… yet.
This time we decided to do a take out from a newish joint that has opened up in Izumi, Sendai called XXXX. We ordered online and picked up a huge array of soups and rice sides (everyone in the swan family wanted something different and at a different spice level)
I went for a chicken coriander soup, with a separate yellow rice side. When I tried it previously it was just soup (and I seem to remember that their may have been a noodle side). Heat level was only 25 as they wouldn't / couldn’t do that dish at a higher level. And trust me, there was no need. it was precisely the level of heat your want with those flavours. not to hot, but a good kick. It was fantastic.
I really hope this is a food trend that spreads beyond these lands!
Earlier that day we had more traditional sushi. We'd been to visit Luke's Parents Cabin, which he now rents out as a holiday home. On the way there and While he was prepping the place, he explained to me the impact that the 2011 Tsunami had had on that area.
This was one of the places along the Sendai coast where the Tsunami had made landfall in full force and had been totally ravaged. His parents house was up high on a cliff, but nearly everything below had been wiped out. where there were now verdant luch green fields were once densely packed streets of houses.
From the front porch you could see the newly built Tsunami wall. and beyond it some of the green area that had previously been built up and urbanised.
Standing there and realising how much had been wiped out and the power of that force of nature is quite humbling not to mention upsetting and sad.
On our way back to Sendai we stopped at a sushi restaurant. needless to say the food was amazing - Red Snapper, Tuna, Octopus, Wasabi rolls, British Columbia rolls and Fatty Salmon. I’m going to let the movies I took of the arrival of the food speak about the experience.
I was already awake when the shaking started, around 4:20am. I think a small part of my brain thought ‘large truck’ but then a different, more primal part of my brain said ‘Earthquake’ and then I was fully awake.
The shaking from a quake always feels strong if you are lying horizontally. So I sat up. it's a strange thing, especially if you live in places which don’t usually have them. The entire building - walls, floor, ceiling, furniture everything rocks from side to side. Not hard. But not gentle either. And the speed changes - soft, strong, soft, very strong - Like turbulence on a plane. Imagine trying to walk along the aisle of a speeding train, with a cup of tea in your hands.
For a few seconds I didn’t move… but then as it got stronger I headed to the door. Something in my head told me that I’m supposed to stand in a door frame. My hand was on the door handle… and it stopped. A strange quiet filled only with the mild groaning of wood and metal coming to rest, the distant sound of alarms and a barking dog. I think the whole thing lasted for about 10 or 15 seconds,
Nothing broke, nothing fell off the wall. No one was hurt. The rest of the house was quiet - I thought everyone else had slept through it but in the morning I found out that actually they had all done the exact same thing as me and were just about to start heading for the front door.
Turns out this was 5.5 magnitude, at a 64 km depth, about 60 km away from where I am. Here in Sendai, there’s still a very strong memory of the ‘Great Tohuku Earthquake’ and Tsunami of 2011. if you don’t know about it, then here’s a link.
It was one of the biggest ever recorded earthquakes on the planet - 8.9 - which, due to the epicentre being just off the coast, caused a Tsunami that did most of the destruction, rather than the quake itself. The official death toll is close to 20,000. So nobody takes even the smallest quake lightly. Because they all start out little.
I had left Japan the year before the big quake and, I’m not gonna lie, one of my motivators for leaving was the fear. People here knew it was coming. everyone did. Historically there's been a big quake here every 25-40 years and it was overdue. I say overdue but smaller quakes, like the one last night are a monthly, even weekly occurrence here. We had Earthquake drills and earthquake simulations at my place of work to ready us for the event when it came.
As a boy who grew up in central London,where large scale environmental events like earthquakes, Tsunamis, Tornados and such things are pretty much unheard of, the very real fear of it was a large contributing factor to not staying here in the long term. I mean, why would you?
barely slept, Jet lags a bitch but we knew that. Turns out that today was a public holiday. Respect the elders day! Japan has a lot of holidays. for all sorts of things. Alas I don’t count as an Elder yet (only another 6 years to go to hit 60 though) But everyone here is super-respectful nonetheless.
its a strange custom in japan, but on public holidays one of the widely considered holiday meals it KFC. yes, I’m talking about Kentucky Fried Chicken. So we went to the local KFC and bought a bucket and some other bits.
Came all the way from Montreal only to find out that the colonel has branched out into some Canadian food action.
I had a chicken Teriyaki Burger with soft poached egg sandwich alongside some regular chicken and rice (home made). Probably a bit too much for lunch, but I’m holiday so fuck it.
how did this become a holiday tradition in Japan? let me google that for you:
And then the thunderstorm rolled in, which kept us inside for the rest of the afternoon, apart from a brief trip to a pharmacy (still on a quest for distilled water) and a short walk to a very good Coffee Shop - Flat White Factory.
Coffee here is a huge contrast from North America. I’m not going to rant about coffee in Montreal, but even the drip coffee here is better. And in the coffee houses they do it perfectly. Amazon coffee and amazing presentation. This was the first place I ever saw Latte Art - back in 2008 - and its still some of the best I’ve seen anywhere. I didn’t take a pic. will remember to do so later.
Much to my pleasant surprise one of my favourite types of noodles has recently become popular here - Tan Tan Mein or Dan Dan Noodles - depending on where you are. They are originally a Chinese Szechan Dish, but in recent years its gained popularity across both Asia and North America. The first time (and still the best) I ever had it was actually in New York in 2018.
The kids have grown SO MUCH. thats such a grown up thing to say, but its true. last time I saw these sprogs they were all pre-teen. But a lovely little gang - Luke and Anna are very proud parents and so they should be!
Arriving at Narita felt much the same as previous times, except I knew what to expect. I think what I didn’t expect was how much has not changed in 15 years. From filling out the entry cards (its all manual here) to paying for a train ticket (cash is king, card options are limited, good luck doing anything online ) It feels strange to be in a place which is so futuristic but in many ways has not adopted the future its had a major role in creating. Many things feel oddly anachronistic.
When you step of the plane, it doesn’t take long before Japan gets weird. People wearing animal masks taking selfies on the gangway. Admittedly they were probably foreign visitors leaning into the culture a bit too hard but all the same you wouldn’t see that anywhere else in the world.
Last week I was briefly in London, England and I remember thinking, when I was waiting in line at Heathrow ,how polite everyone was (even compared to Canada where I’d travelled from). But here in Japan its next level. Polite, Clean, Orderly. And that's everywhere, not just the airport. Its very hard not to notice it immediately.
The other overwhelming thing was the heat and humidity. Beyond anything I experienced this summer in North America. And actually unusual for this time of year. it was 32c with 80% humidity in the late afternoon.
Sendai
It took another 4 hours to get to Sendai. Having not slkept on a 13.5 hour flight, needless to say I fell asleep the shinkansen but thankfully didn’t miss my stop.
Its always good to have some one meet you after a long journey. Luke & Lenny picked me up and ferried me into the deep suburbs of Sendai Takamori. When I say deep I mean this is real suburban japan, like a quiet cutaway moment in a Studio Gibli movie - quiet lanes, with chirping cicadas, small homes with rows of tiny vegetable patches along windy lanes and very tidy streets. lots of overhead phone cables and pilons. no one around. crazy humid.
On the way from the station we stopped at Co-op Miyagi to pick up a snack (end of day sushi, half price 500Y !!) there was a water chestbut roll along for the ride as well. As always I'm going to try my hardest to eat as many unknowns as possible. I thought I took a pic of this but I was mistaken. not doing well. on the media inserts really, am I?
So here I am again, in Japan. This is my first visit back here since 2016. Seven years ago I came here with a friend to spend time working on a comic book project and have fun. I also lived here from 2008 to 2010.
A lot has happened in the world in the seven years that have passed since by previous visit and it feels like a lifetime. Long enough that I’d forgotten what I knew. Forgotten even what I’d forgotten. But now I’m here… it's all coming rushing back. So I thought I'd better write some stuff down
When I first came here to live back in 2008 I wrote a diary of sorts and made copious notes. But we weren’t fully in the mobile media age yet so there weren’t really smart phones or tablets or the social media we have now (there was the original iPhone & iPod Touch but I had yet to get anything like that).
I didn’t really keep all my notes together. so its a bit tricky to go back and compare my impressions of the time. I’m going to try and do better this time. I’m only in Asia for 2 weeks and its all vocational, so no excuses for not keeping track.
I should probably make a project of digitising my earlier experience here somehow...
Yes, that’s right, I started my new job… and any idea I had about things being easy (which I actually I definitely didn’t have) were certainly laid to rest. Along with the settling in and figuring out Canada, I very suddenly had to settle in and figure out a new job. Thus, no blog write ups.
But today is Gavin’s Birthday, and I’m not working (well, it is Saturday) and we don’t have any specific plans. So while he snores gently away I thought I could get a few words in.
Firstly, Canada is still great. Montreal is turning out to be a really interesting place. I knew it would be, but its nice to have that confirmed. Its so different here from other Canadian and US cities, yet it still feels like North America. I feel like we are getting the best of three worlds. Firstly, this is one hundred percent Canada. Secondly, there is the influence of European culture here - specifically French and British. Lastly this is very much a north American city - Architecture, Street furniture, layout, Media, etc.
We’ve spent most of our time downtown, largely because that’s where we are staying, but we’ve really had a through look around. Despite the biblical weather (for another post I think), we’ve made a huge effort to look around different neighbourhoods, to help us with our home hunting. Turns out that Montreal is extremely walkable. Aside from the underground city (again, another post), the different neighbourhoods are close enough together and well connected by public transport that its really easy and quick to get from one to the other. So far we have looked around La Plateau, Little Italy, Mile End, NDG, Monkland Village and Westmount. (NOTE: Some of these areas are subsections of each other and overlap. I know this now. No need to correct me!)
We've also managed to sort out nearly all of the admin stuff - Social insurance numbers, health insurance, bank accounts, phones etc. All a lot easier than I expected. And we’ve found a place to live. More about that in yet another blog. Damn, so much to write about!
