Just returned from Japan. Ask me anything.

[lindysalsagal]

I loved all of it except the oppressive heat and humidity. Osaka! Namba! Kyoto! And Matsumoto.

[MicaelS]

1. Food!

What did you eat?

[lindysalsagal]

2. Well.

Their sushi is different and better. They don't usually have the little rolls: One night in Kyoyo I got a really nice "set" dinner with 3 kinds of raw fish, all lovely. Tempura, little relish/salad things, rice, udon, and their cooked root vegetables. Delish.

Osaka is famous for this huge messy pancake with onions and cabbage and pork and cheese. Messy and wonderful.

Fried udon with pork and cabbage, cooked in front of me.

Udon soup usually with pork.

I went to some very small spots run and owned by women who presented their own home cooking: variations on all of the above.

I'm not into octopus and eel, but it certainly was everywhere. I think I ate some raw squid. But I'm not sure.

They have these wonderful steamed vanilla egg cakes, and a large, light crunchy sugar bun they serve as an ice cream sandwich. I got the shaved ice with gooey toppings.

Looooove the green macha cakes and cookies. Also drank some great black tea and Sake! Yummmmm!

[pangaia]

4. WHY WHY didn't yuo ask me where to eat in Kyoto ???

I know Kyoto well !!! Especially the best non-tourist places to eat... !!!
Spent a lot of time there.. most recently end of may for 2 weeks...
DO not go to Japan in AUGUST !!! 1st rule. LOL

Silly Lindy. :&gt )

-Sushi you get in 95 % of America is terrible. American now think that the rolls are 'sushi.'
-maki-zushi (rolls) are pretty rare in Kyoto and Osaka, (or Tokyo, for that matter, or anywhere).. Both cities have different style sushi than Tokyo, which is known for 'Edomae sushi-- this is the fish on rice 'balls'
-the pancake like thing you had was okonomiyaki
- there is a very famous octopus dish in both Osaka and Kyoto know as takoyaki-- maybe you had it.. little fried balls of octopus in a batter...
"-steamed vanilla egg cakes" maybe chawan mushi, maybe not.

-I tell you. Kyoto is THE cultural and cuisine capital of Japan--

_" small spots run and owned by women who presented their own home cooking: ''' could have been some kappo places-- where you sit at the bar and the chef/owner cooks for and serves you,, chatting away..?

--"Set menu" was probably a simplified version of omakase- where the chef presents his choices..

-- Kyoto is also famous for its dofu dishes and desserts...



--Next time you go---------------------------------

TEMPURA . THESE are my favorite places..
-Shunsai Tempura Arima - near Shijo-Karasuma intersection
-Tempura Yoshioka- very small--one block north and about 4 blocks east.. on the corner.
You should have a reservation-- different styles but master tempura makers.. the owner at Tempura Yoshioka has been making tempura in the same place for some 30 years and his father before him.

OH, and if you want a dynamite sushi bar( my #2 in Kyoto) Senta Sushi- about 1/2 block west of Tempura Arima.
Oh , and as long as you are there, walk another block west and you will come across Sukemasa- dynamite gyoza joint...

Another sushi place Edo style-- SUSHI IMAI.. yeah it's in Gion, but... long story behind the owner...

OK, while I'm on it.. You want the BESTEST Kyosaba in Kyoto ? -the famous Kyoto style saba (mackerel) ?-- you're in luck, I know where it is -walk about 6 blocks north from Tempura Yoshioka (a bit north of Shijo-dori,and on the left, 10 feet before the the entrance to the Nishiki Market on the right is Sakai. It is a tiny hole in the wall 6 seat place... they open at noon. get there early... !!!

HA, and just past the Nishiki Market entrance on the right is the Matsukawa Liquor Store. You MUST go here.. any time after 7 pm. Trust me.... it's the funkiest of the old style stand-up 'bars' in the city. I know the owner...



NONE of these places has the name in English.. just google them..

[lindysalsagal]

8. Pangia: you are right about August, but I had family going then

It was unbearable. Especially trying to get around the east part of town like Gion, where the trains don't go.

You have me beat by miles. I'm so glad I went. If I ever return it will be in January or february!

[pangaia]

10. Kyoto is beautiful in the snow,, and silent !!!!

Also for the Cherry Blossoms and autumn foliage in October/November-depends.. if you don't mind higher hotel prices and crowds,

trains.. the KEIHAN MAINLINE will let you off right at MINAMIZA- the 400 year old Kabuki Theater right at Shijo-Dori and the Kamagawa-- next time....

But yes, Gion is a madhouse-- beautiful historical area with those old machiya buildings, but TOO many tourists- Japanese AND foreigners.... and high restaurant prices...

My favorite city in all the world,,,,

[applegrove]

3. Was Osaka pretty? I know Kyoto is.

[pangaia]

5. Except for Osaka Castle, and a couple other places, Osaka is pretty much now a big business city...

(Don;t tell my friends there I said that.

[lindysalsagal]

6. Osaka is nuts and wonderful. Kyoto is historic.

Osaka Castle is gorgeous, and Osaka has beautiful shrines and temples. Google images for Namba to see the times-square neon city called Dotombori. The street food there and in the fish market is awesome.

[applegrove]

7. My brother eats out every night in those two cities. They tease him that he is the 'Mayor of Kyoto'.

Someday i will have to visit.

[lindysalsagal]

9. Absolutely!

Last edited Thu Aug 15, 2019, 01:35 AM - Edit history (1)

[smirkymonkey]

11. Did you have any "culture shock" moments?

Any moments where you were struck by such a difference in culture - either in a positive or negative way? I usually experience it in a positive way, but sometimes I am struck by differences that baffle me.

[lindysalsagal]

14. Yes! Great question.

1. Japanese TV is silly, at least the free stuff that the hotels air. I assume there is better content for paying customers. They have several ridiculous "reality TV" shows where a silly host, often dressed as a dragon or a cross-dresser or a sumo wrestler, or anything different, interviews someone in the news. While that interview happens, they have close-ups of the regular celebrities' faces in the corners of the TV screen to show you their reaction to the interview. So, you're getting 3 layers: 1. The real newsworthy expert (golfer, baseball player, coach of said experts, or whatever). 2. The regular show host being zany just to be zany. 3. The lower-level regular show host's sane reactions to the first 2.

All the while, the background, the back wall or the back screen, is covered with images and letters and colors and decorations. It's a jigsaw puzzle of whimsical detailed images, all mashed together like they were thrown on there by a massive crowd in the form of paint ball splats. Very distracting. Very messy. Looks like if you allowed the 5 year olds to decorate a christmas tree.

2. Sometimes people would talk with me and sit next to me on busses and trains, and sometimes I got the cold shoulder, because I was so obviously not native. Some were drawn to me and wanted to know where I was from and really enjoyed talking to the weird american. Obviously, those individuals had a knack and some training in english conversation, however jilted, and wanted the chance to practice. 2 sets of school girls stopped me outside Osaka Castle to interview me just to get the practice, and I was thrilled to be asked, and we had lovely conversations while one took copious notes for report back to the class. That was uncharacteristically quite brave. I was very happy to oblige.

2 1/2: I was often the only westerner on a train car or bus. Other times, it was closes to 50-50. i was refused service on a quiet sunday night in 2 Kyoto traditional, small, local restaurants. They claimed to be full with reservations (but I was very early) or closed (at 6 with other people in there eating. So, I'll never know for sure, but I do read signs that say japanese only, and restaurants without one english word, or online reviews of being turned away.

3. Japanese candy can be green: Kit Kats and macha cakes and cookies. Yum!!!
4. They drive on the left and it screws me up with crossing traffic and predicting busses.
5. Kimono: I don't think I saw real Geisha,although in Kyoto I did see a beautiful one being professionally posed and photographed in front of the old shops. Most of it was locals playing dress up but were still adorable.
6. There is a brand of Japanese teenage girl who is decked out in finery any time of day: Perfect, tailored hair-do's, painted nails, light makeup, chiffon fluffy see-through skirt or blouse: Basically, they're attention to beauty and detail is unmatched. But you were just as likely to see teen girls in u.s. branded fleece and cotton exercise wear and flip flops, just like here.
7. They can handle the heat, and I really can't. (From new england.) I saw lots of women in fleece and thick cotton knits in 97 degree heat and wicked humidity. I saw sweaters and turtlenecks. I talked to a Dutch woman and she and I agreed it was hard to imagine being that well adjusted to the heat.
8. They don't blow their noses in public. It's so weird! They sniff and snort and sneeze much more because they refuse to empty the mucus from their noses. In fact, it was rather difficult to find tissues to buy. There would often be rolls of roles paper in a convenience store, and not a single tissue.
9. Dinner for breakfast. Soup for breakfast. There doesn't seem to be anything that they eat for breakfast that they wouldn't eat the rest of the day: It's all the same to them.
10. The plastic food out front in restaurants: Especially in train stations and covered markets. Honestly, they're a life-saver. I sometimes would snap a picture of the one I wanted and just leave it displayed on the phone. They liked that, because ( like me) they prize efficiency and accuracy.
11. Bathrooms, clean, working, well-lit, every couple of minutes and well-labelled. Also, they number the exits from underground shopping to return to the street, and the exit number show up on google maps. Brilliant for staying out of the heat and sun.
12. Nothing I saw all week needed repair, replacement, an "Out of order" sign. Nothing is left to rot or ruin. THey take care of every inch of their country. I will miss that.
13. Most people wanted to help me, even at their own inconvenience. Also: no tipping. One woman, who was a small lunch restaurant owner and cook, was so in love with the yankees I made her take a U.S. dollar bill as a tip. She loved it. She said she want to NYC to see the yankees play after attending her daughter's college graduation.

[smirkymonkey]

17. Thank you for your thoughtful responses!

I am so fascinated by the differences in cultures between all countries. I am definitely not one of those people who thinks that the US has a superior culture - far from it! There is so much we can learn and adopt from other cultures that would make ours a better place to live, but there are things we are used to and it can be strange getting used to something different, even if it is better or just neutral, but just what we aren't used to.

I have mostly only been to Europe and even studied there in college, which was a great experience. The key is to keep an open mind. I loved every minute of my travels. I was never intimidated or put out by the things I had to adjust to. It was all part of the learning experience of travel. That being said, there are still some very funny things to be found in other cultures, such as the TV shows you mentioned (I thought there were some hilarious, really bad shows in Europe, but they were so bad they were good).

Some very friendly people - Ireland, rural England, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, rural Austria, German, Czech Republic, Belgium, France, Hungary, etc. And also some not so friendly people, mostly found in urban areas, just like here.

The food is always interesting and mostly delightful. I enjoyed trying new things and was rarely disappointed. There really wasn't much I missed from the US, except I was a big Diet Coke fan during certain periods of my travel and it was almost impossible to find in most places. I have since given up that habit and am glad I did.

I was surprised to hear about the Japanese being bundled up in hot weather! How do they stand it? I love cool weather and hate the heat. I find that most countries aren't as big on shorts as Americans, especially in certain places as they find wearing them irreverant.

The one thing I would like about Japan is the breakfast food. I am not a big breakfast eater at all. In fact breakfast for me is usually an iced tea (used to be coffee until I gave that up), but if I were to eat breakfast, I would prefer soup to almost anything we would consider breakfast food. I love soup! Not a huge fan of traditional western breakfast foods.

The cleanliness sounds wonderful too! I have to admit, you don't find that very often over here. You do in certain European countries, but some are better than others. The northern European countries tend to be much better at this.

All in all, it sounds like a very efficient, orderly, well-run society, which is amazing considering how densely populated it is. However, I am a little surprised at the "racism" against non-Japanese (as evidenced by your experience at certain restaurants, and what I have heard from other people). I know they aren't all like that, but it still seems like it is something that is culturally accepted.

The bottom line is that you find wonderful people everywhere and not such wonderful people everywhere. You can't really stereotype the people, because everyone is an individual, but it is interesting to notice certain cultural tendencies so that you can be better prepared as a tourist.

Thank you again for sharing your experience with us! It was really fascinating listening to your stories!

[lindysalsagal]

18. Smirk: I Think you and I are wired for travel. And diet coke.

If they could turn down the heat from may to october, I'd think about living there. That's how great it was. I wish I had the time to explore the really rural outposts on all of that wondrous shoreline.

I need to see much of europe, still: UK, Germany, Netherlands, Greece ,Spain and rural Italy.

[Generic Brad]

12. What was the most unexpected thing you saw?

I was last there around 30 years ago to meet my wife’s family. What caught me off guard was vending machines that sold liquor and the plastic food samples displayed in restaurant windows.

[lindysalsagal]

15. Yes! Beer and booze and smoking is allowed everywhere, although, the smarter restaurants post no-smo

smoking signs. The train has closed smoking closets. I like that.

I didn't realize how much the 400+ year old castles and temples and shrines and shops would get to me. For 2 hours in Kyoto I kept saying, "Ok. No more photos, just enjoy it." but I had to keep shooting in a desperate effort to bring it all home with me!

[diva77]

13. What is the name of the historical hut-like homes built to withstand typhoons?

I saw a few in Okinawa - they're probably in other places as well. Remarkable -- but, dang, I can't remember what they're called!!

[lindysalsagal]

16. Sorry: Can't help you there.