Saturday, April 30, 2011

Nov. 2010 Trip - Post #1: "No Guts, No Glory"

I want to begin to post about probably the most meaningful and enjoyable trip I have made to Japan in the last 17 years.  The reason it was so special was because it was the first time I was able to take my wife with me, something I have wanted to do for a very long time.  To make this trip successful, so many of my very beautiful friends in Japan realized the significance of this trip, and went out of their way to assist me in my efforts to make my wife feel so comfortable, and to see and enjoy the beauty of Japan as I have had to good fortune to do for so many years.  You people know who you are, and I just want to say thank you so very much, from the bottom of my heart!!!  How can I ever repay you for such a priceless gift you have given me?

Before we get into the details of our travels together, the story actually starts BEFORE her arrival.  I arrived a day earlier due to logistics requirements, and therefore spent the first night with a couple of my close friends discussing last minute details of the following weeks plans.  In order to get off on the right foot, my friends chose a special, new restaurant for me.  The specialty was "guts".  This small shop, run by a very capable Mama-san, is located in Shingawa, in a very old building it shares with one (or two?) other restaurants.  This is what it looked like as we approached.  The shop we went to is actually to the left side of this building beyond view.  The neon of course drew me in like a moth to a light, as it usually does!
My culinary expert friends selected a number of very unique dishes, which were obviously prepared with much skill.  Two of them stood out in my mind.  The first, was a scrambled egg dish that was mixed with some kind of green vegetable.  The flavor was absolutely fantastic.  It was actually my favorite dish of the night, and I could have easily eaten the entire plate all by myself.  It is on the left side of this photo.
The other memorable dish, seen at the very top of the photo above, was a guts dish, but what made it special is that it was raw.  Raw guts.  Now that will challenge most Gaijin, and probably even a few Japanese??  It was "interesting", and the flavor and texture were certainly not that bad.  Here is a blurry close up.
It was great to see my friends again that first night.  We had a very good conversation, and the plans were set for the week ahead.  I was so eager to start this historic (for me) trip.  More posts will follow on this particularly wonderful journey!

Cha-Cha's Post Earthquake/Tsunami Update

Well if you are reading this blog, you saw an older post of one of my favorite little snack bars in Tagajo called Cha-Cha's. Ever since the earthquake and tsunami, I have been concerned about all of my Tagajo friends and favorite places as you can imagine. Cha-Cha's, and it's very kind Master, are certainly on that list.
Well it gives me great pleasure to inform you that the Master of Cha-Cha's and his family are all ok (as well as all of my other friends in the Tagajo area thankfully!!!). Unfortunately the same cannot be said for his shop. It received considerable damage from the earthquake and tsunami.
Despite this set back, I have heard that the Master plans to rebuild and open his shop once again.  I wish him the best of luck, and promise to support him as soon as I return to Tagajo!!!

Godzilla Cannot Do It Alone

I recently came across this video, which I am guessing is from a television commercial in Japan from the Japanese Red Cross. I think it is pretty creative. Most of you I am sure have donated if you are able to the cause of helping to support those in Japan who are in great need at the present time. If you have not, and are reading this, please do whatever you can. Godzilla cannot do it alone! Domo arigato gozaimasu!!!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Making the Tohoku Region Proud

Being the golfer that I am (or perhaps try to be), a couple of weekends ago I had the pleasure of watching on T.V. with great interest the final Sunday round of the Masters tournament.  Aside from being possibly one of the greatest Masters finishes ever, the tournament was noteworthy for the very strong and timely performance given by first year amateur player Hideki Matsuyama.  Matsuyama is a sophomore student at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai.  He made the difficult decision to fly to the U.S. to play in the Masters not long after the terrible disaster hit Japan.
His performance was first rate, as he was the only amateur golfer to make the cut, thus assuring him of winning the Silver Trophy, given to the low amateur finisher each year.  He birdied the final hole on the last day, giving him a 1 under par finish for the tournament on the very demanding Augusta National layout.  During the post tournament televised awards presentation, he was obviously a very fine young man who represented Japan, and the Tohoku region incredibly well.  We obviously have not heard the end of Matsuyama-san in the golfing world.  Here is a video of his beautiful and powerful swing during one of the Masters practice rounds.

Finally I would just like to mention we are seeing many great young Japanese golfers finding success in our U.S. tour.  Most notably recently one of the big names is of course Ryo Ishikawa.  I want to say how impressed I was to hear that Ishikawa-san has donated ALL of his 2011 Tour earnings towards the Japan Earthquake/Tsunami relief.  How impressive!!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Rebuilding Northern Japan, One Station at a Time

Unlike any other country I have had the privilege to visit, Japan as a nation lives and breathes by their unrivaled train system.  It really is amazing to watch the precision of the Japanese trains, where delays of even one minute can start to make some people uncomfortable.  You can set your watch by the trains, and it is a very dependable means of getting around, either for business or for pleasure.
When I first started visiting Japan in 1994, I always took the Limousine Bus from Narita to my hotel in Tokyo.  I think this was just out of American habit, and I guess also because most people felt it was easier.  After a year or two, I tried using my now favorite train (inbound only, NOT outbound), the Narita Express  to see the difference.  I have stayed with this beautiful train ever since.  More reliable, no traffic jams, and more comfortable.  Oh did I mention you can also purchase a beer on it too if you are thirsty?  It helps if your hotel is very close to a station, which mine has usually been.
When I watch the rebuilding going on in Japan, I am gauging a big part of it on the resumption of train services.  Tokyo was able to cover their brief period of train outages very quickly (a must of course).  Other areas in the north have been slower to restart.  So it is with great pleasure that I saw the other day that Narita Express service, suspended after the March 11th earthquake, has been resumed.  This will make it easier for Narita travellers to get to and from the capital city.  In addition to this, the Tohoku Shinkansen is slowly rebuilding their services north.  At the moment, you can get from Tokyo to Fukushima.  On Monday, the line will reopen to Sendai.  By April 30th, it will be completely connected, and you can take it all the way to Shin-Aomori on the northern tip of Honshu.  This is fantastic news and a great sign of recovery in the north.

Our Senseki Line Train at Matsushima-Kaigan in Nov 2010
The good news does not stop there.  For my friends  in Tagajo, the local Senseki Line is a critical people mover.  It reopened service a few weeks ago from Sendai eastward to Kozuru Shinden.  Today, April 19th (in Japan), the line is now open all the way out to Higashi-Shiogama.  This may seem like a trivial thing, but in this area, it is a fantastic piece of news.  I congratulate JR East for their hard work in reopening all these lines, and hope they are able to continue with this fantastic pace of reconstruction!!!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

In Search of a Better Tomorrow . . . . . .

March 11th, 2011.  A date which will forever be recorded in the history books in Japan, as well as the rest of the world.  My life changed on this date, along with that of many of my friends.  I have been thinking about people and things in Japan since that fateful day, and have been wanting to put out a post to capture my thoughts and feelings.  I have read so many comments on this disaster, most of which are so well written, that I think I cannot possibly say anything that will have any real meaning.  The situation is just too large to fully grab a hold of.

Immeasurable suffering.  Unforgettable video and pictures.  And the stories keep coming and coming.  Unlike many natural disasters, this one is far from over.  The "natural" part might be ending (although continued aftershocks must surely test the nerves of even the most hardened survivors), but the disaster is far from played out thanks to technology that we have created.  The only thing that appears certain at this moment at Fukushima Daiichi is that the chess game with our invisible enemy is currently stalemated, and it now seems fairly certain that 6 months to even 1 year may be required to fully stabilize the situation.  After that, Toshiba promises us a 10 year clean-up.  All that is left to assess is the final "exclusion zone", and the short and long term effects on health as well as our food chain.  With this now certain, the Japanese all prepare themselves in their own ways for the long battle ahead.

In this historical event, one thing has shown clear to all those around the world who are watching (and yes they most certainly are all watching).  It is something that I found out 17 years ago.  That is the incredible strength, the incredible dignity, the incredible resiliency and the incredible respect within the Japanese people.  In terms of "civilization", the Japanese are the true leaders of the world.

My relationship with Japan changed on March 11th.  I am eager to return to start a new relationship with a new Japan.  One that has resurrected itself from a great tragedy and is different, yet in many ways still the same.  I have changed too.  I will try not to take anything for granted anymore.  Even the simple things.  A hot shower.  A nice meal.  A friendship.  A safe flight.  I will see you soon Japan.  Ganbaro Nippon ne ka?  Hai!  Ganbaro Nippon!!!