Praise be !!! There is, after all, a god. Let joyful shouts ring round the Yamamote line, let thankful foreigners prostrate themselves at the powers that be - Diet Coke is now available in Japan.
Of course, Diet Coke has always been available in Japan, just not
in descent size cans. Some stores sold a descent sized 500ml bottle, but these shops were far and few between. The odd vending machine (and remember that Japan has more vending machines per head then Angola
has land mines) which did sell Diet Coke sold it in ridiculous 200ml cans.
However, earlier this month Japan suddenly woke up to the choice of a new generation and now you can't enter a convenience store without tripping over cases of Diet Coke, vending machines are positively bristling with 350ml cans of Diet Coke and there are even adverts on TV telling you that drinking coke will make you live for ever.
I am now lobbying McDonald's to sell Diet Coke instead of that gloopy purple drink the Japanese seem to consume in copious quantities (but as most McDonald's carry the odd foreign newspaper I won't be lobbying too hard).
So, without further ado I present the September update.
This month the weather is calming down, and if the typhoons don't hit us too badly it's an excellent time to get out and about and do some exploring. One of the best weekends away from Tokyo is Nagano in the
Japanese Alps which soar to the sky in the centre of the Japanese archipelago.
The beauty of these 3,000 meter high mountains has prompted people to call them "the Roof of Japan." Surrounded by these towering mountains, Nagano Prefecture has often been compared to the Alpine regions of Europe. Both areas are known for their rich natural splendour, peerless winter sports, and panoramic scenery.
Nagano
Several years ago, thousands converged on Nagano for the XVIII Winter Olympic Games. Many more millions of viewers tuned in via satellite television, radio, and still more followed the events as they unfolded in the newspapers, and magazines in every possible language,
in every country, and in every home. But crowds are no new thing to Nagano. For centuries Nagano has been accepting travellers in their thousands. But Nagano is more then just a winter sport resort and you may want to take a look at what made Nagano the city it is today.
Boarding the new Asama Shinkansen from Tokyo, you can be in Nagano in only 1½hrs. Nagano City, the capital of aptly named Nagano Prefecture, has flourished around the Zenkoji Temple for 1,400 years.
The temple was founded in the 7th century. The current main building was reconstructed in 1707 and has been designated as a national treasure. Open to all denominations (even scruffy English backpackers), Zenkoji attracts over 6,000,000 visitors every year.
Nagano escaped the last war mostly unscathed, and so retains much of the old flair and flavour of an old Japanese city. We wandered its quiet streets and were almost suprised we didn't bump into a Samurai.
Climbing into the Temple itself, the atmosphere is quiet and familiar, a far cry form the bustle of Tokyo's shrines and temples. A humble but picturesque statue sits out side the sanctuary at this temple. The
holy man, the story goes, was corrupted by human sin, some say alcohol, others women (sounds like a relative of mine), and so could not join his brethren in the inner sanctuary. The statue is worn thin by humble
pilgrims who touch it in the hope to bring good luck.
Temple Lodging
For centuries Japanese pilgrims have travelled the roads of Japan to scenic and religious places, including Kyoto, Tokyo, Koyasan and other sites. On the pilgrimage routes they would rest in tranquil Temples along the routes. While the number of pilgrims has decreased and the modern pilgrim's attire no longer consists of the traditional white robes (most of the time), the temples still offer a roof and comforts of the aesthetic life style. Temple lodging can be found throughout Japan and are a definite must on all but the most whirlwind tours.
At Temple lodging you are likely to find a Japanese style room, with the traditional (tatami) straw matting on the floor, low wooden tables, paper screen doors, and views of gardens, though some offer western
style rooms, with spring beds rather than a futon bed (Roll-away mattress and comforter). Here is a list of temple lodgings.
One of the best temples to stay in Nagano, if not the whole of Japan, is at the fantastic temple lodgings at the Zenkoji temple itself, where the elderly mama-san will load you up with steaming meat buns, guide you
through bath time etiquette and lay out your futon for you. She does not speak English but appears quite happy with dealing with clumsy foreigners.
Okonomiyaki
After all this temple bashing I am normally hungry and head off in search of some traditional Japanese food. This time of year, Okonomiyaki is especially good.
Okonomiyaki restaurants (okonomiyaki-ya) serve large, savoury pancakes made with diced seafood, meat and vegetables. "Okonomiyaki" literally means "cook what you like," and customers get to choose their own
favourite ingredients and then cook up their pancakes right at the table. Because the customers choose their own ingredients, Japanese sometimes compare okonomiyaki to pizza, although the similarity really
ends there.
The menu will list the main ingredients available; an order of okonomiyaki consists of a bowl of pancake-like batter, plus a dish of diced vegetables and the main ingredient, such as shrimp or pork. A
regular order of shrimp okonomiyaki is called ebi-ten (or ebi-tamayaki); some restaurants also serve monja-yaki, which is a somewhat thinner and more watery pancake.
The waiter or waitress will come by to turn on the grill at your table and brush the surface with oil; after that you're on your own. Mix together all the ingredients, then pour the mixture onto the grill when
it's hot enough. You'll find small spatulas for flattening the pancake and pushing it into shape, and a larger spatula for turning it over.
Before and after turning, you can brush the top of the pancake with
Worcestershire sauce, then you can sprinkle it with aonori (green seaweed powder) and katsuo (dried bonito shavings) before eating it. Sounds easy ? On one memorable occasion I managed to cause chaos
in a restaurant as I launched a pancake across the room into an unsuspecting Salary mans lap, but generally, you can't really go wrong.
It takes a bit of experience to figure out when to flip the pancake and when to take it off the grill. Okonomiyaki takes longer to cook than you might expect, and the finished product doesn't hold together nearly as well as a pancake. You might ask your waiter for advice, or else pay close attention to the technique of the people at the next table.
Good luck and bon apetit!!!!
Questions?
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