FUGU

Among the many pieces of advice my mother gave me before I left on my trip was the warning NOT to eat fugu in Japan.

Sorry mom, but I HAD to try it!!!!

FUGU aka blowfish aka globefish, is one of the most notorious and celebrated dishes of Japan.

It is a lethally poisonous fish if prepared incorrectly, and so, only licensed and specially trained chefs in Japan are allowed to serve fugu. You see, if you ingest the poison it paralyzes your muscles and you die by asphyxiation. The worst part is that the poison doesn't affect your brain and you're fully conscious as this happens. The most poisonous parts of the blowfish are its liver and ovaries, and eating these is illegal in Japan. So you can imagine that when Mike and I went in search of fugu the other night, we wanted a chef who knew EXACTLY what he was doing!

This is where we found our much anticipated dinner:


There are many ways to enjoy fugu...

...grilled...

...boiled like shabu shabu...

...and the most popular:
served as sashimi, sliced so thin that you can see the dish it is presented on.

And so came the moment we were waiting for. We proceeded with some caution but ate it all nonetheless!



Two questions that you may be wondering about:

Did we die? obviously not since I'm posting these pictures. Typically, you die from the fugu poison within 4-24 hours of its consumption. It has been a couple of days since our dinner, so I think we're safe now.

What does it taste like? not much. It is actually a rather bland fish, and the accompanying sauces give it some flavour. I suppose that part of what makes this dish so famous is the potential risk (although when it is preparedly properly the risk is minimal) and that if you eat enough of it, or just some of the illegal parts, you do get a prickly/numbing sensation on your lips and tongue.

Still, I was thrilled to try it! We had so much fun in the process and that alone was worth it! Besides, could I really have left Japan without adding this adventure to my experiences here?

Arashiyama

On Friday Aiko and I spent the day in Arashiyama, on the western outskirts of Kyoto. This is a beautiful area of Japan, where shops and restaurants lie huddled across the Hozu River. There are also zen temples, a bamboo grove and the elegant Mount Arashiyama overlooking it all. We had a lovely day there, and I want to share some pictures here.

Along the Hozu river

My friend Aiko who graciously spent her only day off this week showing me around.

Part of Mount Arashiyama overlooking the river

Lunch!

Around the town...you see as many people in jeans and running shoes
as you see women in kimono.

Even the dolls in the shops bow to welcome us. I wish I could have brought her home!

We sat here, ate ice cream and enjoyed the view of Togetsukyo Bridge

Above are some pictures of the many temples, shrines and small homes that we found on our walk around.

I couldn't resist: these little guys are too cute!

This is a residential area. We were told to walk up this street to find the bamboo groves....

...and look at the beauty we found on the other side!

We took a walk amidst the bamboo groves

There were even small shrines scattered throughout the walk

Then we took a tram (Sagano Torokko Ressha) to tour all the way around Mount Arashiyama. The day was perfect for it!

Above are pictures of our view from the tram ride.

An update from Osaka...

It has been a little while since my last update and some are wondering what I've been doing in Japan the last few weeks. This is the part of my trip where I try to recover from being on the road so much over the past few months. Mike lives in Osaka, where he works with corporate men and women who want to improve their English skills. And so, staying with him for a few weeks before we move on to China was a perfect interlude and a wonderful opportunity to visit Osaka again.

The first time I came to Japan was May of last year. This was a whirlwind type of trip where in three weeks we visited not only Osaka but also Tokyo, Kyoto, Nikko and Matsuyama in Shikoku. A total attack of the senses!

My second trip to Japan (in January of this year) was a bit more relaxed. We visited nearby towns like Arima, Kobe and Nara, but I mostly "dated" Osaka by hanging out with friends, going out to restaurants to take pleasure in the Japanese cuisine (everything from ramen, shabu shabu, nabe, tacoyaki, udon, okonomyyaki, omusoba, and of course, sushi!), and I went through my first experiences around the city without Mike as my guide and translator.

This third time, well, I feel like I have an established relationship with this city, albeit not an intimate one. I know the stores, the markets, the subway system (ok, that's a lie. I know 1 or 2 lines of the many in Osaka)....but I do navigate my way around fairly well. Yet, my relationship with Osaka is a bit more complicated than I make it seem. You see, comfort is found only in the familiar and panic still ensues when confronted with the language. My attempts to interact in a basic manner are foiled by my inability to understand Japanese. Like when I tried to pay for 3 bottles of juice and the cashier was trying to explain that the limit of purchase for this sale is 2 per person. Or when the lady at the supermarket asks me if I want chopsticks for my sushi - why does she have to talk to me? Can't I just pay for it and be on my way? Or my ambitious attempt to buy a new bra, as I explained that although is looks like I'm a B-cup, I'm really an A-cup since this is all padding....I couldn't explain it, she couldn't understand, so instead I got top notch service by having her come into the changeroom with me until we found a perfect fit via trial and error. Oh boy....

So I have spent these few weeks reading, exploring the city, going out to eat with Mike and his friends, catching up with my family at home and planning my trip to China!

Mike and I out to dinner with his friends Jeremy and Kayo.

Japan is truly an incredible place. For those of you looking for a genuine travel experience, I urge you to consider coming here. It'll give you everything you're looking for: a true culture shock, incredible sights, a deep rooted history rich in traditions and customs, modern city life at its best, all the technology you can handle and a gastronomic paradise of diverse cuisine.

A few days ago, I found a pictorial book of Toronto that Mike uses to show his students where he comes from. Upon my return home, I hope to start to look at things without the apathy that comes with all that is readily accessible and familiar. Maybe it's time to do some exploring in my own backyard...

The flowers of the cherry blossoms are falling and my time in Japan is coming to an end. I'll enjoy these next few days and will write again soon.

Above: fallen flowers from the cherry blossoms now cover the parks. Only a week ago they were in all their glory, full bloom.

Cherry Blossoms in Japan

There is arguably no better time to visit Japan than during Cherry Blossom season. For one week of the year, these trees bloom with the most delicate flowers and it seems like all of Japan stops to enjoy the view.

It is called Hanami, or cherry blossom viewing. What you do is you put together a picnic, grab a blanket and head to a park where the trees are in bloom. Everyone sits under the blossoms, eating and drinking, and enjoying the spectacular view.

This is in Yoshino-yama, where there are over 30,000 cherry blossom trees that bloom at different times. What you see is incredible because you can hike the mountain and enjoy different views.

In full bloom in Hamadera-koen

Some more pictures for you to get an idea of how pretty this time in Japan really is. Now, do yourself a favour and rent Memoirs of a Geisha, in which there is a beautiful scene amidst the cherry blossoms.

Final Kiwi Stats

2 friends driving throughout New Zealand...

days in NZ = 21

kilometers traveled = 3,844

liters of gas consumed = 278

timtams eaten = 36

bottles of wine emptied = 14

flatwhites = 44

sheep waved to = all 33 million

road kill count = 106

number of hostels = 13

...potatoes consumed = 18

...mussels = 47

glaciers climbed = 1, and that's enough!

sandfly bites = 52

times we said "This must have been in the Lord of the Rings" = 68

...we reminded each other to drive on the left side of the road = 3 (but only one was a close call)

books read = 7

money spent on internet (Ludmila) = unknown....damn blog!

nights slept in car = 1 (Jenn....long story)

number of photos to bore family and friends with = 637

All Blacks jerseys purchased = 4

number of times we were mistaken for Americans = 9

...missing March in Toronto.....PRICELESS!

How I celebrated my birthday

My 28th birthday was celebrated in a bit of an unusual way. Last year, I went bowling with my friends, and got my butt kicked by Jenn and Sean. This year, I let one of the three advancing glaciers in the world humble me.

Meet Franz Josef....We took this picture en route to the face of the glacier, which was still 2 km away, eventhough it looks like it's 2 feet away.....indescribable!


Our guide Henry passed right by this, without a second look. This was the point where I started to wonder what Jenn got me into.....

....and also why she wouldn't let me read the disclaimer I signed minutes before.

The hike was an all-day affair, and although they called it a walk, it was a full-out climb. The physical portion is what i was most worried about. But the pounding of my heart wasn't just coming from the struggle of my lungs and muscles, rather from pure fear!

You will not be able to see pictures of the most frightening moments. Jenn and I were not concerned with photo-ops at these points. All you will see are happy still shots, when we're upright, with two feet on the ground. The rest of it, will remain in my memory, so I never agree to do this again.

Yes, it was the coolest way to spend my birthday and the hardest thing I've done on this trip so far. But really, all I could think about was each step ahead of me. I was truly in the present, as I've never been before.

Note: spending two months on beaches in Australia is not good training for New Zealand.

A small crevasse....they got so much bigger than this. The largest we had to hurdle across was about 3 feet, adn you couldn't see the bottom. I was in disbelief that they were asking me to do this. I had to propel my body forward and hope to God I made it to the other side.

Some of the ice....

Our guide got us lost for about an hour amidst the ice. Seriously! But what were we to do? He was the one with the axe!

Smooth sailing....

...getting a little steeper

This picture is not upright. He is our guide, adn he is actually carving steps up for us so we could pull ourselves up on the rope. Turn this picture 90 degrees and you'll have a small idea of what we were being asked to do.

This is Jenn at our highest point in the glacier. We froze our bums off having lunch here....but we were thankful to be in one piece. Next problem: coming down!

Almost half way down, on a break. I was so scared here. The way down was quite steep, and muscle control was at a minimum. For the physios out there, Jenn and I apparently have more knee hyperextension than we thought! Lock 'hem up!

This is an ice cave. No, we didn't fit through this. Would have been nice though to get out of there in a nice little tunnel.

Lastly, I have to thank my friend Jenn. Without her, I would never have done this. She has pushed me to do things out of my comfort zone throughout this trip, and it has both humbled me and surprised me at every turn. You rock Jenny P., even if you got a little, ok a lot, scared yourself!