The Lovely Village of Shirakawa-go! 5 compelling reasons why you should include this in your next trip to Japan.

 Located in Shogawa river valley in Gifu prefecture in central Japan, this village boasts the rich historical accounts of ingenuity of the Japanese people and great scenery - I mean awesome view, really!  It is no surprise that this place is one of Japan's UNESCO Heritage Sites and is famous among tourists and locals. And here is why:

1. It is astoundingly gorgeous! 

A view of the village from the top of a hill.

To get the full view of the whole village, tourists climb to a nearby hill which serves as an observation deck by either walking (steep slope) or by riding a shuttle bus. And once you get to the top, you are greeted with such a breathtaking scenery.

2. Be amazed with the landscape and architecture

A close up view of the traditional houses

Known for their unique construction method, Shirakawa-go village gives us insight on the way of life of its early settlers and their effective environment adaptation skills as reflected by their houses built in gassho-zukuri (prayer-hands construction) style. This building technique protects the houses from heavy snowfall during winter and strong winds during typhoon season.

A fireplace greets visitors in the middle of the house.

3. It is a village and a tourist spot at the same time! 

If there are a few places on earth where people live quietly while hundreds of tourists come by each day, Shirakawa-go just made it on this list. 

4. It is one of the few places in Japan where you can drink sake in its "original" form.

This one is sake with a twist of rice granules! :)

5. It is a place where gardening also means farming!

While rice boxes are common sites in many of Japan's suburbs and rural areas, it is here in Shirakawa-go  where almost every family owns a rice field right next to their traditional houses. 

with these on one side...

And these on the other side.

If you want to know more about Shirakawa-go,  you can click on the following links.

http://shirakawa-go.org/english/

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5950.html

Note: I learned that it is equally awesome to visit this place during winter as evidenced by the photo below.

http://www.japan-guide.com/blog/schauwecker/g/130127_00.jpg

Have fun in your next trip to Japan! 

Another note: All photos published here are raw, unedited and taken during the author's visit to the village. Photos in this blog except otherwise cited are owned by the author.

The comeback post

It has been almost five months since I made the last post in this blog. I have been very busy with research in school and oftentimes had little motivation to write a new blog post until... recently when I saw my hard drive containing photos of places I have visited in Japan. I thought it is a great idea to share it with you all as it might be helpful when you decide to travel in Japan. So, enjoy the following posts!

Sushi McDonalds

McDonalds' can probably be considered as the world's most famous fast food restaurant. The service is so fast that you can both place your order and get your food in just a few minutes. However in Japan where everything moves fast and in schedule, Japanese have found a way to serve sushi really fast. And yes you're right, I am talking about restaurants serving this delectable dish on conveyor belt just like this one below in Onohara.

Once seated, you can immediately get your desired sushi from the moving belt! 

If however, you would like the freshly made ones (as sometimes some sushi have been running around the store for hours), you can do so by placing order in a touch screen pad just right above the conveyor belt. The typical waiting time on the average is around 5 minutes, perhaps beating that of McDonalds'. 

These  restaurants are redefining the meaning of fast food as not just something that is served fast, it can also be healthy like sushi. いただきます！（＾＿＾）

Japanese English (Japlish) Funny Class

A friend (Japanese) shared this very interesting and at the same time hilarious video in Youtube!

O my gotto! LOL

Today's Japanese Phrase (TJP)

Japanese people are known to be very polite and always want to avoid confrontations. As a result they become very indirect in expressing themselves verbally and tend to do お茶を濁す　(ocha wo nigosu) which literally means "to cloud the tea". When doing so, a person will tell something that may or may not be necessarily true to get out of an uncomfortable situation or to avoid hurting someone's feelings. This is our Today's Japanese Phrase, 多分(tabun) "maybe". Till next time! Cheers! :)　

Today's Japanese Phrase (TJP)

From now on I will discontinue posting about "Daily Dose of Japanese (DDJ)" (after one run lol) and rather replace it with TJP due to my busy schedule and mood swings (haha). Anyways, Today's Japanese Phrase is

Nori nori (ノリノリ)　which means "to really get into something", "high spirits" or "hyped".

An example is: 先生、ノリノリですね！(Sensei, norinori desu ne!) You are hyped, Sensei!

I stole this from http://maggiesensei.com/ :))

Have fun learning Japanese!

The quest for the ultimate ramen

If you love Japanese food, ramen  must have landed on your list of flavorful dishes. There are maybe hundreds (very uncertain) of variations of the way this food is cooked and ingredients used, which by the way greatly depends on your location in Japan, but two things are common to all of them: pork stock and noodles.
However just like any other food, after eating for a number of times, ramen's taste can become somewhat too familiar. Then you begin to search for something different, out of the ordinary and yet still delicious.
So are you in for the hunt?

Maybe you haven't heard about this but there was a little craze in Tokyo area when the UK's The Guardian in 2009 listed a type of ramen  called Jiro in its "50 best things to eat in the world". Also CNNGo's correspondent described it as "something you can never eat outside of Tokyo" (I really must have to disagree with this as you'll see later). So what is it all about this ramen Jiro that makes people divided in terms of faith: those who believe in Jiro as a holy food (RAMEN!) and those who regard it as food for the pigs (豚の餌)?

Jiro  to a certain extent, is not ramen. I'm not even surprised when some people refrain from calling it ramen and instead plainly Jiro. It's soup is basically tonkotsu broth and shoyu with  suspended pork fat called abura. It's noodle is chewy and almost the same size as odon and sometimes  a little bit salty in some shops. It is served with chopped pork and moyashi (bean sprouts) and/or cabbage with some additions like garlic (ninniku)  and in some stores, eggs. The first Jiro originated in a small restaurant in Tokyo near Keio University.  It became very popular that now there are chains of restaurants called ramen Jiro scattered all over the Kanto area.

But what if you're living in Kansai region? Well, don't lose hope! It turns out there are quite a number of stores serving Jiro  "inspired" ramen in Kansai. I have personally visited 5 shops in Osaka and 1 in Hyogo prefecture for a number of times. I must confess that at this point, I am already a true-blue Jiro  addict. At first, it was tough because of its intimidating size and different taste from the usual ramen.  But after overcoming the barrier, there's something about it that made me a devotee. However, Jiro  certainly is not for everyone, especially those who are counting calories. In a way it is an acquired taste and for many, it may not be pleasant at first try. I will understand if some people might stop reading at this point as it may not be of interest for them.

Oh so since that you have continued reading on, I assume you are interested to join the cult (lol) or perhaps maybe just want to try Jiro. So here are some simple tips for you:

1. First locate the nearest Jiro  inspired restaurant near your area. In my case, the one in Kandaimae  is the closest to my university (Handai).

Jiro inspired ramen shop near Kandaimae station (Hankyu)

2. Next when you're there, and depending on the number of people, you might have to probably wait for a while until you get seated. But before that, there is (in almost all stores) a vending machine wherein you choose your type of ramen (choices are but not limited to salt-based, curry, soy sauce, etc.).  The regular size is about 200 grams (noodles) and you have the option to add more and add extra pork or egg toppings for additional charge.Once you put in money and chosen your ramen, the machine will dispense a ticket (in plastic plates or papers) printed with Japanese characters which for sure is saying something about your order (see figure below). By the way, you have to be careful with your choice as some tickets might say "noodle and soup served separately". For me it's a little hassle (mendouksai) to eat ramen this way, so if I were you, go with at least one Japanese friend to help you sort this thing out. In case you go alone, just hope for the best that you pressed the right button. :)

Sample food ticket. Regular sized ramen in a store in Nishinomiya

3. Ok let's say you are inside and comfortably seated already. Again depending on the store, get a glass of water and a white towel typically located in one corner (some don't have white towels and may substitute tissue papers for these) and in some occasions you might find chopsticks and spoon in there too (although most stores have chopsticks on the counter where you will eat). Bring these to your place and put your ticket on the upper counter (there are two counter levels). The attendant will ask you some few questions and you have to pay attention to what you should say. First, he/she will ask you what you want for your toppings (on top of the default pork cuts and veggies). Sometimes they will ask if you want ninniku (garlic) or more veggies. In case you love garlic, you can respond by saying ninniku  mashi (regular amount) or ninniku mashi mashi  (for more!!). But if you don't want to scare vampires away or you  have somewhere to go after eating, perhaps you might opt to ditch the garlic and say "ninniku nashi" to tell them not to put it in your ramen. In the case of veggies, you say "yasai mashi"  for regular amount of veggies, "yasai mashi mashi" for more, or "choi yasai" if you want just a little.

4. After all these obligatory exchanges of words, your Jiro will be served (at least around 5-10 mins. waiting time) from the upper counter. Hold the bowl carefully while putting it down as it is very hot and a little heavy. Try not to get intimidated with the size and think that you are prepared for it (you might want to skip breakfast and lunch beforehand). According to my fellow Jirorians, this is not eating, this is a fight, and no matter what, you should win! To eat it, I normally eat the noodle first then the veggies and reserve the pork cuts for last bites. This is because the noodle can get soggy and heavy when soaked for a long time and can make it more difficult to finish the dish. It is an unwritten rule that you have to finish your Jiro as it may be an insult to the people who prepared the food. It may or may not be true, but based from experience, all customers who come to visit are prepared and finish the food.

5. After eating, put your bowl, glass, chopsticks, towel/tissue and spoon on the upper counter. Look for the colored wet towel and wipe your spot with it. On the average, it takes only around 15-20 mins to eat the whole serving. Take your things and say "gochiso samadeshita"  to express your satisfaction with the food and saying thank you to the staff who prepared it. Don't stay too long inside the store as there maybe still some customers lining outside. If you are with your friends and you finish ahead, just do the leaving procedures and stay outside (or inside if there are waiting benches) to wait for them.

Depending on the situation, if you eat really fast, you can get your tongue burned. If this happens to you, go to the nearest convenient store (kombini) and eat ice cream or something cold to soothe it. Ice cream can also mend your tongue issues brought by too salty ramen noodle. 

Jiro  ramen is served in the following places (I have visited):

1. Umeda 

2. Minami-Morimachi

3. Nipponbashi

4. Shimoshinjo (you can see a long line of costumers from Hankyu train)

See map below

View Larger Map

5. Kandaimae

See map below

View Larger Map

6. Nishinomiya

This list is growing so if you live far away from these places, ask Google where the nearest store to you is.

So there you go! I think I have captured the essential things that you should know about Jiro . Just remember to be brave and come prepared for battle and if you succeed, you have all the right in the world to say that you have done (eaten) something extraordinary.　頑張ってください！  Till next time, cheers! :)

Lost in translation: Titanic

If you've ever tried translating Japanese phrases or sentences using Google Translate, you surely must have encountered difficulty understanding the resulting statement in English. Nevertheless, for most people (like me) who rely heavily on this platform to translate emails, twitter posts, etc., written in Japanese, Google Translate is a tool sent from the gods to light the path of those who are "lost in translation". 

So what happens if the movie Titanic is translated into Japanese and back to English using a crappy translator? It will be hilarious. Just hit on the video from Youtube below to see what I mean. Cheers!

Daily Dose of Japanese (DDJ)

I have decided to post a Japanese word daily to help us enhance our vocabulary. Today's word is hikikomori (引き篭り) which means "stay at home people". A guy who is hikikomori is typically someone who doesn't have a job and doesn't want to go out of his room or house. One example is someone who plays computer games all day long. Hikikomori people are the equivalent of bums  or slackers in the western world.

Japanese tradition:sushi

An interesting video which combines humor and facts about Japanese culture.
Have fun!

Must love it raw

When someone asks about Japanese food, the first two things that pop up in my brain are sushi  and sashimi.  Maybe unknown to most natives, but a typical gaijin  would always associate these foods with almost anything Japanese. Sushi is a popular dish made from vinegared rice (sumeshi) and other ingredients typically (but not necessarily) raw seafood. Sashimi  on the other hand is a sliced fresh meat or fish sliced into thin pieces. I must admit though that before coming to Japan, I was not really a fan of these delicacies and for someone who didn't have a developed palate for anything raw, I was always reluctant to eat them whenever an opportunity comes and would rather go for the usual tempura, tonkatsu  and other cooked Japanese dishes.

 But then I was wrong. 

After I set foot on Japanese soil, I have slowly acquired the taste of these two dishes. It didn't happen overnight though, but I must say peer pressure have helped so much in pushing  through the barrier. My taste buds now crave for these dishes on a regular basis and that makes me a certified sushi and sashimi fan. (Yay!) 

But wait, there's more.

Just when I thought I had it all covered and ready to do doya (proud face), my naive definition of raw foods was thrown out of the window when this dish was introduced to me by a Japanese friend. 

It is called torisashimi (I need correction here in case I didn't get the name correctly). It is a thinly sliced raw chicken meat served with wasabi  and ginger (I also have to compliment the presentation). To eat it, one gets a thin piece of meat, spread it flat and put a little wasabi  and/or ginger, fold it, dip in soy sauce and voila! Once you begin to chew, it gets a little mushy and slimy with smell of raw chicken meat (if you've tried smelling one) and the strong flavours of wasabi and ginger fighting each other inside your mouth. It didn't taste bad but didn't taste good either. It was probably because I was a little drunk when I ate it that my sense of taste had been compromised by alcohol intoxication. For me a large gulp of beer is appropriate every after intake of this food. However, even after drinking, a distinct raw chicken aftertaste would remain until you nimble other foods to get rid of it. Because we usually order it after we have consumed alcohol, torisashimi  has taken the reputation of being  "the food I will only eat when I'm drunk". But of course, I'd love to taste it when I'm sober; I just didn't have the chance. (big grin)

For those who are used to eating raw meat or exotic foods, you might find raw chicken meat too mainstream. In my case, it will take a lot of getting used to and much peer pressure to make me love it too!

Torisashimi  is served in a restaurant/bar in Onohara called Issun. 

Behind "the Streets of Onohara"

It has long been my plan since I started living in the land of the rising sun a.k.a. Japan to put up a blog and share my many interesting experiences, facts and maybe even untold stories about this wonderful country. But before any of these, let me first give a little introduction about myself. I am a Filipino, born and raised in the Philippines and currently doing graduate studies at Osaka University. I have been in Japan for almost a year (will be staying for the next 4 more years) and within such a short period of time, I couldn't help but to fall in love with this country that I now consider my second home. I know that many foreigners (or gaijin as they say it here) come to Japan for animes and mangas, and most of them are die-hard fanatic (otaku in Japanese) of these products. I must say though that, I am not a big fan of animes and can't find the time to read mangas either and so it goes to say that my posts will have very little concern about these two popular cultural items (my apologies to my anime and manga fan friends). I however like travelling and food. Therefore, it will not be a surprise if my first few posts will be all about food and places I have visited in Japan. Weird and equally amusing things will come by soon so let's be patient like most Japanese people. 

And so why "In the Streets of Onohara"?

Now that I am done with the lengthy self-introduction, I'd like to talk about the name of this blog. "In the Streets of Onohara" refers literally to the streets of a place where I am currently living. 

Onohara is a beautiful and peaceful community in Minoh city, Osaka, decorated with bars and restaurants and very popular among students due to its proximity to the university. It is in the boundary of three cities namely, Suita, Minoh and Ibaraki which makes it convenient to travel to any destination around Osaka.It is also very accessible from both Kitasenri station (Hankyu) and Toyokowa station of Osaka monorail. Onohara is divided into two regions, the nishi (west) and higashi (east). The nishi  part which features wide walkways and a small park is relatively new (newly developed) compared to  higashi. Japanese restaurants in this area serve high quality and delectable dishes like shabu-shabu, okonomiyaki and yakiniku. 

For those who crave for western or Indian food, Onohara has a number of Italian and Indian restaurants that offer exquisite and authentic dishes. The bar scene is quite the same as in many drinking venues in the country. There are a few of them in the area where most Japanese nomikai (drinking parties) are held. Even though the numbers are few, it doesn't mean Onohara is lacking  in this particular domain. Most of these bars have the best selection of sakes, shochu and other spirits and one them (Issun) in particular serves the best chicken wings in the world! 

And so Onohara is where we start scouring fascinating stories about food, culture and life in this very modern and yet traditional country called Japan. I will write anything about this place be it good or bad, as long as it is interesting, it will be in this blog.