What I learned today: Food, glorious food (stop)

For me, the experience of eating in Japan is a wonderful celebration. It’s all about life and beauty, rendering and receiving, enjoying and appreciating, time immemorial and the very present here and now.

The food itself is one thing, of course. Regarding taste and texture, for example, I find I like some types of seaweed better than some varieties of lettuce. And then there are all the different types of seafood, but I digress, and it isn’t just the food. It’s predictably served on plates or in bowls that complement the color or shape, coordinated to be most pleasing to the eye.

As if the aesthetic presentation weren’t enough, the varied taste and texture (and yes, sometimes the crunchy sounds) are incredible. Let me sum it up this way: My father-in-law used to say that some people live to eat and some people eat to live. He proudly (for some unknown reason) declared that he was in the latter group, and I never understood the former. However, having been on the receiving end of some extraordinary Japanese cuisine, I now understand how a person could live to eat.

What we ate, and where

First, let me explain why you should travel on JAL. It was like being in Japan 12 hours before we actually arrived. I don’t know why anyone would order the western meals on the plane, but some did. Their loss. I thought I had to choose an entrée, but when the course started arriving I realized the menu was only a key to what we were about to experience.

Because I’m never quite sure about what’s permissible, I didn’t turn on my phone or camera on the plane. But the pace at which the meals are served allowed me to do a couple rough sketches.

We ate in the hotel the first night we were in Japan. I hadn’t yet realized I should be capturing images, but there was this Kodak moment after dinner as three of us retreated to the bar for a nightcap or two.

Tokyo skyline (in the background)

A walkabout, then off to Asagiri Square and Mt. Fuji

The next morning, I decided to wander around Tokyo a bit (actually, the decision had been made much earlier but the wandering itself waited until morning). A few blocks from the hotel I ducked into a small eatery for coffee and what I thought was going to be a doughnut. Could’ve sworn the guy said “sticky bun,” but it turned out to be a pastry stuffed with a very tasty curry-like filling. Surprise, but yum! Definitely ¥5.65 well spent.

As presented. Upper left are the bill (face down) and a napkin, just so.

The napkin dispenser (and an ad).

We had three extraordinary dinners on this trip at three very different venues. The first was Tuesday night at Amada’s Asagiri Square, near Mt. Fuji. We were seated at two L-shaped stainless steel cooktops where two chefs prepared an exquisite multi-course meal right in front of us. Again, a menu was provided, but only because you can’t tell the players without a scorecard.