Visiting a Friend in Japan

Arida City & Osaka

these scans were made with my Epson V550

South Korea to Japan

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Arida is a small city in the Wakayama Prefecture, just south of Osaka.

Kade and I took an overnight ship from Pusan, South Korea to Shimonoseki, Japan, where we met up with our friend, Kana.  We actually stayed in Arida (Kana's hometown), and then visited the beach city, Wakayama, and Osaka, one of the country's largest cities.  I chose to post a description using a couple of e-mails I sent family and friends during our time in Japan. 

Here are some images of the magnificent scenery we've seen in Western Japan - specifically, Arida, in the Wakayama Prefecture.  It's about seven hours west of Tokyo and 3 hours east of Hiroshima.  We arrived by ship from South Korea, and our friend Kana picked us up at the port.  Typically, not many tourists visit this region simply because it's not as famous as other parts of Japan, and it's off the beaten path.  In a few images I am pictured with Kana, a Japanese friend Kade and I made during our time in Tuscaloosa.  Actually, Kana and Kade were classmates.  Kana and her family are exceptionally nice, and the mother cooks amazing dishes every night.  We have been staying in their very comfortable home in Arida, which is a small, beautiful town known for its annual mandarin orange harvests.  Seafood is also a big industry.  Kana's home region is dotted with lush mountains and forests, and it has a large river and scenic reservoir in a very natural, peaceful environment.  Really stunning scenery.  Reminds me of the Pacific Northwest back home.  Notice the older Japanese men fly-fishing.  They look like they don't have a care in the world, just like folks back home.

 

The Pursuit of Deliciousness

By nature I tend to gravitate to the positive.  I try to find the best in things. Yet, I realize that in making judgments about places or people or circumstances, which I still do fairly often, the fact is, what we think about objects and situations may just boil down to a very limited perception with scant demonstrative evidence to support our claims.   Emotions, prior experience, personalities, indoctrination, age, education level and values are just a few factors that can influence a person's opinions on a wide variety of subjects.  This happens a lot when you travel.  Before I took off for Japan (in 2000), I remember my mother telling me that "so and so" in Headland (Alabama), who had been to Japan a few times, said the food was not very good.  And it indeed, to him, it might not have been. What I learned, though, from my time in Japan, their cuisine is not only good, it's exceptional. And it's far more than sushi!  I didn't discover this all at once, of course.  It took a bit of curiosity, interacting with American expats and especially connecting with locals.  If you want to get to know any culture's food, you must show interest in the people.  At the end of the day, when you're traveling in a foreign land, to have the richest experiences, it requires trusting the locals and letting them show you what's good.  This formula has worked over and over for me.

Here's an example of a Japanese dish that I immediately loved, Sukiyaki - incidentally, a very flavorful dish that the average American would LOVE.   How 'bout that for irony?

Kana w/ her parents

Beef Sukiyaki

To read about my first experience in Japan just four years earlier, click here.

For my food experiences in Northern Japan, click here. 

And for a dish I specifically sought in Hiroshima, click here.

Dining in Japan

I am simply posting an e-mail and photos I sent to family when Kade and I were in Japan visiting our friend Kana.

Just wanted to show you some interesting facets of Japanese dining.  The first image is from a barbecue we had at Kana's home.  Much like we do in the US, the garage was cleared out, tables were set up and neighbors were invited over.  We ate grilled salmon, scallops, shrimp, etc.  Very tasty.  The second image is of a traditional table setting and meal in a Japanese home.  That night Kana's parents had some sushi delivered, and it was very good.  You've got to learn how to use chopsticks, though.  And you have to be able to sit on the floor!  Luckily, at Kana's home, in the living room, there was a section of empty space underneath the table where your legs could hang.  The final picture is at a local sushi restaurant, where sushi is made fresh in the kitchen, put on plates and covered, then placed on a conveyor belt that delivers it right by the table.  You just select what looks good.  Dip the sushi in soy sauce to give it an authentic taste.  When you pay, a waitress comes around and counts the plates, which are color-coded based on the price.   Purple plates might be $4 and blue plates might be $3.  Also, another interesting thing was that you could buzz the kitchen from the table and use the intercom system if you wanted a special item prepared.  It would then be placed on a conveyor.  Waitresses only served soft drinks and prepared the bill.

Wakayama City Marina

Those are enormous crabs!

To take a look at the onsen Kade and I experienced at the Wakayama City Marina, click here.

If you are shy about getting naked in front of strangers (and even family, if they are there with you), you are going to miss out on the incredible hot springs (onsen) culture in Japan. 

Read this fabulous article to learn about the beach and hot springs we visited: 

A weekend in Shirahama: Naked men, pandas and one of the whitest beaches in Japan

And then check out these videos