Taste & Travel

Backroads Of Japan

- byWAHEEDA HARRIS

WAHEEDA HARRIS keeps a food diary while taking the road less travelled in Japan.

I WAS NEVER HUNGRY IN JAPAN.

I. ate. everything. And I happily photograph­ed every meal like a paparazzo.

Deciding on what to choose from local menus was a welcome challenge — one that happened three times a day. And as every dish, plate or bowl appeared, I paused, stared and took a photo of the food I was about to consume. My senses were always in overdrive.

Moving from small coastal towns to the sprawling metropolis of Tokyo, my knowledge of Japanese food expanded with every bite, sip and slurp. Sushi, green tea, tempura and ramen are my go-to staples from this ancient culture's cuisine yet meal after meal, I was offered a bounty of eye-catching and tasty options.

I began to understand why everyone was constantly taking photograph­s — each item served during a Japanese meal, whether in a train station ramen bar or private hotel dining room, was offered on distinctiv­e tableware, in a spotless environmen­t, and with an elegance I came to realize was universal in this island nation.

And here's to some of my memorable meals during those two weeks of travelling in Japan:

Karaage

My first meal in Japan was in a small restaurant around the corner from my hotel. Storing my shoes in a wooden locker, I sat at a low table and was introduced to my new taste obsession: karaage — fried chicken, Japanese-style. My hosts from G Adventures told me it was an essential to try, a mainstay of dining out with a group of friends on any night.

A liberal coating of flour and potato starch helped make the crisp nuggets golden brown (and they were cooked quickly to seal in moisture). The slightly salty bites are a welcome counterpar­t to sushi, with its faint scent of salty sea water. As my group travelled on G Adventures Backroads of Japan itinerary, we ordered karaage regularly, continuing our dedication to researchin­g this chicken dish throughout the country.

Corner store addictions

What do you usually buy at the corner store? A drink? A snack? That was my first inclinatio­n while in Japan, but I soon began to realize the attraction of konbini, popular convenienc­e stores such as 7-11, Lawson and Family Mart, which had everything I never knew I needed. Bright, clean and organized, each location offered it all — fresh food, fast food, snacks and drinks, as well as toiletry items, gifts,

…This communal hot pot is a meal best shared…

toys and games. Although initially seeming odd to my western sensibilit­ies, Royal Milk Tea, a blend of Assam and Darjeeling tea with milk, found hot in plastic bottles, became an almost daily ritual for me.

Other palate-pleasing gems I discovered at the corner store — freshly made onigiri (stuffed rice parcels), chilled seaweed salad and edamame, and chocolate treats like Crunky bars and Melty Kiss. A stop at the corner store, which always had an ATM and crispy snacks for our train rides, became an essential part of every day's schedule. And it was the best place for finding a gift for friends — the limited editions of Pocky (chocolate coated biscuit sticks), such as the Sakura Matcha Pocky only available prior to March's cherry blossom season.

Kyoto coffee break

Walking up the street to the striking Hokan-ji Temple in Kyoto, we were distracted by the distinctiv­e scent of coffee. The minimalist coffee shop %Arabica carefully creates endless cups of espresso and latte, as well as packaging houseroast­ed beans for sale. Populated with hip Kyoto 20- somethings, it offered a contempora­ry counterpoi­nt to the pairs of young women in colourful rented kimonos taking selfies on the historic street leading to the temple.

Shabu-shabu is best enjoyed with friends

Named for the sound meat, seafood and vegetables apparently make while being swished in hot broth, this communal hot pot is a meal best shared. Ordering thin slices of beef, pork, chicken and vegetables from the restaurant's tablet, we were tentative at first, carefully placing our dinner items in the boiling beef broth, using the long metal chopsticks. But then, emboldened by hunger and bravado, we began to toss in more strips of meat, cubes of tofu and slices of onion, carrot, cabbage and enokitake mushrooms. Our actions reminded me of the Muppets' Swedish Chef, who was always tossing ingredient­s around, assuming everything would work out in the end. And it did.

As our hot pot bubbled, we retrieved cooked morsels to dunk into sauces, swapping comments and laughs about a day of exploring. Equal parts entertainm­ent and cooking class, shabu-shabu was made even better by the perfect accompanim­ent (and another new taste sensation) of sparkling sake.

Tottori Harbour Seafood Market Karoichi

It's very easy to hit 10,000 steps traversing the Tottori sand dunes which are almost two kilometres wide. The next stop: the spacious and spotless Tottori Seafood Market, where vendors hawk freshly caught seafood. The star of the show is the leggy Tottori crab, a prized taste of the region, caught in the cold waters of the nearby Sea of Japan.

As my colleagues set about pulling apart the crab to get to the white meat, I (sadly allergic) discovered kamaboko (fish cakes). Made with combinatio­ns of different white fish and vegetables, these tasty square cakes were a revelation. The pureed and deboned fish is mashed together with enhancemen­ts such as herbs, chives, onions, egg, garlic, pepper or chili, before being deep-fried and then chilled. As my colleagues revelled in steamed and chilled crab, I tasted several varieties of Tottori fish cakes, each one a palate-pleasing bite.

Ramen at the train station

Climbing the narrow and ridiculous­ly high wooden staircases of Matsumoto Castle in my socked feet (the historic building doesn't allow shoes no matter what time of year) was worth it for the views of the surroundin­g city. With just an hour to spare for lunch, a 10-foot-wide joint outside the train station was the best option before leaving Matsumoto.

The two-person operation was cranking out meals with a rhythm to be admired by any large kitchen. The chef was chopping vegetables, the hot fryer sizzling with chunks of karaage and pots bubbling with aromatic broth. His co-worker took orders, arranged items as the chef needed them, and served the finished dishes to patrons, her economic movements never interferin­g with the small area the chef was using to cook.

As I slurped my savoury ramen noodles, I noticed the numerous items within the chef's reach: wood and metal tools of the kitchen trade, piles of fresh ingredient­s on the counters, jars and bottles containing liquids and oils, spices and salts and a tall stack of blue and white ceramic bowls waiting to be filled. The chef's quiet focus was alluring, his calm demeanor and multitaski­ng moves behind the counter the perfect backdrop as I ate my way to the bottom of my ramen bowl.

Kaiseki in Otsu

Wrapping myself in the raspberry-coloured robe of the onsen hotel, I walked in my slippers through the lobby to a private dining room. I had become one of the pajama people to experience kaiseki-ryori, a multi-course meal showcasing classic techniques of Japanese cuisine and a wide range of flavours. The multiple dishes were precisely and artfully displayed in many wee ceramic dishes.

It's overwhelmi­ng to be presented with over 10 dishes at once — some cold, some hot, some room temperatur­e. I didn't know where to start or what to taste first. Only one bowl was added to the array of options in front of me: a bowl of clear broth heated by a candle. As the temperatur­e of the liquid increased, I was instructed to add long skinny enoki mushrooms, chunks of onion and carrot and three delicate slices of raw fish.

Each dish offered a different flavour sensation — smoky, fresh, salty, silky, chewy and a quick hit of pungent wasabi. There were no complex combinatio­ns but a focus on the fresh and seasonal flavours on my palate. Each dish demanded my attention for a moment, then receded to allow the next one its spotlight. I ate slowly and with thought, trying to analyze each item — the delicate slices of fish, the crisp vegetables, the silky tofu and some I could not identify, not matching anything within my past dining experience. And although each kaiseki dish is small, my stomach tapped out, my eyes still wanting more.

Post-dinner, I lower my satiated self into the hot waters of the onsen, relaxing my mind as much as my body before sipping green tea and snuggling into the layers of futon and blankets in my tatami room.

Tea time in Hagi

Before the cherry blossoms, Japan welcomes the delicate plum blossoms. From white to deepest fuchsia, plum blossoms are the focus of every camera. In the small town of Hagi, I was taken to the plum blossom festival by my homestay family and treated to my first Japanese tea ceremony.

Past the many trees, a tea house door slid open and a kimono-clad young woman asked if we wanted to have tea. My homestay Mum ushered us through the shoji screen, smooth tatami mats beneath my feet, into a traditiona­l and unadorned room. Two kimono-clad women appeared with trays featuring small ceramic bowls with matcha tea, bubbles strewn across its chartreuse surface.

My homestay host showed me how to pick up the bowl, to turn it twice, sip the tea and then turn it back twice and place it back on the tray. The tea was neither too hot nor too cool and many smiles and thank you's later, I took my leave from the serene tea house to peep at the blossoms once more.

Freelance journalist WAHEEDA HARRIS has been fortunate to explore six of the seven continents, happy to learn the culture, music, style and cuisine intrinsic to each, and insuring her hot sauce collection keeps growing.

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Plum blossom; FROM TOP LEFT Snow monkeys in Nagano; Edamame; Japanese ceramics; Matsumoto Castle; Sushi maki rolls; Night lights in the back streets; Chopstick rests; Traditiona­l windows.
MAIN PHOTOS Japan's narrow FROM LEFT TO RIGHT alleyways come alive at night; Women don traditiona­l dress to visit a temple.
H O JI N - K W O N PHOTOS THIS SPREAD CLOCKWISE Plum blossom; FROM TOP LEFT Snow monkeys in Nagano; Edamame; Japanese ceramics; Matsumoto Castle; Sushi maki rolls; Night lights in the back streets; Chopstick rests; Traditiona­l windows. MAIN PHOTOS Japan's narrow FROM LEFT TO RIGHT alleyways come alive at night; Women don traditiona­l dress to visit a temple.
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Convenienc­e LEFT stores offer it all; Bamboo forest; Kaiseki noodle dish; A forest path; Karaage. J A P N R E S O R / U N S P L A S H
PHOTOS THIS SPREAD CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Convenienc­e LEFT stores offer it all; Bamboo forest; Kaiseki noodle dish; A forest path; Karaage. J A P N R E S O R / U N S P L A S H
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Hiking PHOTOS THIS SPREAD CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT the Tottori sand dunes; Ramen bowl; Onigiri, a popular stuffed rice snack; Japanese breakfast tray.
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C H U n - H U n G e r i C H e n G PHotos tHis sPreaD CloCKWise FroM toP leFt tokyo ladies in traditiona­l dress; Green tea; Pocky stick packaging; modern ramen. taste& travel internatio­nal

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