Rambles in Japan, in a thousand words...

It happened in the middle of the night, at the end of November last year. I was checking a photography book about Tokyo, from Jacob Aue Sobol and decide that it is a right time to start the project Japan 3.0.

It went perfectly, so this is an excerpt…


Garden at the Nishiyama Ryokan, Kyoto...


Along the way, Kyoto....


Picnic with crab sushi, beer and a pretty sake bottle :) and of course, rent a bike!


This was ridiculously tasteful. Zoom in...


Zoom in...


It is time for a Japanese tea ceremony…


For which… obviously, I’m expert, so, no help is needed :-)


The infamous Kyoto street...


Full with restaurants…


Okonomiyaki & Teppanyaki restaurant "Tanto"; It says "Okoshiyasu (Welcome)"


Beautiful curtain - it means "Fortune"


It says "Okoshiyasu", means "Welcome" in Kyoto dialect.


And amazing surrounding...


Maya Maxx exhibition in Kyoto museum of contemporary art...


Small Japanese garden on 5th floor...


When night is falling...


At an "Oden house" (Oden is a Japanese winter dish consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon radish, konnyaku, and processed fish cakes stewed in a light, soy-flavoured dashi broth. Ingredients vary according to region and between each household. Karashi (Japanese mustard) is often used as a condiment.)

This is my first day and I’m suffering of jet lack… so rumors goes that I’ve almost falling asleep and the mistress is watching me carefully, but that’s not true ;-) Anyway, my company forgot to mark the place where the bikes were parked...


And ending up with spending a couple of hours until finding them on the next day... Happily cycling around the town :)


Infamous Japanese orchids…


Osaka kitchen utensils market selling some seriously big knifes!


Some of my best buddies are Japanese… kanojyo tachi wa shinyuu no Emi & Itsuki desu…


Japanese Izakaya in Kobe, a type of Japanese drinking establishment


Who says there is an economical crunch in Japan? Every shop is full on Sunday…

Eating some delicious sushi, the evening before the flight back to Copenhagen...


Shrimp - Flatfish - Scallop
Fulvia mutica - Brougton's arc shell - Yellowtail


Mantis Shrimp - Salmon roe - Thon gras
Crab - Squid & sour plum paste

That's All Folks.

Local Cuisine in Japan

It was very surprising to learn about Osaka people's obsession with food. They even have a special term for it "Kuidaore" literally meaning: to eat oneself bankrupt.

I've seen that Osaka has an abundant supply and variety of delicious ingredients, both from land and sea. I guess it is very difficult to resist such a temptation, but I also believe that this cannot happen (concentration of food) unless there are customers with interest to spend freely on fine food…


Sea bream sashimi with a perilla and shred radish.


Up-left corner: Rice with grated yam
Right : Udon (noodle) with grated yam : right
Bottom left corner : Inari-sushi (sweet deep-fried tofu pouch stuffed with sushi rice)


Sushi combo (top): sea bream, tuna, young yellowtail, squid, ark shell, salmon (from the left)
Spring rolls with shrimps and salad (bottom)


Sashimi combo (big plate)
Left : bonito
Bottom : soft roe of an anglerfish
Right : squid
Up : mackerel
Egg roles (top)


Fugu guys in aquarium I


Fugu guys in aquarium II


Crème brulée (black sesame seed flavor) - Absolutely adorable!


Sushi lunch plate (from up right corner to counterclockwise)
Salad bowl
Sushi roll
Ginger pickles
Sea bream sashimi with a slice of lime
Hijiki (seaweed) and pumpkin
Rib (middle)
Cooked yellowtail (on the spoon)


Special thanks to Emi for helping me out with the ingredients.

What I adore most in Japanese kitchen, is the natural flavors of the ingredients, and fact that each dish is prepared to charm the eye and the tongue.


Good sake is a must for full food to enjoyment so I've discover some high quality sake brewed in nearby area of Nada :-)

In a nutshell food in Kansai-area (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, etc.) is simply marvelous!

You can eat on tight budget or you can splash thousands of yens. Quite different from Europe, top price is guarantee that you will get the best!

The Infamouse Kobe Beef

My next hop had me staying 1 night in Kobe, the Beef Capital. My hotel was close to the "Shin-Kobe" station where I've arrived by Shinkansen (Bullet Train). Emi already made reservation at "Grill de Kobe", where the highest grades (A5 and A4) of Kobe beef is available. Beef are grilled over a charcoal flame and I guess this is the best way to experience Kobe beef.

By the way, I guess everyone heard the stories of the luxury lives of the Kobe cows: the massage, the beer...







The restaurant is not very big, but it has a cozy and warm atmosphere and the smell was absolutely... well inviting. I've got an English menu because the number of foreigners living in Kobe is substantial; nevertheless I still had a big question mark above my head how and what to order. After an extensive consultation with Emi, I've made a conscious decision :-D



I had a Kobe beef plate (from the upper left) eggplant pomodoro, okra, potato and corns, pickles of yam, radish, paprika, (middle) Kobe beef stake (special filet) with watercress and garlic chips. As I looked for wine matches, I was playing with the idea of a beef with an Bordeaux, but finally I went for the Barolo. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had Chateau Margaux on the wine list.
　
And my conclusion is: nothing tastes like it! The way it melts in your mouth, juiciness and moist is unbelievable. The wine earthiness, some spicy tar, fresh tannins with a long finish and the elegant texture worked perfectly and sent me into ecstasy.



For about about 120€ per person, including wine, it is definitely place worth visiting! I hope next time I'll have a chance to taste Matsuzaka, as there are rumors that it is even more delicious than Kobe beef!

Rating: 9.0 (out of 10.0)

Grille de Kobe
Taishin Sunset Bldg. 5F,
2-5-1 Kita Nagasa-dori,
Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi
Hyogo 650-0012