The Soul of Japan

Daughter of Echigo

2012-05-28T07:03:00.001-07:00

Pictures are truly worth a thousand words like when I'm looking into the eyes of a proud father posing together with his daughter. It's pictures like this that are truly memorable and natural. There is nothing he wouldn't do for her, yet there is nothing he could possibly do to control her fate. He cannot choose for her who to love either. That's a choice she has to make.

Talking to her the other day was a real treat. She approaches me and instantly I knew that she bore the energy of something foreign in nature, yet in fact she is 100% Japanese; meaning both parents are of the same racial stock. So we chatted it away after I finished eating. She kindly took my tray and wiped my table then handed me my bill. We spoke in English and Japanese together. I had asked if her husband was a foreigner. She said "yes" and that he was from Thailand. It was easy to detect something about her that was not so Japanese just by the vibe she gave off. She was warm, but a little too warm for the first time. Most Japanese would never approach me and start chatting it up. It's usually me who makes the first move. I was being extra good that day.

I have had my dealings with the Thais. My best friend in high school was Thai and I had a wonderful experience growing up with him and learning about his culture and language. He was the most thoughtful and considerate person I had ever met. I went through a period in life where I was absorbed by asian culture - all Asians. Blacks were far too monolithic and had no pure cultural boundaries other than their direct hotline to 1(800)God. Whites were far too unctuous and dismissive about their own culpability. the Asians were far more sophisticated and family oriented and had a solid identity of themselves and knew what they had to achieve in life. I absorbed a great deal of influence from them.

Over lunch that day the tempura was fried to perfection. Light and crispy, just enough so that you could still taste the vegetables through the breading. Niigata is especially famous for mushroom tempura, you can see it on the right. I made light work of this, plus the ice cold draft beer. I went straight for the sake and hegisoba afterwards.

Hegisoba is a speciality of Niigata that's made using buckwheat noodles and funori, which is a type of seaweed. The funori adds an element of the sea to the soba. It's really delicious if prepared correctly.

And then afterwards I had ordered three tokkuri of Kakure sake. When visiting Yuzawa remember to try Kakure as it's one of the oldest breweries in Niigata, and plus they produce some amazing nihonshu.

I had really enjoyed this meal. After finishing up I took my time with this last serving of nicely chilled sake. the waitress, daughter of Echigo, came over again and explained to me a little about herself and about the sake I was drinking. Everything used, like the dishes, complement the food and the sake. The attention to detail that so many travelers have come to love and adore about Japan are all exemplified in the backcountry, the heart of Japanese agriculture.

I told her how jealous I was of her marrying a Thai, and about how lucky he was to be absolutely useless at home with her, and how occasionally he helps out with the farm work with her 'used to be' proud father, and how I envied that. I would love to live in the heart of Niigata and with a hot looking daughter of Echigo who obviously loves her hometown and the sake. She lamented on about how he isn't able to communicate with her parents and how that causes stress. She continues by saying he can't find any other work other than a farm hand. At least they have a child between them as if that's a good thing, and warrants the excuse of creating two absolutely useless people, but hey, he's a farmhand.

I wonder how long before the thin fabric of Japan will hold up in the next generation. How much longer will the elders toil in their own fields for grains, fruits, and vegetables before the mantle is passed down to another generation of Japanese....? What about trade agreements with the West and how that will have a direct impact along with the steady increase in interracial marriages and what that brings along with it ??

The sobaya is the water that was used to boil the soba is served up after you've finished eating. Whatever is left in your bowl; sort of a dipping broth, you pour the hot sobaya into it and drink. Japanese do this because they believe in wasting nothing. Everything has to be eaten and drunk.

After this discussion we exchanged contact information and I headed over to another place that specialized in a dish called "oyakudon." Basically, it's a chicken and eggs over rice dish.

Hot and savory aren't enough to describe the taste. Niigata is famous for growing rice, and the eggs used were brown eggs known for their high protein content. The chicken was free-range. This was the best oyakudon I have ever had. It was also one of the first Japanese dishes ever introduced to me by a Jukujo mom.

Echigo Yuzawa shot after dusk from the Sporea.

I had to take everything in from my evening of gluttony, so I headed up to an onsen, one of my favorites in Echigo and had took in the view from above this time. Had to soak everything in and get a better perspective on things.

First off, I enjoyed the amazing food, the sake, and the company. It was nice chatting it up with the locals and getting to know a little about them while sitting up here.

From this high up the breeze was excellent. There was pine and the smell of sweet calcium in the air. The water temps. were perfect and the views were great.

Echigo cup Yoshinogawa sake went perfectly with the mood and ambiance.

Everything is a learning process, a painful learning process. What am I holding on to, though. Daughter of Echigo, I wonder what life would've been like if the both of us could've been together. In this kingdom. This rice and sake kingdom filled with fantastic onsen and lush green. Why couldn't it have been me when I was swinging from that vine in some poor impoverished country when your eyes met mine, and fell in love? Beauty is a painful realization. Ugliness in beauty isn't. Worn buildings and unattractive condominium is yet beautiful because it is amongst beauty. The train lines that dot the rural landscape is beautiful.

Night fell across the evening sky like a blanket and I had one more cup sake to go. The carp were especially beautiful to see from another perspective.

The day-use finished at around 8. I was thoroughly soaked and refreshed and now I have to plot my next move. I have to continue to strive towards my one all defining goal.

Influence

2012-05-25T09:26:00.003-07:00

Japan Update:

The big four "O"! I have just turned forty and can't believe I made it this far. There once was a time in my life when I didn't even want to live past 30, but here I am. After much introspection I have come to the conclusion that given a second chance to relive my youthful years the only thing I would have changed is my waist size. The painful years created the circumstances for me to meet the most significant human beings in my life, so it would be like shooting myself in the foot if I said I wish I had never met certain people. My X is the reason I was able to meet the true love of my life, and the main reason why I am driven to define and redefine what Japan means to me, and what I hope it means to others. I want to influence others to realize this. Past hurts and pains have shaped my perceptions of life and human interactions, even though I still resent most of the people I had met and known in my youth. I survived most of them, even though they wanted to put me in an early grave - sap suckers and do-gooders and religious zealots. I am more focused now.

When I was gazing up at the annular eclipse last weekend, and marveling at its wonder, and at how a yellow glowing object 93 million miles away could provide the earth with nourishment and life, I was humbled. It's the same sun the Inchan and the ancient peoples of Asia used to worship and where other humans were once sacrificed in order to appease the gods. It was the same glowing sun that rose against the negroes purple bruised back as they toiled away in the fields. I was also reminded of how small and insignificant we all are as a species and about how petty and self important we are as people. People make life dreary and unbearable is what I see when I look around me. But I guess people have to be told what to do and how to think and when they do not live up to society's expectations they are ostracized. People need to be led around. People want to belong to a group. People want to belong to something, anything. Last night I went drinking with a group of Japanese at a local tavern. We lubricated the wheels of social interaction with beer and sake, it was a great time had. What really surprised me though was that the people who claimed to not drink sake drank it that night when they were with me. Especially the women who normally drink cocktails, drank down bottles of sake with me. It was my presence that motivated this action. I am glad I was able to influence them, especially the Japanese ladies to drink the rice brew, and to enjoy it.

Japan is the most easily influence country on the planet, I think. This country is the biggest importer of culture in Asia. Japan imports its music, ideas, and ideals from overseas. Even beauty is imported. Japan is constantly being invented and reinvented, and in some instance at a cost far greater than it can bare. When the youth shun the old ways and traditions of their ancestors for more Western ideals, and where being mindless is more charming than being mindful, you know the influences have really taken its toll. I seek to influence. I have sought to influence through my rhetoric and dogmas, and occasional pragmatisms. Japanese are naturally influenced by Westerners, so it's incumbent upon foreign nationals to set the proper example. How? Create the proper perception of reality. "white worship" is a term that's loosely used to denote the sense of entitlement 'whites' feel when they travel abroad. Negroes have the same sense of entitlement sickness they borrow from whites, especially when they are in their company and are traveling abroad with them.

The thing I try to focus on the most when interacting with Japanese is about how much they know and understand themselves. I want to dispel whatever misconceptions they have of America and Americans, I want to challenge their perceptions about how they view themselves and how the world views them. I want to ask them questions they have never been asked before. I want to stimulate them in way that causes them to say to themselves "Why did he ask me that?"

Sort of reminds me of the friend / enemy dynamic. The fat guy always has good looking male friends, and the gorgeous looking woman always has the ugly friends. The fat man's enemy always tells the fat guy what he doesn't want to hear whereas the fat man's friend tells the fat guy what he wants to hear. Things like " ooh, you have a good heart. Don't change" or "You're fat! Loose weight!" The so-called friend never forces introspection whereas the enemy always keeps the focus on the central problem of the fat guy. It's no secret that the only reason this dynamic exists is because less competition is best, yet the fat guy/girl doesn't see it that way. They actually think the good-looking person is truly interested in their friendship when in fact it's all about preserving the feeding ground.

Which brings me to my Jukujo of the day. A student once told me that I could never influence him. I told him that I have influenced him, and in ways he hasn't even begin to realize. My foot print may be small, but it's there. Since 2008 I have been blogging about the virtues of the Jukujo, sake, and onsen. I want to influence the perception of beauty through Japan's natural bounty. Super thick women, is one example of how the human body evolves over time. It's not as if I want to encourage Jukujo love, but more of a healthy appreciation for what is true beauty. In other words, skinny does not define what beauty is because it is the deprivation of oneself - anti-life. Thick legs and heavy breast are exquisitely beautiful on a woman. It is the evolution of over 20,000 years. A life giving woman.

The fundoshi is a blessing to behold across that backside of heavy assed Japanese Jukujo. Traditional undergarments are so much better than the illusion of pink western style undergarments, which in a sense hides that natural form. Some things should never change. This is a great woman of Yamato.

But here's the problem. And as I have mentioned before, perceptions have to be influenced. I haven't influenced the right people. Japanese men are slow to coming around to the beauty of big Japanese women. Instead, they are focused purely on prepubescent women and it's gotten so bad over the years that the Law has had to step in and take action against porn retailers who sell used high school girl's panties.

"Japan is the only country in the world where an ounce of used high school girl panties in some instances is worth more than an ounce of crack cocaine!! Street value. A pair of authentic soiled panties weigh about 1oz. and can fetch hundreds of dollars. The most I've ever heard was about 500 bucks.   Cocaine for middle scale blow is about $400 an ounce."

This phenomenon isn't new. Burusera shops have been around since the 90s, and have been selling used undergarments and gym clothing to lonely sexually frustrated Japanese men for ages, but where's the influence? How are Japanese mens' sexuality being influenced? Why are they stuck on young underdeveloped girls?

The media has a lot to do with it, as well as how manga hyper sexualizes women as being dumb and innocent. Japan already has everything it needs right now, so I am not necessarily trying to reinvent something, unlike the westerners who are constantly reinventing Japanese things. Japan has never had to incorporate foreign ideals of beauty into its dynamic. A Japanese tea house is a Japanese tea house. A Japanese onsen is a Japanese onsen. A Japanese temple is a Japanese temple. A Japanese shrine is a Japanese shrine. A Japanese Jukujo is a Japanese Jukujo. Japanese sake is Japanese sake. All of these are self contained within its own beauty. However, unnatural beauty like skyscrapers and towers have all incorporated far too many non-Japanese elements that are unnecessary and ruin the cultural landscape of the nation.

I want to influence the Japanese I come across in a way that makes them truly realize their own beauty and strength from internally and externally. The world is a sick and unforgiving place because of Westerners, and there's nothing the Western world can teach Japan. No false charities can fool the honest person. But Japan can teach the world many things, this blog is one of them.

Wisteria Floribunda: Ashikaga Park

2012-05-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

The first time I ever really appreciated or even seen up close this flowering plant was in Ito City in Shizuoka Prefecture at the famous Rinsenji Temple - there are a few other temples with the same name, so just remember Rinsenji is the one in Ito, and it is the (りんせんじ temple) - with the floribunda variety. Although the actual plant was named after an anglo, the Japanese have been cultivating this flowering plant for centuries before, and was even introduced to North America by a Westerner. How can one man lay claim to a name for a flower anyway? In Japan we call it "Fuji".

As the sun began to wane, and the last vestiges of its great energy shone hues of gold and orange across the evening sky. Images of a time long gone, and faded jubilees and sweet kisses. And sweet nothings. The naked flower for, example. It's already beautiful just as it is. No need to adorn it. Such as the wisteria with its long and slender vines, and soft pedals lain across trellises.

Ashikaga

Science tells us that the oldest flower never bloomed and evidence of the first flower ever created is still unknown to us. The debt to beauty is there. The proof must be somewhere. Even science has proven to be utterly clueless.

Purple

We are all indebted to beauty. We must see it up close and smell it. This is what I wanted to do on that long train ride through the sun baked backbone of Tochigi Prefecture. From Oyama to Tomita is a vast and rural plain of golden rice fields and ramshackle barns. I loved how the setting sun bathed the whole landscape in brilliant hues of orange and gold and the tiny man- made eddies with glistening ripples of light shimmering off the surfaces. Orbs of sunlight piercing through the train's windows and stinging my semi squinted eyes. I love how the train rocked with its squeaky carriage as it worked its way through this valley. I was on my way to Beauty. Bound for Beauty. Beauty bound. Night Beauty.

Purple is a color most associated with royalty in the Western world. In Japan, it's a symbol of protection. In Asia it's associated with mourning and suffering. For the American Negro woman it is associated with sexual violation and domestic violence as portrayed in the movie Color Purple. Purple is a color that represents so many different dynamics in the human experience. For me, it has always been a symbol of beauty and protection.

Ashikaga Park had so much beauty to offer for me.

The bridge and where it connected me to....

There is a wonderful site here which explains the different varietals and the history of this park.

It took me about 2 hours and 30 minutes to reach Tomita station, and then another 20 minute walk to the park. Entrance was about 1400 yen. The park and souvenir shops stay open until 9pm. Remember to try the wisteria soft ice cream! Very delicious. Wear some good walking shoes because there are plenty of excellent foot paths. You have until May 20th to enjoy these wisteria. Daytime offers a completely different view than night. I recommend trying both. You don't need buses and taxis to get here. There are plenty of amenities here, too. If you bring your own food there is plenty of free seating all round the park which all have gorgeous scenic views of wisteria.

As for accommodation. Oyama Station is the nearest major station and has an e-hotel and a few other business accommodations at affordable prices. I did not choose any of them because their facilities were inadequate for me. Meaning the baths close down at around midnight. Other then that, fairly decent accommodation. I opted for Takasaki Station because they had a Dormy Inn which has a bath and sauna that remain open all night - sauna shuts down at 5am. Plus they allow for late check-in, like past midnight if you call them. Takasaki has more convenience stores. It takes two hours to reach from Tomita Station. Long rain ride, but well worth it for me.

A Rant: Asian Purity

2012-05-06T23:36:00.001-07:00

You impregnated a Japanese girl? Can't believe this is the same fuck head who planted a booger on the back of my jacket without me noticing it. Man, you've got some real fucking issues going on up there in that head of yours. I would kick your ass right here in this classroom, but knowing that if I did I could face expulsion. You are a student from China so we all know how the California UC system favors them, and the other foreign nationals who can barely speak English and can't write an essay or keep up in the debate classes. You and I are not friends. Can't believe you would whisper in my ear that you impregnated a Japanese girl over the summer when you were visiting Japan, and then disappeared on her leaving her to look after your spawn. I hope she aborted it, then we could both laugh through crooked teeth of that pure act. I see now what's really going on. Like that article in the junk press about Chinese guys outperforming Japanese boys in college romance. Their real intentions are to steal Japanese women, impregnate them and then extort money out of them and their parents and ultimately get a green card. Sort of similar to the hordes of Africans who do the same, along with the dregs from white America, especially the ones who use their students as a dating pool to pick and choose potential wives from, and have no shame in doing it, and then having the audacity to carry on all artsy like at fancy dinner and sake parties with their newly found anorexic student brides. What the fuck is going on in Japan? I am not your friend. I know who you are!

I didn't think it was charming either when that ashy fingered Kenyan was parading around with his pride and joy and showing off what they procreated at the Immigration Office. I don't understand it. I am not an integrationist at this point. I do not want to see Japan become another cesspool of foreign indigents like the U.K. and Toronto who think they are actually helping the country through breeding it. It's disgusting. That's like that young Japanese boy I banned from my FB account over his stupidity. I couldn't stand his laughter and his anorexia. It's disgusting when 90% of the young Japanese men I come across on a daily basis are still single, and many more who are still virgins have the audacity to question my sex life - I sleep with your mother and probably your sister, too! That's just like my Jukujo mom's biological son, and my other Jukujo's boy; they were both virgins all the way through college. In the prime of their lives they put a premium on diet and weight loss, in the end, nothing to show for it but a hard-on and some porn mags and a severe inferiority complex to foreign men.

The one thing they harp on about is dieting, all of them. Being fat is no good because Japanese girls are not going to like you. Or it's not healthy. But yet, you are a virgin you Japanese geek! May I question why? Everybody knows that Japan is one of the most sexually promiscuous countries in the world. And Just about every foreigner has their own sexual exploits to tell about how they got and had this Japanese girl and that Japanese girl. And I can't believe how you can call me the enemy and them friends through your eyes all at the same time. I am merely helping you realize your ignorance and total lack of responsibility for the mother land you hate to defend so much. You moron.

I was dating a Chinese girl in college for about six month. I met her in my Japanese 101 class. Thin, huge tits, no ass, fair looking. She was a product of a school teacher and a land owner from Guangdong, high middle class, yet high browed. If I had to take one lesson from her, then it was her way of looking at the superficiality of people. I took her to visit a brother who was living in an expensive part of West Hollywood - Brentwood Colonial. He had a nice set up with his Japanese wife, a third hand BMW, and a nice flat screen T.V. After leaving she told me his place was small and dirty and that she was unimpressed. She had a way of pissing on everything, like the time I was geeking out on sake with a few Japanese interns over in Torrance. I resented her for her brute honesty, but everything she said was true, even years later about some of my other observations. Sake is not the holy water of the beer & wine world and acting like it is makes you look and sound like you are full of shit. Her father made her promise to never marry a black person. She was supposed to marry white only - not even Chinese. He had to have curly hair and green eyes...blah...blah... Never understood how a father could encourage this sort of behavior, that's like a black father trying to encourage his only daughter to marry white in hopes that someday she'll inherit property and a bunch of half babies who cannot speak their mother's language.

The line between highly skilled and highly paid foreigners and the Japanese is good. It should remain that way. Japan should never become a melting pot. The homogeneity here is fine tuned and works, believe it or not. The only discrimination I have ever experienced, though, in my life occurred from that of a half-breed. He was a cross between a Mickey Rooney and a Yoko Ono, geek, jerk, and every other name in the book. How can you discriminate against me in Japan, when you are the bi - product of two races yourself ? Was your mother a whore student who married that nerd teacher white husband? Was it Marlon Brando's famous 1957 Sayonara quote about marrying his Japanese bride and melding the proud white race with the inferior Japanese race that sold your mother? Whatever it was, it's absurd.

The Chinese girl faded away after I had taken a Japanese girl I had met at Walmart in Cerritos. She knew that learning Japanese was important but had to struggle with a lot of resentment about Japan's wartime past, stuff her father and mother shoved down her throat about how horrible the Japan war machine was. Like she could relate? It's not like anybody gave a fuck, anyway. All of her previous boyfriends were stolen by Japanese girls, like I was. I mean why put up with all the drama and nonsense that comes with being with you, like when I took you up to Irvine to have dinner at a friends house, and you acted a total ass when you tried to tell a Japanese man how best to prepare shabu-shabu, in his own home! What the fuck is wrong with you? Can't you enjoy anything? Do you ever stop judging other people against your own miserable little life? What makes feel and act the way you do? What gives you the moral right to spew your hatred of Japan over what happened 70 years ago, stuff most young Japanese care nothing about. Are you without stain, are you pure? Here's a fact of history for you, Mao killed all of the best that China had to offer. All of the best academics, engineers, scientist, were all exterminated during the great industrial revolution, some of the worst acts of brutality in human history. The greatest famine in history, yet Mao is still worshipped today by millions of ignorant little people who look like you and who have nothing better to do than accuse Japan for its own part in history that every advanced industrialized nation took part in. There were no great intellectual gains made in China after Mao, because he destroyed the best of minds. Your sense of " I can do no wrong" is pure and utter bullshit. Look in the mirror.

In closing:

Close that Chinese Embassy in Niigata, and send that Chinese Koshihikari rice back to Jilin, China and stop trying to condemn the Japanese, and most of all stop ruining the cultural and spiritual homogeneity here. Japanese dudes need to fuck their women, and breed more and save their race and stop harping on about weight gain and all the other unnecessary bullshit that means absolutely nothing in the real world. Just because you come here doesn't mean you are entitled to anything, and all of this eclecticism is not what it's all cracked up to be. Japan is already perfect.

Sake Tasting 2012.4.29

2012-04-29T08:28:00.001-07:00

The significance for me attending this particular sake tasting event was to offer my well wishes in person to Mr. Daisuke Suzuki of Iwaki Kotobuki, and for him not giving up on sake. Last year his family brewery was completely destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami which left him with nothing but the yeast strain sample that had been used to create his family sake. Struggling over whether it was worth it to continue, he almost gave up until the local community got behind him and offered him emotional support, and now he is finally rebuilding and selling again. I did a write up here a few weeks ago. On that link is a list of where his sake can be purchased also. He was incredibly popular so I only had a few words with him and he poured me some of his speciality stash. Amazing guy and very warm, friendly and approachable.

Here's the layout:

The center table had over 2 dozen different sake you could pour freely and as much as you liked. There were three time slots; morning, afternoon, and evening. Tickets for the event sold-out for the evening, so I attended the afternoon session. Spittoons were everywhere like rubber cones on a road. A lot of the servers were extra generous on the sake, so there was plenty of spillage. It was phenomenal.

I sampled every sake starting from Seiro of Gunma clockwise until I reached Iwao.

For the serious sake drinker this event was a must and was primarily focused on new up-and-coming breweries from Gunma, Shizuoka, Nagano and Kanagawa. Yes, Kanagawa Prefecture brews sake and good sake, too.

The event itself was billed as " Nihonshu Jounetsureto" which roughly translates as a passionate day for young Japanese. Somebody must've taken my advice several months ago on this one. Even the location was great, I mean right in the heart of trendy Shibuya at the Shidax Village Hall. From Shibuya station it takes only five minutes on foot to reach there. They should hold this sort of event once a month.

Some of my favorites were all of Kotobuki of course, but I would like to highlight some really interesting sake. First up, for the warm sake lover, I highly recommend trying Ippakusuisei of Akita Prefecture /
www.fukurokuju.jp/ It was the warm nutty texture on the nose and tongue that sold me instantly. I could easily binge on something like that everyday.

Next up was the Kudoki Jouzu a personal write up there with video snippet and all around top sake.

I like what Asama Sakagura of Gunma Prefecture had on offer, too. I particularly would like to recommend there karakuchi junmai ( dry ) at plus 12 nihonshu-do. Also, Senkin of Tochigi Prefecture had a very nice Kame no O 50 at minus 5 nihonshu-do. I was also very happy to see Izumo Fujii again, the president remembered me from last year and offered me sake. They always make really good sake, like their Tokubetsu Junmai Muroka at 4 nihonshu-do.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see Ishizuchi Brewerys there as well. I did a special write on their sake here. It's their summer sake I love the most. They're amazing.

What took me straight to heaven though, and my all time favorite for this evening was "8000" Hassen meaning eight thousand in English. Jokingly. The staff wore shirts with "8000" on the back. Mutsu Hassen from Aomori Prefecture did it for me. It was my go-to sake for the whole evening. The pink label Ginjo-shu was incredible at minus 1 nihonshu-do. I could taste ALL of Japan in just one sip from the pink label. I had a god moment there for a minute.

In the coming days and weeks I will be ordering and writing up many of the sake on this list in greater detail. Who knows, perhaps many of these sake will be available in North America. Not sure if they are there now.

On a final note, like I mentioned before, tickets for this event had sold-out. I had purchased my ticket at a convenience store two weeks in advance and almost wasn't able to get it. Special shout out to Melinda Joe for the tip. Thank you! This event had the same energy as the sake no jin, but a quarter of the size.

I'm not sure if I left anything out.... I think I covered everything. Don't be afraid to tweet this, or me if you need additional information. Or if I left anything out that's pertinent.

Abekan Sake Brewery Inc.

2012-04-26T23:00:00.001-07:00

I would like to express my relief today as I was assured by this beautiful matron Jukujo in the photo that one of my favorite shuzoten ( sake breweries ) was not affected by the 3-11 disaster in Miyagi Prefecture.

Abekan Shuzoten

The brewery is a corporation, in other words, it has stockholders and its own legal status. It pays its own taxes. It's also one of the oldest and most prestigious breweries in Miyagi Prefecture.

The day I visited, the sugidama (cedar ball) was a beautiful brown color - brown means the sake has aged well enough for drinking. When the cedar ball is green, late fall early winter, means the sake is still fresh and young.

The two rice grains you see in the picture are Kame no O and Sasanishiki. Kame no O is a more robust and flavorsome rice that's more commonly used in sake brewing whereas the Sasanishi is typically a table rice used for sushi. SOME brewers blend rice to produce certain textures in sake - yes, some sasanishiki is used also, but not commonly!

Off to the left is the actual brewery. The traditional building is where you can sample, purchase and speak with staff. Tours are possible if you call in advanced. Sake here is made in the most traditional of methods.

Miyagi-ken, Shiogama-shi, Nishimachi, ３−９

Japan

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Brands: Omotoka, yashiro, ichinomiya,

Otokoyama

Details on where it can be purchased can be found on my site ordering sake.

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2012-04-26T00:00:00-07:00

esl role play practice

Rainy Days

2012-04-23T20:42:00.002-07:00

How do you spend them?

Living in Japan has given me a greater appreciation for all kinds of weather, even rainy days which I used to loathe when I was in the States, now I love. But how about global warming and how that's affecting weather patterns all over the world? Here in Japan we are all feeling it, unlike in some parts of North America where many have enjoyed unseasonably warm winters. We here in Japan are dealing with an unseasonably rainy and cold spring, and our cherry blossoms are feeling it too. Meteorologist have had to face challenges over when and where the best time is to view the blossoms.

I was supposed to be heading up to the third most beautiful sakura viewing spots in Japan, Takada Park in Niigata Prefecture, for cherry blossom viewing, but had to struggle just to keep up-to-date on the weather forecast. My new Niigata Jukujo nurse was up there expecting me after work, but couldn't give me an accurate prediction on the weather, so I used social media. I use twitter as my official weather gauge; just text whomever is up where I'm headed, then tag a keyword - real time update. All of the reports had 57% chance of showers. 57%? I can ride my bike without any protective gear and not worry about getting soaked down here in Yokohama, but Niigata...? I wasn't going to allow this to dampen my spirit, so I headed up to Echigo Yuzawa in southern Niigata instead. Maybe I could wait it out there to see what was going to happen. Didn't see how forking out an extra fifty bucks to continue to Niigata, besides, I had to be at work the next day.

Remember, the Max Toki is a double decker Shinkansen, the only one of its kind in the world. The second floor non-reserved seating do not have arms rests and do not recline; only first floor seats have and do that. Shinkansen still do not have Wifi, but luckily my router still worked great. Checked the Nasdaq, not so great. Typical average.

Swiped over to my tunes and eased back into my chair. I was going to have a great day, in spite of the shitty weather forecast!

Arrived in Niigata and found myself in this open air bath. Don't remember how I got there. I remember. Takada Park was rained out, so no fireworks this cherry blossom season and no dinner with the Jukujo. So.... I soaked my sadness away on this rooftop bath with some coooold sake! Soft flooooral scented sake and hot rooftop baths are the best, especially when you're overlooking Kawabata's famous snoooow country.

It's late April and spring hasn't arrived yet.

I have gout in my right toe and the only way it gets better is when I'm in the hot tub - good excuse. I sat alone and in silence for twenty minutes while pondering the views along the Echizen Mountains. The air was clean and crisp and cold. The onsen itself had a sweet calcium smell the wafted all around me, absorbing me. I could feel the blood corpuscles expanding as blood flowed through my veins and arteries, even joints. All fatigue went away within minutes. I could hear the ticking of my own heart in between my own breathes and through my neck.

Then suddenly the door from behind me slides open and I am awakened from heaven. Two gentlemen come stumbling in and into the water. I greet and say good bye all in the same breath 'cause I never stick around for long chats in a bath.

The best food in the world is ice cold hegisoba! And I mean it. Hegisoba should be soaked in ICE water before being served and curled on the plate. It is heaven on a plate with cold sake. Of course there are those who would disagree with me. And I understand, but then I am not you, and that's another reason why I would travel this far just to eat hegisoba - Tokyoite

I chose to bring my own meals to the hotel. I love to eat alone. Hate dining with others. People ruin food when they chatter about stupid shit. I worship food and wish to devote all of my attention to it. Take this bento for example. The string on the side attaches to a heating element at the bottom of the lunch box. You pull the string out and wait for 15 minutes. I headed down to the tub again for another great soak.

While soaking I was putting together some thoughts in my head about the seasons, my next post. I submersed myself for a second or two, holding my breath. Splashed water on my face about 10 times after I came back up. Massages my head. Got out and went back to my room where a hot bento was there waiting for me to enjoy. Enjoyed it I did. Reached over and grabbed the iPhone and checked emails. An "I love you from my Jukujo" and some other mails. I slept so good afterwards. My room was so warm a quiet you could hear church mouse pee on a cotton ball. That is quite quiet if you ask me.

No better way to spend a rainy day.　　　The sake write up here on my new site

Coooold saaaakke, hooot ooonsen, delicious fooood, deep ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tohoku Volunteerism: Conspiracy Theory

2012-04-21T07:32:00.002-07:00

Conspiracy Theory

White refugees , Japanese Nuclear Refugees , Missionary invasions.

"Where there's a need in the world, I will go!" "The people of Japan need me!" " We quit our job, sold our dog, and now we are on our merry little way to help the poor little Japanese !" "We need to round up the animals, too" Voices from the volunteers....

Me, so what are your long term intentions? Them, " well, we are going to live here permanently. Japan needs us. I need to stay here and help them, even though I cannot speak the local language and in spite of there being an enormous need in my own country" I'm just going to rummage around where they need me. I have no intentions of ever going back to my country. I love Japan so much. Maybe I can teach English, or get by with donations....I have a small savings, but it's expensive living here. Maybe the Japanese government can offer some handouts.

The conspiracy :

Scare the Japanese, make them lose faith in their own government. The poor Japanese abandon their homes and flee in fear because the media is relentless in their fear and smear against government officials and Tepco and Fukushima. The Japanese media IS the Western media. And there IS no difference. A Mike Wallace style idiotic interrogation style method against well to do people, like the president of Tepco ad the prime minister. There are cultural norms here that need to be followed.

Nuclear flight response. Let's go to Canada. There's no future for us nor Japan. I'm a stupid Japanese. Here's some gas, take a whiff, let's commit suicide....Or, better yet, let's jump in the front of a speeding train. Open your fucking eyes, Japan is the homeland and it's beautiful country.

White compassion(ist) migrate to Japan to fill the void left by the desolation. For all we know it was a White God in the sky who allowed 3-11 to happen to the bad Japanese, just ask televangelist Billy Graham. White man rapes Japanese souls with their gifts and charitable works, breed with them and repopulate Japan, and weaken the institutions here. Could this be the real intention of their charitable misgivings, even though the Japanese government hasn't even officially invited them here? They choose to lay down roots and establish themselves like they did in Niseko, Nagasaki, and in Okinawa!!! And then threaten the homogenous fabric of the land. But it's charity. But charity has other motives, too. Just ask the negro. It has always been that way. Just ask the negro twice, and again, and maybe even the Navajo, whomever is left.

Next thing you know they'll be asking for payback and then entitlements, and maybe even special status. You owe us now, even though you didn't invite us, you owe us for our charity. We deserve to be acknowledged because we are white and benevolent. We helped you, so now help us! Because you owe us, even though you didn't officially ask us!

If we set up a charity then we can receive money from other charitable organizations, like churches, and non-profit organizations. We can do good for the Japanese in the beginning, but later we will sink our paws into their infrastructure and local government, and most of all real estate. We well interfere with their local economy for their own good, because they know no better. "Prrraaayy for Japppan" you dumb ass. Only the pagan xenophile would spout of such nonsense.

It's always nice in the beginning, wait you'll see.

I am a white American, and I have a bleeding heart mentality for all the suffering peoples of the world, even though it was me that caused all of it through centuries wars. White America enjoys 75% of the worlds wealth, but only make up 25% of the worlds population. How can I possibly be the problem for most of the worlds ills......I scratch my fucking head. It must be manifest destiny.

But, nevertheless, I am white and I know what's best for you, so open up your fucking doors, for if you don't I will condemn you and brand you as a terrorist nation, or, even worse an apostate and undemocratic. If we are partners than you are obliged to follow my line of rhetoric or we will take away your prosperity. I am the moral judge!!!

What should be done:

Volunteer groups should be organized, controlled and monitored by Japanese government officials only, so that things are done the Japanese way. Focus should be clean up and disposal efforts ONLY. Not setting up animal shelters without a fucking license. Foreign volunteer groups can't just roam around doing whatever the fuck they want to do with their fucking badges of charity, and they shouldn't be living and repopulating here either. Tohoku is the pride of Japan, you cannot have white people, or any other people repopulating it - never.

I saw those hideous looking boats that were donated from Operation Blessing. Remove those goddam stickers off the sides of those hideous looking boats. What the fuck is the problem? Enough with cheaply made garbage passed off as charity! Why do you need to receive credit for donating those boats!? Is it really charity when all you want is attention you fuck!? Only The Japan Fisheries knows what kind of boats are best for Japanese fishermen. Can't believe NHK was covering that stories and all that outpouring of support with those big stickers all over the sides. They should've just reallocated boats from Niigata, Nemuro in Hokkaido, Tomokumai, and Chiba Prefecture.

Japanese government need to stop receiving all this cheaply made and poorly thought out charity. Do not let all these strange fucking foreign organization in to Japan!! Guard your borders! Haven't you learned anything from the past. These are wolves in sheeps clothing, and you can't even see it!

Land Restrictions: Do not sell land to foreign entities, protect your national preserves and grasslands. Do not become like another Karuizawa or a Zimababwe :

What Saitama is doing, because they were ahead of the game.

What the government should be preventing could be read here in Niigata, but they were too late.

Do not be blinded by false charities.

Japanese Boy

2012-04-17T09:49:00.001-07:00

Hey Japanese boy!

What are you doing? You look so cute with those wanton eyes and little red hat. Are you a good little boy? It's no coincidence the reason you are so beautiful is because your mother's face, over time, has worn upon you. You have never seen evil, not a day in your tender little life. Peach fuzz still around your little potato shaped balls, shrunken up inside. Are you a xenophile? Do you celebrate Christmas and Easter, too?

The red crown you wear upon your head and the school girl dress draped down your slender body are not only emblematic, they're symptomatic of the ills of the land of your ancestors. I presume because of its cultural association, which often times young Japanese attach to every thing that's cool and girly, you would call me a liar if I told you otherwise.

I should know, for I have tasted of mommy's girliness, her sweet nectar, that is. And, sweet nectarine she is, and I have attached cultural vanities that may or may not be culturally relevant in modern day Japan - if there is even such a term.

You are a moral relativist, much like I am, but that's not why I am writing to you today. I like you as a person.... But, you have proven to be quit a nuisance lately. You see.... It's .... Well..... You need to get a fucking job and move out. Ok? Is that clear enough? You have been interfering with me and your mothers love life you spoiled little brat, and dog on it, I have grown sick and tired of muffling her noises because you want to sneak a peak through the sliding paper doors. It's not hard to hear the creaking in the wood flooring, and the nervous little breathes from far off through your semi-congested nose. What, you think I don't hear you?

When I'm sitting at the dinner table; when I'm showering; when I'm entering from the place where you were born? Is there some fascination there? How cute is it? I don't blame you though....It's because she dotes on you day and night. And you know she does it, and you use her because of it in order to get your way. And I can see the dilated pupils in your eyes staring back at me and telling me " yes, I know what you are trying to do! But, I'm two or three steps ahead of you. You are the source of my masturbatory fantasies, because I have never looked upon the nakedness of a female. I'm too Japanese for that."

"I can't relax when the both of you are here. I'd rather go to your place. I feel so much more at ease," she says. Bulox. I like your place, it's much more relaxing and the meals you make for me are amazing, why come to my place.

Theme Music for this post: Simple Minds, Belfast Child

Location:２丁目,Yokohama,Japan

Japanese boy, you have never seen a dark cloud in your life. You have only tasted of your mothers kindness. You see, you were crafted in her womb, and from birth institutionalized into a society that gave you a clear set of requirements to satisfy. You most likely weaned yourself off of her breast milk and then placed yourself under group - control so that your thinking would harmonize with the rest of society, she helped you get that way too. She made you what your father was, is, and inevitably will become, even in death. She raised you to tow the line. But, you appear confused because you do not know why. Not one single patriotic bone in your tender body. Yet, you know something is down there, in your heart, but you can't quit seem to put your penis on it.

In order to better understand you I feel down the canal from which you were delivered forth from. Its smooth moist layers have never changed. For she hasn't been touched since you were born. I dare say! But I love the Japanese, the pure blood types who can do no wrong. I have sought to understand you through the womb of my own desires and through your mothers womb. Through my engorgement as the veins pierce through the thin flesh. The expanding walls are accommodating. I feel like I'm at home. Like I can stretch my legs and arms, and lay my head back and sigh a breathe of releaSe.

I know much more about why you are ruined. I also know why you will never be as ambitious as your forefathers. I know why you are so henpecked, and weak kneed. I know why you lack interest in chasing young women, too. I know why you sleep in all day. I know why you have no dreams. I know why refuse to move out. I know why. For it is the reason for my own ruin. Mother Jukujo.

She made sure you were fed the best rice, and that your meals were always prepared meticulously - even when she had a part-time job. She does your laundry, cleanse your room, and scratches your itchy spot. She nags at you, but that's because it's her nature. You tell her to fuck off, and she does. She never stops loving you and sacrificing for you. You are the least bit grateful because you assume it's the natural thing for a mother to do. Your world, Japanese boy, is grand! I can be you any day.

You have no care in the world, and couldn't care less about the realities of the world. Men have died ten times over while you were fast asleep in your warm little bed. You are protected and safe from all forms of danger, seen and unseen. You are nurtured and well looked after. Your mother's countenence has shone brightly upon your face Japanese boy. You look so sweet. You still smell of sweet similac, but we all know how awful that taste - well, at least I know. Your only deficiency is that you weren't fed enough of mom's natural goodness, and this is why your body and mind are so fucking weak. You prefer drinking milk from a nasty cow's ass, like your master Alfred Bosworth and his minions forced upon you and your ignorant post Macarthur brain dead grannies, who too followed the status quo. Now look at how frail you are, sixty years later, and generation after generation..... Japan's culture of breastfeeding dates back thousands of years whereby kids were fed up into their adolescent years, which is somewhere between where puberty begins, to pre- adulthood. This used to be the norm.

You should've never gone on the bottle. Now, here you are confused, and exhibiting an air of self-confidence and being a do-gooder, but deep down inside you can never seem to get enough of mother, that's why you seek out women who resemble your mother. You see, Japanese boy, everybody else can hypothesis about why you are the way you are today. The herbivore man, the socially inept man, the insecure man, the momma's boy. The journalist and pseudo-psychobabilist tell us that it's the demands of society, economy, and all sort of bullshit about you being let down by your country. This is all bullshit.

Truth is, is that you have an underdeveloped mind that has been weakened by the institution that programmed you. You latch on to fantasies and other shit that do not exist in the real world because you weren't breastfed enough proteins and brain cell stuff from your mother's breast. You are emotionally and chemically imbalanced because of a lack neurological enzymes which are critical for self awareness. And then if that's not enough the left wing influenced Board of Education doesn't help with their defiance against national protocol.

I am a boob, aren't I ?

Japanese boy.

Koshi no Tsuru: cross over crane

2012-04-15T06:37:00.003-07:00

Polished off another fine Niigata rice brew last weekend, but didn't get around to categorizing it yet, so here it goes. The one thing I want to note about this sake is that it was made using one of the oldest methods in brewing called Kanzukuri, which is a way brewers use cold winter temps to enhance yeast during the sake brewing process. In addition, kanzukuri is inherently a winter brew and was and is still brewed during winter. However, technology has enabled brewers to brew year - round, and therefore rendering this archaic method obsolete. Of course, I love the old method best and I love the complexity and smoothness you get from kanzukuri style sake. As I have mentioned before, when you are in Japan you need to look for these local jizake that you can only purchase here in Japan. Winter brewed sake made with very old and traditional methods are becoming rare and hard to get because of the growing lack of skilled brewers....i.e. younger kurabito who are less willing to use older methods rely on technology rather than experience to brew their sake. The labor intensity that goes into making just this bottle alone required the efforts of highly skilled kurabito [ sake brewery workers] who employed the highest traditional methods.

Looking at the label, you can see three sets of kanji characters. The kanji on your right from top to bottom reads [ Kanzukuri-shinshu] winter brew new sake; sake that's brewed during winter and has not undergone maturation. The kanji in the center is the name of the brewer [ koshi no tsuru] cross over crane / rough translation. The last kanji on your left is [ honjozo] a premium sake. People with gluten-sentivity should be able to drink it. The kanji from the top coming down is [Muroka - Nama Genshu] so it's unfiltered, unpasteurized, and undiluted. How that translates into taste is that you get gamier bolder flavors that are fruity and clean.

The breakdown of the sake and where to buy it is located here on my new technical vlog site

For general sake education go here to the sake-institute

Enjoy.

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2012-04-16T00:00:00-07:00

Black Theory: blackitivity

2012-04-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

Theme music for this post: Sanctuary / Constance Demby / Sanctum Sanctuorum

.....INHALE..... BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL, BLACK IS POWERFUL, BLACK IS BOLD, BLACK IS AUTHORITATIVE, BLACK IS CLASSY, BLACK IS THE STRONG ICY COLD DARTH VADOR DEATH GRIP; CLINCHED FIST TELEPATHY. BLACK WRAPPED TIGHTLY AROUND CREAMY TOFU COMPLEXIONED TAUT SKIN; SMOOTH COMPLEXITY. BLACK IS THE UNIVERSE SPRINKLED WITH STARDUST IN THE FORM OF PLANETARY BODIES. PITCH BLACK, EBONY BLACK, JET BLACK, ONYX BLACK, SOOTY BLACK, BLACK. BLACKNESS. BLACK IS NOT A COLOR, IT IS BLACK, IT IS INFINITY, IT IS BOUNDLESS, YET BOUNDED BUT ETERNAL....EXHALE......

The allure of black is powerful yet intriguing. It is that way because it's not a color, yet we identify it as such for practical purposes. It is the great non-color of all things. The omni-non-colour.

"Technically black is what your brain perceives when there is a total absence of reflected light.

However when painting, artists often create their own blacks for shadows and such, by mixing a Primary colour and its opposite Secondary colour. (ie. Blue and orange) to create "shades" of black (and grey). This tends to give a painting more "life" as black is uncommon in nature." Science...

Black gives meaning to color, gives color emotion, gives it its power, gives it life. Black defines the curves, eyelashes, hips, and silhouettes, it defines the beauty in every single object and being. It is the all definer. Black provides contrast. Black eyes, black hair, black skirts, black pumps. Black on fair white legginess. Blaaackkkkkkk.....

Black Messiah

Black is Tokyo, black ties, black tie events, black holes, black president, black oil, black iPhones, black iPads, Japanese goddesses draped in blackness.

Black makes all colors stand out. It accentuates the natural muscle tone and beauty of a woman. Japanese women in black power suits do it for me everyday. It is pure joy. Power look looking at me: Austere. Commanding. Intelligent. Blackfabulous!! Blacktaculous!!

Ever since the late Kenzo Tange, the father of Tokyo, put ink to paper he crafted a grand scheme for how he wanted modern Japan to look. A grand chaotic scene that some how works and blends perfectly with the Japanese and nature.

I have wondered through the streets of heavily foreigner populated cities like Roppongi and Azabu, and have been impressed at how well Western elements have blended in with Japanese elements. I have seen the foreign community ambling about and speaking in Japanese with their airs, and dining in posh restaurants with sophisticates who have fine tuned their spoken English skills. They even have the Robert Dinero swagger, and Bruce Willis appeal. It's like they have totally redefined themselves. Japanese men know how to sell their souls. And even with all of that, the modern Japanese woman still maintains herself and her appeal. She knows how to appeal to and be appealing at the same time. She carries herself exceptionally well in public - that cannot be denied. From top to bottom; from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, she is flawless. Even my staff, when 3-11 hit, they still kept themselves in front of a mirror making sure that not one single hair was out of place and that their rouge was properly applied while still working under duress when security cordoned off passageways and access to elevators. Basically forcing them to remain in the office for hours.

In the morning, the commute to Tokyo is strangely aromatic. I can smell hints of Tresor perfume, and lion heart cologne for men - mixed in with a little after-shave. Fresh smell of Biore Shampoo here and there wafting from car to car on the express. A sea of black suit clad Japanese with rigid faces with eyes that could pierce through the soul like a knife; beautiful, exquisitely beautiful. A one race society is what it feels like. That too for some reason is exquisitely beautiful and profound for me. I am a good subordinate.

I stand behind black, I back black. One two three, strut, one two three, and strut again. Sounds of nylons rubbing together between thighs so bobbiliciously and rhythmically, as hips sway from side to side. Get out of my way you barbarian! I'm marching with a sense of purpose, can't you see!? I have a job to do. Lay down and die, would you please? Fuck you with a an arigatou gozaimasu and a smile. You can never understand what it means to be a Japanese. Makkeee meee. ...understand..... pleassssssszzzze!!

The modern Japanese woman comes in all shapes and sizes, but more often than not tend to be thin, prim, and proper. The Tokyo woman is office savvy, and surprisingly tech-savvy, too. They can do anything when they wear black, that is.

superblackilisticblackilidocious
superblackiliciousblackalickingbadass........

Now...Who the fuck are you????
[ thank you god ]

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2012-04-14T00:00:00-07:00

Breakfast in Tokyo

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2012-04-10T00:00:00-07:00

Japan Breast Size Map Reveals Bustiest & Flattest Prefectures

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2012-04-06T00:00:00-07:00

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2012-04-05T00:00:00-07:00

Win a weekend in Berlin

Rage Against the Prudes

2012-03-31T10:38:00.001-07:00

So the irony is is that though we tout anorexic standards of beauty, we are the most obese nation on the face of the planet! America ( clearing my throat). Japan touts the same, but for the most part practices what it preaches. Anorexia" is" what it sells here, and then some. There's no shortage of that, but I say " enough is enough!" Lovers of thick "pyknic" asian women must unite. But before that we must know our enemies and the neo-femi-political structure they have created to shame the naked beauty of the female body. Of course runway models are fully clothed and starving, yet the femi-agenda doesn't stand up against this, or at least not nearly as much as they do when they're lashing out at us lovers of the flesh because in their eyes its ' sex discrimination.'

Feminist generally look down on so-called feminist models too, even if they are not anorexic. This is because the modeling industry plays into the patriarchal paradigm that is so damaging to how a female should look and carry herself - fat or skinny doesn't matter. Whether it's censorship of porn or jaundice looking runway models, the feminist have no right encroaching on basic freedoms, nor on how a woman chooses to live her life whether it be in front of a camera, or behind it, if you know what I mean. The bottom line is women have to live their lives in a way they feel most comfortable. If a woman chooses to show skin then let her, if she chooses to be anorexic because SHE wants to be, and not so much because someone else told her to be, then it's none of my business. But, if she is that way because a man or a woman told her she must be that way in order to be considered beautiful then I'm against it.

I like thick asian women, it's a personal preference, but that doesn't mean I am trying to be offensive to skinny women if they choose to be dangerously thin because of someone else's distortion of beauty. Most Japanese women who are not eating normally is because their boyfriends told them not to get fat, or because the media enforces these types of demands upon them. What the media should be reinforcing is good eating habits and exercise, and should allow some forms of soft porn to help foster a better understanding of the human body; you have well fed women and you have slim women - everybody's body is different. You should love who you are.

The degree of prudery that is most notable in Western countries is even evident here in Japan - a none Anglophone nation, by the way. There is a small, yet vocal cadre of feminist in this country who do not like it when I post up photos of delectable looking Japanese women. They think it's sexist and misogynistic. This could be attributed to their lack of attention as most Western men here in Japan would rather pursue the locals. Perhaps if I posted up pictures of anorexic women draped in these horrible gowns we could call that socially acceptable as long as there is no skin showing.

Purple Fist of the Feminist Agenda

Ever since the heyday of the feminist agenda of the 70s, womens' groups have been strong proponents of censorship, and have fought pro-modeling feminist and adult entertainment industry professionals relentlessly for over 30 years! The late Andrea Dworkin was one of the most vocal opponents of porn whose efforts saw to the conception of an anti-pornography ordinance ban against flesh magazines and videos, which the U.S. Supreme Court rightfully struck down on the grounds of it being unconstitutional on free speech grounds.

The biggest problem with the feminist agenda is their constant fear of sex discrimination and the victimization of women like in the Lovelace vs. Traynor case. Porn breeds violence against women and so it should be either stopped or heavily regulated. Or even worse, fear of the urban legend snuff films myths. It's the knee jerk reactions like this that reinforce self hate and victimization amongst women in a mostly male dominated society, and eventually hatred of all men. But I can't help wonder who's right and whose wrong in all of this. You cannot take away nor curb a basic American freedom because of a group of abused and battered women. These extreme actions are not all centered around the feminist movement. Some evangelicals have sided with some feminists groups to restrict certain freedoms of expression. I wonder where was justice when Joseph Paul Franklin pulled the trigger on Mr. Flint? Some prudes can be downright evil, man or woman. There's plenty of hate to go around.

Time went on, freedom prevailed. Since the early nineties the porn industry took off and has been going through a transitionary period from soft to hardcore porn - even extreme porn in some instances. This is because the masses have grown tired of the same old B rated melodramatic cliches that ruin porn videos. There is no shortage of amazing porn candy out there, but the sheer lack of creativity from young producers is what has been lacking. Gonzo porn is fast becoming the new porn! Reality porn which is more centered on realistic situations rather than the usually Adam & Eve production style porn videos that bored us to sleep half way through the film. Hurray for freedom! We can thank the legendary Gunn Brothers, Bang Bus, and Mr. John Stagliano for pioneering these two genres.

We can thank the Japanese Adult Video industry (av) for leading the way in producing some of the strangest and more original themes the adult film industry. Thank god they're finally getting their act together. Here in Japan major film makers are changing to reflect a more busty genre of women.

Hakuto Corporation

A-BOX
ABC (Art Body Collection)—"big-bust" models
Animalijo
Anna and Hanako (アンナと花子)—specializes in lesbian videos
Arashi-Supergirl (嵐を呼ぶスーパーガール)
Aroma Planning (アロマ企画)—specializes in more extreme "maniac" videos
Art Video (アートビデオSM)—features S&M and bondage videos
Attackers (アタッカーズ)—known for simulated rape and S&M material
Aurora Project Annex (オーロラプロジェクトアネックス)
AV Refugees (AV難民)
AVS
BeFree
Beauty
BI (美)
Bravo
CineMagic (シネマジック)—specializes in S&M and bondage
consent (コンセント)
Cross (クロス)
DAS (ダスッ！)—produces simulated rape and humiliation videos
Digital Ark (デジタルアーク)
Dogma (ドグマ)—specializes in various extreme fetishes
E-BODY
EDGE (エッジ)
Emmanuelle (エマニエル)—mature women
EROS HEARTS
Euro Star
F&C (エフアンドシー)—anime
FA Pro (FAプロ)
Goemon (五右衛門)
Goro Tameike (溜池ゴロー)—mature women videos
graphis (グラフィス)
Hayabusa Agency (隼エージェンシー)
Hajime-Kikaku (はじめ企画)
Himawari Kikaku (ひまわり企画)
Hyakka Bijin (百花美人)
IdeaPocket (アイデアポケット)
Inflagranti Japan (インフラグランティ)—specializes in S&M fetish movies
Kakkoii! (カッコイイ！)
Karma (カルマ)
kawaii
kichu
Kira☆Kira
Kitagawa Production (北川プロ)—videos portraying S&M and FemDom
M's Video Group (エムズビデオグループ)—specializes in bukkake and gokkun material
Madonna (マドンナ)—specializes in "mature" women
MARIA—mature housewife videos
Marx Brothers (マルクス兄弟)
Men's Heaven
Milkyprin (みるきぃぷりん♪)—known for "big-bust" models
Miman (未満)
Moccori Television (もっこりテレビ)
Momotaro (桃太郎映像出版)—comprises a group of independent producers
Moodyz
Mousouzoku (妄想族)—specializes in "big-bust" models
Muku (無垢)—produces videos with "schoolgirl" models
Munekyunkissa (胸キュン喫茶)
Muteki
OPPAI—featuring "big-bust" models
Opera (オペラ)—specializes in scat fetish videos
Otsuka-Floppy (大塚フロッピー)—specializes in scat fetish videos
Platina (プラチナ)
Premium (プレミアム)—specializes in stylish glamour videos
Ran-Maru (乱丸)
RED (レッド)
ROOKIE—produces featured actress videos
RYUGUJYO (竜宮城)—amateur actress videos
S1 No. 1 Style (エスワンナンバーワンスタイル)—glamorous AV Idols
SexiA (セクシア)
Shinoda Project (しのだ)
Style Art (スタイルアート)
Suppin (すっぴん)—amateur actresses
Tokyo Special (東京スペシャル)
Toyohiko Project (豊彦)
U&K—specializes in lesbian videos
V (ヴィ)
VENUS—mature women videos
Yellow Movie (イエロー)
ZONE

So what's with this blog promoting Jukujo??

(" In order to protect them....As long as the standards of beauty remain anorexic women will always be trapped into one standard of beauty. The rise of Jukujo porn serves to present another form of beauty, and a healthier appreciation for fuller and thicker women. Most Japanese women walk around ashamed of their own bodys' natural development.. It needs to be changed in order to reflect a healthier standard of physical beauty")

Links for 2012-03-30 [del.icio.us]

2012-03-31T00:00:00-07:00

The Serious Eats Guide to Bourbon

Tsukioka Onsen: Permeation of the Soul

2012-03-20T20:33:00.001-07:00

I have penetrated something deep at the psychic core of something. When a human being dies we do not have the facts about where it goes, but we do have a notion of a grand scheme of things. We contend that the soul either ascends or descend based off of a merit system on earth; good vs. evil, and so forth and so on. If we do good deeds god will take us to heaven to be with him, if we don't we descend into the underworld where Virgil resides. Some believe souls are stagnant and roam the earth forever; earth bound for eternity and never able to elevate to another resonance. We cannot prove this with our own instruments of science. We just have to accept what's in our gut and follow the right path.

In my travels through-out this country I have always felt another presence. I have always felt there were stagnant souls roaming around hither and thither, unbounded yet bounded. Countless untold numbers of souls, here in Japan. I have visited and have walked amongst the dead remains of fragments of a broken piece of time, lost in this earthen sea of eternity. The sea of dead remains of tattered souls washed ashore from a tragic moment in time when they were sentient beings right here in the now. I have conversed in my own heart with many, but have never uttered their names in the now.

The Buddhist monk oversees and tends to the souls of those who remain unclaimed. Lost souls. The monk has always tended to matters of the dead, even the unborn and unclaimed children from nights passionate grip. I was approached in a dream by a Buddhist monk who placed my soul, me, inside a silk purple sachet filled with screams, and then quickly placed in a secret place, hidden from plain view. I was urned.

Since leaving the Kahou Hotel my dreams have been vivid and unforgettable. The Kahou is a place with a strong energy of old souls; unbounded single median souls unlike any place I have ever set foot. I have penetrated something deep at the psychic core of something. My presence was felt through out the realm of souls, millions of souls, when my physical body walked through the doors of this grand hotel. I was unplanted and uprooted from my own spiritual coil and placed under an orb of power I haven't felt in a long time. It must've been a strong principality. I was treading on sacred ground and shattered the psyche of the folks there.

But rather than explain the hereafter I want to continue .....

The hotel is called Shiratamano Yu Hotel, and it's legendary. It is one of the oldest and most well known luxury hotels in Niigata. In my previous post I did a write up on the Sake no Jin sake fair. After the sake fair had ended I headed to Tsukioka Onsen, about forty minutes from Niigata Station, and then another forty minutes by bus to the hotel. Eye candy always sits across from me. Girls in Niigata wear the shortest mini-skirts and have well toned winter thighs from physical activity I presume. I always consider myself lucky when I am sitting across from them simply because it's unexpected.

The soul can be permeated by light energy, sometimes by smells, other times by human tears. Vibrations and resonances can also be picked up by souls. Love making triggers swarms of souls who watch from a fixed position. My whole body was an eardrum.

When I was sat down in the hotel lobby I was immediately seated and handed a hot cup of aromatic brown tea by a very beautiful kimono clad matron with a smile that instantly permeated through the hollowness of my own soul. From behind her came the "okami" the head lady of the house. I was warmly greeted and gently ushered up to my room on the 8th floor where I could take in the gorgeous snow vistas of the Tsukioka Valley.

I got in at around 5pm, I underestimated how far inland this hotel was. Off to the left you can see snow covered rice fields. I can only imagine how this place would look in late spring. This photo was taken in mid March 2012! Downtown Niigata has no snow, but it still snowed way up here in the countryside.

After being shown to my spacious room I got quickly changed.

Headed to the spa.....

The indoor bath was fully stocked with great shampoos and conditioners. And very clean.

Outdoor cypress bath was great. The blue bag has my sake in it. The stuff I bought from the sake fair.

The rich sulfur smell is what's easily noticed when you step into a real hot spa. Like an egg smell, but far worse. Very nice indeed though, especially on a cold evening like it was that night. Heeeaaaveeennn.

Always like to include the local stuff for the evening, and an elegant sake cup to go with it on a nice brisk late evening, just before dinner. I did finish the whole bottle myself before dinner. I was nice and saucy.

The stone bath....

Upright relax baths

The niceness about this is its shallow depth. This allows you to sit longer without overheating your body.

I had to capture the snowscape view from the onsen. Oohhh...

The ice boat arriveth. I had my own private dining suite.

I radish dish with vegetables... The whole spread was gorgeous actually and so I quickly forgot about the camera.

That morning the snow fell heavily, so I went out to the garden area to snap up the waterfall.

This was a wonderful experience and unforgettable. Old souls never die, they just linger on. If the young had souls....

End notes:

Five star hotel; five star service; five star meals; five star rooms. All fives. Always call to make reservations for the bus service.

2012 Sake No Jin: In Closing

2012-03-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

{Theme music for this post: The Lifelines; Taku, Maynard Plant, Wise.}

2012 Niigata Sake Fair

Sake no Jin is a sake fair held in Niigata every year in March where all the great sake breweries showcase the best of the best rice brews in the world. Niigata Prefecture, two hours outside of Tokyo, is regarded as the motherlode of premium Japanese rice wine. More premium grade rice wine is produced in Niigata than in any other prefecture in Japan. It is from this region that the very best sake are produced, thanks in part to the rigid cold winters, delicious mountain water, and abundant rice fields. The people, too.

Over 80,000 visitors showed up this year as last years Sake no Jin was cancelled due to 3-11. This was a big comeback year for the industry as a whole with over 90 of the best sake producers in the world, each with their own special jizake / local sake. There was even a sake brewer from Texas!? It is by far the largest sake fair I have ever attended and I have attended quite a few over the years, even before moving to Japan. It was truly an amazing experience and turn out. Live bands played and entertained the throngs of sake lovers. I myself was in heaven, obviously of course. Electricity was all in the air.

Fuji Shuzo

"Niigata happens to be the home town of Rumi Takahashi a famous manga artist. Fuji Shuzo honored this legendary woman with a sake/liquer *? inspired by Lum."
I found this information out on a tweet which lead to a site called Crunchrll[*?] on the 17th, so when I arrived at the fair I headed straight for the Fuji Shuzo table and sampled its offerings. Chocolate liqueur ...? Quite flavorsome, sweet, and.... demure....*? Would recommend it for entertainment purposes only. Fuji Shuzo sake is legendary and I highly recommend their real rice brews. Rather than list up the sake by name or explain the history, just know that quite a few were brewed only for this event, and are not and will not be sold.

While there I ran into the Sakeguy by chance and we chatted it up for a bit. I suspect he was headed over to the sake challenge by the Kikiate Game Corner. I had to continue on with my blood to sake transfusion.

As the afternoon wore on the sake seemed endless. Every table had a unique offering with all of my original favorites here.
One sake brewer to look out for this spring, and one that I'd like to especially recommend is Echigo Ofuku Masumune. All of their Junmai Ginjo's are excellent. The sake fairs I have attended in the past were drinking events that lasted for a short time. This event was huge and it was nice because you could purchase delicious food and sake, sit down at a table to drink yourself to oblivion. If you look off near the escalators you can still see people funneling in from the first floor. It was 4 o'clock. The sake fair was scheduled until 5pm.

I chatted it up with this guy and that's why I had the shakes. When I was standing in line with this guy he was looking all serious and doctor like, but by the time he got a few sake down the hatch he looked like this, plus he was talking in sakebonics, something only us sake drinkers can understand.

I met so many people, including Jukujo and a younger lady which we exchanged contact info. It was great. Just got off the telephone with them. If there had to be improvements made for next year, I highly recommend the staff sell the tickets while people are standing in line instead of waiting for 40 minutes and then being told to purchase a ticket from another counter. Buy your tickets in advance and get there early. Be prepared to spend money on food and drinks. I'm not sure if you can bring your own food. Takyubin is there in case you need to ship.

Ganbare Nippon

Scrapbook Series 2: Spring Cleaning

2012-03-11T23:13:00.002-07:00

I succeeded in thoroughly cleaning out my library. While cleaning I was listening to all the streaming videos from NHK over 3-11. I like how Japanese say they are victims of radiation due to having nuclear power plants. Perhaps the stupidest comment ever when this lady came on claiming how her and her child were victims. How can you be a victim when you consume so much energy? You shop at these hyper malls in the Ginza and in Tokyo that consume millions of watts of electricity with their fancy illuminations. You expect to have your 24 hour vending machines and 24 hour convenience stores open everyday. Your mass transit networks consume millions of watts of electricity daily none stop. Your ass is at the public bath houses ever evening soaking it up with the elders and using all of this digit equipment and super computers. Everything in Japan is automated, even the goddam doors and toilets! I can't even remember the last time I flushed a toilet manually here. Amazing how Tokyoites can bitch and moan over energy when their energy demands force energy companies to provide more. Energy barons scoff at the arrogance of these people. How would you run the machines that produce your luxury goods and appliances if you didn't have nuclear energy? Tepco ain't the bad guy here! Stop fucking with Tepco, they are just an energy company, not a nuclear safety watch dog. Rant finished.

The library is pretty clean now. I removed all my DVDs and reorganized them. I'm going to place them in my shoe closet because I need more space around here, but first I want to list them up for easy reference. No, not all of them, just the ones I love. I blurred out the nipples because I know how prudes tend to be allergic to the beauty of the natural breast. Her name is Hitomi Kurosaki, someone has her listed as Hitomi Kiurosaki. Need I say more about her? She is legend. There's dust on the DVD jacket. My fav is Hitomi, but no post on her. Who said Japanese women don't have legs, hips, and bust?

And then next up is Murakami Ryoko. Below in purple. Who said Japanese women don't sweat?

Next up is Moriyama Anna, nice ass but no post on her either. Who said Japanese women had no rumps?

And then the Kanreki series with Kurauchi Miki to the far left. The other ones, no thanks. Who said aged women are unattractive ?

Next up is Chizuru Iwasaki. She's another amazing person. Who said Japanese women aren't motherly?

The other person below is Hirata Ritsuko. Again, the nipples are retouched. Who said Japanese women don't have bodies?

Next up is Seno Ryo. Who said the ' Muff Fujii' was unattractive and that Bush is bad?

My favorite athlete so far is Satoko Urata. Who said Japanese women were short and pigeon toed?

Asao Miwa is next. Who said Japanese women weren't amazons?

Where there're links provided are posts.

The soul of Japan

Scrapbook of Japan

2012-03-11T14:45:00.002-07:00

I've done this once before when I had first discovered the wonders of Google Earth. Once in a blue moon I like to clean out my study; and discovering so many things I had completely forgotten about I decided to put a few things together. I think a scrapbook is in the works and what I'll do is post up a little history about the evolution of SofJ.

The number one excuse foreign nationals use when asked about why they came to/moved to Japan is all the same. One popular reason "I came here to be with my 'Japanese' girlfriend/wife/fiancé. Another good reason is because of the green tea, and onsen. I came here for the kabuki and Mt. Fujii. I came here because I wanted to go shopping in Tokyo, and the list goes on and on." I'm no different. I came for all the same reasons listed above too. You remember why you came here?

The first few weeks in Japan was epic, like it still is to this day. The first Japanese Budo I got into was Aikido where I trained at the Akikai Foundation, the founding school of Aikido in Tokyo. I clearly remember having to wake up at 4:30 am every morning just to get up to Wakamatsu-cho from Yokohama in order to make it up for the first of many training sessions. I had trained until I threw up from exhaustion, literally. There were some amazing teachers up there, and an amazing experience for me. Met so many people, too.

Every spring I'd be in Osaka and Kyoto with friends from a drinking club I was a member of for years. Every spring we'd be in Kyoto enjoying the cherry blossoms and literS of sake! The large bottle in my hand is called Uazumi, a small Jizake(local sake) from Gifu Prefecture, an area in Japan famed for its great local rice brews and amazing onsen. I WAS / WE WERE thoroughly wasted. Hanafubuki, or cherry blossom showers, fell so beautiful here at this park in Kyoto called Maryuyama Koen. Two pink pedals were on my blue shirt in the pic.

On weekends, we used to head up to Gunma to hunt for hidden springs. Way back in the day, onsen(s) like Takaragawa and Ikaho were considered hidden, now are advertised on tourism websites and travel guides. In the picture below was me at Ikaho in Gunma Prefecture enjoying some konnyaku with a drinking buddy. This guy turned me on to my first taste of Japanese sake. I've been a sake guppy ever since.

Before moving to Japan I had read up about a lot of things and about a lot of people. The first books I ever read on Japan were translated by Donald Keene, and I remember one of them was written by Yukio Mishima. I purchased every book translated in English about him and read them voraciously before coming here. I was so fascinated by the man and is story that I paid a visit to his grave plot in Tokyo, at a cemetery called Tama - Reien in Fuchu. Actually, another one of my girlfriends took me there because her family plot is also at Tama-Reien. She was able to clean her father's stone and then help me find Mishima's father's plot where the remains of Yukio Mishima are. You will not find a Mishima Yukio plot. His widow expressly purposed it that way.

That same year I also paid a visit to the Defense Headquarters to meet up with people who knew Mr. Mishima and who were there during the siege that occurred during his protest on the Defense building in Ichigaya over 40 years ago. I have several photos of me standing in the exact same location and held the same tanto that he used there which I am not allowed to post online as part of a security deal I signed with the now Ministry of Defense.

My winters were spent in Niigata, like they still are now. This photo was taken at the Angel Grandia, and I was there with three sake buddies from Kanagawa. The picture below is a handmade tokkuri which I regret giving away to one of my Jukujo! The sake is called Kakure, and it's a locally brewed sake from Niigata.

The bamboo tokkuri was freshly cut and retained the smell of sweetness when I poured the sake in it. On the table is the other half which doubles as a cup and a lid. I should have never given that thing away. It was absolutely perfect. Geeking out over sake cups and tokkuris were a big part of the fun of having sake friends. I have dozens of cups and carafes( tokkuri-type) drinking vessels. I have no room for any of the them. If you have a chance to drink sake from a freshly cut cedar masu do it. Absolutely essential for the sake lover.

There was another sake group I used to hang out with up in Tokyo, two others actually, but they rarely traveled outside of Tokyo and were for the most part transient guest on short stay visas. Sake is not material. It is in a sense an ethereal drink. It's a drink best enjoyed in Japanese nature and with like minded people who share the same passion of the countryside, not necessarily within the confines of four walls. Bars and taverns offer convenience, but not necessarily the experience that works best with Japanese sake I feel. Like me wearing the Yukata and freshly out of a hot spa; skin and hair still damp. And then working up an appetite.

In a nutshell, my early beginnings were sake, onsen, and friendship based along with jaunts all around Japan, and the Jukujo. Warming seats in bars and taverns just don't cut it for me if time and money is not the problem. What does the soul of this country represent for you? All of us have our own angle at how we look at things. I wish to convey this meaning.

Hokushika Shuzo

2012-03-07T11:44:00.001-08:00

Let me repeat the name " Ho-Ku-Shika." Not to be confused with another sake brewer in West Japan called HAkushika. That's very important because it's too easy to miss subtle pronunciations in Japanese, or mischaracterizations of the kanji. With that out of the way I would like to introduce a saké for this month.

Again, it's called Hokushika and it hails from Odate city, in Akita Prefecture in Tohoku. The significance for choosing this sake tonight was to bring up two points; one, about my experience in Odate, and two, about the type of saké I'm having tonight, which is the exact same sake I had up in Odate, in Akita Prefecture. For those of you who are not familiar with Akita, it is known for its extremely cold winters. It's these bitter cold winters that are perfect for brewing sake.

First, let's begin with the breakdown:

Alcohol: 15.5%
Nihonshu-do + 1
Acid 1.5
Rice: Yamada Nishiki and Akita Komachi
Seimaibuai: 65%
*雪中貯蔵 [Secchu - chozou] Snow cooled
*氷点熟成 [ Hyouten Jukusei. i.e. aged at freezing]

If you are a beginner, then these terms will sink in eventually, just takes more drinking and more sniffing. A detailed explanation of the terms can be seen here. The flavor profiles may vary from one palate to the next. I picked up pear and honey dew melon. Clean finish with a tiny little burn down the hatch. After taste is refreshing and clean. I could drink this just like it is, and most of all it's seasonal and rare. This is why I harp on about visiting Japan and trying all of these seasonal rare sake. Stuff you cannot get outside of Japan. I highly recommend attending the sake fair in Niigata this year, too.

The first time I ever tried this wonderful sake was when I was staying at the Ainori Onsen Hotel in Nishi Karigasekiyama, right off the Ushu Highway just north of Odate near the Kuromori Mountains. That experience for me was epic!

Last autumn, 2011, I spent a few days up in Shirakami Sanchi, a UNESCO World Heritage famous for having the largest Virgin Beech Forest in the world. I love Japan. At any rate, I wrote up three article on that epic journey you can read about here. Leaving Shirakami behind I had to work my way down to Hirosaki, and then down to the Ushu Highway. I was dazed because I almost got stranded up along an unmarked mountain path for four hours in Shirakami due to loss of signal on my GPS. Imagine that, the GPS failed - no signal and at night on a narrow mountain path and no visibility except for moonlight! My notions about Atheism died on that mountain path in a two wheel drive 600 cc car. I was five hours late for my check-in at the Ainori.

Checking in at around 9:30 pm was a big no-no! Typically cut off time is around 6...? You're supposed to check-in at 3pm. I knew that, that' why I called after I figured my way out of Shirakami. No cellphone signals in Shirakami if you are using Softbank. I hope things have changed. Last I checked you could use AU. Anyway, I was lost, hungry, and vexed from that whole ordeal. When I check-in the people at the desk were so friendly and accommodating. Even though my reservation had no meals included they prepared a special meal for me on the house. It was simple and delicious. Legendary Akita specialty Kiritanpo, a cylindrical or sometimes ball shaped rice served in a hot soup. Some wild veggies and chawanmushi! A nice finisher was the Hokushika. No, it wasn't water. Some people add ice cubes to sake to bring out the acid. I do from time to time. I am not recommending it here. It's an individual preference that some Japanese enjoy doing. I learnt this from other Japanese I have imbibed with.

The Ainori is a true local favorite. Many of the locals visit this place everyday. I have never been much of a fan of too local places, but this one was an exception. I love the Ainori so much I had promised myself I would never blog about it, and I broke that promise tonight thanks to the sake I am drinking. Do not visit this place if you have tattoos, or if you do not speak Japanese. Thank you. Their biggest fear was the language barrier, and the obvious...if you know what I mean. I speak the language fairly well, and understand the cultural nuances of the Japanese.

That night, after dinner, I sat in an amazing outdoor bath and chatted it up with a local under a starry night sky. it was fun. He visits the place twice a week because of the scenery and the great water. The next morning this:

The morning chill brought out the steam from this deliciously hot mineral rich onsen. I do not recall the outside temps, but it was very cold. The water was a perfect 42 Centigrade. All this was just before a hearty breakfast. I was in heaveeeeennnnn.... Somethings should never change. I know now that the younger generation cannot preserve this. This all must be enjoyed now! Ten years from now, the elderly will not be able to carry on the tradition of maintaining these amazing onsen and its facilities. I do truly hope that I am wrong about what I just wrote about onsen. I pray I am wrong.

By the way, the theme music for this post is called " Teach me to Whisper by Liquid Mind" you can find it in the iTunes store. It's a great piece of New Age. If you have an open mind you'll love it. Especially if you have stereo headphones.

I wanted to capture more of the steamy goodness. It's about the steam! It's the steam. You cannot teach the love of sake in a classroom, it has to be taught in a liquid classroom! You must sit in an onsen and drink Japanese sake, early in the morning in a hot misty natural onsen in the mountains while listening to this theme music - the smell of onsen and sake....oooh. You should not dismiss this nor ignore me for whatever reason. Sake has to be introduced and taught from the perspective of nature. Yes, sure the classroom is good too, but it only provides a rudimentary understanding of sake, not the spiritual imbuing of sake. That can only come from the onsen and the nature, and the shrine, almost sort of like a baptism. Those who represent sake, must ALL pass through this realization FIRST before they can preach about Japanese sake to the world. Shinto and nature imbues sake! Sake is a spiritual drink first! Please understand that. Before nihonshu was introduced to common folks, it was first reserved for the Shinto priests and royalty.

At about this time my lens was not able to capture clear photos. By the way, all of the guest were eating breakfast, so I didn't intrude on anyone's privacy when I was out here alone snapping photos. The sweet hour is around 7:30 am. Most guest are having breakfast at around this time. Perfect time for onsen. Yay! I wasn't able to bring my Japanese moms( plural). I had to go alone. This was a spiritual quest.

My first Baptism occurred in Gifu Prefecture at an onsen I won't reveal just yet. Hint, it is the oldest onsen hotel in Gifu, once visited by the Emperor of Japan ( never utter his name as " Emperor" because it is blasphemy, always say ' Tenno' because it's a manner that most Japanese will never teach you, at least educated Japanese).... Another cultural nuance. Sorry if that came off as pretentious. But.... what I want you to understand is that.....you really need to feel the connection between Japanese sake and JAPAN. You mustn't reinvent sake.

Momokawa, and Sake One, I am sure you are making great sake that will someday rival Japanese sake, but , you must remember to never separate the cultural, nor spiritual nuances that work best with Japanese sake. Sake is not material! It is the quintessence of Japanese hot springs, Shinto, Nature, the doting Jukujo, Ise Jingu....and believe it or not, and regardless of others, Yasukuni. You mustn't separate sake from its mortal COIL. It is as much a part of Japan as the ancient gods of lore that established the godhood of this nation.

I would like to thank my greatest teacher, one of my old girlfriends Emi Tanikawa of Kushiro, and a long time male friend Casey Takayama, a spiritual mystic for introducing me to onsen and sake and for teaching me these very basic fundamental truths, especially about sake and onsen. I would not appreciate the beauty of Japan today had it not been for them. These are all real people, by the way.

The finishing theme music is by Keith Sweat " Twisted!" This should slowly and carefully bring you out of this trance like heaven. The Jukujo are all a part of the beauty of Japanese culture and sake as well. Of course, some will disagree with this, but, so what.

My 3-11: Japan Update

2012-03-06T20:57:00.003-08:00

Where were you on March 11, 2011 I was in Japan when this big one hit! At least the biggest one I ever felt. Here is the live account here. Theme Music for the Post: Elevations by Erik Wollo = Sphere into Dreams. Best enjoyed wearing stereo headphones.

Remaining optimistic is important. It's important too for us old timers to remember why we came to Japan. I still remember how it felt when I was getting checked - in at the L.A. International Airport ages ago. Sitting down putting my shoes back on after going through the detector. Hollywood star Tommy Lee Jones was in the chair next to me. What a strange coincidence that was. I recall how he had looked down at me from his sunglasses, too. He's taller than I. I remember what it had felt like during taxi when the plane was preparing for take off. Thoughts were flashing through my mind about this and that and about what I was going to do once the plane's wheels had finally touched down in Japan. I was on my way to the Land of Green Tea and Onsens; Temples and Geisha; Kabuki and Sumo. What a feeling. What nostalgia.

These feelings are still fresh in my mind and I still realize how exciting Japan really is. Once these feelings have gone then I guess it's time to go. I'm nowhere near ready to leave Japan, though. There are people who are ready to leave, and they should leave , by all means. You shouldn't live in a place where you're not happy. So on the theme of optimism I'd like to talk about positive things.

One more thing, never let anyone tell you what is the acceptable norm here Japan. There is no acceptable norm. If there is, let me know. Some expats and surprisingly many Japanese haven't a clue about how to really enjoy Japan, and many come off as pretentious and dull witted thinking that they know what's best for everybody else's life. If an expat enjoys teaching and living in Japan forever, then let him teach and live in Japan forever. Don't disrespect him for what he enjoys doing. Not everybody wants to have a sexless marriage and not everybody wants to work 60 hours a week either. And not everybody wants to pay into the pension scam, but would rather have the option of choosing their own plan. It's his life and it's what he chose to do, even if he chose not to get hitched with an American / Oolong Chu junky. You can do and be whatever you want to be in Japan, as long as it doesn't intrude on the freedom of another person or break any laws.

Back on topic. First it's the Sake No Jin, so have a look there. If you are interested in learning more about local sake and the latest trends on sake development, then I highly recommend attending this sake fair. There will be some great people there. I'll be incognito, so if you have any angst against me, don't approach me. Other than that, I'm a pussy cat. Flower, money, and other gratuity I accept; cookies and candy what have you.

Third, Japanese politicians are starting to get their act together. The Sunrise Party, or the Tachigare Party, and the right are appealing to broader and larger interest groups than before. There's also talk of a coalition party between the DPJ and the LDP, which is signaling something of a unity government. I'm also noticing Japan is remaining firm with China, like it rightfully should by not playing into Guilt and apathy over issues that have no business on the bargaining table. A strong Japan is central to recovery, not one that bends anymore than it should. So much has already been compromised because of non-action.

Moving on, The question of guilt has been getting a lot of press lately. First of all, guilt is a Christian principle, which is completely foreign to most of Asia. There's simply no basis for it culturally nor historically. Japanese society is more shame-based, unlike Christianity which is guilt-based. In other words, getting caught is more of a consequence than the individual or collective response to guilt. You don't expect China to feel guilty and remorseful over its transgressions in Tibet, and neither do you expect the Japanese, since either side isn't willing to expressly acknowledge guilt. Maybe I can demand my own government in North American to force its historians to revise topics over issues related to the full and uncensored accounts of slavery in North America, by further implicating 'white guilt' on an issue that occurred almost a century ago. This isn't going to happen.

It's these topics that should be completely off the table when it comes to doing business. At least there are cultural implication for Asia. There's no need to feel guilty on either front if neither are willing to confront history respectfully and accurately. Remember what happened in 1989? In America's case, to acknowledge guilt is a religious requirement according to the Christian faith, which is necessary through the confession of your transgressions in order to achieve salvation. Without guilt you couldn't confess your sins, and without confessing your guilt you cannot receive true forgiveness. We ALL know the man whose hand loosed the atomic bombs, Paul tibetts. You cannot possibly be in heaven singing with the angels about the benevolence of Christs' love if you found no guilt in your actions on that fateful day. You may be looking up from somewhere, not down. I'm just not convinced. Most psychopaths have zero guilt and remorse for their victims, even at the time of death.

(" China shouldn't play the guilt card at the bargaining table over something that happened 70 years ago! It's unprofessional and serves no purpose other than to further exacerbate an issue that has no connection to the greater scope of international co-operation, co-prosperity, and peace. How can you force guilt on one party when the other party doesn't feel it's guilty, from a cultural standpoint? ")

Next, Westerners cannot condemn Japan over its annual whale hunt when America is still dropping bombs and killing hundreds, if not thousands of Iraqi and Afghan civilians, who are merely suspected of being terrorist. There's no justification. And then calling it an accident. It's about prioritizing what deserves more attention, not about dolphins and whales over the welfare of human beings and the murder of innocent non-combatants. There are so many more issues on the table that need to be discussed here. Let's address the human problem first, not one man's crusade because his favorite Flipper died in his arms because he was out buying Porsches every year and wasn't able to afford to release all the dolphins from captivity. What is more newsworthy here?

3-11, do you remember where you were at? I was sitting in Starbucks at the Yokohama Station when the big earthquake struck. Maintaining my composer I neatly packed up my things and left a ravaged Starbucks; broken light fixtures, and broken glass all around. I headed for my screamer and took to the roads like Batman. Down route 15 and 16 I witnessed the largest mass exodus of people ever. Salarymen were stranded and left without any means of transportation. Traffic signals were flickering out of order and horns honking all around. Bumper to bumper everywhere.

I had to struggle for weeks without bottled water and toilet paper. My local supermarket rationed out food. My favorite comfort food is tsukemen, a noodle dish I used to stock up on. I was allowed only two packs and one bottle of mineral water, which most times were sold out. During the whole ordeal Japanese remained calm and orderly. Truly impressive. The people here are such good examples of order and social rest. Sure, there were some isolated incidences in less populated areas, but on the whole no major crimes were reported. It took about two full weeks to get things back to normal for me. I tried going to a spa to get the monkey off my back, but, it didn't happen. Whenever there's irregular geothermal activity or earthquakes, hot spring sources are disrupted. Some onsen dried up completely like in one onsen town in Tohoku somewhere. Luckily, Niigata lost no onsen activity and hot spa sources weren't affected at all. In fact when JR shut down most people who where left stranded in Niigata had no problem being stuck in Niigata; onsen and sake. Hotels were pretty much all booked to the max for weeks at a time, sometimes months. The hot spas provided a temporary respite and it was all good. Sake was drank, and enjoyed until JR came back online. Niigata really came through for a lot of stranded commuters.

I want to change the tone a little to reflect on the scope of this blog. There are over 600 posts to date on various topics related to Japan. And no, the video below is not an endorsement for iPad 3. The target base is focused on the very best and basic aspect of Japan. I have a tweeter, youtube, and BC account.

These posts are presented from a rare perspective of a guy who obsesses over all things Japan. Not the otaku culture, but the physical and natural culture, and every now and then I rant about a topic I believe passionately in, like down below.

Every now and then I like to introduce a great Japanese, either that, or a Jukujo. This time I would like to introduce someone worthy of honor and respect. A Guerrilla fighter. Keeping in line with March and optimism as my central theme, I decided to select Hiroo Onoda. 小野田寛郎

Born March 19th, 1922, came to fame as the only Japanese soldier to never surrender. 30 years after the nation of Japan surrendered, before he did! Not all Japanese soldiers portrayed by overzealous white authors can claim that the Japanese soldier was weak and ineffective. There were strong and courageous soldiers who fought against the Allies in the Pacific theater. History records Pearl Harbour and the Corregidor Islands as victories for the Japanese Army. Let no one fool you, and it's a sad day when the Teacher's Union and The Ministry of Education tell you otherwise. You do not have to surrender your dignity, nor twist the facts to represent a Westerner point of view.

Some other good news, the remains of a five year old boy was discovered and identified from the tsunami wreckage recently. The remains were returned to his family and then cremated and placed in an urn. There are still thousands of unclaimed remains of victims in the disaster hit areas in Tohoku, and with noone to claim them. One Buddhist monk has committed himself to guarding these remains until they're are properly DNA checked and returned. The urn, which Japanese traditionally believe to be the gateway to the next world, through which souls can return every year during the summer festival of Obon, is extremely important.

The grave must be cared for by surviving family, who in return, expect spiritual protection from their deceased relatives.   Buddhist tradition dictates that a body is cremated and the ashes are placed in an urn, along with the bones that remain. Nationwide, 500 bodies recovered after the huge waves swept ashore have still not been identified, and more than 3,000 of those who died have never been found, according to some reports.

The souls of the unidentified cannot pass into the next realm in which case they remain in limbo somewhere. The remains of an individual has to be cremated along with the bones, urned and looked after by a loved one. Only then can it pass into the next realm. Christianity teaches that you have to let the dead be with the dead. Let them rot in their flesh and to not be concerned with the welfare of the remains. We turn our loved ones over to the undertaker and let him look after our loved ones. Japanese are more civilized in this regard.

I'm sure Billy Graham is in Sendai now teaching Japanese this, and how they have to let go and let god, and about how Japanese traditions and culture are of the devil and pagan in nature. He'll be spreading his poisonous doctrine along with his charity, and many stupid Japanese will swallow it hook line and sinker, because so many are broken and weakened by all the bad press they've been receiving over the disaster. Bring your charity, not your fucking religion. Japan has its own indigenous faith and belief system.

I'm extra critical of my own country and the devils that represent it because I can. It's the illusion that America creates that many naiveté Japanese would rather believe.

("For many, It’s difficult to understand America.

Firstly, the law of contradiction is what governs America. It was the slave owners who declared ”We hold these truths self evident that all men were created equal.”

I mean, we are the most godless and the most religious; the most puritan and the most lascivious; the most charitable and the most heartless of societies; we are interventionists to the degree that we are isolationists; we espouse Thoreoux’s Maxim that government governs best which governs least, yet we look to Washington to address our every problem.

Our environmental conscientiousness is out matched by our environmental recklessness; we are outlaws obsessed by the rule of law; we are individualist who speak of family values; we are a nation of fat people with anorexic standards of health and beauty; the only things we love more than nature’s wilderness are malls and hyper-technology").

Putin is back at the Helm in Russia. It's no surprise, he was waiting for this chance. He will show his teeth in this term. What will all this mean for bilateral relations with Japan...? We have to assume the worst, or nothing at all. Putin is an economy president/premiere. There's no way he's going to negotiate a settlement deal over any of the islands, especially as China starts to reconsolidate its claims on the islands just south of where Kamchakcha is located....( northern territories). Too little and too late for Japan on this call. There is a little happiness on my part with Putin back at the helm. With him there it neutralizes America's broad reach into Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Putin will not tolerate a missile defense under the former Secretary of Snakes Condi Rice, nor George W. Smutch. I still remember when he was handing out the Medal of Freedom to soldiers at Mathesda. One of the soldiers almost spat in his face, or a least look like he was going to. Iraq was not worth a leg, an arm, or any other body part. No matter how much you spin the nonsense and ignorance, it just simply wasn't worth it.

Back on Japan, just wanted to clear up a few things. There are no radiation fears in Japan. Most Japanese who are overreacting are quite stupid, like the pastor who made headline news the other day for claiming that he was looking for property in South Korea, and was going to move there if the Korean government grants him a residents permit. I use the word Pastor to denote his religious affiliation; he's a Christian or of a similar faith that worship white gods and other delusional modalities that are completely foreign to Japan. See, how these Western religions poison and distort reality through fear and doubt ? They rot at the core of Japanese sensibilities? And then you've got the "NGRs" ( nuclear gamma ray refugees) who are far less than a Japanese, just ignorant, that are demanding asylum in Canada and South Korea. It's wrong and it's absurd. Just stay here, clean up, and rebuild. Then, go and purify yourself at the nearest shrine. As a matter of fact dunk your whole head in the water trough.

March is looking to be an exciting, yet turbulent month. I remain optimistic and with bated breath (sigh).

Salophillia T-153 / B-98(H) / W-63 / H-92

2012-03-05T10:01:00.002-08:00

Theme Music: Takumi

Every now and then a great musician like Matsutani Suguru comes along with a wonderful piece on beauty. The kanji, the title of the song, is written in literally means artisan, or eminent beauty. When it's played with a slow tempo it sounds lovely. Japanese are all familiar with Takumi, one of the greatest piano compositions ever written. NHK uses this same musical score on its Sekaimachi program, and a few other CMs. The piece itself is a household name already, and when listened to, evokes a sense of beauty - Japanese beauty.

And then there's Helios by Eingya composed by Keith Kenniff another pianist, which falls under the category of Ambient music, a rare genre that's beginning to get more attention. I own both of these CDs. Both pieces are best enjoyed with stereo headphones. Which brings me to my topic.

On the way home today I stopped through for my bi-annual porn store visit to check out some DVDs. I promised myself I would do the research before I even came here, but figured what the hell, just a quick peek. Didn't find what I wanted, so as I was heading out this Helios piece came over the speakers. Wow! I remember purchasing this CD a year ago, and at that time nobody knew about it, now it's on the air. I remember after burning both the Takumi and Helios CDs and then uploading them to Apples iTunes Match service I had used I wasn't able to access them, so for months I had to dig around Apple to search for file locations. I use three different Apple logins, but the one where I connect my Mastercard is connected with the U.S. store, not Japan iTunes store. According to Apple, you can only download from either account every 90 days now. What a pity, so when I heard it over the store speakers it was music to my ears. Once the song had reached 3:10 I stopped and couldn't leave the store; sweet piece with guitar and drum snared me. I stopped and went back to the Jukujo section. I started digging for something to match the mood of this musical piece. I knew that producer director Kotaro Amamiya wouldn't disappoint. There I found Yukari Orihara. Takumi accentuates every slippery curve and angle of the Jukujo, and Helios is the sun energy that exudes from her bosom. She's also here.

Salophilia is not a paraphilia! They are completely different in nature. Salophilia is the attraction to salt or human body sweat. Paraphilia is a deviant whereby a person is attracted to non-human objects, in a sexual way. We've cleared that up. I do have an attraction to females that sweat, here. There is simply nothing like the hot sweaty goodness of a thick mineral rich Japanese Jukujo. Never let anyone tell you differently. It's time for the prudes to crawl back into their caves at about this point, wherever they are.

Yukari is an earthbound women, a mother, a wife, a Jukujo. She's O type. She's natural and her physical breakdown is breathtaking. I love her dimensions. She is the envy of all Japanese women here in Japan, and in the diaspora ( nuclear refugees in Canada). It's time to save Japan. We all know only the Jukujo can do this.

The title of the DVD is "Moma the Air conditioner is broken." The title is suggestive of J-momma's boys' over dependence on their mothers for everything. Real men would never complain to a woman over a broken machine, they would simply either repair it themselves, or buy a new one. But I guess I would be calling myself out, now wouldn't I? My other Jukujo had to look out for me when I was attacked by a lone bee up at the shrine in Togakushi. I was frozen stiff cause I didn't want to get stung. I have never gotten stung before. It was embarrassing having her fight the bee for me then opening the door to put me in the car in front of onlookers. Or, the time when my Hokkaido mother had to put the snow tire chains on the car in the winter when we were vacationing up in Gunma because I didn't understand the i-joint mechanism. Oyaji was dagger eyeing me the whole time up ahead, and was probably calling me all sorts of names. The Japanese mother is fully capable of doing everything! They are smarter and stronger; learn faster; and are more patient than Japanese men. They are the soul of Japan.

Kotaro has always been gifted as a producer in bringing out these exact same qualities in his videos. The Jukujo is always the can-do mom with a solution for everything. And so naturally. One thing I really love is that the sex scenes take a long time to get to, and there's plenty of dialog and context in what he does. Every boy has a fear that someone will see and make fun of his erection. In this DVD, there's a small scene with this, but the mother is always reassuring the boy that it's okay, and it's normal to bulge for momma in private. This is a beautiful bonding. The whole DVD builds up to more and more eroticism so perfectly. I have experienced this on numerous occasions where my J-mom claps her hands and praises me for achieving tumescence, and saying things like " waaahhh....sugoi....good boy!" Something I achieve very naturally, she praises it. Only a Jukujo would do that, just like Kotaro portrays it in this DVD.

The nature of the "haha -oya" or momma's boy is very common in Japan. Japanese mothers do tend to obsess over their boys and dote endlessly over every facet of their life. When these boys grow into men, they seek out partners who have the very same qualities as their mothers. Oya - baka - chinchinchin is the Japanese label of these doting mothers whom I love and seek after. But unfortunately they are nearing extinction, and rather than talk about it I'll continue to remain positive, and optimistic. Us J-momma's boys guard our J-mothers with our lives against the foul over westernized Japanese woman who forgot the meaning of 'looking after the boys'. Me and my black bus brother understand the need to protect the image of Japanese women from our mixi days and against Hallyu and all the other junk that's poisoning the hearts of Japanese women via channel 8. Scroll near the bottom of the Hallyu post. I rarely ever take my J-momma out to mingle in Tokyo. I'm over protective, as most J-mommas boys are quite naturally. So what if I order a bottle of wine for lunch for me and my J-momma...? Why is it any of your business we have such a good time together. Isn't there any passion in your room?

The whole video is shot with hot sweaty summer scenes where the mother is always over sweating. Of course Yukari always looks good sweaty, like every voluptuous J-mother should. I have experience sniffing and petting the sweaty, if the word is used as a noun instead of an adjective. I love the aroma of womanhood on a Japanese mother more than a rose. Another thing that's alluring is the Angel Apron. In order to understand the meaning of Angel Apron read down the whole PDF in the link above.

Her bubbly nature, smile, and facial bone are gorgeous. The only draw back is the rape scene, but I guess if Kotaro hadn't added this element he would not appeal enough to his Japanese patrons. There is a silent Jukujo boom occurring as we speak, and all of it was started by me almost 8 years ago. The reason why Jukujo is known is because of me. I am the founder of the Jukujo keyword in the blogosphere, and the only true authority on the subject in the world.

"Kizuna" to all the Jukujo boys out there. We must protect our ideal Japanese women!

Gosen: Southeastern Niigata

2012-02-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I just don't know where my travels will take me. For me, the soul of Japan will always follow that saké scented trail because I know that down that path is great food and great onsen to be had, and that it will be there waiting for me. The onsen will always be hot and steamy; the saké will always be cold and aromatic for me, along with an exquisite meal, or two, for me. Not every path or every doorway has to look enticing to go through, though. I know the train station didn't, and neither did any of the buildings and houses, save a few shrines and temples. I do not go to the touristy spots. I want to go to that inconvenient places. That spot that's too far to even care about by city folks in Tokyo, especially in the dead of winter.

But I assume that it's in these not so popular areas are where the true gems are hidden.

It's something about that empty tiny little station and the deafening silence haunting it. No train staff, no hustle and bustle. Just two empty cars. Trains run through every hour on the hour and only have two carriages. Sakihana Station.

Snow was too high. Made it impossible for me to come any closer. About waist deep, no kidding! It snows like this well into March in these parts. Southeastern Niigata to be exact. A place that's considered a true cultural treasure by people who know Japan. It could be the Jomon period artifacts, or the amazing peonies that grow when in season that cover this whole mountainous region in spring. It could be the legendary water Niigata is so very famous for, which reflects in its world-class saké that's produced here and sold all over the world. It could be the annual world-class flower festivals which can easily rival any in the Western world. Or those amazing fireworks shows held throughout the summer which are said to be the best in Japan! I believe all of these things, and then some. But I was there for the essentials.

Taxis in this area run about 390 yen for the first 750 meters, and then 660 yen for 1.5 kilometers onward. Not too bad considering what I pay in Tokyo. 790 yen just to get in the taxi.... I walked most of the way to my hotel. I saw this body of water and had to stop over. This is the sight where the summer fireworks shows are held and from what the locals tell me, it's spectacular, and that nothing can rival it in Japan.

Isuisou

The neat thing about choosing this hotel was because of the train tracks and the relative closeness to the nearest station. In a previous post I selected onsen based off of the sommelier rating here. This time around I wanted to focus mainly on a particular kind of scenery. Trains And snow And onsen. Yes. I was able to enjoy sitting in a hot spring surrounded by snow clad trees and white all around while the local train sped by kicking up powdery snow with its headlights lit up. NHK moment for sure. And I wasn't able to snap that photo for a lot of technical reasons. Here's another onsen located near the tracks.

The red bridge was what I had to cross to get to the entrance. Often times, as a courtesy some hotels will write your name on a large placard outside. It was nice seeing this. They were expecting me.

I was greeted warmly and cordially. The gentleman handed me slippers and showed me to the front desk to get checked-in. After everything was settle he showed me to my room, where he sat me down and prepared a hot cup of tea in my room. He spoke to me with such warm conviviality in his somewhat fluent English. I indulged him by continuing the conversation in English. A rarity I might add. I always try to keep the language consistent with what the locals speak. Japanese.

After tea, I got changed into my evening wear; yukata. Sat down by this window and drank down a bottle of Asahi, then changed over to sake. The sake in the pic is called Kirinzan, unpasteurized. It was wonderfully clean and smooth on the palate. And then to the hot spa that I had privately reserved for myself for 30 minutes.

The video clip below is four minutes and it's me talking and entering the spa.

Once I finished bathing I returned to my room, drank more and waited for the knock on my door for dinner; it was being served in my room. Dinner came.

Now this meal may look a little light, but it did do the trick. I was able to stuff myself with this very local Niigata rice. They gave me plenty of it and I was thoroughly satisfied. I love Japanese white rice, especially from this region in Japan. And then the sake was amazing. I have trained myself to never bring junk food to onsen hotels. The food they provide for you is healthy and just enough. Never overdo it. In the morning you'll feel a lot better before and after breakfast. I entered the onsen four more times then I crashed. I put away four small bottles of sake and several beers and was out like a light. Was up bright and early the next day for an early morning bath, breakfast, and a nap. Checked out by 9:30 and back in Yokohama by 3pm the next day.

Mission accomplished.

Willer Express

2012-02-26T09:14:00.001-08:00

So I rode the Willer Express this time around; a highway bus for budget travelers. Starting from as low as 3500 yen to 7000 yen travelers can choose their destination and luxury grade for wherever they want to go. There are many other bus companies, like JR for example which have similar prices.
The reason I went with Willer is because of the convenience. I can go to their English website and order my ticket then pay for it either by credit card or at any convenience store. I ordered using my iPhone. Access Safari then Google Willer Express then type in your information and within minute you'll receive confirmation.

At the convenience store you'll need to ask the clerk to help you print out the invoice from their automated reservations machine. Make sure you show the special code number from your email invoice, or lolli number
Willer Express bus seats are about 86cm from hip to foot, so basically if you're tall no leg rest for you. If you are fat, like over a hundred kg, then no problem as long as you are not sitting next to anyone.... Must routes are not fully booked so you should be able to move around. Most buses have no toilets so you have to keep that in mind. There're two stops along every route.

Also, when you're riding nightly routes the bus driver wakes you up at every stop. Afternoon routes, no.
The ride is comfortable. My luxury grade was theater seating which means my seat was fully equipped with an entertainment deck. I watched movies and played video games.
Unlike bullet trains, you don't have people pushing food carts around. And you may not have a tray table.
I didn't have one. I had a road station bento for this trip called Masu no Sushi, a salmon fish cake!

Basically, if you are looking for a very cheap and convenient way to travel in Japan then I highly recommend Willer.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Gosen,Japan

Sake no Jin 2012 / にいがた酒の陣2012

2012-02-23T10:40:00.001-08:00

Grab Your Cup

The significance of this years Sake no Jin will go down in the books as a momentous occasion for Japanese sake, and the many brewers who have painstakingly held things together post 3-11. As some of you may already know, Sake no Jin was cancelled last year due to the earthquake and tsunami disaster. Many breweries were destroyed and many more were left severely damaged. As a result, whole operations were impacted leaving sake and bottling production lines inoperable for months. Since then, volunteer groups and other sake enthusiast from all around Japan have band together to help get things back on track and have assisted several breweries through-out Tohoku to rebuild and restart sake production again, which has been an ongoing labor of love.

Just to give you a little more perspective on the magnitude of this fair. It is the greatest sake event on earth, for two days only! It is the coming together of all the breweries in one building in Niigata city to showcase the very best sake Niigata has to offer. If you skip any other sake fair or event this year, then it's "ok," just don't miss this one. Guest will be flying in from all over the world to partake in this elixir of the ancient gods. Be there, or....Well....Just be there.

("Sake no Jin is an annual sake fair, attended by about one hundred sake producers from across Niigata, a prefecture known for its exceptionally high quality soba, rice,and rice beer ").

If all goes well this year , 2012, Sake no jin will be held on March 17 and 18 at the Toki Messe convention center in Niigata City, about a two hour shinkansen ride from Tokyo. Everybody over the age of twenty is welcome to attend and enjoy a large variety of Niigata sake. Admissions is free, but if you need to do tasting you have to pay 2000 yen in exchange for a sake cup to be used for sampling from hundreds of types of sake.

Here's what to look for and what I look forward to doing and tasting:

A couple of big names to remember would be Asahi Shuzo and Midori Gawa Shuzo!

1) Tokugetsu and Asahi Yama300 and Kubota

2) Hakyuro

3) Kagatora

4) Tsuru no Tomo

5) Hakkaisan

6) Echigo Tsurukame

7)Manotsuru

8) Kirinzan

9) Midori-Gawa

10) I look forward to eating delicious Hegi Soba and Tempura.

11) And lastly Harashuzo = Great umami type sakes.

I highly recommend sampling all of these offerings as most of these are pretty old and well established sake breweries and sake. Try all of the new stuff too. It's good to book accommodations early, or if you'll be coming from Tokyo you can have dinner and then head back to Tokyo after the fair.

Here's a link to the sake fair

For people flying in from overseas I highly recommend trying the hard stuff to get outside of Japan. Yes, there are some stores that offer rare seasonal sake in North America. Keep in mind the Nama-genshu, and Tokubetsu sakes. Focus on the Junmai Nama Genshus and Junmai Nama Chozoshus.

Tickets can be purchased at convenience stores or at the door at Toki Messa.

Have fun and see you there!

Echigo Yuzawa: Deep in Koide

2012-02-19T20:49:00.001-08:00

Last friday I took holiday and went up to Echigo Yuzawa for a day. It's only my umpteenth visit there, but no matter how many times I visit I always discover something new. This time around I visited some old eats and a nice new onsen hotel. Here, is a good preliminary. I also stopped through to pick up a nice sake cup. Of course, you must buy one. The souvenir shop in Echigo Yuzawa Station has an amazing selection of fine sake ware.

Here's more train eye candy:

The thing to remember when visiting Niigata is the soba. Sure, there are other well known local favorites, but if you had to narrow down your range of choices then you must try "hegi-soba." Just like other soba (buckwheat noodles) the noodles are thin and delicate. With hegi they are the same but are made with funori, a type of seaweed. The best way to enjoy eating hegi is to go to a restaurant, not convenience store bought hegisoba. In this picture you can see how it's arranged in a traditional server so that it's easier to pick up and eat. At the bottom is yukiguni maitake tempura, a lightly battered lightly fried edible mushroom. Noodles were excellent.

Fukujyuan

Fukujuan is a mom & pop eatery that's been around for a few decades and is a favorite among locales and travellers alike. I've been there four times. What's also popular to eat at this place is the soba and the tempura. The shrimp tempura and soba are serviced in large portion sizes and are freshly made to order. The service is a bit slow, but the food is good. Sake is good, too. They keep a small selection of locally brewed sake in a small fridge near the kitchen entrance. Probably the only thing I didn't like about this place is at how they served sake; I much prefer to drink sake from a traditional sake cup rather than a glass. Other than that, you can get full easily on delicious food. The prices are reasonable, not cheap. No service available in English, but if you can point at the pictures on the menu you should have no problems.

Always remember, the first order of business when disembarking the train at Echigo Yuzawa Station. That is, you must take a dip in Echigo Yuzawa's Station onsen. The sake-buro ( sake bath). A 100% real onsen with 3 * 1.8 liters of sake dumped into it daily. That first dip before lunch is amazing. The hot onsen sake water soaks right into the skin and revitalizes you. After finishing my bath and gorgeous lunch I headed out for a walk.

Echigo is a simple town. Like every small rural town shops open late and close early.

I was just walking around enjoying the snow. I'm sure the folks in the midwest of the U.S.A. would love to curse at me for being so carefree. Here in Japan, the Japanese have had their fair share of difficulties with the snow too, but for the most part have learned how to live with it, and endure the harsh and sometimes unforgiving winters. Later on in this post, I will show you how snow and love are blended.

After my 20 minutes of exercise I headed back to the station to catch the train to a remote part of Uonuma valley, in a not so popular area called Koide. Here is a post I did over the summer

On that local line the snow was really coming down. It was great. Looking out from the window and seeing miles and miles of snow from my train was amazing for me.

After reaching Koide I jumped on a bus to Oyuonsen. If you do not know the significants of Niigata and Uonuma then just remember, these areas are famous for premium sake and rice.

When I entered the hotel I was immediately greeted with a hot amazake , a low alcohol sweet sake. It is not an authentically brewed sake, though. It was strawberry flavored and very sweet and thick. Afterwards, I was escorted up to my room. Excellent room might I add.

On a side note:

Hannes Sneider introduced recreational skiing to the Japanese in the 1930s, and of course Japan imported it like it does everything else. By the time the 1980s came along a " ski boom" occurred largely because of the economy. Skiing became the most prevalent activity in winter for most Japanese. The reason for adding this side note is because whenever you visit ski towns in Japan, most Japanese are not utilizing the facilities like the onsen as much. It's because they're out skiing all day. Many Japanese will opt out of hotel ski packages completely and just focus exclusively on skiing packages then return home the same day. This leaves me and the old old timers to the hot springs. We are happy about this because I do not see why recreational skiing is a part of the Japanese past time. It has no consistency with Japanese cultural norms and pastimes. Here's why:

snow and love

It's because when you are out there in the snow skiing and falling all over yourselves trying to be Euro-sensational I'm in your onsen(s) looking at you piss away the best Japanese experience ever. And then you gotta wake up the next day with sore muscles and strained necks, or even worse injured, sleepy and tired and less able to work you are.

And then there's the delicious Niigata sake that you pass up because you want to drink beer because it's cheaper. Are you kidding? This was a very light and fragrant rice brew that I pounded in between onsen breaks and was reasonably priced. Makihata is the name. But of course, you have a million excuses why you rarely drink the rice brew, or about how bored you get with onsen and slow times. Or, why it's so expensive and too far to travel two hours outside of Tokyo. Need I question?

Here's a video I did of me entering this gorgeous bath on a cold winter day with snow scenery. I thoroughly enjoyed the full use of the hot spring here. The facilities were excellent. And then dinner.

Iwana, Kinpira, Oroshi, Mouse for dessert, Crab, Shabu Shabu with ponzu, Nimono, Ebi Shinjo, Urui. Didn't mark them on the photos. I didn't have to time to photo edit.

River and bath, indoor hinoki was wonderful, especially with something cold to drink.

Miracle country.

Rant for the Nation

2012-02-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

[ Theme music for this post is best enjoyed with stereo headphones : Relax by Liquid Mind Experience: Teach me to Whisper ]

In between travel posts I like to rant a little about the current state of affairs in Japan. We're already half way through February and a lot of things have happened since my last topic. This post will cover a whole entire months worth of bile I wish to release.

First, let's start with the new Jukujo I met. Her name is Shimizu-san. Our meeting occurred on the morning of Feb. 10th at 9:30 at the Yokodai Station. It was a brisk morning. Since I had 25 minutes to kill I headed over to the Doutours next to the station for a cup of coffee. I eyeball all the granny candy upon entering the shop first. Making sure to rub my shoes on the rug at the entrance, I remove my hat and gloves. I approach the register and order up a medium blend. As my coffee is being prepared I look over my shoulder and see a fairly decent looking Jukujo in her mid 40s....? I smile. She returns a smile. " I'm in," I say to myself. Collecting my coffee I headed over to where she was sitting and asked if I could have the seat next to her. She obliged. I sat. I took the first nose flaring eye squinting sip. I exhaled. I caught my breath. Rolled my eyes over to her and said " Hi" in a low baritone. She laughed.

My first impressions of her left me wondering if I wanted to invest a lot of energy into trying to get her, since she lacked the momma appeal I so love in the classical Jukujo face. Shimizu was too swank and experienced looking. I've never been into widow types. Her husband passed and so she was desperate and lonely looking, yet she had many friends and there was something about her air that left me feeling suspicious and uneasy feeling. Within 15 minutes we exchanged numbers and e-mail addresses. Another thing was the way she chewed her gum. Gum and coffee don't mix, plus the chewing and talking didn't jive well with me. Too cheap looking. She told me she was a diabetic and that she had to see the doctor that day for a follow up. Here, here, and here, are posts I have written up describing what a Japanese Jukujo is supposed to be. Shimizu is just an old tired lady, not a Jukujo which in my vernacular is the epitome of Japanese feminine belle. This is the fourth Jukujo I had walked away from. The last one was that idiot Christian at McDonalds. Avoid them like the plague.

("The spiritual core of every Jukujo is reverence for the ancient gods of Shinto and Buddhism. If they are Christians they are trash, period. Japan is not a Christian nation. It is not a white nation, either. I will fight you Christians wherever you hide and skulk around. Leave the Japanese alone. They have their own Gods. ")

Next up we have Harumi, a t.v. personality here in Japan who's famous for making eclectic dishes that are supposed to be healthy. She's been at it for years and every time I watch her on the telly my skin crawls. She's flat as a pancake and dangerously anorexic looking. No sex appeal. The camera in HD picks up everything, even her veins in her spindly little fingers and hands. Not appealing at all. She makes it a point to speak English on her shows, only. Why? I do not know. Maybe she has too much pride, or she wishes to appear sophisticated. In reality she comes off sort of bitchy, moody, and pushy. Not charming, and definitely not sophisticated. What's funny is back in 2008 when my books were selling at Yurindo the store had stocked them next to Harumi's books....hahaha... I would not be trying to promote her as the de facto Betty Crocker of Japanese cuisine. No way! Too skinny, too unattractive, and not enough bust. Bring a real Japanese woman on the show there with some style and some panache who's lovely to look at, not a starving for attention little eyesore of an old woman.

Recently, doctors in Kyoto have discovered a fat burning protein that can reduce obesity. I can see the government forcing food companies to modify their products with this new protein in a few years. Government intervention should have boundaries. I do not need the government telling me what I can or cannot eat, or even worse forcing food companies to add unatural and modified proteins to my diet. Eating what I want is a basic human freedom. At least we can all agree on that, right? Japanese women must bulk up!

Lastly, Fukushima, here, here, is still receiving a lot of negative press. I have mentioned again and again that Fukushima and Chernobyl should not be compared. There are no radiation related deaths since March 11, 2011. Nobody has died because of radiation. The same cannot be said for victims of Chernobyl where many died within the first year. With just that fact alone this comparison between the two incidences is mute. The Japanese are working the problem and are steps away from a cold shut down. Exports will begin to pick up little by little and the people of Tohoku will recover from this.

The single biggest threat facing Tohoku is Billy Graham and his Christian crusade in the mask of charity outreach. He will do more harm and more damage by bringing his mission to Sendai. Give the charity but keep your religion out of Japan! The Japanese do not need it. They have their own spiritual institutions. Earthquakes and tsunamis are natural occurrences all over the world, not divine retribution visited upon a helpless people. The Western god did not cause this earthquake to happen, you fuckwit! All Japan needs to do is do things the Japanese way. If you want to donate then donate money, money, money. Leave your white gods and santa clauses in the closet and stop trying to deceive the good people of Tohoku with your smile, curly hair, and white skin.

On a final note:

China's vice President Xi Jiping has recently wrapped up a US visit with heads of state, business, and President Obama. I think the visit went well, but one thing that caught my attention is when he made a comment regarding foreigners. Something along the lines of " when foreigner have adequate food and shelter they wish to criticize the government!" This is so true, even here in Japan. All of the well paid and comfortable white foreigners complain endlessly about their right to entitlements and benefits. And it's these same people who get noticed and published in major newspapers. All they do is spread their dissatisfaction and hatred, and indifference. But when somebody sticks up for the country and speaks against the foreign majority his voice rarely gets heard. What the hell has happened to the media?

Hot, Icy and Crisp

2012-02-15T21:01:00.000-08:00

The third hotel I stayed was at the Hachimantai Heights. Normally when you check-in to a place the receptionist hands you a pen and a form to fill-in, which basically asks for your name and address. When I walked up to the front desk this time around, first thing they handed me was a hot fragrant face towel. I was impressed. After wiping my face and hands I filled out the form and was escorted to my gorgeous room.

After settling down I sat down with a hot tea by the window and took in the snowy views.

Let me digress a little. Japanese girls hate it when their boyfriends wipe their faces with hot face towels. They think it's so oyaji(ish). Another mind numbingly stupid hang up of young Japanese women. Oyaji is a derogative term for old Japanese men. Personally, I think it feels great when I wipe my face and hands with a hot face towel, especially after being outside all day in the icy cold winter air. It's refreshing. Another note, this was one of the best experiences I ever had at an onsen. I sang and drank on the house all night. I got completely hammered from all of the nihonshu and hospitality given to me. It was amazing. I met people who were from all over Ninohe and Hanamaki; we all sang together in the snack bar in the hotel. I especially enjoyed my servers and the Jukujo housekeepers.

After check-in I headed out to the open air bath and the first thing that caught my eye was this bonsai looking tree from the bath. The ropes around it are used to support the branches in the winter so that they do not loose their form.

The single pot bath is always nice, too. Especially in the early afternoon. The single pot bath allows you to hang both of your legs, head, and arms over the edges while you submerse the rest of your body. Yes. I can fit into one of these.

It's always nice and hot, even when there's ice on the ground and snow all around. And then there's the steam to comfort you; warming you.

The mineral content of this water was rich and heavy. I could pick up the sulfur and the iron, and it was good. Good(er) than good, it was the best. The temps outside were around minus 15C, the water was around 42C. Heaven.

The vast mountain range of Hachimantai never fails to impress, and to this day I don't know what it is. Maybe there are ancient souls that roam freely and boundlessly in and through people, or through trees and through the water. At some point these spiritual bodies intersect and converge and splitting like atoms and creating something beautiful. This is Hachimantai.