A long time ago, in a certain place, lived
an old man and an old woman. The old man went to the mountains to collect
sticks for firewood, while the old woman went to do the washing in the river.
While the old woman was doing the washing in the river, a huge peach
came tumbling, tumbling, tumbling along in the water. “Oh, this is a nice
present to take home!” said the old woman, and picked up the enormous peach and
carried it home.
When the old man and the old woman cut open the peach, wanting to eat
it, amazingly, a healthy baby boy jumped out from inside the peach!
“This must surely be a gift from God!” The old man and the old
woman, who didn’t have any children, were thrilled. They named the boy born
from the peach “Momotaro” (meaning “Peach Boy”). Momotaro steadily grew up to
become a strong boy.
Then one day he said, “I am going to go to Onigashima (Monster Island) to
wipe out the bad monsters.” The old woman made some millet dumplings for him,
and then off he went to Monster Island.
Along the way he met a dog. “Momotaro, where are you going?”
“I’m going to Monster Island, to punish the monsters.”
“Well, in that case, please give me one of those millet dumplings
around your waist. Then I’ll go with you.” The dog took one of Momotaro’s
millet dumplings, and joined him on his travels. Then Momotaro met a monkey. “Momotaro,
where are you going?” “I’m going to Monster Island, to
punish the monsters.” “Well, in that case, please give me one of those millet
dumplings around your waist. Then I’ll go with you.”
After a while Momotaro met a pheasant. “Momotaro, where are you
going?” “I’m going to Monster Island, to punish the monsters.” “Well, in that case, please give me one
of those millet dumplings around your waist. Then I’ll go with you.”
In this way, Momotaro gained the dog, the monkey, and the pheasant
as companions, and they all soon arrived at Monster Island. On Monster Island, the
monsters were in the midst of a big drunken party, gloating over all the
treasures they’d stolen from villages nearby.
“Let’s get started. Don’t let them get away! Don’t give up! Keep
after them!”
The dog bit the monsters’ bottoms, the monkey got on the monsters’
backs, and the pheasant pecked at the monsters’ eyes. All the while, Momotaro
fought valiantly, wildly brandishing his sword.
Eventually the chief of the monsters said, “We give up, we give up!
You’ve won! Help!” Putting both his hands together in conciliation, he
apologized. Momotaro, the dog, the monkey, and the pheasant loaded all the
stolen treasures they’d taken from the monsters on to a cart and returned home,
in high spirits.
The old man and the old woman were truly delighted to see Momotaro
back again, safe and sound. The three lived happily ever after.
If Japan’s stolen
whale meat scandal in
2008 or
the Cove documentary in 2010 on
the bloody annual killing of dolphins in Wakayama Prefecture gave you pause to contemplate
whaling issues, you would know there are many divergent views on this complex
and controversial topic, within, not only between nations, and how important it
is to recognize such divergence – to be found among the Japanese people as
well.
Edo Period Whale Hunting in Japan
Japan has been involved in some form of whaling
for several hundred years, and before the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC)
moratorium to stop commercial whaling came into effect in 1986 (ratified by and binding on Japan) to
enable whale stocks to recover from depletion in the 20th century, Japan was heavily
engaged in commercial whaling. From
1986, Japan, supported by all major political parties, has continued to hunt
whales based on its own catch quotas for research purposes under Article VIII
of the International Convention
for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), giving rise to
conflict and argument between pro-
and anti-whaling
nations, individuals and environmental, animal-rights and other groups.
In
1946 the ICRW, that led to the creation of the IWC, was
signed aiming to “provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus
make possible the commercial whaling and the orderly development of the whaling
industry.”
Because the 1986 moratorium applies only to commercial
whaling, whaling under the scientific-research and aboriginal-subsistence provisions
of the ICRW is permitted.
Research Whaling
American biologist, J. Smith, longtime
resident of Japan
with close ties to the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, explains, “Japan carries out
its whaling in the northwest Pacific Ocean and the Antarctica Ocean hunting
primarily the common minke whale and Antarctic minke whale. Though without full
consensus, recent surveys estimate a population of 103,000 in the northeast Atlantic, but for
Antarctic minke whales, in January 2010, the IWC stated it is unable to provide
reliable estimates at present.”
Japan’s research
whaling program, conducted by the privately owned and Japan-government funded Institute
of Cetacean Research (ICR) is the subject of intense debate. ICR states the four
objectives of the research as 1. Estimation of
biological parameters to improve the stock management of the Southern
Hemisphere minke whale; 2. Examination of the role of whales in the Antarctic
marine ecosystem; 3. Examination of the effect of environmental changes on
cetaceans; and 4. Examination of the stock structure of the Southern Hemisphere
minke whales to improve stock management.
Konomu Kubo, Secretary of the Japan Whaling
Association (JWA) said, “The role of JWA is promoting the principle of
sustainable use of abundant whale resources and supporting research whaling
conducted by the ICR through public relations.
We do support the protection of endangered whale species such as blue
whales. We are asking for the use of abundant whale species such as minke
whales and sei whales.”
Several
groups perhaps most famously Greenpeace and the Sea Shepherd Conservation
Society contest Japan’s claim of conducting research and say Japanese whaling is
a disguise for actually being commercial whaling, and thus a violation or abuse
of the 1986 moratorium which Japan agreed to be bound by.
Genevieve
Quirk, Greenpeace Whales Campaigner explains, “As
an independent organization financially independent from political or
commercial interests, our goal is to ensure the ability of the earth to nurture
life in all its diversity and we take great care in developing our campaign
strategies and policies to reflect our fundamental respect for democratic
principles and to seek solutions that will promote global social equity.
Greenpeace is opposed to all commercial whaling in all of
the world’s oceans – this has been true for decades and is true today.
This includes Japan’s fraudulent “scientific”
whaling carried out in the Southern Ocean, the Pacific and in Japan’s coastal waters. We
are completely opposed to all commercial whaling wherever it is carried out and under
whatever name.
The Southern Ocean
– where Japan’s whaling
takes place – was made into a whale sanctuary in 1994, with only Japan
voting against it. Since then, Japan’s “researchers” have
been gathering data to facilitate increased commercial quotas in an area that
has been deemed off limits to commercial whaling.”
Kobu responded, “Article VIII of the ICRW
clearly states the right of research whaling by member nations,” that is “… any
Contracting Government may grant to any of its nationals a special permit
authorizing that national to kill, take and treat whales for purposes of
scientific research.”
54-year
old IT programs manager Kazunori Inohe notes, “The fact of the sale of whale
meat in Japanese shops and restaurants shows there is no truth to the ‘research’
activities and that the killing of whales is obviously for commercial profit.” But for
Kobu, “the costs and expenses of the research
program are covered by the proceeds from the sale of whale meat and this
process is also legal under Article VIII.”
Though
the ICR asserts almost half of the IWC members support the sustainable use of
whale resources, Greenpeace’s opposition to Japan’s
whaling program is largely based on its stance that whales are endangered and
so must be protected. For Quirk, “Expectations for the recovery of
whale populations have been based on the assumption that, except for commercial
whaling, their place in the oceans is as secure as it was a hundred years ago. Sadly, this assumption is no longer valid. This is why we believe that commercial whaling
in all forms must be stopped.”
How Many Whales Are Killed?
Arguing
that the targeted whale species are too healthy to be harmed, Kubo said, “Under the special permit by the
Japanese Government, the recent sampling quotas set by the ICR are 850 minke
whales and 50 fin whales at maximum in the Antarctic and 220 minke whales, 100
sei whales, 50 Blyde’s whales and 10 sperm
whales in the northwest Pacific Ocean.”
The
IWC Scientific Committee has collected up-to-date data on catch limits and
catches taken since 1985. Numbers have
ranged from less than 200 in 1985 to close to 1,000 in 2007.
Should Lethal Research Methods Be Used?
J.
Smith notes, “The need for lethality of Japan’s research
whaling is hotly contested and the credibility of the science is
questioned. The US, UK and Australia among
others say it is unnecessary to kill whales to study them, though ICR asserts
that some indispensable data has to be collected by lethal means – such as that
relating to ovaries, ear plugs and stomach contents essential for population
and ecosystem modeling.”
Greenpeace weighs in,
“Japan’s research
has been continually dismissed by the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC)
scientific committee as “unnecessary”, and was condemned in a resolution passed
at the 2007 meeting, when a majority of countries voted for Japan to
suspend indefinitely the lethal aspects of its research program.
In an article in
the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper in
October 2005, Professor Toshio Kasuya of Teikyo University of Science says, “The Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR)
argues that lethal research is the only appropriate method to collect the
needed data. But examination of biopsy samples reveals the amount of blubber or
reproductive rate, and analysis of faces provides information on what whales
are eating.
“In reality, of course, the ‘scientific
whaling’ program is a way of keeping a foot in the door for Japan, while
pushing for a return to commercial whaling at the IWC and actively marketing
the ‘byproduct’ of its research – the whale meat at home in Japan. By keeping its whaling fleet functioning, it
hopes that, sometime in the future, commercial whaling will resume.
Greenpeace pledges to ensure this doesn’t occur.”
Quirk says Greenpeace believes whales do not
need to be killed in order to be studied, “Whale
scientists all over the world study whales without killing or injuring them. Meanwhile, the JARPA (Japanese) ‘researchers’ insist on
using lethal methods not because they are necessary but because they supply
whale meat to the markets in Japan and offer an opportunity to train new crew,
thus keeping the whaling industry alive.
“Non-lethal methods have huge advantages over
lethal ones because they permit repeated observations of the same
individual. Lethal methods, by their
nature, offer only a snapshot. Once a whale is ‘observed,’ it cannot
be observed again later. This makes
lethal methods particularly unsuitable for the studies of whale behavior, such
as migration, which is of great interest to scientists.”
J. Smith adds, “The Japanese, like the Inuits in Greenland,
Norwegians, and New England Americans (among others) have a long,
cherished tradition of whaling to supply their vital needs. Other whaling countries include Norway, Russia, the Faroe Islands, Iceland,
2 small whaling communities in Indonesia, and natives of Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines. Traditionally, whale meat was a
staple, and whale blubber and oil, a vital heating source. After WWII, whale
oil was also used as an important additive to fortify milk with Vitamin D. When I came
to Japan in 1970, kujiradon (grilled whale meat on a bed of rice) was
still a staple of students as it was very cheap (about 150 yen per bowl as a
lunch special). Today, the meat from ‘research’
whales finds its way to Tsukiji fish market and mostly a few kujira (whale) restaurants in the Kanto area. Many right-wing Diet members strongly
favor continued whaling, although the average Japanese could not care less.
Surely whale meat is no longer a vital resource, but traditions die hard.”
Present-day’s Whale Hunting in Japan
New
Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia are among those countries staunchly
opposing Japan’s interest in resuming commercial whaling for reasons including
that whaling involves unacceptable cruelty, is not based on genuine needs, and
the necessity to conserve endangered species.
But Toshi Ito, 29-year old Tokyo dentist originally
from Osaka argues, “Although I heard about the admittedly gruesome
sounding method that whales are killed by having a grenade-tipped harpoon into
them with the grenade exploding into the whale’s body and that if the whale is
not instantly killed a second harpoon may be used or the whale may be shot with
a rifle until dead, people should remember that the killing of foxes and other
domestic animals often takes longer, as can the killing of animals on safari,
and that some animals like ducks are killed for sport – so how can these acts
be said to be more humane?”
Is Whale Meat Safe to Eat?
Quirk warns, “If you’re thinking of eating
whale, you might want to think again – the blubber of dead whales in some areas
is so highly contaminated with organochlorines such as PCBs and pesticides that
it would be classified as toxic waste!
“Dr. Yosuke Seki, bariatric (weight-loss) surgeon at Yotsuya Medical Cube, Tokyo, adds, “Some point out that whale meat may contain high concentrations of toxic substances such as mercury, PCB etc., because whales are at the top of the food chain in the sea, but as to the separate matter of its nutritional status, whale meat is very high in protein and very low in saturated fat.
“The whaling issue is very
controversial and covers various aspects such as nutrition, environment, food,
culture, money, politics, perhaps even religion, among others and these
multiple factors make the related issues very difficult to solve.
“Different people
in different parts of the world have different opinions. To me, it seems almost impossible to make
any judgment on this. Maybe I can say
that the current impact of whale meat on the general Japanese nutritional
status would be practically naught because we very rarely eat it nowadays — though around 30 years ago, it was
still eaten in homes and as a school lunch.
“It would be very difficult to
draw any conclusion on this issue at the moment and if we really want
to do that, I think we definitely need more objective, neutral and scientific
evidence. Otherwise this problem will never be finally sorted out. I know Japan and Australia, which is one of
my very favorite countries, argue about whaling – I’m sincerely hoping and do believe that Japan and Australia will
always remain the very good friends that we are.”
What Is the Fuss About?
Miyuki
Nomura, a 39-year old mother and bank employee doesn’t understand the fuss made
over whaling, “I don’t understand why whaling causes so many disputes in the
world. As Japanese, I feel that Sea
Shepherd and some of the other environmental protection groups are being too
radical about all this.
“In Japan after WWII, Japan
was still economically poor, so a single whale could provide a huge amount of
inexpensive meat, in fact over 50% of the meat eaten in Japan at that
time. Japanese in their late 40s or
older ate whale as “school
lunch.” Need for whale meat decreased as other types
of meat got more popular in the 1970s – when whale meat was taken off school
menus.”
It has made a recent comeback though – Japan has started to serve whale meat in school lunches as part of a government initiative to reduce the amount of some 5,000 tons of stockpiled whale meat. For Ruth Nakamura of Tokyo, “I am not thrilled about whale meat being fed to school children, but focusing on that issue seems to be missing the broader scope of things – that the IWC is just a front for the Japan Whalers Association, not really interested in the science of declining whale populations or any ethical perspectives. So Japan is allowed by the IWC to whale “for research purposes?” How absurd! If there was an international body dedicated to actually monitoring the threatened species and making policy, and if that body said to Japan, OK, you can carry on your centuries-old tradition in this manner, e.g., for this period, taking only this number of this type of animal, then I would have no problem with whaling. But calling it ‘research’ is just a crock of bull!”
Miyuki continued, “I imagine that it would be a great experience to see whales swim beautifully in the oceans, but I do not think whales should be protected unconditionally. There is too much heated politics and emotion factoring into this debate just because Japan and some Western countries have different attitudes toward whaling – this is probably because they have made different uses of whales: Japan as ‘food’ and Western countries as ‘oil’ or ‘fashion’ (women’s corsets).”
Australian mother of 3 and correctional officer, 47-year old Sandhra Sullivan says, “I feel angry when whalers go into prohibited areas near Australia and Antarctica to catch whales. It is also not humane how they kill them. They are wiping out the whale population and why do they still hunt whales when nearly every other country is against this practice to help save the whales?”
Policy analyst Bel Braithwaite in Tasmania echoes
similar sentiment, “I am personally totally against whaling. I find the
whole whaling-fishing abhorrent and support the anti-whaling protests. You would find that a lot of people in
Australia are against whaling. A few weeks ago, a whale and its calf were
seen in the Derwent River and it drew a huge crowd of people to see them. It
was beautiful to watch.”
But many non-Japanese support Japan’s whaling position. Max Cartwright, a London-born 31-year old
systems analyst says, “I feel that it’s
hypocritical to say that eating pork or beef is fine but whale meat is not
fine. How can some people think that
whales are far more intelligent/emotional animals compared to cows or
pigs? Why is there no such vocal
opposition to other people (countries) eating dogs or horses? Why is the supposed intelligence of whales a
determinative factor in the first place?
Is that to say it would be more ‘ethically acceptable’
to kill ‘dumb’ animals? It is possible
that over-protection of whales could cause harm to the food chain, if whale
numbers increase too much and so become detrimental to other marine animals in
terms of their feeding needs.”
Miyuki added, “But probably in 20 years or so, the younger generations in Japan
will be less interested in whale meat – it really isn’t that important these
days as a food source considering what is actually far more popularly eaten in
Japan, such as fish, pork, beef and chicken.”
Yoko Morioka, 40-year old mum of 3 children in Saitama Prefecture together with her
Canadian husband Jack feel that, “Other countries have no right imposing their
different ethical, moral or cultural values on Japanese as long as whales are
used according to international law and science. We must respect each other’s different views,
and Japan should not be forced to change its position. The world is not against Japan, it’s mainly
Western rich countries pumped up by the media and exploited by anti-whaling
fundraising NGOs.” Kubo adds, “I
believe that those groups are collecting a lot of donations by spreading
misinformation.”
Mariko
Sasaki, medical researcher at a medical university in Tokyo, strongly
opposes whaling, “Many Japanese are against whaling, and whaling is a very serious issue for me. My major at university was zoology and so I’ve been always interested in
conservation of wildlife. I’ve talked about this issue often
with Japanese friends and know most ordinary Japanese citizens are against
whaling.
“It’s
more than obvious that objective research shows some whale species are getting to be in danger of extinction. But I’ve
heard that sometimes even scientific research data has been manipulated by some
politicians who received benefits from whaling groups. Japanese whaling
is protected for only those whaling groups and people who gain from whaling.
I strongly disagree with even so-called “research whaling”
because Japan’s research whaling is just a
cover for commercial hunting.”
For Quirk as regards future whale populations, “Whaling
is no longer the only threat to whales. The oceans, or rather, human impacts on
the oceans, have changed dramatically over the half-century since whales have
been protected. Known environmental
threats to whales include global warming, pollution, overfishing, ozone
depletion, noise such as sonar weaponry, and ship strikes. Industrial fishing threatens the food supply
of whales and also puts whales at risk of entanglement in fishing gear.”
J.
Smith added, “IWC has noted that the research results could potentially allow
for an increase in the number of minke whales annually taken, though blue whale
populations have declined sharply thus putting them at risk of extinction. Other whale species, in particular the minke
whale have never been considered endangered.”
At
the June 2010 IWC meeting the 88 member nations decided to postpone a decision
on a 10-year compromise proposal to lift the 1986 moratorium banning commercial
whaling, and to have a one-year cooling
off period before recommencing discussions.
Kubo
would like people to understand that, “Japan is a highly responsible country in
the international society. We do not
mean to overexploit whale resources, but we want to utilize only a part of
abundant whale resources and maintain our whale diet culture into the
future. Different
groups of people have their own food cultures all over the world, and we all
should recognize each other’s — otherwise, wars will
not disappear in the world.”
Long, long ago, there lived an old man and
an old woman. They had no children, but the old man kept a baby sparrow as a
pet, and loved him with all his heart.
One day, the old man went to the mountains to cut grass, as usual,
while the old woman was out doing the washing. The baby sparrow flew into the
empty house, and licked up all of the glue used to stick down the shoji paper doors. When the old woman
came home, she saw that every bit of the glue had been licked up by the
sparrow.
The mean old woman got angry, caught the little sparrow, and forced
his mouth open. Then she cut off his tongue with some scissors. In a sad voice,
the sparrow cried out, “It hurts, it hurts!” and flew away.
In the evening, when the old man came home and heard what had
happened, he was very disappointed.
Worried about where the sparrow might have gone, the next day the
old man immediately went off in search of the lost bird. He traveled over
fields, he traveled over mountains, and finally he came to a place where there
were some big bushes.
When he looked into the bushes, he saw a small red house in the bushes’
shade. The sparrow whose tongue had been cut out opened the door, and came out
to welcome the man. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re all right!” asked the old man. “I’ve
been missing you so much that I just had to come and find you.”
“Well, that’s very kind of you. Thank you. Come on in!” said the
sparrow, and showed the old man into his house.
The sparrow gathered some of his sparrow friends, and they all did a
sparrow dance performance for the old man, to the tune of a funny song.
Eventually
it got dark, and the old man said, “Thanks very much, I’ve had a really
enjoyable day. But I’d best be on my way now.” He stood up to go.
The sparrow said, “I’d like to give you a present, so please wait a
little while.”
The sparrow brought out two packages from inside his house, and
said, “Old man, here is a heavy bamboo trunk, and here is a light one. You can
choose whichever one you prefer.”
“Well, I’m old and I’ve got a long way to go home, so I’ll have the
light one, please.” So saying, the old man put the lightweight trunk on his
back, and made his way home.
When the old woman waiting at home took the
lid off the trunk the old man had brought back, hundreds of gold coins (koban) and treasures appeared. But
suddenly the old woman pouted and said, “You stupid old man! Why didn’t you
choose the heavy trunk to bring back instead of this one? I’m going to go there
now to get the heavy one.”
The old man tried to
stop her, but the old woman just ignored him and left the house straightaway.
Outside it was already pitch dark but, spurred by her avaricious desires, the
old woman thrust her stick blindly ahead and pushed on till she got to the sparrow’s
red house.
There she
immediately demanded the heavy bamboo trunk from the sparrow, got it, and
headed straight back for home. But it was so heavy that she took a rest at the
side of the road. When she opened the lid and looked inside the trunk, all
kinds of squirming and wriggly monsters flew out! The old woman was so
surprised she left the trunk by the roadside and ran home as fast as her legs
would carry her.
A bonenkai
literally is a party to forget the passing year. Sometimes translated as “a
year-end party” in English, they are usually held among co-workers and close
friends in December. They always involve eating, drinking and sometimes singing
and dancing, all done to wind up the year with happy feelings. If you want to
have a bonenkai with your Japanese co-workers or boss, you may ask, “Bonenkai
wa itsudesuka?” It means, “When are we going to have a bonenkai?” But don’t ask
them in early November – it’s too early and they might think that you are always
only thinking about a party!
The
Nakasendo was one of the five routes of the Edo period, and one of the
two that connected Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Kyoto. Kisoji is a mountainous
region along the route in Nagano Prefecture. Travelling in the
Kisoji region is a trip back in time to sleepy post towns of the last century.
Tsumago and Magome are wonderful places for a short escape from modern life.
Without the power lines and concrete buildings that spoil so many historical
sites in Japan, Kisoji is a world of old Japanese inns, delightful mountain
views, bamboo forests, rambling brooks turning water wheels, looms and
lanterns, and beautiful handicrafts.
If
you would like to do some hiking, see some incredible architecture, stay in a
very traditional Japanese inn, and see what an old post town was like, a trip
to Kisoji will be one of your most memorable Japanese holidays.
TSUMAGO VILLAGE
Tsumago
was a post town on the Nakasendo route between Kyoto and Edo. It is known today as
one of the best preserved post towns in Japan. The town and its
residents go to great lengths to recreate the ambiance of the Edo Period. Cars
are prohibited on the main street in the day and phone lines and power cables
are kept concealed, allowing visitors to imagine they have slipped back to an
earlier time.
What is WAKIHONJIN?
In
contrast to the honjin (the Japanese
word for an inn for government officials), the antiquity of the wakihonjin (smaller honjin) is entirely
genuine; the building dates back to the 19th century. It now serves as a
museum, and tours are held in Japanese.
MAGOME VILLAGE
The
town has been beautifully restored with a broad stone walkway lined with carefully
tended foliage. Magome’s embellished preservation contrasts with the rugged
authenticity of neighboring Tsumago. The two towns are connected by the Magome-Tsumago
Trail, a route which was part of the Nakasendo.
Yokan the Icon of Japanese-Style Confection Was Mutton Soup
Yokan (sweet bean jelly) well known as a Japanese-style
confection that goes well with green tea was brought to Japan from China. At that time, however, yokan was not a
confection. It was surprisingly said to
be a soup.
According to Hiroyuki Yamagata, the author of “Tabemono
Kanari Ii Hanashi (Pretty Good Stories about Food)” (published by Daiwa Shobo),
yokan, as indicated by the characters yo
(sheep) and kan or atsumono (broth), was originally a soup with
a jellylike topping made from mutton.
When this was brought to Japan, the Japanese who did
not have the custom at that time of eating meat used ingredients of vegetable origin,
such as wheat flour, arrowroot starch, rice cake flour, adzuki bean starch and yam starch, instead of mutton to make the topping
of the soup. It is said that this soup
spread among the people of the upper class as one of their soup dishes.
There are many explanations regarding the arrival of
yokan in Japan, but none of them is certain.
According to one explanation, yokan had already arrived in Japan in the Heian period (794 to 1185).
The first mention of yokan in Japan appeared in “Teikin Orai” and “Hochokikigaki” written around the time from
the Kamakura Period (1185 to 1333) to the Muromachi Period (1392 to 1573). However, these books describe yokan as a
soup.
“Hochokikigaki”
states that there are 48 ways of preparing the soup
listing such names as yokan, chokan (wild boar soup)
and ebikan (shrimp soup). It appears that the names
were given depending on the shape of the topping, for example, yokan for the soup
with a sheep-shaped topping or chokan for the soup with a wild boar-shaped topping.
The
change from yokan from a soup to a confection is closely connected to the later
development of the tea ceremony. When this
yokan became to be used as refreshment in the tea ceremony, the jellylike topping made without using mutton attracted attention. This
topping was then separated from the soup and steamed with sweetening added. Steamed yokan was thus born.
From
around the end of the Kamakura Period, people
became familiar with the steamed yokan. According to Yamagata, the kneaded yokan that we know of today went
on sale as Fushimi Yokan in 1589
in Kyoto. As for Edo, the kneaded yokan made its appearance during the Kansei
era (1789 to 1801).
The
story goes that a person named Zentaro in Edo sold a kneaded
yokan that became popular and quickly spread.
From this time, the yokan became to
point to the kneaded yokan.
Although many travelers picture Japan as primarily
a spring and autumn travel destination, winter in Japan is
incredible as well. In particular, winter in Japan
offers a wide array of winter activities for both sports and nature lovers.
With ski resorts in almost every prefecture, you are never more than a few
hours away from the slopes. Enjoy this premier winter sports destination, which
will surely satisfy even the most avid of skiers and snowboarders.
For travelers hoping for a small taste of
winter sports during your trip, you are in luck. Within 90 minutes of Tokyo, you can
experience some of Japan’s most famous ski resorts such as Hakuba, GALA, or Naeba. The
hotels around these resorts are also famous for their hot springs,
allowing you a chance to relax amidst Japan’s
world-famous hospitality if you have a night to spare.
For those thinking about a trip centered
more around winter sports or even just winter in general, we highly recommend
traveling to Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.
Hokkaido offers a wide array of ski resorts from the Rusutsu Resort, offering
more of the traditional Japanese ski affair spread over a span of 3 different
mountains, to Niseko, which receives its snow more from Siberian currents
allowing you to enjoy the snowfall of two different currents. In addition, if
you visit during Hokkaido during the beginning of February, you can view Sapporo’s
world-famous snow festival, renowned for its elaborate snow statutes and ice
sculptures unlike that of anything you have ever seen.
Most ski resorts in Japan
offer English signs and services for international visitors, making the areas
friendly to non-Japanese. However, as a basic rule, it is easier and cheaper to
buy a ski packages as they offer rentals, train tickets, and even accommodations
in a bundled package for bargain prices.
Below we have created a list of some of Japan’s
most famous ski resorts for your reading pleasure:
Hakuba
Situated in the northern Japan Alps, Hakuba Valley in Nagano Prefecture offers
premier skiing in close enough proximity of Tokyo for a day
trip. This former event venue of the 1998 Winter Olympics offers diverse
terrain with over 200 different runs – enough to make even the most seasoned of
skiers drool.
GALA
Located at just a one-hour Shinkansen
(bullet train) ride from Tokyo, GALA Yuzawa in Niigata Prefecture is convenience at its peak for visitors with limited time in Japan.
Offering a variety of different runs, this ski resort caters to skiers of all
levels particularly focusing on those for beginning to intermediate skiers.
Naeba
Known as the St. Mortiz of the East, one of
Japan’s largest ski resorts in Niigata Prefecture offers
a diverse array of runs with large quantities of snow. Although Naeba may be
best appreciated by intermediate skiers, the resort offers a bit of something
for those of all levels. The ski resort is also home to a large number of ski
lifts and the world’s longest ski gondola.
Niseko
Positioned next to Mt. Yotei, which
is known by locals as the “Mt. Fuji of Hokkaido,” Niseko encompasses massive amounts of powder snow in its ski
resorts. Voted the 2nd snowiest ski resort in the world with its
average annual snowfall of 596 inches a year, Niseko’s snowy runs will please
even the most passionate of skiers.
Rusutsu
Hokkaido’s largest
ski resort, Rusutsu, offers substantial runs covering 3 mountains just a mere
90-minute bus ride from Sapporo International Airport. The resort also provides family friendly snow activities for its
guests including dog sledding, tubing, and snowmobiling.
A long, long time ago, on a winter’s day, a
crab was walking to the seashore carrying a rice ball, one of his favorite
foods, when he met a monkey who was known throughout the village for his nasty
ways. Eyeing the tasty-looking rice ball, the monkey said, “Hey, you’d better swap
this persimmon seed for that rice ball!” and held out a dirty persimmon seed
that he’d picked up on the road.
At first the crab didn’t want to do as he’d
been ordered, but the monkey told him that “If you plant the seed, it will grow
into a tree, and then you’ll have lots of sweet persimmons!” So the crab
swapped his rice ball for the persimmon seed.
The crab went straight home and planted the
seed in his garden. After only two or three days, a young tree appeared. Then
the crab started to pray for the rapid growth of the tree, singing, “Dear
persimmon tree with fruit that grows quickly, if you don’t produce some fruit
soon, I’ll chop you down with some scissors!” Perhaps as a result of this
threat, in no time at all a large number of persimmons burst into fruit on the
tree.
Then the crab tried to climb the tree to
get the persimmons. But, since crabs can only crawl sideways, he couldn’t manage
to climb the tree. Just then, the monkey, who’d been observing this scene, came
along looking very pleased with himself. Saying, “I’ll pick them for you,” the
monkey scooted up the tree in a flash. However, all the monkey did was to eat all
the persimmons he could himself, and he didn’t give even one to the crab. The crab
said, “Give me one too!” but the monkey just threw a green, unripe persimmon
down at him, saying, “OK, then, how about this one?” The persimmon landed right
on the poor crab, killing him instantly.
The dead crab’s children were overcome with
sadness about losing their father, and told the chestnut, the mortar, the bee,
and the cowpat exactly what had happened. They all agreed that something must
be done to wreak revenge on the monkey, on the crab’s behalf. So the chestnut,
the mortar, the bee and the cowpat all went to the monkey’s house and sneaked
inside.
The chestnut hid inside the fireplace, the
bee hid inside the water barrel, the cowpat hid in the dirt floor, and the mortar
hid inside the roof.
When the monkey came home, he started to
warm himself by the fire. But the chestnut jumped out of the ashes and landed
on the monkey’s body. The monkey got burned and hurried to the water barrel to
cool off his burning skin. But the bee flew out of the barrel and stung him.
When the surprised monkey rushed outside, he slipped on the cowpat hidden on
the dirt floor. And then the mortar that had been hiding in the roof dropped
out on to the monkey, who was crushed to death.
So revenge on the monkey had indeed been
thoroughly carried out.
Inuyama is a city located near Nagoya in
Aichi Prefecture. There are a number of famous attractions in the city, based
on rich nature, history, and culture. Designated as a Japanese national
treasure – Inuyama Castle, the tranquility of a tea garden, and traditional Cormorant Night
Fishing are famous even outside of Japan. The
history of the town goes back to the ancient Tumulus period. You can feel the long
history once you are in the town and time goes by so slowly.
《National
Treasure Inuyama Castle》
Lying on the southern riverbank of the Kiso
river, Inuyama Castle and its donjon were completed in 1537, by Oda Nobuyasu who was an
uncle of Oda Nobunaga, the great warlord. It is said to have the oldest
remaining donjon in Japan earning it national treasure status. It is a
four-story structure with two underground levels. Built on a 40m rise
overlooking the river, the top floor is an excellent observatory with a
wonderful view.
《Koheji》
The trend to wear the casual kimono
called yukata in summer has been
revived, and increasingly young people go to festivals wearing yukata. A yukata
is an informal unlined summer kimono usually made of cotton, linen, or hemp.
Yukata are most often worn to outdoor festivals, by men and women of all ages.
Kohiji is a training school to learn how to wear kimono. Participants can wear
yukata or kimono with professional guidance.
《National Treasure Tea House “Jo-an”》
Another
famous attraction is the Uraku-en tea garden used for tea ceremonies. This
garden contains the Joan tea house, built by Oda Uraku, younger brother of Oda
Nobunaga. He was a student of the famous tea master Sen no Rikyu. While the
Joan tea house was originally built in Kyoto, it was moved to its current
location in 1972 though already registered as a national treasure in 1951, one
of only three tea houses of its kind. The building is considered one of the
finest examples of tea house architecture.
《Cormorant Fishing in the Kiso river》
Cormorant fishing is a traditional fishing
method in which fishermen use trained cormorants to fish in rivers. Cormorant
fishing in the Kiso river has a long tradition. Actually Nagara river is the
most famous for this method of fishing which has continued uninterrupted for
the past 1,300 years. With the evening sky and the imposing sight of Inuyama
Castle as a backdrop, boats glide down the Kiso river, their fishing lanterns
reflecting in the river’s dark surface. Each fisherman handles a few cormorants,
controlling them with strings. Dressed in a traditional straw raincoat, he
conjures up an image from a classical Japanese picture scroll.
Japan Michelin Tires has announced a selection of “Michelin Guide Tokyo 2020” to showcase selected restaurants and accommodations in Tokyo.
“Michelin Guide Tokyo” which was published in 2007 as the first Michelin Guide in Asia, has been renewed every year, and “2020” lists 464 restaurants and 34 accommodation facilities. 11 restaurants received three-star ratings, including three for 13 consecutive years. A total of 57 new restaurants, and accommodations were also listed. With 226 starred restaurants listed, Tokyo will again be the world’s most starred city this year.
But why is that? Why has the Michelin Guide given Tokyo the highest number of stars in the world?
It is not easy to explain the reasons why Tokyo is the world’s
number one gourmet city. Japanese people’s
skillfulness and sensitivity to food are indeed possible factors. At the root, however, I believe there is the spiritual
culture of Japanese cuisine.
Since ancient times, Japanese people have
recognized taking a meal and even cooking food as Shinto rituals. At each meal, they have joined their hands
and given thanks to the blessings of nature.
I think the Japanese people’s pursuit of gastronomy has been backed up
by the power of Japanese civilization.
The Michelin Guide offers much praise to Japanese
cuisine. On the other hand, the spiritual
culture of Japanese cuisine is following a course of decline. When the Japanese people can restore the
once-flourishing spiritual culture of Japanese cuisine, Japan will surely become a real rich gastronomic
country.
Tokyo Is the World’s No. 1 Gourmet City
When the 2008 edition of the Michelin Guide
to Tokyo (2007) was released, it became a big topic. At the same time, there was also some cool air
in Japan. The New York Times reported
this as “Michelin Gives Stars, but Tokyo Turns Up Nose.”
However, this Michelin Guide to Tokyo sold
well. It sold 90,000 copies on the first
day, which was the first in the history of the Michelin Guide series. However, it was Europe that was hit the hardest
by the release. It was because 150 restaurants in Tokyo were awarded stars
by the Guide. This number was more than
double the number of restaurants (64) that were awarded stars by the 2008
Michelin Guide to Paris. In addition, Tokyo overwhelmed
other cities in terms of the total number of stars.
The Michelin Guide’s principle is to use
the same rating standards at every location.
This means that, in the Michelin’s concept of values, Tokyo has established
itself as the world’s number one gourmet city by leaving second-placed Paris far
behind. It appears Tokyo will not
yield its position to any other city for quite a while.
In the 2010 edition of the Michelin Guide
to Tokyo (2009), 11 restaurants have been awarded the highest rating of
three stars. Meanwhile, the 2010
Michelin Guide to Paris has given three stars to 10 restaurants in Paris. Tokyo has thus surpassed Paris for the number of restaurants with three stars for the first time. As a result, Tokyo now has the most
restaurants with three stars in the world in addition to the most Michelin
stars in total.
When Jean-Luc Naret, the 6th
director general of the Michelin Guide, was interviewed by Korean newspaper
JoongAng Ilbo, he talked about why Tokyo has been evaluated
highly as described below. His accurate
consideration on Japanese restaurants is worthy of attention. In addition, it appears that he had no
intention to gain Japanese people’s favor because he said this in an interview
conducted by a Korean media.
“Japanese cuisine is excellent in
quality. Also, the quality of the chefs in
Tokyo is higher than that in any other city. In particular, the chefs’ specific techniques
have been passed down well from generation to generation. It is difficult to track the techniques and
traditions that have come down through several generations or several hundred
years. What I’ve valued especially highly
is their expertise. (snip) Most of the restaurants I visited were those that
have become specialized in a specific cuisine, such as sushi bars, sashimi
restaurants, yakitori shops and udon restaurants. I was very impressed. Based on this special characteristic, quite a
few restaurants in Japan have acquired unrivaled expertise.”
The Michelin Guide started as a guidebook
for drivers, which was published by the tire maker Michelin & Cie in
1900. The star system was then introduced
to award stars to restaurants of high quality.
With the anonymity of its inspection and the fairness and
appropriateness of its evaluation, Michelin’s ratings have become the most
reliable index for French gourmets.
Deeply
Shocked Gourmets in Paris
It might have been those gourmets in Paris that suffered the greatest
shock by the release of the Michelin Guide to Tokyo. For the Parisians referred to as one of the
best gourmets in the world, it must have been unforgivable news that Tokyo had ousted Paris from its
position as a gourmet heaven. There was
more to it. Tokyo was not only
given the most stars but “turned up its nose.”
It would be no surprise if Parisians fainted when hearing this.
To understand the feelings of the Parisians,
we’ll have to know the status of the Michelin Guide first. The status of the Michelin Guide in France is
nearly absolute. It’s hard to find a
French person who turns up his or her nose to the Michelin Guide.
The Michelin’s ratings are the standards in
which the French people trust. It is even
said that every time a restaurant gains a star, its sales increase by 30%. For restaurant managers, therefore, whether
their restaurants can get a star and how many stars they can get are important
management factors. If a restaurant is
demoted, it can subsequently receive harsh criticism like one misfortune follows
another. It is also said that the number
of Michelin stars can affect the credit line set by a bank for the relevant restaurant. It is difficult for Japanese people to
imagine that the rating by a restaurant guide directly affects the credit
line. In addition, it is said that there
was even a French chef who killed himself when he heard a rumor that his
restaurant would lose a star. For chefs
in France, receiving three Michelin stars is the highest honor.
Speaking from personal experience, I think the
Michelin Guide’s ratings are convincing enough and worthwhile to be the
standards for the Parisians. When I went
to France this year, I visited well-established restaurants Le Cinq (two
stars) and L’Espadon (two stars) and newly risen L’Agape (awarded one star for
the first time in 2009) in Paris. I also visited La
Ciboulette (one star) in a local city Annecy. It is not an exaggeration to say that you
will never be disappointed in visiting a restaurant having at least one
star. There appears to be clear reasons
why a restaurant has been awarded a star or more stars and why another
restaurant has not received a star. Well
established restaurants have a steady atmosphere and restaurants recently
awarded stars have an uplifting feeling.
Tokyo Has 12 Times More Restaurants More Than Paris.
So, it is indeed significant that Tokyo has been awarded
the greatest number of stars in the world by the Michelin Guide. To me, however, it seems to be natural that Tokyo tops the list of the world’s
gourmet cities over Paris. I think it is wrong to say
that Tokyo has become the world’s number one gourmet city. The truth is Tokyo has always
been the number one gourmet city and the Europeans have finally recognized this
fact.
The fact that Tokyo is a great gourmet
city is evident not only from the number of Michelin stars but also from the
number of restaurants itself. In terms
of the number of restaurants in the city, Paris has 13,000 and New York has 25,000 while Tokyo has as many as 160,000 restaurants.
In the 2010 Michelin Guide to Tokyo, 132 of the
total 197 restaurants that have received a star or more stars were Japanese
restaurants. From this fact, it can be
said that Michelin’s recognition of Tokyo as the world’s number one gourmet
city is a result of its high rating of Japanese cuisine.
As indicated in Mr. Naret’s words
introduced above, this Japanese cuisine is supported by the many restaurants that
have become specialized in their pursuit of expertise. It is true that French, Italian, and Chinese
cuisines consist of various food and cooking cultures respectively. However, French cuisine is always French
cuisine and has never been broken down into specialized restaurants even though
each restaurant may have its own specialty or a signature dish. Speaking of specialized restaurants, La Tour
D’argent (one star) in Paris is known for their canard dishes, but there are no such specialized
restaurants in France as Japanese ones. This is
the same in other countries. In the
world, no other county than Japan has
such a highly specialized cooking culture.
I think this is related to the abundance of
foodstuff, especially seafood, in Japan. If there are limited kinds of foodstuff, cooking
repertories will also be limited. English,
German, Dutch and Swiss cuisines do not have much variety. Japanese people may therefore get bored
within several days. Also, it can safely
be said that there is no cooking culture in America.
That said, they are better than Arab
cuisine. Even American people will be
surprised at the extremely limited variety of Arab cuisine. In most areas in the Arab world, you can only
eat local food although there are few exceptions such as Dubai. Their poor cooking repertories are caused by
high priced vegetables due to the harsh climatic conditions. During my stay in Iraq, I
was invited by local dignitaries for dinner every day. At every dinner, however, I found almost the
same dishes with limited ingredients. Yemen was
even worse. I was not given any choice
other than eating stewed beans.
Wide-ranging,
Sophisticated Japanese Cuisine
In contrast, Japanese cuisine offers a huge
variety. First of all, Kyoto, which used
to be the capital of Japan for more than 1,200 years, has an accumulated and polished culture
of Japanese cooking. It is specifically called
Kyo-ryori (Kyoto cuisine). In addition, there are many unique regional
cuisines in Japan. Depending on the style of
serving meals, Japanese cuisine is classified into kaiseki (会席)-ryori, kaiseki (懐石)-ryori,kappo- ryori, shidashi-ryori,
and shippoku-ryori.
Furthermore, there are a countless number
of specialized restaurants for almost all types of dishes. Even for sushi alone, there are sushi restaurants
specializing in Kyo-zushi, Kansai-zushi or Edomae-zushi. Some
restaurants specialize in cooking a specific type of food. There are also restaurants for special
cuisines such as organic food restaurants and shojin ryori restaurants.
It appears that Japanese people have a predisposition
to become particular about everything. They
often try to pursue one particular thing thoroughly to master the secrets or reach
perfection. They have done the same
thing in the world of cuisine. As Japanese
chefs have pursued their paths in cooking, their restaurants have become more
and more specialized. Thus Japanese
cuisine has become specialized in each type of food or dish. It is natural that foreigners are stunned by
the sight of Tokyo where 160,000 specialized restaurants stand side by side.
Mr. Naret’s words that quite a few Japanese
restaurants have acquired unrivaled expertise are meaningful. The “unrivaled expertise” is not a thing that
can be acquired in a day. Japanese chefs’
techniques include the ones that have been passed down from generation to
generation and accumulated for several hundred years.
For example, Daiichi, a suppon (soft shelled turtle) restaurant
in Kyoto, has continued to serve only suppon-nabe
(turtle stew) for over 300 years beginning from the Genroku period. After serving the sakizuke (appetizer) also containing suppon, Daiichi serves nothing
but suppon nabe. Daiichi has also
continued to use the same pots for several hundred years. It is said that the pots have been used so
well for so long that you can make suppon soup simply by boiling water in the
pots. How can a restaurant with a 20- or
30-year career make a suppon nabe better than the one made by such a long-established
restaurant as Daiichi? Perhaps, Daiichi
serves the best suppon nabe in the world.
I would say this deserves to be called “unrivaled expertise.” In Japan, especially in Kyoto, there are a
lot of such long-established restaurants like Daiichi that have been in
business for several hundred years.
Ramen Is Now One of Japanese
Cuisine
In the meantime, it is not easy to clearly
answer the question what is Japanese cuisine.
The term Japanese cuisine originally referred to traditional Japanese
dishes. However, tempura, for example, was derived from a dish introduced by the
Portuguese during the 17th century.
Also, tonkatsu was initially
made in imitation of Austrian dishes such as Schnitzel. Thus, both tempura and tonkatsu were Western
dishes when they appeared. But now,
there would be no harm to call them Japanese dishes. Even if you visit Lisbon or Vienna, you can no longer
find a dish that can beat tempura or tonkatsu.
The original dishes were merely used as models. In the hands of Japanese people, they were
transformed into new dishes of a higher level.
This applies also to curry rice and
ramen. They should now be called perfect
Japanese dishes. In the first place, Chinese
people do not have a habit of eating only a bowl of ramen as a meal. They sometimes eat a small bowl of noodles at
the end of a meal, but these noodles are not even close to Japanese ramen. In Japan,
there are unique ramen cultures in various regions. They say the Chinese people that have learned
this are very surprised.
Perhaps, Korean barbeque eaten in Japan can
also be called a Japanese dish. Korean
barbeque eaten in Korea is totally different from that in Japan
both in form and quality. In Korea,
there is no such menu as the Japanese one where you can choose various types of
meat separated by parts and ranked as the first, second and third grades on its
quality, and also have a choice of seasoning between salt and sauce. It is true that Korean cuisine has reached its
cultural heights. As regarding Korean
barbeque, however, the one in Japan obviously
tastes better. It is not surprising that
beef dishes in Japan are the most delicious because the quality of Japanese beef is acknowledged
as the very best in the world. As just described,
Japanese people have imported foreign dishes from around the world, transformed
them into new dishes of their own style, and developed them as Japanese dishes
that are officially recognized.
It seems there is no problem about Japanese
food culture. But the threat of destruction of its culture is looming.
To Restore
the Spiritual Culture of Japanese Cuisine
Japan’s food self-sufficiency ratio is abnormally low. It is almost too low to be able to maintain
the form of an independent country. Modern
Japanese people do not eat as much rice as they used to eat in the past. To deal with this problem, all that we can
say is “If you are Japanese, eat rice.”
If all Americans started eating Japanese
rice every morning, the agricultural policies and food security of the United States would fall apart. In the
same sense, what Japanese people are doing is a folly. Japan is said to be self-sufficient in rice, but the truth is that Japan is
self-sufficient only because the people eat less rice. If Japanese people began to eat as much rice
as before, Japan would no longer be able to support itself. Japanese people should live on grains produced
in Japan. Eating a lot of grains that
are not produced in Japan is inefficient and can harm the national strength. In addition, Japanese cuisine based on rice is
healthy and well-balanced. The health of
Japanese people has fallen because they have come to eat less rice.
Be that as it may, the real problem in the Japanese
people’s shift away from rice is that it can cause a decline in their food
culture. Because Japanese food culture
has been formed around rice, the people’s shift away from rice can produce various
distortions in Japanese society. Although
the Michelin Guide praises Japanese cuisine highly, the spiritual culture of Japanese
cuisine is following a course of decline.
I can’t help feeling that the issues of endangered family ties and
weakening ethnic bond in Japan are
also related to the shift away from rice.
A family is a kin group that lives under
one roof and has dinner together. As
implied by the phrase “eat from the same bowl,” taking a meal together strengthens
the bond as a family. In addition,
sharing a food culture builds up an ethnic tie.
Japanese people are connected to the emperor through rice. Also, Japanese people are united by rice.
All in all, I must say that Japanese people
should eat more rice. If Japanese people
rediscover the values of Japanese cuisine, they will be able to restore the
spiritual culture of Japanese cuisine. This
is the Japanese Renaissance.
