観光, Japan, Shimada City, Shizuoka, Tourism

Japan Tourism: Ooi Shinto Shrine in Shimada City!

January 8, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Torii/Portal at the entrance of Ooi Shinto Shrine

Whatever City you visit in Japan, down to the smallest mountain village, you will discover at least one Shinto Shrine venerated by the locals. And if you are lucky enough to visit them during traditional holidays or festivals they become an unending source of lore study and photography!

Hand-washing fountain.

How do you recognize a Shinto Shrine from other cult sites?
It is actually very simple even if you can’t read any Japanese!
1) The entrance is always marked with “torii/鳥居/portal”, however tiny the shrine.
2) You will usually find a hand-washing fountain/basin.
3) Entrance is free contrary to some of the shrines of other beliefs. Actually you will often see children playing in their yards in daytime.

Ooi Shrine garden

Now, if you happen to pass through Shimada City, by road or train or on your way from the International Airport take a couple of hours off for a leisurely visit of Ooi shrine/大井神社 as it is only a 10-minute walk from the railway station!
It is just the right size and a true representative of the long local history and culture.
It is also within walking distance to places such as Setsugekka Soba Restaurant where you could take a beautiful lunch before proceeding to the next stage of your trip through Shizuoka Prefecture and Japan!

Shimada Obi Festival Dancer Statue

Shimada is celebrated for its Shimada Obi/belt Matsuri/Festival, an event officially designated as one of 20 strangest/most original festivals in Japan. It is held every 3 years on the Years of the Tiger, Snake, Monkey and Wild Boar!

A young dancer of the other celebrated Shimada Festival, the 300-year old Daimyo Gyoretsu, which imitates the procession of a grand jumangoku (one hundred thousand koku, units of rice) daimyo with a total of 250 marchers stretching over 500 meters!

The New Year is an important time for the Shrine to collect money through the sales of New Year decorations!

The New Year is a great time for photography when people of any age and station visit the shrine!

New Year Decorations sales booth.

The Shrine has a small and cute garden with a carp pond and arched bridge!

2012 being the Year of the Dragon, so it would be a good idea to search for hidden representations of the fabled creature!

An ancient hand-washing basin inside the garden!

Traditional paper lanterns/chōchin (提灯), make for great photographs!

A sacred cow, symbol of fertility and wealth!

A “Kappa”!

Keep your eyes open and you will discover some very intriguing statues such that of a “kappa/河童”, the Japanese cousin of the Scottish kelpie!

The French will be glad to discover frogs everywhere!

More dragons spouting water instead of belching fire!

Lions help the dragons guard the shrine from evil spirits!

Looking forward to meeting you at the next shrine!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Crustaceans, 美食, 魚海の幸, Gastronomy, Ise Ebi, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Spiny Lobster, 伊勢海老

Japanese Crustacean Species 6: Spiny Lobster/Ise Ebi/伊勢海老

January 5, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

ISE-EBI-1

Ise Ebi/伊勢海老 or Japanese Spiny Lobster is one the Spiny Lobster varieties so popular all over the World.
The Japanese variety is smaller, or more precisely is more popular under a certain size.

Also called Kamakura Ebi, it is caught off the shores of Chiba, Wakayama, Mie and Shizuoka Prefectures.

The best specimens are aught in Winter, although imported lobsters can be found at other seasons.

The annual catch is fairly stable at 1,000 tonnes a year.
Imported specimens account for 10,000 tonnes, mainly from Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia.
In the latter case they are also called Minami/South Ebi.

The Japanese appreciate their lobsters raw.

ISE-EBI-SASHIMI

As o-tsukuri/sashimi plate they are quite spectacular!

ISE-EBI-SASHIMI2

For a closer look!

And of course as sushi nigiri!

No need to mention that the Japanese also love them as gratin!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Beer, Chinese Cuisine, Chinese Restaurants, Crustaceans, 牛肉, 美食, Dessert, 酒, 野菜, 観光, 魚, 魚海の幸, 車海老, 農業, Fish, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Izakaya, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Restaurants, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tempura, Tourism

Memorable Gastronomy with Shizuoka Products in 2011!

January 3, 2012 dragonlife 2 Comments

Fujiyama Wagyu Beef, Utogi Wasabi and Ameera Rubbins Pearl Tomatoes!

2011 was an eventful year for many reasons, some unwanted, even dreadful, and others more conducive to social happiness. I would prefer to remember the latter to help nurture a positive attitude towards a future we cannot predict! Being a convinced agnostic hedonist does help but I’m sure that gastronomes, whatever their credo, will realize how lucky we are in Shizuoka to be able to attain to ever-growing pleasures with seemingly simple local ingredients!
Here is a proposal for a full course, albeit a long one, representative of a dinner I would have enjoyed in 2011!

APPETIZERS/STARTERS:

Rainbow Trout Sashimi Plate!
These rainbow trouts are raised by Mr. Kunugi in Fujinomiya City!

in any repast drinks are most important as they are they insure the link between the dishes!
Japanese sake brewed by Takashima Brewery in Numazu City!
These labels are of a particular interest as they advertized the edible seaweed varieties found in Shizuoka Prefecture!
Note: For friends who may not drink alcohol I would recommend ginger ale made with Shizuoka-grown ginger or Shizuoka green (and black!) tea under various forms!

Tomato Tempura!
Uzu Izakaya in Shizuoka City serves it regularly with organic tomatoes seasoned with home-made yuzu koshio paste!

Sakekasu tempura!
Setsugekka Soba Restaurant in Shimada City serves this tempura concocted qith sake lees produced by their neighbors at Oomuraya Brewery!

Carrot Soup and Carrot Leaves Mousse on a Tomato Bed!
All vegetables are organic served at Pissenlit in Shizuoka city making use of the whole vegetables!

Vegetables in Banya Cauda style!
As served at Piatto in Shizuoka City! All vegetables are organic and grown in Shizuoka!

FISH & SEAFOOD

Steamed Black Bass/Suzuki/鱸 from Suruga Bay and vegetables by Mr. Furuya in Asabata, Shizuoka City!
As prepared and served by Cham Chinese Izakaya in Shizuoka City with a light warm vinaigrette!

True Seabream/Madai/真鯛 with cockles and vegetables, all from Shizuoka!
As served Italian-style by Il Castagno in Shizuoka City!

Imperial Prawn/Sakura ebi/車海老 Tempura!
As served by Setsugekka Soba Restaurant in Shimada City!

MEAT

Fujiyama Wagyu Beef, Utogi Wasabi and Ameera Rubbins Pearl Tomatoes!
As prepared by the Missus and I!
Fujiyama Wagyu is one of the thirteen varieties of wagyu bred in Shizuoka Prefecture which positively compare to Kobe Beef!
The wasabi is grown by Maruichi Farm in Utogi, the birthplace of this most remarkable ingredient!
The Ameera Rubbins Pearl Tomatoes are grown in Iwata City!

Foie gras poele on Corn Galette with Madeira Sauce!
This can qualify as an extravagant appetizer too!
The galette was concocted at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City with high-grade Kankanmusume Corn grown by Chouchou Farm in Iwata City!

Jidori Chicken Poêlé served with a Old Mimolette Cheese topping!
Fuji City is famed for its Jidori Chicken and Gentil in Shizuoka City serves it in extravagant simplicity with a topping of 24-months old Mimolette Cheese!

DESSERTS

Soy sauce and Brown Sugar Mousse Cake, Frozen Organic Mandarine and Lemon Sorbet!

Tetsuya Sugimoto in Shizuoka City is a master of off the beaten track desserts!
The soy sauce is created by Amano Company in Gotemba City and the brown sugar is made with sugarcane grown in Kakegawa City. As for the mandarine and lemon, they are of course organic!

Carrot Crème Brulée and Mandarine Caramelisée!

As served at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City. Both the carrot and mandarine are organic!

Organic Carrot ice Cream!
This could be served as an appetizer, a refresher between dishes or a dessert at Comptoir de Bios in Shizuoka City!

Pheasant Egg Pudding and brown Sugar ice Cream!
Again created by Tetsuya Sugimoto in Shizuoka City with pheasant eggs produced in Hamamatsu City and brown sugar made from sugarcane grown in Kakegawa City!

Naturally I still have missed a lot and I sincerely hope I will be able to introduce other discoveries by the end of this year!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, 観光, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

French Gastronomy: Shizuoka Products at Pissenlit (Winter 2011~2012)!

January 3, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Organic Cauliflower and Cod Sperm Sacs Puree topped with same Sperm Sacs Poeles and steamed curry cauliflower!

Service: Excellent and very friendly.
Facilities: Great cleanliness overall. Superb washroom (mouthwash and toothpicks provided!)!
Prices: Reasonable to slightly expensive, very good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products, especially organic vegetables and Shizuoka-bred meat.

Planning a “quick light” lunch at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City always smacks of jumping into a trap of your own making…
This time I had originally asked for a plate of steamed organic vegetables, but from the moment Chef Toru Arima said he had the perfect appetizer for this cold day it was a quick slide down the gastronomic slope!

The cauliflower was nonetheless organic from Chizen no Chikara in Shizuoka City and its marriage with Cod “shirako/Sperm Sacs” (sorry, but this is the true meaning!) into a smooth puree contributed into a beautiful contrast with the crispiness enveloping the unctuous same sperm sacs topping it and the light bite of more steamed cauliflower seasoned with a light curry sauce!

My initial wish was granted with a dish of steamed organic vegetables and a Suruga Bay “te-naga ebi/Japanese Scampi” on a couscous bed!

Sorry for the fuzzy picture!
I just wanted to show the meat of the scampi lodged in the middle of a red squid ring atop the couscous bed!

Beautiful steamed organic vegetables emphasized by a light warm vinaigrette fighting for attention with the Scampi!

The Scampi is not ready to let my fork pitch into the couscous without a fight!

Morocco flirting with Shizuoka! Toru had introduced small pieces of Shizuoka strawberries into the couscous for the perfect sweet and salty balance!
By then, I was ready to fall into the next trap!

“I have the right light meat dish for you!” (he said that before, didn’t he?)
And for my masochistic pleasure he was right:
Shizuoka “Jidoori” chicken poele atop organic potato puree and organic shiitake from Shizen no Chikara Farm!

Demolishing this beautiful piece montee was such a sweet vengeance!
The Shiitake being fresh, it was very tender and each piece of it made for the perfect receptable for the potato puree!
I should have perhaps tried to eat it together some chicken in a single forkful, but I took my time!

There was only one way to escape from the clutches of another dessert: coffee and mignardises!

Home-made Shizuoka Orange jelly, and soft chocolates! The green one is coated with Shizuoka Hon-Yama Green Tea!

It will be a pleasure to meet you again in another self-inflicted trap of mine soon!

PISSENLIT
420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo, 2-3-4
Tel.: 054-270-8768
Fax: 054-627-3868
Business hours: 11:30~14:30; 17:00~22:00
Closed on Tuesdays and Sunday evening
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK
Entirely non-smoking!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Crustaceans, 美食, 魚海の幸, 車海老, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Japanese Imperial Prawn, Kurumaebi, Prawn, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine

Japanese Crustacean Species 5: Kuruma Ebi/Japanese Imperial Prawn/車海老

January 2, 2012 dragonlife 4 Comments

KURUMA-EBI-1

Kuruma Ebi, or Japanese Imperial Prawn, is probably the most popular prawn in Japan!
It has different names depending on its size: Saimaki (up to 5 cm), Maki (up to 10cm)

Its season lasts from late Autumn to the end of Winter.
It is found south of Hokkaido Island down to the Indian Ocean until depths of 50 metres.
It had been successfully artificially bred for some time until diseases put a momentary stop to the venture.
The prawn has steadily become a rare morsel. Altogether, natural and domestic specimen, the annual catch amounts only to 2,000 tonnes.

KURUMA-EBI-1a

Raw, or

KURUMA-EBI-2

boiled, they make for great decoration on top of suucculent taste!

Now if you have the chance to eat them raw, try and eat them alive!

As for sushi, especially nigiri,

savor the raw,

Or boiled!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Crustaceans, 甘エビ, 美食, 魚海の幸, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine

Japanese Crustacean Species 4: Amaebi/Alaskan Pink Shrimp-Pink Shrimp/甘海老

January 1, 2012 dragonlife 2 Comments

Amaebi (in Japanese) or by its Latin name Pandalus borealis (also called Pandalus eous) is a species of shrimp found in cold parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Many different English names are used, with little consensus (deep-water shrimp, cold-water shrimp, northern shrimp, Alaskan pink shrimp, pink shrimp, northern red shrimp, Greenland prawn (UK)). Often the word shrimp is replaced by prawn, albeit incorrectly.

Amaebi Sashimi!

In Japan, it is also known as Hokkoku Akaebi/North Country Red Shrimp, Nanban Ebi or Tongarasahi.

The season in Japan is Winter, although it can be found all year round thanks to large imports from Greenland and Canada. Yearly domestic catch amount to 2,000 tonnes in Hokkaido and 800 tonnes in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Amaebi Sushi Nigiri!

It is a species famous for its sexual properties: the shrimps are hermaphroditic. They start out male, but after year or two, their testicles turn to ovaries and they complete their lives as females. However, if there is a predominance of female Pandalus shrimp, the males will delay their transformation. Likewise should there be a shortage of females, the male shrimp will begin their transformation earlier, all for the sake of maintaining balance for procreational purposes.

They are called “Ama Ebi/Sweet Shrimp” in Japanese as they will turn very sweet after a couple of days in the refrigerator, whereas they will show no sweetness at all when fresh!

Amaebi Springroll!

They are great as sashimi on their own, in salads or as part of a larger sashimi plate such as served i Tomii in Shizuoka:

Of course, as sushi, they are a superb morsel!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, 酒, 観光, 魚, 農業, Fish, Gastronomy, Izakaya, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Izakaya: Hachokura in Shizuoka City JR Station!

January 1, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Friendly
Facilities: Clean
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Lots of fresh local fish and produce. Great range of sake and shochu.

If you happen to be hungry but still limited in time, be it for lunch or dinner, Shizuoka City JR Railway Station will offer you plenty of reasonable and decent enough establishments that will serve you either fare found all over Japan, or for the more adventurous, ingredients mainly from Shizuoka Prefecture!

Hachokura in the western building of Asty Mall is such a place.
You cannot miss it with its big board describing local fare!

Even if you are in a hurry, take the time to have a good look at all the seafood and sake on offer. You are bound to make some interesting discoveries!

You can choose a seat at the counter or in a private room.

Traditional Japanese country atmosphere?

You may also sit at tables by the window.
I paid them a visit at lunch time when it is quieter. Evenings are really busy!

Sitting at the counter can turn into a lot of reading!

Tuna Carpaccio is really reasonably-priced!

Local fish and local sake!

Again, a lot to choose from!

You can always choose one of their lunch boxes/plates but their lunch sets are a real bargain when you consider that the beer is included!

So my lunch set started with beer and a snack.

Sashimi plate (tuna, horse mackerel, salmon, cuttlefish, sweet shrimp, tamagoyaki). Note the freshly grated Shizuoka-grown wasabi!

Tuna and horse mackerel.

Salmon, cuttlefish, sweet shrimp and tamagoyaki.

Potato and minced meat croquette and deep-fried chicken “nankotsu/cartilages”!

The croquette!

“Karaage niwatori nankotsu”, chicken soft cartilages deep-fried with some of their meat attached. Great snack for beer!

Simple, tasty and reasonably-priced traditional local fare!

HACHOKURA/八丁蔵
Shizuoka City, Kurogane Cho 48 (inside Shizuoka JR Railway Station), Asty West Building
Tel.: 054-255-8180
Opening hours: 11:00~22:30
Credit Cards OK
Parties welcome
Smoking allowed

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES