The country of Japan always
ranks high among the best food destinations in the world. Even prior to setting
foot in this land of the rising sun, every time I see myself circling buffet
tables I always dive first on the Japanese food section, filling my plate with
all sorts of Maki rolls and sashimi. When the Ramen craze hit town, I made it a
point to try out one Japanese restaurant each week and order a different ramen
flavor. Even though I am hundred thousands of miles away from the real thing,
my worship of Japanese cuisine mirrors cult-like proportion.
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| Asari Kamamabushi Gozen Meal |
Imagine my euphoria when I
found myself stepping into the soil of Japan for the first time. As part of Cebu Pacific’s Travel Bloggers
Familiarity tour of Nagoya and its surrounding Prefectures, I finally experienced
my first authentic Japanese food crawl. On our last day, an officer from the
Nagoya tourism confessed to us “I forgot
to include Ramen places in your food itinerary – you should have tried the
Ramen in Nagoya” while shaking his head in regret. Little did he know even
without sampling the Ramen of Nagoya, the series of meals we had savoring each
bite of genuine cuisines served in front of us, more than make up our wonderful
collective experience in Japan. We assured him not to worry about it as our
food experience were more than satisfying already.
The
case of the mysterious tin foil covered ‘snack’ in Nagoya
After alighting from our
plane and checking in at Hotel Toyoko Inn, our host from the Tourism office of
Nagoya handed us something wrapped in a tin foil hidden inside a small Japanese
paper bag, “a snack” he told us. As
my own version of the old adage “do not
judge a wrapped food by its cover” goes, the content I found inside
exceeded my expectations, as I dug my fingers and chowed down in succession; the
six-piece rice balls that comes with tempura prawn fillings. Partnering it with
a Japanese Yebisi Premium beer straight from the vendo machine elevated this ‘snack’ to a perfect first meal in Japan.
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| Rice Balls with Prawns |
Then
Came the Asari Kamamabushi Gozen Meal
out of the famed Bento Box
Bento Box meals is widely
popular in Japan. You just need to order which type and you will be served with
a tray consisting of everything that goes with a particular dish. In our case,
we had the Asari Kamamabushi Gozen
meal. Opening the bento box contents is like being a kid unboxing Christmas
presents. First, I opened the twin bowls filled with fresh clams-seasoned rice
and a steaming soup with Udon noodles. Afterwards, I slowly opened up the two
boxes on top of one another and revealed the flavorful sidings consisting of; a
seasonal fish called Sanma Kabayaki broiled in sweet soy sauce, vegetable
tempura, eggplant miso and roe of sardines.
The
Usual Suspects; Sushi and Tempura
Sushi and Tempura won’t go missing
in action in any gastronomical exploration of Japanese food. During another
dinner, we were served each a sushi box containing six varieties of salmon
sushi, pink shrimp (amaebi), mackerel
(saba), squid (ika), tuna (maguro) and
halibut (hirame nigari). I partnered
it with a Kirin beer and a plate of Tempura to complete our hearty dinner that
memorable night.
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| Tempura |
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| Holy Sushi! |
‘An
easy sit down grilling thin slices of meat and vegetables’ kind of lunch
Hidden beneath the towering
pine and cherry trees surrounding Otaki Caves in the Gifu Prefecture, a
traditional thatched roofed restaurant served us one of the best meals I had in
Japan. Thin slices of raw meat, eggplants, onions and other vegetables were laid
down in front of us – over a short standing table armed with a grilling
apparatus. Cross-legged in an Indian sitting position, we took turns turning
the meat into medium rare and the vegetables into a perfect brown-colored crisp.
Dipping it after, into a small saucer filled with peanut sauce – as the juices
secretes out of the thin cuts of meat and a white fume of smoke trails it, a
delicious fusion of tastes lingered inside my mouth and lasted long after I
devoured each bite.
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| Grilled to a Thrill! |
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| These thin slices instantaneously melts in your mouth |
A
Plate of Hilda Beef
I’ve heard a lot about Wagyu
beef and wondered how different it is from the others – until I tried it myself
when we were served a high grade Wagyu beef from cows slaughtered in a cattle
ranch in Gifu Prefecture. Upon rolling a piece of it on my chopsticks and delivering
it inside my mouth, I instantly felt the beef’s tenderness and traced it with
my tongue; its abundant flavors and the essences it stashes. If I would master
the art of eating, I have achieved it during this meal.
In my excitement to devour my plate I forgot to take a photograph of it.
Miso
Katsu and other Buffet Meal experience
Another memorable Japanese
dish we tried was the Miso Katsu. Nagoya has its own distinct tonkatsu and through the Miso Katsu, I
wolfed a deep fried pork covered in crumbs dipped in steamy miso sauce. The
accompaniment of rice, shredded cabbage sidings and a small bowl of noodles
completed this loaded meal.
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| Miso Katsu |
Solo
Trip to Tokyo Downing Rice Bowls and Ramen
Since I extended my trip to
be able to travel to Tokyo by myself, I had the opportunity of trying out various
types of Japanese Ramen. An added thrill was using the vendo machine when
ordering. It is a foreign concept to me albeit a regular practice in Japan
already. I had loads of fun selecting and punching the picture icon of the ramen
I wanted to try, getting the ticket stub and handing it to the smiling cook.
Most of the time, I just pressed in whatever that caught my fancy. Later on I
discovered that – a red looking Ramen soup means super spicy, the white colored
ones tasted creamy and so on. I also tried out rice bowls with rich toppings of
shredded beef, noodles, vegetables and semi boiled egg.
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| Dried Ramen |
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| Creamy Ramen |
Soba
Noodles in Narra
After taking a two-hour
train ride from Tokyo, I reached the World Heritage Site of Nikko. Adjacent to
one of its main attractions; the Toshugo Shrine situates a small stall that
serves Soba Noodles. A long line of locals that drew my attention. After
queuing for 15 minutes I was rewarded with a plateful of Soba Noodles that
comes with rolled yuba, wasabi, soy sauce and shredded onions.
Served cold, the plain noodles made from buckwheat powder smoothly entered my
mouth in satisfying fashion thus curving my hunger in an instant.
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| Soba Noodles |
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| Yoshinoya Bento Box Meal |
Definitely
Returning for More
It is impossible for such a
short time spanning 12 days to discover all of Japanese rich cuisines. After
trying out a few, I definitely look forward to returning to Japan and getting
my hand on a plateful of other local dishes that epitomizes the best of
Japanese gastronomes.
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Cebu Pacific Air,
the leading airline in the Philippines, flies between Manila and Nagoya (Chubu
Centrair International Airport) every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Ongoing all-in seat sale fares start from P6,388. Book your flights through the CebuPacificAir.com. For
updates and seat sale announcements, check out www.facebook.com/cebupacificair.
