Japan 2014 Winter

Very traditional lunch set at a restaurant.

Perfect snack: kukicha and karintō manjū.

Dried persimmons.

I’ve been to Indian restaurants in 3 US states and 2 Japanese prefectures. Namaste Ganesha in Kurashiki is my favorite.

Nabe is a winter comfort food. It is a clear broth with lots of veggies, seafood, and tofu brought to the table in a special bowl that keeps it boiling for awhile. Everyone picks out their food from the one big bowl in the middle of the table.

This cage normally surrounds the space heater.

Family portrait. Emily had a 102º fever but there weren’t many days left to take the photo.

Japanese homes have a small ancestral shrine. People frequently do a little ceremony where they burn a stick of incense, ring the bowl, and then pray briefly.

I think the gold parts are actually coated with real gold. In the middle of the photo is a small dish of rice, replaced with fresh rice frequently.

Incense at the bottom of the shrine.

We went out for a fugu dinner. Fugu is pufferfish; it is mildly toxic and the toxin causes a numbness in the mouth and a mild high. I didn’t photograph all of the courses, but here’s the sashimi.

Fugu nabe with lots of vegetables.

Stayed at a hotel near the airport the night before leaving. The book selection is a bit more extensive than the Gideon Bibles in American hotels. The Buddhist and New Testament books were bilingual.

First flight, Ōsaka to Tōkyō. Mt. Fuji is out the window.

My last meal in Japan. The chūtoro set at Narita airport.

Very traditional lunch set at a restaurant.	Perfect snack: kukicha and karintō manjū.
Dried persimmons.	I’ve been to Indian restaurants in 3 US states and 2 Japanese prefectures. Namaste Ganesha in Kurashiki is my favorite.
	Nabe is a winter comfort food. It is a clear broth with lots of veggies, seafood, and tofu brought to the table in a special bowl that keeps it boiling for awhile. Everyone picks out their food from the one big bowl in the middle of the table.	This cage normally surrounds the space heater.
Family portrait. Emily had a 102º fever but there weren’t many days left to take the photo.	Japanese homes have a small ancestral shrine. People frequently do a little ceremony where they burn a stick of incense, ring the bowl, and then pray briefly.	I think the gold parts are actually coated with real gold. In the middle of the photo is a small dish of rice, replaced with fresh rice frequently.
Incense at the bottom of the shrine.	We went out for a fugu dinner. Fugu is pufferfish; it is mildly toxic and the toxin causes a numbness in the mouth and a mild high. I didn’t photograph all of the courses, but here’s the sashimi.	Fugu nabe with lots of vegetables.
Stayed at a hotel near the airport the night before leaving. The book selection is a bit more extensive than the Gideon Bibles in American hotels. The Buddhist and New Testament books were bilingual.	First flight, Ōsaka to Tōkyō. Mt. Fuji is out the window.	My last meal in Japan. The chūtoro set at Narita airport.