Today, (Monday, 23rd of November) in Japan is “Labor Thanksgiving Day.” I don’t know if the national sentiment towards this day is closer to an American Labor Day, or Thanksgiving. It doesn’t seem to involve cars and electronic appliances being on sale, or turkeys and football so I’m very confused, but it’s a rare Monday off, so I’m not complaining. Since it is on the same week as Thanksgiving and it is a holiday I’ve grown to love over the years (ironically spending less and less time with family and more with a hodge podge group of friends also living far away from family or sneaking away to throw a “friendsgiving” feast) I’ve decided to spend some time on reflecting what I am thankful for in this very new and uncertain time in my life.
Despite not knowing how I feel about living and working in Japan on a day to day basis, I am very grateful for the unique opportunity. It is a learning experience and one that I’m sure I’ll look back fondly when it is over. While I’m not at liberty to share much of what goes on during my day, I did go on my first official business trip to the Tokyo Motor Show at the beginning of September, followed by a “Designers’ Night” get together of the four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers.
Despite the Tokyo Motor Show becoming slightly less relevant in the global automotive stage with many manufacturers bringing their big premier concept cars to Shanghai instead, the biennial event still bring out wacky concepts from the Japanese brands and is still considered a pretty important place to showcase new products for the four Japanese motorcycle brands. The “Designer’s Night” is an interesting get together considering we’re competitors and colleagues at the same time. The truth is each brand has its unique characteristics and ideally should attract different riders and buyers. But the morning after it was business as usual at the office trying to one up our rivals.
I’m also thankful for friends who come travel great distances and visit me in Japan. This past week, a good friend from California came to Japan for her vacation (already the third friend to do so since I moved) and put up with me for a weekend. Still being relatively new to the area myself, I was an utterly ill-prepared and suboptimal host, but had a lot of fun exploring Kobe and the onsen resort town of Arima. Arima is a popular town known for the oldest hot springs in Japan. It is located in the mountains just north of Kobe is a great place to enjoy a quick get away from city life. In the autumn, the leaves change into bright red and yellow hues and while the maples weren’t at their peak, it was still quite a sight.
I’m not big into pampering myself in hot springs, but Arima has two types of water: “kin no yu” or gold water with minerals that give the water a brown tint, and “gin no yu” or silver water. Outside the “kin no yu” there is a free foot spa, just my kind of thing. Snacking on freshly made Japanese fried chicken only adds to the enjoyment and relaxation. The town also has great views along a hiking trail.
Arima is also known for its cider, using the very fresh water that runs through the town. There are a few stores that make a slightly sweet “senbei” cracker and the local craft brew Arima beer is also very smooth and worth checking out for any beer enthusiast.
The other great thing about having friends visit is that it gives me the chance to eat and go to places I normally wouldn’t go to. I haven’t had Kobe beef properly in my life and knew this would be a good opportunity. I got a tip from a local to have it as a lunch (more affordable and less crowded) and headed to the recommended restaurant off Motomachi station. At this point, the whole Portlandia organic chicken sketch is barely funny since it is SO true at so many restaurants that take pride in their source. This restaurant is no different. They feature an article on the farm at the entrance. They have certificates and TROPHIES that the staff will happily set on your table so you can have your picture taken with it along with the plate of meat. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about taking photos of food and throwing them up on Instagram, but having a bronze cow plaque is on a whole different level. I’ll pass. Just let me take a quick pic before I dig in and once I’m in eating mode, don’t come between the Naz’gul and his prey. The Kobe beef was quite exquisite. The waiter asked me to taste the first piece just by itself before using the other three tasting sauces that included freshly ground wasabi, salt, and soy sauce. The wasabi was my personal favorite, but I would have been just as happy with the flavor of the meat by itself.
Besides its beef and being the inspiration for naming a once great Laker, Kobe is famous for having many western influences. Coffee has been around in Kobe longer than other cities in Japan. Nishimura in particular was founded in 1948, only three years after the end of WWII and was the first cafe to serve black coffee, cappuccinos, and a popular dessert coffee jelly in Japan. Those who love to smoke should head to the main location, but the more secluded cafe that opened in the 70’s is a completely non-smoking cafe (still relatively rare in Japan) located in the Kitano district. It has a very antique French interior vibe and was open only to members until after the Kobe earthquake in 1995.
I should make more of an effort to update this blog more frequently than once a month, but until next time…