Yosakoi 2009 – Numazu, Shizuoka

Hey gang sorry for the late post but I had a little trouble with Youtube and Mpeg2. Here is a little taster for tomorrow. Please enjoy and sorry for the sung intro in advance. Sorry I can’t quite work out how to run YouTube as a consecutive playlist on WordPress so please watch these in order until I do.

Yosakoi 2009- Numazu Shizuoka

Well, it is that time again for dancers from far and wide to travel to Numazu for the traditional Yosakoi dance competition. The streets of Numazu, Shizuoka will be filled with dancers competing for the title of best Yosakoi performance.

Yosakoi is a traditional set of dance steps generally carried out in unison by a large group. However, these dances sequences are only a starting point for each dancing teams chorography and ultimately performances can vary greatly. Be sure to check out the college and highschool performances because their divergences are often the most creative.

The dancers’ costume grounds itself in various traditional festival garb of Japan and then deviates to many modern colourful extremes.

This festival is not one to miss.

Yosakoi! Yosakoi! Sore sore sore sore!

Riviere Lounge and Bar – Numazu Tokyu Hotel

In Japanese culture a person’s identity can be traditionally referred to in two forms; Honne, inner truth, and Tatemae, outer display. This can often be frustrating for a foreigner with a western upbringing that encourages the physical display of your true inner emotions. Conversly, a Japanese person may have inner desires and feelings about a person or subject but will display an air of indifference if they feel that their desires and feeling are not socially accepted. But occasionally when trust has developed in a relationship with a Japanese person you are can be honored with a glimpse of Honne.

In Japan, as in the West, restaurants, cafes and bars are a medium for expression; a place where the diner can explore a slice of the inner mind of the proprietor, honne. It seems to me, that in Japan restaurants shyly protect their honne from the outer world in the same way the people do. Allow me to explain; most restaurants in Japan show very little of them selves to the outside world of the bustling street. More often than not the outside, tatemae, of their establishments are very sober in appearance and give away little of what is truly inside. Once entering a restaurant I am often surprised by the level of detail and personality in both the food and decor. To me this is a great bearing of the soul as if as a reward for taking that inquisitive step beyond the outer walls and into the hear of the place. It’s all or nothing.

To carry the metaphor further, restaurants, cafes and bars in Japan rarely position themselves with little thought for the view from the windows of their establishment, often preferring to black out the windows on busy streets to prevent the casual pedestrian from peering into the inner truth of the establishment.

However, like some Japanese people, there are exceptions to the rule. Quite often when honne merges into the open display of tatemae something quite extraordinary can emerge. Riviere – Lounge and Bar in the Tokyu Hotel on Numazu’s south side is one of these beautiful and inspiring exceptions to the rule.

Riviere is a display of 20 century decadence, and it is on show to the world. I approached Riviere from the high ceiling Hotel foyer, supported by elegant pillars. Potted stands of greenery make a bikini’s attempt at modest privacy. I stumble down the few steps to the sunken level of the lounge bar. On first entering all I can do is make the briefest glimpse at the lounge bar before being captivated by the lazy flow of the Kano River and luscious green peeks of the Numazu Alps just beyond the outskirts of town. The massive floor to ceiling bay windows expose the full length of Riviere to the world beyond and in turn the world beyond becomes part of Riviere and you.

A noble looking waiter, with black vest and elegant long black skirt, escorts me to a window seat. Piano sounds playing in a distant hall sooths my ears as I crumple into creamy couch chairs.  Chilled water, hand towel and a menu arrive with barely a notice. I feel exposed with my immediate proximity to the bay windows on my right and the occasional bobbing of heads from guests in the lobby above and to my left. However, this exposure is cathartic in its beauty and rewards you with an atmosphere of honesty and trust.

Drinks and food are not cheap, but nor would you expect them to be in such an establishment. With a cappuccino coming in at around 800yen, a trip to Riviere is a treat, a splurge for your senses.

I order a cappuccino and my wife orders a pot of Earl Grey tea.  We talk quietly as if we are in a library, sharing smiles and recounting old stories. It is as if the openness of Riviere compels you to recount your inner thoughts, your honne.

My chocolate dusted cappuccino arrives, a creamy foam bobs on top. One taste and I am content. I pour my wife’s tea. She adds her sugars and milk, stirs her cup and sips. I see that she has closed her eyes, her shoulders have visibly relaxed and a small moan of pleasure emanates from her. Perhaps for the tenth time we have been to Riviere she tells me this is the best tea she has ever had. I can smell the rich oil of bergamot in her tea. I steal a taste and am pleasantly surprised with the mild orange flavor; a testament of a good Earl Grey.

My wife and I chat for a little longer before two of our friends arrive. They barely see us, captivated as they are by the view beyond the windows. I smile at my wife. She returns a knowing smile. Our friends will be in for a treat and we will be fortunate enough to share it with them.

Locaton: From the south side of the station head directly south along the main road for about 500meters on your right you will see the Tokyu Hotel. Enter the foyer and head up the stairs it will be straight in front of you. For a map check out the link here

Stlye: Cafe and Lounge Bar

English menu: sure did

Picture menu: There are some pictures.

Gaijin friendly: Yes. The hotel is part of an international chain that often receives international guests. English, in varying levels, is spoken by staff.

Phone: 55 952 2411

Address: 100-1, Agetsuchi-cho, Numazu-shi, Shizuoka  410-0802

Link: Tokyu Hotel Numazu

Cost: Cost of a cup of tea came in at 750yen and a cappuccino was 850yen.

31 December Shizuoka Daidogei, get your Zombie on! -circus arts festival

I know it’s a bit late for a shout out and this is a little away from the Numazu scene, but there is a big circus arts festival being held on the weekend of 31 October, and just so happens to be Halloween. It is a massive event with dozens of street performances running concurrently through the streets of Shizuoka.

The plan – This year our little community of expats in the Shizuoka area have decided to come as a Zombie horde. But we need your help to boost numbers and put our support behind the circus arts festival.

Fun and games start at 10am. All you need to do is come dressed as a zombie, or something else if that’s your day job, and wander the streets of Shizouka. We will be filming on the day so we can make a montage of the event and get it out there on Youtube. We will probably end up finishing things up by 3pm.

Daidogei circus arts perfomances are held everywhere on the north side of the Shizuoka station just grab a map from out side the station and have a rock good time.

I have also made a shout out to the Tokyo Improv Everywhere Groups to boost our numbers. Everyone is invited.

You can find out more information about Daidogei here:
www.daidogei.com/english/

I will see you there.

Cheers,

Yagisan Atode.

Impress you partner and make the earth move for them on the weekend.

Hey studs and beauties, do you think you can make the earth move for your special someone? Well I am about to give you a chance to let your lover know you can. The best part is that your beloved Numazu will be you wingman or woman for this.

Here is how:

On Saturday the 29 August at 9:30am, an earthquake alarm will sound in Numazu as part of their annual earthquake preparedness drill. Now if you are the lover we have heard you are, you may well be able to time things just right…to inform your partner about what you need to do in case of an earthquake and how best to prepare for it.

There will also be an early warning for the drill that will be broadcasted over the city speakers at 6:50am just to get you in the mood.  And then at 8:30am there will be a warning that the actual earthquake is coming (pun not intended, then revised, self congratulated and fully intended).

After you two love birds have spend the rest of the morning in each others arms under the sheets reading the earth quake preparedness manual to each other, another alarm will sound at 12:00 that all has ended and it is time to make some breakfast before a romantic afternoon shopping for earthquake supplies. Your lover will be so impressed that they will be telling all their friends about you.

Well done you Lotharios and minxes. I knew you could do it!

Scott.

You can find out more about the drill here. And here is the link for the Earthquake Disaster Prevention Guidebook.

Oh and here is a little something to get you in the mood.

Numazu Summer Festival – Numazu Natsu Matsuri

It’s festival season time again and the big event in July for Numazu is the Summer Festival (Natsu Matsuri). This massive event runs on the 25^th and  26^th of July. Festivals are generally seen as a socially accepted time for Japanese to let their hair down and cast their conservatism to the wind. The Numazu Summer Festival is no different in this regard.

Numazu’s south side comes alive with row after row and street after street of food and other festival stalls. Elaborate shrines shouldered by chanting locals wearing traditional garb and broad smiles. Just be careful not to look too enthusiastic or you might find yourself being drawn into help shoulder one of the shrines. Drums beat their tattoo up and down the street competing with dancing groups belting out songs and vendors selling their wares.

I also hear on good authority that many of our younger male foreigners like nothing more than to enjoy the sights of pretty women dressed in noble summer kimono’s (known as Yukatas), as they sip cool drinks from the comfort of a café.

Each night ends with a fireworks extravaganza along the crowded Kano River, where your free to walk under and around them to get the best view.

Check it out and catch a glimpse of the inner party animal inside every Japanese person and one of the biggest festivals in Numazu.

Directions: from the south side of the station wander aimlessly through the shoulder to should streets of stalls. If the stalls start to thin out turn around and head towards the music.

Magic India: Roots of Spice – Numazu

It is truly amazing what a friendly smile and a little bit of incense can do to alter your palette. I know that my taste buds were positively biased by the time I sat down at Magic India. No sooner had we walked into the second story Indian restaurant, in the middle of Numazu’s Nakamise, we were greeted by one of the cheery Indian cooks. The two other Indian cooks poked their heads out from the kitchen with another set of sincere smiles while the sweet perfume of Chandan incense and pungent spices from the kitchen curled their way into my nostrils. I was sold before I even sat down.

Our little group was seated by a window that afforded an excellent people watching spot of the Nakamise. The youngest of the cooks greeted us shyly in some words of English and waited patiently for our orders. I ordered the Chicken Masala with Naan bread dinner set for 980 yen (you can choose rice if you want too) and my wife ordered the smaller two curry dinner set, of mushroom and saag curry and butter chicken curry with Naan that set her back a mere 850yen.

As the rest of our group ordered it became evident that the cook’s level of Japanese was limited to restaurant lingo pleasantly interspersed with a few English words. For an expat like me with an equally limited grasp of Japanese, I felt quite at home and I wanted to make him feel as welcome serving us as he was making us feel. He was one of us.

Our meals arrived, trailing steamy vapors enriched with cinnamon and cardamom. Great wedge shaped Naan billowed over our plates as our table became obscured by food. Our conversations ceased, or were muffled, as we dove in.

I tore of a chunk of freshly baked naan and spooned curry onto it. The light, slightly chewy texture of the bread and the creamy curry made for a great combination. The curry was mild but full of flavour that was accentuated by fennel seed, its sourness subdued by the coconut milk.  The first bite of curry laden naan is the best. As you take your first chew through the bread you can feel and then taste the curry pour onto your tongue. The bread sustains the curry’s richness in your mouth longer for your pallet to interpret each nuance of spice. The tastes lingered in the mouth as kudos was dished out to our friend who suggested this eat.

Somewhere along the line one of our party suggested that the naan was so good that they had to order another. I was up for the challenge too and ordered a second naan. Although the cheese naan or the cheese and bacon option looked tempting I was thoroughly enjoy the simplicity of the original bread. This time round I asked one of the cooks if I could catch a glimpse of them baking it. They were more than happy to oblige.

Walking over to the open kitchen I noticed that the cooks were actually using a traditional Indian wood fired clay oven. No wonder the bread tasted so good.  One of the cooks was slapping away at a ball of dough until it made its traditional wedge shape before he palmed it onto the inside walls of the oven. Even before they put the lid back on the oven you could see air pockets starting to rise on the bread through the rippling heat emanating from the coals at the pit of the oven.

Was my opinion of my meal influenced and manipulated by warm smiles of the cooks, the burning incense and the clay oven? Of course it was. Though I imagine I would have had a great meal without these little sensory bonuses, I know that a meal is much more that what you consume. It is your attitude, the company, the aromas and the atmosphere that plays an equally important role in dinning. When the two come together, as they did for me at Magic India, you know you will be in for a treat.

Location: From the south exit of the Numazu Station follow the path right until you get to the entrance of the Nakamise. Head south down the Nakamise. Magic India is two blocks on your left.

Style: Indian

English menu: Some English on the menu.The rest is mostly in Katakana.

Picture menu: Yes some pictures for you to make your selection.

Gaijin Friendly: Sure is. Run and operated by real live Gaijin like you and me.

Phone: 055 962 8202

Hours: 11:00am-11pm

Cost: A dinner set will cost your between 850yen to 1000yen. Lunch comes in cheaper at between 700yen to 850yen. Most side orders start at 250yen.

Numazu Port Festival and Kaijinsai

Numazu’s Port Festival…what can I say…sometimes festivals begin to roll into one big blur of familiarity. The endless stalls of over priced snacks; the mobile shrines atop shoulders as they bounce down the street to the tin and drum of traditional musical instruments; this is the norm for festivals in Japan. I find that after some time this monotony either sends you off to a pub for a beer or sharpens your eye in order to find something new.

The Numazu Port Festival and Kaijinsai was bursting with the same old, same old. However it was also splitting at the seams with a little something else – Seafood. Well not in the sense that people perused stalls of rotting fish, swollen and ready to erupt their putrid juices. What I mean is that when you have a festival to celebrate fish and the folk who provide them then there is bound to be a little something different.

As I was thanking Mr Beret, my wife had already grabbed me by the arm and dragged me towards a craft stall. The idea of doing craft at a festival, or anywhere in public for that matter, used to send me into a cold sweat. I used to justify this with my indignation that these sorts of things were only for kids (kids who probably have their lunch money stolen from them at school). How demeaning and humiliating would it be for me to publicly show my ignorance with a bunch of kids who would no doubt upstage me at every step while we make something I don’t really want.

Meanwhile, my wife fearlessly jumps at these activities, elbowing children out of the way and launching herself at her task with delight and laughter. I timidly follow suit self conscious of the onlookers and my, often, short stature competition． However， I have learnt to go with it because most of the time these activities turn out to be fun. If it wasn’t for my wife I would not have dipped my toes back into my childhood and rediscovered these delights.

This time I was being taken towards some tables with a colourful array of seaweed, a blank post card and a small tub of water. According to our friendly Numazu Port Festival guide, we were about to embark on the not too ancient art of seaweed arranging. It was only the night before that I had watched an Anthony Bourdain No Reservations TV episode where he was in Japan and participating in the art of ikebana, Japanese flower arranging. I was primed and ready to make a masterpiece． I cut and carefully arranged different pieces of seaweed onto my postcard, imagining myself in Bourdain’s shoes, albeit a smellier and slimier Bourdain. When I had finished I looked around at my competition and I felt I could really kick all the other kids butts with my artistic endeavor. No only were they going to get their lunch money stolen but they were getting it handed to them in the craft stall too. Take that, small humans.

With a spring in my step I wandered through the stalls. Slow boiled salmon heads sat on their ends, their delicious cheek flesh tempting passers by. Octopus curled up and rusty red cresting boxes. Dried bonito was being shaved into smokey little flakes packed with flavour and waiting to be taken home and accompany a dish. Giant slabs of fresh tuna look ready to be sliced into and eaten raw off the bone. And then there was the Karaoke competition.

Right in the heart of fabulous seafood was a stage, atop which, was a man droning on while some other gentlemen decided if his was the best drone of the day. The karaoke competition didn’t make sense with the rest of the festival but that just made it all the more an amusing reprieve from the activities of the day.

A twin mast yacht was sailing into port with pirate flag flapping a challenge. Eager passengers were waiting by the dock to be swashbuckled by the silver bearded captain. Other displays were also taking place on the water in the port． One I did manage to glimpse was a sea rescue demonstration that was very efficient and realistic (well my Japanese is not good enough to confirm that this was just a demonstration, but there was a crowd of eager relaxed onlookers so I gather it was.)

In the new fish market sheds, my wife had found a new activity. This time the goal was to stick your hand through a hole in a wooden box and try and fish out as many mini sachets of bonito flakes as you can. From what I could see, old ladies had managed to grow an extra finger just to get another dozen sachets for their hundred yen. After my wife got her fist full of bonito she was already of to see how many fresh baby clams (we call them pippies) she could grab from the nearby stall. The problem of how we were going to get these home before they went bad was solved a little later with the thanks of the chef from the Fishmarket Taproom.

After watching the seal from the local marine centre finish it billionth lap of the day in its tiny portable wading pool, I managed to fight my way through the crowd gathered around the marine display.

Warning. What I am about to explain to you is going to be a little different to what we are used to in the West. If you have strong feelings about the animals of the sea and don’t thing you can get beyond this with an appreciation of cultural differences then it might be best for you to come back in on the next bold type.

The marine display was particularly amazing. Resting on a beach of icecubes was a display of every imaginable sea animal that you accidentally scooped up in your drag net the night before. Coming from Australia it is a little disturbing to see all these dead sea creatures on ice purely for your viewing pleasure. However, for Japanese, where the sea is the most important and accessible forms of protein for their country, this is a respectful and important display reminding them of the origin of their seafood.

From tuna to shark to deep sea crab to sea cucumber, everything is eaten and generally done so from top to tail. If you contrast this to Australia’s consumer diet of choice cuts and excessive food waste, then perhaps we should be the ones recalibrating where our moral high ground should lie.

The port festival was different. It was the seafood that made it so, though it was also something else. Traditionally seafood was the lifeblood of Numazu and continues to strongly influence the city. Perhaps, on some level, it is the respect that the locals have of this industry that made this festival different. Maybe it is because this festival celebrates something tangible. Something people can see, smell, touch and taste. Is it about an education that is blended into activities and performances. I’m not sure． I know I had a good time and I know I came out of the festival feeling a stronger connection with my adopted city. Come along next year and find out for yourself

Junes issue of City Hall’s  Numazu Newsletter has more details on the port area and its history. You can check it out here.

Speak EZ Numazu -”Spazz if you want to!”

The Aun Crew are back again at Speak EZ for another pumping good time. If you are after some good music, good company and great drinks then head down to Speak EZ this Saturday night. Spazz on! 

“Spazz if you want to!” on Saturday, June 6 at 9:00pm.

Event: Spazz if you want to!
      “Aun Crew Presents: Spazz if you want to! A monthly dance/ electronic music night at Speak EZ”
What: Club Party
Host: Traffikin Beatz
Start Time: Saturday, June 6 at 9:00pm
End Time: Sunday, June 7 at 5:00am
Where: Speak EZ

Numazu Fish Markets and the opening of the Numazu Minato Shinsenkan

I have to say that I was driven by the potential of freebies. I had never been to a shopping centre opening before so what better way but to cut my teeth and start small on an opening of a little shopping complex at the Numazu Fish markets called the Numazu Minato Shinsenkan.

It was the weather that set the mood for the day; pushy gusts of cold ambushing my wife and me on our bikes as we made our way to the fish market port. The static in the air charged the mind and triggered every kid in the vicinity to foam at the mouth and send their parents to an early grave.

Our arrival at the port was greeted by a group of Lucha Libre’s, Mexican wrestlers, plugging in guitars and keyboards and setting up drums. Of course, I didn’t immediately get their connection to the opening of the shopping centre until my wife pointed out that one of the masked men was wearing a mask that could be a loose depiction of Himono, a type of dried fish. Mind you, he could have also been wearing a giant squid on his head with two holes cut into it so he could see out.

It was around ten-thirty in the morning and the centre was starting to fill. We made our way into the shopping centre. The centre extended out in a straight line for about 100 meters. On either side of the main walk way ran café’s, restaurants, grocers, fish mongers (of course) and food stores featuring Numazu’s regional specialties. I could see all this easily from the entryway because of my six foot four height and the four foot nothing swarm of hunched over grannies filling up the walkway with wisps of grey and black.

My wife charged on into the foray as I hesitated. I have experienced the sheer power of Japanese grannies in the past. Most of these interactions have been during grocery shopping. They are surprisingly nimble and their short stature puts them under my radar as they squeeze their way in front in the check out. If I do however, manage to catch them before they push in, they resort to using their sharp deadly elbows that dig holes into my ribs startling me enough for them to get in front. All the while they tactfully act like sweet little grannies in complete ignorance to the cracked ribs they have just given me. These are the modern day ninja and their name is obaasan. Fear them.

Now I stood before a plague of obaasan’s, jostling each other for potential freebies and the best deals of the day. Was I stupid enough enter this frightening mass of predators? For you, dear reader, yes. No more than a few paces into the crowd I took and elbow to the ribs as I was jostled about from stall to stall making sure that every obaasan had a shot at me, all the while my wife danced and dodged the crowd. An ice cold chill ran down my spine as realization dawned, some day my wife will be an obaasan with frightening abilities.

As my ribs numbed to the jabs, I started to appreciate what was on offer in this shopping mall. The mall was a display of all the delicacies and local produce of Numazu. Each stall specialized in something. One store I was propelled towards sold a selection of dried seafood goods all packaged and ready to be sent on their way as gifts. Next to each type of packaging was little sample taster jars. I tried a number of dried seaweed and was surprised with their delicate nuances of flavour.  In another jar was tiny little fragments of dried fish which exploded with sardine and soy flavours under each crunch.

Further around the store I was greeted by a grinning obaasan, a sales woman this time, with an open jar shoved under my nose. It seems to be an universal phenomenon I have noticed during my travels. If you are in a foreign country and the locals can see you are a tourist, then expect their most foul tasting delicacy to be thrust into your face as a challenge. There is no way for you to really win in this predicament. The local has all the cards. If you decline the offering, then you have insulted their culture and they have won. If you taste the offering and spit it out, vomit or even show a hint of displeasure then you have insulted their culture, but at least you tried. The last option is the best for your ego but this time your stomach looses. This is what I have chosen to employ in these situations. It is simple; take the ‘food’ offering eat it while showing absolute delight and then help yourself to more. You have just earned cultural brownie points (of which you may need to eat said brownie as soon as you are out of site to take away the horrid taste) and possibly a new friend.

So without looking at the contents, and putting on a big smile, I took the food from the jar and chomped away, and away…and away, at the very crunchy, dried baby crabs covered in sesame seeds and tasting exactly the same way that aquarium fish food smelt when scattered over vomit. It took everything I had to reach in the jar for another, but I did, and that wiped the grin of the obaasan’s face. It seemed like she told the rest of her kind because I noticed far less jabs in the ribs for the remainder of my time in the shopping centre.

Traveling up the main aisle I came across a stall that specialized in wasabi, the sinus blasting florescent green mustard most commonly found as an accompaniment to sushi or sashimi. The Izu Peninsula is famous for growing top quality wasabi．This little shop was displaying more that its common paste form you see chugging on you local sushi train. Wasabi rice and prawn crackers were a spicy treat. Though, my favorite wasabi product was the oil. The oil was light on the palate and ended refreshingly well, in a similar way that a good quality extra virgin olive oil leaves your mouth clean and ready for more tastes.

Yet further along the shopping centre there was an interesting fish monger with squirming octopus, crab and crayfish. Each fish eye was brilliantly clear with freshness. Even the giant tuna head sitting on totem display for customers to appreciate looked a little curious as to where the remainder of its body went.

On the port facing side of the market ran half a dozen restaurants, taking advantage of the view of the port with its dramatic View-O tsunami gate in the distance.. A seafood broth was the purvey of one restaurant, while another offered sashimi. One café that caught my eye had cozy little spaces for couples to look out over port or even sit outside on a calmer day (it looks like my old gripe about the lack of balcony dining is going by the wayside). The restaurant’s accessibility to such fresh produce will tempt me back there for a tasting very soon

Finally to top off my tour of the Numazu Minato Shinsenkan, I was greeted by cheeky little characters wearing masks with the funniest expressions I have ever seen. Exaggerated smirks and grins beamed from their masks. Accompanying pelvic trusts and playful trickery heightened their display. Were these the dirty old men sent to frighten the obaasan’s out of the centre before they tore it apart? I never quite figured out the story behind the masked frivolity. But I certainly enjoyed it.

All in all, the opening at the Numazu Minato Shinsenkan was a great way to waste a couple of hours until lunch. While the shopping centre is unashamedly focused on the Japanese tourist market, it was really a great way to see what seasonal food offerings there are in the Numazu local area. Not to mention, the really great dining on the boardwalk running along the centre.

The Numazu Kaijinsai and Numazu Port Festival is going to be a big event for the Numazu Port area and is happening on the 23 May 2009. So take a trip down to explore, get festive, get cultured and wear your stretchy pants, the food is great. 

For more information check out the Numazu City Hall, April Newsletter, here.

Getting there: From the south side of the station continue to head south directly down the maim road for about a kilometer or so.  Check out the here for more details.