Ramen lunch, at a kick ass local ramen shop. I'd been before, but Sandy hadn't.
"Horaiken" ramen. I totally forgot to take a pic of the cool wood tables and stools.
Ramen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"Tonkotsu ('pork bone') ramen has usually a cloudy white colored broth. It is similar to the Chinese baitang (白湯) and is a thick broth made by boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen over high heat for hours on end, suffusing the broth with a hearty pork flavor and a creamy consistency that rivals milk or melted butter or gravy (depending on the shop). Most shops, but not all, blend this pork broth with a small amount of chicken and vegetable stock and/or soy sauce. Currently the latest trend in tonkotsu toppings is māyu (マー油/麻油), a blackish, aromatic oil made from either charred crushed garlic or Sesame seeds. The noodles are thin and straight. It is a specialty of Kyūshū and is often served with beni shoga (pickled ginger)."
Tonkotsu ramen with a thick, flavorful broth rocks in the winter.
Happiness is a warm bowl of soup.
Another satisfied customer.
Then on the train into the city.
One of my Jr High student's fathers was performing in a Noh play in the city, near Ohori Koen, and since Sandy had wanted to go to a Noh play this time around in Japan, we went and partook of the culture.
Sandy deciphering the program.
Noh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"Noh (能, Nō?), or Nōgaku (能楽, Nōgaku?) is a major form of classic Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Together with the closely-related kyōgen farce, it evolved from various popular, folk and aristocratic art forms, including Dengaku, Shirabyoshi, and Gagaku. Although Noh has been slow and stylised for several centuries, its roots can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty's Nuo, (傩, 戏), Sarugaku (derived from "Wu musical" traditions in various Chinese dynasties), and folk theatricals.
Kan'ami and his son Zeami brought Noh to its present-day form during the Muromachi period under the patronage of the powerful Ashikaga clan. It would later influence other dramatic forms such as Kabuki and Butoh. During the Meiji era, although its governmental patronage was lost, Noh and Kyōgen received official recognition as two of the three national forms of drama.
By tradition, Noh actors and musicians never rehearse for performances together. Instead, each actor, musician, and choral chanter practices his or her fundamental movements, songs, and dances independently or under the tutelage of a senior member of the school. Thus, the tempo of a given performance is not set by any single performer but established by the interactions of all the performers together. In this way, Noh exemplifies the traditional Japanese aesthetic of transience, called by Sen no Rikyu "ichi-go ichi-e".
It was an interesting cultural experience, but I don't know that I'd make a habit of it. It was rather long - 3 and a half hours - and was a bit, well, strained, in some parts. It certainly did exemplify the Japanese cultural tendency to emphasize form and precision [to the exclusion, imho, of authentic emotional engagement.] But it may be that I was just too dumb or unsophisticated to understand everything that was going on. Certainly not a stretch. Overall though, it was a really interesting. Glad we went.
Sandy, post Noh, at Ohori koen [park.]
And to wrap up our authentic Japanese day, kaiten-zushi! [Conveyor belt sushi.] God bless Japan. Because kaiten-zushi is awesome.
Toro [fatty tuna.] You know you want some. It was goooooood.
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