Basho, The Knapsack Journal, 1709, translated by Sam Hamill

We teased in a recent haiku recipe our trip to Japan, which we will cover in a series of posts here. As always, we look to our global travels as a exploration of cuisine to reflect upon our own cuisine here in the Great Lakes region. In the journey, we understand home.

This journey starts with five days in Tokyo, capital of Japan, the most populous city in the world.

Flight to Haneda,
Longer than expectation,
Two babies crying.

Flying, slept poorly,
Served mostly pastries with cheese…
So eager for Tokyo!

Met our driver there,
Then tunnels under Tokyo.
Oh, Kabukicho!

Tiny, tiny room
Big, busy Kabukicho
Aah, and Godzilla!

Lost in lights and sounds,
Found Omoide alleyways
Veggie fried rice, cold beer!!

Next morning, crow calls,
In Kabukicho forest,
Only four hours sleep.

The next morning, day two starts with coffee and green tea:

The instant green tea,
Cooling on a hotel window,
Welcomes the sunrise.

Shadowed Buddha waits,
Arriving from autumn sunlight,
At Tokyo Museum.

The length of Japanese history astounds. Consider this piece of culinary history –

Believed to be a cooking vessel used by an ancient Japanese hunter-gathered society, today called the Middle Jomon period. It’s been dated to at least 2,000 years BC. The ornate decoration remains one of the great mysteries in Japanese archeology. I’m guessing, seafood stew! As an island nation, seafood permeates all Japanese cuisine.

Okyokan tea house,
Matcha cake and green tea.
Ah! Sweet potato!

In the train station,
Under the crowded streets,
Dumplings, white soy ramen.

Powering this teaming metropolis, a system of public transportation amongst the most efficient I have ever witnessed. Moving millions of people each day, on time, without incident in clean, electric subways. Some reliably excellent food can be found in the massive food courts connecting the subway lines. Jiro Ono served sushi at Ginza station, earning three Michelin stars (see the film – Jiro Dreams of Sushi). We had several meals beneath the streets.

Past the karaoke,
In Kabukicho Tower,
Wine, Fuji whiskey.

Awake, Four AM.
My pillow is Mt. Fuji
With hotel wall skies.

On day three we’re headed out to the neighborhood of Kawagoe (once known as Edo’s Kitchen, Edo being the former name of Tokyo) and famous for their sweet potatoes. As it is fall, chestnuts are being featured on menus throughout the city. Notable how an entire country shifts their cuisine seasonally.

Day three, chestnut quest;
Kawagoe express train
Distant mountains.

At Shinto temples
Walking on stones for good health,
Honoring the fox.

In “Edo’s Kitchen”,
Up the winding stairs,
Udon, tempura, and eel.
Ah, the egg custard!

Idea: Egg custard
Silky-smooth, savory flavors
Steam duck egg custard
Morel broth, whitefish
Ramp leaf

*Japanese cuisine uses pickled foods to great effect, highlighting the warmth of simpler starches like rice and udon noodles. How can we incorporate more of that approach in Great Lakes Cuisine, “dots” of flavor?

**Also, every fish fry would benefit from the incredibly light, crisp tempura batter.

***And the Imperial Sweet Potato Amber from Coedo Brewing was a masterpiece of balance. A hint of the deeper roasted elements of sweet potato but balanced so beautifully with the bittering hint of hops. Why doesn’t someone do a butternut squash amber? Nevermind, someone has already.

Finally chestnuts,
Tiny muffins and cookies,
At Kameya Sweets!

Little Edo’s own,
For a tasty “pick-me-up”,
Matcha latte iced.

On day four, we headed to Tsukiji market, the former location of the fish auctions in Tokyo, which has now relocated out to Toyosu due to tourist crowds. Still, a vibrant market thrives at Tsukiji:

Music starts, the crows leave,
Slept in the Sleepless City!
Now, the Fish Market.

Tsukiji beacons,
Crowd-filled streets, go inside!
Sushi! Oh, Sushi!

And matsutake,
Treasure of the red pines,
Traveled many miles.

And katsuobushi,
By the tote, shaved and ready,
My dashi awaits!

After our Tsukiji Market lunch of sashimi and a canned whiskey highball, we head over to Basho Memorial Hall, built on the reported grounds of Basho’s hermit hut he called Basho-an, translated as Cottage of the Plantain Tree. They have a nice walkway along the river there, and I wrote:

Timeless Sumida,
Rolling past banana trees,
Old men shuffle by.

That night we ended our day at an Oktoberfest celebration being hosted in Tokyo, complete with all the usual German beers, sausages, pretzels. A German band played ABBA and “YMCA” as the locals danced and sang along. The next morning, I wrote:

Under the harvest moon,
Oktoberfest, OMG
I can’t even begin.

The cucumbers in the above picture are the Japanese version of salt-cured pickles – delicious, but decidedly different than our standard dill pickle. They were available everywhere. And widely consumed.

It was surreal. I have attended the Oktoberfest held in Milwaukee, which has run for over 60 years. Perhaps someone from Germany would find our Great Lakes celebration just as surreal, a strange translation of a tradition. But watching young Japanese women dressed in some pastel vision of traditional German dress sing along to “YMCA” played by a German band… just wild.

We awake to day five in Tokyo with plans to stop at a museum, the Meiji shrine, and eat a couple of iconic Japanese dishes:

Hiroshige Blues –
Shading oceans, moonlit nights
At Ota Museum.

Massive Meiji gates,
Impressive, but not more than
The empress’s orchids!

Oh, Harajuku,
Fashion, folly, and fun,
Ippuda ramen.

To Teppan Baby
For Okonomiyaki.
Oh yeah, Baby Sauce!

Okonomiyaki is a cabbage “pancake”, somewhat similar to a Korean pancake. Here is a pretty good run-down of the ingredients, techniques, and possible substitutes. The okonomiyaki sauce is worth re-creating in a Great Lakes version at some point. Worth trying on a cabbage pancake adapted to Great Lakes.

Finding Bar Livet.
Of the founder’s whiskey bottles –
Karuizawa!