Blizzardboy | A Kiwi in Japan

With the rising crime rates in Japan we have been forced to implement a higher security level and as a result have beefed up the security presence around our house. With frogs. It is unfortunate that we have been forced to take such actions, and while we regret having done so, terrorist threats from unidentified foreign parties which may or may not eventuate, must at all costs be met with force completely disparate to said threat. And the frogs are damn cute.

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One of the big changes in New Zealand over the last twenty or thirty years has been the increasing diversity in restaurants and eating and drinking choices in general. I remember interviewing Mike Moore (this guy, not this Mike Moore) when I was living in Wellington and hearing how when he first moved to Wellington as a young politician, Wellington had a grand total of two restaurants that served wine.

Today in New Zealand there is a huge variety of food as well as wine and alcohol available, and indeed some of the worlds greatest wines are produced in the land of the long white cloud. Immigration has played a large part in this, as have the significant number of refugees that New Zealand opens its’ doors to. So from the standard Italian and Indian fare to Malaysian and Somali restaurants, through to my favourite - Lebanese - New Zealand offers some great gastronomic experiences. I heard a news report recently that Maori cooking is undergoing a resurgence - a delight I am yet to explore.

Lebanese food has always been a favourite - and I must admit to being a died in the wool, one-eyed humus and felafel fan. So when I read about the existance of an Iranian restaurant in the Tsukuba / Tsuchiura area I was over the moon. And then some.

They have felafel on the menu, and it is really, really delicious. When it is available. We have been there 4 times now and Ali’s Kebab’s has a batting average of .250. Having been there with a couple of meat eaters (yes, they do still exist) the carnivore options are varied and apparently delicious. We always seem to end up having pizza when we go there. Old school Japanese pizza. And if you have been in Japan for a while then you will know what I mean by that. I know the main target market for the restaurant are Japanese people, more specifically Ibaraki citizens, and that is why the chili sauce is about as hot as my jokes, and why MTV seems to be incessantly blaring from the very nice flat screen TV they have installed on one wall.

That aside Ali’s Kebab is a nice place to visit, with great, friendly service and I would highly recommend it, especially if you are, or have Muslim friends to entertain as the restaurant serves حلال (halal) food (yes, they do serve alcohol, but this place is about as one gets in Japan).

If you want directions here is a map (in Japanese unfortunately) which is one page on Ali’s Kebabs website.

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It is often said that there is no such thing as a free lunch but, we have been lucky enough to discover an endless and renewable source of free beer. Well, at least 3 free beers. But that is plenty for this camper!

Asahi Breweries is one of the major brewers of beer in Japan, and they have breweries scattered throughout these islands. We visited the brewery in Moriya in the south of Ibaraki Prefecture, on the border with Chiba Prefecture a couple of Sundays ago. Being a Sunday the brewery was not operating, but there were a large number of people taking part in the tour.

Interestingly there was a support group for mentally handicapped families (is that the correct term? I have been away from New Zealand for a long time and have lost track of what the current politically correct phraseology is) with about 30 members taking part. Initially we were a little concerned that they were going to take part in the beer tasting, but as it turned out, only the parents were to take a tipple as a well earned respite from their arduous looking responsibilities. I had a chat with one of the parents and she explained that their children had all attended the same school in Tokyo, and that they went out most weekends on various activities with their kids. Their children ranged from 13 to a couple in their 40’s so I think they certainly deserved some of the frothy golden goodness.

The tour lasted about half an hour, with a video being shown first off in the factory’s auditorium, followed by a guided walk through the complex and finishing up 60 meters in the air at a beer garden in the sky with amazing views of the surrounding countryside. I sampled some great Asahi Super Dry, as well as some Lowenbrau which they were showcasing - not really my cup of tea. I was tempted to ask for Speights, but having only had a couple managed to keep such patriotic instincts under check. And besides it was a long way down if they were to throw us out.

The factory has a nice collection of paintings scattered around its confines.

You can visit the factory year round - except for around new years and on some holidays set by Asahi. You do need to book - which you can do by calling 0297-45-7335 or by fax (does anyone still use fax?) on 0297-45-7761. I am assuming they can handle enquiries in English.

There is parking, and all the orange juice your poor hapless driver can drink on site, but the best option for getting there is a combination of rail and company bus. From Tokyo take the Tsukuba Express to Moriya Station (about 40 minutes), from the central exit of the station there are free buses to the factory leaving twice hourly from 9:10 am through to 14:40 (every hour at 10 mins and 40 mins). They also have buses from the east exit of JR Moriya. There is information available in Japanese.

E-Ibaraki Report has a short report on a visit here: Asahi Beer Brewery and tour

Being free and all, a trip to the Asahi Brewery in Ibaraki is highly recommended. Just remember not to drink and drive!

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Tsukuba is blessed with a wide range of things to do and one such point of interest are the Botanical Gardens run by the National Science Museum on Higashi Odori.

Opened in 1983, the Botanical Gardens provide an ideal destination for an afternoon out with the family. A large range of diverse flora are on display in this facility spread over a 14 hectare area. We visited there a couple of weeks ago, but spring is really the best time to visit with some stunningly beautiful flowers to see. Autumn though is not without its own niceties. The following picture shows Chrysanthemum nipponicum which blooms during October.

There are both indoor and outdoor gardens, ranging from tropical planets through to desert cactii, montane grassland as well as marshland plants.

The gardens are opposite Tsukuba University and a link to a map on google maps is here: Tsukuba Botanical Gardens. It is possible to visit from Tokyo - take the Tsukuba Express from Akihabara to the final stop (about 45 minutes) then take the Kanto Tetsudo Bus from Tsukaba Center to Tsukuba Techno-Park Oho (about 5 minutes) and get off at the bus stop of the Tsukuba Botanical Garden.

There is an english website here with more information about the plants and activities of the botanical gardens.

Entrance is 300 yen for adults and university students and free for rugrats and other students. The gardens are closed Mondays except for public holidays (much the same as the Tsukuba Public Library).

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Last night we went to the Karakasa Festival, a local festival which was held up the hill from where we live. It was an interesting evening, with fireworks and some dances performed a-la Milli Vanilla by old ladies in kimonos to traditional songs.

I had a look on Wikipedia for information about the Karakasa Festival. What I found wasn’t specifically related to the festival, but interesting nonetheless:

Karakasa (唐傘, Karakasa - “Chinese umbrella”), or Kasa Obake, are a type of Tsukumogami, a form of Japanese Spirit that originate from objects reaching their 100th year of existence, thus becoming animate. Karakasa in particular are Spirits of Parasols (umbrellas) that reach the century milestone. They are typically portrayed with one eye, a long tongue protruding from an open mouth, and a single foot, generally wearing a geta.

There were fireworks, beautiful fireworks, and the most famous of the fireworks was what looked like a cross between a catherine wheel and a may pole. This was several meters tall and a number of photographers had gathered hours before it was scheduled to be let off with their tripods lined up much as at a rugby match.

It was a nice festival for there weren’t that many people, but there were all the normal stalls selling things like octopus balls, goldfish scooping stands, chocolate coated bananas and candy floss. And it was certainly hot - even in the evening in the low 30’s, so it really felt like Japanese summer. There were quite a few police in attendance - probably a heightened terror alert to combat the old ladies who had one too many glasses of wine after dinner.

There was a big thunder storm earlier in the evening, and it seemed like there was a conversation going on between the thunder and the fireworks. And we had a little earthquake during the night (and another smaller one this morning). Not as bad as the quake near Lima this morning though.

37 degrees today here, so we wont be going far. I am not a big fan of air conditioning, but in this heat I wouldn’t be without it. One feels so sorry for the poor salarymen in Tokyo who have to stagger around under tie and jacket!

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