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The Authentic Sushi

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The Authentic Nigiri Sushi / photo Junanto

Sushi is one of the many reasons I love living in Japan. It is the most popular food here and its popularity has been growing throughout the world. While the sushi that people in the West and many Asian countries, like Indonesia know are quiet elaborate, with many establishments introducing fusion sushi rolls, heavily decorated and served with various sauces, traditional Japanese sushi is actually very simple.

First time gourmands would be surprised to find what real sushi in Japan is all about. It will not be the dragon rolls or california rolls; they will most likely be served the most popular kind of sushi in Japan, nigiri sushi, which is only a  cool, slimy slice of raw fis, placed on top of a bite-sized rice base.

Many foreigners come to Japan to enjoy this authentic sushi, from the fresh fish markets like Tsukiji in Tokyo, to many sushi restaurants that are scattered all over Japan. My immense love for sushi and my desire to try the best and freshest sushi in different places in Japan has taken me strolling around Tsukiji market, small fish market in Hokkaido, and even to the small town of Shimonoseki in Kyushu.

Sometimes I go to an old sushi bar in a narrow alley of Tokyo where there is no menu except for the kanji written on wooden blocks.  I have found out during my sushi travails that the most authentic sushi experiences are those in obscure little places such as this one.

History of sushi

Sushi as a traditional food has a history that dates back over a thousand of  years. However, sushi is believed to have originated in South East Asia as a way of preserving fish. The fresh, raw fish was pressed between a mixture of rice and salt over a period of several months. As the rice fermented, lactic acid was produced which pickled the fish and kept it from spoiling.

Traditionally, only the fish was eaten, and the rice was discarded until about the 15th century. In 1824, Yohei Hanaya started the practice of serving fresh raw slices of seafood on top of rice laced with vinegar at his food stall located in the popular Ryougoku district of Edo (present day Tokyo).

Most Popular Sushi

While salmon is the most popular kind of sushi in many countries, including Indonesia, it is not a special menu in Japan. Salmon sushi is only mildly popular in Japan, relatively same with other kinds of sushi such as mackerel, sea bass, and shrimp.

In Japan, tuna (maguro) is the national obsession. I used to try many kind of sushi whenever I go to sushi restaurant, just to find out the best kind of sushi. But after I found maguro sushi, my search was over. When I placed a piece of maguro sushi in my tongue, it melted in my mouth and the taste was so delicious. It is really the ultimate sushi eating experience.

In general, there are three tuna cuts used for sushi or sashimi.  The red part is the standard part called akami or just Maguro in Japanese. If I order Maguro,  the chef will serve me this red tuna part.

Next in the hierarchy of tuna cuts is called toro, which is the fatty part of tuna fish’s belly. There are two types of toro: oh-toro and chu-toro.  Oh-toro is the most fatty and expensive part of tuna.

In the middle of hierarchy, between akami and oh-toro, is the chu-toro, a less expensive part than oh-toro, but still tastes really good.

Which is better between chu-toro and oh-toro? It depends on one’s personal taste. I personally like oh-toro. It is the most melt-in-your-mouth part of tuna, without a doubt. But many of my friends, especially women, like chu-toro better because oh-toro is too oily for them.

Sushi Chef

A sushi chef with his blade / photo Junanto

Aside from the taste and texture of the best and freshest sushi, what I love and look for is the experience, which for me, lies in the hands of the sushi chef.  The process of preparing a sushi dish from the sea to the dining table is a complicated chain of events and the role of the sushi chef is very crucial.

Sushi, for the purists, is an art form. Traditional sushi chefs spend 10 years in training and 3 years before they serve a single piece of sushi. The first three years are spent learning how to select the fish. The next two years are dedicated to rice.

I always enjoy talking with the sushi chef while eating in a sushi bar.  If they are not busy, they usually tell me more about what fish I am eating, where it comes from, and many other amusing tidbits.  Most of the sushi master I have met in Japan were very kind and have treated me in a way that made me feel special. The attention they have given me makes me want to come back for more.

Sushi etiquette

Unknown to the most, there are some rules of etiquette when eating sushi. Nigiri sushi is traditionally eaten with the fingers, even in formal settings. But nowadays, many Japanese also use chopstick to eat nigiri sushi.

The usual condiment for sushi is soy sauce. Traditional etiquette suggests that the sushi is turned over so that only the topping is dipped. This is because the soy sauce is for flavoring the topping, not the rice, and because the rice would absorb too much soy sauce and would fall apart.

The sushi chef will add an appropriate amount of wasabi to the sushi while preparing it. If one doesn’t like wasabi, he can ask the chef not to put it with sushi. Etiquette also suggests eating the sushi as it is, since the chef is supposed to know the proper amount of wasabi to use. However, nowadays, wasabi is more a matter of personal taste, and even restaurants in Japan may serve wasabi on the side for customers to use at their discretion, even when there is wasabi already in the roll. The wasabi should not be mixed with the soy sauce, as this dulls the flavor of the wasabi.

However, in practice, many people, particularly foreigners, ignore traditional sushi-eating methods. It is common to see people mixing large amounts of wasabi into their soy dish and dunking the rice straight into it.

As for me, I use the etiquette as guide, especially when I go out with Japanese friends; after all, sushi is an art form of art. This is what the Japanese do so well, crafting raw fish and vinegar rice to greatness, bringing out its essence, and demonstrating that something so simple and pure is hontou ni oishii – very delicious.

PS. This article is published in Venture Magazine Indonesia, Jan/Feb 2012 Edition, page  68-69

Venture Magazine: Beyond Destination, Jan-Feb 2012

 

The Authentic Sushi Article, page 68-69

Beautiful Cherry Blossom in Tokyo

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Cherry blossom in Shinjuku Gyoen / photo Junanto

From the end of March to early May, sakura are blooming all over Japan.  In Tokyo, they usually bloom in the beginning of April. Every time sakura or cherry blossom come to Japan, the Japanese are celebrating a picnic, which they call Hanami. “Hana” means flower, and “Mi” comes from the word “Miru”, which means “to see”. Hanami means having an outdoor party to see the beauty of sakura during day or night time.

The tradition of Hanami emerged centuries ago. Many said it started during the Nara Period (710-784 BC) but it didn’t actually start in Japan. Hanami is said to have been influenced by the Chinese custom of enjoying flowers. Japan adopted this custom, but focused primarily on the short life of the blossoms and their beauty.

People at that time believed in the existence of gods inside the sakura trees and started laying offerings at the base of the trees. Afterwards, they partook of the offering, along with sake or Japanese rice wine. Emperor Saga of the Heian Period adopted this practice, and held flower-viewing parties with sake and  feast underneath  the blossoming sakura trees. Originally, Hanami was limited to the elite of the Imperial Court in Kyoto, but soon spread to samurai society and by the Edo Period, to the common people as well. Since then, the Japanese people continued on with the tradition.

Due to the importance of Hanami to the Japanese, each year the Weather Bureau of Japan announces the blossom forecast, which they call, sakurazensen. This forecast is carefully monitored by those planning to conduct Hanami rituals, as the blossom only last a week or two. Since the window was very short, and there was always the risk of the celebration being held on a windy or rainy day, people really make the most of the cherry blossoms in order to observe Hanami.

Tokyo has many fantastic places ensconced in cherry blossom trees including castles, temples, shrines (Shinto temple), and formal gardens. Among the more popular places are Ueno park, Shinjuku Gyoen, Imperial Palace, Asakasa Sacas, Roppongi Hill, Meguro river, and Aoyama Cemetary.

Early in the morning, I took my first walk to Ueno Park, one of the biggest public park in Tokyo. To enter and do Hanami in Ueno park is free, thus, the park is crowded with people wanting to do Hanami ceremonies. Companies organize trips for employees and their family member usually claim spots by arriving very early in the morning and sitting all day long until the real celebration begin in the evening. It is not uncommon for men in business suits to sit and wait under sakura trees early in the morning to reserve spaces for his colleagues in the company. Often, it is the new employee who is given this arduous task of sitting all day long.

Hanami in Ueno Park / photo Junanto

I always find it difficult to find a free spot at Ueno Park during cherry blossom season. There are more than a thousand sakura trees in Ueno Park, lining up along the street leading to the National Museum and around Shinobazu Pond. This makes Ueno Park a perfect spot for viewing and makes for memorable pictures of the blooming cherry blossoms. I move and sway along with the crowd of Ueno Park and feel the cheerfulness spreading all over the place.

From Ueno park, I went to my favorite spot to view cherry blossoms, Shinjuku Gyoen or Shinjuku Park. It is a Western and Japanese style garden which also features more than a thousand sakura trees of different varieties. I took a train directly from Ueno Station to Shinjuku Station, a trip that usually takes about 30 minutes. To enter Shinjuku Gyoen, people pay 300 yen per person. Not an expensive amount, but could limit enough the number of people who enter the park.

The crowd in Shinjuku Gyoen is less than Ueno Park. I could easily  find a spot under a sakura tree. There are spacious lawn areas, and the atmosphere is calm and peaceful. I took my friend and family to Shinjuku gyoen for Hanami. We spread plastic mats under our chosen sakura tree and brought out our food and drinks. All around us, kids were laughing and running along. Sometimes they tried to catch the sakura flower buds that were floating gently in the air, before they fall to the ground.

Another favorite spot for me to view cherry blossoms in Tokyo is along the Meguro River. I usually go to Meguro River early in the evening and stay there later into the night. Cherry blossom trees line the Meguro riverside so when the flowers are in bloom, limbs heavy with flowers dangle over banks of the river. I enjoy the glittering shadow of cherry blossoms that comes from the spotlight along the river, and their reflections on the surface of the water. When I see the fallen flower buds flow with the river current, I could feel serenity grow inside my soul.

In 1912, Japan gave 3,000 sakura trees as a gift to the United States to celebrate the friendship between two nations. So today, you can also see the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC. The sakura trees has also become a popular tourist attraction in Washington, DC, when they reach full bloom in early spring. Thus, during this time, Americans also celebrate the Annual National Cherry Blossom Festival.

The beauty of cherry blossoms always reminds me of the meaning of a gifted life. Cherry blossoms look beautiful, but only last for a very short time. Sometimes we take for granted what we have in life, because we think we will have them every day – our family, our health, or our jobs. Cherry blossoms remind us that we should always thank God for the precious moments we have been given and the beauty of life that He gives us every day.

That night my daughter asked me to sing a Japanese traditional song before she went to bed: Sakura/sakura/noyamamo satomo/miwatasu kagiri/kasumi-ka kumo-ka/asahi-ni ni ou/sakura-sakura/hanazakari. (Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms.  On mountains, in villages.  As far as you can see. They look like fog or clouds. They are fragrant in the morning sun.  Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms. In full bloom).

The beautiful imagery must have lulled her to a peaceful and dreamy sleep, for I have left her with a half smile blooming in her face, her pink cupid lips like a beautiful cherry blossom greeting the spring sun.

PS. This article is also published in Venture Magazine, Indonesia, June 2011

Cherry blossom in Tokyo