Ghibli, Gold Ice Cream, Anime & Manga, Cherry Blossoms, Ramen | Ultimate Japan Travel Podcast
And then they told me that was boiled octopus and I was like oh good lord interesting ice creams with gold foiling and you know the geishas in training are called mo like really living in a premium resort. And then in Hiroshima I visited the A bomb dome time I had to request the station master for help and their washroom you know had all like gold leaf tiles. The storm has knocked everything to the ground. The famous orange tory gates that was made popular by memorial of a regisha the nuclear attack. Masha flavored mochi. You can’t just walk into these geisha homes. Karaoke also was born in Japan. Roshima has these special manhole covers. You get to go under a swimming pool at every on every floor. They were making different kinds of that omelette. They had to keep all their weapons outside. Anime manga. People sleeping while standing upright. Jaw almost dropped. A little like this, little like that. It it changes expression behind closed doors in pashinko uh you know pashenos and karaoke in Japan I broke the souls of one pair of shoes. I used to love dorm. You know the leeches might be attracted. So studio Ghibli store and they had the cutest merchandise. It’s going to give you the shock of your life. There are these uh three gentlemen who are wearing white overalls in the pop-up ramen stores in Delhi and suddenly I find myself here sitting in one booth. They’re sitting there in the darkness and you know sipping tea. Pokemon store which was a big deal. In fact, Japan’s history is full of violence guy. So friends, today we are joined by a special guest whose journey with Japan spans years of immersive experience in deep cultural connections. She first traveled to Japan as an exchange student. Now as a magazine editor and a podcaster herself, she continues to explore Japanese culture with a keen, thoughtful eye. In this conversation, she shares her personal stories of what it truly means to be in Japan. So, welcome Hideo and um after reviving my podcast, you’re the first guest. Thank you for coming and thank you for inviting me. So, we have known each other for a long time, 10 years. And uh yeah, so today’s uh podcast is on uh Japan. Japan. One of my favorite topics. Wow. And you have been to Japan. I guess more than once, maybe two or three times. And I’ve lived there for half a year. So, uh yes, I’m quite familiar with life in Japan. Wow. What all places have you been to in Japan? All right. Uh the first time I visited Japan, I was staying in Osaka. It was a study abroad program for like 4 months. So um I was with a host family in Osaka, Hakatashi to be precise. And while I was in Osaka, I also visited N. That’s the place where you have many Buddhist temples. You have the deer, you know, the the pictures that you see in Japan. Very friendly deer. So that’s Yes. And that is also the place where you have the famous orange tory gates that was made popular by memorials of ages. A little through the orange gates. So I went there. I climbed all the way up. Wow. To the little frog fox shrine at the top. And then it was raining when we came down. There were five of us foreigners and we were like skidding down the stairs because it was so slippery and some of us needed to use the washroom and there were no washrooms there, you know, like a mad rush to come down and um so that was Osaka. Then I made a short visit to Hiroshima and I made a fleeting visit to Tokyo and uh where else did I visit? Yeah. Yeah. Oh yes. The favorite place uh that I have in Japan is Kanoava in Ishikawa Prefecture. And uh so one second we’ll go back to um N. Now um I know you like Japanese food a lot. Oh yes. And N is famous for moji which is now being made in India also. It’s a delicacy in India as well. Tell me something about mochi. Okay. So mochi, you know, the first thing that comes to mind is that I bought two packets of uh matcha flavored mochi for my for my colleagues uh back in the day it was a different job and I got them for my colleagues and one of them really appreciated uh the mochi and the other told me well we put it in our fridge and then we forgot about it. The flavor wasn’t really. So the thing is that because Japanese food is so hard to come by, uh my strongest memories of Japanese food are these moments that were like quite heartbreaking. Uh there was this candy that I really liked and I think it was by the candy company Miji. Uh they’re really famous there. And I don’t really remember the name of it, but it’s got like three layers. It looks like a little hamburger. And my favorite was a grape flavor. So I got that also back. And I was in the US. I was studying there, right? So, I got this candy back and my friend was like, “Hey, let me try it.” So, I give her one and she just like spat it out saying the flavor’s not for me. So, yeah. I mean, emoji isn’t the thing that I had the most in Japan, but I liked it well enough to bring it back as souvenirs and they melt very easily, so you have to be very careful. You’re transporting them and you know, Japanese food is really for those who experiment with different cuisine and um there is a lot to experiment with, lot Japanese seafood is very famous. They love to food. Yeah. And on my last day in Tokyo when I was about to leave, um my friends called me over to their home and they had this little bowl with these little like purple white pieces of something that was seafood and I was like, “What’s this?” I said, “Well, try it.” And I did and it was delicious, right? So, I cleaned out the whole bowl. And then they told me that was boiled octopus. And I was like, “Oh, Lord.” Oh my god. Being a vegetarian I can’t imagine that you had well I was vegetarian for 18 years of my life and I forced my parents to also be vegetarian. So um yeah I I do know where you’re coming from but you know if you’re experimental you try different things and you find different loves. So how was the experience in Kanava? It was completely different from the experience in Osaka. uh particularly because Kanuzava to me was like the countryside but like a very landscaped beautiful countryside like an upscale countryside because uh Kanuzava is famous for its Kenuku and gardens and uh I heard about them about them years old beautiful landscaping and you know it’s got something for every season and very fortunately my host parents were the fourth generation owners of these hundreds of years old tea garden So right in my backyard was this hundreds of years old tea garden right and where my host mom used to hold tea ceremonies. So um Okay. Like really living in a premium resort and you get to be part owner. I mean they really made me feel like it was my home as well. So uh yes I the one thing that is similar for me in Osaka and Kanazawa was that I walked a lot. I was like constantly hiking going here and there to explore things and I continued doing that in Ishikava. In fact, for four or five hours every day after my language lessons, that’s what I was doing. Exploring museums. Uh, you know, there many many museums there and the landscape. So, um, yeah, gorgeous place. I’ve heard that uh they give lot of sweets and savories with um goldberg on it. Yes. So Kanazava accounts for around 90% or more of the gold leaf the sweets and savories and the artifacts that they make for whole of Japan and that’s why I said it’s like an upscale countryside and on one of my tres around the city which by the way I was doing without a map. I think that’s the best way to explore Japan like just very adventurous huh? Yeah but that that is Japan you know you take a map Japan is very safe. Yes. as well quite safe and um so then I chanced upon this shop where the people were actually making the gold leaf uh souvenirs and their washroom you know had all like gold leaf tiles. Can you imagine doing all that in today’s with today’s gold prices and the gold leaf they make is paper thin. No. So I saw them very meticulously putting it on their little fans and you know their bowls and the artwork. It was um it was really something. It was amazing. Wow. Isn’t it? Um both Kanazaba and N are also famous for their um gisha sports. Yes, they are. And while I was now I don’t know if this was Osaka or Nishas in training are called Mo. They’re the younger younger girls. So I remember walking around that Osaka Nara area and suddenly I hear big commotion and I’m hearing manosan you know excited voices and I turn around and I see that there is this van that’s come and I only see the back of her head right and I know it’s a mo because she’s got her hair done up and everything and she’s surrounded by people and you know it’s it’s as if like a celebrity has a lighter and I couldn’t get a peacon but it felt so surreal that you know this like very beautiful looking person who so otherworldly is walking the same street that I am. No, their attire, their makeup, everything is really pre and proper at the same time really. Yes. I’ve only seen them in movies. Yes. It was a absolutely surreal experience to see them in person because like you I had also only seen them in movies. Yes. And in fact in Ishikawa there is a place now I don’t remember what it’s called but uh you know when you walk there it’s got lot of this old architecture like oldtime houses and you can you can hear the geisha and the mo playing the shami ting ting ting you know that stringed instrument and you can’t just walk into these geisha homes you know like you need to um these are very prestigious places so I take an appointment yes and appointments are also not for everybody as from what I understand. So I would just walk there and hear them play the shamisan and feel it’s like I’ve been transported to another world. Sorry, what’s it name? Kendra Kuen. Kendra. Yes. And so what’s so special about it? Why is it so famous? I think um what’s special about it as I mentioned is that there’s something in it for every season. So the garden’s never barren, right? That’s one. The other is the astounding variety of floral plants and the landscaping. No. Right. And it’s like you are walking in into a fairy land. You know, they’ve got these winding parts, they’ve got these pebble parts, then they’ve got little streams. And uh you know, if you’ve seen anything of Japanese landscaping, you will see that it has a very traditional yet very magical, whimsical feel to it. So precise about and so particular about everything. Yes. Yes. And in one of the museums, I’m sorry, in one of the museums in Japan, I saw they also have hotring. If you’re tired of Yeah, very interesting. If you’re tired of walking and it’s a huge museum into it, you just dip your feet in a hot spring. Amazing. Yes, the Japanese so creative. And uh you know, this reminds me of this one museum, the Museum of Modern Art I visited in Ishikava. And you get to go under a swimming pool. I mean, it’s made like a swimming pool. So the people on the surface can see there’s someone under the water and you can see like surprisingly the people of Kanazawa didn’t find it that much of a novelty because you know it was always there. But for me it was a real amazing experience. I took pictures under the water. I took pictures over the water. I mean this is something of novelty. We don’t see something like that. Absolutely. Yes. Right. Okay. And you know uh when we talk about gold leaf production, I was very surprised when I found on the internet that they also selling cosmetics with gold in it and okay that may be uh so but then even their ice creams you know such interesting ice creams with gold foiling and everything. So I was like wow you know here people can’t in other countries you know they would think twice to buy gold and they selling you know gold on top of everything like wow only Japan can do it. Yes I really like the thoughtfulness with which uh products are made uh in Japan and though I never had the gold leaf ice cream I was a student on a budget of course. Okay, I did try out uh you know I I love experimenting as I said so I within my budget whatever I could experiment with in terms of food I did and an interesting thing about their ice creams is that they have vending machines for them. So you put in a few coins and then you get like whole cones coming out and you get to decide what flavor they’re going to be. So um it’s done very conveniently and it’s really like you’re living in an anime, right? Everything happens at the touch of a button. every Japan has so many so many UNESCO World Heritage sites and um have you been to any you’ve had a chance to visit? I have. Yes. Um I I can’t recall their names but in Osaka many of the temples I visited um or some of them definitely were UNESCO sites. And then in Hiroshima I visited the Aomb Dome which uh yes I I’m not sure if it’s a UNESCO site but it’s definitely something. I mean you know it it has a certification but otherwise it’s very significant. I mean the world knows about it and the thing is that even if you don’t know anything about Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki is something that everyone knows about. Yes. Unfortunate what what happened there. But uh as a city I think it’s really put that behind them now. as a city. Um, yes, very advanced, very well organized and Hiroshima has these special manhole covers and I believe quite a few cities in Japan have them and uh, you know, so Hiroshima were particularly pretty. I remember taking pictures of them and my friends and I were all very fascinated again you know that attention to detail the meticulousness with which they do everything there and uh if I remember correctly Hiroshima is also known for a very famous type of omelette uh and uh there is a place near the a dome where we went in the evening and u it was like a towered structure and uh at every on every floor they were making different kinds of that omelette. I think it’s called okonomiyaki. You know, it’s it’s very thick and they use it’s kind of a pancake, isn’t it? Yes. It’s it’s with noodles and all in it. Yes. Yes. Yes. A trip to Hiroshima was like we took a bullet train uh from Hakata and uh it was it was a short trip and nothing really prepares you for it. You know, you think that you are prepared but you are not when you actually go and see the exhibit. Um unfortunately we get didn’t get a chance to hear a survivor speak but um just seeing the exhibits and especially for me um like because I work on a children’s journal it was um really hard-hitting for me to see the watch the video where they had artwork done by the children of Hiroshima and you know how they drew their memories um of the nuclear attack. It’s I I think it’s a place everybody should visit. when we are in Japan sometimes we forget that it’s um had a very tragic past but I think it’s important if you want to honor our visit to Japan if you want to honor the country um we must also explore this side of it yes of course I think Hiroshima is a must visit for anyone who’s visiting Japan of course and u so now we’re talking about traveling uh between various cities in Japan so uh you usually take public transport like trains and all. Oh yes, because the cabs are very fancy, very expensive. I mean you they’re shop for nice gloves to drive and black suits. So you can imagine just how expensive they are going to be. So I took a cab ride just once and that was sponsored by the university I was at because I was switching from host family to the residence hall, you know, I didn’t get to experience it for like 10 15 minutes. It was a short drive but mostly trains. Yes. Right. Are there any etiquets to follow when you’re in Japan? Many many. So we were told um you know not to eat while walking. Right. Um and is it Yes. Um and I’m not sure jaw almost dropped because in India you can’t imagine that right. I’m not sure why that rule exists. Uh maybe the locals are afraid that people will litter, you know, cuz you’re obviously eating something. So that’s the thing reason that I can think of. I can’t really think of other reasons. So uh there’s that. And then on the of course you can’t eat on the train. But an interesting thing when you speak about etiquette is that on the trains it’s very common to see people sleeping while standing upright, you know. So they’ll either be holding on to the strap at the top, right? And the train is like, you know, lurching as it does and everybody is stuck still. And sometimes they’re not even holding on to something. They’re just so used to it that they’re like stuck still and sleeping, you know. So he’s not getting enough sleep. Why would they sleep on the train? Are known to be workaholics. Yes. Yes. So that’s quite uh possible. So I tried doing that too and I think my balance zone in the Delhi metros I and can credit that to what I learned in Japan. Of course you have to respect their uh space there and sometimes the Japanese trains can get very crowded. Um, luckily for me, I didn’t always get to experience that. And um, you know, um, I think the the train service I used to take was the Khan Railway, which is very popular in Japan. And in the winters, lovely because the seats were heated. Wow. Yes. So, it was just we used to wait to get into the metro uh, the trains, sorry. We call them metros in Delhi, right? used to wait to get into the train to get away from the cold and sit on those warm seats and otherwise uh apart from trains you really have to walk in Japanese cities a lot a lot culture I mean uh yes I I think people do walk a lot and us foreign students definitely had to walk a lot and like my American friend said well specifically about Tokyo he said Tokyo is hiking city right and he was there for like a month and he broke the soles of two shoes um during my stage In Japan, I broke the soles of one pair of shoes and these were sturdy leather shoes, right? I’m really surprised that much probably, you know, by by the po point by the time we reach that point that we’re breaking our souls, it would be a year or maybe more than that, right? And the thing is that because there’s so much to see in Japan, you don’t want to miss anything as, you know, a foreigner, as a tourist, you want to see everything. So you’re walking walking walking everywhere and over different kinds of uh uh terrain. So um but it’s really worth it. Yes. And uh you know when I was staying in the res hall, we had tatami floors and this this one time um my clothes uh you know like uh the laundromats that we had, they could only dry a few articles of clothing at a time. So I had to leave uh for a different city. So what I did was that I spread out my wet clothes on the furniture, right? And I do hope that my res hall managers are not hearing this. See, so I spread them out there and I turn the heating up on high, right? And uh so I had a friend uh he was American and we were just chatting and he said, “So what are you doing?” And I said, “Well, I have to leave tomorrow. So this is me, you know, emergency drying my clothes.” And he said, “Be very careful because if the heating goes up too much, if the temperature rises too much, the you know the leeches might be attracted floors.” So I was like, “Oh my gosh.” I mean, I was living on the second floor and I’m wondering where are the leeches going to come from? Leeches on second floor. No, they may not have come onto the second floor, but because he said he just and I had no idea how the weather worked there and what kind of critters I could expect in the heat, but u Yeah. Yeah. So, I experienced heavy rain, typhoon kind of rain. So, like we, you know, we would put out our clothes to dry on the balcony in the morning. We come back from classes and we see the storm has knocked everything to the ground. Oh my god. Are very common. So are like earthquakes. Yeah. So, earthquakes, I’m not I mean, there were tremors, but the strong storms, yes, I I did witness a few. Okay. And it was interesting how all of us foreign students were freaking out about it and our Japanese counterparts are like, “Oh, yeah, we’re used to it.” You know, it’s just regular weather for us. And you know, now that we’re talking about traveling in Japan and surviving in Japan, I want to ask you two things. One is the language barrier. you know a lot of Southeast Asian countries especially in Japan and China they don’t speak English that much right and second is um you know the public facilities the washrooms the toilets yes yes and they are the best in the world so I I am the first time I heard about Japanese toilets you know the self cleaning and then there’s selfheating and all of that yes I was like when in India are we ever getting that well I would say that don’t wish too soon because uh every cookbook it drawbacks right so I want to tell you a funny anecdote uh one of my uh aunts visited Japan I was with her and um she had unlike you she wasn’t enamored of Japanese toilets I mean she had done no research there so she had no idea what to expect right so um this aunt of mine you know it was quite funny the way it happened because I believe so two aunts of mine were in the same room right and I believe that she was chatting about something that was of great interest to her and you know she did chatting into the washroom, right? And she was using the facilities there while also chatting and suddenly she screams and she comes running out looking spooked because what happened is that these uh washrooms have bidiots, right? And like strong gusts of water. So if you’re not expecting that, it’s going to give you the shock of your life. It’s going to send you shooting up from the toilet seat, which is what happened to her. Uh yeah. So all technology requires expertise to how to use it, right? Yes. Very clean facilities and the self-heating was godsend especially in winters and our you know foreign student for chat forums were always this was always a hot topic there and we used to wonder is it possible to you know get these uh commodes back to our own country because they’re just so amazing. And uh what was the other thing you asked about? The um the first thing uh the language barrier. The language barriers. So um yes, you’re right. Um unlike you know Japanese? Uh well I mean I learned Japanese for almost a year before I went to Japan. Um but that was like 10 years ago. So now I know understand very little of Japanese. And there are like three writing scripts which is um hiragana, katakana that’s for foreign words and kanji that’s a very complex Chinese characters. So hiragana is something that I can still read and um katakana more or less but katakana because it’s foreign words it could be any foreign word in with the Japanese pronunciation. So it’s hard to tell whether it’s English or German or something else you know. Um but that’s that. Uh yes. So when I went to Japan from my university, we were given the option of opting for Japanese only, which meant that we were given a badge which said Japanese only, right? And when you wore that to university, the students and the teachers knew that they had to speak to you only in Japanese. So very ambitiously, I got that badge and I got this uh handmade chain, the paper craft, by one of my uh classmates, I strung on that chain and I took it to Japan. And when I arrived there and people started speaking to me in Japanese, I just looked at them and then very quietly I removed that thing and put it at the bottom of my suitcase and that’s where it stayed rest. So um yes but I do want to say you know when we talk about barrier now my experience of uh Japan has been that the people are extremely helpful right and I’ve heard other people also say the same thing and of course everybody has different experiences right but um so this one time when I was in Osaka I was returning home to my host parents from university and it was dark it was later than what I was used to classes ended later or maybe we had you know gone on a trip to N afterward or something like that and I simply couldn’t find my way back right and there were all these winding lanes very picturesque and beautiful and you know these lanes also had these old style Japanese shingles okay so of course I could lose myself there walking around and enjoying the scenery but it was also getting late so what do I do right and I was shy to ask anybody and there weren’t even very many people there. So then I see that there are these uh three gentlemen who are wearing white overalls and they’ve got this one light bulb on and they’re doing something under that one light bulb, right? It turns and I went to them and I asked them, “Hey, can you help me get to this address?” It turned out they were construction workers and they were just wrapping up for the day and they, you know, drove me in their pickup truck all the way to my doorstep. Wow. So, you know, I mean, and this is just one of incident. There have been so many incidents that I ask people for directions and they leave what they are doing and they walk with me to my destination and uh that was just so um incredible for me that you know people can take out that much time from the busy schedules to do this for you. So I didn’t particularly face a barrier you know whatever I wanted to do I was able to do and um I I think yes I was able to communicate and understand mostly what people are trying to say. Of course, it’s always uh best if you know a language fluently. All right. Right. No, if you don’t know Japanese at all and you have gone there to study or to travel, then how do you communicate through apps? Well, I think if you’re going there to study, obviously you would have chosen a course that teaches in English, right? If you don’t speak any Japanese, so in terms of study, in terms of syllabus, that’s not going to be much of a problem. It was the same for us though. We had training in Japanese. Our courses were all in English except for the Japanese language course, right? And um in terms of like you know how much English can be visibly visibly seen in everyday life like there were some train stations that had names of cities, destinations in English and there were some that had none. So of course at that time I had to request the station master for help and again I was amazed how they would give me priority you know they would prioritize my questions. So, um I think it’s fairly easy to get around. Of course, if you’re going for work, then it’s advisable that you do learn some business uh Japanese. Right. Right. But if you’re going there as a student, carry a dictionary or something. Sorry. Carry a dictionary or a working app. Yes. I mean, if you’re going for business, obviously you need to know these things. Oh, yes. And some of us, including me, we bought this thing called um what was it called now? Okay. I forget the Japanese name for it, but it was a digital dictionary. was quite expensive and uh we all bought it together. We went to this one store um which is known for its electronic gadgets and there are different levels of dictionary. So it comes with a nice touch pen and you can you know write down the kanji that you want translated and uh it didn’t help us much with our actual exams because you know it was more for the novelty of it but uh that was also an option. So many of us had these in our bag, you know, and we would quickly slip it, you know, flip it open if we wanted to understand what a sentence or a word is saying that we didn’t know. So um yeah, that was quite uh helpful. These days I guess there is Google translate and everything and then you’re not uh too much dependent on so many translation apps. Yes. And then you’ve got chat GPT also as long as you’re willing to believe. Exactly. So you know next we come to Japanese phone. Okay. We have discussed one or two Japanese sweets and savories. You know it’s become the Japanese food has become so much such a craze in India. We have I don’t know if boba is from Japan or is it from Korea. I’m not sure if it originated in Japan or Korea but it is East Asian. Uh I mean there’s a lot there but then there’s boba also in the US so I don’t really know about its origins. Okay. And then if not go by you know ramen you know nowadays you see so many pop-ups of ramen everywhere you know in local markets. So you know and then like I said now mochi is appearing on fine line restaurants menu and everything then so what was your experience with Japanese food and did you experiment anything new apart from octopus? I experimented with many things and this may not be very appetizing to you but I also experimented with their pickles. So in Osaka there was this market um you know and uh this market had many open stores. So you just go in there like they they don’t have like a closing door. They’re just like open like stalls but kind of bigger and better established right there were a few but there were all these like very like multiple colored pickle lying around. So I picked up some the you know the strangest looking ones like deep blue pickle and I’m expecting what’s coming out what’s coming out of my mind. Okay, please go ahead. Violet colored pickles and all you know. So um and I really love them. And also speaking of ramen, that was one of my favorite dishes in Japan. And as you mentioned, the pop-up ramen stores in Delhi now. There’s so many in Japan. Like every corner has a pop-up ramen store. And specifically in my university, uh you know, there was always a long line of students waiting to get that ramen and also soba, which is a slimmer noodle. Uh tamago, which is egg. So it’s like a boiled egg. And that was like hot currency to get that tamago. And it used to run out really fast. So if you couldn’t get the tamago, you would get like a tempura, like a fried vegetable put in there. Tempura is my favorite. And people even get the tempura, you know, if you were that late getting to the canteen, then you would get like a slim uh little slice of onion. Oh, and there were also these places called izakaya. and isizakay were inexpensive little stores where you could get like curry bowls and you could get the ramen and the noodles and these are really popular students. Um so students could afford those things. Yes. Yes, you can afford Okay. was affordable. Food kiosks on the streets there. Oh yes. Yes. Many many of them. And of course depending on the you know the grade of the food obviously some things would be expensive like I remember in Ishikava um my uh friend’s host mother basically has many elderly people right and obviously they are well settled in society it’s a small place and you know they’re all artistically inclined so everybody knows everybody so um my friend’s host mother took us to this uh soba restaurant and she requested the restaurant owner to open it just for us on a weekend. How sweet. How sweet of us. And they served us uh cold soba. Like cold noodles. It’s the first time I Something called soba. Yes. It’s It’s actually cold. Ah, I know. Yes. And the soba noodles were kind of grayish in color and a little grainy in texture. And those I believe were quite expensive. We didn’t get charged for it because it was on the house. But that was gourmet uh what we had, you know. So not the same as what we were having in the izakaya or in our canteen cafeteria but it’s like the food everywhere is amazing. So the price tag really doesn’t matter unless you know you’re a fine dining right now talking about fine dining and fine taste and everything super expensive or uh you know the culture of Japan. Have you sat for a tea ceremony? Yes, I have. And you know, I was so fortunate that I didn’t just sit for a tease ceremony. I got to co-host it. It was it was a it was a high honor for me. And I I I don’t Were you kind of trained in it? Because it’s an elaborate ceremony. Yes. Yes. So my host mother in Ishikawa, she was a tea ceremony master and she used to take classes um she used to teach uh middle Asian women from like highly affluent families how to conduct tea ceremonies and um you know so I sat in on a few of her classes and she cuz she knew that I’m so much into art and culture so she told me hide kosan why don’t you invite your friends to come for this tea ceremony and you can co-host it right so she was doing everything and I was like the placeholder host, right? Okay. And uh yes, so you know, of course, like the the steps of it, the stirring of the matcha, you know, and then the bowl going around. It’s the same bowl went around to everybody. And if I remember correctly, we had to slightly rotate the bowl as it came to us, you know, so you don’t put your mouth in the same place where the person before you put it. And uh you know, it’s like you take a sip. Yeah. Basically, everyone’s taking a sip from the same bowl. Same bowl. Yes. Okay. I I don’t know if there are different kinds of tea ceremonies because when I when I read about it, I haven’t come across this sharing of the bowls, but that and after taking a sip, we then have to bow to the person, you know, to our right, to our left. And I wasn’t even sure if my friends would be interested in this, right? Because I was the art and culture enthusiast. They used to go to karaoke. Not everyone would. Okay. Karaoke nights. By the way, karaoke also was born in Japan. The term and the culture. But I’m not surprised because karaoke was everywhere and I think I was one of the few students who was not particularly keen on it. Yes, you’re not too much of a singer, are you? I do enjoy singing. You know what happened is that the first time we went for karaoke, we went in a group and uh I I don’t know why. Maybe it was the first time I was just feeling kind of awkward and I didn’t give myself time to like really settle into it. And also I’m so gung-ho about I want to visit places and suddenly I find myself here sitting in one booth and I’m looking at like lyrics of songs that I don’t really know. So you know it’s bit of this thing that okay but I want to explore uh what am I doing sitting here and yeah I didn’t really give myself time to get used to it. So I did have a pass for karaoke and my Japanese friends told me to get it made the first day and I gave that very generously to another foreign friend of mine. Tell me something. What’s the what is this concept about you know uh sharing tea or having an elaborate ceremony for just having tea? I mean for us it’s just having tea but of course Japanese you know the tea ceremony is kind of a prayer. It’s kind of something very serious. Yes. Yes. It’s very thoughtfully done. Tea garden which my host families owned. They had an old uh old timey tea house. Right. And this is not the uh tea house that they used for their lessons. This was the actual like hundreds of years old uh structure. And my host mom told me that the way it was built was such that uh once you are inside like three people, four people, there is no light, right? And so you can’t really see the person sitting before you or next to you. And she said that when people would visit this uh huh they would visit this tea room, they had to keep all their weapons outside. Okay, leave them outside because when they’re inside there is no status among them, right? There is no hierarchy. They’re just people. They’re sitting there in the darkness and you know sipping tea and just enjoying. Yes. So the thing that I understood from this is that they were looking for tranquility and they understood that tranquility would come without you know this unnecessary ego and hierarchy and you know awareness of status and all that. Um so that was really uh fascinating to me and I feel that it’s so important to have these little pockets where you can just be with people like just experience the comfort of people right comfort of human presence without feeling obligated to present yourself as a certain somebody you know so uh in that context I think this is why the tea ceremonies are done so mindfully but I’m sure there is a lot more to it which I didn’t really uh get into so I can’t I mean speak for it. Yes. No, that’s being very fortunate that um you uh could experience it from such close quarters, you know. I mean otherwise a visitor or traveler would just go there and you know I don’t know if they would get uh if they would know the significance of it and you know you have to be I do wish that now that you’re asking me these questions I do wish I had asked in you know more detail my host for these things but u I’m sure I’ll get an opportunity. Um, now you know from food we jump to another cultural phenomena and that is anime, manga. And Hideo, I know that you’re a big fan of anime. You used to watch anime all the time. I don’t know if you still do that. Tell me something about anime. Watch anime all the time. Oh, you used to watch anime like really all the time. Yes, because you know I was young at the time joining the world also severely restricted my time from watching anime. Um, yes. So, you know, interestingly though, I Gen X, Gen Alpha, I mean, they’re too much into anime and manga. So many kids. I’m not even sure if that’s like a thing that’s concerning or that’s just good. It’s cultural immersion. The concerning bit about at least what I feel is there’s too much violence in manga. Yeah. Too much some manga. Yes. And I mean if you’re a parent, which I know you are, you’ll have to be very careful as to which manga and anime your kids getting into, you know. Okay. Some very heartwarming uh themes out there, you know. Um very family oriented. And then you’ve got something which is like, you know, all to do with well blood and gore. Yeah. The interesting thing is that while I was in Japan, I never visited uh the Pokemon store, which was a big deal back then. And when our in in our Japanese class, our teacher asked us why we came to Japan. Almost everybody in my class said, “Well, we want to visit that Pokemon store and we want to visit these uh you know, theme parks that are based on anime and manga, right?” I said, “Well, I am here to watch Japanese theater. [Laughter] It surprised even me because like you said, I was a manga and anime buff, but when I was in Japan, I barely watched any or read any. I did um I did visit the store, the bookstores, and I found many of those manga, but I didn’t purchase them. I was just excited to see them there. Um but yes, um that’s the thing. And I grew up on some classic animation of course like Pokemon uh Sailor Moon and few others which then got reprised over the years you know and what about the very famous ones though not they’re not mangas like Duron and all yes animated characters. Don is like a different generation from me. I can’t really get excited about it. I used to love Dormon and my kid loves Durmon. Durmon is very interesting. Yeah. Yeah, very very interesting. I can’t share your enthusiasm for it. I mean, you don’t have to because I can’t bear anime and manga. Personally, I just You’re watching the I remember you have convinced me so many times to watch some of the series, anime, right? I’m sure I also spoke to you about anime and I would have curated them well for you. So maybe I should uh you know renew my efforts to get you to good anime. Oh god. Okay. God save me. Visit uh Jibli store that was in Tokyo and my next question was to be on Jibli but okay. So, Studio Ghibli store and they had the cutest merchandise for all the Ghibli uh all the Ghibli films and I remember I picked up um a puzzle and that was to do with these uh I forget the name of the animation but there were like two sisters little girls there and I was traveling with my sister who was like a tween at that time and it was her birthday so I bought that puzzle for her and you know I I I told her well when you make it think of me right I don’t know if she ever got to it because twins you know, they’re not really that focused. But I I remember I got it for her. And I also got myself a little bag charm in leather and that had um the cat from Kiki’s delivery service. And I still have that hanging onto my handbag, the work that the one that I take to work. So the leather came off and my mother, who’s very good at restoring old things, she scraped off the remaining leather that was just sticking out, you know, in an unseemly way. And now it’s like a different color. It’s like a light tan. And sometimes when I’m at work, you know, under pressure, under deadlines, and I turn my head and I see that Kiki’s delivery charm, you know, sticking there on my work handbag and I’m like, “Hey, the life is still whimsical.” All right. But and you know it’s so so sad that these days Jubilee by you know Miyazaki there’s been uh I mean the AI has completely ruined it for the artists the Japanese and everyone who really used to love or love Jibli because nowadays it’s just generated on AI and people actually don’t know the who a real artist is or which country. Also a plus side of it has been I see on Instagram that there is a lot of talk about Jibli in the context of AI. So suddenly it’s coming into the public eye you know and at least in India I know not everybody knows about it was not yes a lot of spotlight on it because of this giblification of the AI and I do know you have personal reason for disliking it because uh we had a group photograph right with you in it which we jiblified and I got but that was AI’s fault not Jibli’s fault that was funny that stupid sad GPD you see I know yeah like that like there’s one person missing. Okay. Oh yes. Luckily for me, I grew up with the charm of Jibli. Um now and when I was in the US, I got to do some attend some workshops on Jibli films. Uh full-blown discussions on them. We did research on Jubilee themes. So um I have very warm fuzzy feelings regarding Studio Jibli. And uh I mean nobody can control what happens to the jiblification of the AI that that that AI is bringing in. But I like to look at the positive side of it. And I think after a certain point people will tire of the very bland jiblification that’s happening because it’s nothing like the actual actual nothing like the actual you know people know Jibli earlier people wouldn’t know Jibli. Exactly. or if it’s in Japan or from for all you know from France from where is it? I mean a lot of people would call it Gibli initially people would know what is Ghibli at all so at least it’s become famous and u and the hope is that people will watch Jibli films more now because I mean the themes of Jibli films I think are very relevant for the current times. Okay. Yes, honestly I didn’t know about JP films. I only thought that they are being done by this artist as on canvas or something but I didn’t know that they’re full-blown full-blown movies to it you know like nothing beats that uh level of meticulousness that level of loving detail and yes so Jubilee talks a lot about love for the environment and the innocence of children as a strength of humanity. No. And if you can keep that childlike innocence alive in you, that is your strength. That is how you build better societies. And um yes, really really beautiful themes worth watching. No, worth watching with the whole family. In fact, I feel that one side of Japan, one part of their culture or popular culture, I would say is full of um what do you call violence. In fact, Japan’s history is full of violence. On the other side they have concepts like icky guy zen and um you know their their serene gardens uh that kind of a lifestyle the tea ceremonies that’s just completely different side of Japan and um so I wanted to ask you have you attended any workshops um for any of those or have you been to any museums like you know Japanese dolls are so famous they’re lackable uh and I mean not just like calligraphy and all of that. Have you ever attended any of those classes? Uh yes. Um so regarding the dolls the the Japanese puppet theater is thriving industry. Yes. And it’s called bunraku. So I took a class on uh Japanese theater. So there were two three kinds of theater that we studied. One is no and um no I mean to put it to explain it to a lay person it’s really slowm moving and the first time and the only time I watched uh no in person was in India no in Delhi we had an indoapan something going on of course and I went in with my parents and I remember that I fell asleep between one act and the next it was that slow but um in this class I learned to appreciate appreciate it because you know it’s a lot to do with the expressions and uh you know the mask that they wear. So the same mask when you turn your head a little like this little like that it it changes expressions no and so you have to really pay attention to that. Then the second we learned about was Kabuki and uh Kabuki is more fastm moving and uh so yeah but I didn’t actually get to watch Kabuki because I bought a ticket and it was expensive and on the day of the performance I misplaced it. So yes another heartbreaking story from Japan but Bunraku I was very lucky to be able to watch in person. So, we went to this theater and it was a grand stage, right? And uh the curtains were just like uh one color. I think it was like a deep blue with like a big logo in the center and then it opens with this tuck sound which is very um common to Japanese theater. And then we had almost like these u there were puppets that were like half my length, you know, and there were those that looked very like life-size and uh it was amazing. We were watching these puppets like stab each other and betray each other and you know it’s like these couples are cheating on each other. It was like a whole drama and it was so convincing. I absolutely loved it. And then afterwards we got to go backstage and see the puppets. you know like uh with their costumes and with the different kinds of shoes and accessories and I was just really uh amazed how they brought these dolls to life. And last question you know what is a good season to go to Japan for an Indian? For an Indian I mean you know the Indians are assaulted by the vagaries of the weather. So I think exactly that’s why we can go in any any season but um I would suggest and this is for everybody not just Indians in particular but um you know the onset of fall and the onset of spring because in one you get to see the red mumi leaves everywhere and in the other you get to see the pink cherry blossoms the cherry blossoms and from April spring Perhaps because I mean the four months that I was living there I got to view cherry blossoms and I got to view plum blossoms. I wasn’t there for mumi season because I went there in December. So Mumi G would have been around October, November I think. October and there is also the concept of the cherry blossom storm. Uh so that also is something that tourists do time their visits with you know like they want to be there cherry blossoms. Okay. They’re flying in the air. Yes. So, it’s not like a typhoon. Uh but it’s just, you know, cherry blossoms are floating around everywhere. It’s very windy and pink petals in the wind. So, um but other than that, I would say um you know, go to Japan whenever your heart feels like it. Um I always tell everybody you should visit Japan at least once in your lifetime. No, it’s um it’s really u a place worth experiencing. And then you wouldn’t like the dinner of India. I mean uh it’s um you know again if you visit Tokyo and you stay there for the entirety of your stay you may not uh become that sensitive to noise pollution but Osaka was like you know after 7:00 p.m. it used to be so silent. Hiata where I was completely silent and then I remember asking my host parents and host siblings I said like what are people doing after 7 right there are no youth even out there on the streets and she said well they’re all in karaoke bars or in pachinko bars was like okay don’t they have oh my god well they do have a life and they’re living it up behind closed doors in pashinko uh you know pashinkos and karaoke and also then I was in Ishikava was which is the Ishikawa was so silent that um you know and like I mentioned that it’s an upscale countryside right and the homes are mostly old uh architecture right so in our rooms we used to have these ikana uh ikabana is like floral arrangements and it would be so silent that we could hear the leaves crumbling and falling at night right and that’s what we used to talk about in the mornings that did you hear the leaves crumbling and falling it’s like you know there’s hardly any sound and uh for me because I was hiking all over the city and visiting different museums right and this that city or whether you call it a town was so so silent the only sound would be you know like stray sound of the traffic and that also infrequent and the splashing of the koi fish in the water in the ponds I used to spend many hours just gazing at the ponds like that you know so yes when I returned to Delhi. Uh I was assaulted yes that made me uh you know crave Japan even more. The Japanese experience it made me appreciate it uh even more. So I think it’s good to experience extremes. No, you have to have something to compare one thing to the other and that’s also the way to appreciate everything that you’re experiencing. You know sometimes comparison is good because it helps you appreciate something good about everything. It really expands your horizons and you know everything in the world had it been the same then you wouldn’t experience right and then you wouldn’t you would take things for granted. Yes. Now I’m feeling that I must make a fifth visit to Japan sometimes. Oh you must and this year I must too. Yeah. All the best. Thank you. Thank you. I’m really grateful that you’ve come to my podcast and uh shared your experiences with us. So sayara say and as the Japanese would say which is deep deep thank you. So friends like my video, share it with your friends and subscribe to my
Ready to level up your Japan knowledge? Weβre spilling ALL the tea β β from Studio Ghibliβs animated worlds to Hiroshimaβs powerful stories, geisha glam, cherry blossom goals πΈ, and the tastiest mochi and soba youβll ever try π‘π. Plus, karaoke jams π€ and traditional tea ceremonies β thatβll make you wanna book your flight ASAP βοΈ.
In conversation with ββ @Maitra.Marici
This episode is packed with cool facts, travel hacks π₯, and insider secrets you wonβt find on the usual travel vids. Whether youβre daydreaming or planning your next adventure, this oneβs for you. π―
π Hereβs whatβs poppinβ:
How Ghibli movies make you feel all the feels π¬π
Why Hiroshima, Osaka, Kanizawa are places you gotta visit for real ππ
The lowdown on geishas β mystery and style on point π
β¨
When to catch those epic sakura blossoms in full bloom πΈπΈπΈ
Drooling over mochi and slurping soba β food goals AF π‘ππ
Karaoke nights that are pure vibes βπ€π
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#JapanTravel #GhibliVibes #SakuraSeason #KawaiiCulture #TravelGoals #MochiLove #KaraokeNights #TravelTok #VibeCheck
Time Stamps!
01:39 Preview
01:40 Introduction
02:55 Osaka
03:07 Nara
04:10 Kanazawa – Kenroku-en Gardens
05:00 Japanese food, Meiji Candy, Mochi
06:00 Octopus Delicacy, sea food
07:00 Kenroku-en Gardens, Tea Gardens, Japanese Tea Ceremony
08:00 Gold sweets, savouries, artwork made of gold
09:07 Geisha, Maiko, Geisha homes, Shamisen
11:00 Kenroku-en Gardens, hot springs
12:00 walk under swimming pool
12:45 Gold Ice Creams,
14:05 Atomic Bomb sites in Hiroshima
15:00 Okonomiyaki Delicacy pancakes, Bombing survivors
16:40 Modes of travel within Japan
17:14 Social Etiquettes in Japan
17:52 Japanese Trains experience
19:20 walking and hiking
21:25 Typhoons and tremors
22:16: Public Toilets
24:00 Language barrier, English, Japanese
25:47 Locals’ attitude
29:40 #Boba tea, #Ramen, #Mochi, Sushi, #tempura #soba #tamago
33:45 Japanese Tea Ceremony
38:44 Anime, #Manga #pokemon #themeparks #doraemon
41:56 #studioghibli #KikisDeliveryService ghiblimovies
46:16 Violence in Japanese pop-culture
47:00 japanese dolls, japanese theatre noh, #kabuki puppets theatre #bunraku
49:57 best seasons to visit japan, #momiji #sakura
51:00 Karaoke, #pachinko
3 Comments
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great Shweta !!! proud of u
Lovely discussions! Very insightful