Life In The Rice Bowl
by Mona-chan and Sherri-san (a.k.a. Mona Lemoine & Sherri Clemens)
Many images probably come to mind when you think about Japan; Mt. Fuji, geisha girls, raw fish, rice, chopsticks, pointed hats, and respected fat men in thong underwear, just to list a few. Of course, this is all true. But you know there's more and living in Japan has definitely opened our eyes.

Mt. Fuji is a name that many people recognize, but they don't fully understand its importance in Japanese culture. To the Japanese, Mt. Fuji is much more than a dormant crater on the outskirts of Tokyo. A pilgrimage to the summit of Fuji-san (as the Japanese call it) is a must for anyone spending an extended period of time in Japan. For some reason, as many as 180,000 people, young and old, make the pilgrimage to the top of Fuji during the two month climbing season each year. It's important to remember the old Japanese proverb, "You're wise to climb Fuji, but a fool to climb it twice."

Generally, the pilgrimage begins late at night and thousands of people trudge up the side of the mountain in a single-file line, souvenir climbing stick in hand, in a stop-and-go fashion similar to the traffic jams of Tokyo. The climb is neither beautiful nor that much fun, and by the time you're approaching the top, you're so cold and miserable all you're really looking forward to is getting back down. Ultimately, the goal is to reach the top in time to view the sunrise. To the Japanese, reaching the top is a journey now complete. To a foreigner, it's another chance to accomplish something truly Japanese.

Of course, a Japanese experience would not be complete without hordes of souvenir shops of which not even Fuji can escape. Throughout the pilgrimage, you pass a number of huts with omiyage (souvenirs) of your climb to bring back to friends and colleagues in true Japanese fashion.

In Japan, giving omiyage is a social obligation after any trip. Yes, even after a trip to the top of Mt. Fuji! To the Japanese, omiyage is more than just some individually wrapped cake or cookie. Japan is a very group oriented society, and to them that goodie you're bringing back is a small part of your trip for everyone to experience. But omiyage is not sacred and once you've received a gift, recycling is perfectly acceptable. Giving the omiyage you have received to someone else and claiming it as your own is not entirely unheard of.

Each part of Japan has its own culinary specialty, some of which is highly recommended omiyage. For instance, Hiroshima is famous for okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza like omelets--sounds strange, but it's actually good), and Sapporo is famous for its crab and bata kon ramen or "butter-corn noodles" (again, it's a lot better than it sounds). Please note, okonomiyaki and ramen are not recommended as omiyage, however it is acceptable to ship back entire crabs for a mere 20,000 yen (roughly $200 U.S.). A little rough on the pocketbook, eh? Sorry, Mona-chan is Canadian.

Beyond the culinary specialties of Japan, watch out for UFO's (unidentified food objects). These range from onigiri (directly translated as "rice ball"), which can be wrapped in seaweed and stuffed with other UFO's of its own and sold at the local 7-11, to takoyaki (octopus balls--no, not the organ itself, but rather a doughy substance filled with tentacle parts) often sold at festivals and the carnival--like areas outside shrines and temples.

Although many Japanese foods are unrecognizable to the western eye, one thing always remains abundant, a sticky white glutinous substance called rice. It comes in several forms: sake (rice wine), mochi (pounded rice cakes), sembe (rice crackers), onigiri (rice balls), sushi (slightly sweet, lightly vinegar-ed rice topped with a slab of raw fish--not to be confused with sashimi, which is just raw fish and sometimes even raw horse meat: strange Japanese delicacy!) and the classic bowl of plain gohan (sticky rice). In western culture, sticky rice is a recipe gone bad, but in Japan the stickier the better. Next time your rice accidentally comes out sticky, you can tell your guests, "It's Japanese rice!"

No matter what it is you're eating in Japan, from okonomiyaki to a plain bowl of white rice, you're guaranteed to get a lot of oohs and ahhs as to your chopstick wielding ability. This inevitably leads to the dreaded question, "Can you use chopsticks?" We're not talking about just one time! This question is asked over and over and over again by Japanese because they feel that this skill can only be acquired in the Oriental world.

Chopstick skills can't be attributed to the Oriental world, but the uniqueness and enthusiasm of fads in Japan is truly something we've never experienced in the Western world. For instance, remember the leg warmer craze of the 80s? C'mon, we know you wore them too! Well, they've migrated east and have been subjected to a Japanese metamorphosis. High school girls in and around Tokyo can be seen wearing slouch socks, so big they look like leg warmers. In fact, they're so big they actually started marketing "sock glue" to adhere the socks to their mid-calf region. The result is a look reminiscent of scenes from Flashdance.

Another Japanese fad is a fascination with anything cute. This includes cartoon characters such as Sailor Moon, Pooh-san (Winnie the Pooh) and, yes of course, Hello Kitty! Remember Hello Kitty? We were into Hello Kitty--yeah, when we were eight! Come to think of it, wasn't that about the time when leg warmers were the craze and the Star Wars trilogy was in the theaters the first time? I guess not much has changed. They're still trying to catch up after three hundred years of isolation.

Japan is slowly bridging the gap caused by their isolation. More and more, foreigners are coming in and internationalizing Japan. As foreigners in Japan, this has been only a small part of our perspective on some of Japan's culture. Mt. Fuji, omiyage, rice, chopsticks, and Hello Kitty don't even begin to scratch the surface. Japan truly is an enigma that never ceases to bewilder and delight.

Mona-chan and Sherri-san are in Japan trying to teach young Japanese students how to speak English.

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