Amanatto - Candied beans

Today one of my colleagues asked me if I am interested in Japanese traditional candies. I thought to myself that I was not interested in traditional candies rather peckish enough to try one of them. Of course I said I was very interested indeed and I got a few candies to taste.

Now, the main ingredient is a simple, not pretentious little bean. And yet the final result turns out to be the best candy one could ever taste, delicious and so delicately made! How the Japanese can elevate simplicity to its highest...

AMANATTO RECIPE:
Best if started from dried beans that you cook yourself to control the consistency of the beans. You want them cooked but not mushy, picking out any floaty skins, beans without skins and cracked beans. Canned beans are usually too mushy and have all sorts of preservatives in them. Frozen edamame works really well - just make sure you get shelled ones!
Special Equipment: heavy, baking sheet(s) lined with parchment/Silpat
4 c cooked beans (edamame, black bean, azuki, lima, etc.)
3 c water
4 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 c sugar (preferably superfine)

1. Dissolve water, sugar & salt in heavy pot over medium heat. Bring to simmer.
2. Add cooked beans to pot. Simmer for 1.5 hours.
3. Drain beans.
4. Toss drained beans in superfine sugar. Coat very well.
5. Spread sugared beans on prepared baking pan(s).
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, stirring beans halfway through.
7. Turn off oven, crack door open & keep beans in oven until completely cool. If you live in a dry area, you can skip this step and just remove the pans from oven and cool completely on the pans. 8. Store in airtight container.

Amanatto were developed by Hosoda Yasubei during the Bunkyu years (1861–1863) in the Edo period. He opened a wagashi store in Tokyo: Eitaro. This store continues to operate and I've got to find it!

Kanamara Matsuri or... Penis Festival

The Kanamara Matsuri (?????), also called Festival of the Steel Phallus, or in layman's term "Penis festival", is an annual Shinto fertility festival held in Kawasaki, Japan in spring. The penis forms the central theme of the event that's reflected everywhere; in illustrations, candy, carved vegetables, decoration, a parade of mikoshis, etc.
- The Kanamara Matsuri is centered around a local penis-venerating shrine, once popular among prostitutes who wished to pray for protection against sexually transmitted diseases. Today, the festival is used to raise money for HIV research. There's also a legend of a demon that hid inside a young girl and castrated two young men on their wedding nights before a blacksmith fashioned an iron phallus that was used to break the demon's teeth, leading to the enshrinement of the item.
- Other attractions include locals carving penises out of daikon (radish), children and young women sitting astride penis-shaped seesaws for good luck and fertility blessings, as well as a seated banquet in the compound of Wakamiya Hachimangu shrine where the phallic radishes are auctioned. All are welcome to take part in the festival's parade and banquet, which includes dancing and karaoke singing. Many revelers, Japanese and foreigners alike, turn out in kimono, Edo period attire or drag for this two-day event of phallic fun which is also attended by many of the area's community leaders and civic dignitaries.

When trying to reserve a room in English...

To Elisa
Thank you for inquiring.
This is Aura Tachibana reservation charge.Your inquiry was accepted.I will report with the telephone or mail later.
Indeed excuse me, please contact the following where to make contact when it is disconnected even if two has passed since mail was received by any chance.

...

Five Reasons for Japan’s Leaders to Get Drunk

Anyone who has seen the video of Japan’s finance minister at last weekend’s Group of Seven meeting in Rome may be having similar thoughts. Nakagawa resigned yesterday even after insisting he wasn’t drunk. It was cold meds, he claimed (...)
Of course, if I were in charge of this rapidly shrinking economy -- at an annual 12.7 percent pace last quarter alone --I’d be tempted to hit the bar, too. The high won’t last very long,mind you. Japanese data of late are way too sobering. Talk about an economic hangover.
Here are five reasons why Japanese leaders might be excused for drinking in excess these days.
1. Things will get far worse. You know an export-driven economy is in trouble when exports plunged an unprecedented 13.9percent last quarter. The collapse in demand for Corolla cars and Bravia televisions comes as the G-7 says the global slump will last for much of 2009. It’s probably more like 2010, too. Big losses are forecast at Toyota Motor Corp., Sony Corp.and Hitachi Ltd., all of which are firing thousands of workers.That will accelerate the drop in household spending and deepen the recession. The current quarter could be even uglier.
2. Leadership is nowhere to be found. Nakagawa’s wobbly,droopy-eyed performance became an Internet hit and made Japan thebutt of jokes. More importantly, though, his replacement,Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Kaoru Yosano, recently castdoubts on whether Japan will get its act together by April, when the Group of 20 nations meets in London. Call it a two-month do-nothing binge.
3. Even party bigwigs are turning on you. Media are in atizzy over Junichiro Koizumi’s public rebuke of Aso’s bungling. Apro-reform prime minister who served from 2001 to 2006, Koizumi is credited with shaking up Japan’s business world and privatizing the massive postal system, which also housed the nation’s biggest savings bank. Koizumi recently spoke for many of Japan’s 127 million people when he attacked Aso for what he called “appalling” and“laughable” blunders. He suggested that their party, the ruling LDP, may lose this year’s election. Let’s face it, the LDP deserves to lose badly. The party serves only itself, not Japan’s people and certainly not the investors looking for opportunities in this $4.4 trillion economy.
5. The yen will rise no matter what happens. For 10 years now, Japan’s ultra-low interest rates funded borrowings that weremoved overseas into higher-yielding markets. Japanese companies and investors, hungry for fatter returns, ventured overseas. Allthat money is now coming back to Japan. The dollar’s weakness is exacerbating the problem. That’s a crisis for an economy that lives and dies byexchange rates. There’s nothing the Finance Ministry or Bank of Japan can do about it. That’s why Japan isn’t intervening incurrency markets to cap the yen. Whether Aso’s LDP hangs on to power -- which is highlydoubtful -- or Ozawa’s Democratic Party of Japan grabs the reins,the yen will strengthen. A strong currency is normally a sign of confidence in an economy. In Japan’s case, it’s a contrarian indicator of growth prospects in a world fast losing altitude.
Nightcap, anyone? It may help leaders in Tokyo deal with Japan’s un-happy hour.
(Commentary by William Pesek)

Oshogatsu

New Year (shogatsu or oshogatsu) is the most important holiday in Japan. Most businesses shut down from January 1 to January 3, and families typically gather to spend the days together. Homes and entrance gates are decorated with ornaments made of pine, bamboo and plum trees, and clothes and houses are cleaned.
January 9. After a long week off work this year the Japanese (and the gaijin living in Japan) are back at work. You would assume they are all rested and ready for work... Nope...

I have had a bad stomachache from yesterday. The medicines don't work. I will go to the doctor, then i will try to login from my home. Sorry.

X called in. He has a stomach ache. He'll take P off a.m to goto a doctor. thank you.

Hi Team, X will take urgent p off today. Thanks.

And the day after:

Sorry. I have still a stomachache. I will go to big hospital this morning, then go to the office. Thanks.

X will be late for 40mins due to family issue. thank you.

X doesn't feel well. He will be in the office around 9am.

Resolutions

During the course of 2008 I listed on a piece of paper all the things that I wished to accomplish within the year or so:

1. Study to pass the GMAT in view of a master degree -> I did buy the books and even got my hands on my sister's algebra book. I enjoyed the first chapter and as soon as I was starting to understand the logic of the test I stopped.

TO BE DONE IN 2009.

2. Read business related articles to get ideas and inspiration and keep following the debate in International Relations -> I read some articles but I am still stuck on my professional development and maybe I should find inspiration somewhere else. I also downloaded lots of articles from International Security. Pity I saved them on the desktop and never got around reading them.
TO BE SERIOUS MATTER OF CONSIDERATION IN 2009
3. Taking a course in Japanese cooking -> I did find a website and even wrote an email to enquire about the possibility of starting the course but never got a reply. I also insisted a bit with the owner of a very special isakaya in Shibuya, I said I could wash up or help for free as long as I could see how they cook their amazing food but I got a 'uhmmmmmmmmmmm... Muzukashi ne'. TO BE CONTINUED IN 2009.
4. Visit Okinawa and Nikko -> Lots an lots of emails exchanged with travel agents, lots of last minute planning in view of long weekends but no concrete action.
TO BE DONE IN 2009 IF POSSIBLE.
5. Yoga and Pranic Healing: I read the book and did meditation a few times. I sent countless emails to 'certified teachers' in Japan but only got 2 replies and none of the them seemed to be interested in teaching me. Headquarters in Australia didn't help either.
SUBSTITUTED BY ZAZEN PRACTICE AND BUDDHAHOOD ASPIRATIONS

6. Volleyball -> Found a group of gaijin that meet once a week to play among themselves and got myself added to the mailing list. Unfortunately they play on a Saturday morning at 9am in Mita and I am way too lazy...
TO BE PURSUED IN 2009 (IF THEY CHANGE THE SCHEDULE)

Balance: ridiculously bad. I wonder if I'll have space for new propositions this New Year...

Zazen Practice

Apparently, we are all neurotic and crazy. The reason being that our 'ego' has extended far beyond the boundaries of our natural body and identifies with too many conceptual symbols like our house, our bank account, our friends, our social status. According to buddhist psychology, this is the root of neurotism and ultimately of human suffering.
In fact the 4 Noble Truths state:
1. Life means suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment to transient things and the IGNORANCE thereof.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable. We need to realize that reality is impermanent.
4. The Path to the end of suffering: the practice of the Eightfold Path.

Buddhahood is the natural state of non-neurotism. A buddha is someone that has conquered serenity and can maintain it in every situation.

To become a buddha, you need to put in some efforts especially when trying to achieve the first power, the CONTROL OF THE MIND. Let's not fool ourselves here. There is no way we can stop thinking tout court because thoughts that produce suffering are the automatic product of the tension registered in our memory and, ironically, they reproduce themselves continuously. But at least we can try to observe our thoughts instead of identyfing with them now that we know they are a product of our unconsciuos being . This way they'll gradually loose strenghts and reduce their ability to upset us.
The thing is that you can't control your mind without calming your body first and that's where the importance of breathing comes up. Calm your breath, relax your body, observe your thoughts and emotions and let them go knowing they are a product of our unconscious selves.

And which better place to become a buddha than Japan? Last night I decided to practice zazen, a particular kind of Zen meditation. Perfect as it focuses on the breathing.

I headed to Yotsuya after work. I arrived late and as expected got lost inside the University campus before finding this old, wooden European-style building that serves as a Christian chapel. I wasn't expecting a temple but a chapel!? The room had high ceilings and resembled an old German living room, a dozen of people were sitting facing the walls, meditating. The teacher, a German professor of philosophy, seemed to be 200 years old. Tall, white and so skinny. During the pause he tought me how to sit and meditate:

Body positioning:
Use a small pillow to raise the behind just a little, so that the knees can touch the ground. Sit in the half lotus position, where the left foot is placed up onto the right thigh and the right leg is tucked under.
The spine must be straight with the lower part of the back curved to allow the diaphragm to move freely.
The mouth is kept closed.
The tongue is pressed lightly against the upper palate.
The eyes are kept lowered, with your gaze resting on the ground about two or three feet in front of you.
The chin is slightly tucked in.
The dominant hand is held palm up holding the other hand, also palm up. The thumbs are lightly touching thus the hands form an oval, which can rest on the upturned soles of your feet.

Breathing: breath through the nose and taste the breath. Keep your attention on your belly and the breath. Imagine the breath coming down into your belly and returning from there. Your exhalation should be longer than usual.

By focusing on the breathing I am supposed to reach a good level of concentration that will allow me to come to a point of deep rest. Let go of noisy thoughts, opinions, positions to uncover the mind, to see who I really am. Finally, ENLIGHTED.

I can't really say I managed to see who I am... I spent most of the time feeling pain in my legs and cheating on the half lotus position so as to concentrate on the breath. Even then, I felt so cold in that room that I kept thinking about a warm bath once at home and maybe minestrone for dinner... But I must say that a couple of times for a few seconds I had no thoughts occurring in my mind. If only I hadn't started to think that I was having no thoughts!!!

No worries. I am intrigued and I'll be there next Thursday because after attaining a good control of the mind, I will learn to be present in the real world rather than absorbed in the world of my mind and therefore be aware of the the impermanent nature of reality, I will stop feeling attached and finally discover what universal love really means.

Taxi Tales

My next book for sure -if it hadn't been written in Nihongo: Takushi Uramonogatari, by Masayoshi Ise (Saizusha, 2008, 228 pp).

A veteran Tokyo cabbie shares his war stories...

The cab as love hotel

Most of the time, couples are able to hold it in until they get to their destination. But in reality, love hotels fill up on weekends, so it’s common for couples to “do it” in the taxi. The driver’s blind spot is the seat behind him, so that’s where they start. These couples seem to think that the driver is as nonexistent as air. For some reason, I more frequently see women going down on the man than I see the man and the woman kissing each other. And I’m not sure if women have become stronger in this day and age, but it’s mostly the women who start going down on the man, rather than the man trying to convince the female.If a couple says “Sorry” as they pay their fare and leave the cab, that’s a dangerous sign because there’s a high possibility that they’ve left a little “souvenir” in the backseat. There is nothing as pathetic as having to clean that up.

“Stop by at the conbini, please”

So one day, a 20-year-old guy asks me to stop at a nearby Lawson when we’re about ¥5,000 into his ride. He leaves his bag in the car and is gone for five minutes, then ten. Just as I start to get suspicious, he comes back and says the ATM was out of order and, apologizing for the wait, hands me an energy drink. I thought, “What a nice guy!” With that, we start up a conversation, and he tells me how his bag is a limited-edition release that cost him over ¥100,000.As we get closer to his destination, he asks to stop at another conbini, and he leaves his bag in the car again. I wait for ten minutes, then 15. No sign of him. The meter has gone up to ¥11,900. Getting worried, I go out and search the conbini. There’s no trace of him—he had run off. Of course, I had to pay the fare myself, but I decided it wasn’t all that bad because I could put the man’s bag up for sale on an internet auction as soon as I got home.Later, just as I was about to leave the locker room for the day, I saw my co-worker with the same bag.“Wasn’t that expensive?” I asked.“No way,” he replied. “It’s from the ¥100 shop. Oh, look you have one, too. Isn’t it useful?”

The diaper issue

I was driving a woman on a long ¥10,000 ride, part of which was on a crowded highway. I had to go to the bathroom so bad that I had sweat dripping down my forehead. I knew I couldn’t hold it anymore and something needed to be done.I checked on the young woman in the back and, confirming that she was asleep (thank goodness!), I took out a plastic bag that I always have at hand for drunk customers and slowly unzipped my pants. Phew. Later during the ride, I opened the door a crack to drop the bag on the street. When I looked in the rearview mirror, the woman was still sleeping—mission accomplished!Actually, not. As the lady was getting out, she smiled and said, “Life’s pretty difficult for drivers, isn’t it?”After that I went to buy diapers at the supermarket, where I ran into a co-worker who told me, “Once you start using them, you get hooked. Try it out!” Since that day, though, I have not had occasion to use them. I don’t want to start relying on diapers…


(From: Metropolis, issue #756)