Japan in Thirty Days

GSE Day 24

09 Nov 2010 2 Comments

by gbesses in Gerald/ジェラルド

GSE Day 24
Another amazing day. Breakfast was Inagi, a small salad and fruit - Reiko was puzzled that I did not want rice and miso. We gathered, as usual, except Yoshi san has to be at work so I was there early. Then off to the Sanritsu commercial bakery factory. They gave us slippers to wear after leaving our shoes at the entrance. They into a conference room for an introduction and we were given white paper dresses, bonnets and masks,

along with new shoes to replace the slippers we had just been given and the guys got a velcro band to keep our slacks from flapping. Then through the vacuum brushes to get any extra lint off our paper outfits and into the blower - nozzles of air, blowing hard all around. Out a sliding door. Into the production area. Batter everywhere, with large mixers, then rollers, stampers, eventually ovens, coolers, boxers. Funny - after extensive automation of nearly everything, with people inspecting all along, the boxers are all human. Several production lines producing all kinds of commercial wrapped pastry from crackers to Chocobots to Inagi (eel flavored) cookies. Then back to the conference room where we removed our protective clothes and were given samples of everything. The factory owner is a Rotarian; the Rotarian generosity never ceases.
Then Lunch with the Hamamatsu RC. We actually got to do a full presentation. Flag exchanges, etc. Good lunch of fish and vegies, of course. Then off to the Air Park, where there was a fun film in an overhead screen theater then plenty of planes, etc to look at, with all of the explanations in Japanese, but fun to see all of this older military equipment. I’m always impressed with how small fighter jets are. Our drivers were Tom Ikedo, who is a great sheppard for us sheep, and Nakamura san. His family has been brewing sake since 1871. We were invited for a tasting of three different sake types. Quite distinctively different, but the cloudy one was slightly effervescent. He sent us home with the remainder of the bottles that he and his wife had opened for us. Then back to the hotel.
Yoshi san was waiting. He and I were joined by a woman who works for a Rotarian - I didn’t learn who - whose family name is Sato - she said that her given name was too difficult for me so I should call her Sato - another Rotarian, Fujiwara san, who owns seven nursing homes. We drove home to pick up Reiko and went about 12 kilometers to a Japanese Tea House. We were the first customers, and as far as I could tell, the only customers for the night. Tatami room with a low table, but real chairs so my knees were no problem. Three waitresses in Kimono. But, we were five and there were eight places at the table? I learned why, when we were joined by the three Koto players - Nori, whom Yoshi has known for over 20 years, who he describes as a master Koto player and two younger woman, who teach first grade and kindergarden in real life, but helped with the three kotos - one of which was a 17 string bass. The other two were standard 13 string instruments.
The meal was Kaiseki - many courses of exquisite food. The first dish was a chestnut and fish affair with spiky noodles (crackers?) - beautiful, difficult to eat, but very good. Then Sashimi, a cooked fish dish, matsutake mushroom soup, some special vegies, more fish,then a matsutake custard, followed by an ikura and Inagi over types of seaweed that I haven’t seen or tasted before - one was white, then a sesame miso over rice and finally a dessert of grapefruit jelly (they enjoyed the play on my name). Of course, sake and beer. Then the women played - outstanding - the bass instrument really added color to the other two. Nori sensei played lead. Matsutake mushrooms grow around Willits, but are usually shipped to Japan because they are priced so high in Japan but not the US where their strong flavor seems to turn Americans off - I liked it.
Then Yoshi san pulled out some comedy masks and scarfs, which he has five sets of and is making a gift to the team of. The younger women had fun dressing me and dancing around in the masks. They use them on stage or as wall decorations. Off to bed. We have individual “study” tomorrow and I get a whole day at the University hospital. 5250 steps, today.