More Japan trip

[-Henno-]

It looked like people were enjoying my other post and pics so I thought I'd put up a few more but they were straying from the Osaka aquarium visit theme so here goes.

First one is of a little commercial fleet pulled up a ramp outside a hotel we stayed at overlooking the Sea of Japan. You could eat off these boats, they were immaculate. There is a holding pen behind and to the left of them where they keep their catch alive until ready to transport. Unfortunately I could not get in there to take a pic :-[

Next one is an immaculate boat. Then one of slimey mackerel or something bloody close to it smoked and bbq'd for sale at the fish market. The last one is rock fishing Japanese style. I had to snap this one on the way between the hotel with the view and the fish market. It appears you pay money for a rock and get dropped out there for the day by boat. They also have pontoons you can get dropped out onto as well. I told my in laws that rock fishing in Australia is usually done from rocks that are attached to the mainland. Oh yeah, this was right outside a nuclear power plant. I didn't see any fish with 3 eyes being caught though, no.

[-Henno-]

A few more and I'll promise I'll lay off.

Kingfish for sale in Japan. Some kind of mackerel. Who says the Japanese don't have a sense of humour? The dried squid looking like an alien has a sign which says 'I do not talk' next to him.

Lastly an entire snapper sashimi boat with raw prawns on the bow and wasabi on the stern. It was delish!

[finga]

Don't stop the pictures matey.
They're all eye openers for (at least) me.
That boat would be a nice bay boat I reckon. :)
Probably a good place to fish outside the power plant. I remember we used to catch heaps of fish in the river when I worked at Koolkan power station at Grafton. It must be something about all the warm water or something

[Marlin_Mike]

Man is that one UGLY looking squid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike

[dogsbody]

Squid? I thought it was some sort of shovelli cut and layed into this wee beasty. Ugly bastard tho.


Dave.

[-Henno-]

If you ask for more photos I'll keep putting them up I suppose.

First one is of something my wife calls shako, big prawny things with their arms up the front. They are on the tray at the back and the front tray is sea urchin. Looks like yellow guts. Yummy though.

Next one is Teri's mums family hamming it up for the camera in a seafood only sushi joint inside the fish market. The Japanese are so into food that they get visibly excited when talking about it and almost wet themselves when they are at a top notch place.

The 3rd one doesn't look like much but it's a full plastic display of the food available in a top place called Otaru Beer No1. These displays are outside a lot of places and are amazing. I had seen some before outside sushi places on the gold coast but these ones leave them for dead. You find your mouth watering at a plastic model they are so realistic.

The last one is a bit of a story. I happened to mention to my father-in-law that I was interested in Japanese swords. My wife translated and kind of went quiet. We had done a bit of research before coming over to try and track down some old swords and maybe even go to a swordsmith to see some being made but it turns out to be a bit of a secret society over here. My wife said 'Dad says he has one upstairs but doesn't know whether you wanna see it coz it's only 400 years old.'

I said 'Oh what a shame, tell him not to worry about it'. yeah pigs arse I did!

He then got out this beautifully organised little oiling/polishing kit and gave it a tidy up. I was then given the honour of removing the pin and exposing the blade handle. I had done this one a few WW2 models I had the priveledge of mucking with in Aus. He was pretty impressed that I knew how to remove it. It exposed the 400 year old signature of a well known swordsmith. I had never seen one with a signature before. The WW2 smiths were punching them out en masse and didn't bother signing them.

This makes this one worth over $20,000 supposedly. Days like that don't happen to me very often in Agnes.

[finga]

It would be absolutely amasing to see that sword...let alone handle it.
That's one thing I've admired/respected about the traditional Japanese culture...the craftsmanship

[barkers creek]

looks like a had a excperiance of a life time could u by that squid like jerky or is it just a ornament
cheers nath

[-Henno-]

Removing the bamboo pin. Exposing the tang. Dad explaining the signature's relevance.

[-Henno-]

yeah you could buy it jerky barkers. It was bloody chewy though, I thought my teeth were gunna crack. The funny one pictured though is not an example of that food though. Above that stall were about 50 or 60 dried squid to advertise what they sold that I didn't get a pic of. Bloody waste of good calamari considering how good they are at plastic replicas.

[disorderly]

[quote=finga;631390]Don't stop the pictures matey.
They're all eye openers for (at least) me.


Please keep the photos coming.I am also enjoying them and the tales of your Japanese adventure.
It really is a fascinating culture and I think you are very fortunate to be able to experience it from a family(local)perspective rather than that of just a tourist.

Scott

[Bob H]

that squid must taste pretty sh.thouse if they haven,t eaten it. the eat everything else. great pics. bob h

[-Henno-]

Another pic of the tidy long boats. A long shot down the aisle of the fish market.

An interesting guy on holiday in a campervan drying fish. I have another pic of this as I was walking away I noticed a businessman in a suit peering into his fish drying baskets who also found it interesting.

Lastly me in a yukata, supplied by the hotel. It's a cultural thing ok? I know I look like a dick but you have to do these things. Come on, if you can eat raw fish entrails this is easy. I could walk around in the hotel in this gear with my little plastic slippers and nobody batted an eye. Not like you bastards that are now going to rib me mercilessly. Go on do ya worst. I think I look great.

[sarg]

Sounds like you had an awesome time. The snapper sashimi boat looks tasty and that squid is ugly :-/ . It would have been a privilege to hold and help clean that sword, and one made and signed by a famous swordsmith can fetch closer to the 100 grand mark :o . Did you see any good Bonsai trees maybe a photo.

Very jealous apart from Africa thats one place I difinitely want to go too.

Andrew:)

PS Can you speak Japanese?

[el_carpo]

Great pics of what looks to be a great trip! Thanks for posting them up for us themooks. It's cool to see far away places and to read stories about them. That sword ........WOW! "Only 400 years old" ;D That thing is older than my country and looks to have been kept in better shape. Unreal!

Great posts, and you even get bonus points for sheer bravery for posting a pic of yourself in that yukata. ;D Toshiro Mifune's got nothing on you. Just hold that sword in the pic and you'd be all set to play the lead role if they ever do a remake of "Yojimbo.";D


I'm going to show this thread to my brother, he'll love it. He's been studying all things Japanese for ages.

Thanks again themooks, VERY neato!

EC

[SCOTTYGC]

mate im surprised that they make dresses that big

the yellow stuff is sea urchin roe very popular in aus but i have never been game to try it

great pics and great storys

thanks

scotty

[sandyd]

I have loved your pictures and your tales of your trip and if you have more would like to see and hear about them. I have a thing about Asian countries and the people as you said they are really friendly, but to experience this with a local family would be priceless. You have been very lucky.

[2iar]

Holy Moley Mooksy,

If my father in law got out his sword, I reckon I'd be out the door quick smart!

Good luck,
Mike

[-Henno-]

I did get a few pics of bonsais actually sarg. I didn't know they occured naturally in the wild so readily. This one was hanging off a rock over the Sea of Japan. The cement blocks below are called tetrapotto by the Japanese and they use these on the shoreline to limit erosion. I find the name too similar to Tetrus which if you don't know is a video game where lots of odd shaped blocks keep falling and you have to arange them to fit together before they hit the bottom.

Next one is a bit blurry I'm afraid but is of a temple that had dozens of man made bonsais in pots on display. Very cool but I wasn't really into the photography mode at that stage.

The third one is just a pic I like at the biggest Buddhist temple in Japan, Eiheiji, of a pretty pond with Buddha in a boat and a big frog. We went there for Teri's grandma's funeral and it was an awesome and tranquil place. It turns out that the Japanese buddhists think the bone in your throat is the most sacred bone in the body and they remove it before cremation. Three years later the major funeral ceremony takes place, which we went to. I asked about this throat bone and nobody in the family knew where it ended up so mum asked a young bald monk after the ceremony and he directed her to the little buildings in the fourth pic. They are supposedly filled to the roof with throat bones. After a few years they are moved to another building higher up the mountain in the rainforest. Don't ask me why, I just found it awesome.

[Matheson]

Another pic of the tidy long boats. A long shot down the aisle of the fish market.

An interesting guy on holiday in a campervan drying fish. I have another pic of this as I was walking away I noticed a businessman in a suit peering into his fish drying baskets who also found it interesting.

Lastly me in a yukata, supplied by the hotel. It's a cultural thing ok? I know I look like a dick but you have to do these things. Come on, if you can eat raw fish entrails this is easy. I could walk around in the hotel in this gear with my little plastic slippers and nobody batted an eye. Not like you bastards that are now going to rib me mercilessly. Go on do ya worst. I think I look great.

Henno,

I think for one of us generously proportioned male super models you look great. I certainly hope I look as fetching in the Fijian sulu I like to wear around the house. I am concerned that the animal liberationists will one day drown me trying to get me into the pool

Matho

[Noiseworks]

Thanks heaps for the photos and the explanatory blurbs. It really helps to give a bit of insight to the culture. Well done.

Noiseworks

[Bully_basher]

Great photo's keep them coming. thank you

[nigelr]

Fantastic thread Henno, thanks for taking the time and sharing your experiences.
Man, that food sure looks good!
Cheers.

[Willo]

Yeh Henno
Next time ya go over you want to take a little stove over with ya so you can cook some of that great lookin sea food :) :) :) :D :P

Willo