Old School "Slow Coffee" Brewing New Interest

In Japan, like pretty much everywhere else around the globe, people love their coffee. In the big city, in the small village, at train stations and in department stores, coffee shops are all over the place in Japan. There are slick new ones, chain shops, express coffee lanes, coffee and dessert places, foreign-inspired shops, and specialty establishments like the Robot Station Café pictured here.

My favorite is probably the neighborhood coffee shop, where the space is intimate, the décor is charming and the signs are handmade.

It’s the personal touch, a one of a kind vibe they have that makes me feel special and appreciated. I might know the place well, or I might be stopping by for the first time. I love how they greet me as if they know me and have been waiting for me to come in, drop my shopping bag, and take a moment to just relax in their coffee-infused oasis.

I will always remember this experience. Once I walked into an Osaka coffee shop on a busy street corner, and was surprised to see what looked like a coffee bar. About ten mini personal sized decanters were lined up in a row, each with a ceramic cone filter positioned over it, a coffee filter inside that, and freshly ground coffee inside that. The barrista wore a white apron as if he was a chef. I took a seat and watched him slowly pour steaming hot water from a kettle into each filter. When the decanter was full, he poured the fresh brew into a coffee cup and served a customer. The smell of coffee filled the room. It was heavenly. That afternoon I sipped the best cup of coffee I may have ever tasted in my life! And the caffeine buzz! I recall seeing stars and patterns while being amped up on that coffee…

Life in the big city usually means going for a quick cup of coffee. Starbucks, Tully’s, Doutor, Caffé Veloce, and others exist to make your visit (and your coffee) quick and efficient. The “slow coffee” shops I didn’t have time to look for. I think they are usually tucked away down a side street or easily passed over because they are usually not flashy places. But they are around! I have never tried it but during my next visit to Japan will ask the locals where such a coffee place can be found. I am sure someone will be glad to let me know.

Those filters they used in the neighborhood coffee shops in Japan were always curious to me. A few months ago I decided to would be fun to recreate that super fresh just-brewed coffee experience – even though I have two electric coffee makers. The coffee made by my machines taste great, due to the good organic coffee I buy, but there is still something unique and different about coffee that is freshly brewed by hand, not brewed by a machine. So I searched on the internet for some photos, and found a few. Some filters (or drippers as they call them) are glass, others are ceramic none are plastic...).

I discovered an item called the Hario V60 Dripper. Sounded good! Maybe it was old school, but with a high tech, modern design. (It looks like NASA designed it) Even with all the fancy electric coffee makers out there, this manual coffee maker is selling well today. That's interesting. Reviewers on Amazon.com rave about it. I almost ordered one on Amazon but elected instead to place an online order from Intelligensia Coffee in Chicago. (I ordered some of their whole bean coffee at the same time). The Hario white ceramic filter cost US$ 23.00.

My Hario arrived in the mail a few days later. I was so surprised. I hadn’t seen the box before. Made in Japan! Not only that, my Hario came directly from Japan.

Japanese is written all over the box, and my filter even has a Japanese bar code on it! The genuine article!

Exactly what I needed to have my own Japanese neighborhood coffee moment at home. It works beautifully. So now anytime I want to, I use this to make myself some amplified super coffee.

Seems there is much Japanese engineering that goes into the design of this filter. Now if I could only learn to make the cool designs with frothy milk…

Mt. Fuji on Your Desktop - In Real Time

Until my next trip to Japan, I can make a little virtual trip via my desktop pc. Every day at around 3:00pm I navigate to the iGoogle homepage saved in my web browser and, thanks to modern technology, watch the sun rise on beautiful Mt. Fuji. Then at times throughout the rest of my work day, I check my virtual window on Japan to see how weather is faring for the area today.

How can I do this? Easy. With Mt. Fuji webcams! If you would like to try this, here are the steps:

1. Register to get a free Google email address.

2. Get your own iGoogle homepage. http://www.google.com/ig

3. You can customize it all kinds of ways. Click Change Theme to start.

4. Next click Add Gadgets.

5. Type Fujiyama in the Search for Gadgets text box on the right.

6. Click the Add it Now button for this item: Mt. FUJIYAMA Live Camera from Lake Kawaguchiko, Japan (this image updates every 60 seconds)

7. If you wish, you had add a second one too: Mt. FUJIYAMA Live Camera from Lake Yamanakako, Japan (this image updates every 180 seconds)

8. When you’re done adding gadgets, click Back to iGoogle home.

These are both still-image live webcams. Each webcam provides a different perspective of Mt. Fuji. I like both of them, but the Lakeside Hotel webcam is my long time favorite. I have viewed this one almost every day for over four years now. It operates perfectly, day and night. To my knowledge, it has never been out of order -- not even once!

If you’re interested, try out one or both of these webcams for yourself. If you have other favorite Japan webcams, let us know.

Tokyo Sky Tree Is World’s Tallest Broadcasting Tower

When I first heard about the Tokyo Sky Tree (東京スカイツリー) this time last year, I had many questions. What is this new construction project that has so many people in Tokyo and around the world buzzing with excitement? How tall is it? Where is it? When will it be fully functioning?

Here are some answers. The Sky Tree is a broadcasting, restaurant and observation tower going up in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward. The tower’s height is 634 meters (2,080 feet). Construction is wrapping up this month and is due to be complete in Spring 2012. The tower will be open to the public on May 22, 2012. Its primary purpose is to serve as a television and radio broadcasting tower. Tokyo's current broadcasting tower, Tokyo Tower, at 333 meters (1,093 feet) is no longer tall enough to provide complete digital television broadcasting coverage because it is surrounded by many highrises.

A consortium of six Japanese broadcasting companies led by national network NHK proposed and planned the Sky Tree project. Contractor Obayashi Corporation began construction in July 2008. The completed structure will be the centerpiece of a very large commercial development located between Narihirabashi Station and Oshiage Station. It is already transforming the quiet Shitamachi neighborhood of Narihirabashi into a magnet for tourists and interested onlookers. A 31-story office space and restaurants will make the tower a multi-purpose showplace. At 634 meters, the Tokyo Sky Tree has just been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the tallest tower in the world! It is the second tallest structure in the world, after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, a building which stands at 829 meters.

Considering the fact that Japan is prone to enduring large earthquakes, the new tower will incorporate the latest seismic engineering techniques, and also some quite ancient construction technology borrowed from Japanese temples. The Tokyo Sky Tree employs Japanese cutting-edge technology in reproducing the traditional architectural know-how of the "Shimbashira-Seishin" (Center Column Vibration Control) used in Kyoto’s five-level pagoda, a structure that has stood firm for centuries. The shimbashira is a central column of reinforced concrete that is structurally separate from the exterior steel truss. It acts as a counterweight when the tower sways. Engineers are confident because five-storied pagodas with shimbashira columns have never been toppled by quakes in Japan. Another key design element is that the tower will gradually change in cross-section from triangular at the base to round at the 1,000 ft point. This will help it to better withstand strong winds.

Hirotake Takanishi, PR manager for Tobu Tower Sky Tree, has stated that anti-quake measures in this structure can reduce quake vibrations by 50 percent. He said that the design team has run simulations showing the Sky Tree will withstand an 8.0-magnitude earthquake. So far, so good. Earlier this year, the Sky Tree suffered almost no damage in the March 11 earthquake and aftershocks that hit Tohoku and the Kanto area as well, where Tokyo is located.

Japan’s newest tourist attraction has just started accepting reservations to access the tower when it opens next year on May 12. A ¥2,000 ticket will get an adult visitor to the first observation deck, at the 350 meter mark. You can go higher -- to the 450-meter second deck – but it costs more (¥3,000 for an adult) and that has to be paid for on the day of your visit. To get to the Tokyo Sky Tree, take the Tobu Isesaki Line to Narihirabashi Station (the station name is going to be changed to the Tokyo Sky Tree Station), or by taking the Asakusa Line to Oshiage Station. Next year our Japan travel plans will definitely include a trip to see the new Tokyo Sky Tree firsthand. Yours should too! Find out more here.

B-kyu Gourmet (Part 2): B-1 Grand Prix

The biggest B-kyu Groumet (B-Class Gourmet) cooking contest is called B-1 Grand Prix. The 6th annual national finals competition was held in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, in the mid- November. Sixty-three local favorite dishes were represented at the Himeji Castle Park venue, and over a half million visitors came to the 2-day event. (Himeji Castle is currently undergoing a renovation. In this video, the biggest square building you see in the background is the frame of the castle structure. Visitors can actually go in and observe the construction.)

The rules are simple. Each contestant cooks and sells their dish in the event venue. It's an outdoor event like most "Taste of" festivals during the summer time in the U.S. Visitors eat the dishes and vote for the two best contestants. The system of the contest is like the NCAA tournaments--they have regional qualifier rounds; then the winners of the regions go on to the B-1 Grand Prix, the national finals.

This contest event has no doubt boosted the B-kyu Gourmet trend. Since its start in 2006, the competition has grown larger every year. However, this is not the only the event, of course. Smaller events are held all over Japan. Department stores and supermarkets have their own festivals as part of their sales event. Also, it is a popular subject that is featured in many magazines, TV shows, websites, and blogs. These dishes used to be only local favorites but many of them have made national fame. Contestants are not from individual restaurants in the local area. The community forms their own committee and a team and goes to the contest as a group. People like to plan trips with a goal visit areas serving B-kyu Gourmet. It is big tourism in Japan now.

So, here are the top five winning dishes of the Himeji B-1 Grand Prix (11/12-13. 2011)

1. Hiruzen Yakisoba from Hiruzen, Okayama

Miso sauce Japanese fried noodle with chicken and lots of cabbage, which is a type of produce mainly from the Hiruzen area.

2. Tsuyama Horumon Udon from Tsuyama, Okayama

Japanese pan fried udon (thick) noodles with beef organs. Eating meat was taboo in Japan before the late 19th century; however Tsuyama was specially permitted to serve meat for medical reasons that originated the use of organs for the dish. Because of my interest in the history around the Meiji time period, and because Tsuyama is a big producer of the western scholars of the time, I have always wanted to visit there. I have searched about the area pretty often but I could not find very much about it for quite a while. But not any more. Lately, I get lots of search results talking about this dish!

3. Hachinohe Senbeijiru from Hachinohe, Aomori

Senbei (rice cracker) in clear soup with vegetables and chicken or fish. Their website says the impact this dish has on the local economy is impressive! About 536 million yen, they report. (about 7 million US dollars? I'm not good at math).

4. Namie Yakisoba from Namie, Fukushima

Japanese fried thick noodles with bean sprouts and pork. It looks a lot like the 2nd one to me...

Namie suffered badly after the tsunami and the nuclear plant incident.

5. Imabari Yakibuta Tamabomeshi from Imabari, Ehime

Fried eggs over rice with chopped Japanese style BBQ pork in the bowl. Japanese BBQ pork is not like American BBQ pork. It's similar to Chinese BBQ pork but with a soy sauce base, and usually cooked in a sauce, not grilled.

Overall, you see many pan fried noodle dishes because the event is held outdoors. Yakisoba is a traditional Japanese event food, the 3 of 5 above are a kind of yakisoba. I think that is why. Well, Japanese are big carb eaters. Atkins never crossed the Pacific, apparently!

These are the top 5 of the B-1 Grand Prix 2011. Here's another B-kyu Gourmet rankings.

In Goo (a Japanese portal site), here are highlights of the "B-kyu Gourmet Ranking: I want to try this."

1. Sasebo Burger
Local hamburger in Sasebo, Nagasaki. The US military base has a base in Sasebo; you can expect this to influence their burgers. They have quite a few original burger stands in Sasebo.

2. Hitsumabushi
Rice with chopped grilled Unagi (eel) in Nagoya, Aichi. I think this is a long time known local specialty but bit too expensive for B-kyu Gourmet. This may be an A-Class local specialty.

3. Miso Katsu (left photo)
Breaded fried pork cutlet with miso sauce. Also from Nagoya.

4. Tsukishima Monja
Tsukishima is a shitamachi (older residential area) in Tokyo. Monja is a thin pancake with lots stuff in it. This is monja, Tsukishima style. Why would I mention this? Because I'm an Asakusa native, another shitamachi area. Tsukishima monja is just so foreign to us!

5. Taco Rice
I've never heard of this but the description says it's taco ingredients such as shredded iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and ground beef over rice. It is reported to be a local dish of Okinawa, but I think other areas seem to consider their original local dish as well.

6. Aizu Sauce Katsu-don.
Breaded pork cutlet over rice bowl with sauce. The "sauce" without any explanation in Japanese means a type of brown sauce, like a thicker Worcestershire sauce which we use for breaded fried foods. Katsu-don is traditional breaded pork cutlet rice bowl dish made in sweetened soy sauce with eggs but this is with a "sauce". This is from Aizu, Fukushima.

7. White Curry (left photo)
Milk based curry from Sapporo and other areas in Hokkaido. I've never heard this either but I assume it's like Thai curry with milk instead of coconut milk...

8. Sobameshi
Rice in Yakisoba. Yakisoba is Japanese style chow mein, pan fried noodle with "sauce" (please see #6 above). This fried noodle is mixed with rice. It is is a local dish of Nagata Ward of Kobe, Hyogo.

9. Toruko Rice (Turkish Rice, I think) (left photo)
Breaded pork cutlet with demi-glace sauce over curry pilaf and spaghetti Neapolitan (meaning the red sauce is already mixed with the spaghetti) from Nagasaki. I have no idea they call this Turkish.

10. Morioka Jaja-men (Zha jiang mian, a Northern Chinese noodle dish)
Hot meat sauce over noodles from Morioka, Iwate.

Here's another ranking of Jalan Gotouchi B-kyu Gourmet Grand Prix, from a travel agency Jalan's website. It is totally a different ranking. The ten in the yellow boxes are the top ten of their ranking and each links to a video.

You might notice that Japanese tend to be big on carbs! They also love breaded pork cutlets! You may not like so many carbs but lots of Americans I personally know love Yakisoba (Japanese pan fried noodle) and Tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet). Japanese people love to arrange things with their own twists. B-kyu Gourmet is one way you can see who real Japanese are.