Ryan Tate

Japan trip pictures (Dec. 2003)

We’ve been dying to return to Japan; looking through old pictures I realized these weren’t on Flickr yet, so here, EAGER READER: pictures of my trip to Japan with Anne nearly six years ago.

Noteworthy things about Japan I remembered from these pictures:

• In Kyoto, consider indulging the local passion for “WHITE LOVER.”
• Better cheese in the subway convenience stores than you will find in the best U.S. specialty shops, due both to our national paranoia (no luscious young “au lait cru” cheese for us — unpasteurized fromage cannot be imported to the U.S. fresh) and Japan’s general awesomeness when it comes to food quality (great food — French, Japanese, Korean and otherwise — all over the place, maybe due to density). (More cheese pics here, here, here)
• A long wine tradition! Here’s an article Anne wrote at the time for Joi Ito’s Chanpon. A winery outside Tokyo was kind enough to tour us and provide an executive we could quiz after. They also had a museum; here’s a shot of some old Japanese bottles, some prized French wines they were saving and, of course, the shop.
• I miss Anne’s aunt and uncle and cousins — and aunt’s cooking — terribly.
• Really consider Miyajima if you go to Japan; it was a major highlight of our trip. Features several awesome monkey signs!
• Also underrated: Hiroshima.
• Even more underrated: Squiriting mayonaisse on Japanese food like this in a bar. (Okonomiyaki)
• If you show up at the Japanese Foreign Press Club without a connection, they will politely find a kindly journalist (perhaps Bangladeshi) to vouch for you. You just have to convince him you’re legit!