During our first visit to Japan, we were overwhelmed (in a good way!) by the traditions of the local culture. The culture of food, especially, had so many rules, courses, and new types of dishes to experiment with that we can see how first-time travelers may be overwhelmed. We attempt to demystify Japanese food, specifically a traditional kaiseki meal that you will likely encounter in ryokans (Japanese inns) when traveling throughout the country.  Here are the many courses you will encounter as part of any kaiseki experience:

• Shokuzen-shu – to start off your meal, you may be offered a small glass of alcohol — this aperitif may consist of sweet wine or a local alcoholic beverage.
• Sakiduke – these hors d-oeuvres are typically beautifully prepared, bite-sized tastes that serve to whet the appetite of the diner.
• Wanmori (or suimono) – this is a very light soup that is served before the main dish.
• Tsukuri – this course consists of sashimi-style (no rice) raw fish, thinly sliced and usually accompanied by soya sauce and a small amount of wasabi paste.

Tsukuri (Shashimi)

• There is some flexibility as to what comes next in the traditional kaiseki meal. In our first ryokan, we had hanmushi (steamed fish) and kuchitori (another small appetizer consisting of various ingredients); however in another place we ate nimoro, a selection of delicately simmered vegetables.
• Yakimono – this is a grilled dish that can consist of either a local fish or meat (typically wagyu beef).
• Meibutsu – this is the piece de resistance of the ryokan – their own famed original dish.
• Sunomono – this dish usually consists of vegetables (seafood is also common) dressed in a vinegar-based sauce.

One course of a traditional kaiseki meal

• Takiawase – a mixture of vegetables (typically firmer vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and eggplants) and flavored with a light soya sauce.
• Miso soup – a delicious soup that is made by mixing miso paste in fish stock and adding ingredients such as seaweed and tofu.
• Rice – rice is always served with a traditional Japanese meal.
• Konomono (also known as tsukemono) – deliciously tangy, pickled vegetables.
• Dessert – this may consist of in-season, local fruits, sorbet or other local dessert.

If you want to eat your meal with a knife and fork, you will find the Japanese very accommodating, however it is worth trying to eat your food with chopsticks (hashi), like the locals.

Some related tips:

• We strongly recommend booking a reservation at a ryokan on Japanese Guest Houses.  The website offers a comprehensive listing of ryokans throughout the country, offers valuable advice on protocol, and books the reservation for you.
• If you visit Tokyo during your trip, be sure to visit its famous tuna auction (see our map to the market) — it is an experience not to be missed!
• Finally, if you plan to visit Kyoto and Nara while in Japan, consider using our travel guide to Nara: The Wooden Temples of China and Japan as a reference.

We would love to hear your experiences with Japanese food either in Japan or in your home country in the comments!

Travelers to Buddhist and Hindu countries might find a review of AUM valuable, as it exemplifies many of the fundamental tenets of these faiths.

The symbol of AUM (also spelled “Om”) consists of three curves, one semicircle, and a dot; these are symbols of each person’s self and his potential:

• The large curve (in the lower left corner of the image) symbolizes the waking state.  Perhaps it is best to think of this curve as symbolic of the “ego”, our outward persona, the person we think we should be, that identity that we consciously associate with the “self”.
• Moving clockwise, the upper curve (upper left corner) symbolizes the unconscious state, that part of the “self” that is hidden to the one’s consciousness but is equally part of the “self”.
• The middle curve, which extends from the center to the right side, symbolizes the dream state. This dream state, positioned vertically between the conscious and unconscious elements of the “self”, serves as a means to connect the two, a means for the conscious and unconscious to interact.  This is certainly what we do when we dream…the unconscious becomes conscious, affording a more complete view of the “self”.
• The semicircle or crescent symbolizes symbolizes illusion, specifically in this case, the illusion that the self exists as a separate entity at all.  Notice that the crescent separates the dot from the other three curves.  It is this illusion that separates the individual from becoming one with his infinite self, beyond boundaries.
• The dot signifies the infinite, absolute self, hidden from the individual by illusion; this is what the Eastern faiths of Hinduism and Buddhism consider God.   Dispelling the illusion and becoming one with this infinite self is the ultimate experience of life and the experience of the divine.

One of our favorite descriptions of AUM, which touches on many of the symbols described above, can be found in Joseph Campbell’s book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces“.  Campbell breaks down each of AUM’s three phonemes, a, u and m:

• The A representing the realm of waking experience: “cognitive of the hard gross facts of an outer universe, illuminated by the sun, and common to all”.
• The U representing the realm of dream experience: “cognitive of the fluid, subtle forms of a private interior world, self-luminous and of one substance with the dreamer”.
• The M representing the realm of deep sleep: “dreamless, profoundly beautiful” (the person unified with the unconscious and the greater self).

For Campbell, the most profound element of AUM is not the sound, however, but the silence: “The silence surrounding the syllable is the unknown: it is called simply ‘the fourth’.  The syllable itself is God as creator-preserver-destroyer, but the silence is God Eternal, absolutely uninvolved in all the openings-and-closings of the round.”

Experience the silence!

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Religion: Buddhism

Buddhism began as a rebellious offspring of Hinduism in India, “Hindu Protestantism”, if you will, and migrated out of India to the rest of Asia via the Silk Road and other trade routes. This guide seeks to provide a framework for understanding the faith and help readers gain an understanding of this religion’s rich, global cultural legacy. Learn more about Buddhism…

Religion: Hinduism

This document is designed to provide a comprehensive background on the history of the Hindu religion, a discussion of the primary Hindu gods (and how to recognize them), the central tenets of the faith, the history of and thoughts espoused in the primary Hindu religious texts, the relevant religious symbolism, and the primary related religious movements. Learn more about Hinduism…

The Tibetan faithful at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa. Prayer beads are used by both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists.

The use of prayer beads, or japa malas, in both Buddhism and Hinduism speaks to a historical connection between the two faiths; however, Buddhist japa malas typically contain a lesser number of beads than the Hindu japa malas’ 108 — it is usually a divisor of 108. There many potential explanations for the significance of the number 108, however, none alone appears offers a definitive explanation.

The beads are typically made from the seeds or wood of the Bodhi tree (a.k.a. “ficus religosa” or fig tree; this is the tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment) and are typically used as counters, thereby enabling the faithful to keep track of recitations of mantras or prayers, prostrations, circumambulations and so forth.

The large bead on the strand is symbolic of the wisdom that allows one to recognize emptiness (sunyata) and the bell-shaped bead surmounting it is symbolic of “emptiness” itself (the bell is always a Buddhist symbol for emptiness; its ringing is the sound of emptiness).

A few words on Buddhist philosophy: “Emptiness” signifies that everything one encounters in life is empty of absolute identity, permanence, or an in-dwelling ‘self’ (anatta).  All things are connected and mutually dependent, in a constant state of flux, transforming and becoming (rather than self-centered and fixed).  The Buddhists believe that only when this abandonment of “self” occurs can the transcendent state of enlightenment be achieved.

How to Use Buddhist Prayer Beads

A mantra is said as each bead is spun (in turn) in a counterclockwise direction (similar to circumambulation of the stupa).

The rotation through the beads is also typically done in a counterclockwise motion beginning at the first bead after the large central bead. This large bead is used a counter, signaling that one full rotation of the beads (108 mantras) has be achieved. This process is of 108-bead cycles is repeated countless times.

Learning More

This excerpt is from our ApproachGuide to Religion: Buddhism, which provides travelers with a framework for understanding the faith and help readers appreciate Buddhism’s rich, global cultural legacy.  Read more

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Tuna for Sale at the Tsukiji Market in Tokyo

The Tsukiji Market in Tokyo is definitely worth a visit, if for nothing else than to see the early-morning tuna auctions. The complex is enormous (it makes the old Fulton Fish Market in New York City seem like child’s play) and contains hundreds of vendors selling tremendous quantities of super-fresh fish.

One of the most famous activities of the Tsukiji fish market is the tuna auction (located in the back corner near the Sumida River). It will be helpful to use our map of the Tsukiji market, highlighting the location of the tuna auction when you arrive at 5 in the morning.

Many guidebooks indicate that tourists are not allowed to view the auctions, but this is patently false; there is, however, a protocol:

• The tuna auction begins at 5:30 am, but you can certainly get there by 6 am and have plenty of time to see the auction in action.
• Stay in the designated “visitor” section
• Refrain from taking flash photography and smoking
• Be careful to avoid the fast moving forklifts
• Enjoy!

After spending the morning walking around Tokyo’s famous fish market, take your breakfast at Daiwa Sushi (located in the stalls circled in red on our map), the quintessential place to go for a reasonably priced sushi breakfast. There are only 8 seats, but it is a great and totally unique experience.

If you are visiting Kyoto and Nara while in Japan, consider using our travel guide to the Wooden Temples of China and Japan as a reference.