Japanese Food Bites: Indulging in the Taste of Summer

I’m Valentina Gutierrez and I’ll be telling you about how today’s adventure went! It started bright and early at 8:30AM, where we were meant to meet up on the first floor of the Tokyo hotel. Our journey embarked as we departed to the train station with all our mini luggage that was too heavy for its own good. We were headed to the Shinkansen station where we would be traveling to Ueda.

Everyone was a bit tired since we had to lug such heavy luggage around for half the day (including myself), but we made the best of it. Once in the Shinkansen train station, we had the opportunity to grab some food to eat in the train.

Jayden, Gillian, and I decided to go into a konbini and grab a few snacks for the trip. We tried a lot of different types of foods, like the waffles they sell at all the Konbinis. We tried the maple flavor and the regular flavor, and they were both so delicious. They didn’t taste like the waffles we usually eat in America, as those are usually crunchy. These were clouds dissolving in your mouth, and as it flew it away it left the most delightful sugary aftertaste. It was for sure one of my most memorable snacks here. 

Once we were on the train, eating our snacks, we got to see the most beautiful views of the mountains from the train. The scenery looked painted, as the clouds swayed around the mountains and looked up at their enormous height. The mountains appeared big and bulky, with green adorning it all around. It was absolutely beautiful.

After we arrived at Ueda, we met up with Horie Sensei, who would be showing us the way to the Shinshu University where we would attend his lecture about plants and also meet Shinshu University students. It was a tiresome trip indeed, since the luggage situation was a bit hectic, but once we got there everything ran smoothly. Horie Sensei’s lecture was delightful, as he taught us about crop plants and how they came to be. He narrowed in on the big three crops: corn, wheat, and rice. We learned about how many are grown a year (in the billions!) and how they came to be. Crops are specifically domesticated; therefore, they need humans’ help to thrive and grow. They weren’t always the crops we know and love, but humans saw potential in them and experimented with fertilization and planting, and that’s how many of our crops came to be!

Horie Sensei very graciously showed us his rice crops that he has been experimenting with for many years. His goal is to cultivate crops through genetic mixing that will be resistant to salt water, as sodium destroys crops. It has been an issue since the beginning of farming, but it’s become a much more prevalent issue now because of global warming. The sea levels rising makes it so more salt water gets into the soil and ruins crops. He’s working on creating mutations that will be able to resist that. It’s incredibly cool stuff and I’m rooting for him to find the results he’s looking for!

After, we got a lecture from Shinshu University students where we learned about different Japanese snacks and after, we got to try them all! It was all super yummy. I specifically liked the mochi balls, as they were so soft and chewy. We then got to mingle and get to know them, which was absolutely wonderful.

Once our visit to the University was over, we got on a train to go to our onsen hotel where we would be spending the night. Once we arrived at the station, workers from the hotel picked us up with their bus. The ride there was filled with beautiful sites of the countryside, which was such a pleasant change from the city views in Tokyo. Even though Tokyo is amazing, it was exciting to see what else Japan had to offer. Once we arrived in the hotel, the staff welcomed us with open arms and explained to us some standard protocols for the onsen. They also explained how the yukata was to be worn. Gillian, Kelly, and I were roommates for the night, so we went to our room to settle in and try on our yukatas. Gillian, Jayden, and I were super excited to wear them and walk around the Shrine that’s close to the hotel. 

Once we were ready we went down to the lobby where the workers got to see us in our yukatas. They were so excited that we were wearing them! They kept calling us “kawaii”, which I thought was so sweet. They insisted we take a picture with them, which came out awesome if I may say so myself.

Then, we went to look around the little town, we put on our wooden flip flops and clacked away. The Shrine was breathtaking and so incredibly calm. There weren’t a thousand people crowding it and obscuring the beautiful view (like some Shrines in Tokyo). It was so still and I was able to appreciate its beauty so much more. We walked around and took in our surroundings, including the gorgeous hillside view! 

Once it was time for dinner, we headed inside to eat the delicious kaiseki that was prepared for us by the hotel. We all gathered around in a beautiful room and had the most gorgeous dish presented in front of us. Colors jumped out of the dishes, in the form of shiny fish, vegetables, and more. The dishes themselves were gorgeous and stood out to me the most. 

Our dinner was made out of multiple courses, miso soup, corn rice, and more. After we were done with the first course, we got shrimp tempura with fried asparagus, it was my favorite course! Then, we got to cook our own beef and vegetables, which was very entertaining to say the least. The meat tasted wonderful, especially when soaked in soy sauce and salt. It was juicy and raw, with a very palatable texture. 

Last but not least, came the final course, which was dessert. There was crystalized pink mochi, which was my favorite part, even though none of us could figure out what flavor it was (after much discussion). We also had honeydew and cherries that were surrounded by whipped cream. It was absolutely delicious and a great way to finish our dinner!

With our bellies full, we headed to the onsen at the hotel. Some of us went inside and others stayed outside of the onsen where there was a table to do work. We talked and bonded until it was time to go to sleep. 

It might’ve been sad to say goodbye to Tokyo, but these new experiences venturing into the not-so-touristy areas of Japan was so delightful. So, here’s to new beginnings, hectic traveling, heavy bags, and more!