The first time I ventured to Japan was in 2012 as a university student, when I studied Japanese sub-culture and intercultural communication in Osaka’s Kansai Gaidai. It wasn’t long before I began to make weekly excursions into Kyoto, Nara and Osaka.
I soon learned that beyond every corner lay the prospect of discovering new traditions, festivals, and hidden gems from all-you-can-eat dessert cafés to local fire festivals. Perhaps due to that fire festival, a spark was ignited within me than soon blossomed into the yearning to explore that keeps me going back and beyond. Three years later, I joined the JET scheme and began to teach English in quaint and quiet Tottori from 2015-2016, where my love for Japan and immersive travel grew with an escape from the city, and into a countryside so different from the loud neon of city life.
Since then, I have also traveled extensively in Israel, Jordan, and China where, unsurprisingly, I found a rich cultural tapestry woven of trade, theology, art and tradition like fibers into a grand vision of humankind’s story — or at least as far as the region goes.
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Q&A with Adam
What’s the best local dish you’ve tasted?
Hiroshima is one of the two okonomiyaki (like a pancake, but not really) capitals of Japan. I knew when I stepped into Hassei, through its out-of-the-way and stickered door, that it would live up to its reputation for serving some of the best okonomiyaki in Hiroshima. I sat at the teppan (gridle) counter and watched as the ingredients were piled high and then cooked down masterfully by the owner. Homemade sauces, fresh cabbage, parsley, soba, cheeses, bacon and Japanese mayo, once piled high, were reduced to an inch-tall pancake that, for me, embodies the quintessence of soul food. For China, it’s got to be the delight of a Rou Jia Mo (Chinese hamburger) that’s essentially would you’d get if you sent a burger on the silk road and ate what emerged, myriad cultural influences later, on other side.
Which book, film or artwork captures Japan the most?
Tokyo Sonata, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, follows the life of four members of a dysfunctional family as they struggle to align themselves with the roles ascribed to them by each other, society and themselves. As the family crumbles and communication stutters to a halt, each character must face a personal reckoning. Japan is a land of juxtaposition where the change mandated by time grates uncomfortably against tradition and the film explores this theme in detail as the family faces down its traditional roles.
Your best piece of travel advice?
As a food enthusiast, my travel tip, unsurprisingly, is related to choosing what to eat when presented with the eclectic menus presented by Japan’s versatile chefs. Nine times out of ten, order the house recommendation. It’s generally moderately priced and either the dish the chef takes the most pride in or, the one locals have deemed the best — so you’re almost ensured a memorable meal. Your key phrase to ask for the house recommendation? "O-susu-me o-negai-shimasu." This is a bit longer in Hebrew, Arabic, and Mandarin, but don’t worry, we’ll go over it before you head out.
