Meticulous

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Geo: 34.69, 135.83

Attention to detail - it's something the Japanese are famous for, and it seems that everything they do in life is executed meticulously. Some of the best examples may be Zen gardening, or the bonsai tree trimming made famous by Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid, but we've seen other examples of it over and over in daily life while here in Japan - the way food is prepared, the way things are packaged, the way fake plastic display food is famously produced by the Japanese, is almost always done flawlessly.

Today showed some of the best examples of the Japanese penchant for detail, which started with a pancake breakfast that, while delicious, was probably more art than food, with a banana carefully trimmed of half of its peel, and beautifully bruleed. It's not something that the average person could do without butchering the banana or slicing off a finger, but that type of kitchen technique is commonplace in Japan, even in a type of establishment that would be considered to be far from gourmet, back in North America.

Then it was off to Nara, famous for its amazing temples and massive Great Buddha, the Daibutsu, that is beautifully cast in bronze. It's nearly 15 metres tall and is an impressive sight, but perhaps more amazing were some incredible giant statues of warriors, so meticulously crafted out of wood that from afar, they appeared to be cast in bronze like the Daibutsu. Hyper-realistic, it's nearly unfathomable that somebody could produce something so stunning out of wood, yet the Japanese somehow found a way to do it.

Nara is also known for its many sweet and snack shops, and whether you care to sample them or not, it's quite the experience just to see the sheer variety of foods on offer, and to gawk at how everything is presented so prettily. Biscuits, cookies, cakes, mochi, dried fruits, dried seafood, rice crackers, all manner of candy ... there's too much to even visually absorb, let alone dream about sampling them all. You could probably come here every day, trying three or four new things every time, and not be able to sample everything in the span of a year; it was positively mind boggling browsing through some of these stores.

A visit to Nara is considered a highlight of any Japanese tourist itinerary, and a day trip here offered a nice contrast from the bright lights and bustle of Osaka. But despite being a quaint and much quieter town compared to Osaka, Nara still managed to give us sensory overload of a different kind - it wasn't the epileptic seizure-inducing flashing neon lights and noise of Osaka; rather, it was more of an overwhelming feeling of depression knowing that we had so little time in Nara, yet so many new and wonderful foods that we would be unable to try ...

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Photos

Fluffy Clouds ...
... at a place called Very Fancy. Different from North American ones, these heavenly pancakes were lighter than air, and fluffier than a goose down pillow, more souffle or airy cake than pancake. It was like biting into a delicious cloud, and soooo good, served with nuts, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, syrup, and a bruleed banana.

Incredible Wood Work ...
... from afar, this imposing statue looks like it may be cast in bronze, but up close you realize it's actually made of wood. Even more impressive were two massive statues at the entrance gate to Todai-ji, but unfortunately, those photos aren't clear enough to post, due to a lack of light.

Famous Nara Sweet Shops ...
... while I'm not a huge fan of Asian sweets, I've been thoroughly impressed with two things in Japan - the huge selection of sweets and snack foods, and how everything is beautifully and carefully made, and perfectly packaged.

Fake Vietnamese Food ...
... the Japanese are famous for making all manner of fake food, and elevating it to an art form. These bowls of plastic food look positively good enough to eat!

Attention to Detail ....
... stems carefully trimmed to a certain length, oriented so that the stems are pointed a certain way, carefully placed between sheets of foam ... a lot more effort goes into packaging strawberries in Japan than in North America, where we just shove them in a plastic box! Of course, back home a flat like this might cost about $20. But in Japan? Try about $150!!!

Famous Deer of Nara ...
... they are wandering around absolutely everywhere in town, and are so used to humans that they will aggressively go after people that have purchased deer food.

Daibatsu-Den ...
... home of Daibutsu, Nara's Great Buddha.

Reunion ...
... Lil Buddha came all the way to Japan to meet his father the Daibutsu, for the very first time - so heartwarming that it brought tears to our eyes ...

First Sushi of the Trip ...
... in Nara. People rave about the sushi in Japan, and though this was fairly good better than almost any you would get back in Calgary, it wasn't overly memorable. The highlights may have been the awesome bowl of rice, and another great bowl of miso soup.

Okonomiyaki ...
... a Japanese savoury pancake supposedly invented in Osaka. It's served all over town in restaurants specializing in them, and is a combination of vegetables, meat, noodles, with an egg cracked over top of them, all cooked together and then smothered in a thick and sweet okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise, with dried bonito flakes sprinkled on top for good measure. Customers cook their own okonomiyaki on the teppan embedded in the table in some restaurants, but luckily for us, the workers at Fugetsu did it for us tonight. I wouldn't eat this all the time because it's so heavy and rich, but it was pretty tasty. The highlight of the night was actually a simple omelette also served with okonomiyaki sauce and mayo, and the low was some forgettable yakisoba.
bonito flake and bacon

Weird ...
... we've seen these all over town, and finally tried this dessert tonight - they are super-doughy balls that are grilled, and smothered in sweet sauce. Not a fan ...

Late Night Snack ...
... of sushi! Three types of tuna - regular, fatty, and super fatty. This was far superior to the sushi we had earlier for lunch in Nara.

Baum Kuchen ...
... the Japanese love this stuff, as it's sold everywhere. It's basically a layer cake that is baked in rings, with the cake cooked on a rotating spit, and batter brushed on as each previous layer has browned. It's interesting watching the process, but the results are lacking - dry and tasteless, there are far better desserts to eat in Japan.