Yanagawa | Okawa — julio and christina

christina

A small town on the outskirts of Fukuoka Prefecture, Okawa is known as a hub for woodcraft and furniture making. Getting to experience a Japanese town off the tourist map hadn't been on our radar, but just magically happened and served as our first entry point to Japan on this trip. The whole experience in the span of a few days there was actually pure magic and reminded me how much I truly love this country. We were initially attracted to the Kyushu region, the third largest island in the country, because it was slightly off-the-beaten track and we wanted to experience this southern area known for it's wild nature, active volcanoes, onsens (hot springs) and start-up culture of Fukuoka. It turns out that Fukuoka is very busy, especially in the summer months and even Japanese tourists make their plans well in advance so we were priced out of the city for the weekend we arrived and instead decided to start in Yanagawa, the "Venice of Kyushu" where we could ride down canals with singing boat guides... What we didn't know was that the hotel we booked was in Okawa, and though close was not actually in Yanagawa but about 20 minutes away by bus. After getting over the initial confusion on this matter, we fully embraced where we had landed and instead took part in experiencing this amazing little town with it's beautiful daily life.

We visited a beautiful old Mochi shop, where we were able to delight in the ancient art of this delicious glutinous Japanese rice desert that has been pounded and molded into a desired shape. With a long cultural history that goes back to around 300BCE (though some say longer), Mochi has been considered a food for the Gods, used in Shinto rituals and is now placed at family altars around the Japanese New Year. It can take various shapes and flavors throughout the year to commemorate certain celebrations like Children's Day or the arrival of Spring as marked by the Cherry Blossoms known as Sakuramochi - pink colored and wrapped in an edible cherry leaf. It's also sold casually at convenience stores and in specialty shops like the one we visited. This video details the amazing (and dangerous!) art of making Mochi and gives a great sense of what's involved in it's preparation. We had already tried some of the cheaper mochi available here and there, but the packaging and taste of the mochi from this shop was astronomically amazing and was a true gift to behold.

Part of the delicacy culture of Japan, mochi is known as Wagashi - or a traditional confection that is typically served with Green Tea. In addition to our mochi shop experience, we were SO lucky to also visit a local tea shop in Okawa where the owner Yoko gave us an informal tea ceremony. There we were in this small town, in a building that dates from the 1800s, with this multi-generational family (grandmother, mother and daughter), being served the most delicious matcha while the hotel manager who had taken us there so graciously translated for us. It was incredible and we learned not only of the importance of tea, but truly about the Zen influenced process of serving it.

Green tea was introduced to Japan via China but has taken on an entire culture of it's own with the Japanese Tea Ceremony at the heart of this cultural practice. Also known as The Way of Tea, a tea ceremony can be formal or informal and is about the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha - or powdered green tea. The ceremony is focused on the aesthetics of preparing the tea with intention and with one's heart - thus emulating a transformative process. In Japan, the ceremony is deeply influenced by Zen Buddhism and is said to express the ideal of Wabi-Sabi - or very roughly, impermanent beauty. Wabi-Sabi, a distinctly Japanese ideal, is not considered easily translatable: Wabi refers to the inner spirit and Sabi refers to the outer material world. Together, the concept speaks to the transience and beauty of Nature's imperfect perfection. This video does an amazing job of explaining the history of Wabi Sabi and it's impact on the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

We had such a lovely time exploring the little suburb of Okawa where we found a hundred year old tea shop with its delightful proprietress Yoko who treated us to the most delicious matcha we have ever had. We had amazing mochi at Daazan Mochi, visited our first Pachinko parlor and explored the nearby temples, shrines and nearby Yanagawa .

What Japan illustrates for me is the juxtaposition of modernity and tradition co-existing, though sometimes with controversy, in expressions of culture. While we had intended to visit a bustling city, we were instead directed into this pocket of tradition and given access to participate in a way that was neither curated nor expected. It was so interesting to observe and connect at this level and then walk outside and see the modern conveniences and Pachinko parlors right there in front of you; as if what just happened was inside a dream-state. As time marches on, it will be interesting to observe how Japan maintains it's connection to the past and simultaneously builds bridges into the future. Will the granddaughter of the tea shop patron maintain the shop and its traditions or will she, as so many others, move to the city for economic opportunities? This is truly the question for all civilizations and traditions. How will we collectively enshrine these practices for time immemorial and/or adapt them to fit into our modern technological ethos?

JULIO

Honestly, we came to the little town of Okawa because we found a great deal on a hotel here on Agoda and it fit our budget. We had no idea what to expect and when we stepped of the train from Fukuoka and into the 95 degree heat and 98 percent humidity, we both looked at each other like, "What the hell are we doing here?"

It ended up being one of the most fulfilling, revealing and potent side trips we have ever had and took us deeper into knowing Japan. From the moment we arrived at our hotel, the Okawa Riverside Hotel, the staff treated us like royalty and were simply beyond thoughtful, kind and helpful with every little thing. The level of thought and pride put into every little thing was so evident and it just blew our Western minds. For the price we were paying, if you stayed at the US equivalent you would be lucky to get your room key and not get jacked on the way to your room, but in Japan, you are the guest of honor and everything from top to bottom is sterling and honorable.

We were hungry, so we were directed (and then physically escorted part of the way) to a Yakitori restaurant. We felt so bad that the hotel worker had walked us three whole blocks that we told him it was not necessary to escort us any further. As soon as he left, we weren't sure which was the place since it was all in Japanese. I used Google Translate and entered the first place that read Yakitori. In most local Japanese restaurants/bars there are no windows and not a lot of signage, just a Zen-looking facade and a perhaps a simple sign. We entered and stepped back into another time. People were so shocked (yet gracious) to see Westerners and we were directed to sit at the bar. This was definitely a local spot and there wasn't an English speaker or menu in sight. We did our best to use the smartphone to translate the menu but it was not really working very well. Thank God for the Internet as I looked up "things to order in a Yakitori restaurant," and just read things off to the kind waitress who would also show us the dishes coming out to see if we wanted to try something. We had delicious, chicken, liver, pork belly, mushroom and cheese skewers along with Karaage and the best omelette we have ever had.

The town of Yanagawa is known for its lovely canals, boat rides and delicious river eel. Although it was painfully hot we explored thouroughly and were thrilled by themany local sights, stopping every few hours for a kagegori (snow cone or shave ice), ice cream or cold beverage to survive the gripping weather. We found centuries old shops, edo era shrines, historic houses and canals with singing river men telling the tales and pleasure of the old history and city. It was beyond idyllic, slow and just so naturally beautiful.

FOOD FACT: Yanagawa is famous for its river eel. Eel or unagi is consumed in Japan during summer months to keep cool

Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan

christina

JULIO