Volume 13, Number 1 |
by Rowan Hooper & Puneeta Kala
Ramen noodles are the fish 'n chips of Japan (I can't say it's the McDonald's of Japan because McDonald's is the McDonald's of Japan), the fast food greasy spoons found on almost every road. Japan is famous for sushi, but the country doesn't run on raw fish, it runs on ramen. It is ramen, more than sushi, which is held dear by your everyday Japanese. It is ramen which fuels the workers, ramen which has powered Japan through the economic miracle, ramen which sees lovers and the lonely, gangsters and thieves. If there was an official religion of ramen, I'm sure it would make lots of cash. Many people worship at its bowl every day. Connoisseurs claim to be able to distinguish the proportions of essential ingredients in the soup not merely by taste, but from the smell of the stock mingling with the noodles and even from the nature of the shine of the soup above the pork slice. I can't list the ingredients even after eating it, but I like the people in ramen shops, they're like a slice of Japan without the geisha or Blade Runners of guide books, a salaryman hunched centimeters over his bowl, reading a porn comic; a truck driver heroically managing to smoke and slurp at the same time; a woman in oversized combat trousers eating almost silently; a woman in a pink skirt and matching lippo slurping and gasping and leaving pink kisses around the bowl.
I ate at all these places with my ramen guru Puneeta Kala; we wrote the reviews just for a laugh really, but hope you will visit some of them and maybe add reviews in future AT's. Remember, martial arts are not sports, they are life paths. Following ramen-do is not just going to some place to get fed, it is a way. Learn it. Practice it. Support your local ramen shop.
A guide to ramen shops in Tsukuba
Jigoku ramen
Amakubo, opposite the Big Echo (Cho-osusume)
Hell ramen: a night-time institution, like a curry after the pubs shut or a kebab from the van on the corner. The proprietor is a burly no-nonsense man with a towel tied round his head and a Seven Stars fag in his down turned mouth. The only thing to have here is its specialty: hell ramen. Unlike Western versions of the underworld, Japanese Buddhism has 16 levels of hell, some hot, some cold. In this shop there are four levels of hell ramen, starting at an almost cold cowardly ten go (0.5) proceeding through the first and second gates of hell to arrive trembling sweating and crying (I was practically bawling) at the feet of Emma-O (level 3: san cho me). I recommend this last only to masochists, lunatics or drunkards (let's face it, you have to be in one of these categories to get a bowl full down); though perhaps everyone should try it, for like in Japanese Buddhism, your torment in hell will not be eternal (however, it will be intense, and worse, jigoku ramen delivers stinging revenge the morning after). 700 yen for a taste of garlic, chilies, onion and chunks of ginger and that crispy batter stuff that for some is like an adrenalin shot to the heart, for others a brush too close to hell.
Science-odori Ramen shop
Science-odori
Always busy. Buy your selection from the ticket machine inside and watch the team of cooks hack up negi (long onions), fling bags of ramen, ladle soup and boil up skinned pig's heads (well I don't think you're really supposed to watch them do this, I mean it's probably not part of the show). But this is their trick, their secret for soup perfection. In this shop, the soup is particularly good, one of the best so far, a result of (I'm reluctant to admit) the flavor from the pig's heads, sliced dorso-ventrally to expose the brain, and boiled. But let's not think about that. Instead let's look at the abundant garlic paste in front of every stool, and the little pots of vinegar, chili oil and the rich chili sauce, the clunking water machine and its crushed ice, the eclectic mix of ramen types who have made the lonely journey out along Science-odori and wonder, how much one can tell about the personality from the noise of a ramen slurp? The little drive from the centre is well worth it. Miso negi ramen, 600 yen.
Kyoukason
Next to the Tremont hotel, off Higashi odori pretty near the university
A relatively new discovery for us, this one is. Fronted by a capable, waddling obasan and powered by a couple of brash young fag smoking (of course) white hat wearing chefs, this shop had something unique on offer. It has the usual gyoza, ramen and Chinese dishes (which are apparently excellent), but these I've never tried since it also does a killer tan tan men, and here's the rub: they do it without soup. No diluting the chilies and ginger and whatever else they sling in there: you're practically mainlining that chili-loaded taste direct to your bloodstream. No real call even to slurp, though being in Japan naturally you give it a go. Only thing is that without the soup the portion looks too small, maybe some gyoza on the side or an extra beer afterwards is in order. Very fine, very friendly place, none of the hell of Jigoku nor the bustle of Science-odori, and compared to this, ramen from chain-store Chinese restaurants is shown up as the pot-noodle pap it is. Free matches at the counter. Tan tan men, 600 yen.
Seibu ramen stall
level one, Seibu food hall
Quite surprised by this entry as naturally you would expect a small family-run place to win anytime over a shop in a supermarket. But this place isn't bad, maybe because that's exactly what Seibu did: got a family in to cook ramen for them. The tan tan men here is unlike other sorts: lots of pepper (not freshly ground). No discernible chili, just pepper. The woman behind the counter always tells you that tan tan men is very hot, are you sure you can eat it type thing. After hearing this I thought hang about this sounds like it's gonna be a frisky one, and yeah it was good, just not hot. Puneeta tell 'em about the meat because mine is always niku nashi (without meat). Ideal for that 5.30 pre-Nihongo class cycle ride to the Expo centre, or the post-CD buying Saturday trip to Seibu. 600 yen.
Ramen shopu
Tsuchiura-noda, after the Shell garage, just before the Joban entry
I can't understand much in here, and they don't know what I'm on about either (no change there then). Here the language is Ibaraki-ben, or truck driver-ben. As far as I can tell, this means basically snorting the words through your nose. A shabby place, more of a shack than a shop, it nevertheless earns points for plentiful garlic paste and chili relish (or whatever it's called), and for fine negi ramen, with a big handful of onion and a tasty soup that doesn't coat your mouth like some places who I don't know what they do, do they stick flour in the soup? Whatever, this is pretty good. Known also for the generous supply of nori (seaweed sheets) that are arranged around the bowl. Plenty of dog-eared manga (comics) to read. Negi ramen, 600 yen.
Sarintorn restaurant
1-6-11 Amakubo, (0298) 52-4377
Strictly speaking, this should be on another list as it's a Thai restaurant, yet it gets a place here because it does Thai ramen. Flat Thai-style white noodles with coriander (this alone is enough to get it on the list), and several Thai things floating about whose names I don't know: rooty type things and slivers of something in the ginger family. And red chilies (it's okay there's a box of tissues on the table). Menu lists it as pork ramen, but I had it with ebi (shrimp); plump and succulent they make a fine substitute. The waiters speak about as much Japanese as I do which is comforting; here you are reminded of restaurants back home in that the waiters are somewhat surly in comparison to the service ethic in Japanese-run places. A chef wandered in bare-chested (which was a bonus), others sprawled on the red 70's upholstery and smoked. So they dump the bowl on your table, and though of course it's not really ramen (but it is men), they go down with refreshing lip-smacking ease. Other stuff here is top too. Chotto takai (slightly expensive): 1000 yen for the noodles plus beer and whatever else you have (and you do need something else, or at least you'll end up having something else when you see the menu; flaming ebi soup and Indian crab curry are divine; there is a karaoke machine if you are so inclined). Just down the alley from Jigoku ramen, it's definitely worth a decko.
Maru-cho
Near the university, round the corner from the Zep bar. (0298) 51-6041
Apparently this place is secret, only known to local Japanese. That's what one of the Germans told us as we joined their table. Secret it may be, but at lunchtime there's no room to snap your hashi (chopsticks). This cheap and fairly run-down place bases its reputation on tsuke-men, a home-made type of men which you pick up and dip into a small bowl of soup. This soup is delicious; the standard ramen is quite disappointing, the soup loaded with lipid. I tried to bail it out by flooding it with vinegar but it was basically a poor quality, fatty soup. The waitress was pretty crap too. Anyway it was cheap: 400 yen. Go for the tsuke-men, which is top.
Tsukuba University ramen shop
Tsukuba University, below the library next to the pond
Even cheaper than Maru-cho, the university place does a version of hakata ramen, the legendary white Kyushu ramen. We're not in Kyushu; we are in a university-run place but if you're not from Kyushu you'll probably enjoy it. Good hot soup, half an egg, lots of sesame seeds, could've done with some more negi and fewer ginger bits. If you're gonna stick ginger in, I prefer the natural stuff rather than the pickled. What do you expect for 340 yen?
Hopeken
Higashi-odori, just past the university on the right, near a 7-11. (0298) 64-7003
Looks very much like an American roadside diner in the desert. Air-con is on life-support, wheezing a little bleak air into the hot mass coming in through the open door. Waitress could also be straight out of some hick diner, middle-aged in mini shirt and hair piled on top chewing gum. But you know you're not in America when you see the fag machine bearing the legend: "Smoking for beautiful healthy heart." You have to admire whoever wrote that for their sheer audacity. Free eggs in this place. Negi-ramen comes with a great stack of onion with some spicy chili sauce sprinkled on top. Class soup, drank it all. Defo worth a slurp if you're on Higashi. Closes at 3am. Negi-ramen 550 yen. My friend gave the gyoza 4 out of 5, said they're pretty good.
Kita-kata ramen
Nishi-odori, on the left about 500m from RR to the centre, opposite a Hot Spar. There's an old Japanese cart thing parked permanently outside.
Hawaiian music plays inside this shop (Kit-Kat ramen?), giving an exuberant atmosphere which the rather camp, curly haired owner compliments perfectly. I had Hokkaido style ramen, means it's cooked with butter and has a richer, more fatty taste, which although not my usual preference, is nevertheless pretty good. I found only a very small pot of ninniku (garlic) paste. Water replenished regularly by the owner. You can sit at the bar and watch the wild kitchen action. You should be able to read Japanese or be with someone who can, to get the most out of this place. Negi-ramen, Hokkaido style, 550 yen.
Chinraku
Higashi-odori, on the right, about 500m from the AIST campus going towards Tsukuba centre. (0298) 51-1005
A Chinese restaurant complete with lanterns and dragons, bright red revolving table top with sticky plastic cover and Tsing Tao beer, 500 yen. Wicked place with a fine menu: Puneeta had miso ramen (rich miso sauce) and I had shitake ramen in here; both soups are tip top. The menu lists these dishes as miso soba and shitake soba, but bloody hell, it's ramen not soba. Has excellent gyoza (even does ebi [shrimp] gyoza and vegetable-filled gyoza, which were top). I was disappointed in the tan tan men (nothing beats the Kyoukason one).
Sharuru
Science Odori
Like many people, I've often entertained daft thoughts of running a ramen shop back home; a visit to this one on Science odori gave me a slap: I don't think I could hack it. This is run by a couple and a mother-in-law: 11a.m.-Midnight everyday for this young married couple (maybe they bought the shop after they were married and are trying to get by on it), 13 hours of hard monotonous work. All ramen shops must be hard monotonous work, but this one seemed more kawai-so (piteous) than normal. Anyway, it's not bad but to be brutal the shop 100m down the road has better soup, this one's chotto (a bit) slow, but there are lots of niniku and chili, free nama (raw) eggs (I thought they were hard boiled so rolled it on the table and got yolk and albumen everywhere). There's an area for kids. miso negi 650 yen.
As part of its activities, the Tsukuba Information Center sponsors a bilingual discussion group the fourth Wednesday of every month from 2 to 4 pm, with invited guests giving a presentation from their area of expertise or experience. The guest for January is MS. Yukako Kubota, who has spent 18 months in Spain. She will speak about Santiago de Compostela, in the North Galicia region, where she studied for one and a half years. It is a beautiful Medieval city which was chosen as one of the UNESCO international world inheritances.
She will talk about her experience teaching Ikebana, working as an interpreter for a Japanese film maker, and her personal experience with Spanish and other European people. Finally, she will demonstrate Flamenco dancing and give you a short lesson as well. As an added bonus, there will be some live Flamenco guitar, with Tim Boyle strumming a tune or two.
The Coffee Hour is meant to be an informal exchange of information and opinions. English and Japanese are both used with efforts made to make sure those who can't understand one or the other are able to at least get the gist of the conversation. Likewise, you don't need to commit yourself to the entire two hours and can come and go freely. So drop by, whether for a short time or for the entire two hours, and enjoy some free refreshments along with the stimulating conversation.
In addition to the ever present need for our readers to contribute articles, there is also a need for someone to take over the delivery and mailing, a job that usually takes about 2 hours to handle. About 20 - 30 people receive their AT by mail, and the AT needs to be put in about a dozen locations for people to pick up at their leisure. If anyone is willing to help with this, please give the AT a call at 55-1907.
An English language interdenominational worship service is held once a month normally on the fourth Sunday of every month at 2 pm. at the Tsukuba Gakuen Church near Daiei. The January service is on January 24. Services are followed by an informal fellowship time at the Tsukuba Christian Center next door. The Japanese language congregation meets every Sunday morning at 10:30, and the service is translated into English over headphones. There is also a Bible Study in English every Tuesday evening at 8:00 in the Christian Center. For more information or help with transportation, call Tim Boyle at 55-1907.
The Tsukuba Catholic Church has an English mass at 8:00 am every Sunday and the Japanese masses on Saturday night (6 pm) and Sunday morning (10 am) are accompanied by an summary of the message in English. There is even a Spanish mass on the 3rd Sundays at 3 pm. On the last Sunday of the month, there is a coffee social after the English mass. For information, call the church at 36-1723. The Tsuchiura Catholic Church offers an English mass on the last Sunday of each month at 3 pm (tel. 21-1501). There is also a Portuguese mass on the 3rd Saturday at 7 pm.
The Tsukuba Baptist Church offers an English language Bible study before the Japanese service every Sunday from 10 to 11 am. It is located in Inarimae just east of Nishi Odori on the street closest to the meteorological observation tower. Tel. 58-0655.
The Megumi Church in Tsuchiura (489-1 Kami Takatsu) also offers English translation of their 10:30 am Japanese service over ear phones. An English Bible class is held every Sunday morning at 9:00 am. There is also an International Fellowship group that holds a monthly pot luck dinner usually on the third Saturday. For information on that, call Melissa Ishio at 38-1374. For more information, call the church at 22-2244 or e-mail LDN03144@niftyserve.or.jp (Also see their "Experimental" Tsuchiura Megumi Church Web Page at http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp/-megumi/).
The Tokyo International Church, Tsukuba Branch in Amakubo 3-3-5 (across from Tsukuba Univ.) offers a 10:30-noon Chinese (Mandarin) service interpreted into both English and Japanese. There is also an English language Bible study every Sunday evening at 7 pm. For information, call Rev. Huang at 52-6820.
The International Christian Assembly meets every Sunday at Free Space K (in Shimohiratsuka next to Kasuga 3 chome) from 10 for Bible Study and 10:30 for worship. For more information, call Richard Swan at 36-0993.
The Nozomi Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tsuchiura (23-27 Komatsu 3-chome) also offers programs in English, including a worship service Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm and a Bible class on Sunday mornings at 9:30. English Bible information courses are available any time. For more information, call Glen Hieb at 0298-21-3578.
The Tsuchiura Christian Church offers an English message translated into Japanese every Sunday morning at 10:30 am. For information, contact Paul Axton at 56-2167.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Tsukuba ward is located at Higashi 2-21-22 by Higashi Middle School between Doho Park and Tsuchiura Noda Sen. Services are translated into English over headphones. The Sacrament Meeting begins at 10 am followed by Sunday School at 11:10 and Priesthood and Relief Society at 12:00. A Gospel Doctrine class in English is also offered. For more information, contact 52-6548.
The Jewish Community of Japan, invites anyone of the Jewish faith in the Tsukuba area to feel welcome at any of their programs in Tokyo. Sabbath services each Friday at 6:30 pm followed by Sabbath dinner; Kosher Kitchen, Saturday morning, 9:30 am. Contact 3-8-8 Hiroo, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo 150; tel. 03-3400-2559, fax. 03-3400-1827.
Beer drinkers everywhere could be toasting the latest scientific findings about their brew. Tests by Japanese researchers show that beer may inhibit the action of mutagens caused by some suspected cancer-causing compounds.
The research, scheduled to appear in the January print issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, was done by scientists at Okayama University near Hiroshima. The article was initially published Dec. 15 on the journal's website. The peer-reviewed journal is a publication of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.
Twenty-four different beers, including 17 lagers, four stouts, two ales and one nonalcoholic, from 11 countries were examined. Nearly all of the beers showed potent inhibitory effect against mutagens found in several types of heterocyclic amines (HAs), according to Sakae Arimoto-Kobayashi, Ph.D., lead author of the report. The stout beers were the most potent, claims Arimoto. The nonalcoholic beer and one of the lagers had no effect. The beers tested were from England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Russia, Scotland, South Africa and the United States. Produced during the cooking of food, HAs are known carcinogens in animals and are believed to contribute to cancer in people.
Beer also suppressed DNA-carcinogen adduct formation in the livers of laboratory mice, according to Arimoto. "This adduct formation is a 'biomarker'for the cancer-causing action of a compound," she notes.
Red and white wines, brandy and Japanese sake also were effective in inhibiting mutagens, the report states, but whiskey had no effect. It is still unclear what actually inhibits mutagen action but "there is a possibility that the plant components originating from hops might be responsible," according to the report.
A nonprofit organization with a membership of more than 155,000 chemists and chemical engineers, the American Chemical Society publishes scientific journals and databases, convenes major research conferences, and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
(Editor's note: Apparently, the healthful effects of moderate amounts of wine were known even in biblical times, as Paul counsels Timothy to "drink a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses" (I Timothy 5:23). But as with any good thing, overdoing it cancels out the benefits and can wreak havoc. That is why it says "a little wine!")
From the TAIRA NET
As I mentioned a few weeks ago to the TAIRA list, various people had expressed the disappointment that the TAIRA talks had stopped functioning. For many, it was perhaps that only source of regular science/research/technology presentations with a general theme and informal approach. I am glad to announce that the TAIRA talks have re-started!! We would like to invite everyone from TAIRA to participate in our first meeting.
Date - 19th January 1999.
Venue - TGH (Techno-Growth House) Conference Room on the AIST Campus along Higashi Odori, Tsukuba.
Time - doors open at 7pm and the presentations will begin from 7.30pm.
Information via web pages at: http://www.biol.tsukuba.ac.jp/~weisburd/TAIRA/ (please be patient with this web site as it is currently being formed).
Format of talks - 2 speakers will be giving talks for up to 30 minutes, with a suitable interval between the talks for food and drinks (pizza and beer available).
Post-talk discussion - to be carried out in a local bar, GOLDRUSH.
Talk 1 - Seismically Isolated Structures in Japan's Private Housing by Bujar MYSLIMAJ, Dr. Eng. Institute of Engineering Mechanics, University of Tsukuba, JAPAN
ABSTRACT : Lessons learned from the great Hyogo-ken Nanbu Earthquake of January 17, 1995 and the good performance of seismically isolated structures during this destructive earthquake have persuaded the structural engineers, isolator makers and housing construction companies to undertake a cooperative research program to investigate the possibility of introducing seismically isolated structures into the private housing sector. A three-year cooperative research project financed by the Ministry of Construction of Japan and several private companies is under way at Building Research Institute. In this presentation the details of this project will be introduced and the latest information about its progress will be provided.
Talk 2 - Japanese Brewing - Sake and Shochu
by Mr. Kenichiro Kobata, KYOWA HAKKO KOGYO Co. Ltd. Ami-machi, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki-ken, Japan.
Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co. Ltd. is well established company known throughout Japan as one of the leading researchers and producers of Japanese alcoholic beverages, especially Sake and Shochu. It also has other business interests, including pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, biotechnology, fermentation, other foods and chemicals. The main business of KHK is within the Japanese market, but it also has substantial coverage and sales throughout the world including offices and various acquisitions (mainly in the USA). There are currently about 6000 employees within KHK.
For TAIRA, Kenichiro will introduce the brewing process of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and will explain why and how there are differences / types of nihonshu. He will try to discriminate between the common nihonshu types by comparison to other well-known alcoholic beverages. From this presentation, Kenichiro hopes that a broad understanding of how nihonshu is manufactured, and the differences in flavour, can be achieved.
There will also be free samples of sake and shochu available at the meeting which everyone is welcome to try and compare the tastes and quality of the nihonshu. These drinks will be presented after Kenichiro has finished his talk.
OVERVIEW: The following classic films were rarely shown in the West. This film festival aims to present five great alternative cinematic works, in the original languages, subtitled in English
VENUE: Tsukuba Women's University (library), AV Hall, Azuma 3-1 Tsukuba-shi
TIME: 6:00-8:00 (Note that seating is limited to 30)
COST: No charge for any of the films
INQUIRIES: (0298)58-4211 (Japanese); (0298)58-6337 (English); (0298)58-7388 (fax; English inquiries welcome)
SCHEDULED FILMS
JANUARY 14 - Ballad of a Soldier (Soviet, 1959) A young soldier destroys two Nazi tanks and is rewarded with a furlough for his heroism. During this brief period, he encounters both romance and disillusionment. Then he has to return to the front. A testimony to the efforts of a society in crisis. In Russian with English subtitles.
JANUARY 21 - The Little Valentino (Hungarian, 1979) A low-key minimalist tale of greed, compassion, and human frailty. A 20 year-old steals some money and goes on a one-day spending spree. Do not be surprised if you see shades of Jim Jarmusch's work in this b&w classic. In Hungarian with English subtitles.
JANUARY 28 - The Firemen's Ball (Czech, 1968) Hilarious yarn about a retirement party for an 85 year-old fire chief whose gala farewell is marred by a bungled beauty contest and the theft of the contest prizes. The party sinks lower yet when the department itself catches fire. In Czech with English subtitles.
FEBRUARY 5 (Friday) - All My Good Countrymen (Czech, 1968) A powerful panorama of the occasionally amusing, but largely tragic, experiences of a small town in coping with socialism. A tremendous testimony to the freedom felt during the Prague Spring. In Czech with English subtitles.
FEBRUARY 18 - Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Ukrainian, 1964). An epic love story set against the ethnographic panorama of the Carpathian Mountains. In Ukrainian with English subtitles.
DIRECTIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY
http://www.kasei.ac.jp/introduction-e/traffics/traffics.html In Japanese version the red pink area is the campus.
The foreigners' Consultation Section of the Ibaraki International Association begins its 4th year in 1999. We thank our readers and visitors for their trust and support. We wish you all a Happy New Year and a pleasant stay in Japan. This month's installment deals with Workers' Accident Compensation Insurance.
Workers' Accident Compensation Insurance (Rosaihoken) applies to injuries sustained during work as well as work-related illnesses and accidents which occur while commuting to work.
a. Eligibility
b. Benefits
Under this insurance plan, one can be treated for covered ailments free at designated hospitals. It also mandates various compensations, including partial salary payment during absence from work due to illness or injuries. For a full list of benefits, one should check with one's employer.
c. Points of Caution
There have been cases reported, especially regarding small companies, in which people sustained injuries while at work, but their compensation claims were rejected by their employers. These workers were told by their employers that they could not make claims because they had not joined the Workers' Accident Compensation Insurance program. This is not true, since all workers are automatically included in the program the moment they are employed. Even if an employer has not paid the premium, his workers are still entitled to the benefits of this program. Application for this compensation insurance can be made at the nearest Labor Standard Bureau office.
The free Legal Consultation days for January at the Ibaraki International Association are the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays (12th and 26th). Feel free to call at 029-244-3811.