Let's get the show on the road!

Yay, visa! Too bad I'm only staying for 5 months - I've got visa for 15.. I'm leaving on Thuesday 8th of September and will be travelling alone. It'll be interesting to see if people from Josai university actually come to pick me up. They haven't exactly been going out of their way in order to confirm this. Oh, well. Worst case scenario I'll have to get there by myself. I can handle anything, especially considering that I possess impeccable language skills (*What time is it? - Are you Japanese? - I heard Morita can't make it to work today because of a cold*).

Oh, yah. I'll knock their socks (..sandals?) off.





Natto, here I come! I'm always eager to try new and exciting (read: intimidating) things - and I have a feeling Japan will have a lot to offer. Natto is one of the things I've decided that I have to try, altough I must admit it doesn't sound very appetizing.

Natto is fermented soy beans. The beans are boiled, wrapped in straw and left to ferment for several days. They have vitamins, fiber and protein and thus are a good source of nutrition.

Natto dates back at least 1000 years and eventually became a favorite of people living in Edo, the capital city of Japan at that time.

People sold natto basically door-to-door. Some people added it to miso, others added minced onions and soy sauce and then poured the entire sum over some hot rice. It's cheap and has a rather strong odor.

Natto is sometimes used as a breakfast food, mixed with beaten raw egg and soy sauce, then poured over steaming hot rice. Natto is definitely not a favorite of non-Japanese, though, and even many Japanese do not care for it.

Yum, slimey!

Rest assured, I will be documenting everything of interest along the way to share with you guys - though it might get ugly.


- Kine