Sushi Making

 

Presenting the ten pieces of sushi we each made.

February 26, 2026

We went with the students after class today to a Shinjuku restaurant for a sushi making lesson. Good thing we didn't eat much for lunch because we got to eat everything we made. Two are lean tuna (akami), two are fatty tuna (chutoro), three are salmon, two are flounder and one is called Japanese omelette.

The first step was grating the wasabi root with the metal grater. The sushi chef taught us the specific way to pick up the sushi rice in our dominant hand and how to roll it carefully into a ball without crushing the grains of rice. With our other hand, we picked up a piece of fish and applied a small dab of wasabi paste. Then we placed the small ball of rice underneath, making sure to create a small hole in the bottom of the ball. Then we placed the fish on top and formed it into the shape of a rising loaf of bread.

When we formed them all, the sushi chef came to each of us and placed a dab of mayo on one of the salmon pieces and caramelized the top with a torch. One of the restaurant workers was documenting everything for their Instagram page!

Karl getting the hang of shaping his pieces. 

The sushi chef brought around this seventeen pound chunk of tuna for us to hold. This piece is worth $400!

The sushi was delicious. When everyone was done eating, the sushi chef suggested a wasabi eating contest. These three students agreed to the challenge. They each ate their piece with that much fresh wasabi and held it down! It didn't seem like an appetizing way to finish a meal, but you can see it on Itamae Sushi's Instagram page.

We took a tour of the Meiji Shrine yesterday in the rain with a Shinto priest. His name is Ito, and he explained all about the history of the Shinto religion in Japan. Shintoism has no founder. There is no sacred text. There is not a strict moral code. There is a reverence for nature because they believe that spirits or divine energies inhabit all natural things such as rain, rivers, rocks, trees etc.

Ito gave us a presentation in which he described how Japanese people pick and choose what types of ceremonies they want to hold. Only one percent of the Japanese population are Christians, 46-56 percent are Buddhist and 48-67 percent live a Shinto life. It is common for many Japanese to have a blend of Shinto-Buddhist practices. But we were surprise to learn what percent of the population have Christian marriages! While we were at the shrine, we saw a baby blessing group and a wedding party arrive.

We also got to observe a blessing ceremony where a Shinto priest prayed for our safe travels and for the University of Puget Sound. We were not allowed to take pictures, but a priest chanted, two other priests played flutes and two young girls dressed in red dresses with flowers in their hair danced.

Tokyo Temple and Trip to Nikko

 

Tokyo temple

February 24, 2026

We attended one of the English-speaking wards on Sunday that meets next to the Tokyo Temple. It was a big ward with lots of visitors and diversity. We were told ward members come from twenty-five different countries. We had hoped we could attend the temple while we are here, but it is closed for spring cleaning.

The temple grounds are small but very pretty with the manicured shrubs and small ponds.

We left early Monday morning for an overnight trip to Nikko. We took the subway to the train, to a bus and arrived in time for lunch. Karl had the fish lunch set. I tried the signature delicacy of Nikko yuba, which is tofu skin. My lunch came with little dishes that had it prepared in lots of different ways with different sauces. It was good! You can also see it in the blue bowl on Karl's tray.

I found a photo of me on our last trip to Nikko nineteen years ago.

So, we took another one at the same spot. The addition of the shed and the tarp in front of the pagoda doesn't add much. The pagoda has five levels. They represent the five elements of Buddhist cosmology. From bottom to top: earth, water, fire and wind. The fifth level represents nothingness. 

Yomeimon Gate is known as "the most beautiful gate in Japan."

We visited one temple and two shrines, the Rinno-ji Temple founded in 782 and the Toshogu Shrine and the Futaransan Shrine. The Toshogu Shrine is the most famous. It was built in 1617 to honor and enshrine Tokugawa Ieyasu the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Following his death, he was elevated to the status of a Shinto deity (at his own suggestion!) Photos were not permitted inside the shrine but this gate demonstrates by it's masterful craftsmanship that it was a statement of the power and wealth of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

It felt like we were in a Washington State Park. We climbed over 200 steps to get to the Okumiya (inner shrine mausoleum). Somehow, we don't remember the steps from our last trips, probably because it wasn't as tiring to climb them nineteen years ago!

There are several notable things to see at this UNESCO World Heritage site. This sleeping cat sculpture is one of them. The sleeping cat signifies peace and Tokugawa Ieyasu liked to be known as the one who brought peace to Japan.

Another well known feature of this shrine complex are these three monkeys. They are a reminder to live a virtuous life by admonishing to hear no evil, speak no evil and see no evil.

This pillar is known as a sakasabashira (inverted pillar). It is on the backside of the Yomeimon Gate and is intentionally placed upside down (the clouds are upside down) to represent deliberate imperfection. It warns against the superstitious belief that perfection invites destruction.

Tokugawa Ieyasu's palanquin.

Every year these palanquins temporarily carry the three enshrined Shogun deities on the "Procession of a Thousand Warriors" parade. After the temples and shrines, we went in a museum that held some of the personal effects of Ieyasu. Then we headed to our onsen hotel.

Our onsen was built on a hot spring. They had a swimming pool and public hot baths. Our hotel room had tatami mats for beds and came with a yukata we could wear to the baths or even to the restaurant!

We had a group dinner with so many different dishes: sashimi, shabu shabu, so many little pickeled dishes and flavors!

And then we did it all again for breakfast! Why not have salmon, salad and tofu soup in the morning?

Last Days With Lauren in Tokyo

 

View of Tokyo with Mt Fuji in the distance.

February 20, 2026

We tried to catch more Tokyo highlights before Lauren needed to return. It was a clear, windy morning so we went to the Metropolitan Government Building to check out their 45th floor observation deck. Karl asked one of the workers on the ground floor if you can see Mt Fuji from the viewing point and he was told no. That worker needs to take a look. There were signs identifying the buildings and naming the landmarks.

It is mind boggling to think that there are over 37 million people live in Tokyo. It beats Delhi at 33 million.

We haven't seen much modern urban architecture in our travels so far. Tokyo has some cool buildings.

Godzilla was climbing over the top of this building in the Ginza district.

This building is on Kappabashi Street. We spent too long looking at Japanese dishes, knives and cookware.

Also on Kappabashi Street. It is a haven for aspiring cooks.

We checked out an 11-story Muji store in Ginza that has a hotel on the top floors, a restaurant, a diner and floors and floors that felt like a Muji version of IKEA. So many cool things!

We went into a multi-story Uniqlo that had a flower shop on the ground floor.

We spent several hours in the Tokyo National Museum. It has six different buildings located in Ueno Park. I could easily go back before we leave Tokyo. We spent most of our time in the Japanese Gallery. The English signage was the best we have seen in any of the museums we have visited on this trip. 

We saw armors and swords. This is the armor of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.

This is a Japanese Hina doll dressed in Heian period clothing. We will be here for the Hinamatsuri Festival on March 3rd. Traditionally, the dolls acted as scapegoats to absorb misfortune and take on bad luck. 

The park on the museum grounds features five historic tea houses that have been donated and moved to this site.

We ate at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. It was amazingly inexpensive. We will be doing that again before we leave!

It is not Sakura season yet, but we keep finding trees in bloom!

Kamakura

 

Engaku-ji Temple

February 18, 2026

We took a day trip today. We thought the hour-llong train ride would mean a little less walking, but we still walked over seven miles. We went first to Engaku-ji, a Zen monastery in Kamakura. It was founded in 1282. At some point, I would like to make a timeline of all the places we are visiting to see which are contemporaries. It was in this temple that prayers were offered for the souls of those who died resisting the Mongol invasions in 1274 and 1281.

Some of the buildings have Chinese-inspired thatched roofs. In one of the halls which we were not permitted to enter, there is an enshrined tooth of Gautama Buddha himself.

The temple grounds are beautiful and some of the trees were in blossom. This is a Zen Buddhist temple and if we had arrived early enough, we could have participated in a group meditation.

It is a large temple complex built into a carved-out hillside. We could have wandered more, but hopped onto the next train to make it all the way to Kamakura.

We were ready for lunch but the restaurants had long lines. We opted for a 7/11 picnic lunch, which was actually tasty. I can't get enough of their egg salad sandwiches.

We set out for for the Hasedera Temple, passing several groups of cute school children.

The Hasedera Kamakura Temple houses one of Japan's largest wooden statues of the 11-headed Kannon Buddha. Sadly, no pictures were allowed. It was carved from the same camphor tree as another Kannon Buddha in a temple in Nara. Kannon symbolizes mercy.

These little statues are called Jizo. A Jizo is a bodhisattva who instead of achieving enlightenment chooses to remain on earth as a guardian to children, travelers and the souls of the deceased. There are thousands of these statues at this temple.

Karl getting his perfect blossom shot.

These Five Needle Pine trees are carefully pruned to maintain their bonsai shapes.

These are oyster shell ema votives. According to a legend, the founder of this temple threw a statue of Kannon into the ocean in 721. The story is that the oysters attached themselves to the statue and guided it back to the shore. The shells represent gratitude that Kannon received, therefore people write notes of gratitude or their wishes and hang them on the shrine's walls.

Kamakura Buddha

We walked further to a "must see" at the Koto-in Temple to see the Kamakura Buddha. I remember studying this statue in my Asian art class. This statue was originally housed in a large temple but the building was destroyed by typhoons in the 14th and 15th centuries. The statue was cast in different sections in the 13th century, showing how sophisticated Japanese bronze casting was at that time.

This figure is Amida Buddha, the central figure in the Pure Land sect of Buddhism. This Buddha is not Gautama but a separate celestial Buddha. This figure is also an iconic figure associated with Japan.

Then we decided to walk down to the beach and check out Sagami Bay. We learned that at the right time of year, Kamakura is a surfing town! We only saw two surfers in the water and there were no waves.

We were ready for a meal before we headed home. We opted for some Dragon Burgers. Lauren's was Yuzu and Karl's was wasabi and I opted for a cheeseburger.