One of the things I brought back from Japan a long time ago was a new perspective on common items.

The first time I saw spaghetti served like a sandwich on a bread roll in Japan, my thoughts went from culinary shock to sheer amazement. I learned then you could take two common items and put them together in a new form, you’ve got an invention.

The one below is not a new one, but it had been for me at that time. I saw the Japanese housewife trimming pretty blossoms off otherwise dead plants and placing them in water in a color contrasting bowl.

Japanese aesthetics

This is what I did today with a dead bouquet and an antique Imari bowl brought back from Japan. I enjoyed this part of recycling and recreating.
The Story of Imari: The Symbols and Mysteries of Antique Japanese Porcelain from Amazon.com

Just a couple of days ago, I got this little packet of sushi chocolates in the mail from a friend of mine. For protection, my friend was wrapped the box in the very last printed issue of the Himawari magazine, published by the Kitakyushu International Association (KIA). She knew I would appreciate the magazine as I used to work at the Kokusai Center (another name for KIA).

Underneath each beautiful wrapper, there was a small chocolate bar of medium quality. But the enclosed green packet contained wasabi- flavored choco balls. Unusual, but tasty with an interesting twist.

Sushi chocolates including wasabi chocolate balls

This box of chocolates costs about 500 Yen (the value declared for customs).

I had never seen sushi chocolates before. If I could get my hands on them, I would buy several boxes as they make nice presents for the many Japan aficionados I know.

I wonder if this product is available in Germany.

As modern Japan has changed its face so much, I do miss the traditional family-run shops which were still abundant in Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu-shi in the early 90s.

Nevertheless, the real antique shop signs could only be had from antique shops. On Sundays, when I wasn’t working, we would browse the antique shops around Kokura-ku and pick up an interesting antique (骨董品) here and there.

Advertising children's medicine

This store sign measures about 50 cm (20″) in width, and is carved from wood. Today it is hanging in our living room.

Advertising tea (茶)

This one measures about 60 cm (24″) in height, made from wood, and decorates another living room wall.

What a difference to these modern store fronts in Shibuya – Omotesando!

Whether you pick up the instant noodle soup in an Asian market in Germany or enjoy the authentic one at a train station in Japan, I’d suppose its price would range from 1 to 10 euro.

But Shoichi Fujimaki, a Japanese restaurateur and chef, has taken the art of ramen to new heights. Literally, as his creation of noodle heaven will cost a hefty 110 euro. The instant ramen soup takes three minutes in boiling water, Fujimaki’s version takes three days to prepare.

Considering the life span of food items, these ingredients must be getting antique (hence the price) by the time one gets to eat this concoction of 120 different ingredients.

Too expensive for me, but yet…. いただきます

Makes me wonder what I could do with a simple Bratwurst. Barbecue it for three days, spike it with more viands, add a balloon, and give it a name, such as Hanswurst (tomfool). We should consider turning street food into gourmet food ourselves.

In 1950, six students built six sculptures in Odori Park in Sapporo, which marked the beginning of the annual Snow Festival. The festival, in its 61st year, chose the Frauenkirche in Dresden to be replicated in snow for this year’s festival.

In October 2009, a delegation of officials visited Dresden to study the church’s architecture. After having built a wooden replica, the task force got started on their chore of working in subzero temperatures and long nights. The snow festival runs from 05 Feb – 11 Feb 2010, and on 12 February it will get demolished after having been viewed by 2 million visitors.

Nothing unusual so far, but when Japan uses its military to work on civil projects, it strikes a different tone in Germany. 150 members, male and female, part of the communication unit, are rebuilding the Frauenkirche in snow, which has attracted the attention of the German media.

The Japanese military commander calls working in icy temperatures Abhärtungstraining (inurement practice).  In Japanese terms, this kind of work requiring endurance, is always greeted with がんばってね ! (Try hard!) and when we lived in Japan, we heard this on many occasions.

The German Tagesschau has a three minute video clip and photo gallery on its website about the Japanese soldiers rebuilding a 28-meter German church out of snow.

Germany’s surprise reaction is twofold; Germans have a hard time imagining using soldiers for civic art and subjecting its people to so-called inhumane working conditions.

The Japanese are very good in regards to thinking out-of-the box. Where else could you get married with three different religious ceremonies all performed in one day? Some Japanese women replace their long desired family addition with a puppy and parade it around in a stroller. Some grown women wear girly socks and braids, young women like to do cosplay, or last year’s trend of some men wearing bras for comfort. Others are shy and reserved in regular life, but a real talent on stage or a hit at the Karaoke bar.

The Japanese know how to reinvent themselves. In spite of spatial boundaries, the Japanese mind knows few limits when it comes to accepting new trends and modifying traditions in new ways.

Perception of good and bad working conditions differ greatly in both countries. This shows in the number of days and hours most Japanese are supposed to be at their workplace (work efficiency is be another story). Endurance is a valuable trait and needs to be taught early on.

When we lived in Japan, we had to get accustomed to seeing kindergartners walking around in shirts and shorts on cold winter mornings. The first time I saw this parade of half-naked little kids, the overcuddled German part of me was shocked at first. But I have come to see its benefits, especially since having returned to the land of the Strumpfhosenpolizei, which is at the opposite end of the cold endurance spectrum.