REGION:
Kobe is a modern commercial seaport located in the heart of traditional Japan.
Within an hour's train ride are Nara (the original capital and Buddhist center),
Kyoto (Japan's greatest cultural attraction and Imperial capital for 1000 years),
Osaka (a large contemporary seaport) and Himeji (site of Japan's greatest castle).
Hiroshima is only two hours away by train.
CLIMATE: Japan has a temperate climate with strong seasonal
variation, and the Kobe area corresponds roughly to Washington or Philadelphia.
If you stay in traditional inns or temples you may want to bring some warm clothing
for the chilly nights. Central heating is not the rule. The winter months, December
through March, can be cold with average temperatures of 45°F during the
day and dropping to below freezing in the evenings. Northern regions may experience
heavy snowfall, while southern portions of Japan may have more mild winters.
CLOTHING: Conservative attire is recommended, though the Japanese attitude
toward dress in public is comparable to that of the United States. The Kobe/Osaka
area is very cosmopolitan, and the Japanese are moderately formal in dress and
behavior.
FOOD:
Sushi is boiled rice that is cooled and seasoned with sweet vinegar and then
wrapped with thin-cut raw fish (sashimi). Udon and soba are Japanese noodles.
The former is made from wheat flour, the latter from buckwheat. Tempura is shrimp,
lobster, vegetable, etc. dipped in flour batter with egg and deep fried in salad
oil. Kobe beef is the very high-grade beef from the cows carefully tended in
the Tajima area of north-central Hyogo Prefecture. It is so tender that it just
about melts in your mouth. Yakitori is small pieces of chicken or chicken liver
that are arranged on a bamboo skewer and grilled over charcoal. Sukiyaki is
thin slices of beef that are cooked in a special iron pan with various vegetables
such as leeks, mushrooms, vermicelli and tofu. Soy sauce, sugar, and sake are
used for seasoning. The cooked food is dipped into raw egg before being eaten.
Okonomiyaki is a kind of thick, spicy pancake made from a batter containing
chopped vegetables and the customer's choice of meat or seafood, usually chicken,
beef, shrimp, squid or egg. It's like pizza. Sake is a wine made by fermenting
rice. Sake may be sweet or dry and can be drunk cold (Hiya) or heated (Kan).
Traditional
Arts in Japan
Shinto
Defined
The
"Middle Way" of Buddhism
Experiencing
a Buddhist Temple
Japanese
Cheat Sheet
