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| Nihonshu in Kobe |
Japan doesn't really have bars or pubs like we do in the UK. There are some, typically run by and aimed the British, Irish and Australians, but in the main, the bars are small - sometimes tiny.
It can be a worrying thing going in, because you generally can't see inside, so you never know what you're walking in to. Will it be empty? Will it be filled with those austere looking black suited businessmen, who clearly don't want you bulky foreigners taking up the tiny space there is? Will there be a grumpy bartender, who will pretend he doesn't understand what you are asking for?
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| Nihonshu in Kobe |
All of those things can be pretty off-putting, but you shouldn't let that stop you, because if you go in and that is what you get, you can always leave, but if you don't go in at all, you are likely to miss out on some great evenings.
We were nervous about walking in, and I must admit we favoured places where we could get a hint of what might be hiding behind the curtain. But we were glad we did, as we almost invariably found people welcoming and friendly, and we had some lovely experiences.
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| Shochu in Kobe |
In Kobe, we wandered around the town for a while before deciding on a place down a back street that had lots of brightly labelled shochu bottles in the window, and a warm looking light coming from inside.
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| Nihonshu in Kobe |
When we got inside, we realised it was bigger that we'd thought, with a section out the back which soon filled up. But for now, it was just us, and we were welcomed by a lovely man who took great delight that we sat at the bar and wanted to try different types of nihonshu (sake).
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| Nihonshu in Nara |
He spoke just enough English to describe the various types that he had, he listened to what we said we liked, and he helped us work our way through a good number of very individual, and very enjoyable nihonshu. We tended to order different ones, and taste each other's to increase the number we could try, and he added to that by regularly throwing in extra free tasters too.
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| Nihonshu in Nara |
Not only did we get free drinks, we also ended up with free food. Two women had come and sat at the bar and started ordering a number of small dishes. they spoke to the barmen, and the next thing we knew, we were getting tasters of each thing winging its way to us too. They seemed to like the idea of us trying the drinks, and wanted us to try the foods too. We had a lovely evening.
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| Nihonshu in Nara |
In Nara, we tried out a few bars. The first was a small standing bar that had been recommended in various guides, but we found difficult to find. In the end, two very nice ladies helped us out. They couldn't direct us, so they actually walked us to the bar, which was about ten minutes away.
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| Nihonshu in Nara |
Once inside, we slightly got the impression that the owner was maybe slightly fed up with foreigners coming in and not really caring about the drink. However when, instead of just asking for sake, we asked for particular types of nihonshu, he perked up and was quite friendly.
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| Nihonshu in Nara |
Shortly afterwards, a guy from the USA came in, knowing nothing about them, and he reverted to being unhelpful and his English ability seemed to decline. We got to talking with the newcomer, and I gave him a brief explanation of the different types and what they were called etc. when I finished, the barman, and the two Japanese customers at the bar, all gave me a round of applause. Things lightened up again after that, and it was clear that a little effort to know about the drink goes a very long way.
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| Nihonshu in Nara |
In another Nara bar, the lady serving us was equally happy that we knew about the nihonshu, and drew us a little penguin picture. In a third place, which was more of a shop with some seats, we were sat outside, but I went inside to order the drinks each time from a lady who was friendly, but spoke no English at all. We managed OK though, and with my few words and names of types and her willingness to help, we got some lovely nihonshu, with a Junmai Daiginjo that I especially liked.
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| Nihonshu in Nara |
During my efforts at ordering, I had been watched by a Japanese couple inside, who were clearly amused, but seemed also to like the fact that I was trying and knew what I wanted. We exchanged a few grins. Then while we were outside, the couple left. As they did so, he handed me a bag, smiled, and was gone. When I looked in the bag there was a full bottle of the Junmai Daiginjo that I had been drinking. How nice is that!
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| Our gift |
These were far from our only great experiences here, but they are a few that particularly stuck in our minds, and made us glad that we both took the chance to walk in a place, and had bothered to find out a bit about the nihonshu first.
Oh, and if you are wondering about the title, Kanpai means Cheers!
We took the incredibly cheap local train from Osaka to Kyoto, and then promptly walked off in the wrong direction - again - although this time because our hostel was shown in the wrong place on Google maps. In common with much of Asia, Japan has lots of little lanes, that aren't properly marked on maps and often don't have street names on them, so they can make it tricky to find your way around. Anyway, we spotted a postman, which I always think is the best person to ask for an address, and with no shared language, but a lot of pointing and gesturing, he was able to set us in the right direction.
Of course by the time that we got to the hostel, we had missed our opportunity to check in, so headed out in search of some food. Having already walked around unnecessarily, we didn't feel like lugging the packs too far, so we're happy to settle for whatever was nearby. We drew the line at McDonalds, but found a little Japanese fast food place instead.
It took us a moment to work out what to do. There is a machine near the door where you order and pay for your food, and it spits you out two little tickets for each item. You give one of each these to the staff, and sit down, and they bring everything to you. This is where I first discovered a liking for tonkatsu, which is really just pork in breadcrumbs, but somehow tastes so much better. Perhaps it's the panko crumbs, or how they cook it, I don't know, but I like it.
Hunger satisfied, and the hostel now open, we went to check in. Our hostel - more of a guesthouse really - was run by a lovely Japanese couple in what used to be their own home. It was our first, but certainly not our last, experience of sleeping on Japanese futons. They are actually far more comfortable that you'd expect - and much more so than some of the rock hard beds we had in China. It is only a thin mattress on the floor, but the floor is covered in tatami mats which are themselves quite cushioned, so not too bad at all. The worst thing for me, with my bad knees, was getting up and down from the floor.
During our ten days in Kyoto, we did make a couple of souvenir purchases at the market, both of which were connected to food and drink. We decided to treat ourselves to a nice pair of chopsticks each, and spent ages in a shop with thousands of designs. We eventually agreed on some twisted wooden ones.
