Japan with Cleo #9/10 (Part 1) - Fuji Five Lakes, revisited: Lake Motosu

(This post is Part 9(1) of 10 on Japan with Cleo, 28 April - 14 May 2017.)

After the whirlwind of activity and all that walking around in Tokyo, we were really looking forward to our road trip to the Fuji Five Lakes region in the Yamanashi prefecture. Thanks to all the stories she heard from Shion (here), Yui (here) and Elizabeth (here), Cleo was all pumped up and had all kinds of expectations.

Cleo at Lake Motosu, Fuji Five Lakes (another on IG)

Getting from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko by car is fairly convenient. The first time to Kawaguchiko, Hubby and I took the train, which required two transits, and was rather inconvenient with our baggage.

Road trip to Mount Fuji, Fuji Five Lakes

There is a certain quiet but grand dignity about Mount Fuji. And I've to confess that no matter how many times we come by, Mount Fuji still evokes a sense of awe in my heart.

Lake Motosu

Mount Fuji, close up (on IG)

We arrived in the late afternoon, and went for a drive to Lake Motosu where we could get a clear view of Mount Fuji. This time, there was a flush of green at the foot of Mount Fuji, while his shoulders, beneath his snow-white cap, were a deep earthy brick red. Not at all like last year, in the autumn time (posted here).... How is it that Fuji-san can look unchanging and yet show a different face with each season?

The 1,000-yen note view

During last year's trip, we forgot to hold up a ¥1,000 note. On the reverse side of the current ¥1,000 note is a depiction of the view of Mount Fuji from Lake Motosu, and sakura blossoms. There weren't any sakura blossoms close enough to get the same view as the scene depicted on the note. But there were some sakura trees near the parking lot, and a couple of them had branches laden with late blooms.

Late-blooming yaezakura kanzan-zakura at the Lake Motosu area, Fuji Five Lakes (on IG)

Naturally, they were not as impressive or as beautiful as the shidarezakura and yaezakura at Hirosaki Castle (Part 5) or the Somei Yoshino at Goryokaku (Part 6). Still, they were pretty, and in the deepening evening light, they looked rather like festoons of purple-pink pompoms.

Onsenji Yumedono

Fuji Onsenji Yumedono Ryokan, Kawaguchiko, Fuji Five Lakes

The first night, we stayed at Fuji Onsenji Yumedono (温泉寺夢殿), a ryokan near the southern shore of Kawaguchiko in Fujikawaguchiko-machi. Our first stay had been back in December 2012. At the time, I had just began my journey with Blythe, and did not have a girl with me on that trip. However, it was on that trip that I adopted my first Takara Neo Blythe, Ayanami Rei at a pop-up Blythe store in Isetan Kyoto Station, and paid my first visit to Junie Moon Daikanyama and to Lele Junie Moon in Shibuya. Since that trip, I've returned to this ryokan with Shion Brier and with Yui Jamie. It's been a few years since our first visit, and it seems the ryokan's management style has changed a little ever since the region opened up to more foreign tourism (with Mt Fuji becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site, etc...).

Cleo, Onsenji Yumedono (on IG)

Aside from relaxing in the rotenburo, the other highlight of a ryokan stay is always the dinner, which features ingredients from the region. In this case, a spring menu with regional specialties — eggs, beef and wine from Koshu in the Yamanashi Prefecture, and of course koshihikari rice from Uonuma in the Niigata prefecture.

前菜:空豆クリームチーズ、抹茶豆腐 生海胆、穴子どうみょうじ、水菜 おひたし、白木耳、白芋茎 | Hors d'oeuvre: Broad bean with cream cheese; matcha tofu and Hokkaido murasaki uni; anago sushi; mizuna ohitashi, snow fungus, white taro stem.

With the zensai was a glass of Koshu wine, a specialty of the Yamanashi Prefecture. The Yamanashi Prefecture is considered the birthplace of Koshu wine. The wine is made from the Koshu grape, an indigenous vitis vinifera grape that is primarily cultivated in the Yamanashi Prefecture. Cultivation of the Koshu grape in Japan can be traced to the 8th century, but the history of Koshu wine goes back to the 19th century. Around 1874, 2 young men returned to their hometown after learning wine-making techniques from France, and they experimented with international grape varieties as well as the Koshu grape. Apparently Koshu wine is distinctly Japanese in the sense that, compared to Old World and New World wines, it typically has a delicate bouquet, has sweet and fruity overtones, and has comparatively low alcohol content. And the wine's bouquet and flavours are attuned to the Japanese palate and to Japanese cuisine.

水菜ミズナおひたし、白木耳しろきくらげ白芋茎しろずいき | Mizuna ohitashi, snow fungus, white taro stem

Okay so a terrible (or not-so-terrible?) habit I have is learning Japanese via food. I study the menu closely, dissecting the descriptions and the characters, and storing them away in my head. It makes learning a language fun for me, since I link with things I enjoy. If only I knew this as a child learning Mandarin!

抹茶豆腐まっちゃとうふ生海胆なまうに | Matcha tofu, fresh sea urchin

I got 2 helpings of this one. Hubby doesn't like tofu and uni, so I traded my anago sushi for his matcha tofu. DT and I were both a little ambivalent about the dish however... Guess the chef was attempting to contrast the flavours of the matcha and the uni, and the textures of the tofu and uni.... In the end, DT and I settled on opposite sides of the spectrum — he decided he didn't quite like it, while I kind of did.

旬の魚盛合せ | Assorted seasonal fish

Beautifully presented on ice, on a fresh wasabi leaf was a slice each of chutoro (中トロ), Seki aji (関あじ, horse mackerel line-caught from Saganoseki, Oita Prefecture), amaebi (あまえび sweet shrimp) and madai (真鯛 true seabream).

The wasabi leaf.... Large and heart-shaped, and a beautiful green. Our attendant told us that the leaf was edible, though she did advise against eating it if we weren't used to it. Apparently, even within Japan, fresh wasabi leaves are not commonly found. But here we were, in the Mount Fuji region, where Japan's best wasabi is cultivated in the neighbouring Shizuoka Prefecture (mentioned in Part 4). So I really couldn't pass up the chance to try it. So when I said I'd give it a try, and she advised I try it in small pieces. Probably one the best advice I'd ever received. It was mildly spicy but very bitter. Maybe I'd have another go if the leaves were sauteed, pickled or something. But not raw.

真珠海苔あんかけ | Pearl seaweed ankake

A dumpling of minced pork and tofu (the so-called "pearl") topped with nori seaweed, and covered in a thickened dashi sauce. Ankake is a Japanese sauce made from dashi broth and sometimes vinegar, thickened with katakuriko, or potato starch, or kudzu starch.

甲州牛 溶岩焼き、添え野菜 | Volcanic stone grilled Koshu beef, vegetable garnish

After the parade of little bites came our main dish: Koshu beef grilled on a hot volcanic stone plate (溶岩焼き youganyaki), accompanied by bits of onion, carrot, broccoli and yellow squash. Like Koshu wine, Koshu beef is another Yamanashi local specialty, the Japanese Black (黒毛 kuroge) are supposedly fed with feed that contains Koshu grape skins or Koshu wine lees. Wow.

Mt Fuji Cider, made with Mt Fuji natural spring water (on IG)

Guess having a glass of Koshu wine would also pair very well with the grilled Koshu beef, which was very tender and juicy. But instead, the boys decided that now would be a good time to check out the Mt Fuji cider they found in the mini bar. For a cider created with natural Mount Fuji spring water (which is supposedly very beneficial for the health), it was quite ordinary. Though I will admit it had a gentle mouthfeel.

Not sure if the natural spring water used in the cider was sourced from the Fuji Yoshida springs, where water from rain and snow is filtered through volcanic rock over a long period of time. Of course that's not the only source...and well, there must be some truth about the purity of the water. After all, the finicky wasabi requires pure water to grow, and the Mount Fuji region produces Japan's best wasabi (mentioned in Part 4).

煮物:筍、甘鯛、霙に | Bamboo shoots and tilefish in melting snow

Anyway, after the luxurious grilled Koshu beef dish was a warm simmered dish of soft fresh bamboo shoots (筍 takenoko) and tilefish (甘鯛 amadai) simmered in the mizore sauce. Definitely a doubling down on the spring theme. Bamboo shoots are a classic spring mountain vegetable (see Part 4 on sansai), and tilefish is in season from autumn to spring in Japan. And the mizore sauce, a classic Japanese sauce made with grated radish, dashi, light soy, mirin and a little starch. It is called mizore (霙, literally "sleet") because it resembles melting snow and rain — rather like the snow slush at the start of spring. Topping it off are sprigs of kinome (キノーム) to give colour to the dish — kinome are the young leaves of the sansho (山椒, the Zanthoxylum piperitum) and are commonly used as garnish in late spring or early summer.

How much more "spring time" can one put into a dish?!

子持ち昆布、いくら、秋葵、金時草 | Herring roe on kelp, salmon roe, okra, Gynura bicolor

Was most curious about the intensely purple sauce in our next dish. Everything was really pretty and delicate, the little pearls of salmon roe (いくら ikura), the little star-shaped okra (秋葵 okura). And the herring roe on kelp (子持ち昆布 komochi konbu) was a pretty amazing thick spongy piece. So, komochi konbu is springtime delicacy that I'd also eaten at Sushi Zanmai in Asakusa on this trip (see Part 1).

At the time of this meal, I had no idea what kinji-sou (金時草) was. All i knew was it tasted like spinach, and stained everything with an intense purple. Later I looked it up and learnt that it's a leafy vegetable with leaves that are green on top and deep purple beneath. It's also called Gynura bicolor, suizenjina (水前寺菜) or Okinawan spinach, is native to parts of Asia, and belongs to the chrysanthemum family. The intense purple of the sauce was due to the kinji-sou, and made me think of The Tale of Genji (because the Genji is full of references and wordplay associated with the colour purple).

桜海老炊き込みご飯、香の物、赤だし汁 | Sakura shrimp mixed rice, pickles, red miso soup

Then was steaming, fluffy Japanese seasoned rice (takikomi gohan) with baby sakura shrimp (sakura ebi), pickles and akadashi soup on the side. The akadashi soup was made using dashi broth and seaweed flavoured with a blend of hatcho miso (八丁味噌, a dark miso made with only soybeans) and rice miso (米味噌).

ほうじ茶プリン、季節のフルーツ、柏餅 | Houjicha pudding, seasonal fruits, Kashiwa mochi

Dessert was houjicha tea-flavoured pudding pudding with fresh strawberries, mango and pineapple, and a small kashiwa mochi (柏餅) — an adzuki-filled mochi wrapped in the leaf of the Japanese emperor oak, aka Japanese daimyo oak (Quercus dentata). Traditional Japanese meals usually end with fresh fruits, while wagashi is traditionally eaten with tea or as a standalone, so this seemed like an odd ensemble. Not complaining though, because they were tasty. Our host explained that the kashiwa mochi was included because it was Children's Day, Kodomo no Hi, in Japan (5th May). Apparently because the leaves of the oak do not fall until the tree starts budding, the oak leaf symbolises a harmonious flow from one generation to the next.

Fukusaya Honey Castella

After dinner, we all had a long and relaxing soak in the onsen, an experience that is truly paradise on Earth. (*⌒▽⌒*)~♪  And though dinner was filling and satisfying, we were such gluttons. After getting out of the onsen, we tucked out feet under the kotatsu and broke out the Juyondai sake Hubby was reserving for our first night at the ryokan.

Juyondai Kuronawa Daiginjo (on IG)
We opened the Juyondai Kuronawa Daiginjo (十四代 黒縄 大吟醸) we bought from that liquor shop in the Ginza backstreets (see Part 2). It was smooth and fruity with pineapple tones. We rather preferred it over the Nakadori Junmai Ginjo Banshuu Yamadanishiki Namazume (十四代 中取り純米吟醸 播州山田錦 生詰) that we had at Sushi Nakamura on this trip. But the Kuronawa did not (could not) displace our preference for the Shichitare Nijikkan (十四代 七垂二十貫) (posted here).

We also made a dent in the honey castella cake that DT bought from Fukusaya (福砂屋) while in Tokyo. A much loved Japanese cake, the castella is a sponge cake made with just eggs, flour, sugar (or honey) and a rice malt syrup called mizuame (水あめ). And Fukusaya's castellas are considered one of the best. Well, I'd certainly expect so, with over 390 years ago of castella-making history! The store was founded in 1624, and the founder learnt the craft from a Portuguese visitor.

It's hard to remember that this Nagasaki specialty was actually introduced to Japan by the Portuguese in the 16th century, who came to Nagasaki to trade or to spread Christianity. As mentioned in Part 7 (posted here), the cake's name castella (カステラ) — comes from the Portuguese "Pão de Castela", meaning "bread from Castile", although it is more similar to the pão de ló.

And so the first quiet and peaceful night passed, with drinking and snacking and just talking.

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Japan with Cleo (28 April - 14 May 2017)
- I. Tokyo - Asakusa • Seiko MuseumGinzaAkihabara & NakanoTsukiji MarketEnoshimaShinkawa, Tsukuda & TsukishimaSushi NakamuraLa PaixNishiazabu TakuShowa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu3-gatsu no Lion 
- II. Aomori & Hirosaki - Auga Market • Aomori Gyosai Centre • Hirosaki Castle Park • Hirosaki Sakura Matsuri 2017 • Flying Witch
- III. Hakodate - Hakodate Asaichi • Goryokaku Park
- IV. Fuji Five Lakes - Lake MotosuSubaru 5th Station & ShibazakuraChureito & Kawaguchiko
- V. Osaka - Kuromon Market • Dotonbori • Harukas 300 • Food Basement Galore!
- VI. Kobe - nackymade • Steak Land Kobe

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