On Sunday, Mayu and I went to Heisenji to take photos and video of the koyo, autumn leaves. It was too early. You can see the results in my recent video.
So on Monday, in the mist, I suggested we drive way up into the mountains, all the way up to Izumi-mura (35km from here, but 1.5hrs to get there) through some of the more rugged yet beautiful terrain in the prefecture. I used to work up there every Thursday when I was working for the School board. It was an absolutely wonderful place to go, a village with a population of about 500 people at most (including those in the cemetery!)
Unfortunately.... the leaves aren't quite ready up there yet, either, as you can see in these three photographs I took:
But! On the way down the mountian we took a detour through the mountains up a river and to a village that is known for it's historic refuge of ronin samurai and their families who were escaping the Tokugawa Shogun's fall from favour as the Shogun was busy absconding with land and doing what it is that all dictators love to do (enrich their coffers).
Apparently the families of the local ruling clans that lost battles to protect their lands here had to run for the hills and run they did! Hiding up in the Kamiono area must have been an amazing feat before there were any concrete roads, highways and tunnels up in THOSE mountains! It is said that even now, some samurai swords can still be found when land is overturned as everyone hid their clan background by pretending to be simple farmers just in case the Shogun's army might happen upon them waaay wayyyyy deep in the mountains.
There also happens to be a deep mine up there and tourists can take a ride into the closed mine (for money, of course).
We didn't go there for the history. Nope. We didn't go there for the mine, either. We went there because we wanted mushrooms!
There is a mushroom factory up in that area, and we figured that since we were "in the neighbourhood" (only about 4km away) we would head on over and pick some up.
I LOVE Japanese mushrooms! There are so many varieties here, that Japan truly is a 'shroom-lover's paradise! Why just yesterday in the supermarket I bought five varieties alone!
In Japan, we may not be able to get butter, we may have a run on bananas due to crazy banana diets, but can we get mushrooms?
YES WE CAN!
I love you!
Cam
Please send some pronto. This has been a public service announcment.
ReplyDeleteLove ya!
Mayu is so cute and you aren't too bad yourself. hee hee Great smiles and great pics.
ReplyDeleteUrk... I'd need butter to cook the mushrooms!!!
ReplyDeleteThose mushrooms look more like a flower in bloom, than they do a fungus.
Deb - That's exactly how we cooked them! Thank the gods we can get SOME butter... just not the kind we really used to enjoy eating.
ReplyDeleteMayu wanted to test some butter imported from france so she bought it... It is really good... so good in fact that it can be eaten almost like a buttery, fatty cheese. The only thing is... it costs about $50 a pound.... so we won't be buying it again! But it was nice to try it once!
It's so looks like you two are holding hedgehogs with afros! And, yay Mayu! I miss her!
ReplyDeleteI found a butter I'm in love with and if I could stomach it, I swear to god I'd be happy to eat it on its own with nothing to distract me from the flavour.
ReplyDeleteNow Geof-fuh-fuh scours stores looking for it :D
Cute!
ReplyDeleteI love those flowery shrooms.
did you chop it up?
ReplyDeleteWhat does it taste like?
is the texture like a portabella mushroom?
do you have to eat the entire thing in a setting? Does it keep long?
How much did that thing cost??
Yee-gads....I thought that was an animal, at first.
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of mushrooms, sorry! I can eat them canned, but not fresh. Not sure why...I think the texture does it for me, Fresh ones squeek in my teeth and just....
OK, sorry.
Yay for shroom lovers!!!!!!!
I like banana's myself.
Stefnee - Drat! I already answered all these lovely queries on my Flickr, and then I came here and saw your questions (I must be a Pssssychic). We bought the broken up one as it is cheaper (not as pretty). We bought about 500g or over a pound. It only cost JPY 750 for that but had we bought that much ina store (probably three packs) it would have been triple that amount. It tastes like maitake mushrooms. That's the cool thing... they are all different completely in taste. It will probably last us an entire week as it sits in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteLinda - Come to Japan, and I'll get you hooked on all the lovely shrooms. I may get you hooked on me, too! I love you!
Wow...not too expensive! I'd melt them down ever-so slowly in butter with a pinch of salt and serve them up over a long-cooked, stringy piece of Chuck Roast. YUMMMA!
ReplyDelete(It is mighty cool to not be looking out a window to a snow covered landscape while my friends show me pictures of fall! I am so glad to be living in the lower 48!)
wonder ful pictures and great mushroomx
ReplyDeleteMaitake Mushrooms??
ReplyDeleteYes, Kristen, Maitake pronounced My tack eh.
ReplyDeleteYes honey, I know
ReplyDeletewholy mushrooms batman!!
ReplyDeleteKristen - If you ever come to visit, I'll feed you my take!
ReplyDeleteCarrie - If YOU ever come to visit, I'll feed YOU whatever you want! (except bacon, sorry, and maybe not bananas, and maybe not butter...)
Nice pics Cam. We've still got a week or so before we get the good autumn colours down here.
ReplyDeleteAnd as an aside, please try to use the term 'shrooms' only when referring to psylocibin cubensis and its close relatives. Otherwise you're just luring the psychonauts to your blog under false pretenses.
Aha... finally someone commented on it! But then again, I'm too stupid to have actually realized that is what I meant, of course... yes yes... I think they finally made them illegal here when someone jumped out of an apartment.. It was a gaijin. He was naked...
ReplyDeleteDamned Gaijin, messing up a good thing for the rest of us!
ReplyDeleteI hate those white minority gaijin, bastards. They ought to be all deported. What right do THEY think they have coming over here and taking all the shit teaching jobs, then bringing in all the AIDS, and drugs, and bacon and shit like that!
ReplyDeleteOh I wish I could eat mushrooms.
ReplyDeleteOn a good note.. although I did not sleep one minute, last night (as you know cuz I was with you, for some of "my" night) I have eaten three times and did not get a headache. Its what I ate that concerns me.
This awful fake strawberry kellogg's cereal and baby cow juice, a second miniature bowl (1/2 a custard size dish) of that awful fake strawberry kellogg's cereal and baby cow juice, and cottage cheese on saltines. All total crap type of food.
But no headache.
I find your diet so fascinating and scary, Cam.. in a total Umami Bomb Headache kind of way..
Oh crap, I should have put my PEO's on my cottage cheese. Its my new approach to not ingesting the damn gel thingee. (which means I'm not taking them) Can you find out the source of the gel cap, for me? You are such a pal, if you can call your friends, for me. Nevermind.. I'm just going to try them, and see if they make my head hurt. This is a test..
CD - You can buy it in liquid form now from YES Supplements. It tastes great!
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ReplyDeleteYeah blame the innocent shroom for some assclown for taking his own life
"Shrooms don't kill people, Assclowns kill people."
ReplyDelete