高野山(Koyasan), World Natural Heritage in Japan 3

Konpondaito

  Koyasan (高野山) is a complex of temples located in the Kii Mountain Range in Wakayama prefecture, and it is the center of Singon Buddihism, an important Buddhist sect which was introduced to Japan in 805 by Kukai, posthumously named Kobo Daishi, one of Japan's most significant religious figures.




 In 2004, UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site, and it has just been selected as one of twenty "Best of the World" destinations for 2015 National Geographic Traveler magazine's December 2014/January 2015 issue.

Kongobuji

 A small and secluded temple town has developed around the sect's headquarters to one of Japan's most sacred sites providing a peaceful and serene mountain retreat. It is also the site of Kobo Daishi's mausoleum (Okunoin) and the start and end point of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage.

Monks practicing asceticism

 Koyasan warmly welcomes both pilgrims and visitors. There are 52 temples that provide lodging (Shukubo), and the accommodations are fastidious and comfortable. Temple monks take care of most daily chores, such as food preparation and serving vegetarian monk's cuisine (Shojin ryori) including Halal meals for Muslims, cleaning, room preparation, etc.

Inner sanctuary 1

Inner sanctuary 2

  While staying at shukubo, visitors can participate in activities such as morning ceremony, sutra copying and meditation. Not all temples offer all activities, so please check with your shukubo to see what is available.

ラーメン Ramen : 日本の料理 (nihon no ryoori) Japanese Cuisine 10

 Ramen

Kitakata ramen

  Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup dish, which was first introduced to Japaanese people in the Meiji era via Chinatown in Yokohama. Now ramen is one of the most popular foods in Japan along with curry and rice.

　Soup stock for ramen may be made from seafood, chicken bones, pork bones or various other ingredients. It is seasoned with soy sauce, miso, salt and other flavorings depending on the region. It uses toppings such as roasted pork fillet(chashu), dried seaweed, menma(marinated bamboo shoots), kamaboko, and green onions, and so on.

　Nearly every region in Japan has its own variation of ramen, from the tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen of Kyushu to the miso ramen of Hokkaido.

Sapporo ramen

★Some examples of regional Japanese ramen specialties

Sapporo ramen (Hokkaido)
Miso ramen seasoned with hot and spicy miso and garlic. The ramen noodles are boiled in a soup with vegetables that have been fried in plenty of lard and garlic.

Tokyo ramen

Asahikawa ramen (Hokkaido)
Soy sauce is added to a mixture of fish, pork and chicken stock. Usually thin, curly noodles are used.

Kitakata ramen (Fukushima)
Pork and fish stock are made separately and mixed later to make the soup. Noodles are usually thick, flat, curly and firm.

Tokyo ramen (Tokyo)
Tokyo style ramen typically features medium thick, wavy noodles in soy sauce. Clear chicken stock is mixed with dashi fish stock made from bonito flakes.

Sanmarmen(no sanma=Pacific saury :-o)

Sanmarmen (Kanagawa)
A kind of ramen with thin noodles, seasoned with salt or soy sauce, that's popular in the Yokohama and Shonan area. A starchy, thick sauce with fried bean sprouts (生馬) and other vegetables is poured on the top.

Onomichi Ramen (Hiroshima)
Ramen from Onomichi utilize a shoyu(soy sauce) soup flavored with dashi fish stock, which is usually made from local seafood caught in the Seto Inland Sea. Onomichi Ramen noodles are typically thin, straight and firm and the dish is often served topped with green onions, chashu, menma, and a bit of pork lard for flavoring.

Hakata ramen

Hakata Ramen (Fukuoka)
Hakata Ramen feature thin noodles in a thick, creamy tonkotsu (pork bone broth), usually topped with chashu. The best place to enjoy Hakata Ramen is at one of the food stalls in Fukuoka, but they can now also be found at specialty ramen-ya nationwide.

Kumamoto ramen (Kumamoto)
A very rich, white soup is made from a mixture of pork bone stock and chicken stock. A medium sized, straight noodle is usually preferred.

Okinawa soba

Okinawa Soba (Okinawa)　　　　　　
Although called soba, Okinawa Soba are more similar to ramen. The thick, wavy noodles are served in a bowl of shio(salt) soup and topped with various items such as green onions, kamaboko and fresh ginger. If topped with soft broiled pork, the dish is called Soki Soba, but there are other varieties too.