Tasty Summer Delicacy


　　　In the days before modern transportation, the only seafood that could survive the long journey to Kyoto from distant fishing ports in summer were hamo (鱧: pike eel) and tako (章魚: octopus). For whatever reason, hamo rather than tako, ended up becoming a common ingredient in Kyo-ryori, or Kyoto cuisine.
　　　While hamo is a familiar fish (yes, it's considered a fish!) to people of the Kansai region, it is not so intimate with folks from the Kanto region and northwards. This type of fish lives in warm seas found between the Kii Peninsula and Amakusa in Kumamoto, Kyushu. The name hamo is said to come from hamu, an archaic word meaning "to eat" - as the fish uses its sharp teeth to devour almost anything from shrimps and crabs to small fish.
　　　When considering the kanji (Chinese character), the left-hand radical means fish (魚), and the right-hand one means abundance (豊). It's not clear, however, why hamo was given these characters, be it for its "richness of flavor", or "abundance of bones". Hamo is renowned for the large number of bones in its spine, said to number between 145 and 154. A little difficult to eat you may say? Well, thanks to the clever fellow who discovered the art of "bone-cutting" (honekiri), it has become possible to eat the fish without sitting through an unpleasant throat acupuncture session!
　　　Throughout Kansai hamo is seen as a seasonal summer delicacy, and no more so than in Kyoto, where it is an indispensable item on the menu at the city's Gion Festival. Nevertheless, there are moments when it's difficult to imagine how such beautifully prepared and scrumptious tasting dishes are made from such an ugly looking creature!
　　　In Kyoto cuisine, the method of cooking takes precedence over all other factors, compared with other places in Japan, where ingredients are of the utmost importance. This is not to say that fresh, quality ingredients are of little import in Kyo-ryori, as this is a matter of course. Hamo dishes exemplify how something initially not too appealing to the eye can be converted into something very pleasing to the palate. The quality preparation and presentation of kyo-ryori is embedded in Kyoto's long and prosperous food culture, together with highly skilled chefs who work their art to perfection.
　　　Hamo are in season from early June till around October. There are two types, mabamo and suzuhamo (or toheihamo), available from local markets. The two look very similar, but suzuhamo has a bigger head, and its lateral line is rough to the touch. It is about half the price of mabamo, because its bones are harder and its meat less firm. Hamo can grow anything up to two meters in length, but for cooking purposes, those that are about one meter in length and weigh around 400-500 grams are best.

Basic Cooking Method:
Cut open the hamo and scrape along the skin with the back of a knife to remove any sliminess. Place the fish on the chopping board with the skin facing to the bottom. The idea is to cut the meat into pieces perpendicularly, being careful not to cut through to the skin. This is important because it affects the flavor. Usually, a cook who can cut 3 cm bones into 24 pieces is said to be an expert, although the average person can only cut into 15 pieces at the most. Hamo is famous for the variety of dishes you can make with it. Here are a few examples.
　Hamo-no-Otoshi (鱧の落し)
Cut hamo flesh into bite-size pieces and boil in hot water for a few minutes. Afterwards soak them in cold water then place on a plate layered with ice. Add wasabi and soy sauce or pasted pickled plums, all are delicious. If you want to buy pre-cut hamo pieces you can get them from the Nishiki Street Market or the food floor basement of department stores like Takashimaya or Daimaru etc.
　Botan-Hamo
This is one of the most exclusive hamo dishes. First of all flavor the pieces of hamo flesh with kuzu (葛), a sort of cornstarch, and put them into boiling salty water. The hamo magically transforms into something resembling a botan (tree peony) flower in the hot water. Then put the meat into a lacquerware bowl with mitsuba (trefoil) and pour in hot Japanese consomme soup.
　Hamozaku
This is dressed hamo skin and cucumbers with vinegar and soy sauce. Pull out any bones that you can from the skin and cut the remainder into fine pieces. Dress it with sliced cucumbers soaked in vinegar and lightly-coated in sugar and soy sauce. You can also get packed hamo skin at department stores or fish shops.
　Hamo-no Yakimono (Baked Hamo)
Bake the hamo with sweet and salty sauce. It looks similar to unagi-no-kabayaki (baked eel). You can find it pre-cooked and prepared at Nishiki Market for between \500-1700 as well as at major department stores.
　Agemono - Tenpura or fried Hamo
Tenpura: Make the coating for Tenpura mix. Add flour, an egg and cold water together and mix. Dip Hamo flesh into the coating and fry in oil. Too easy!
　　　Try cooking one or some of these hamo dishes at home. With hamo you can make delicious summer dishes that are great for home parties. Bon appetit!



A. Tara

　Cool Summer Threads

　　　As dusk fell in summer, people in yukata (浴衣) used to enjoy the evening
calm by sitting on shoji (long wooden stools) by their front doors - boys and men played shogi (Japanese chess), girls entertained themselves with small fireworks, and women chattered, sometimes driving mosquitoes away with uchiwa (Japanese round fan). This was an everyday affair in Japan until the introduction of television in the mid 1950's. Today yukata are seen as quite fashionable, although most people only wear yukata when relaxing at a ryokan (Japanese inn) or when attending summer events like fireworks displays and festivals such as Kyoto's Gion Matsuri.
　　　The name yukata comes from the words "yu" (bath) and"katabira" (under clothing). Centuries ago court nobles first wore linen "yu-katabira" draped loosely after taking a bath in the fashion of a simple bath robe. The use of this garment gradually spread to the samurai class and then to the general public when public baths became a common facility. Yukata feel cool and comfortable on your skin - the 100% lightweight cotton fabric makes it ideal for dealing with Kyoto's muggy summer weather. The fabric designs vary from the traditional plain cross hatch pattern to more colorful scenery designs.
　　　There are various ways to go about wearing a yukata. For normal daily or night attire, just a cotton sash is used. For festivals and public occasions a larger wider yukata belt is worn for a more formal appearance. The belt is simply wrapped around the waist and tucked in at the edge. Alternatively an obi belt may also be worn.

A Step-by-step approach to wearing yukata
1) Put your arms into the sleeves of the yukata.
2) Adjust the neck band.
3) Fold the main sections at your front and the right first, and then the left, adjusting the hem to just below your ankles.
4) Tie a string around your waist.
5) Tuck the extra length of the body section just under the spot where the sash will be tied.
6) Tie the other string to fix the shape at your waist.Men should skip steps 4-6.

　　　I recommend first-timers to wear a soft tie-dyed sash or heko-obi (兵児帯). This is for both men and women and is shaped into a butterfly. Needless to say, there are differences in color, pattern, and size for men and women.

1) Tie the sash around your waist twice and make a bow-knot in the front
2) Slide the sash to the back.

　　　For a more "mature" look, men should go for the hard thick type sash called kaku-obi (角帯), while women are best suited with the "half-width sash" or hanhaba-obi (半幅帯). In both cases, the sash should be tied in the shape known as kai-no-kuchi (貝の口) or otoko-musubi (男結び).

1) Fold the two sides of the sash in half and take up a length the width of your shoulders.
2) Tie the sash around your waist twice, leaving (1) the first part below and make a flat knot in the front.
3) Fold the wider and longer part of the sash like 2) and 3). If the length is too long, tuck in the extra part.
4) Slide the sash around to the back.

Bunko (文庫) is the most popular style to wear the hanhaba-obi among young women.

1) Wrap the sash around your waist twice and make a knot in the front. Fold one end of the sash about 50cm-60cm up and down (see 1).
2) Change the ends like 2 and 3.
3) Fold the longer part to the width of your shoulders (see 4).
4) Make the pleats (see 5).
5) Wind the wider part with the narrow one twice (see 6).
6) Fold the end of the narrow part back into the body (see 7).
7) Slide the sash around to the back.

Places where you can purchase yukata
Yurakuichi (遊楽市)
Address: Higashinotoin, Takatsuji, Nishi, Shimogyo-ku
Hours: 10:00-19:00 (no holidays)
Prices: Yukata (\5,000-), polyester sash (\1,500),
Yukata set (yukata, a sash, a pair of clogs (\10,000) etc.
Inquiries: 075-353-4590
Nagamochiya (ながもちや)
Address: Karasumadori, Takatsuji-higashi, Shimogyo-ku
Hours: 10:00-17:00 (closed on Sat., Sun., hols.)
Prices: Yukata (\5,000 - \10,000), polyester sash (\2,000 - \3,000), used yukata (\1,000 - \3,000)
Inquiries: 075-341-7115

　　　Are you spending the summer in Kyoto? If so, why don't you try wearing yukata to some of the upcoming summer events? Enjoy the many fireworks displays around the city, and don't forget the Gion Matsuri this month!

Y. Matsuda

　Geta: A Time-Honored Choice

　　　Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop... no, not a horse on the move, but the familiar sound of traditional Japanese footwear called geta (下駄) or wooden clogs. The name "geta" actually comes from the "clip-clop" sound made when walking. More so than their rivals zori (草履: thonged sandals), which are usually made of vinyl, geta are the ideal compliment to the traditional Japanese summer wear, yukata.
　　　Geta are a unique Japanese footwear with a flat wooden sole and a "V" style toe thong, raised up on two wooden supports. In Japanese these supports are called "ha", the word for tooth or teeth. Once made by hand using local paulownia, cypress or mulberry wood, these days geta are mainly produced by machines using imported timber from China.
　　　During the Kamakura (1185-1333) and the Muromachi Periods (1333-1568) Japanese people wore zori and waraji (草鞋: rough straw sandals) - geta did not become popular among city dwellers until the Edo Period (1600-1868). The introduction and swift acceptance of western shoes and clothing by the Imperial Family, government officials and armed forces in the Meiji Period (1868-1912) brought change to the role of formal wear. Nevertheless, only a few decades ago, geta were still considered must-have items to many typical Japanese. They were worn by people of all ages with casual attire, not just kimono, but Western clothes too.
　　　Geta brings back memories of my childhood. Except when going to school in undo-gutsu (運動靴 canvas shoes), I spent much of my time outdoors wearing geta. I remember there being three shops dealing in Japanese footwear in walking distance from my house. I also recall how well their businesses prospered. In those days most of the roads in Japan were unpaved and thus soon became muddy when it rained. Geta were very practical for walking along dirty, puddle-ridden streets, not to mention cheap, durable and easy to wear. Geta proved to be a daily necessity for the Japanese in those times.
　　　Few people of today's younger generation have worn geta since their childhood. Geta are almost exclusively worn with yukata on such occasions as summer festivals and fireworks displays. I regret that geta have practically been forgotten with the changes in our lifestyle and living conditions. Health conscious as modern Japanese society is, not many people seem to know that it has been medically proven that geta assist with maintaining a healthy body. Continuous stimulation on the pressure points of the soles and gripping the thong with the big toe and the second toe are said to be extremely beneficial for the wearer.
　　　Thanks to the recent yukata boom, however, geta are once again in demand. This reinvented summertime fashion led by impressionable youth has seen the introduction of an array of new designs, including shiraki (白木 plain), nuri ( 塗り: lacquered), hori (彫り: curved) and yaki (焼き: scorched). There are even geta with soles made of tatami called omote-tsuki (表付), which look very cool and comfy. Prices for geta generally range from 5000 yen to 12000 yen. So now its summer, what are you waiting for? Go out in style, go out in GETA!

Places selling geta in Kyoto
JR Kyoto Isetan Tel. 342-5728 (Shimogyo-ku)
Daimaru Kyoto Tel. 211-8111 (Shimogyo-ku)
Takashimaya Kyoto Tel. 221-8811 (Shimogyo-ku)
Kobayashi Gofukuten Tel. 611-0339 (Fushimi-ku)
Hon Yoneya Tel. 461-1629 (Kamigyo-ku)
Minami Yoneya Tel. 463-2233 (Kamigyo-ku)
Yahiro Tel. 391-9373 (Nishikyo-ku)



M. Matsushita