Japan was a trip. I need to go back.

It's nice to be back at my desk. I have to admit, it's not easy to jump back into normal life and writing after being far away. 

It was a great trip to Japan and Taiwan. But way too short. I need to go back to begin understanding where I was. 

In Japan, Ayane traveled with me from Tokyo to Kyoto to Okinawa. She lives in Tokyo. I also spent time with grad school friends Tad, Mami, and Joe. 

In Taiwan, I met up with Dennis, a former student of mine, who lives in Taipei. He bought us drinks at the top of the Shangri-La Far Eastern, Taipei. Spending time with locals makes all the difference in the world when traveling.  

Being in four cities in almost three weeks is like being someone from outside the US experiencing America for the first time by spending three nights in L.A. and three nights in NYC. We need more time to get to know a place. 

People have asked me what I really enjoyed about Japan and Taiwan. Simple answer: the food.

Meet Enomoto san
Enomoto san owns the Sushidokoro Enomoto restaurant. Here's a picture of Enomoto san (on the right) at his restaurant with his staff (son, wife, daughter-in-law) and me.

The Japanese take great pride in their work. Enomoto san is no exception.

Enomoto's food is amazing. So delicious. Sushi in Japan is beyond what I've ever experienced in the US. The freshness, preparation, and presentation make it a unique food experience.

But what was very cool was that he said yes after I asked if we could join him at the fish market (Toyosu Market) the next morning where he does his daily shopping for his restaurant. We met him at 6 am to watch him shop for his restaurant. 

Here's a picture of Enomoto san and Ayane while we were following him around the fish market. Everyone knows him there. I felt important walking around with him. He's like a celebrity there.

Toyosu Fish Market
Not just anyone can walk on the floor of Toyosu Market. You need to be invited by someone like Enomoto san. I know this because a security guard approached me in the market. He let me go after he saw I was with Enomoto san. 

When it opened in 2018, Toyosu Market became the largest wholesale fish market in the world (4.4 mil square feet or 408,000 square meters). It's mind-boggling to me how big this place is. 

There are two markets for seafood (one for wholesale and one for bidding at fish auctions) and one for fruits and vegetables. Tourists can observe the auction market on a second floor viewing deck. 

The market is built on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay, and replaces the historic Tsukiji Fish Market (now a tourist attraction).

I became especially interested in this particular fish market after watching the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. You can find it on Amazon Prime.

If you're interested in what it's like to be inside the world's largest fish market, go to the scene beginning at time stamp 0:35:10. If you're a fisherman, you will be impressed. 

Watching this documentary is what inspired me to ask Enomoto san to take us with him to the fish market.

Jiro’s Wisdom
Enomoto reminds me of Jiro.

Jiro, in the documentary, is a tough, hard working 85-year-old man. He was hardened by a poor relationship with his parents, especially his father. He was left on his own as a child.

Jiro has a lot of words of wisdom: "Decide on your occupation and immerse yourself in your work. Fall in love with your work. Dedicate your life to mastering your skill."

Regarding children, Jiro added: “Nowadays, parents tell their children, 'You can return if it doesn’t work out.' When parents say stupid things like that, the kids turn out to be failures.” Thank you, Jiro. 

Jiro makes his own rules. "Always doing what you are told doesn't mean you'll succeed in life."

Jiro's dad at first made good money taking people on boat rides. But then his business failed, he drank, his life fell apart, and he later died after going to work at a military factory in Yokohama, Japan.

Jiro's 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant located in a Tokyo subway station became a Michelin three-star restaurant.

More to say
I have a lot more to say about my trip to Japan and Taiwan.

In Okinawa, we went to a village called Ogimi. It's one of the five "Blue Zones," regions in the world where there's a high concentration of centenarians (people who live to over 100 years old). I'll go into more detail in my next newsletter. 

As I said before, travel changes you.

Thank you for reading!

Be well,

Peter Pavlina

Below are pictures of me and Ayane (at Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto) and me and Joe (at dinner in Tokyo).