Hokkaido Adventures: Trip One

Flying from Tokyo to Hokkaido, I noticed that many mountains below me were still covered in snow. This last winter was especially cold in Hokkaido, and since Hokkaido is the Japanese island that is furthest North, that means really cold and lots of snow. Its been a late spring, too, and most places we traveled had snow melting in  a shady crevasse. Quite a change from Australia, let me say.
 Of course, there are lots of other differences in the landscape as well. The sea, for one, is more blue grey than green, and the coast has more rocks and grey sand than sparkling white sand like the Sunshine Coast. The water is harder to get to, as well; the Japanese attitude towards the ocean seems to be respect tinged by fear, understandable for a country prone to tsunami. As a result, though, much of the coastline is covered in concrete and lined with breakwaters, a far cry from the naturalistic coastlines of New Zealand, Australia or even California.
 On our first trip we saw a lot of the coast. We started our trip with a train out of Tomakomai, the port city in Hokkaido where my friend Tessa lives. As we left the city industry gave way to progressively smaller towns, spreading inland from their own small ports on the coast. The train followed the coastline, and as we traveled east the sun set behind us over the ocean, turning the coast gold and lighting up the clouds gathered at the horizon. We were planning on camping that night, and the weather had looked fine heading out from Tomakomai, but as the sky darkened the first rain drops started to fall. The train line ended at Samani, and as we pulled into the station it was undeniably raining. Unsure of whether we would be able to reach the campsite, we came out of the station to discover a bus heading up the coast in the right direction (its times like those when having a Japanese speaker really makes traveling easier). Ten minutes up the coast, the bus driver let us off at the base of a hill, gazing up a road into darkness. With the help of flashlights we managed to climb the hill in the rain, but failed to find the campsite - locked bathrooms were the only sign, and a wooden viewing platform looking out towards the sea. With increasingly heavy rain, we made the decision to sleep in the only logical place available; the viewing platform. It had a roof, dry floor and some promise of a dry night. So we set up the tent three stories off the ground, attached the rain fly as best we could, ate dinner and turned in for the night.
 At 5am the sun rose. It woke us up from an uncomfortable night, sleeping on wood with wind trying to tear its way into the tent.  The view, though, was perfect. Straight ahead the sea stretched out, with coast curling in both directions.
(to be continued)

Some Japan Impressions

There are a lot of vending machines. Pretty much everywhere, and sometimes where you least expect them, like when a blue glowing machine appears out of the fog on a deserted suburban street late at night.

 Many things are packaged in a lot of plastic, but sometimes ingeniously so, like the Onegiri (rice balls) where plastic separates the dried seaweed from the rice and keeps it crisp.

 Japanese people are exceptionally kind and hospitable, for example buying you snacks when you are hitchhiking in their car (as if the ride isn`t enough!)

 The landscape is beautiful - mountains falling to the sea. Of course, there is a lot more wilderness in Hokkaido than when I will be going farther south. The sea, being the pacific, looks quite a bit like it does in California.

 Bamboo forms a low-lying ground cover - from a distance it looks like grass but its not.

 Bread is either very white or sweet. Tessa think that the Japanese got it right - bread should be sweet, not a thing you eat all the time.

 I`ve been eating A LOT of fish. And just generally lots of yummy, yummy food.

 That`s all for now - we`re off to Hakodate and hopefully will get to see some cherry blossoms!

Ania`s Guide to Brisbane

I`ve been in Japan for just over a week now, but somehow this blog is still stuck in Brisbane. I would like to blame this on only intermittent internet access, and will attempt to remedy some of this today. Before moving on to Japan, however, its time to finish up on Brisbane, with this handy guide of highlights of the city from my point of view. I`ve never written one before, so let me know if I leave anything out. Here goes!

 Ania`s Guide to Brisbane
A short, hopefully informative and helpful, guide to one of Australia`s coolest cities*

What to See: Lots of museums and free art all over the place! The Queensland Art Center is fantastic for Australian art; the Gallery had an exhibit of contemporary Australian women artists while I was visiting that was just fantastic. The Brisbane Powerhouse is also excellent, and doubles as a venue and movie theater. The Brisbane Botanical Gardens are honestly amazing - I spent about three hours wandering around in them. Check out the Australian Flora area and the Aboriginal Food Trail to be blown away by how many plants the Aborigines knew how to use. If you like history, the Parlaiment House, Old Governor`s House and probably the Museum of Brisbane (didn`t make it to that last one) are worth a visit. If you like more ecclesiastical matters, St. John`s Cathedral and the convent of the Sisters of Mercy both offer free and very informative tours. If you visit the former, look out for the organ decorated with possums and pew pillows hand-embroidered with Australian flora and fauna.

Look Out For: Crazy birds, tropical flora, public art, the fake beach on South Bank, and travelators. Travelators are like escalators but with a ramp instead of stairs; they facilitate moving things with wheels, like trolleys or bags. I first saw them at the airport, but they also exist in malls. Also look out for Queenslander houses - a distinctive architectural look that usually involves amazing porches and woodwork decoration. Creep hint: if you walk around at night you can look into the houses and see really cool interior touches, but try not to lurk.

How to Get Around: Find/rent/procure a bike! Biking along the riverbank gives you one of the best ways to explore the city. Public transportation is also good, and definitely make sure you take a ride on the ferries! At night the river looks even more fantastic, so if you can take a cruise at night.


Accommodation: Find a friend to stay with! People who live in the city will have the best insider tips and, since they often don`t live in the city center, you`ll see more of the city just getting to and from their place. That failing, I recommend Couchsurfing or an apartment to rent for a short period (try a website like, say, www.homeaway.com). Try looking for places in New Farm or Tenerife, suburbs that nestle close to the city but are full of parks and feel open and isolated from all the bustle. Alternately, I`m sure that there are very nice hotels in the city, and there`s a whole colony of backpackers and hostels on a hill north of the city center.

Where to Eat: I didn`t eat out much, although one place I really, really enjoyed was Fundies Wholefood Cafe in Paddington. Generally, Brisbane has a fantastic range of food on offer, from Japanese to Greek, cafes to haute couture, and everything in between.  . I recommend the select-your-own sushi option for a quick lunch, and there`s a really great selection of casual eateries in South Bank. What you do have to do is go to the farmers` markets around the city! The one on Wednesday in the City Centre has fabulous prepared food in addition to fresh fruit and vegetables, so go and grab lunch. Options include apparently-famous falafel (apparently the line is worth it), juicy cooked mushrooms, Turkish sandwiches, grilled sausages, fresh juices and the most colorful and delightful macaroons. Whichever market you go to, take time to enjoy and marvel at the incredible  range of produce. Tropical Queensland grows peanuts, macadamias and a range of colorful fruit that I had never tried before. As far as tropical fruit goes, I can recommend custard apples (they taste pretty much like they sound, although maybe more pear than apple), local bananas, and passionfruit. Dragonfruit is pretty tasteless in my opinion, although filled with lots of tiny seeds that give it an interesting texture. I didn`t try the red version, only the white, so maybe the red one is better.

Where to Drink: Archive Bar has amazing interior design (a bar made out of books!) and a lovely selection of beers on draft. I was told that the Regatta in Toowong was the first bar where women drank, and that they had to chain themselves to the bar (!). Even if that`s not true, they`ve recently reopened the downstairs after it got flooded last year, and its a lovely place to sip a beer on the porch. Three Monkeys is a really cute coffee place with amazing Chai (both in South Bank). Brew Bar & Cafe downtown has great coffee; try their single origin. Coffee generally is pretty good, as is local beer. Actually, all the beer that I tried was really good; I especially enjoyed White Rabbit. Remember that Australia is known for its reds, if you like wine!

Other Notes: Take time to smell the tropical flowers, especially the Frangipane. There are lots of beautiful beaches along the Sunshine Coast, so if you have a day (or even half a day) it might be worth taking a trip. Note: the surf is rough, so you are only allowed to swim between the flags, in sight of lifeguards. Most importantly, enjoy!

*This subtitle is a little bit of a stretch, given that the only other Australian city that I`ve visited was Sydney, for about 6 hours on a layover, but I`m willing to make the claim anyway.

Brisbane 1: Public Transportation and Public Art

I think I have a little crush on Brisbane.

Where to start? Well, Ferries. Not only does a river run through it (the city, that is), but the public transportation system includes ferries that run up and down the river! The ferry is pretty cool during the day, but even more amazing at night, when you get to cruise under the cities (seven?) bridges with a light wind in your face and lights sparkling up at you off the water. They light up some of the buildings along the riverbank, too - last night the old Treasury building was a deep cobalt, to which the orange pedestrian bridge acted as a visual foil.

Of course, the ferries addition to buses and trains (trains!). How cool is that? To get from A to B you can think to yourself, "hmm, do I feel like taking the bus, train or ferry?"

Although not technically a part of public transportation, there are also amazing bike paths up the river banks. Separated at most points from both car traffic and pedestrians, they line the river for all of the downtown area and in great swathes radiating out towards the suburbs. I spent most of the past few days negotiating these bike paths, biking partly just for the joy of having a warm breeze in your face and sunshine around you. Its a great way to explore the river bank, where public art and parks abound.

Thought Brisbane was bike-friendly? There's more! Not only are the bike paths throughout the city as well as on the river bank, but part of Brisbane bike-friendly initiatives include a city-run bike lending program as well. Similar to those found in cities like Barcelona, you sign up for a year and then can check bikes in and out of bike stations whenever you want. It only costs 45 AUD a year (plus usage charges) and they even give you a helmet! This might help combat the fact that I saw mostly lycra-clad men on fancy, fancy bikes using the bike paths - from the looks of it commuter cycling isn't exactly de riguer yet.

Oh, and then there's the public art. Its everywhere. I mean really, everywhere. Lining the river, on corners, on electrical boxes (apparently 900 have been painted), at random intersections, on the ground... its an amazing display of creativity, and seems to be a key aspect of the city's identity. Now, I'm not sure if it was always this way, but there sure is a heck of a lot of art around now, and its absolutely lovely (I'll put some photos up when I get them off my computer, promise). In addition to art outside, there is also a huge amount of art available to the public in museums and galleries. And they're free! Many, many free places to go and enjoy some art, like the lovely Queensland Art Gallery with its range of Australian art from colonial days through the present. I was particularly stunned by the palette of colors used by the Australian Impressionists - no doubt taken from the Australian landscape.

Stay tuned for more museum reports! I'm not nearly done.

A Glimpse of Wellington

I wrote the following based on an interview I did in Wellington - just to give you an idea of what I was up to!

"Soon the rooftop of the City Gallery will be bursting with edibles as Nikau Gallery Cafe takes local food to the next level - literally. The six planters come from the Pop Up Gardens that bloomed in Civic Square over the summer, and have found a new home on the City Gallery's roof. The venture is the latest step in Nikau Cafe's pursuit of local and organic food.

Leading the campaign is chef Kelda Hains, who has been at Nikau for over 12 years. For Kelda, getting interested in local food started as "I noticed more and more that when I bought food from local, organic growers the quality was much better... I did some reading and got really inspired and started looking around for local ingredients". As a chef, she agrees that food tastes better picked fresh and local. "Sometimes my growers turn up at 10:30am with food they picked that morning and it's just phenomenal". There are other reasons to go local as well, she says, including lessening environmental costs and supporting the local food system. Kelda has her own patch up in Brooklyn, where she's been able to do some growing of her own. Drawing a comparison between her work in the kitchen and her work in the garden, "I think gardening is a bit like cooking," she explained, "where you observe results and then decide what's worked - [it's about] repetition and observation".

The rooftop planters are the second step in Nikau's agricultural adventures, coming after success of the outdoor planter boxes in their courtyard. Kelda's experiences helping found the Brooklyn Community Orchard led her to think about how to utilise spare space at Nikau, starting with the courtyard planters. Built from macrocarpa, the stylish planters have moveable sections that combine seating with growing boxes. Since they're in a public space, Kelda says that texture and colour have played an important role in what is planted; "that's part of urban agriculture, it has to look beautiful". Interestingly, "many people don't know what plants look like, so its been quite educational". (More about them can be read on Nikau's blog at http://nikaugallerycafe.blogspot.co.nz/2012/01/courtyard-garden.html).

Since the staff are already busy with running the cafe and "when we get busy in the kitchen is when you need to be in the garden", they will likely hire a gardener to be in charge of the planters on the roof. While Nikau will hardly be able to supply all of its own food from their planters, "its all about filling the gaps and keeping it interesting", says Kelda. For example, "maybe we'll grow carrots but they'll be purple carrots". Whatever they grow its bound to be delicious, so keep an eye out for homegrown additions to the menu!"

Autumnal Weeks on the Farm

Before I leave New Zealand for exciting travels overseas (I'll be away for six weeks!), its about time I got around to describing what the farm has been like lately. While my sister was around we spent a lot of time swimming and exploring; besides the few days in Kaihoka, we spent Easter Weekend at our friend Debbie's bach at Tata Beach in Golden Bay. It was a picture perfect weekend - golden sand, clear water, portions of native bush, a visit to Takaka with a browse around its market and art offerings. Since Golden Bay is also exttremely shallow, at low tide we shellfish from the flats, digging in the sand for pipis and cockles and pulling mussels off the rocks. Pipis, in case you don't know - we didn't - are a small shellfish that look sort of like a cross between mussels and cockles, but smaller than either. Our family had never tried them before, although Debbie assured us that they are a Kiwi classic, especially in sandwiches with white bread and butter. Never a family to miss a culinary experience, we drove to the nearby dairy to buy properly white bread to experience this - and it was worth it. The taste is sort of like a creamier, gentler mussel, and are actually quite divine. If sunny, crisp weather and fresh sea food wasn't enough, our stay at Tata beach also aligned with the full moon, which rose and set at just about the opposite time as the sun - one evening I watched the moon rise just as the sunset was fading, and two mornings later the moon was setting as the sun just started to peep above the hills. Stunning. Not to brag, but did I mention that we drank wine on the beach?

Unfortunately, Kim had to depart back to the United States, leaving us alone on the hilltop. Luckily, she didn't take the beautiful autumn weather with her! We've had light breezes, crisp nights and clear days to spend outside. There's something distinct about autumn in the country, as if it brings out the visual poetry in the scenery. The trees that adorn fence lines stand out more sharply, while some blaze out their show of leaves. Fruit is ripe, apples falling on the sides of the roads and hawthorne berries create clusters of red. There's mist, too, which certainly adds to the effect - this morning it was so thick that we couldn't see the valley floor, but some days its just a few wisps. At sunrise the light is apricot colored, and sunset its like golden quince syrup (the bountiful fruit is obviously influencing my prose!). Maybe its just because the days are shorter so everything feels somewhat condensed and thus precious, but in short its been stunningly gorgeous. I love autumn!

Of course, autumn also means lots of work in the garden and kitchen. Everything comes ripe just before it all decays, so harvesting and preserving is key. We've been picking apples, quinces, peaches, rosehips, walnuts, and all sorts of vegetables and herbs. We've made rhubarb jam, peach jam, quince paste, tomato sauce, assorted other condiments. In the garden its time to start preping the garden to be put to bed for the winter which has involved shovelling lots of shells into paths and sheep shit onto beds (ah, living in the country - so many free resources, as long as you're willing to pick them up!). Fabulous autumn meals are, of course, part of it as well. What a beautiful time of year!

Now I'm off the to Japan by way of Australia, with a last stop in Shanghai. Its going to be very different, and hopefully very exciting. Posts might be far apart, but they'll be much more interesting. For now, wish me luck and sayonara for now!

Moore's Cottage, Kaihoka

Kaihoka is like a place from an alternate universe. Its too perfect, too huge and green and pastoral. The farm pours down a valley to the sea, with the romantic Lunar cliffs on one side and sand dunes on the other. The beach is massive, especially at low tide when you can walk and walk and feel like you're never getting anywhere. There's patches of native bush full of birds and hardy, wind tolerant trees.

Kaihoka is unlike any place I've been, although its almost like the perfect combination of all the things rural New Zealand is supposed to be. Its magical.

In its present state Kaihoka was formed from the amalgamation of multiple small farms that failed during the Depression. Currently owned and run by the Wyllie family, its a working farm with delightfully sparse accommodation that includes access to most areas on the farm. Of the two houses available we chose Moore's Cottage, a wooden building with sparse insulation or sunlight but plenty of backwoods charm. We stayed there years ago, and it was the memory of that visit that inspired Kim to ask that we return this year, with phenomenal results. We always had the beach to ourselves. We spent the days wandering, swimming, relaxing. Kim and I fought our way through bush to a hidden beach, then walked along the cliffs scaring sheep along the way. We splashed in the surf, saw four fighter planes (the entire NZ airforce?) jet by, played in the dunes.

At night we lit fires, making s'mores with dark chocolate to accompany tea as we warmed up the cottage and filled it with the delightful smell of wood smoke. It was, overall, delightful.

In line with our family interest in food, I think its only fair to share what was an amazingly satisfying meal at Kaihoka. Its adapted from this recipe, but pared down to make transportation to a remote location easy.

Kaihoka Shakshuka

1 large jar Mom's Tomato Sauce (or own equivalent) with Basil

olive oil (about 2 Tbs)

eggs (we had two each, so 8)

salt and pepper to taste

bread to have on the side

You could add: goat cheese, onions, garlic, chillies, other spices

Heat a medium sized heavy bottomed pot. Add oil. When hot, add tomato sauce. Fill jar about half full with water, and swirl around to get out any remains of tomato sauce. Add to pot. Bring to a simmer, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Carefully break eggs into tomato sauce and cook until poached, about 8 minutes (I think); it sometimes helps to ladle sauce over the eggs and put a cover on the pot. Serve with bread! Consider drinking some red wine, too.