The Back of Japan

Happy Holidays, Back Lovers! Since you've all presumably been good this year, Santa's giving all of us a real treat: full bowls of steaming delicious ramen from Niigata! But not just any ol' bowl, no; these are Niigata's 5 Great Ramen ( 新潟５大ラーメン) from all over the prefecture. We'll be stopping by the original shops, waxing over the stories and salivating over the mouth-...

Put on your aprons and light up your kilns, Back Lovers! Due to the weather taking a chilly turn, one of the best ways to stay warm is to fill your belly with those most useful protein ovals: eggs! Lots o' ways to cook 'em, but we touch on the simple yet elegant omelette. The kitchen's no place to be scared of! You know what they say, "You can't make an omelette without breaki...

Hello there, you Jeans/Flannel Lovers! It's spooky time and, steering far from the clutches of pumpkin spice, we touch on required Halloween reading from a master of Japanese horror: Ryu Murakami, author of disturbing classics like Piercing, In The Miso Soup and Audition. Read at your own risk! Shifting gears, we turn to the changing of the seasons and exciting momijigari ( 紅葉狩り) , or &quo...

Part 2 of my conversation with the super cool and excellent author, Eka Wong. We cover Koshihikari rice, importing from Japan, over-the-top food shows and simple beauty of plain onigiri. The "Hungry In Japan" series are excellent bookshelf companions due to the deliciously arranged dishes, the comprehensive research done and practical use as a type of culinary roadmap. Even if you never...

Man-oh-man, gang, I had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Eka Wong: doctor, father and author of the very popular "Hungry In Japan" series and it was awesome. To boot, he even agreed to speak with me and waste his precious free time while his young son slept! What a guy, eh? We took a little trip down Eka's past, touching on the origin story of his books and then switched gears to J...

Woohoo! It's A Very Back of Japan Birthday! On this episode, Josh... -fortells his mouth-watering birthday lunch -goes an overview trip to the beautiful island of Sado Island and explores its early roots in Japanese history -brushes over the Sado's diverse topography, like a Bob Ross canvas -drops a golden bombshell about the real reason behind Sado's fame Thanks for listening and come...

Happy Late Mother's Day, you guys! In this episiode, -Josh gets his filthy hands on the new Zelda game, but fears its addictive power -We answer a few burning questions about Echigo, specifically HOW DID ECHIGO COME FROM KOSHI, HOW BIG WAS ECHIGO, and HOW DID ECHIGO GET ITS NAME -Now with Koshi out of the way, we've cleared the road to Echigo. Onward! Map of Echigo - https://www.flickr.com...

Happy Hanami, you guys! In this episode, -Josh gushes about the ups and downs of spring, including his allergies -We discuss the beauty and history of the sakura-hanami in Niigata, especially in Joetsu's Takada Park -Then we switch gears and discuss the VERY LAST reference to Koshi Land, which involves an emperor, some burning water and some burning land. Hot hot stuff! Ensui Festival - https:...

In this episode:  -Josh apologizes for getting ahead of himself and slooooooooows his Koshi roll -More super old references to Koshi Country (future Kokuriku areas) in Japan -First recorded castle walls in existence were built on the borders of Koshikuni by the Yamata government in response to Ezo threat in the north  Nuttari Fence (沼垂柵) https://www.city.niigata.lg.jp/higashi/torikumi/seisaku/n...

In our first episode, we dig up the origins of  the Back: the land of Koshi, which includes modern-day Niigata, Fukui and Toyama prefectures. We find references in the the Kojiki (712 AD) the Nihon Shoki (720 AD) and the Izumo no Kuni Fudoki (733 AD). Also, big unpronounceable names abound: Izanakino-no-mikoto - primordial male deity associated with Japan's creation story  Izanamino-no-m...

A quick introduction and breakdown to the show