Deep Japan shown on the very popular “Toku da ne” morning news program
An initial goal of Deep Japan was to introduce subtleties in everyday life in Japan that are now overlooked, or even taken for granted by most native Japanese people. Something as simple as the proper way to eat soba noodles may not be considered even remotely interesting by Japanese people, but in the context of someone coming to Japan for the first time and experiencing Japanese soba, it suddenly becomes valuable information.
This is the primary intention of Deep Japan other than excellent travel information: to bring to light those nuances large and small that make time spent in Japan feel a bit more like you actually lived here, rather than just visited. If at the end of a two week stay, you can say with confidence that I can order my ramen the way I want, I can ask for directions and other favors without seeming clueless or intimidating, I know where the interesting backstreets are in Tokyo, then Deep Japan is making a valuable impact on the tourism atmosphere here in Japan.
Presented in this light as a “new, alternative” source of travel info, Japanese television reception was positive, and this morning, September 25th, Deep Japan saw enormous recognition by the Japanese morning news viewership.
He works out a useful tip
While explaining the intention of Deep Japan, the interview was centered on Austin And Kurtis eating at a soba shop in Asakusa. We discussed how to convey the typical way of eating soba, and also the associated sound with that action. Here, as Austin and I discuss the nuances of eating soba and moreover how to explain it easily to travelers, I had an idea of how better to explain the action of eating soba, so as to produce that characteristic slurping sound.
Basically, hot soba should be eaten while the soup is still very hot. This produces a more thorough and penetrating flavor, and also prevents the noodles from going soggy. It’s not exactly information to change the world, but it’s kind of interesting to know. I describe the act of slurping up soba noodles like eating a piece of very hot pizza: taking in air along with the food.
After the interview, we focused the contents of our discussion into a brief article, which was also featured on the television program (above)