The Difference Between a Sakura Tree and a 1300 Year Old Sakura Tree

It's already past sakura (cherry blossom) season in Japan, but I thought I'd share where I went for hanami (cherry blossom viewing) this year. Normally I will seek out a place that has hundreds of trees concentrated in one area so that it feels like your in a sakura wonderland. Often these destinations have a sakura matsuri (festival) going on where you can buy sweets and savoury foods to eat while sitting underneath the trees and enjoying the view. However, this year was a little different. I decided I wanted to see a 1300 year old sakura tree. It was approximately a week before the regular sakura were going to be in full bloom and I knew I would miss them because I had planned to be out of the country.

1300 year old sakura tree on the left

This 1300 year old tree was a type of sakura called "shidare-zakura" and it blooms a little earlier than the standard sakura. It is so big that it needs wooden supports to preserve and maintain it.

It is located in Okuyamada-cho 奥山田町 in Okazaki City 岡崎市. It took a little while to get there since we had to take a bus from one of the city's main stations called Higashi-Okazaki. Then we had to walk about 15 min. along a narrow river to reach the tree. There were only two trees here and one small booth selling drinks and Japanese confections. It was totally worth the trek though because the sheer largeness of this sakura left an impression. It's so nice to see that Japan tries to preserve this type of natural beauty. 

As you can see, the shidare-zakura is more of a weeping type of cherry blossom. It stays in bloom for longer than the regular sakura, so if I were to go a week later, I would have been able to enjoy the blooming sakura trees lining the river that led to this location as well as the ancient tree in full bloom. I hope you can see from this photo the difference in size between the regular and the 1300 year old sakura tree.

The river; not quite in full bloom yet

 There was also a smaller shidare-zakura tree right beside the ancient one which was also beautiful.

Young shidare-zakura

Maruya Honten: For A Real Nagoya-Style Eel Dish

I've always loved eating unagi or eel; growing up in Canada we could find it in shrink packs, already seasoned and cooked at the closest Japanese grocery store. There isn't anybody I know who doesn't like the combination with a sweet soy sauce-based seasoning (called kabayaki-style). Unagi is often served on top of steaming white rice and the sauce absorbed by it makes a match made in heaven.

I was pleasantly surprised when I came to Nagoya to find out that one of the dishes they were known for included this kabayaki unagi. One reason it had become a specialty item is the way they cooked and ate it. The Nagoya unagi sounded new to me and so mouth-watering. The version they are known for is called hitsumabushi. The eel is usually grilled so that the skin side has a bit of a crispy char. It is served in a large wooden container. First you scoop some of the kabayaki unagi and rice into a smaller bowl, making it easier to hold and eat. It's usually recommended to enjoy it as is upon first bite. Then on your second bowl, you sprinkle condiments of choice such as green onion, shiso (Japanese basil), strips of seaweed or wasabi. Finally on your last bowl, you pour in the special house-made dashi (soup) provided and add a bit of wasabi if you like. Most unagi restaurants will have sansho or Japanese pepper on the tables because it goes so well with the dish.

There are countless hitsumabushi restaurants in this city and they all serve different versions of the dish. Some grill the unagi with more 'fluffiness' and less crispiness, others take pride in the sauce which has been 'used' since the opening of the store by their grandfathers, and has been topped up everyday.

Maruya Honten has become well known in Nagoya for their histumabushi and can be found in major locations such as Nagoya Station, Chubu International Airport, and even Seoul, Korea. If you want to try 'real' Nagoya-style eel, I suggest a visit to Maruya Honten. They actually get the unagi pretty crispy compared to other restaurants I've tried which seem to focus on making the overall feel more soft and fatty in the mouth. It all depends on your taste, but for a Nagoya experience, Maruya Honten does it well.

Nicely charred hitsumabushi eel

Area: Meitetsu Building at Nagoya Station, 9F　名鉄百貨店本館９F　レストラン街

Restaurant: Maruya Honten　〇や本店

Map and Website: http://www.maruya-honten.com/shop/まるや本店%e3%80%80名駅店

Hours: 11am-11pm (LO 10pm)