3 October 2025
“Raif’s a 4. He’s such a 4.”
Raif is not a 4, Lucie. Jesus. He’s much better looking than that.
No, no we’re doing enneagrams.
What’s that?
“It’s like a personality test. You get a number, one through nine. Each one is a different type.”
Oh.
“We should do everyone’s. I’ll read through them and we’ll see what everyone is.”
Uh oh.
Damn, so I’m a 4 too. Me n Raif, contra mundum. Obsessed with identity, secretly terrified of not having one. If you’re reading this you already understand. When coming up with Ozu, it had to flow from where we came from and what we were into at the time. It was no surprise our numbers were complementary. Did I do that?
Just when I thought I was out they pull me back in. Flying to Japan after all. Leave in a couple weeks. You promise yourself not this time and next thing you know you’re cracking open that first Asahi and almost beginning to stretch your legs.
Japan. The stage is set. The rental car in Nagoya. The drive through the mountains. Tokonamiso. The usual routine.
People ask me for the grand tour. Are you really interested? The cheapskate Japanese lad returning from exile. Business hotels not ryokan. Ignore the included literature. Charge your phone. Jet lag, my old friend. Brace yourself on the doors of the Toyota Roomy as I take that corner. Shinsekai here we come.
Marauding runs to the Roppongi Precce. Perhaps the world’s finest grocery store. Hotel din: kinmedai, nasu, and a duvel. I’ll make it out to a restaurant in due time. Pregaming we used to call it. Half dozen oysters. Shells tossed into a trash can the size of a can of beer. Possible iodine poisoning. Will he make it? Sadly, yes.
The JETRO boys will meet you at the gate. Big tea meeting planned on the terraced farms. Losing my supply was the humiliation of the year. The global matcha craze. I was drinking that shit from a bitter shino glaze when you were sucking on Blue Bottle!
Rebecca and Lucie will take command of the newsletter. Do not disturb.
Dinner tonight, the trifecta: black cod, scallops, and mapo. My dad called halfway through his cream of mushroom to see what was going on. I told him the menu. He was pissed!
Niigata senbei
Japanese rice crackers, choice of black pepper, uni, squid, nori, or a mix of all 4
temaki
choice of blue crab, maguro, kanpachi namerou, or ikura
sesame miso bagna fredda
local raw vegetables with an umami-rich anchovy dip
hiyashi salad
local lettuces, radish, cucumber, sesame ginger dressing
owan
rich fish stock miso soup
white anchovy salad with shiso vinaigrette
marinated white anchovies over local greens with fresh shiso dressing
smoked salmon battera
house-smoked salmon pressed over sushi rice
scallop ceviche
raw sea scallops, sudachi, ikura, aonori
kanpachi namerou
tartare of kanpachi with white miso, ginger, shiso, over rice
mapo tofu bento
local beef and pork stewed in a spicy Sichuan sauce with tofu over Japanese rice with hiyashi salad and pickles
black cod saikyo yaki bento
roasted black cod marinated in miso, over Japanese rice with hiyashi salad and pickles
seared scallop bento
seared sea scallops over Japanese rice, hiyashi salad & pickles
maguro bento
raw bluefin tuna over sushi rice with hiyashi salad, pickles
chirashi
raw itoyori, saba, tuna, nodoguro, scallop, kinmedai, tai, ikura, uni over sushi rice*
basque cheesecake
yuzu coconut rice pudding