How to use your non-smart TV for video calls and as a media centre

Posted on March 28, 2020 by davidcrowther2014

Amidst the current unprecedented circumstances around the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, many people in countries around the world are having to stay at home due to government lockdowns or are in self-isolation due to illness or to protect themselves from the risk of infection.  Many people may find themselves isolated at home by themselves so staying in contact with family, friends and neighbours during this difficult time will be vital, not only for keeping loved ones informed of our current condition but also for the benefit of our mental health.  In the absence of physical contact, keeping in touch with others will help us stave off loneliness and depression.

With that in mind, I thought I’d share how to use your regular TV for making video calls for keeping in touch with friends and family and as a media centre to keep ourselves entertained.  My original intention for setting this up was so that my wife could keep in touch with her family abroad.  She is from Japan but now lives with me here in Wales.  We have two little girls and I thought it would be lovely if they could video chat with nana and grandad in Japan on the big TV in the living room.   Now with the COVID-19 outbreak and everyone stuck at home, it’s become even more important, not just for keeping in touch with family and friends abroad but for keeping in touch with loved ones in the UK (my family lives only a 30 minute drive away from us) as we are not able to visit them in person.

To copy the setup that we have, you will need to buy some equipment.  All of it is easily available to buy online and is relatively inexpensive.  Here’s what we are using:

Tanix TX3 Max Android TV Box

http://www.tanix-box.com/project-view/tanix-tx3-max-android-tv-box-s905w-android-7-1-wifi-bluetooth/

Tanix TX3 Max

OS: Android 7.1 with Alice UX
CPU: Amlogic S905W up to 2.0 GHz, Quad core ARM Cortex-A53
GPU: Mali-450 penta-core, up to 750MHz+
RAM: 2GB DDR3
Storage: 16GB eMMC
Wifi: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth: 4.0

£34.62 from Gearbest.com https://www.gearbest.com/tv-box/pp_1509683.html

Wechip W2 Air Mouse

£11.68 from https://uk.banggood.com
here: https://tinyurl.com/v3uuz


 

    Wechip W2 Airmouse 

    Logitech C920 HD Pro Webcam

    https://www.logitech.com/en-gb/product/hd-pro-webcam-c920

    Logitech C920

    Prices range anywhere from £50 to £80 on Ebay.  However, I have noticed that they are now selling on there for much higher prices.  My guess is this is price gouging due to a spike in demand for webcams with so many people having to stay at home.

Setting up your TV for video calling and as a media centre

The main piece of equipment you’ll need is an Android TV box.  There are literally tons of them on the market, all in different shapes and sizes with different specs and at different price points.  There are also other alternatives to Android TV boxes such as Apple TV, Amazon Firesticks and set top boxes etc. depending on what you prefer.  I think many smart TVs these days even have the Android OS built into them so you don’t even need an extra TV box to make it work.  But we don’t have a smart TV so for this guide I will be covering how to set up and use an Android TV box because that is what we are using. 

Before purchasing an Android TV box, there are a few things you need to be aware of so that you buy something that will work:

  • The OS on Android TV boxes comes in two flavours, Android TV OS and regular (full) Android OS.  The Android TV OS is specially optimised for use on a TV screen to give a good media centre experience using a remote.  It has some limitations compared to regular Android OS and you get access to a cut down version of the Google Play app store.  The main limitation I wanted to bring to your attention is that a webcam won’t work with Android TV OS because it doesn’t detect it.  If you’re planning to use your Android TV box to make video calls, make sure you buy one that does not have Android TV OS.  Regular Android OS is basically the same OS that you have on your Android smartphone and will work with a webcam so if you want to make video calls, make sure to buy a device that is running full Android.
  • You’ll want to get an Android TV box with at least 2GB of RAM.  Anything less than that and the performance will be really bad.

The Android TV box that we are using is the Tanix TX3 Max http://www.tanix-box.com/project-view/tanix-tx3-max-android-tv-box-s905w-android-7-1-wifi-bluetooth/ It’s a relatively low-end Android TV box but is good enough for our needs.  Importantly for us, it has the following:

  • HDMI connection
  • Ethernet port for a wired internet connection (more reliable than Wifi)
  • 2 x USB ports for peripheral devices such as a webcam or air mouse
  • Full Android OS, not Android TV OS

The box is very easy to set up.  Just connect it to your TV with a HDMI cable and plug it in.  When it boots up, there is some basic set up to do such as choosing your language, region and connecting it to your home network.  The box comes with a remote to help you navigate the setup menus.  Once setup is finished, you should see the main interface:

Tanix 1

It has a nice clean interface called Alice UX which consists of a main area with large spaces for your various apps and a menu to the left-hand side.  As it’s running full Android OS, the full Google Play app store is available to you where you can download and install any of the apps such as Netlfix, Plex, Kodi, Skype and WhatsApp.

You’ll need to start by going to the Apps menu on the left-hand side and choosing the Play Store.

Tanix 2

When you open the Play Store for the first time, it will ask you to sign in with your Google account’s username (usually your Gmail address) and password. You will need to sign-up for a Google account if you don’t already have one.  You can find a guide on how to do that here: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/27441?hl=en

Once you’re signed in with your account, you can begin to download and install apps on your Android TV box.  Please be aware that not every app on the Google Play store will be compatible with your device and you may not be able to download and install some apps.

For video calling and messaging we downloaded and installed the following apps:

We installed the 4 apps above because they are the ones most used by our family and friends.  There are loads of other apps available though depending on what you need to use.  A few notable mentions would be Facebook Messenger https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.orca&hl=en_GB and Rakuten Viber https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.viber.voip&hl=en_GB

Why WhatsApp Business and not Regular WhatsApp?

My wife and I already use WhatsApp Messenger on our personal mobile devices.  Regular WhatsApp must be linked to a mobile phone number and you can only use your account on one device.  You can’t have it on multiple devices simultaneously.  If you install WhatsApp Messenger on your Android TV Box and try to use your mobile number, it will delete the account and all of the chat history from your mobile device.  That was obviously no good for us as we wanted to keep our personal WhatsApp accounts on our mobile devices.  The solution was WhatsApp Business.  WhatsApp Business let’s you set up and use another account on another device at the same time as your personal WhatsApp Messenger account on your mobile device.  It’s aimed at businesses as a communication and marketing tool to reach their customers but it can also be used for personal use too.  It also lets you use a landline number linked to the account.  Regular WhatsApp Messenger won’t let you do that.  I tried it on regular WhatsApp and when I entered our landline number to set up the account, it kept saying it wasn’t a valid number.  It only accepts mobile numbers.

So we decided to install and set up WhatsApp Business.  I set up a ‘business’ account as ‘The Crowther Family’.  Here’s the steps we followed to install and set it up:

  1. Download and install WhatsApp Business from the Google Play store.
  2. Open the app when it’s finished installing.
  3. Enter your landline number when asked.
  4. It will try to send an SMS to the number with a verification code which must me entered to verify the account. 
  5. Our landline doesn’t allow SMS so we had to wait for a minute or two for the attempted verification to fail.  An option saying ‘call me’ will then become available.  Select that option.
  6. Your phone will ring and it will be an automated voice repeating the verification code you need to enter into the app.
  7. Enter the verification code in the app and voila!
  8. Fill in some of the information about your ‘business’ to complete your profile and you’re ready to go.

Why Line Lite and not the Full Version of Line?

For exactly the same reason that we used WhatsApp Business.  Line will only let you use your account on one device at a time.  Line Lite let us use my wife’s Line account on her mobile device and our Android TV box at the same time without having to delete the account from one of the devices.

Which Video Calling Apps are the Best?

We only installed the 4 apps listed above.  As I mentioned, there are many more available.  I thought I’d summarise the good and bad points about the apps we’ve tried:

  • Skype – Okay.  Mostly works fine but is quite slow on low powered devices like ours.  Sometimes crashes.
  • Skype Lite – Faster than regular Skype and fine for audio calls.  The other person couldn’t see our video feed so it’s not useful for video calls.
  • Line – You can only use it on one device at a time so if you already have it on your mobile device, you can’t use it at the same time on your Android TV box.
  • Line Lite – Pretty good.  You can use it with your account on your Android TV box at the same time as the full version of Line on your mobile device.  Video calls mostly work fine.  We have had some performance issues though with poor audio and calls cutting out.
  • WhatsApp Messenger – You can only use it on one device at a time so if you already have it on your mobile device, you can’t use it at the same time on your Android TV box.
  • WhatsApp Business – Generally very good but there are some issues with the camera during video calls.  The other person’s camera was super zoomed in which made video calls quite awkward at times.  In terms of performance though it’s been pretty good.  Lightweight, fast and easy to use with good audio, no crashing and no calls getting cut off.
  • Zoom – This was the best out of all the apps we tried.  The app is lightweight and easy to use.  It’s fast, responsive and the audio and video quality during video calls was excellent.  The camera was just right and there were very few performance issues.  So far, this is my recommendation for the most reliable video calling app. 

*Note: Regarding the Skype apps and the Tanix TX3 Max Android TV box that we are using – For some reason, when the TV box was connected to our home network via a network cable, I wasn’t able to sign in to any of the Skype apps with my username and password.  It kept failing and giving us an error message.  I though perhaps there was a problem with the apps on our particular device at first but when I disconnected the network cable and connected to the Wifi instead, I was able to sign into the apps just fine.  After the first successful sign-in, I was able to reconnect the network cable for a better internet connection and the apps continued to work just fine after that. 

Video Calling – Compatible Webcams

Now that you’ve got your Android TV box set up and a few messaging and video calling apps installed, you’re ready to make video calls to your family and friends.  You will need a webcam connected to your Android TV Box.  Your Android smartphone or tablet will almost certainly have a built in camera so most of the video calling apps we’ve listed above will just work straight out of the box on those devices.  For Android TV boxes, though, you’ll need a compatible webcam.  Webcams on Android devices don’t work in quite the same way as they do on a Windows desktop PC.  On a Windows desktop PC either Windows will automatically detect and install the appropriate drivers for the device when you plug it in or you will need to use the device drivers provided by your webcam’s manufacturer which will usually come on a disk with the device or are downloadable from the manufacturer’s website.

From what I’ve read, support for USB webcams on Android devices is a bit patchy.  Some will work and others won’t.  If you have a compatible webcam, when you plug it into your Android device, Android should automatically detect it and use the appropriate device drivers.  I did some online research on which webcams work best with Android and I found that the Logitech C920 HD Pro webcam is one of the most widely compatible.

Logitech C920

They’re a little pricier than your run of mill entry level webcams though I’m afraid.  You can find them on Ebay for anything from £50 – £80 and up.

They are very good quality webcams and are capable of 1080p HD video though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using your Android TV Box as a Media Centre

One of the things I like about Android OS is it’s versatility and the plethora of apps available on the Google Play Store.  You can use your Android TV Box for pretty much anything.  If you want to use it as a media centre / home cinema, most of the main video streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and Now TV have an app available on the Google Play Store.  Home media server apps such as Kodi and Plex are also available.  Here’s the apps that we use:

  • Netflix – Works really well and the video quality is excellent on our TV.
  • BBC iPlayer – Great for watching on-demand TV and CBeebies for our kids.
  • ITV Hub – ITV’s on-demand TV service.
  • All 4 – Channel 4’s on-demand TV service.
  • Rakuten VIKI – Fantastic service that let’s you watch drama series from Asian countries such as Japan, Korea and China.  Has a great feature where you can watch dramas with dual language (e.g. English and Japanese at the same time) subtitles.  It’s a great tool if you’re learning a language such as Japanese and want to practice by watching TV dramas.  Best of all, the service is completely free.
  • ForJoyTV – Another fantastic service that lets you watch Japanese TV outside of Japan.  It’s not free and not very cheap but is a great service and is worth the money I think.  The app is simple and easy to use and the selection of channels you can watch is huge.  It has all of the main TV channels such as NHK, Asahi TV and Nippon TV as well as the BS and CS channels.  The video quality is excellent and you don’t need a VPN to watch.  You just pay your subscription fee and it works.  We use this mainly so that my wife can watch Japanese TV and we can also show Japanese language kids programmes and cartoons to our daughters.  You can watch live TV (just be aware of the 8 hour time difference) but it also has recordings of the previous two weeks’ worth of programming so you can watch whatever you want on-demand.  I highly recommend this service for any Japanese expats living in the UK or people like myself who have spent some time in Japan and would like to be able to watch Japanese TV when they return to the UK.  I’ll cover this app in more depth in a separate article discussing the different ways you can watch Japanese TV in the UK.
  • NHK Kids – Another free app which lets you view Japanese children’s TV shows, play games and view other content for free.  It does not require a VPN to use.
  • Plex – The very popular home media server.  I’ve got a ton of content and a Plex media server running on our home NAS which I can now stream to our TV using this app.
  • Kodi – Another popular and very versatile media server / streaming app that is freely available.  There are loads of addons available for it giving you access to endless amounts of online media content.

*Note: Not all of the apps listed above were available on the Google Play Store.  I’m not sure if that’s because they are only available on the Google play store in specific regions or something else.  Some of the apps I either had to download directly from the provider’s website or from sites like https://www.apkmirror.com/ and then sideload on to our Android TV box.  You can find instructions on how to sideload apps here: https://androidcommunity.com/how-to-sideloading-apps-on-your-android-device-20180417/  In particular, the apps that we had to sideload were:

*Note: On our Tanix TX3 Max Android TV Box, the pre-installed Netflix app wouldn’t work.  It wouldn’t let us sign in with our account and kept giving us a ‘sign-in failed’ error message.  I tried uninstalling it and reinstalling the app from the Google Play Store but the Neflix app on the Play Store said ‘This app is not compatible with your device’. To resolve the problem I had to download the APK from here https://help.netflix.com/en/node/57688 and sideload it on to our device.

Using a 3rd Party Remote / Air Mouse

I highly recommend purchasing a 3rd party remote / air mouse to use with your Android TV box.  On our Tanix TX3 Max Android TV box, apart from the main interface, many of the apps we installed are not optimised for use on a TV screen with a standard remote.  Many of them are meant to be used on a touch screen device such as a smart phone where you can swipe, scroll and tap things easily.  Because of that, the stock remote that comes with the Tanix TX3 Max is pretty crap.  It works fine for navigating the menus of the main interface but for apps such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Rakuten VIKI, Skype, WhatsApp and Line etc. where you need to scroll around and click things like you would using a computer mouse, it was pretty much useless and made it impossible to easily navigate these apps.  To get a much better experience with your Android TV box, an air mouse is a must.  Luckily they’re not very expensive and can easily be purchased online.  The air remote that we bought is the Wechip W2 Air Mouse and I highly recommend it.

Wechip W2 Airmouse

I picked one up from https://uk.banggood.com for £11.68 and it arrived in about two weeks.

https://tinyurl.com/tcv87x7

It has USB receiver which plugs into the other USB port (the other is being used by the webcam) on the side of the Tanix TX3 Max Android TV Box.  The Android TV box detected and installed it without any problems.

It works great with our Android TV box.  You wave it around like a magic wand to move the mouse cursor around the screen like you would if you were using a regular USB computer mouse.  It’s very fast, smooth and accurate.  It really made using the Android TV box and installed apps a heck of a lot easier and more responsive.  It also has the benefit of a QWERTY keyboard on the back which is incredibly useful when you’re having to enter your username and password to sign into apps such as Skype or when you’re searching for content on apps such as Netflix.

Extras – Antivirus and VPN

Your Android TV box, like your smartphone or desktop PC is connected to the internet and therefore at risk from viruses and malware.  I recommend installing an antivirus app on it for protection.  There’s loads of different ones available which are free to download and install.  The one we used is Sophos Intercept X for Mobile: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sophos.smsec&hl=en_GB

Some content you may want to watch will be region locked.  For example, you won’t be able to watch Japanese Netflix which has a different selection of movies and shows to UK Netflix.  You will need a VPN to view region restricted content.  The VPN service we use is IPVanish https://www.ipvanish.com/ and the app we downloaded and installed to connect using that VPN service is OpenVPN Connect https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.openvpn.openvpn&hl=en_GB  I will write a guide on how to download, install and configure OpenVPN in a separate blog post.

So there you have it.  That’s how to use your non-smart TV for video calling and media streaming in your living room .  I hope it helps keep people entertained and in touch with their loved ones during this difficult time.

Categories: Misc | Leave a comment

Teriyaki Chicken

Posted on October 22, 2017 by davidcrowther2014

A bit of a classic this one. This was actually one of the very first Japanese dishes I tried when I visited a Japanese restaurant in the UK for the first time. Many people seem to be a little afraid of Japanese cuisine and often assume that it’s all just raw fish which tends to frighten them somewhat. I have to admit, the first time I went to a Japanese restaurant, I was a little apprehensive too and wasn’t keen on the idea of eating sushi (I absolutely love it now though). Of course, Japanese cuisine isn’t just sushi and it has a wide variety of dishes to suit all tastes. I like Teriyaki chicken because, it’s a safe and most importantly tasty option for those people who are trying Japanese food for the first time. With this simple recipe, you can enjoy delicious Teriyaki chicken in a matter of minutes.

Teriyaki Chicken

Prep Time
5mins		 Cook Time
15mins		 Total Time
20mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  • 100g chicken thighs
  • ¼ cabbage (for side dish)
  • 1Tbsp. mirim or honey
  • 1½ Tbsp. shoyu (soy sauce)
  • Chinese five spice
  • Cooking sake
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Teriyaki Chicken

  1. To make the Teriyaki sauce, mix the sugar, mirin / honey, shoyu together in small bowl with a pinch of Chinese five spice and set it to one side.
  2. Cut the chicken into even, thin, bite size pieces about 0.5cm thick. *Slice into the chicken but don’t cut all the way through the skin to the bottom. This will keep all of the slices of chicken together in one block.
  3. Heat some oil in a frying pan or wok. Put the sliced blocks of chicken thighs into the pan with the skin facing down and fry on a medium heat.
  4. Fry the chicken until it’s a crispy, golden brown on one side (don’t move the chicken around the pan too much when frying). Turn the chicken thighs over and fry the other side on a medium / low heat.
  5. Cover the pan and continue to fry the chicken for a few minutes. Check the chicken to make sure that it’s cooked all the way through.
  6. Cook the chicken for about 10mins in total and add a little cooking to the pan as you are frying.
  7. Drizzle the Teriyaki sauce you prepared earlier over the chicken in the pan. Make sure to cover all of the chicken. Rinse the bowl of sauce with a little water and add to the pan so as not to waste anything.
  8. Cook the chicken in the Teriyaki sauce for a while, stirring well until the sauce starts to thicken then turn off the heat.
  9. Serve with a small bowl of rice, a side dish and enjoy!

Side Dish: Fried Cabbage

  1. Thinly slice the cabbage.
  2. Heat some oil in a frying or wok and fry the cabbage.
  3. Add a little salt and pepper to the pan.
  4. Add a little water to the pan and keep frying the cabbage until the water evaporates (this helps to cook the cabbage more quickly)
  5. Fry the cabbage until soft and then serve alongside your main dish.

Source: This recipe is courtesy of Mayu Hosoda

Categories: Japanese Cookery | Leave a comment

Gōya Chanpurū

Posted on August 17, 2017 by davidcrowther2014

We’re going to cook something a little different this time with this Okinawan dish.  It’s a stir fry of karela (bitter gourd / bitter melon), tofu, egg and sliced pork.  Like all the other recipes on this blog, it’s quick, easy and requires only a few ingredients.  Most importantly, it’s very tasty.

Goya Chanpuru

Prep Time
5mins		 Cook Time
5-10mins		 Total Time
15mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  • ½ Gōya (bitter gourd / bitter melon / karela)
  • 150g block of tofu
  • 100g sliced pork
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • ½ tablespoon of oyster sauce
  • ½ tablespoon of usukuchi shōyu (light soy sauce)
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions:

  1. Cut the gōya in half down the middle and scrape out all the white, bitter insides with a spoon.
  2. Thinly slice the gōya and put it in a mixing bowl.  Add a generous sprinkling of salt and then gently squeeze the gōya to rub in the salt.
  3. Add cold water to the mixing bowl to cover the gōya and then rinse to get rid of the excess salt.
  4. Heat the block of tofu in a microwave oven for 2 minutes.
  5. Once heated, gently press down on the tofu to squeeze out any excess water and break it up into 4 or 5 large pieces.
  6. Heat a little oil in a wok with a clove of garlic until the oil starts to smell of the garlic.
  7. Fry the sliced pork in the wok on a high heat with a little salt and pepper.
  8. Add the gōya and fry it until it gets soft and turns a light green colour.
  9. Add the tofu to the wok and stir it in whilst breaking it up into smaller pieces.
  10. Add the oyster sauce and shōyu and mix it in well with the other ingredients.
  11. Add the eggs and mix them in to cover all the ingredients.
  12. Mix everything together and scramble the eggs.
  13. Turn off the heat and serve with a side dish of steamed white rice and miso soup.
  14. Enjoy!

Source: This recipe is courtesy of Mayu Hosoda Crowther

Categories: Japanese Cookery | Leave a comment

Yakisoba

Posted on June 30, 2017 by davidcrowther2014

A popular Japanese fried noodle dish. It’s found all over the place and is enjoyed at restaurants, home and Japanese festival. It’s a particularly popular Japanese festival food found at festival food stalls all over the country. It’s quick, easy to make and you only need a few simple ingredients to make it. Most importantly, it’s delicious. It may not be the healthiest of Japanese foods but for hungry festival goers on those hot summer nights, it really hits the spot.

Yakisoba

Prep Time
5mins		 Cook Time
5mins		 Total Time
10mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  • ½ carrot, peeled and finely sliced (carrots take longer to cook so slice very thinly).
  • ½ onion, peeled thinly sliced.
  • 1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  • 1 pack of sliced meat (beef or pork).
  • 1 pack of thick Yakisoba noodles with Yakisoba sauce (serves 2).
  • Salt.
  • Pepper.
  • Cooking oil.

Yakisoba

Instructions:

  1. Heat some oil on a medium heat in a pan.
  2. Add the egg and stir with a spatula until it starts to solidify (like making scrambled eggs), remove the egg from the pan before it fully sets and set it to one side.
  3. Heat some oil in the pan again and add the sliced carrot and onion.
  4. Fry the carrot and onion on a medium heat until cooked through, taking care not to burn them. Add a little water to the pan if necessary to keep the vegetables from burning.
  5. Add the meat to the pan and fry until it’s completely cooked through. Add a little water to the pan if necessary to keep everything from burning.
  6. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to the pan and mix it in with the vegetables and meat.
  7. When the liquid has evaporated from the pan, add the Yakisoba noodles. Break the noodles up to make sure they don’t get stuck together while cooking. Stir everything together well.
  8. Add the scrambled egg you set aside earlier to the pan and mix it in well with the other ingredients.
  9. Finally add the sachets of Yakisoba sauce to the pan and mix everything together well. While adding the sauce and mixing it all together, it might take a little time so turn off the heat temporarily to prevent the ingredients from burning.
  10. Stir well and heat until everything is thoroughly cooked.
  11. Serve and enjoy!

Source: This recipe is courtesy of Mayu Hosoda Crowther

Categories: Japanese Cookery | Leave a comment

Nagoro Doll Village

Posted on June 21, 2017 by davidcrowther2014

Japan is a modern, developed economy and like many of the other ageing, advanced economies in the world, it is facing a number of economic and demographic problems.  One in particular which is causing concern for the Japanese government is a falling birth rate coupled with an ageing population.  This is happening in other countries too such as my own country, the UK but it seems to be particularly acute in Japan.  As well as concerns over how to fund the retirement of an ageing population with a dwindling tax base, another result of this situation is the rapidly declining population in rural areas.  Many of the young people that do live in rural areas are ditching the countryside and moving to the cities in search of better economic opportunities.

I live in Kochi prefecture, Shikoku.  It’s one of Japan’s poorer prefectures and is suffering from this problem.  Other areas of Shikoku are struggling with declining populations too.  This is particularly true of small rural communities located in isolated mountainous areas.

One village in particular which I think illustrates Japan’s declining population problem very clearly is the small village of Nagoro.  It is Japan’s declining rural population problem writ large.

Nagoro is located near the Iya Valley in Tokushima Prefecture.  It is one of Japan’s most isolated areas pretty much smack bang in the middle of this region of Shikoku.  Nearby is Mount Tsurugi, a somewhat popular tourist destination and hiking spot.

20170504_140901

The area itself is beautiful and has an interesting history.  It has a connection to a clan of Samurai called the Heike.  The Heike have a famous history in Japan due to a conflict with the Genji clan called the Genpei war.  The Heike lost that war and are said to have taken refuge in the mountainous areas of Shikoku.  It’s not surprising that they chose it as their hiding place, considering how isolated it is.  In the area there are some vine bridges (Kazurabashi) said to have been built by the Heike and a number of historical sites which are related to the clan and their descendants.

Genpei_kassen

20170503_14404920170503_14400520170503_14421620170503_145636

Nagoro village has become somewhat famous in recent years due to an interesting feature of the village.  The village is often referred to as ‘The Village of Dolls’.  It’s so called because of it’s large number, of non-human inhabitants.

Nagoro itself is almost entirely devoid of human residents.  As the villagers aged, passed away or moved to other areas of Japan, the village’s population declined sharply.  The few residents that now remain are mostly elderly.  To make up for the loss of friends and neighbours in the village, one of those remaining, an elderly lady by the name of Ayano Tsukimi, took it upon herself to repopulate with the village with handmade, life-size dolls that she made herself.

20170503_140726

If you take a walk through Nagoro you will see them everywhere you look.  Sometimes, it’s hard to tell which ones are dolls and which ones are real people when looking from a distance. 

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The town is like a ghost town.  Most of the houses are empty and the streets are lined with boarded up businesses, izakayas (Japanese style pubs) and other buildings, devoid of customers and long since closed down.  And it’s so quiet too.  Eerily quiet.  Barely a sound, except for the occasional animal or passing car.  There are almost no signs of human life.

As we were walking around the village I couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness but at the same time curiosity.  It saddens me to think that small villages like this are slowly dying out and disappearing from the countryside.  That a once bustling village full of the sounds of life such as neighbours chatting or children playing will slowly cease to be.

However, I find places like this fascinating.  It’s like walking through somewhere that has been frozen in time.  Everything is exactly as it was 20, 30, 40 or 50 years ago.  Everything down to the local post office or elementary school, standing silently, a testament to days gone by.  I couldn’t help but wonder what the place must have been like back in its heyday when the village’s population was at its peak.

For many people, a place like Nagoro will seem creepy and that’s true.  I certainly wouldn’t want to go strolling around the village after dark.  Not unless I want to have nightmares for the rest of my life that is.  But despite its creepiness and surreal atmosphere, Nagoro is an interesting place.  If you want to take a step into the past, or just see what the end of the world might look like, then perhaps it might be worthwhile paying Nagoro a visit.

Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A railway trip along the coast (and quite a lot of drinking)

Posted on June 20, 2017 by davidcrowther2014

Japan is great country.  They do many things well.  For example, amazing technology, superb food, rich culture and wonderful hospitality.  But perhaps one thing the Japanese know how to do really, really well, perhaps better than anyone else is trains.  They just know how to do them.  The railways in Japan are fantastic.  Trains are clean, comfortable, mostly affordable and so reliable that you can literally set your watch by them.  I mean literally to the second punctual.  They are that good.

Travelling by train in my opinion is one of the best ways to see the country.  I really enjoy it.  Japan has many unique trains (some very pricey indeed) and beautiful rural railways.  You can just sit back and enjoy the scenery.

Back in March, we took a short day trip on one such train.  We spent the day travelling along the coast on the Gomen-Nahari line.  It’s a line that runs to the east in Kochi prefecture.

However, this was no ordinary train.  It was a special party train sponsored by Suntory, a Japanese manufacturer of alcoholic drinks (Think ‘Lost in Translation’ starring Bill Murray “It’s Suntory time!”).  The event was to promote some of their products but it was mainly a chance to get very drunk on a train with some Japanese strangers whilst enjoying the beautiful coastal scenery.

Suntory Cocktail Bar 2017

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We started off by boarding the train at Gomen station in nearby Nankoku city, a short drive from Kochi city.  On entering the train we were greeted with rows of tables and chairs set up for the guests complete with a cocktail bar at one end of the train.  The cocktail bar even had a waiter that looked like he was right out of a James Bond movie.  Shaken and not stirred indeed!

So off we set on our jolly along the coast.  We had a great old time, getting very drunk and stopping at a few stations along the way to stretch our legs and enjoy the fresh seaside air.

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We stopped off at Aki city station for a brief time, long enough to have a browse around the station shop and pick up a few souvenirs.

Eventually we headed off for our final destination of the day, Nahari town.  Nahari is located in the east of Kochi prefecture, about 1 hour by train from the prefectural capital Kochi city.

On arrival, we were split up into groups and introduced to our tour guides.  Ours was a friendly old man whose name now eludes me.  He took us on a short walking tour around the back streets of Nahari where we stopped off at a few old stores and private houses.  There’s not a great deal in the town itself but some of the old buildings and architecture is very beautiful.  It’s like taking a step into the past.  During the walking tour we were even treated to a traditional folk song by our guide.  I have absolutely no idea what he was singing about, but I appreciated the effort anyway.

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Eventually, we were taken to a large garden at the back of an old private house where there were tables, chairs and a marquee set up for guests.  The organisers had laid on a gorgeous buffet style lunch for us with a tasty selection of local produce.  And of course, more drinks.  The event was after all sponsored by Suntory.

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After filling our bellies and drinking yet more alcohol we decided to take a little walk for ourselves and explore the town a little more.  We enjoyed strolling along the quiet streets and looking at the historical buildings.

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When we eventually headed back to the party, we were treated to… yep you guessed it, more drinks, a little karaoke and the chance to eat freshly grilled Katsuo no Tataki, Kochi’s signature dish.  We were even allowed to grill the fish ourselves over an open flame.

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As the sun began to set, we made our way back to the train station ready to head home.  It had been a lovely day trip and it was great fun getting sloshed on a train full of like minded people.  We even got a bag of goodies to take home as a thank you from the organisers.  The goodies in questions were yet more drinks, not that I’m complaining.

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This is really how trains should be done.  I wish they had trains with cocktail bars in the UK.  UK trains companies take note.  This is how you do trains.

Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Curry Rice

Posted on January 30, 2017 by davidcrowther2014

Japanese kids love it.  Japanese adults love.  And I love it.  I could literally eat this stuff by the bucket load.  It’s so delicious.  The ever popular curry rice is a favourite of many people in Japan.  It’s actually a Japanese take on British curry which in turn is an adaptation of Indian curry suited to British tastes.  Anyway, it’s mega easy to prepare, uses only a few simple ingredients and most importantly, tastes great.  If you’re in a rush and not in the mood for spending a long time cooking then this dish is just the ticket! 

Curry Rice

Prep Time
10-15mins		 Cook Time
20-30mins		 Total Time
approx. 45mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  • Japanese style rice (pre-cooked in a rice cooker – takes approx. 30mins).
  • ½ onion – cut into 1cm thick bite size slices.
  • ½ carrot – cut into thin, bite size pieces.
  • 1 small potato – peeled and cut into thin, bite size pieces.
  • 80g beef – cut into 2cm cubes. *You can usually buy it in the supermarket pre-prepared.  It’s called 牛角切り and is often marked as being specifically for making curry カレー用
  • ½ pack of curry roux (1 box is about 90g) of your preferred flavour.  Sweet? （甘口） Spicy?  （辛口） It’s up to you!
  • 350ml cold water.
  • Cooking oil.

Curry Roux

Instructions:

  1. Heat some oil in a deep saucepan.
  2. Add the onion, carrot and potato.  Carefully fry them for a few minutes on a medium heat. *Add the carrot and potato to the pan before the onion.  The thicker, harder vegetables take longer to cook.
  3. Add the meat and fry it until it’s brown.
  4. Add the water to the pan.
  5. When the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to a low/medium heat.
  6. With a spoon, remove the scum (the nasty looking brownish bits) that is floating on the surface of the water.
  7. On a low heat, stew everything for about 20 minutes.
  8. Temporarily turn off the heat.
  9. Break the roux into small pieces (like breaking a bar of chocolate) and add it to the pan.
  10. Stir well until the roux has completely dissolved and you have a nice, rich, brown curry sauce.
  11. Turn the heat back on, this time on a low heat and whilst occasionally stirring, stew everything for approximately another 5 minutes until the curry sauce becomes thicker.  The curry is now ready.
  12. The rice in the rice cooker should be ready by now.  Serve the rice along with the curry.
  13. Enjoy!

Source: This recipe is courtesy of Mayu Hosoda

Categories: Japanese Cookery | Leave a comment

Ame ni mo makezu (be not defeated by the rain): A poem by Miyazawa Kenji

Posted on January 27, 2017 by davidcrowther2014

Miyazawa KenjiThis evening, my wife, mother-in-law and I took a trip to the local prefectural culture hall to see a cello concert.  We had been gifted the tickets by a colleague of the family so it was a nice opportunity to enjoy some culture.  The concert itself was great and the cellist was superb but this post does not concern his performance.  During his performance, the cellist gave a reading of poem (in Japanese of course) by a well known Japanese poet by the name of Miyazawa Kenji https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenji_Miyazawa.

Now, I’m ashamed to say that I know very little about literature or poetry.  I know almost nothing about classic English literature or poetry and even less about Japanese literature.  However, every once in a while, I’m introduced to something that really resonates and sticks in my mind.  This is one of those times.

The Japanese have a real knack for appreciating and expressing beauty in the simplest and most humble of things.  They have a strong appreciation for simple beauty that sadly, I feel many just don’t see.  I really admire their culture for that. 

The poem that the cellist performed is called ‘Ame ni mo makezu’ which means ‘be not defeated by the rain’ and it’s really quite moving in it’s simple beauty and message.  I like it a lot.  I would like to share that poem with you below so please enjoy.  The English translation is taken from the Wikipedia page about the poem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ame_ni_mo_Makezu.

雨にもまけず
風にもまけず
雪にも夏の暑さにもまけぬ
丈夫なからだをもち
慾はなく
決して瞋らず
いつもしずかにわらっている
一日に玄米四合と
味噌と少しの野菜をたべ
あらゆることを
じぶんをかんじょうにいれずに
よくみききしわかり
そしてわすれず
野原の松の林の蔭の
小さな萱ぶきの小屋にいて
東に病気のこどもあれば
行って看病してやり
西につかれた母あれば
行ってその稲の束を負い
南に死にそうな人あれば
行ってこわがらなくてもいいといい
北にけんかやそしょうがあれば
つまらないからやめろといい
ひでりのときはなみだをながし
さむさのなつはおろおろあるき
みんなにでくのぼうとよばれ
ほめられもせず
くにもされず
そういうものに
わたしはなりたい

not losing to the rain
not losing to the wind
not losing to the snow nor to summer’s heat
with a strong body
not fettered by desire
by no means offending anyone
always quietly smiling
every day four bowls of brown rice
miso and some vegetables to eat
in everything
count yourself last and put others before you
watching and listening, and understanding
and never forgetting
in the shade of the woods of the pines of the fields
being in a little thatched hut
if there is a sick child to the east
going and nursing over them
if there is a tired mother to the west
going and shouldering her sheaf of rice
if there is someone near death to the south
going and saying there’s no need to be afraid
if there is a quarrel or a lawsuit to the north
telling them to leave off with such waste
when there’s drought, shedding tears of sympathy
when the summer’s cold, wandering upset
called a nobody by everyone
without being praised
without being blamed
such a person
I want to become

What a thing of simple beauty.  It’s easy to understand, even in Japanese.  I hope you appreciate it as much as I do.

Here is a reading of the poem by the Japanese actor Watanabe Ken:

Categories: Japanese Culture | Leave a comment

Gardens, Onsens, Oni and a little bit of rock n’ roll

Posted on January 17, 2017 by davidcrowther2014

Last weekend we took a trip to Takamatsu in Kagawa prefecture.  Kagawa prefecture is located on Shikoku island and is the smallest prefecture in Japan.

Our main reason for visiting Takamatsu wasn’t sightseeing.  We were there for another reason but I’ll come to that in a little while.  But since we were in the area we took the opportunity to see some sights too.  This time of year is very cold and it was forecast to snow so rather than risk driving on the highway in icy conditions, we took the train instead.  It took about 2 hours to reach Takamatsu from Kochi by train.  When we arrived, the weather was cold but clear.

Our plan was to visit the islands of Ogijima and Megijima on our first day.  The islands are located just offshore from Takamatsu but unfortunately, due to strong winds, the ferries weren’t running so we had to change our plans.

Our first stop was Takamatsu ‘castle’ which is a short walk from the port.  I say ‘castle’ because there isn’t actually much of the original castle left.  It’s mostly just ruins with a few buildings, watchtowers and gardens remaining.  There’s nothing that will really blow you away but for only 200 yen, I think it’s worth taking a look around.

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After a brief stroll around the castle, we hopped onto the nearby tram and headed to our next destination, Ritsurin garden.

There isn’t a lot to see in Takamatsu but Ritsurin is one of the main attractions.  Japan is known for it’s traditional gardens and Ritsurin is one of Japan’s most famous historical gardens.  It is often considered to be worthy of a spot in Japan’s top 3 most beautiful gardens and it’s easy to see why.  It’s gorgeous.  The admission price is a mere 410 yen and it’s well worth the money for a stroll around this beautiful garden.  The garden itself is quite expansive.  It would be easy to spend a couple of hours there but we opted for taking a 60 minute walking course to see the main sights.  We were viewing the garden in the middle of winter, so nothing was in bloom.  I imagine that the garden must look stunning in the spring, but even in winter, the garden has a unique beauty and feeling of tranquillity.

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After our brief walk around the garden we stopped for lunch at a nearby udon restaurant.  Kagawa prefecture is famous for udon.  It’s signature dish is called Sanuki udon (Sanuki is the old name for Kawaga prefecture).

After lunch, we headed off for one of my favourite Japanese pastimes… onsen.

Taking a nice hot bath, especially on a cold winter’s day feels great.  And it was especially cold on that day.  It was so bloody cold that while I was soaking in the outdoor bath it started to snow.  It was a brief moment of beauty but it was so cold that I didn’t want to stay outside for too long.

We rounded off our day with the main reason for our visit to Takamatsu… to see a rock concert.  I was bought some tickets to see the Japanese punk rock band ‘Mongol 800’ as a birthday present.  The venue was a short walk from our hotel and there were already people queuing up to see the band when we arrived.  Clearly the band is quite popular.  Once inside the venue, it was packed to the rafters and there was a palpable sense of excitement among the crowd.  I’m a sucker for catchy pop punk and the band did not disappoint.  They really rocked the place and the crowd was singing along to every song.  The band members exuded an easy charm without any hint of pretention.  It was clear they were having just as much fun as the audience.  The sound in the venue was also spot on.  Everything nice and crisp and crystal clear.  I can’t tell you what a difference it makes to the enjoyment of a gig.   It was a really fun way to round off the day.

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The following day we tried our luck again at visiting the islands of Ogijima and Megijima.  Were were in luck.  The conditions were much better and the ferries were running as normal.

Our first stop was Ogijima which took about 30 minutes by ferry.  The island is tiny.  It has a population of only around 200 people and its primary industries are farming and fishing.  There’s very little on the island to see but it does have some lovely nature walks and nice views.  In particular, it’s known for its lighthouse which is about a 30 minute walk from the port.

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We took a short walk to the lighthouse and back before taking lunch at a local restaurant.  You really can’t beat the food at these local family run places.  It’s delicious and extremely fresh.  You’ll often be eating fish that has been caught the same morning.

We had just enough time for lunch before hopping back on the ferry to our next destination… Megijima.

Ogijima and Megijima are sister islands, Megijima being the bigger of the two.  Megijima is also known by another name, ‘Onigashima’.  The island is famous for it’s connection to a famous Japanese folk tale ‘Momotaro’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momotar%C5%8D

Momotaro is the story of a boy that came from a peach and was raised by a kind old couple.  When he got older, he left to fight Oni demons (a mythical ogre that features heavily in Japanese folklore) on the island of Onigashima with his friends dog, monkey and bird.

Due to its connection to the story, the main attraction on the island is related to Momotaro.  It’s a small network of caves at the top of a mountain that legend has it, was the Oni’s lair.  There are a few other things to see on the island but the caves are the main attraction.

There is a bus service that runs from the port to the caves or the other option is to hire rental cycles.  We opted for the latter.  It was a nice day and we thought we would explore the island at our own pace.  Thankfully, the rental bicycles were the electrically assisted kind to give you a helping hand on those uphill climbs.  It was a big relief because the ride up the mountain is quite long and steep.  I’m not especially fit and would not have made it to the top of the mountain unassisted.  After a little huffing and puffing we arrived at the caves.

Admission to the caves costs 500 yen per person.  They’re not much more than a small collection of interconnected chambers with some plastic Oni statues and a few other things related to the Momotaro story.  It’s not the most thrilling tourist spot you will ever visit but if you’re interested in Japanese folklore you might enjoy it.

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As we were exiting the caves, we realised that the weather had drastically changed and it was snowing outside.  It was like some sort of ominous omen, as if we were leaving the demon’s cave and entering some mysterious spirit realm.

It didn’t last long though and the snow disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.  And just in the nick of time too.  The sun came out and we were able go up to the viewing platform on top of the mountain for some fantastic views of the island and inland sea.

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We hopped on our bicycles and headed back down the mountain to the port.  Going down was much easier than going up and we leisurely coasted all the way down.

We took one last ride along the beach front for a few more pictures before heading back to the port to take the ferry back to the mainland where we would board our train back to Kochi.

All in all, a short but very satisfying trip featuring  gardens, onsen, oni and a little bit of rock n’ roll.

Categories: Japan Travel, Shikoku Tourism | 1 Comment

Mabo Dōfu

Posted on January 8, 2017 by davidcrowther2014

A nice little dish that originated in China.  It’s been adapted to suit Japanese tastes and is widely enjoyed in the country.  It’s cheap, quick and simple to make.  Most importantly, it’s delicious!

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Prep Time
5 – 10mins		 Cook Time
5 – 10mins		 Total Time
20mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  • 150g mince meat
  • 1 block of tofu
  • 100ml hot water + 1 tsp chicken soup （トリガラスープ） granules (check the back of the packet for exact measurements)
  • 1 Tbsp miso
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2/3 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp sake
  • Corn starch （かたくりこ）
  • 1½ tsp doubanjian (Chinese broad bean chili paste) （トーバンジャン）
  • 1 small piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 small piece of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • Sesame oil ゴマ油

Chicken soup granulesDoubanjiang (Chinese broad bean chili paste)

Instructions:

  1. Put the miso, soy sauce, sugar and sake in a small bowl. Mix well to make a slightly thick paste (for seasoning) and set aside.
  2. Dissolve the chicken soup granules in the hot water and set aside.
  3. Put the ginger and garlic in a pan with some oil and fry on a low heat until they start to smell good.
  4. Mix the doubanjiang in the pan with the ginger and garlic and fry until it smells good (the ginger, garlic and doubanjiang will burn easily so be careful and fry them on a low heat)
  5. Add the seasoning paste (miso, soy sauce, sugar and sake) to the pan (after you’ve added the seasoning paste to the pan, use a little water to rinse the small bowl and add and leftover paste to the pan. Waste not!)
  6. Put the whole block of tofu in the pan. Use a spatula to break it up into roughly 2-3cm pieces. There’s no need to be too precise.
  7. Add the chicken soup to the pan and mix well. Bring everything to the boil.
  8. Put approx. ½ Tbsp of corn starch in a small bowl with a splash of water and mix well. The corn starch mixture will be used as a thickening agent (don’t forget to keep stirring the other ingredients in the pan)
  9. When everything in the pan is boiling, add the corn starch mixture, mix it in with the other ingredients and keep on stirring everything.
  10. Bring everything to the boil again, add a drizzle of sesame oil to the pan and mix well.
  11. Turn off the heat and serve.
  12. Serve the mabo dōfu with some sticky rice and a side dish of your choosing (e.g. salad)
  13. Enjoy.

Source: This recipe is courtesy of Mayu Hosoda

Categories: Japanese Cookery | Leave a comment

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