I love Japanese style breakfasts.  There is nothing like it after a night of international relationship building and bottomless sake glasses than a tidy and tasty breakfast of fish and sticky rice.  While Grace Anne-san and Jane-san take a break from fish and nibble civilly on croissants, coffee and fruit, Dave-san and I chow down on groovy looking little pickle things, bowls of miso and tofu soup and a nice oily pieces of cold salmon. 

This morning there was also fresh bamboo shoots that we’ve seen in the markets, looking like the tusks from some beast.  They also make great props for a photo, but lucky for me we’re having some trouble downloading images to this site.

Back to breakfast; the bamboo shoots are cooked, sliced and lightly marinated in something delicious.  Other little dishes are filled with assorted pickled vegetables and plums, a wonderful seaweed dish with slivered carrots, beans and mushrooms.  Under the package of chopsticks is an envelope with three pieces of paper-like nori seaweed inside.  I’m still at a loss what they are officially for, but I throw mine into the miso soup or rice.

Also on the tray with the salmon is a rectangle of egg, like the kind you get at the sushi bars at home, but this is bigger, a little sweeter, and makes me happy to eat.  Washed down with green tea, I am ready to go make and see art for the day!