Searching for Umeboshi - Chinriu Honten's Pickled Plum (Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture)

Umeboshis are pickled and dried Ume fruits, usually referred to as green plums, and very popular in Japan. Some are aged in salt-filled barrels for 1 to 3 years before consumption. More like apricots than plums, Umes are Japan's sourest fruits so one needs to get used to it to appreciate it. In the olden times, samurais used ume as energy boosters. 

Meanwhile, umeboshis are usually served as side dishes for rice (for added flavor) and rice balls (onigiri). They are extremely sour and salty that when I was offered a platter of Umes, I couldn't stop distorting my face when Umeboshi touched my tongue. I didn't mean to offend. I just wasn't ready for the acidic taste in it.

But I am getting ahead of myself, am I not?

First, I had to look for Chinriu Honten, a specialty shop selling Umes and Umeboshis in Odawara. The shop specializes in three product varieties with Ume, red Shiso or Sakura cherry blossoms as main ingredients. 

It was established in 1871 by the last chief cook of Odawara Castle - Monya Komine. Today, the company is managed by Takako Komine, a fifth generation Komine who married Nicolas Soergel, a French-German national whos helping out to manage and market the specialty shop, taking the business to a contemporary clientele. 

Finding it wasn't as easy. I sought the help of Odawara Tourist Information Center at the train station for the direction. Even with that, 'her English translation was limited. The old lady from the center eventually wrote the shop's name in Japanese characters, making the search a lot faster. Still, this took awhile. 

From the eastern exit of the station, facing the main street towards Sagami Bay, I took the stairs to the right, and down to ground level (not the underground shopping mall). I crossed the street and asked further. A beautiful black lady saw the struggle I had and offered to help translate my predicament. Chinriu Honten was just 3 shops from where I was asking. "You mean, you came all the way from Tokyo to find ume?" Her eyes lit up with a smile. 

There were no English signs outside. There should be if it wants to entertain foreign customers. I stuck my head inside and asked if this indeed was Chinriu Honten. I looked around first, then I was offered a platter containing different types of Ume preparations (green plums) prepared differently. 

Acquired Taste

Umeboshi was extremely sour and salty. I could savor a fruity flavor though mostly, it's hard to describe. It is an acquired taste. I had to beg off from buying a whole set. I realized it was what I came for, but hey, I've tasted a piece. I was happy with it. Most 150 gram Umeboshi costs 1,500 yen. My sweetened Ume (dried with honey) cost only about 700 yen. It looked like one of those dried mangoes from Davao (see photo). 

I was grateful that despite my inquisitiveness, the staff were accommodating and hospitable. I felt honored to be in the presence of a 147 year old establishment with a lot of history to their trade.

After visiting a castle and a Japanese beach, tasting the Ume completed my Odawara experience. The visit was spur of the moment. Sometimes, the best adventures are those not overly planned because you're bound to get pleasant surprises. 

This was a sour and salty surprise. 

My ume was honey-dried. This isn't the popular umeboshi but a variety of the delicacy. Not sure how it is exactly called.

They remind me of those dried mangoes from Davao.

If you pass by this shop, could you tell it's an Ume shop?

Chinriu Honten is in this building, just across the train station.

Pickled, salted Ume fruits are wrinkly and very salty/sour. This photo from www.japan-talk.com.

Ume fruits are more like apricots than plums. This photo from www.japan-talk.com.

Discovering Miyukinohama Beach in Odawara City (Kanagawa Prefecture)

Miyukinohama Beach. Tongue twisting name. Situated along the coastline of Sagami Bay in the slumbering city of Odawara (Kanagawa prefecture), the not-so-popular city is 35 minutes by shinkansen and roughly an hour by car from Tokyo. It's a 79.7 kilometer ride that's easy to do when you have the extra time to spare. My Lonely Planet didn't have anything about Odawara. But the castle is worth the short trip from the capital, and deserves a page in my Lonely Planet.

Emperor Meiji. This photo from Wikipedia.

Its name was derived in reference to Emperor Meiji who, in 1873, visited the then-fishing village along with his wife. He saw fishermen hauling a lot of fish off their nets and called the place, "beach of bounty". 

These days though, there's not a trace of royalty in its surroundings. With a pebbly earth and grayish sand badly needing green space, this beach has nothing much to offer but the view of the sea. Not even a cabana, a bench or a waiting shed. I didn't even see any shop nearby. People fish here sometimes. An elevated highway runs parallel beside it. Under the rampway, you'll find some interesting street art with very few people to appreciate them.

The beach is 470 meters from Odawara Castle; an easy 15-minute walk through a residential zone. The way to the beachfront is under the elevated highway. I saw some guys throwing frisbee. Others were just staring out into the sea. If there was a vibe somewhere, I totally missed it. Too bad, because with a little sprucing up - maybe plant some ornamental palm, a little landscaping and gardening, this could turn out into a popular attraction. 

For now though, there's nothing much to do but take a stroll, throw the hook of your fishing rod, fly a kite. Or just gather your thoughts. 

That's what I did.  

In the mind of some artists, Miyukinohama Beach has lush gardens with green shrubs and pink trees.