DEdicated to Masahiro Kamiya, my dearest friend from Japan!

One can find many ways of experiencing a new country. To me, intimate sensing is crucial to the experience. Through smells I found a way to deepen the experiences of my travels and perpetuate them in my mind.

Smells played a more important part of my experience in Japan than in other countries I have already visited due to the fact that Japanese people are very reserved and formal when compared to other civilizations.  

Just as a curiosity: The average interpersonal distance (personal space) in Japan is 360 cm, while in Europe is 240 and in Spanish speaking countries like Cuba is 120cm.

Being a well behaved tourist, I used my self-control and I took my distance. I touched less than I am used to and I stared less than I am used to. But proper etiquette diminishes quite considerably the experience when you reduce tactile understanding of things. 
Although smells are invisible and they come and go in the most ephemeral way, they make a substantial contribution for our understanding of the world around us. If you are really aware of its representations, you can also translate them into the cultural background of its surroundings.

So, using the sense of smell played a significant part of my visit to the country of the rising sun.

STEAMED COOKED RICE - 

Rice is the most important crop of Japan and it has been cultivated for more than 2000 years. Japanese white rice is no...