Rebirth of India: Superior

After buying the plane, Shakru wanted to go back to New Delhi directly, but he was stopped by the resentful Nanako Matsushima, who hugged him and said coquettishly: "Boss, you haven't come to Japan since the plague broke out in India. This time you finally came, but you are in such a hurry to leave. Don't you want me and Sister Iijima anymore?⊥"

Shakru knew he was in the wrong, so he kissed Nanako and said: "How can I? I've been too busy recently. Okay, I'll accompany you two this time. Tell me, where do you want to go?"

Nanako Matsushima thought for a while and said: "How about this, let's go eat sushi today, and then go to Mount Fuji to take a bath tomorrow, okay?" (The Japanese call bathing in hot springs)

For such a small request, Shakru naturally couldn't refuse. Since the sushi restaurant that Nanako Matsushima planned to take Shakru to this time was in the basement of Ginza, it was more convenient to take the subway directly than to drive. The subway line that Nanako Matsushima and Shakru built is called the Yamanote Line, which basically goes around the most prosperous places in Tokyo.

In fact, there is no Ginza station in the Yamanote Line, but Yurakucho Station. Ginza is at the southeast exit of the station, but Shakru didn't even see the Ginza commercial street clearly. As soon as he got out of the station, he entered the basement of a building, and then saw a very small shop, all built with original wood, and a big "fish" was written on a white cloth curtain.

It is said that this sushi restaurant is one of the only two Michelin three-star sushi restaurants in Japan (you must know that there are only 68 Michelin three-star restaurants in the world), called "Sukiyabashi Jiro", as for why it is called this name, no one knows. This restaurant has no menu, no toilet, and only ten seats, but it is known to have the best sushi service in the world. The owner and chef is called Ono Jiro, who is over 80 years old. He is the oldest Michelin-rated chef in the world and is known as the "God of Sushi". (It is said that Jinzo has entertained guests here)

The sushi restaurant he runs has a history of more than 50 years. The store has always been so small, but if you want to eat, you must make a reservation half a month to a month in advance, and the dining time for each meal is only 15 minutes. Customers are not allowed to order dishes. You eat whatever the chef cooks for you. The average consumption per person starts from 30,000 yen.

However, this sushi restaurant is not just for the name. The ingredients it uses are the best in Tokyo, including fish, shrimp, rice, vinegar and other materials. The most challenging part is said to be massaging these fish and shrimp, which usually takes several hours, and the temperature of all ingredients must be consistent with human body temperature.

In fact, in Shakru's view, this sushi is nothing more than a rice ball, and then wrapped with various fish, octopus and other things. Although the taste is not bad, it is far from the level that can make him spend so much money to be slaughtered. But this should be the difference in the cultural traditions of the two nations. Looking at the respectful appearance of Matsushima Nanako and Iijima Ai in front of him since they entered the house, Shakru really doesn't understand it.

And until he left, Shakru didn't see the legendary Jiro Ono. After asking Nanako Matsushima, he learned that the old man had a heart disease a few years ago and rarely cooked in person. Moreover, the old man had a strange temper. He didn't like to receive foreigners, whether they were black or white. So even if he was not sick, he probably wouldn't show up now. Now his eldest son has taken over his position and his cooking skills are also very exquisite.

Although Shakru has been to Japan many times, he has never been to Mount Fuji. In fact, going to Japan to see Mount Fuji is the same as foreigners going to Beijing to see the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. Mount Fuji is the highest peak in Japan and the "holy mountain" of the Japanese nation. It is about 3,700 meters high and one of the largest active volcanoes in the world. It is located in Shizuoka Prefecture, about 80 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. Not far to the south is Suruga Bay on the Izu Peninsula. This place is listed as Fuji Hakone Izu National Park by the Japanese government.

Today's itinerary for Shakru and his friends is to drive to see Shanhu first, have lunch there, and then go to the fifth station (the fifth station means halfway up the mountain. Because it is winter and the mountain is closed due to heavy snow, you can't reach the top of the mountain), then go to Fuji-Q (actually an amusement park), and finally go back to Shanhu to soak in the hot springs at night.

Shanhu is actually one of the many lakes in the northwest of Mount Fuji. There is nothing fun here. It is said that you can see the Oshino Hakkai in summer. It sounds quite intimidating, right? In fact, the eight seas are a series of small ponds, which are all melted snow water from Mount Fuji, and the water flow is relatively clear. And Oshino is the name of a local village. The buildings in this village are all in the style of ancient Japan. There are no modern facilities in the village. The ancient customs are still maintained. They are scattered among these small ponds, with green trees, grass, and flowers. The scenery is still beautiful.

But now it is winter, there are neither green trees nor flowers, there is only a large expanse of white snow. When Shakru and his companions got off the highway and drove through Lake Kawaguchi to Yamako, they passed by this famous Japanese scenic spot. Matsushima Nanako also asked Shakru if he wanted to go in and take a look. In the end, Shakru just glanced at the small village from a distance in the car and considered it as having seen it, mainly because there was really nothing to see in this season.

The snow on Mount Fuji is really heavy. It is probably because it is too close to the coast. The sea breeze brings a lot of snowfall. As soon as we get off the highway, there is snow on both sides of the road. The thick snow can cover the parked cars. Although the snow is heavy, the temperature is not particularly low. There is no sign of freezing in the small rivers and streams passing by. This makes Shakru understand a question that has been bothering him for many years: Why do Japanese women run around the streets bare-legged in slippers in winter in Japanese movies? Aren’t they cold? It seems that it is really not that cold. After driving for more than half an hour, they finally arrived at the first destination of their journey, the hot spring hotel.

"Is this the hotel?" Looking at the house built in the woods on the hillside, Shakru was a little puzzled. This house is called a small villa, which is okay. There is no sign and no obvious commercial atmosphere. It is hidden in such a desolate place. If it is a hotel, who can find it?

"This is a high-end hot spring hotel. One room can accommodate a group of guests. Since the hot spring water is only in a small area, it won't be able to flow if there are too many guests," explained Matsushima Nanako.