Nikku No Natto? What's That?

Welcome to my blog about my adventures in Japan! I will be leaving the United States in less than a month, and I will be updating this blog to share with others as much as I can about my experience. I am writing this blog specifically for my friends and family members who aren't able to join me in Japan, but who want to stay in touch with me and learn about my new home. 

One thing that I would like visitors to my blog to do is ask questions! What do you want to know about Japan? I want to write about things that you want to know more about! If you want to know more about cats in Japan, the shinkansen (bullet train), how bathrooms work in Japan, why they use chopsticks over knives, or what natto is ask away! And speaking of natto...

ニック の なっとう is how you write the phrase "Nikku No Natto" in Hiragana, one of the two Japanese syllabaries (different than alphabets). Nikku No Natto means Nic's natto. What is natto? Oh yes let's open up Pandora's smelly box with that question: natto is fermented soybeans. From what I've read, some compare it to the taste (and smell) of bleu cheese, Vegemite, or lute fish. At the mention of natto my Japanese friend from Kobe wrinkles her nose and grimaces. Some Japanese people, depending on the region, hate natto. Others love the stuff and can't get enough of it. I happen to live in a region where they love natto.

なっと(Natto)

One of the regional managers from my prefecture (the equivalent of a U.S. state; there are 47 in Japan), Ibaraki, informed me that I MUST try natto because it is a regional delicacy, and eating it is a gesture of politeness and cultural sensitivity. As diplomatically as he could put it, he said that he has acquired a taste for the rotting bean. He encouraged me to adhere to the baseball rule: try it at least three times before striking it off the menu. I have determined that I will try natto and love it.