{"id":56276,"date":"2016-08-03T06:31:55","date_gmt":"2016-08-03T13:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cookiesandclogs.com\/?p=56276"},"modified":"2016-08-02T18:43:13","modified_gmt":"2016-08-03T01:43:13","slug":"japanese-culture-mazda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cookiesandclogs.com\/japanese-culture-mazda\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning About the Japanese Culture & Mazda’s Challenger Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"dnote_01\"<\/p>\n

Last week, my family and I had the opportunity to learn more about Mazda. I was already familiar with the brand but not so much with the culture and motivation behind it. I didn\u2019t realize how large of an impact these factors play in how Mazda approaches vehicle design. So, we packed up our things and made our way to Japantown in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

Mazda & the Japanese Culture \u2014 Japantown<\/h3>\n

We settled into our one-bedroom suite<\/a> at Hotel Kabuki and then set off to explore a bit. The room was pretty amazing with shoji screens, a deep bath, and in-room sauna.<\/p>\n

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In-room stationary<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Master bedroom<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
1-bedroom suite<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n

Japantown consists of a connected shopping center that spans several blocks. It is full of small shops that feature Japanese goods, snacks, trinkets, media, and more. If you like new, cool, and cute things, it is so enjoyable to roam around here.<\/p>\n

\"Cookies
Snacks in Ichiban Kan<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Cute goodies at Ichiban Kan<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Kabuki puppet<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Filled taiyaki pastries<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Sushi t-shirt<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Japantown at dusk<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n

Dinner was at Benihana<\/a>. It was actually the first time my family and I have eaten here. The food was okay but the tableside dinner show was A+. Super cute gesture to have the rice shaped into an \u201cI love Mazda\u201d message. \ud83d\ude42 \u00a0If you have someone with food allergies eating with you, you have to be extra careful. You may want to ask to have your food cooked in the back if you notice danger of cross contamination.<\/p>\n

\"Cookies
\"I love Mazda\" fried rice<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Dinner chef<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Cooked to order dinner<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n

Mazda & the Japanese Culture \u2014 Japanese Tea Garden<\/h3>\n

Day two started at the Japanese Tea Garden<\/a> in Golden Gate Park. Our family took a Mazda3 over (review coming soon). We were able to learn about matcha tea and watch a traditional tea ceremony. Such a relaxing custom. We had a short time to check out the grounds and then we had lunch. Just so you know, the iced green tea and the green tea cheesecake are delicious! Drinks were gluten free but the snacks aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\"Cookies
Traditional Japanese tea ceremony<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Traditional Japanese tea ceremony<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Matcha tea & red bean mochi snack<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n

The guided tour around the garden was so interesting. The Golden Gate Park area dates back to 1870 and was once full of sand dunes. The Japanese Tea Garden is the oldest Japanese garden in the U.S. The Hagiwara family landscaped and cared for garden. In 1942, along with other Japanese Americans, the family was sent to an internment camp. Their home was destroyed but many of Mr. Hagiwara\u2019s work lives on in the garden today. After walking around a bit more, our family piled into a Mazda CX-3<\/a> to head back to the hotel.<\/p>\n

\"Cookies
Entrance gate<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Zig zag Monterey Pine<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Historic building now gift shop<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Koi-filled pond<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Ornate garden gate<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Family by the Japanese Tea House<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n

Mazda & the Japanese Culture \u2014 Calligraphy<\/h3>\n

Time for traditional Japanese calligraphy lessons! Whew, this was harder than it looked. The calligraphy master gave us a brief history of the 1500 years of Japanese calligraphy. The language includes 2036 kanji characters (based on Chinese characters), 51 hiragana characters (simplified, phonetic), and 51 katakana characters (simplified, phonetic, used for non-Japanese words). She also talked about technique, different brushes, and how the art is an extension of one\u2019s emotions. We could choose one of five example characters to practice. Then we created a \u201cfinal\u201d piece to frame.<\/p>\n

\"Cookies
Our Japanese Calligraphy Master & her tools<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Japanese calligraphy practice<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Group photo w\/ final pieces<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n

Mazda & the Japanese Culture \u2014 Sushi Making Lessons<\/h3>\n

We actually had to make our own food for dinner. That\u2019s not a problem when you have sushi making lessons with a professional chef at the Miele Experience Center<\/a>. First, though, we heard from Director of R&D Engineering for Mazda North American Operations, Kelvin Hiraishi. He explained how Mazda reflects the fighting spirit of where the brand originated, Hiroshima. <\/p>\n

\"Cookies
Miele Experience Center<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Sushi making area<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Kelvin Hiraishi from Mazda<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n

That southern part of Japan survived tragic events and is now thriving due to hard work and determination. This is referred to as the “Challenger Spirit.” The company aims to create vehicles that encourage a \u201cjoy of driving.\u201d The perspective he offered helped me understand why Mazda cars perform the way they do. Drivers should feel like one with their car and enjoy the experience that driving can offer.<\/p>\n

Back to sushi making. Chef Kaz demonstrated each step and then set us free to try it ourselves. Our first dish consisted of California Rolls with Dungeness crab, avocado, cucumbers, and rice. Our second dish was a Rainbow Roll. This is roll had spicy tuna inside and raw salmon, tuna, and yellowtail on the outside. It was so much fun for each person to make their own food. I think my family did pretty well! By the way, only gluten-free soy sauce (Temari) was used as it’s just easier since so many have an allergy to wheat! \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

\"Cookies
Chef Kaz cooking demo<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Mother-daughter sushi time<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Chef Kaz cooking demo<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Sticky fingers<\/div><\/a>\"\"
Candid cooking<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Frans' finished dish<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n

Mazda & the Japanese Culture \u2014 Mazda CX-9 Joyride<\/h3>\n

On day three, Frans and I had a bit of time in the morning so we took the Mazda CX-9 for a spin. Wow, this is an impressive 7-seat SUV\/CUV<\/a>! Every seat is comfortable, even in the third row. There are a ton of bells and whistles, including the projected speedometer. The hills of San Francisco presented no problems for\u00a0the small but powerful turbo engine with ZERO rolling! <\/p>\n

\"Cookies
Exterior<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Interior<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
2nd & 3rd rows<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Middle console charging & space<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Projected speedometer<\/div><\/a>\"Cookies
Hill assist & navigation<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n

Then it was time for the main event \u2014 2016 J-POP Summit. There\u2019s too much to write about here so I\u2019ll have to tell you about that in the next post! \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

My family and I were invited for an all-expense paid weekend event with Mazda. All opinions are my own.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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