"It was on my first night in Tokyo that I came across the delightful food the Japanese call gohan. I didn't know any Japanese so I pointed to what the businessman to my left was eating. I was presented with a glistening mound of rice in a magnificent ceramic vessel. I trembled with anticipation as I broke my first hashi and steadied my hand in preparation for the impending mouthful. However, I was shocked to find that I couldn't taste anything and I felt overcome with shame that I had failed to appreciate this unique Japanese food.

The man to my left must have noticed my self-disgust as he explained in broken English that only a Japanese can truly appreciate gohan. He said that each grain was believed to come from God himself and that one could only appreciate the subtle flavours after years of consumption. He said that a bowl of rice reminded the Japanese people of the summit of Mount Fuji. He said that together this was "Japanese spirit. Samurai soul". I came to realise that I would never truly appreciate this aspect of Japanese culture but during my year on JET I could come to understand and share the differences between our two countries!

Before I left the restaurant that evening I was presented with another shimmering gift. I asked what was in the cup in front of me and was told it was "very famous Japanese ocha". The businessman, who was now on his seventh cigarette, told me it was very healthy. He concluded that if gohan was the spirit of Japan then ocha was the lifeblood of the nation. I took a tentative sip of this alluring infusion and yer... it was just fucking green tea."