Image by Evan Wise on Unsplash TRAVEL NOTES The jumbo jet takes off from Turin with Tokyo as its destination, in the Land of the Rising Sun. After fifteen hours of flight, I finally land at the Narita International Airport. The sky is clear and full of light, and the temperature is about 10°C. I have to admit that the discomfort of jetlag starts to set in: it is seven hours ahead of Italian time. I reach the Odaiba district by car. It is a futuristic and surreal neighbourhood of Tokyo. It is built entirely on a recycled terrain made of trash: millions of tons thrown into the Ariake Bay for years. Here you can find the headquarters of the biggest Japanese and International companies together with stores, cafés and restaurants. Nearby there is the Fuji Television building, designed by the architect Kenzo Tange, as well as a French- and Italian-style “Wedding Village” created for people who want to get married the European way. I’m staying at a hotel in front of the Ariake Bay, not far from the building that hosts the exhibition area of Tokyo. Its looks like a huge spaceship ready to take off, with four large upside-down pyramid structures. I am really tired. It is time to go to sleep. Tomorrow, I have a very busy day ahead of me. I need to prepare the room, the ingredients and documents for my class on Italian gelato dedicated to about seventy entrepreneurs specialized in coffee, pastry and foodservice. Choice ingredients The next morning, I take the Yurikamome, an elevated metro that travels at a considerable speed on a monorail. I am heading towards the Shimbashi station, the terminus of Tokyo’s metro. I don’t even consider taking a taxi, due It is the favourite fruit of Japanese consumers, and it is one of the prized ingredients used by Maestro Pino Scaringella during his Italian gelato course held in Tokyo. The country of strawberries image by Roberto Ravera By Pino Scaringella 34
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTE3NTA0