Fun sights from Akihabara: Mandarake (an 8 story collectibles shop), the Gundam cafe, and sculptures located inside Yodobashi-Akiba of Godzilla and the Faaram Armor (from the video game Dark Souls 2).
Monthly Archives: December 2014
Although it’s been said many times, many ways
Some of my Favorite Warning Signs
Osaka local bites
My favorite Osaka local food is kushikatsu! Food is put onto a thin bamboo skewer, coated with a thin crispy batter, and fried. The thing that truly makes this a local speciality is the dipping sauce. You can get an assortment of skewers for a set price, or order your favorites for a per skewer price. They make them fresh, and we have tried the meat, seafood, and vegetable options. I really like the cheese and shiitake variations, and Matt especially liked the pork loin and onion. I like that I can satisfy my “bloomin’ onion” craving without commiting to a whole onion.
A second local food we’ve tried is the mikasa. It is a pancake with adzuki (red bean) or similar filling baked into the center. This treat is actually found in lots of variations around Japan, but the name is local. (It is known as Dorayaki in other places) It is a lovely warm sweet treat, and I think something that you could reproduce at home by making two pancakes and then sandwiching them with the filling. Let me know if you try!
Christmas Animals in Japan
Japan loves animals. Japan also loves Christmas. I have found it very interesting that many displays show animals I (personally) have never associated with Christmas (until now). I have seen many elephants, lions, and even these giraffes sporting adorable little Santa hats. I hope you, your family, and friends have a very Merry Christmas.
Takasakiyama
Aka Monkey Mountain.
Kawaii Everywhere
There are so many cute things here in Japan. I have been on and seen a number of trains and busses with cute artwork on the outside (and sometimes the inside too), have seen cute warning signs (like ones telling you to pick up after your dog), and fun mascots for cities or campaigns (like the one from this plastic bag telling you to recycle). I also have heard super cute music alerting you that it is safe to cross the road, that the train is coming to a station soon, and on the hotel floor to serve as background music. I like hearing nicer sounds than just beeping!
Dried Persimmon
I had read that the Japanese hang persimmons to dry in this season, and since I really like regular persimmons, I was determined to find somewhere that I could get a dried one. Yesterday we walked past a mom-and-pop shop that had some (with the stems still attached, and some fresh ones hanging nearby – that was so helpful for identification!). We got 4.
The first touch was a surprise – although the outer part of the fruit is dried, like a softer version of a dried apricot, the inside is still squishy. Not sure what to think, I took a bite…. and my verdict is that dried persimmons are delicious! I might even like them better than fresh persimmons, although I think I’ll have to eat a lot more to be sure of my decision 😉
Lunch box from Tia
For today’s lunch (in Nagasaki) we stopped into Tia to try their freshly prepared lunch box. The meal cost 700 yen (approximately $5.87) and included hot tea, miso soup, rice, desert, coffee, and a 5 dish main coarse. My favorite was the pork cutlet. The coating was crispy and the glaze was delicious. Chandra really enjoyed the miso soup. The brown rice was fluffy and perfectly seasoned. The smoked daikon was interesting to say the least. Most likely it is an acquired taste. The cheesecake was soft and moist. I wished there was more of it. The lunch box from Tia was yummy and affordable*. Try it if you are in the neighborhood. In addition to the lunch box, they also do a lunch or dinner buffet and breakfast.
*Chandra Notes that they also focus on local, organic ingredients – they have photos of where they get everything from greens to teacups in a book on their tables!
Nagasaki Milkshake
The Nagasaki Milkshake is my new favorite cold dessert. It is more like a sorbet than ice cream in texture, although it is airy and soft in a way that most sorbets aren’t. The flavor is mildly sweet with cream, vanilla, and citrus notes.
We ate ours in a cafe that has been in Nagasaki since 1925! Tsuruchan also serves a local food speciality called Toruko rice, but yesterday we were all about the dessert.
the mint tea drinkers society 