All posts by teaforchandra
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!
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 😉
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.
Hot Soup on a cold day
The area around Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko was very chilly the night that we were there. After standing outside for 5 minutes we were looking for hot drinks and hot food to thaw us out. The local tourist information office recommended that we visit a restaurant serving Hoto, a dish from the Yamanashi Prefecture. I am so happy they did!!
Hoto is served in a huge cast iron bowl piping hot, and it is a soup made of miso broth and filled with lots of vegetables, hand pulled noodles, and aburaage tofu (twice fried). I especially liked the pieces of kabocha, a japanese pumpkin variety with a green, not orange skin, and a darker colored inside than a sugar pumpkin. I think I may need to find a recipe to make hoto at home later, since it is super filling, has lots of veggies, and is exactly what I crave on a dark winter day.
Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji on December 6th, 2014.
Eagle Creek Specter Compression Bags
I think this review will have to be updated after I get way more use out of my gear, but so far, I really appreciate these compression bags. They pack like packing cubes, which works pretty tidily if you roll your clothes, but you can also get a decent amount of compression out of them with the integrated zipper. I have been able to fit all my clothes into a larger one and compress it a significant amount, and use the medium size one for socks, underwear, etc. The inside of my backpack is now super segmented, and nothing gets disarrayed if all I want to do is change into my sandals. I have been using a ziplock inside the packing cube for dirty or damp items, which has been working so far.
Note: we also have a set of non-compression cubes in three sizes. We are using one for shoes, one for prescription medicines, and one for a miscellaneous bag. While these are acceptably functional, I would recommend buying the compression style instead. Even if you have all noncompressible items in the bag on one trip, if you don’t need the full space of the compartment, the compression feature allows you to use the same packing cube in a range of thicknesses.
Drylite XL towel
I am in love with one of the items I’ve packed for our long trip – it’s the drylite XL towel, and it feels like a luxury! Since we are flying carry-on only for most of our trips, space is crucial. This towel packs down super small, is even lighter than Matt’s travel towel, and is big enough to be modest or to use as a beach towel. The tradeoff is the texture- it feels like a chamois. I’m ok with the texture, especially because it comes with superabsorbent powers. I could use it to dry off after a shower and then be able to pull the moisture out of some sink washed laundry with absorbency to spare. I have been using it for a couple weeks now and am starting to think it may be my full time towel even when I’m not traveling….
Art FIT for Consumption
Walking through Manhattan today to get to the visa office, we passed the campus of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). As part of Legacy Week, senior year illustration artists had transformed the cement segments on the side of the building into a series of chalk art works. I love street art and thought I’d share some of my photos.
the mint tea drinkers society 