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).
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Although it’s been said many times, many ways
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.
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.
Train Travel Day
the mint tea drinkers society 