berry big arigatou to kazuyo and jon

Oh my goodness. Check out the size of this strawberry. It is resting on my hand...talk about strawberries on steroids! Jon and Kazuyo presented me with a box of these alien-like strawberries. They are out of this world!

I do believe this is the biggest strawberry I have ever encountered in my entire life. I will remember it for years to come. Have you ever gone strawberry picking? We went last year around March - we ate so many strawberries until our tummies were stuffed and hurt. Some people here like to dip them into sweet condensed milk before indulging...mmmmMMmm.

Thanks to Neil, driver Nakagawa, Baba-san and more

This ski trip to Yuzawa was a big hit thanks to the crew at We Love Snow - they designed the trip according to many picky specifications and even threw in some extras. Free drinks at the local bar, bigger rooms than expected, a banquet-style private room for our large group, an upgrade from a mini-bus to full-fledged charter one, a much-better-than-average viking-style dinner. All for a very reasonable price!

If you live near Tokyo you can even take the bullet train and be in Yuzawa in a rapid 77-minutes! I highly recommend this company - they are fluent in both English and Japanese. At first I tried to book it through a Japanese tour agency but the man did not seem to know what he was doing, therefore, I went with We Love Snow in Yuzawa. A great choice it was!

Pics of us might be on their website, so I have been told. Check back for them later. (they took some shots of us during dinnertime) The pic above is the view we saw from their outdoor hot spring...breathtaking, isn't it? I was told one could purchase a condo in Yuzawa for around 2-3 million yen - that is incredible! Shocking...I can actually afford a piece of land here.

=============== excerpt from their blog below:
25 Feb 06: Great day to be out there Wanted to say hi to Vivian and the group of 30 people travelling over to Yuzawa from Ibaraki-ken today. WeLoveSnow has organised their trip - bus charter, accommodation, ski passes and gear rental. They sure picked a great day to come over - another day of beautiful blue skies. Hope you all have a great time!

Sunday night at Girasole cafe - back in Tsukuba, home sweet home

This is a rather funny post because just before I wrote it, I read my friend's blog on the same restaurant. Turns out she had just gone there in the afternoon to eat - what a coincidence. Unfortunately for her she did not enjoy the food experience as much as we did, I was sorry to hear that. I felt that our meal was tasty - they served us oysters au gratin (still in the shell), rosemary salted and grilled fish, al dente pasta (the penne with red wine beef sauce was delectable), and delightful desserts. It is funny how two different people can give the same restaurant such different reviews. Which just goes to say that you should not take my word for it when I speak highly or poorly of a particular restaurant. You should go there and try for yourself...as with most things in life, you be the judge!

land of BRILLIANT ideas!

This picture is of a really unique concept, the first of its kind that I have ever seen! The place is located in Yuzawa station and was very crowded. We entered a room full of these machines (see pic)...I'd say there were easily more than 200 of them, maybe 300?! Anyway you pay 500yen (about 5USD) and get 5 tokens.

Oh...did I mention that Niigata is quite famous for it's rice? I bought some rice...a kilo for 1000 yen (almost 10USD)! Should I point out the obvious? Good rice makes good Japanese sake. Mmmmm.

All the types of sake were labeled according to Brix factor - how sweet/spicy and so on. To me, they all looked the same. ~_~ I was just there for a drink.

1. Find some sake you want to taste, go to that machine
2. Insert the token provided
3. Align your drinking cup to the nozzle
4. Push the yellow button
5. Wait until all the sake has been dispensed
6. Kanpai!

We shared the five sake cups. Me being the cheap drunk that I am, was hit hard by the sake and felt a bit tipsy after the sake-tasting room experience. What a fun idea - if they do not already have this in the States, they SHOULD!

lunch in downtown Yuzawa

This was lunch in Yuzawa. We had planned on skiing on Sunday but high winds and heavy rain kept us away from the slopes. So our huge group broke off into little groups and explored the streets of Yuzawa.

We found plenty of little stores selling Japanese sake wine, rice, and plenty of pickles. Hiro tells me that because there are many mountains, people were forced to use salt and seasonings such as chili peppers to preserve the food. Yuzawa is kind of famous for its chili sauce (see centre picture) which is made from chilis, yuzu Japanese citron and vinegar. It was delicious stuff. We could have samples of all kind of pickles, which I love! We tried a sample of sake-doused cake and enjoyed it so much that we bought some for Hiro's mom. ":) Mmm. It reminded me of how some Europeans soak their cakes in plenty of kirsh, mmm...yummy.

Lunch was at a crowded little restaurant. There were two groups ahead of us but because it was just Hiro and I, we were able to get a seat at the counter after not much waiting. This restaurant was recommended by a follow ski-trip member, Rick. We had a mini-ikura (salmon eggs...see pic on the left) rice bowl, mini soba noodle box, and mini tempura rice bowl (see pic on the right). The tempura included fried maitake mushrooms...think portobello but even meatier with kind of an oyster/seafood taste. I believe they are called oyster mushrooms in English. You can buy maitake mushrooms almost anywhere but these particular ones cannot be bought from the average supermarket.

It was at this restaurant where I learnt a memorable lesson. I always knew I held chopsticks incorrectly but I was also told my scoop up/pick up method was incorrect. I was surprised to hear that. So I corrected my scooping style and found out the correct scooping style made eating a lot easier and enjoyable. Hurrah and thanks to Hiro for not being afraid to point out my chopstick faux pas. Next time you eat with chopsticks, check BOTH your chopstick holding technique AND your scooping style. My family always said, "so long as you can eat with chopsticks, it's okay, technique does not matter" but realistically speaking, the scooping style makes a world of difference!

on overcoming fears...

Ohhhh beautiful Yuzawa mountains! The scenery was splendid and boy did we get a good view from the top. Though I'll admit, I could not enjoy it as thoroughly as I wanted because I was wobbling down the slopes. (notice the strange stance of mine...that's me in 'shocking pink' ski pants)

Two years ago I severely sprained my knee downhill skiing, to the point of almost breaking it. I had to be snowboarded down in a sled by two emergency patrollers. Fun skis, the ones I was wearing, also known as short skis, whatever you call them, are very dangerous skis. They are short so they are very easy to maneuver and pick up speed like silver bullets. The skis are strapped to your feet so if you fall, they do not pop off like normal skis...ouch, hence my terrible sprain. Since then I have been terrified of the ski slopes and I have only gone cross-country skiing.

So this past Saturday was kind of a test for me, to prove that I could get over my fear of skiing. To make sure I would get over my fear, I bought a set of ski equipment so I would not back out of skiing. Talk about stupid determination. One of my students, Tsutomu, though engineer by profession, is a professional ski instructor. He was kind enough (and did I mention patient?) to teach us for over two hours. I do not remember being so hopeless on the slopes, but for some reason my legs did not want to cooperate. Fear caused by my previous ski accident prevented me from making progress. With some gentle coaching and convincing, I was able to learn how to ski again. Later in the afternoon Hirotsugu coached me more and gave me some useful turning tips. I am happy to say that I am over my ski-phobia and am already looking forward to the next ski season (as this one is practically over)!

Getting over fears: make a plan, do things to make it as difficult as possible to back out of the plan...finally, execute and face your fear head-on.

Saturday night dinner at Hotel Sporea in Yuzawa, Niigata

From last month I started to organize a ski trip to Yuzawa, Niigata prefecture. We ended up with 27 people coming on the bus with us up north. What a festive event it turned out to be!

This was us after having enjoyed a wonderful viking-style (buffet) dinner at the hotel. Usually buffets are not known for high-quality food, however, I'd have to say this hotel's food exceeded everyone's expectations. They served fresh scallops cooked rare, sashimi, sushi, 3 kind of gelato, fruits, squares of cake, shrimp fry, and more. Very impressive. The ski tour group was kind enough to reserve a special banquet room for our group...we ate from 7pm and chatted until they kicked us out at 9pm. People were very reluctant to leave - that's a good sign, for sure.

After dinner the little girls Sara (wearing light blue) and Mai (pink shirt) seemed bored so we started to do the "how far can you contort your body game" "can you do tongue tricks?" pilates, palm reading, and more. They were very amused by it all, even the adults became interested in getting their palm read. Nobutaka laughed when I read his palm - I saw a weak spot in his lifeline so I told him to "eat more natto." He thought that by reading his hand, I could tell he suffered from natto deficiency. ;)

The clothes I am wearing is Japanese yukata. It is a comfy cotton robe much like a kimono. I just finished bathing in the hot spring before going to dinner so I was still wearing it. I was told that I was a dead woman...because I had tied it up w/the wrong flap over the other. Symbolically speaking they only put the right flap over the left when someone has passed away. Though my friend, who is Japanese, also made the same mistake...so I felt a little bit better about the latest gaffe.

What do donuts and Torino have in common?

Japan relished figure skater Shizuka Arakawa's Olympic gold victory on Friday - the country's first medal from Turin. Arakawa, 24, became the first Japanese Olympic gold medalist in figure skating after beating Sasha Cohen of the United States and Russia's world champion Irina Slutskaya.

An employee at Tokyo pastry chain Doughnut Plant NYC shows off Winter Olympic medal-shaped pastries. Sales of the special doughnuts sprinkled with gold-leaf have more than doubled since Shizuka Arakawa won her gold medal.

knit club or food exchange club???

Mrs. Kobayashi, the ultimate pickler, brought more pickles in for lunch at the knitting club. This time the pickles were smoked pickles...it brought back nostalgic memories of Applewood smoked gouda cheese from Kensington Market back in Toronto. How strange it was for me to be reminded of cheese when eating pickles.

Have you ever had smoked pickles? This smoked daikon was really a delight...what a shame younger Japanese are no longer interested in making pickles and the like. It's kind of a dying culinary tradition. I suppose the time-consuming process which is required to make the pickles is quite the turn-off and I do not blame them for not wanting to learn.

The picture on the right is of 'hata hata' fish. This fish is extraordinary - even most Japanese people have not had the chance to eat this rare culinary specialty. It is from Akita and is somewhat rare because it can only be caught during a short season and only when the weather is lightning and thundering! How odd indeed. The taste was like pickled herring...but served with fermented rice too. The whole fish can be eaten...I am sure the bones gave me a chalk full of calcium.

Our knitting club lunches are getting increasingly luxurious, so it seems. Each time someone brings some candy, unique food, or something...it is really something to look forward to each time. Last time a woman who just recently joined brought her HOMEMADE candy...better than Werther's butterscotch candies! I was impressed by it...these ladies are incredible. I suppose being a full-time housewife allows oneself time to master such things...but still, all the things they do are really beyond me!

Ah, alien food!

Last week I taught my mama and babies class only to be surprised by this fluorescent looking purple stuff! The brim of a baby's mouth was slathered in glowing deep violet-colored mush...UGH, I thought. Is that some funky artifical colouring or what!

As it turns out, it is natural colouring! This yokan (sweet potato paste made into a sticklike cake) is made from purple sweet potato, hence giving it its wild colour. Ooo... Purple sweet potato is touted to have various healthful properties - what they are, I have no idea...but surely you'd be doing yourself good by ingesting some of this from time to time. The mom who made it was kind enough to give me some purple and yellow yokan to bring home and try. It was pleasantly smooth and delicious. Mmm, I will have to learn how to make it myself one day. I hear it's not too terribly difficult.

All the babies are conveniently hungry around the same time we have class - the result? Me teaching and have a babies eating dried sweet potato, rice balls, rice crackers, and so on. The babies are only 1 year an 4 months, however, they are really a joy to watch! Frankly I don't know if they are learning a single word of English but for the most part, it's just 45-minutes of playtime for me and them!

proof that the knitting ladies are rubbing off on me?

Are you a stamp card (of anything) holder? Most likely you have a stamp card for your local coffee shop. Here in Japan I've received more stampcards (to date) than I have ever in my entire lifetime back in North America. From the ethnic Thai store to the little ma and pop Korean shop down the street...they've all got a members/stamp card.

I especially love the stamp card to my local grocery store. Every 50 stamps I collect (worth 200 dollars), I get 5 dollars back. This is just one reason Hirotsugu tells me I am more and more becoming like the 'bargain-hunting' housewife.

You can see the way I filled it out. Notice I did not start from 1. I figured if I start from one, I would feel like I have a long way to go...if I start from the middle, I would feel better. Many Japanese would frown on the way I did not follow the orthodox, start from 1, method...however, I think that when it does not matter (not life or death), we should be creative and do as we please so long as no one is hurt. Driving people nuts is perhaps a specialty of mine...

facial results...hmm maybe not such a waste of money

Two days after the facial at Takano Yuri...hmm, results are not too terrible. This was taken right after I washed my face. When I was back home, I never thought about skincare as obsessively as I do in Japan. I suppose it is all a matter of peer pressure?

The ladies here are experts in skincare, which is why so many have silky smooth complexions and ivory skin! From their youth, they are bombarded with starlets with fair and flawless skin, thus spawning an industry of whitening products up the gazoo! I am sure skin whitening products contain all kinds of scary bleaching agents and chemicals...but no one is keeling over yet.

I am surprised by how aware young children are of beauty - then again I suppose it is the same back home. Children here used to choose teachers based on who was the 'pretty' teacher...this explains why most teachers at language schools are young and fresh - the older teachers are 'retired' in the sense that they are resigned to teach at high schools where looks do not count for so much. Sad but a true reality.

what's in your salad today?

This is a picture of a salad I prepared as a side dish to lunch. It has the following ingredients: lettuce, steamed broccoli, silken tofu, corn, tomato, flying fish eggs (orange), and white radish sprouts...a.k.a. 'kaiware' in Japanese.

The Japanese use various interesting toppings for salads. Unlike the American croutons, cheese, bacon bits, nuts, and heavy Ranch dressing...they use things like wakame seaweed, sea chicken (tuna), potato salad, tofu, shredded boiled chicken, hard-boiled egg, soft-boiled egg, nori seaweed, finely shredded daikon radish...and the list goes on!

OH, and the 'Japanese' dressing you eat at Japanese restaurants back home...that is almost unheard of here. I have never had that tangy ginger, orange, onion dressing in Japan. Well the one exception being the time I made it from a recipe on the internet. My boyfriend was surprised by the taste...apparently Japanese dressing back home is not as authentic as we thought!

I terrified a student by telling her sometimes we put strawberries or dried cranberries into our salads. The look of disgust on her face was akin to telling her we put dog pee in our salad dressing. Hee hee. I guess it is just not done here. Back home many people like sweet and sour chicken...with bits of pineapple, right? Many Japanese people do not like fruits in some stir-fry dishes...why this is, I have no idea. Maybe some of my Japanese readers can explain about it in more detail?

life changes all the time - mom knows best?

Wise words from my mommy,

"Five years ago if someone said you would live in Japan and marry a Japanese, you would probably said no way. You might live in Japan forever." - Janey

Life is indeed full of surprises. The twist of fate which brought me to Toronto instead of Rochester, NY...and then another twist of fate which set me here in Japan. 3 years ago I told my friend Mayumi that perhaps I was going to leave in another 6 months. At the time I had to make a decision about my contract - whether to stay or to go. At that time she said half-jokingly, "why don't you find a nice Japanese guy and get married and stay here forever?" I laughed and thought, ha ha, no way in hell that is going to happen. Well isn't life funny like that?

The key to life is being flexible. You never know where the road of life will take you next.

yogurt anyone?

NON-diet, yogurt IN my diet but not a by-definition diet. 200-500grams of plain yogurt each day will keep the heart attack pounds away.

Three years ago my grandma told me I was a bit over the heavy/normal borderline, a wee too pudgey. I was really upset by this off-handed remark, partially because I knew she was right (c'mon, who doesn't know it when they have a few spare pounds to lose?!), partially because I couldn't believe she'd said it to my face. Zipping forward to last year November...the same grandma told me I was rail thin and needed to get some meat on my bones. (I think this was affected, in large part, by her seeing my chubby university grad photo everyday) Moral of the story? Just be happy with ourselves because sometimes those around us will never be. Don't get me wrong, I love my grams dearly and think she is a riot!

This is a yogurt unlike any I have ever tasted. It has the consistency of smooth jello (yet not so firm) and sure enough, gelatin is listed in the ingredients. It has plenty of probiotics to help the gut do its thing, I guess. I'm not sure about the benefits of probiotics but it seems to be the latest BUZZword on the yogurt market. This yogurt is not at all sour and even has a hint of creamcheese taste. My favorite is eating it as is.

Research has it that eating loads of calcium (via diary products) each day will keep off weight and even trim off extra abdominal fat. (abdominal fat is the most dangerous kind) Sounds good doesn't it? The key is to keep up with a variety of flavors. The moment your yogurts gets boring or monotonous, you will not feel satiated and wanna reach out for the chips, or in my case...CHOCO, which I get a daily dose of despite my otherwise healthy eating habits...Mmm, Mmm, sweeeet. Instead of sweetening it with sugar, try adding fresh fruit, dried fruit, jam, soybean powder, cocoa powder, ground black or white sesame seeds, and the like. My friend Mayumi adds ume-zu (plum vinegar...like plum wine minus the alcohol) to her plain yogurt...mmm, I will have to try it one day!

S.A.D...is there such a thing as T.A.D???

Seasonal affective disorder, you have probably all heard of it if not experienced it first-hand. S.A.D, SAD is what you get when it is smack in the middle of winter, you feel down because you cannot remember when the last time you saw the sun was. Most people experience S.A.D when it is gloomy, cloudy, and rainy outside...especially if for extended periods of time. They feel at the least a bit mopey or a bit sad and in more severe cases, extremely depressed. (one exception: my best friend Jessie who just loves cloudy days...she is one of a kind in many ways!)

I definitely suffer from S.A.D. and most of the people I know in Japan feel 'under the weather' when the weather is less than delightful. I wonder if perhaps this is because the Japanese are so interconnected with the changing of seasons - with each season comes new colors, foods, menus and more...so when the weather is drab, perhaps they are more easily affected than those from cultures that do not regard seasons as highly as they do? Hmm...something to think about.

Most recently I think I have T.A.D...something that I just now coined. It stands for thermal affective disorder. It means when I am out of my thermal comfort range, I am irritable and or down. Once my mom had the unfortunate experience of calling me when I was shivering and hands blue after a shower - needless to say, I was not in a chatty mood. She was extremely hurt that I sounded so displeased to talk to her. Oh, shame on me.

What is your thermal comfort range? I can take heat - crank up the thermometer baby...however I am really poor at enduring cold temperatures. (with the exception of eating cold ice cream on a cold day...the deliciousness of the ice cream makes one forget that their hand are almost frozen and falling of while holding the cone) Do you get cranky or irritable when out of your thermal comfort range? My ideal temperature is 20-degrees Celsius...you could ask me to wash your car, do your gardening, walk your dogs and I would agree in a split-second. How about you?

quote of the day

"Don't marry someone whom you can live with, marry someone whom you can't live without."

This is a cute quote my friend sent me. Do you agree with it?

Do you remember the part in the Jerry M movie when Tom Cruise tells her, "you complete me?" That part, though sweet enough, makes me want to hurl. Sorry if you are offended because you enjoyed that part! I consider myself to be a hopeless romantic yet I could hardly watch that movie a second time without wincing. The first time I did not notice it but the second time 'round I got a distinct feeling that he was marrying here just because he felt like he was out of options and desperate to keep her from going away. Anything but be a 'loser.'

It is essential be happy with ourselves fully before being capable of loving another. If we cannot love ourself, how can we possibly love another? If we think someone else can bring all the happiness we need in our life, we need to think again. To give someone that big responsibility is really something. Not to mention if one is disappointed that their special someone did not complete their life or bring them all the happiness they desired, they'll be in for a big fall.

We have partners in our lives to complement us (and compliment us...hee hee hee)...to add to our already fulfilling lives. Think of it as double the pleasure. Having that wonderful ice cream brownie sundae (already in itself quite good) with just a sprinkle of nuts on top.

more brilliant frozen waterfalls...oooh, breath-taking!

TAKAYAMA, Gifu -- A spectacular frozen waterfall is being lit up at night during a local tourism promotion festival.

The Hirayu waterfall is located 1,450 meters above sea level at Mount Norikura, which is part of the Japan Alps in central Japan. The 64-meter-high waterfall in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, freezes over in winter.

Located close to the Okuhida hot spring area, the waterfall is lit up from 6 to 9 p.m. until Feb. 25. (Mainichi)
_______________________________________
I would love to go see this in person though I think I will take a pass on it. A bit far away and just too darn cold...brrr. Though I must say, today is turning out to be sunny and gorgeous, will it be another glorious 18-degree day today?

Takano Yuri

Today Mayumi-chan and I went to Yuri Takano to get some facials. She too will get married this year and is looking into getting some bridal facials. It is not at all uncommon for brides-to-be to get many facials before the big day. Next month we will hit up TBC facial salon.

A supposed 20,000-yen (almost 200 USD) worth facial and mudpack for just under 3000yen (30 USD). It was an hour long and just required us to fill in a bunch of forms regarding our daily skincare habits and such.

I was surprised that the aestheticians working there were so unenterprising. They did not make an effort to sell us anything or give us any sales pressure typical of such beauty salons. In fact they seemed indifferent to receive our business. I understand there is a bit of snobbishness in the aesthetic industry itself but was still surprised by their standoffish attitude. Despite that, our skin is glowingly happy and seems to look 'well-fed' by the various creams and serums they so generously slathered on our faces. ~_~

After that we went to Raja, a new Indian restaurant near my place. It is a chain restaurant specialing in Indian and Nepalan food. I found it tasty and the service so friendly (granted it was opening day yesterday) but still prefer the taste of Mira, another Indian restaurant in town.

HANDROLL sushi party

On Saturday I had a big temakisushi party...why don't you try holding your own someday?! It is great for kid's or adult's parties. For kids more cooked items would be used, of course.

Here are the following ingredients we used:
-high quality rice
-sushi vinegar (VERY important...regular rice vinegar and sugar are passable but inferior in taste...too acidic!)
-seaweed sheets, nori (one sushi roll seaweed sheet cut into fourths)
-egg omelet, tamagoyaki
-salmon eggs,ikura
-tuna, maguro
-lettuce to be wrapped inside
-pickled white radish, takuan
-minced tuna, negitoro
-squid, ika (I would have used it but could not find the type Iwanted)
-tuna salad (with celery...Japanese find this to be quick kick)
-salmon salad (mustard, celery, onion, salt, pepper, mayo)
-egg salad (add some curry powder for some oomph and to see funnylooks on people's faces when they are surprised by the taste)
-cream cheese plus smoked or salted salmon (optional capers, sliced onions)
-tobiko, flying fish roe (Ritz cracker, cream cheese, w/mentaiko ortobiko...great appetizers we made today)
-cucumber
-avocado (wanted to use it but still not ripe!)
-charsiu meat
-scallions (if you want to make boston handrolls...cream cheese,green onion, tuna)
-umeboshi
-octopus, tako
-grilled eel, unagi (good w/cucumber and avocado, as it is made inCalifornia for the caterpillar roll)
-spicy cod roe, mentaiko
-shrimp, ebi
-sweet shrimp, amaebi
-white radish sprouts, daiware
-fake crab meat, kanikama
-lots of shiso leaves and shredded daikon to be wrapped inside the roll
IF YOU DO NOT have shiso leaves, use a combo of mashed mint and basil paste to produce a similar taste
-steak (did not use it but have heard of it)
-teriyaki chicken (in the States it is often used for sushi rolls)
-wasabi and soy sauce
-dried gourd, kanpyo (wanted to use it but forgot)

For 15 people...10 cups of rice should be about right.

Enjoy having your sushi roll party today. It is easy to do - just have everyone wrap their own handrolls and enjoy! Even easier than a maki-sushi roll party.

Very successful party...maybe people chatted away and then even exchanged numbers by the end of the night! Wow, it is unusual for folks in Japan to exchange numbers the first time meeting. I guess a little bit of wine and sake helped loosen them all up, hee hee.

JLPT, the results are in folks!

This week I received my score from the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) Level 3 test. Greens a go!

I have already started to prepare for the JLPT Level 2 test...though I know it will be a tough Torino-style feat. Eeks. My poor friend just took the JLPT2 test and failed by a measly two points. Well, there is always next year. Unlike the TOEIC English proficiency test, the JLPT is only offered once a year, the first Sunday of December!

As for the score itself, um, hmm, did I mention that I passed? Da dee doo dumm.

Level 3 has 300 kanji characters; Level 2 has 1000
Level 3 has 1500 vocab; Level 2 for has 6000

Obesity alarms traditionally slim Japan

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- For those who think Japan is all fish and tofu, consider 10-year-old Sayaka Oyama's former diet: spaghetti and meat sauce for lunch, chocolates and cookies for a snack, rice balls for dinner and sandwiches at nighttime classes. Late at night, she would slurp down some quick noodles before going to bed.

The diet had a predictable outcome -- one that doctors are seeing more in Japan as the country leaves behind traditional food habits. At 9 years old, Sayaka stood 4 feet 2 inches and weighed 108 pounds, about 50 pounds over her ideal weight.

"I just love eating noodles. I get home tired from cram school, so I used to eat it all the time at night," explained the girl, who, like many Japanese children, takes evening classes to prepare for junior high entrance exams.

Sayaka is now trying to slim down in a sports program for overweight kids. She reflects a rise in obesity in Japan that is being blamed for diabetes and other health problems. Some fear the trend could one day jeopardize Japan's status as the home of the world's longest-living population.

Life expectancy is currently 86 for Japanese women and 79 for men.
===========================

Sad but true about modern Japan. Even the portions are sneaking up in size...I went to Lotteria (the Asian equivalent to McD's) for some fries and was surprised to see that the small size is no longer in the flimsy 2D paper bag. It has since been replaced by a paper carton design which holds substantially more fries than the former paper bags.

Many of the children I have taught are a bit on the pudgy side. I do not blame it on them - they grew up during times of 24/7 convenience stores, ready-to-eat supermarket foods (saturated in sugar, hydrogenated oil fried foods, and preservatives)...and for the most part their parents are both working and can hardly find the time to make a decent meal. Though rising, with the economy down and all, more families are turning into double-income ones out of sheer neccessity.

ahh...French Polynesiaaaa - only a pipedream???

This is a photo of Tahiti, or as Hiro says, 'tengoku no ichiban chikai tokoro'...for those of you not proficient in the Japanese language, it means 'the place that is closest to heaven.'

I have been researching trips to Tahiti or Bora bora for quite some time now. An average honeymoon trip will cost from $USD5000 to 10,000 per person...OUCH! I almost keeled over in shock after hearing this. The good part: I called just about every travel agent in this area...and besieged them with my poor fumbly Japanese. Hee hee great practice for me, a pain in the butt for them.

So I will look into other options to find a cheaper package...otherwise we'll go to Sipadan Malaysia...another diver's paradise. If you have any honeymoon suggestions, do email them in to us! We would really appreciate it!

SPRING - lovely or leading to misery...hee hee

On Wednesday the weather peaked at 18-degrees Celsius...it was like a lovely spring day. Today is Friday and it has cooled down substantially and is a bit gloomy, clouds hovering ominously overhead. Soon hay-fever season will come and I will become sniffly pink-eyed BB...ohhh, I never suffered from allergies before but living a few years in Japan did it...ohh.

In Japan there is an ever-present theme of how things in life are transient - how true that is. So when you have a delightful event occur in your life, savor it and cherish it for the short time it is there...and when a tragic event occurs, remember that it too is transient and one just has to bear with it until it goes away. Life is a matter of how you look at it, isn't it? Everything has its positives and negatives but if we look at the positives, we'll live longer! Scientific research supports this theory!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY sofa king

It is my brother, Vincent's birthday. His wife Jinny planned him a nice surprise birthday party which I am sure was a delight. I wish I could have been there! My big bro turns 30, which, according to Chinese customs is one of the significant milestones in one's life...the other two being 60 and 90-years. Happy birthday guh...may your 30th be a success in life, business, and more! Good luck with the new shop opening up in Seoul. Good luck in all your entrepreneurial (sp?) endeavours!

Valentine's dinner...flames, fire = flavor?

Valentine's dinner:
Pumpkin and carrot soup (extra smooth due to fine mesh sieving and boiling it down)
Balsamic and mustard salad (pumped up with broccoli sprouts)
Squid red and green marinara
Roasted garlic, onions, and red pepper bruschetta
Shrimp and squid ink risotto
Coffee and two-bit brownies

Valentine's sweets:
Hokkaido chocolate-dipped strawberries in coconut and almond bits

This meal was one to be remembered. It almost left me with no roof over my head. I was checking a recipe in my PC files when I returned to a flaming kitchen! My gas range had a huge fire in it, a fire caused by coconut and almonds roasting in the fish broiler. My first mistake, forgetting that coconut is EXTREMELY flammable. My second mistake, using the fish broiler for something other than fish. So this raging fire was shooting up and I had no choice but to fetch some baking soda from the fridge and sprinkle it all over the stove. (see picture) The flames were safely extinguished. NOTE TO ALL: KEEP BAKING SODA at hand in the kitchen!

The dinner was not bad but my own critique...risotto should have been more al dente, brownie was too too too sweet for Hiro (but I love it that way), squid was a bit on the chewy side...er, to say the least... Hiro almost choked to death on some squid, surely the climax of the dinner. Oohh, I definitely have to learn how to better prepare slimy icky squid.

Cooking is like performing experiments - so fun!

2.14.2006

HAPPY

VALENTINE'S DAY! Happy Valentine's Day to you all. Whether you are attached or unattached, I hope that you can find happiness on this day! I don't think it is a day for just romantic couples, rather I think it is a day to show everyone in our life our love for them! Why don't you let everyone know how much you love having them in your life? They will be so happy to know the reminder. In our life we often know that we are loved or wanted but we just need to be reminded of just that! So remind your loved ones today!

Also, in Japan women do all the work on V-day. They buy chocolates and gifts for that special man in their life. If they have a boss and co-workers, they should also give those men obligatory chocolates - not as a romantic gesture...in fact it is one with little significance, only a small gesture based on tradition created by the chocolate industry. Smart lil' cookies aren't they, those chocolate retailers...

On March 14th the men reciprocate with gifts and chocolates. More on that next month!

is eating all you do in Japan, Vivian?

On Sunday night we went to rotating sushi at our all-time favorite, Yamato Sushi. Plates of sushi rotate on a conveyer belt and you just grab the plate that you want to eat. I have seen it in Vancouver and in Cali but it is not as common as in Japan. In Vancouver they put the sushi into little boats floating around a ring of water in the restaurant, hence the deceiving name, "floating sushi restaurant." I had envisioned eating sushi in a boat in a restaurant - whoops, I suppose I got a bit carried away with my imagination again.

In Japan rotating sushi is very common! The prices vary by the color of the plate and it can range from a dollar to 7 dollars...or, if by the seaside...luxury plates can range up to 10 dollars a dish. Some places offer every plate for a dollar but it is obvious that the quality and taste is of inferior quality. Though for people 'on the run' and without loads of cash to spend, it is a great place to grab a quick bite.

Sometimes they offer non-sushi items such as cakes, coffee jelly, juice, fried and glazed sweet potatoes, fried chicken, salad, soba noodles...etc, on the conveyer belt. I have noticed non-sushi items do not sell as well because if people wanted to eat those things, they would have gone elsewhere to dine.

The last picture is a picture from an order screen at a cheap Japanese set meal shop in Ochanomizu...you put in money, punch in the order you want, take the ticket...and the order is sent to the kitchen. You give the waitress the ticket and she brings out your food in less than 5-minutes flat. It's not really gourmet cuisine (in fact, far from it) but hey, it is cheap and fast...call it Japanese fast food without the order window.

Ohhhh...the dark side of Japan

OSAKA -- The Osaka District Court on Monday rejected a suit by a U.S. national who demanded compensation from the owner of an eyeglasses shop who allegedly told him he disliked black people and refused him entry to the store.

Steve McGowan, 41, a designer, demanded that the store owner pay 1.5 million yen in compensation for remarks he said were discriminatory. The court, however, ruled that the business owner did not use any such offensive words.

The case stems from an incident in Osaka Prefecture in September 2004. McGowan was talking with his friend while looking at a poster in front of the shop when the owner came out and asked the two to leave, according to the ruling. The next day, McGowan and his Japanese wife appeared at the shop, and she asked the owner what had happed the day before.

The owner explained that he had asked the two to leave after he was contacted by a customer who claimed to have had trouble entering the store because there were people in front of it.
The business owner added that he had a bad impression of black people during a stay in Germany.

McGowan, who lives in Kyoto Prefecture, maintained in the suit that the owner said he hated black people and refused him entry to the shop. The court, however, rejected the allegation. "The plaintiff should have said that he was made to leave the shop against his will," the judge said. "I have doubts about the plaintiff's level of comprehension of the Japanese language. I cannot trust his accusation over the use of discriminatory remarks."

The judge concluded that the plaintiff had merely assumed the owner made offensive remarks when he mentioned his experience in Germany. McGowan called the ruling disappointing and said it saddened him. His lawyer, Masao Niwa, called the ruling "unfair." "The ruling said there were no discriminatory remarks. But it didn't explain why the defendant asked him to leave," Niwa said. (Mainichi News)
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As any foreigner can tell you, discrimation is rife in Japan...don't get me wrong, it is everywhere in the world but it is especially noticeable in Japan, a country that has been for so long isolated and traditions well-preserved.

I am fortunate enough to know only people who are open-minded intellectuals - Japanese who are open-minded and truly interested in learning English. I might add that there are plenty of intellectuals, bureaucrats, who are plenty pig-headed and close-minded. I am not Japanese but if I was, I would be ashamed to have some of them as the leaders of this country. I have had almost no encounters with ultra-nationalist Japanese people who dislike foreigners.

Err...maybe I spoke too soon. The one exception being this one shop, Mobilini (see photo). I initially thought the store sold lamps and other types of home lighting. Upon entry I noticed it was not a store for lights at all - rather it was a store full of trinkets similar to Precious Moments goods back home. The store owner was a bit unenterprising and when I spoke in Japanese to ask about one of the items, it was clear that I was a foreigner. It seemed the moment they found out I was a foreigner, they two owners projected a new, hideously cold aura. Well, I did a quick 180-degree and left, never to go back again.

I guess that experience made me understand how the man in Osaka must have felt, though I am not going to go around suing people left and right. It is pointless. It is my decision to only surround myself with wonderful people and those who chose not to like me, I could care less! We should not let other people's opinion of us, no matter how prejudiced, get under our skins. When I think of that shop, I just smile a wan smile and pity all the things the poor shop owners are missing out on. If we are narrow-minded, there are so many things in life that we might miss out on.

On the flipside, Hiro's good friends stayed in NYC for about a year. They commented about how friendly some Americans were but at the same time how others were cold and unwelcoming because they were obvious foreigners. Prejudice is everywhere around us and doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. Just makes you appreciate all those who are free of prejudice and judgement, doesn't it?

cosplay with kimonos

Poor Hirotsugu...he is a big part of my life so he has no choice but to be posted (pictures and commentaries) on my blog. Without him in it, this blog wouldn't be a complete and accurate depiction of my current life! (I posted this photo despite his protests...ooO Ooo oOo)

On Saturday we met up with Hiroshi Abe (an expert in kimono and all things traditionally Japanese!) at a kimono exhibition held near Ueno. We went to check out wedding kimonos and learn a little bit more about it. The kimono I am wearing is not a wedding kimono, however, it is a fancy 'furisode' long-sleeved (reserved for unmarried women) silk one. Hirotsugu is wearing a simple kimono, a first for him. I think it rather suits him - he considered buying it but we decided to shop around a bit more. At around 800-1000 dollars a pop, it's not something you can easily buy on impulse.
The wedding kimonos, called 'uchikake' are much more ornate and even a bit tacky with gold and silver embroidery, turtles and cranes detailed all throughout the garment... just stunning! Though the whole thing is a bit overdone, it looks absolutely gorgeous when worn for a wedding! Renting such a kimono costs anywhere from 2-3500 dollars!!! That is why I am in the market for a used or vintage one for less.