Food Fun Friday- Hanaya Yohei

I have been meaning to post about Hanaya Yohei for ummm- since last October?  Better late than never I suppose?

Hanaya Yohei's website 

http://www.hanayayohei.co.jp/index.html  (sorry the link function isn't working properly)

Hanaya Yohei is described a family style sushi and Japanese food restaurant.  It is a chain restaurant, and can be found everywhere.  The atmosphere is like Coco's in the US, very family friendly with large booths and no frills.  the first time the kids and I went was when we first got here.  It was a challenge to order our food and we were afraid to push the button on our table to ask for more water.  I think I have mentioned it before- the waiters and waitresses in Japan will not bother you or ask you to take your order.  You have to summon them.  At first it seems like they are ignoring you if you are used to American style dining.  But then you realize it is NICE.  No one comes by to ask how your food is a million times- and every time you have a mouthful of food.  And no one rushes you out with your check and a meaningful look that says "please leave" so we can clear this table.  Here in Japan all of the places I have been to do not blink an eye if you sit around a chat for an hour after you have finished your food.  I am sure part of that is because Japanese people do a lot of family and friend get-togethers in restaurants.  Their houses are too small to host people, so they meet and socialize over meals.


Anyhoo-  the last time I visited Hanaya Yohei was with my good friends Jaime and Jason.  It was "Beer Garden Friday" and we usually liked to go eat before we headed to the beer garden.  The menu involves many different combos and it is difficult to choose.  There seem to be at least five different things in each selection on the menu.  The sushi is very good, and my favorite thing to eat there.  I did try fried octopus"fries" that night.  They are so delicious!  I would take them over french fries any day.


If you are willing to be adventurous and try things you have no idea what they are, this is a great place to go.  And if you like sushi, this is also a nice change of pace from a sushi go-round.

my meal- cold ramen noodles (I think it is called "somen" when cold?) and tempura.  Yumm!

fried pork or chicken cutlet

sushi- *nom nom*

chicken cutlets

Cheers!

~Nancy

Food Fun Friday- The Great Chip Adventure!

Happy Friday everyone!  I just love Friday.  I don't have to work, and Friday is the day I go to eat Hot Caesar Salad with my ladies.  If you haven't tried it- trust me it is delish.  The lettuce isn't hot- only the toppings- which consists of (you actually fill out a ticket to say if you want all or some of the following items): green peppers, mushrooms, onions, bacon, garlic, chicken and/or shrimp.  They stir fry it up and toss it with lettuce, croutons, and dressing.  Sooo good!  I even got fellow blogger Jes from Bleu Dress and Dress Blues to join our group every Friday.  The company is even better than the food- I so enjoy chatting with my girls every Friday.  When I am having one of those weeks- I have something to look forward to.

Today I don't have a restaurant review- but I thought I would show some of my favorite  chips.  I am on a low carb diet- so of course I am dreaming of  chips- ha!  Seriously though- Japan has some pretty awesome chips- in all different flavors, shapes and colors.

Yesterday I cheated on my diet with these lovely curry flavored chips.  Japanese curry rice is a favorite of mine- so imagine my excitement when I found these lovely chips at a convenience store.  I meant to only sample one and then pass it off to the children.  But the children didn't eat them all- so I finished them off myself. *blush*

I originally titled my post "potato" chip edition- but not all of these chips are potato chips.  I have found all sorts of chips- corm chips, vegetable chips and even chips made from bread (thinner than bagel chips and therefore qualify as a real chip in my opinion.)

These can be found anywhere and everywhere in Japan.  They have mastered the art of snacking!

The sliced bread chips.  They were thin and crispy- and quite tasty with the strawberry flavoring added.

The guy on the left is actually a box of creme filled cookies- they are quite tasty and I pick them up whenever I see a new flavor.  The bag in the middle is lime and chili- very good!  And the bag on the right is the front side of the bag of bread chips.

Wasabi chips on the left.  On the right- butter and honey chips.  Very unusal flavor for a potato chips- but these are my favorite.  Unfortunately our dog Brownie found them quite tasty as well and stole the bag off the counter while I was out of the house. *sad face*

Ok- obviously the stuff in the bag on the left are not "chips"- but the little dried fishies are considered "snack food".  I haven't been brave enough to try- but I sent them to my in-laws with the Christmas presents the year before last.  The bag on the right I think is also a fish falvored chips- apparently it goes well with beer!

I thought I had more pictures than I do!  I will have to take more.  Stay tuned to Part II of The Great Chip Adventure!

Food Fun Friday- how NOT to eat your curry rice...

See this dish folks?  This is curry rice- or karai raisu as said in Japanese.  Usually it comes with the curry sauce/gravy already on the plate (in this case it is in the gravy bowl.)  The breaded pork shown is tonkatsu.  It is all VERY delicious.  This is what I ate for dinner at the Royal Coffee Shop in the Narita airport on my way back from Singapore back in August.  Delicious food and great service (which is the norm in Japan- and there's no tipping!)

Today Jaime and I went to my favorite store in the world (yes WORLD)- Yuzawaya!  If you aren't sure what Yuzawaya is- see this post from last year...  Shopping five floors of awesomeness makes one hungry- so we found a noodle shop on the corner and upstairs.  We both picked a couple of pieces of tempura (I got shrimp, acorn squash, and sweet potato)- and we both ordered curry rice.  It was similar to the above picture- except ours came with big chunks of potatoes and carrots.  The food was mighty tasty and we were enjoying ourself immensely- our stomachs were no longer growling and our treasures from Yuzawaya were neatly stashed beside our chairs. 

Out of no where this older Japanese woman stops at our table and hands each of us a spoon.

A spoon?  I didn't need a spoon, neither did Jaime- we were rockin' the chopsticks man!

She insisted on the spoons.  While I know very little Japanese, I understand the words 'Japanese' or nihon-jin (as in a Japanese person) and 'curry rice'- karai raisu.  She was telling us that JAPANESE people DO NOT eat curry rice with chopsticks, they use SPOONS for goodness sake!  She repeated herself a few times- yes I know this for a fact.  She was obviously on her way out the door, so as she was backing away and heading to the exit- she continued to admonish us for eating our curry rice the WRONG WAY.  All the while her friend was covering her mouth as she stared at us and giggled.

I have never seen Jaime's face get that red.  My face was pretty hot as well.  EVERYONE in the restuarant had stopped eating/talking/picking their nose/whathaveyou- and were staring at us.  EVERYONE.  I had my back to them, so I didn't see them staring, but I could FEEL it man! 

So of course neither of us could pick up the damn spoons to finish our food.  Luckily we had some tempura left- chopsticks are ok there!  Damn if I was going to pick that spoon up right away so everyone could watch!  Eventually, after I felt everyone had lost interest- I picked up the darn spoon and finished off my curry rice.  That stuff is tha bomb- and the spoon was easier to use.  All the same- the chopsticks were doing their job too!

So people- learn from our mistakes!  Use that spoon for your curry rice!

Consider yourself warned...

Food Fun Friday- Ramen Baby!!

Welcome to the 2nd edition of Food Fun Friday.  It's already 9PM here, but for you state-siders it is still pretty darn early.  I am sad to say we only got off base to eat once this week.  Today I was on a mission to eat sushi, but unfortunately the whole dang town had the same idea and the line was out the door at our favorite "cheap" place to eat sushi.  Instead of driving to the nicer (more expensive and probably crowded as well) sushi joint, Sissy and I headed to the mall once more.  This time we hit one of the little restaurants, instead of eating in the food court. 

In Japan you'll notice that most of the restaurants either have big colorful pictures of their food, or an actual plate or two (and sometimes many many plates) of "display food".  It is like they prepared the dish, but then preserved it somehow so that it can be on display.  It reminds me of the fake fruit bowls back in the 70s and 80s.   Except of course everyone knows better than to try and take a bite of the food dispplays here.

So we picked by looking at the food display- a little ramen restaurant.  Here they have the  ticket machine where the customer places his or her order.  Usually they have the menu items in English, but not this place!  Lucky for us the waitress spoke very good English and she helped us place our order.  A kids plate for Sissy, pork ramen for me, and some gyoza to share.  Sissy's plate had fried rice, orange Fanta, and peach Jello.  Of course it was all very delicious (oishi).

entrance to the ramen restaurant at the mall

food display in front of the ramen restaurant, kind of weird, but it is very helpful for those of us who can't read sticks!

"kids' set"- they don't say "combo" they say "set" here, so I always ask for the kids' set for Sissy.  She got a toy as well.

My delicious pork ramen.  The white thing with the pink is a slice of boiled egg with a design done with food dye of some sort.  Did you know that slurping your noodles is totally acceptable in Japan?  In fact, it can be considered a compliment to the chef.  The men are much more boisterous than women in their slurping.  I have to say it always make me giggle.

GYOZA!  If you are unsure of what to order (read- scared), then order the gyoza, I haven't seen anyone mess it up yet- it is always TASTY!

For desert we stopped at the crepes place.  I LOVE CREPES.  Yum.  I have always ordered the dessert crepes, with ice cream or whatnot.  But next time I think I will try one of the savory crepes, for example the teriyaki chicken looks mighty delicious.

Atlanta Crazy Crepes, these guys are everywhere- very popular (and yes I have a punch card.)  Their motto is "Hold it in your hands, Love it in your Tummy!"  Yes indeed!

our crepes, best food invention ever

My final mention for food is a favorite of mine we discovered in one of the millions of convenience stores.  (I plan on devoting a post to 7-Eleven in the future.)  We thought it was just frozen fruit- but when you bite into them you not only get the fruit, but vanilla ice cream on the inside.  So yummy!

fruit/ice cream balls, what more can you ask for?

Itadakimasu!

Food Fun Friday- Octopus Balls!

One of my favorite things about living in Japan is sampling the different kinds of food!  Some things are inherantly Japanese- such as sushi and udon noodles, while other nations' cuisines have a Japanese "twist" on them, and can be suprisingly delicious! 

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and never eat out.  Here on base the choices are limited to mostly American fast food (yuck). So to get out of the food rut we must venture off base, which lately Brother has a big problem with.  The kid would be happy to hang out  the rest of our time in Japan in this little fish bowl of a base- ugg.  But once you do get off-base- the choices are endless.  The problem is- well- trying to figure out WHAT kind of food that place makes, is that chicken or pork, or WHAT kind of fish is THAT?  Many of us find ourselves pointing to pictures- not quite sure of what we will get in return.  I have learned to point and say "kore-wa kudasai"- translated- "I would like that one please".  Sometimes I will get asked a long string of questions in Japanese, all I can do is either nod yes (hai!) or shrug my shoulders "wakarimasen?" (I don't know/understand?)

Well we have definitely gotten out of our food rut as of lately.  It has been too damn hot to cook, so going out seems to be the only option.  We have also made many trips here and there in the past few weeks- so eating out is what we do! 

Last Friday Sissy and I took the train/subway to Hiro-o (hee-ro-o) Station to pick up her modeling pay (cha-ching!)  I offered to go eat at the amazing ramen restaurant that is nearby- but like my good daughter she is- she chose Starbuckys!  I ordered a vanilla frappucino (not realizing it wasn't the coffee kind), and a slice of quiche for me, a shrimp/egg sandwich for Sissy.  The quiche was delicious and familiar.  The shrimp and egg sandwich sounds gross you say?  Actually, I helped Sissy eat it and it was VERY good.  It was like an egg salad sandwich with some small yummy shrimp thrown in for good measure.  It was surprisngly tasty and may be something I pick up again in the future.  I know Starbucks doesn't sound that exciting for those who are stateside, but when there isn't one very close to where you live, you get excited about these little things.

I know- not that exciting- but it was to me!

Sissy enjoying her shrimp/egg sandwich at Starbucks, that's my quiche of the left.

This week I have been bitten by the shopping bug.  Right now the stores are all having their summer sales- so that could be a good or bad thing- depending on how you look at it.  Wednesday Sissy and I strolled over to Vina Walk, which is in Ebina.  It is a nice little mall, conveniently placed next to the train station, as many malls are here.  Vina Walk has an Outback Steakhouse, for those who are looking for American fare.  I have been there once, it is pretty good actually.  It is pretty pricey, but actually when you factor in the tip you would have paid stateside- you end up paying the same.  Here in Japan people do not tip in restaurants, cabs, etc.  They are actually paid a decent wage and are expected to provide excellent service (which they do about 98% of the time). 

Vina Walk also has a nice food court- which is where Sissy and I headed for lunch.  We had Indian.  The guys at the Indian restaurant are so friendly and actually speak very decent English.  In this food court they use the pagers you see used in the waiting areas in restaurants.  Once your order is ready- you go pick up your food.  That gives you the chance to find a table in the mean time.  Very efficient the Japanese are!  Oh, you don't ever have to pay for water or even order it most of the time- there is a little water station available for everyone to use, I love it!

butter chicken and nan- yummm!

The next day Brother, Sissy and I went to Ayase Town Hills, which is a small sized mall in Ayase.  It is connected to Viva Home- which I can only describe as a Japanese version of Home Depot.  In the food court Brother ordered Indian (because he missed out the previous day, Sissy ordered potatoes and a pizza dog, and I ordered tako-yaki.  What is tako yaki you ask?  OCTOPUS BALLS!  But not THOSE kind of balls, it is octopus meat and dough fried up into tasty(?) balls.  I have tried them once before, but they had gotten soggy in the plastic take out container- so I thought I should give them another go.  I ordered 6 octopus balls with "cheezu" (cheese).  They used a little blow torch to melt the cheese on top.  It looked mighty tasty.  But I only was able to eat two.  It just didn't do anything for me.  I am very disappointed.  I would love to tell everyone how much I enjoy octopus balls, but that would be untruthful.
I tried, right?

Gindaco's- here is where you get y'ur Octoballs!

tako-yaki AKA Octopus balls

he loves curry too- butter chicken just like Sisy had the day before...

Sissy being silly- and an example of one restaurants' menus in the food court at Ayase Town Hills.

sorry for the blurry pic- this is the machine where we ordered Brother's curry.  These are popular in Japan.  You put in your money and make your selections.  The machine gives you tickets for the menu items you ordered, which in turn you hand to the wait staff.  It is pretty fool proof, unless nothing is in English- then it gets hard!

 fried potato faces, Sissy loves them

Thank you for joining me in my food adventures, hopefully if I have any kind of follow through at all- I'll have something new for you next Friday!

Holy Cherry Blossom Frappuccino!

Sissy and I had the best day ever.  First- she got to miss school- and we took the train to Tokyo.  We were headed to her 2nd modeling job.  Before you think- hmm- why did she take her daughter out of school for MODELING?  Well let me tell you- everytime we go for an audition or what have you- we go to a new place in Tokyo.  There is so much to discover and so much to see and do.  Someone told me not to let school get in the way of your child's education.  That is so true! 
Anyway- we took the train to Yokohama (express train baby!) and transfered to the Tokyu Toyoda line and headed for Gakugeidaigaku station. 
I repeat- Gakugeidaigaku station.  Bit of a mouthful to say- I lovingly renamed it "googoo gaga" station- much easier to say.  Sissy thought that was the funniest thing she ever heard- I love 7 year olds- they are so easily amused. :-)
Back to my story.  We got off at googoogaga station and proceeded to find something delicious to eat.  There is a little shop right outside that had some lovely obentos- but they didn't have any seating (kind of more "take-out).  So we decided to proceed down the road.  We found Starbucks.  Tempting- but I reminded myself we always end up eating at Starbucks or Tullys or Krispie Kreme.  I wanted some good Japanese food.  We finally found what looked like some yummy gyoza.  So we stepped inside the little bitty restaurant and ordered the best lunch I have had in a while!  We had a large bowl of ramen, gyoza and chicken nuggets.  Don't think "McDonalds"- no these were lumpy real unprocessed chicken thigh meat.  The Japanese are spot on with chicken nuggets I tell you.  Sissy also ordered what looked like two balls of something coated with sesame seeds.  We had no idea what they were- but what the heck- the food was cheap so why not?  They turned out to be filled with mochi.  I actually liked it this time- the sesame seed coating/crust complimented to mochi's sweetness just right.  I was delightfully surprised at that.

After lunch we still had another hour to kill so we decided to do some exploring.  We found a shrine right in the middle of some apartments and houses.  I am trying to figure out the name.  Sissy hadn't been to one yet- so she was intrigued to see people going up to ring the bell and say a prayer.  I tried to get her to ring the bell but she was too scared.

The small shrine we found

Notice the fox on the right is nursing her pup? 

The photo shoot was long but fun.  The photography staff were just gaga over Sissy.  They kept saying "kawai!" which means "cute", in reference to her.  Today she modeled jewelry- a little different then last time.  I'll post pictures once it's safe to do so- don't want to get in trouble.

Oh geez- I forgot to tell you what happened before the photo shoot!  We made  it to Starbucks after all- all the walking made us want a little snack.  I was planning on getting something iced- but they had sakura flavored drinks and pastries.  Sakura means "cherry blossom".  I wasn't sure if it would be any good- but the frappuccino was so pink and pretty I had to give it a go.  Sissy picked out a little sort of bread that was sakura flavored (and pretty and pink as well.)  In fact- there was a real cherry blossom on top.

That sakura frappuccino was divine!  Sissy's desert was good- but not as good as my frap!  I can't exactly put my finger on the flavor- kind of tasted like cloves and maybe pumpkin?  I don't know- it was just good. 

My delicious cherry blossom frap

After the photo shoot we stopped at this lovely little park called Himonya Park.  We are planning a trip back as the petting zoo and the pony stalls were closed.  But we did find the little temple resting on a tiny island in the middle of the park's lake.  We walked to whole park and then I let Sissy blow off some steam and play in the playground for a just a bit (it was starting to get dark and hence rush hour on the train.)  As it turns out- it is a famous park and very old.  Who knew?

Front view of bridge to temple.

Sideview of the bridge.

I am not sure if this counts as a Torii gate?

We didn't avoid rush hour- but it wasn't too bad.  Let me to tell you -Sissy is a totally different child then the one that rode on the train with me when we first got here.  She no longer complains about having to stand when there are no seats and she WHISPERS!  That is a feat in itself.

She went to bed a happy little girl tonight.  She loved our mommy/daughter day she told me.  I think the icing on the cake was when I ordered a Happy Meal for myself- just like her.  She thought it was for Brother- when I said it was for me- she hugged me right there in the middle of McD's.
I have to say I will go to bed happy tonight as well!

Oh- we saw the cutest bulldog at the park.  He walked right up to the water spiggot and started to lick it- then his owner turned on the water for him and the bulldog proceeded to drink.  Too cute!  The picture is a little off kilter because I was trying to play it off like I was taking a picture of Sissy and not the dog.

Update:  It took me three days to finish this post (that is why it is so wordy)- plus I wanted to get the pictures up as well. 

After doing a little research- I realized that there are THOUSANDS of shrines in Japan.  The one we visited is very small so therefore it doesn't deem a mention in any of the websites I looked up.  But- I did find out that it is an Inari shrine- due to the foxes with the red bibs that guard the entrance.  I'll have to research some more so I can give a more educated description than that!

And lastly- I can now pronounce (after much practice)  Gakugeidaigaku.  That is my accomplishment for the week. :-)

Some more Japanese faves...

I don't have to leave to pick up my English student for another hour so I thought I would talk a little more about my favorite Japanese things.

Bento lunches! One of the pictures is upside down- I didn't realize the bento was upside down when I took the picture. But you can see the price in the lower right corner- 398Yen. That is roughly $4. Talk about cheap and yummy! I admit- I did not eat all of the seaweed looking stuff- but I ate just about everything else. It had a fried fish fillet, salted salmon, some sort of dumpling, a chicken nugget and tamago (egg omelet I mentioned before.) They have the best chicken nuggets here. I am not a big nugget fan- but I love them here. Of course I had to top off my lunch with a Caffe Latte from Mt Rainier. I am not sure if the coffee is really from Washington state- but who cares- it is good!  I bought this particular bento at the grocery store- but they can be found everywhere.  7-Eleven carries them and will make them to order.  Did I mention that there are 7-Elevens and AM/PMs on every corner?  That is not an exaggeration either!

Festivals, street fairs- whatever you want to call them.  They seem to spring up spontaneously- but I am sure there is much planning involved.  This particular one was last fall in Yamato (I may have posted pictures of this before?)  We had no idea it was there- we just happened to come across it stepping out of the train station.  What a nice little detour.  We found all kinds of food, drinks (beer) and dessert.  Sister enjoyed her chocolate covered banana on a stick.  It was good- but I am used to the banana being frozen- so I was surprised when it wasn't.  The last picture is a Japanese tea ceremony.

I am sure I will have more festival pictures to share in the future.  There will be a big cherry blossom festival next month I believe.  I can't wait!

Nothing to say... (yeah right!)

I started to post the other day and then scrapped it- it seemed like I had a good idea- but then it just sounded like a bunch of rubbish.  I tend to babble- but this was bad babbling.

So I am in a better mood these days.  After getting over the unanticipated shock over my grandmother's anticipated passing- I feel more at peace.  I realized that her being in hospice was always in the back of my mind- and I felt guilty that I wasn't there for my mom.  It is kind of like I have been holding my breath this whole time.

I am still trying to get into the holiday groove here- which is a task if you live in Japan.  Here they buy a Christmas Cake on the 25th on the way home from work for their family.  Strange that they don't have the day off- but why would they?  The groceries store in town has flyers in the front entrance showing all of the cute cakes they make.  Like I said- they are "cute"- but to me not very Christmas-y.  I told hubby after chowing down on some marzipanstollen I bought at the commissary yesterday- I would like to spend a Christmas in Germany some day.  I would probably eat my way through the country and then have to buy two seats for myself on the plane ride home.  The Germans make the best Christmas food- in my opinion.  Hubby actually lived in Germany as a teenager- so he agrees.  Last year for my Christmas present he took me to a bed and breakfast in Leavenworth (Washington- not the prison.)  Leavenworth is this adorable little Bavarian town nestled in the Cascade Mountains.  That was the best Christmas present ever.

The Serenity Suite at the All Seasons River Inn

The All Seasons River Inn is located on Icicle Road- which is aptly named.  In January the whole town is one giant icicle.  Good thing we had 4-wheel drive and good thing I didn't have to drive.  Hubby parked our giant Dodge truck in the tiny parking lot- or should I say he "slid" the truck into the parking lot- literally.

I loved that place- I dream about it all of the time.  When I need to go to my "happy place"- I think of our room in that B&B.  Everyday they leave you a delicious homemade goodie in your room on antique glassware.  They are always cooking and baking so the place smells like heaven.  They served the best breakfast too!  We spent our time there enjoying the ice festival, eating shnitzel, and drinking german beer.  Oh, we also checked out the wine tasting galleries.  We bought one of the bottles from Three Sisters Winery and found some lovely cheese to to go with.  Like I said- I LOVE Leavenworth.  If we get to move back to Washington some day- I am going to make that an annual ritual for our anniversary.

I guess I am thinking about Leavenworth because of the holiday feel and the "coziness" of the place.  If I could go anywhere right now- that would be the place.  For now I will just have to get out a bottle of wine and some cheese and close my eyes and pretend I am there.

I was going to write something about my wacky neighbors- but I think I will save that for my next post- something to look forward to (at least for me.)

Until then...

Cheers!

Rhea Rhea of the Mouth

My dear dear friend used to tell me that I had "diarrhea of the mouth" whenever I started babbling too much (which was quite often).  Eventually diarrhea was shortened to "rhea rhea"- which just sounds better and not as disgusting. She wasn't the only one to tell me that I talk too much of course- but at least she said it in a sort of affectionate way.  My old roommate just told me that I talked too much and would go in her room and shut the door in my face.  Whenever I find myself talking someone's ear off, I realize that I am having a case of rhea rhea of the mouth again.  Poor Hubby has been subjected to this condition of mine many times.  When he is super quiet and stops responding I realize I have overdone it again.  Maybe that is what draws me to blogging- I don't have to corner my victim to get him or her to listen to my ramblings.  Here you can take it or leave it and I don't have to know.  Of course I could always get a rude comment or two- but I am not too worried.

Speaking of ramblings...

One of  my neighbors keeps grilling really delicious smelling food every night, or every other night.  It really makes me miss our big stainless steel grill we left in storage.  We thought we wouldn't have room- turns out we do of course.  I didn't think I would start missing American food this soon.  But I do miss Red Robins.  We went there at least 3 times a month.   They have the best fries. Yummm...

I took the kids to Yuzawaya (the big craft store I raved about previously).  They loved it as well, I had no doubt they would.  It turns out there was a big festival going on right outside the train station.  So we meandered on over to find all kinds of booths- food, crafts and the typical businesses handing out promotional stuff- similar to what you would see at an American street fair.  We got to see a tea ceremony and even took part.  The nice ladies from the Yamato Tea School (I may have that name wrong)- some of which were American- presented us with a "sweet" and tea.  The sweet was some sort of white dumpling with a purple center- it was very pretty and very sweet- and different.  Brother DID NOT care for it.  He didn't like the tea either.  He was making faces while trying to drink it.  I looked up and saw an older Japanese couple totally enjoying his expressions and they were laughing.  I didn't tell Brother- I knew he would not appreciate that.  I asked where to buy the green tea powder.  The use it in the restaurants and it is so yummy.  I did find a sort of green tea latte powder.  It actually crackles when I pour hot water on it.  It is very good, but I am sure it is not as healthy as it is sweetened.  After the tea we bought some yakisoba and "meat on a stick"- there is a name for it but it is not coming to me right now.  It looks like chicken sate you get at Thai restaurants,  except this was a bigger stick with big pieces of pork.  Brother loved it.  Afterwards I bought the kids chocolate covered bananas.  I wanted to try the sugared sweet potato fries, but I was too full.  One thing I don't think I will try is the "fish on a stick".  I am sad I didn't get a picture- next time.  It was literally a whole fish- head and all- on a stick.  If it was frozen we could call it a "fishcicle".

                   
Speaking of food, I went grocery shopping at the local grocery store- Maruetsu.  It is an adventure in itself.  There are so many things to discover and boggle about- *what the heck is that??*  I have to say the fish section is beautiful- the fish looks like it was just caught an hour ago it is that fresh.  Makes the nasty commissary fish look even worse (if that is even possible.)  The cool thing I have noticed about these grocery stores is that if you go upstairs you can find a 100 yen store and all sorts of other goodies.  I think it is the Japanese version of a Super Wal-Mart in a way.

I had a thought about some of the food I have purchased at the commissary.  I bought some Chuka Soba noodles.  It was made in Thailand to be sold in the US.  So does that mean I just bought something that was shipped from this area only to come back?  That seems very silly.  It is definitely not very "green".  I am going to try to avoid that from now on.  Hopefully it was shipped directly to Japan in the first place and never to the US, but I doubt it.