A few of my favorite Japanese things...

The more I explore and the more I discover here in Japan- the more I realize how much I will miss it all.  I still have another 2 years, but already I am thinking how much I will miss all this.

I love my PASMO card.  It is my ticket for riding on the trains, subway and buses.  And- they can be used to buy stuff at the vending machines.  The kids think it is awesome they can flash their card in front of the machines and pick out what they want.  The best thing about the Pasmo card is that I don't have to worry about buying the correct fare.  The charts can be very confusing and not always in English.  I don't even take it out of my wallet, I just flash my wallet over the machine at the gates and it beeps me through.  Ok- I know that this is not really a big "miss" item- as I most likely will go back to commuting only by car when we get back stateside.  I still think my PASMO card is cool.

Sushi-go-rounds.  They are the bomb!  And they don't just have sushi.  They will have salads, vegetables, juices for the kids, and desserts!  If you don't see what you want- they will make it for you right then and there.  If you go during a slow time of the day there will not be much on the conveyer belt as they don't want to waste food- so you'll get everything made for you as you order it.  My favorite is the salmon and young yellowtail.  The tuna and scallops are also very tasty.  They even have little egg omelets (tamago) that are served on a little lump of rice that I find quite tasty.  They are kind of sweet and almost taste like a custard.  I do not care for the "fishier" kind of fish like smelt and some other ones I don't remember the name of.  At first I tried it all.  Now I am a little more picky and can tell usually what to stay away from.  The baby octopus is "interesting"- I would probably enjoy it more if it wasn't so dang chewy.  I also didn't care for the pickled eggplant.  But I do love fresh Japanese eggplant- it is most tasty when fried up tempura style.  Did I mention dessert?  They have the cutest little custard dishes with all kind of nummy fillings.  My favorite is a coffee flavored custard with a dallop of cream on top.  When you're all done you flag down a waiter or push the button at your table.  All the plates are color coded- the waiter or waitress will count the plates and enter it all on their little hand held order pad machine.  They hand you a ticket and you go to the counter to pay.

Oh- when you enter the restaurant the sushi chefs and the wait staff will often greet you enthusiastically in Japanese.  When you leave they will do they same- except say goodbye and thank you.  It's an awesome experience. 

Grocery Stores!  I highly recommend anyone visting Japan to take a little time to stroll through a grocery store.  First of all- they are usually in a multiple floor building where you will find assorted stores and shops.  My favorite store Maruetsu has a sushi-go-round upstairs- perfect for a nice cheap lunch.  A lot of times you'll find dry cleaners, bakeries, clothing stores, drug stores and all sorts of other things all in one building.  It is like the Japanese version of a Super-Walmart- except they are actually separate store/shops- so there isn't one big cashier line.  In Maruetsu they have beautiful- I mean beautiful produce.  When I finally get my DSLR I am headed there to take some photos.  The meat and fish are beautiful too.  I have never seen such fresh salmon- it is practically still moving.  If you want a cheap lunch you can't beat the bento boxes.  They have all kind of stuff from the traditional salted salmon to fried chicken and tempura.  Honestly- Japan isn't all that expensive if you get out of the touristy areas and shop with the general population. 

(From the Maruetsu website- I believe these are sweets made from mochi- a kind of sweetened rice that is pounded down into a kind of paste and then shaped into assorted shapes.  I think it is definitely an "acquired" taste- very different than what we are used to.)

 These are just a few of my favorites- stay tuned as I discover more things I love about Japan!

Did You Know? (Random Facts about me that you may or may not care about!)

As you know- its "all about me"- so read on...

Did You Know?...

That Rosie Greer taught me how to make a hook shot when I was at basketball practice in the 10th grade? (and I had no idea who he was until my coach told me afterwards.)

That I really sucked at basketball?  I could make 3 pointers no problem- only not during the actual game.  I just couldn't dribble and run at the same time.

That I once met Mario Lopez from Saved by The Bell?  Yeah- I wasn't that impressed either...

Maybe is he was dressed like this I would have been more impressed...

That I can't rollerskate? (see the comment about basketball)

That Tony Lama gave my mother a pair of cowboy boots when she was 9 months pregnant with me?  I have those boots now.

That my first kiss was with Johhny Martinez in the 2nd grade?  I thought he was cute because he looked like John Travolta (as much as a 7 year old can look like John Travolta anyway.)

Johnny had the headband thing going too.

That I don't like plain Lay's potato chips- because they smell like farts to me?

That I like to dunk my PB&J sandwiches in chicken noodle soup?

That I once threw a heavy pair of scissors at the girl who lived across the street from me when I was 9 years old?  Lucky for me (and her) I had bad aim.

That I was robbed at gunpoint when I was working for Petco 15 years ago?  They never caught that bastard.

That I married my hubby a little over six months after meeting him for the first time?

That this month we celebrated our 14th anniversary?

That growing up in San Diego- I swore I would never date a sailor?  And then I married one!


That my junior high school was (is) next door to the San Diego Zoo?  We really enjoyed the smell of camel dung when we did our Friday run.

That my first words were in Spanish- because I had a Mexican nanny?  I then forgot it all after she left.

That I speak Spanish now?

That I have lived in 7 states and 2 countries?

That I have two tattoos?

That my favorite foods are sushi and ceviche?

I prefer my sushi served on a plate- personally...

That I think it is really gross to eat sushi off someone's naked body?  Whipped cream and chocolate maybe- but not RAW fish!  I was grossed out when Samantha did that in the Sex and the City movie too...

That I can't think of anything else to say?

Well- not really- but...

Hey!  Thanks for reading!

Cheers!

Food!

I admit, one if the things I most looked forward to in moving to Japan is the food. I love food and my world revolves around it at times (as does my waist line- hah!)
So my biggest frustration arriving here was that buying authentic Japanese cuisine was harder than I had planned. It sounds silly- but getting off base to go buy food has actually been an ordeal for me.
First off- the food court on base is all American food. I think I may have mentioned it in one my previous blogs. When the locals are invited on base- they are excited to visit the food court and eat American fast food. We think yuck- but to them it is truly different than what they can buy out in the local economy. Even their McDonald's is different- serving the likes of Ebi-burgers (shrimp burgers).

As I mentioned before- my first meal in Tokyo was actually American style food- I was disappointed not to try the sushi. I LOVE sushi, and I could eat it every day for every meal.

There are three little Japanese restaurants on base that cater to the Japanese military we share the base with. They are only open at lunch so I did not desire to take the kids with me. I did order fried rice and gyoza a couple of time and take it home to eat. But I could not convince the kids to walk off base and find something to eat, they just would rather eat at McDonald's! That and they do not want to do the walking- especially sister.

The weekend before dad was due to come home I talked the kids into finding the sushi-go-round with me. We drove the gate and walked across. I forgot the map so of course we couldn't find the sushi-go-round. (Found out later we just needed to walk two more blocks!) So we stopped at what looked like a nice ramen restaurant. And it would have been good, if we had ordered the right thing! Brother had fried rice and gyoza (seems to be a safe choice and quite tasty). Sister and I ordered what we thought was yellow ramen noodles and broth. The noodles come in a bowl that has a sort of colander places there to drain out the liquid. I tried my noodles- they are cold. I touch the bowl for the broth- it is cold. What??$%$^!! I look around- to see if they are coming back to cook my food? Is the joke on me? No, I found out later what we ordered is called somen- cold noodles. I call them yucky. Sister said they tasted like a burp after eating too many Easter eggs- I agree! They were egg noodles- but not the nice rich egg noodles we use for chicken noodle soup- but nasty hard boiled stinky egg noodles!

Husband tells me he will buy me some good food when he gets home. And he does! Our first night together we went to a place called the Gyoza House. He has brought back to the states many times frozen gyoza from this place- we were excited to try it in person. Oh and it is so delicious!! Afterwards we stopped at a convenience store called Lawson's where we picked up Haagen Daz ice cream bars. It is a raspberry panna cotta I believe- so delicious. I have never seen it in the states- I had been missing out!
The next day the kids were at school so Husband took me to a ramen restaurant on base that I had no idea was even there. I had the biggest bowl of noodles ever- and it was the small size! very delicious- especially with the little slices of pickled ginger I added on top. After the kids were out of school we headed to Yokohama by train. (I have to add that even though I would rather she behave- I am glad Husband got to see how difficult Sister is on the train.) In the train station downstairs are many many restaurants.
We stopped at a sushi-go-round. It is my dream come true!! It may not have been a true sushi-go-round in that there wasn't any conveyor belt showcasing the freshly prepared sushi. Instead we were given a color picture menu (with the names in English). So we pointed (I tried to pronounce the names in Japanese) to the chef(s) who then prepared our sushi for us. I thought I had died and gone to Heaven! It was truly the best sushi I have ever had. We tried a good variety- including squid and salmon eggs. My favorite was the salmon and blue-fin tuna. I liked it all except for the salmon eggs. I couldn't get over the smell- I felt like I should be baiting a hook with the eggs, not eating them!
Leaving the train station Husband picked up some bread at the French style bakery. From there we headed into the city. Yokohama is very cool- much to do and see. We stopped at a place called Dipper Dans. I thought it was ice cream in large cones at first when we ordered. But then I realized they were crepes! They make them right there in front of you and very meticulously prepare them as ordered. I had a crepe with whipped cream, strawberries, kiwi fruit and mango. It was so simple and so good! Now I am inspired to make crepes at home.
Back home we dug into our treats from the bakery. I eat a croissant like treat with mocha whipped cream inside- yum! The next night we will enjoy the loaf of french bread that has some sort of cheese in it- very good toasted with butter!
So in spite of a couple of road bumps- I feel confident I will enjoy more delicious Japanese cuisine! I am learning the words for cold and hot- so that I make sure I will never order cold egg noodles again. But I know I can't go wrong with the sushi. Is it lunch time yet?