Ever since I've baked my first batch of biscuits in that little Japanese microwave combi oven we have, I've made it a bit of a habit to indulge in some simple baking pleasures during my free time on weekends. Last weekend, it was brownies. Pretty simple and easy to make, and the result is a rich, moist chocolatey sweet treat. I've been told that it is pleasantly not too sweet.
Note - my first batch, baking at 170degC for 30 minutes, had a bit of a cake-like crumb texture (as you can see in the first picture on the left). I have since tried baking it at 160degC for 25 minutes and it came out beautifully fudgey (picture on the right) - even better than my first batch.
Ingredients
100g butter
1/2 cup (50g) cocoa
1 cup (150g) sugar
3/4 cup (90g) flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
Method
Preheat the oven to 170deg C. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Sift cocoa and mix well with the melted butter. Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract and mix well, beating lightly (I used a wooden spoon) to incorporate into the cocoa/butter mixture. Sift in the flour and baking powder to the liquid mixture and mix well to form a nice smooth batter. Grease an 8-inch square baking ware (I used a Pyrex dish) and pour the batter into it. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. To check if it is ready, poke a toothpick/skewer into the centre of the brownie - it's ready if it comes out clean. Let the brownie cool in the dish before removing and cutting into pieces.
Compare my first batch of brownies (170degC for 30minutes) with my preferred outcome (160degC for 25minutes):
Tuesday 31 October 2006
Monday 30 October 2006
An unpleasant discovery..
One of the American JETs brought some Hershey's milk chocolates to share on Friday after the dinner hosted at our place, and we had one small block leftover. Now, ever since I developed a taste for dark chocolate, I snub milk chocolates so I did not have any of these chocolates on Friday night. So yesterday, I offered this leftover chocolate piece to Rob, and he rejected it. Which is amazing because Rob doesn't reject chocolates. But he said this one is not that great. He even said to chuck it because he won't be having it. I hate wasting food, so I thought I'll try a bit. It's chocolate - how bad can it be?
It was foul and I literally spat it out (Rob was very amused by my reaction which involved a lot of grotesque facial expressions). I've had chocolates from those cheap generic name brands, and yeah they were not great, but I kid you not, these Hershey's chocolates were worse. It had a weird taste and I will never ever have another Hershey's chocolate. I don't claim to be a connoiseur in chocolate, but we do indulge in having a bit of (dark) chocolate after dinner almost everyday so I think I have pretty good judgement in chocolates. These Hershey's chocolates ought to be banned! I hope never to encounter chocolates like this one ever again! Another JET (from England) said American chocolates were bad, but I thought they were just being patriotic to what's available in their own country (because they did say that they thought English chocolates are best). Although Hershey's probably is not representative of all American chocolates, I think I will stick on the safe side and avoid American chocolates. I don't think I'd want to offend any Americans with the same reaction I had yesterday.
I wish fine Swiss or Belgian chocolates were more easily available here... Oh how I miss Lindt and Guylian.
It was foul and I literally spat it out (Rob was very amused by my reaction which involved a lot of grotesque facial expressions). I've had chocolates from those cheap generic name brands, and yeah they were not great, but I kid you not, these Hershey's chocolates were worse. It had a weird taste and I will never ever have another Hershey's chocolate. I don't claim to be a connoiseur in chocolate, but we do indulge in having a bit of (dark) chocolate after dinner almost everyday so I think I have pretty good judgement in chocolates. These Hershey's chocolates ought to be banned! I hope never to encounter chocolates like this one ever again! Another JET (from England) said American chocolates were bad, but I thought they were just being patriotic to what's available in their own country (because they did say that they thought English chocolates are best). Although Hershey's probably is not representative of all American chocolates, I think I will stick on the safe side and avoid American chocolates. I don't think I'd want to offend any Americans with the same reaction I had yesterday.
I wish fine Swiss or Belgian chocolates were more easily available here... Oh how I miss Lindt and Guylian.
Thursday 26 October 2006
Flatts' Bakery Cafe (Noto, Ishikawa-ken)
I've mentioned before about Flatts Bakery owned by an Australian. The bakery is also a little cafe which serves lunch. The Flatts also run a small guest house lodging (3 rooms?) where for 7,000 yen (about AU$80?) you can enjoy a pizza and pasta dinner course and stay overnight and enjoy a Japanese brekkie the next morning. If you're only interested in the pizza and pasta course, it costs 4,000 yen. So it's more about the food than the lodging (apparently this bakery is quite well-known in Japan and foodies from Osaka and bigger cities have travelled into our little inaka to eat and lodge at Flatts').
On Saturday, we had lunch at Flatts'. It certainly was a nice change from the 'Chinese' food we had the night before. The bakery is on the coastal road so it has a great view of the sea. I cycle or drive past it everyday to and from my school and I'll occasionally see Ben or his wife Chikako or his children around the area.
The actual bakery section where they sell the bread and dessert products is actually quite small. The cafe adjacent to the bakery area has perhaps four tables and has a nice cozy atmosphere. There is even a 'chillout' room next to the cafe with sofas. Of course, the atmosphere wouldn't be complete without gaijin music playing :) It's a nice place to just kick back and relax and enjoy the view.
Bakery section with yummy 'real' bread:
The cafe dining area:
The view from where we were sitting:
The lunch menu consists of pizzas and the standard BLT's and other rolls and sandwiches at very affordable prices. Large pizzas (25-30cm diameter?) cost 1500 yen, and small pizzas (20cm diameter?) cost 900 yen. The sandwiches cost around the 500 yen mark. There is also a Thai red curry dish for 800 yen. We were pretty confident that the food will be of high standards since we've had their bakery products and dined at the Flatts' house for their matsuri. We chose the olive and salami pizza and the Thai red curry, and they were delicious.
Thai red curry pork with banana and yoghurt:
The olive and salami pizza - small:
Flatts' also does coffee - apparently 'real' coffee, not the Japanese ones which are supposedly weak. Unfortunately, since neither of us are coffee drinkers we cannot verify if the coffee is nice or not. We did, however, order the ice chocolate. I only had a sip or two since I know that my lactose-intolerant digestive system won't be happy if I downed a glass of milk.
Sipping ice chocolate:
All in all, it was a lovely lunch date with just the two of us - something we should definitely do more often.
On Saturday, we had lunch at Flatts'. It certainly was a nice change from the 'Chinese' food we had the night before. The bakery is on the coastal road so it has a great view of the sea. I cycle or drive past it everyday to and from my school and I'll occasionally see Ben or his wife Chikako or his children around the area.
The actual bakery section where they sell the bread and dessert products is actually quite small. The cafe adjacent to the bakery area has perhaps four tables and has a nice cozy atmosphere. There is even a 'chillout' room next to the cafe with sofas. Of course, the atmosphere wouldn't be complete without gaijin music playing :) It's a nice place to just kick back and relax and enjoy the view.
Bakery section with yummy 'real' bread:
The cafe dining area:
The view from where we were sitting:
The lunch menu consists of pizzas and the standard BLT's and other rolls and sandwiches at very affordable prices. Large pizzas (25-30cm diameter?) cost 1500 yen, and small pizzas (20cm diameter?) cost 900 yen. The sandwiches cost around the 500 yen mark. There is also a Thai red curry dish for 800 yen. We were pretty confident that the food will be of high standards since we've had their bakery products and dined at the Flatts' house for their matsuri. We chose the olive and salami pizza and the Thai red curry, and they were delicious.
Thai red curry pork with banana and yoghurt:
The olive and salami pizza - small:
Flatts' also does coffee - apparently 'real' coffee, not the Japanese ones which are supposedly weak. Unfortunately, since neither of us are coffee drinkers we cannot verify if the coffee is nice or not. We did, however, order the ice chocolate. I only had a sip or two since I know that my lactose-intolerant digestive system won't be happy if I downed a glass of milk.
Sipping ice chocolate:
All in all, it was a lovely lunch date with just the two of us - something we should definitely do more often.
Tuesday 24 October 2006
Konnyaku in garlic miso
Konnyaku jelly is quite firm and has very little taste but will absorb the flavours of whatever is cooked in. It features quite a bit in Japanese cooking, mainly in nabe (hotpot) dishes where the konnyaku is simmered in a broth for quite a while allowing it to absorb the broth's flavour. Konnyaku is high in fibre and minerals but low in kilojoules (a popular diet food).
I had some leftover from when I cooked takikomi gohan so I decided to try my hand at doing something different with it to serve as a side dish. Since konnyaku is pretty tasteless by itself, the sauce has to be quite strong to give it flavour. I kept the flavour simple, using only garlic and miso paste.
Ingredients
Some oil
200g kuro konnyaku, cubed
3 cloves garlic, garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon miso paste
some water
lots of roasted sesame seeds
Method
Marinate the konnyaku cubes for 30minutes in half the garlic, soy sauce and mirin. Saute the remaining garlic in some oil for a couple of minutes until it is slightly brown, then add the miso and cook for less than one minute until it imparts a lovely aroma. Add the konnyaku (reserving the marinade) and stirfry for a minute. Add the reserved marinade to deglaze, and simmer the konnyaku for a few minutes, adding a little bit of water now and then to deglaze the pan as needed. Turn off heat and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
I had some leftover from when I cooked takikomi gohan so I decided to try my hand at doing something different with it to serve as a side dish. Since konnyaku is pretty tasteless by itself, the sauce has to be quite strong to give it flavour. I kept the flavour simple, using only garlic and miso paste.
Ingredients
Some oil
200g kuro konnyaku, cubed
3 cloves garlic, garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon miso paste
some water
lots of roasted sesame seeds
Method
Marinate the konnyaku cubes for 30minutes in half the garlic, soy sauce and mirin. Saute the remaining garlic in some oil for a couple of minutes until it is slightly brown, then add the miso and cook for less than one minute until it imparts a lovely aroma. Add the konnyaku (reserving the marinade) and stirfry for a minute. Add the reserved marinade to deglaze, and simmer the konnyaku for a few minutes, adding a little bit of water now and then to deglaze the pan as needed. Turn off heat and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Monday 23 October 2006
Japanised Chinese food
On Friday night, we were invited to dinner with some of the younger teachers at my school, organised by one of the teachers to help lift up the spirits of those who recently sat a teachers' qualifications exam and did not pass. (All teachers have to do this exam, and it is really difficult - apparently, out of the 160 teachers who took part in this year's Social Studies and Phys Ed category of the teachers' exam, only 4 passed!) Dinner was at a 'Chinese' restaurant called Kyouchan in Ushitsu (the main town of Noto-cho, where my school is).
I think this was our first time dining at a non-Japanese place since arriving in Japan. The food was... how shall I put it? Well, I guess this is the Japanese version of Chinese cuisine. Yeah, it was greasy and full of sodium as is typical of Chinese food, but it has definitely been bastardised. It was edible (in fact, Rob enjoyed it), but I wouldn't call it authentic Chinese food. They used the wrong starch for several dishes, giving the ingredients a gluggy texture (I think tapioca starch was used instead of cornstarch). There weren't a lot to choose from on the menu, and there were perhaps 15 main dishes on the menu. I think we probably ordered everything on the menu because the food just kept on coming. From the top of my head, we had lots of prawn dishes, a greasy eggplant dish, lots of chicken, an omelette, two bowls of ramen, gyoza (dumplings), yakisoba (fried noodles), fried rice - the list goes on.
The food was okay and edible, but it is not good enough for me to want to go back. I think I'll stick with what the Japanese cook best - Japanese food. But everyone else seemed to enjoy the food so I guess this is how the Japanese enjoy their 'Chinese' food. Or perhaps I was mistaking their alcohol enjoyment for food enjoyment. We had lots of fun with the company - I enjoy socialising with my collegues outside of the school, and Rob enjoyed practising his Japanese with native speakers. My knees didn't enjoy sitting cross-legged on the floor for three hours though!
The group around the table in our private room:
Some of the food - I eventually stopped taking photos of the food because there were too many dishes!
Dessert - only two were available: Lychee sorbet and Lychee tofu. Both were quite nice - light and refreshing after a greasy meal:
I think this was our first time dining at a non-Japanese place since arriving in Japan. The food was... how shall I put it? Well, I guess this is the Japanese version of Chinese cuisine. Yeah, it was greasy and full of sodium as is typical of Chinese food, but it has definitely been bastardised. It was edible (in fact, Rob enjoyed it), but I wouldn't call it authentic Chinese food. They used the wrong starch for several dishes, giving the ingredients a gluggy texture (I think tapioca starch was used instead of cornstarch). There weren't a lot to choose from on the menu, and there were perhaps 15 main dishes on the menu. I think we probably ordered everything on the menu because the food just kept on coming. From the top of my head, we had lots of prawn dishes, a greasy eggplant dish, lots of chicken, an omelette, two bowls of ramen, gyoza (dumplings), yakisoba (fried noodles), fried rice - the list goes on.
The food was okay and edible, but it is not good enough for me to want to go back. I think I'll stick with what the Japanese cook best - Japanese food. But everyone else seemed to enjoy the food so I guess this is how the Japanese enjoy their 'Chinese' food. Or perhaps I was mistaking their alcohol enjoyment for food enjoyment. We had lots of fun with the company - I enjoy socialising with my collegues outside of the school, and Rob enjoyed practising his Japanese with native speakers. My knees didn't enjoy sitting cross-legged on the floor for three hours though!
The group around the table in our private room:
Some of the food - I eventually stopped taking photos of the food because there were too many dishes!
Dessert - only two were available: Lychee sorbet and Lychee tofu. Both were quite nice - light and refreshing after a greasy meal:
Friday 20 October 2006
My first attempt at takikomi gohan
Takikomi means 'boiled with' and gohan means 'rice'. Takikomi gohan is sorta like fried rice, where you can use whatever ingredients you think will go well together (or whatever you have on hand). However, it is quite a bit more healthier without all the grease and oil because the rice is cooked with the ingredients. I suppose you can also liken takikomi gohan with risotto, paella and pilaf - all rice dishes from different cuisines also cooked with various ingredients (obviously using different rice grains).
Traditionally, takikomi gohan is cooked using a special claypot, but many Japanese utilise the rice cooker which makes it a whole lot more convenient. Tonight, I attempted to make this dish using our tiny rice cooker. In hindsight, this would work much better with a bigger pot - I live and I learn. It was quite tasty though - I especially liked the charred crunchy chewy rice at the bottom of the pot (apparently, this burnt bit is called okoge and is considered by a lot of Japanese to be the best part).
Ingredients (for four servings)
2 cups short-grain rice, washed
400g chicken breast fillets, cubed
1.5 tablespoon each of shoyu (soy sauce) and mirin (sweet cooking sake)
enough dashi (stock) to make up a total of 2 cups liquid ingredients
100g kuro konnyaku (dark devil's tongue jelly), sliced
1 carrot, julliened
4 kinoko (mushrooms), sliced
200g daikon, julliened
Method
Put everything into the rice cooker and turn on the rice cooker. Just make sure that the capacity of the rice cooker is sufficient for the quantity you're using. It's that simple. When the rice cooking process is done, stir and serve immediately (you might end up with mushy rice if you leave it in the rice cooker for too long).
Traditionally, takikomi gohan is cooked using a special claypot, but many Japanese utilise the rice cooker which makes it a whole lot more convenient. Tonight, I attempted to make this dish using our tiny rice cooker. In hindsight, this would work much better with a bigger pot - I live and I learn. It was quite tasty though - I especially liked the charred crunchy chewy rice at the bottom of the pot (apparently, this burnt bit is called okoge and is considered by a lot of Japanese to be the best part).
Ingredients (for four servings)
2 cups short-grain rice, washed
400g chicken breast fillets, cubed
1.5 tablespoon each of shoyu (soy sauce) and mirin (sweet cooking sake)
enough dashi (stock) to make up a total of 2 cups liquid ingredients
100g kuro konnyaku (dark devil's tongue jelly), sliced
1 carrot, julliened
4 kinoko (mushrooms), sliced
200g daikon, julliened
Method
Put everything into the rice cooker and turn on the rice cooker. Just make sure that the capacity of the rice cooker is sufficient for the quantity you're using. It's that simple. When the rice cooking process is done, stir and serve immediately (you might end up with mushy rice if you leave it in the rice cooker for too long).
Tuesday 17 October 2006
Sesame biscuits
One of the things I miss most is baking food in an oven. We don't have big ovens here - there just isn't any market for it. Of course, you can pay about $500 to $1000 for an oven at the home centre, but it really is something we have to adapt without. We have a microwave 'combi' oven which also works as an oven, but it is the size of a microwave oven so you can't exactly do roast chicken in it! However, we are impressed at how 'smart' this combi-oven is. The microwave function automatically detects when your food is hot enough and tells you when it's ready.
I love goma (sesame seeds). It's so fragrant and delicious, and pretty good for you (it's high in iron!). I decided to try them in biscuits. I even had the bright idea of using sesame oil in the dough!! It is so yummy :) If I was making this for just myself to eat, I would bake it longer and make the biscuits harder and more crunchier.. Perhaps next time I ought to do a 'Jean' batch ;)
Ingredients
90g butter (softened to room temperature)
90g sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sesame oil
1.5 cups (200g) flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
lots of toasted sesame seeds (I didn't measure but it would be about 1/4 cup?)
water as needed
Method
1) Preheat oven to 180degC.
2) Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
3) Mix in the egg, vanilla extract and the sesame oil into the wet mixture.
4) In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and sesame seeds.
5) Gradually add the dry mix to the wet mix and mix well.
6) If dough is dry and crumbly, add water a little at a time as needed until dough is no longer dry.
7) Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough, flatten slightly and place on a baking tray that has either been lightly greased or lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with extra sesame seeds. Makes about 20.
8) Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
I love goma (sesame seeds). It's so fragrant and delicious, and pretty good for you (it's high in iron!). I decided to try them in biscuits. I even had the bright idea of using sesame oil in the dough!! It is so yummy :) If I was making this for just myself to eat, I would bake it longer and make the biscuits harder and more crunchier.. Perhaps next time I ought to do a 'Jean' batch ;)
Ingredients
90g butter (softened to room temperature)
90g sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sesame oil
1.5 cups (200g) flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
lots of toasted sesame seeds (I didn't measure but it would be about 1/4 cup?)
water as needed
Method
1) Preheat oven to 180degC.
2) Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
3) Mix in the egg, vanilla extract and the sesame oil into the wet mixture.
4) In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and sesame seeds.
5) Gradually add the dry mix to the wet mix and mix well.
6) If dough is dry and crumbly, add water a little at a time as needed until dough is no longer dry.
7) Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough, flatten slightly and place on a baking tray that has either been lightly greased or lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with extra sesame seeds. Makes about 20.
8) Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Saturday 14 October 2006
Eggy oyako donburi
Yesterday I made my first attempt at cooking oyakodon, and it is very simple to do - the only thing you have to be careful is to avoid making scrambled eggs. I found a good website with loads of information on how to cook various Japanese dishes, complete with a glossary of ingredients and tools and names of Japanese food - this is where I based my oyakodon recipe upon.
Whenever we ate oyakodon at Mr. Samurai on Beaufort Street back in Perth, Rob would remark at how yummy the sauce was. I can't believe how easy it is to make it! Just like how I was surprised at how easy it was to make teriyaki sauce (believe it or not, the first time I had teriyaki sauce was the one I made). I've found that many Japanese sauces consist of soy sauce, mirin and sugar in different quantities, so it wasn't so surprising to learn that the tsuyu sauce for oyakodon is made up of those three ingredients plus dashi. Rob said my oyakodon tasted very much like the ones we buy so I guess we'll count this recipe as a success. I just need to work on the visual presentation of it - the eggs turned out too scrambled for my liking.
Oyako donburi for two
Ingredients
2 cups cooked rice
100g chicken breast fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, sliced very thinly
3 eggs, very lightly beaten (avoid foaming)
tsuyu:
1/2 cup dashi
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Method
Divide ingredients into two. Heat the tsuyu in a shallow pan or pot, then place the onion in the tsuyu and cook for a couple of minutes until the onion has softened. Next add the chicken and bring up to a simmer until the chicken is cooked. Pour the eggs slowly and evenly into the pot and ever-so-gently break up the eggs to blend. Turn off the fire when you think it is about 80% cooked, and serve immediately on rice.
Whenever we ate oyakodon at Mr. Samurai on Beaufort Street back in Perth, Rob would remark at how yummy the sauce was. I can't believe how easy it is to make it! Just like how I was surprised at how easy it was to make teriyaki sauce (believe it or not, the first time I had teriyaki sauce was the one I made). I've found that many Japanese sauces consist of soy sauce, mirin and sugar in different quantities, so it wasn't so surprising to learn that the tsuyu sauce for oyakodon is made up of those three ingredients plus dashi. Rob said my oyakodon tasted very much like the ones we buy so I guess we'll count this recipe as a success. I just need to work on the visual presentation of it - the eggs turned out too scrambled for my liking.
Oyako donburi for two
Ingredients
2 cups cooked rice
100g chicken breast fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, sliced very thinly
3 eggs, very lightly beaten (avoid foaming)
tsuyu:
1/2 cup dashi
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Method
Divide ingredients into two. Heat the tsuyu in a shallow pan or pot, then place the onion in the tsuyu and cook for a couple of minutes until the onion has softened. Next add the chicken and bring up to a simmer until the chicken is cooked. Pour the eggs slowly and evenly into the pot and ever-so-gently break up the eggs to blend. Turn off the fire when you think it is about 80% cooked, and serve immediately on rice.
Friday 13 October 2006
A heads up for anyone wanting to come to Japan!
The 2007 JET Application forms for Aussies are now available here. My advice is to apply if you are thinking of living in Japan because it's a great way to come here - they really do take care of a lot of things for you. The only requirements for the application are that you need to have a degree by July 2007 and that you're an Australian citizen.
Application deadline is 1 December 2006.
Application deadline is 1 December 2006.
Bugsville
Honestly, Japan is bugsville. So many bugs everywhere! And they're huge too! We've seen birds about the size of my index finger, and bugs much bigger than those birds. Good thing neither of us are scared of bugs (well, actually, I don't like huge dead bugs. A cockroach's corpse is worse to me than a live one). Anyway, this beautiful spider was just outside our apartment. It was quite big - its body alone was perhaps at least 2inches long. The patterns on its back and legs are quite pretty. Of course, there are much uglier-looking bugs around..
Thursday 12 October 2006
Onsen, okonomiyaki and yakiniku
It is mid-term exam time at my school and that means no classes for one week! BUT I have to write up lots of exams and I'm more busy now than I was when I had to plan and teach lessons :P
Something I've learnt recently about the Japanese people - they are real sticklers at routine. For example, they will eat winter foods like oden (hot pot) and nabe (hearty hot broth) ONLY in winter and summer foods like zaru soba and somen (cold noodles) only in summer. Kim's JTE said she was looking forward to winter so she can eat hot pot, and Kim suggested why not cook it now - her JTE looked at Kim as if she'd suggested something odd and responded with "You cook winter food only in winter". And apparently, the beach is only open for swimming during July and August. They shut off the public showers at the beach at other times. Too bad if you wanna swim huh?
Onsen bath time!
Last Saturday, us and a bunch of fellow JETs decided to spend the afternoon relaxing at a nice onsen spa place. Entry fee is pretty pricey at 1050yen (about AU$11 to AU$12?) but you can stay as you want, until closing time of course. This being my second time at an onsen, I found that I've totally gotten over any naked shyness. There was an outdoor bath and though it was chilly and drizzly (remember, it rained non-stop for 2-3 days), it was kinda nice chilling out in hot water with cold rain on your face and head. For some reason, onsens are also a good place to get to know your fellow (female) JETs. I think the whole nakedness thing helps people to be more open for some reason.
At this onsen spa, for 500yen extra, you can enjoy some light therapy where you basically go into a really warm room, lie down on some gravelly stones and stare at the ceiling while they play weird kaleidoscopic lights on the ceiling, some relaxing music and a narration in the typical cutesy Japanese girly voice. It lasts for 30minutes, and I actually fell asleep for a few minutes!
For 2000yen extra, you can enjoy a 20 minute massage. I'd never paid for a massage before because I never felt the need to (Rob's good at massaging) and also because I'm really iffy about people touching me. Took some convincing to get me to sign up for a massage. I actually had to ask if they massage hard because I only like firm massages. And boy do they do it hard. I could actually feel my internal organs move under the pressure! But it was good. I suppose. Well, I enjoy massages only if I need one, like if my muscles are really tensed due to stress or something. And I wasn't feeling particularly stressed on Saturday. Oh well, like Rob said, it's all part of the experience.
More okonomiyaki...
We went to have okonomiyaki for lunch at a nearby place called Deko's. Fellow JETs rave about this place, saying it has the best okonomiyaki. So off we went to try it out. It was nice, but we've had yummier ones before. This time we knew what to do so we did the cooking ourselves.
The restaurant interior:
The unmixed batter in the measuring cup:
The final product with seasoning:
... and yakiniku for dinner
As explained previously, yakiniku is a Japanese style Korean BBQ. It was decided that we ought to have yakiniku for dinner, and then a video night in at one of the JETs' apartments. Not much you can do when it rains so much.
Fumi-san, John's girlfriend from Osaka, loves yakiniku. Of course it tastes nothing like the Korean BBQ as we know them, but the basic idea is still there and it is quite nice in its own rights.
The gaijin table - the waiter was nervous serving us, the lady boss came out especially just to greet us with an "irrashyaimase" (welcome) and the table next to us started practising their English:
Cooking cow's tongue - Rob says the texture is like biting your own tongue... and I guess I agree with that:
Lots of meat:
Something I've learnt recently about the Japanese people - they are real sticklers at routine. For example, they will eat winter foods like oden (hot pot) and nabe (hearty hot broth) ONLY in winter and summer foods like zaru soba and somen (cold noodles) only in summer. Kim's JTE said she was looking forward to winter so she can eat hot pot, and Kim suggested why not cook it now - her JTE looked at Kim as if she'd suggested something odd and responded with "You cook winter food only in winter". And apparently, the beach is only open for swimming during July and August. They shut off the public showers at the beach at other times. Too bad if you wanna swim huh?
Onsen bath time!
Last Saturday, us and a bunch of fellow JETs decided to spend the afternoon relaxing at a nice onsen spa place. Entry fee is pretty pricey at 1050yen (about AU$11 to AU$12?) but you can stay as you want, until closing time of course. This being my second time at an onsen, I found that I've totally gotten over any naked shyness. There was an outdoor bath and though it was chilly and drizzly (remember, it rained non-stop for 2-3 days), it was kinda nice chilling out in hot water with cold rain on your face and head. For some reason, onsens are also a good place to get to know your fellow (female) JETs. I think the whole nakedness thing helps people to be more open for some reason.
At this onsen spa, for 500yen extra, you can enjoy some light therapy where you basically go into a really warm room, lie down on some gravelly stones and stare at the ceiling while they play weird kaleidoscopic lights on the ceiling, some relaxing music and a narration in the typical cutesy Japanese girly voice. It lasts for 30minutes, and I actually fell asleep for a few minutes!
For 2000yen extra, you can enjoy a 20 minute massage. I'd never paid for a massage before because I never felt the need to (Rob's good at massaging) and also because I'm really iffy about people touching me. Took some convincing to get me to sign up for a massage. I actually had to ask if they massage hard because I only like firm massages. And boy do they do it hard. I could actually feel my internal organs move under the pressure! But it was good. I suppose. Well, I enjoy massages only if I need one, like if my muscles are really tensed due to stress or something. And I wasn't feeling particularly stressed on Saturday. Oh well, like Rob said, it's all part of the experience.
More okonomiyaki...
We went to have okonomiyaki for lunch at a nearby place called Deko's. Fellow JETs rave about this place, saying it has the best okonomiyaki. So off we went to try it out. It was nice, but we've had yummier ones before. This time we knew what to do so we did the cooking ourselves.
The restaurant interior:
The unmixed batter in the measuring cup:
The final product with seasoning:
... and yakiniku for dinner
As explained previously, yakiniku is a Japanese style Korean BBQ. It was decided that we ought to have yakiniku for dinner, and then a video night in at one of the JETs' apartments. Not much you can do when it rains so much.
Fumi-san, John's girlfriend from Osaka, loves yakiniku. Of course it tastes nothing like the Korean BBQ as we know them, but the basic idea is still there and it is quite nice in its own rights.
The gaijin table - the waiter was nervous serving us, the lady boss came out especially just to greet us with an "irrashyaimase" (welcome) and the table next to us started practising their English:
Cooking cow's tongue - Rob says the texture is like biting your own tongue... and I guess I agree with that:
Lots of meat:
Monday 9 October 2006
Cooking pasta in Japan
Rob commented that the dishes I cook here in Japan tastes different than the same ones I used to cook back home. The pasta sauce I recently made had quite a different taste and texture to my usual recipe I made back in Perth. It had an 'asian' taste and feel to it, if that makes any sense. Perhaps the can of crushed tomatoes have some sort of thickener like cornflour added to it.
This was the best I could do with the ingredients I could get my hands on - used chicken instead of minced red meat, and added corn as well as the usual veges of carrots, capsicum, and brocolli. I have lots of herbs on hand so those went in as well. No cheese though. Still, it's gotta be better than the spaghetti served here at restaurants that has been bastardised to suit the Japanese tastebuds (soy sauce spaghetti?).
This was the best I could do with the ingredients I could get my hands on - used chicken instead of minced red meat, and added corn as well as the usual veges of carrots, capsicum, and brocolli. I have lots of herbs on hand so those went in as well. No cheese though. Still, it's gotta be better than the spaghetti served here at restaurants that has been bastardised to suit the Japanese tastebuds (soy sauce spaghetti?).
Herbed Chicken with Negi/Leeks & Mushrooms
Herbed Chicken with Japanese Leeks and Mushrooms
This was adapted from my chicken filo parcel recipe and my creamy chicken and mushroom casserole recipe. Chicken was for dinner, and my challenge was to make something interesting that doesn't require soy sauce (even an Asian like me will get tired of having too much soy stuff!). Negi (Japanese leeks - skinny leeks that looks like a cross between spring onions and the large leeks) were on special at the supermarket, and I knew mushrooms go well with chicken. Standing in the supermarket, I umm-ed and ah-ed over which mushrooms to get. Most of the Japanese mushrooms are quite mild tasting, and I was after a variety that was quite strong tasting. In the end, I settled for fresh shiitake mushrooms because I've used dried shiitake before and I wasn't sure whether the other mushies would go well in this non-Asian dish.
Ingredients
Some oil
500g chicken fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces and marinated overnight with some salt, pepper, vinegar, dill and cilantro
3 stalks of negi (skinny leeks), sliced thinly on a slant
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 medium-sized mushrooms, sliced
A splash of white wine (1/4 cup?)
Enough water (perhaps 1/3 cup?)
2 tablespoons of plain yoghurt
1/3 cup corn kernels
Lots of herbs (parsley, rosemary, more cilantro, sage)
cornflour if sauce needs thickening
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Saute the leeks on medium heat with some oil until they have softened. Add in the chopped garlic and stirfry for a minute or two. Stir in the chicken and mushrooms and cook for a minute or two constantly stirring to ensure chicken does not stick or burn the bottom of the pan. Deglaze the pan with white wine and water. Simmer for a couple of minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Add the yoghurt and herbs. If you feel the sauce needs to be thickened, add in cornflour. Season to taste. Will be good on mashed potatoes or rice.
Herbed chicken with negi and mushies
This was adapted from my chicken filo parcel recipe and my creamy chicken and mushroom casserole recipe. Chicken was for dinner, and my challenge was to make something interesting that doesn't require soy sauce (even an Asian like me will get tired of having too much soy stuff!). Negi (Japanese leeks - skinny leeks that looks like a cross between spring onions and the large leeks) were on special at the supermarket, and I knew mushrooms go well with chicken. Standing in the supermarket, I umm-ed and ah-ed over which mushrooms to get. Most of the Japanese mushrooms are quite mild tasting, and I was after a variety that was quite strong tasting. In the end, I settled for fresh shiitake mushrooms because I've used dried shiitake before and I wasn't sure whether the other mushies would go well in this non-Asian dish.
Ingredients
Some oil
500g chicken fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces and marinated overnight with some salt, pepper, vinegar, dill and cilantro
3 stalks of negi (skinny leeks), sliced thinly on a slant
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 medium-sized mushrooms, sliced
A splash of white wine (1/4 cup?)
Enough water (perhaps 1/3 cup?)
2 tablespoons of plain yoghurt
1/3 cup corn kernels
Lots of herbs (parsley, rosemary, more cilantro, sage)
cornflour if sauce needs thickening
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Saute the leeks on medium heat with some oil until they have softened. Add in the chopped garlic and stirfry for a minute or two. Stir in the chicken and mushrooms and cook for a minute or two constantly stirring to ensure chicken does not stick or burn the bottom of the pan. Deglaze the pan with white wine and water. Simmer for a couple of minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Add the yoghurt and herbs. If you feel the sauce needs to be thickened, add in cornflour. Season to taste. Will be good on mashed potatoes or rice.
Herbed chicken with negi and mushies
Saturday 7 October 2006
Lunch @ Kojima (Noto, Ishikawa-ken)
It's been raining non-stop for two days now. And when I say non-stop, I mean constant rain. It hasn't stopped since it started, and never seem to have any variation in the heaviness. Coming from sunny Perth, I'm not quite used to it.
Last weekend, we went out for lunch with a fellow Noto JET, Kim, and her non-JET husband, Richie who are from the States. It was a chance for us to introduce our husbands to each other. Very fun people :)
Anyway, we went to a Japanese restaurant nearby my school called Kojima. They serve donburi (meat on rice eg katsudon, oyakodon etc) and teishoku (set meals with rice, miso soup and pickled veges), but no sushi. Oddly enough, Rob and Richie both ordered oyakodon (chicken on rice) and Kim and myself both ordered the sashimi teishoku.
The oyakodon (~700yen or AU$7.70) was quite nice, but Rob and I both agree that the one from Mr Samurai on Barrack Street in Perth was more tasty and better value for money (AU$4.00):
The sashimi teishoku was alright, but the snail wasn't all that fresh and was quite bitter:
We later went for ice cream and dessert and chatted for another hour or so. Although the food was only so-so, the company was very good :)
Last weekend, we went out for lunch with a fellow Noto JET, Kim, and her non-JET husband, Richie who are from the States. It was a chance for us to introduce our husbands to each other. Very fun people :)
Anyway, we went to a Japanese restaurant nearby my school called Kojima. They serve donburi (meat on rice eg katsudon, oyakodon etc) and teishoku (set meals with rice, miso soup and pickled veges), but no sushi. Oddly enough, Rob and Richie both ordered oyakodon (chicken on rice) and Kim and myself both ordered the sashimi teishoku.
The oyakodon (~700yen or AU$7.70) was quite nice, but Rob and I both agree that the one from Mr Samurai on Barrack Street in Perth was more tasty and better value for money (AU$4.00):
The sashimi teishoku was alright, but the snail wasn't all that fresh and was quite bitter:
We later went for ice cream and dessert and chatted for another hour or so. Although the food was only so-so, the company was very good :)
Friday 6 October 2006
Pineapple sweet and sour chicken
Sweet 'n sour is something I like cooking because it is so simple and suits most tastebuds. Other JETs have even asked me for my recipe. I don't believe I've blogged it yet, so here it is. Pork would go well in this but chicken is so much more readily available and cheaper too and works just fine. Oh, and a lot of the quantities depend on your taste and the potency, sourness and sweetness of the ingredients used. So taste-test lots! I often find that the juice from the can of pineapple is sweet enough, but add sugar if it's not sweet enough.
And as always, I don't measure out my ingredients, so the quantities are only approximate.
Ingredients
~500g chicken fillets, cut up into bite sized pieces, and marinate in the marinade for a few hours or overnight
Marinade
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
pepper
Sauce
1 cup (200mL) pineapple juice from the can
2 tablespoons tomato sauce (aka ketchup)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or to taste)
sugar to taste
soy sauce and pepper to taste
Some oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cm ginger, chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
1 carrot, julienned
1 capsicum, diced
1 cup of pineapple cut into small chunks
A bit more cornflour for thickening if needed
Method
Stirfry the onion over medium heat until almost cooked. Add in the garlic and ginger and stirfry until fragrant and cooked. Add the marinated chicken and brown briefly then add the carrot. Cook for a couple of minute, stirring constantly to ensure that the chicken doesn't stick to the pot and burn. Add in the capsicum and the sauce and simmer until the chicken is cooked. Stir in the pineapple and if you think the sauce needs a bit more thickening, add more cornflour. Serve this with rice and stirfried veges.
And as always, I don't measure out my ingredients, so the quantities are only approximate.
Ingredients
~500g chicken fillets, cut up into bite sized pieces, and marinate in the marinade for a few hours or overnight
Marinade
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
pepper
Sauce
1 cup (200mL) pineapple juice from the can
2 tablespoons tomato sauce (aka ketchup)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or to taste)
sugar to taste
soy sauce and pepper to taste
Some oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cm ginger, chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
1 carrot, julienned
1 capsicum, diced
1 cup of pineapple cut into small chunks
A bit more cornflour for thickening if needed
Method
Stirfry the onion over medium heat until almost cooked. Add in the garlic and ginger and stirfry until fragrant and cooked. Add the marinated chicken and brown briefly then add the carrot. Cook for a couple of minute, stirring constantly to ensure that the chicken doesn't stick to the pot and burn. Add in the capsicum and the sauce and simmer until the chicken is cooked. Stir in the pineapple and if you think the sauce needs a bit more thickening, add more cornflour. Serve this with rice and stirfried veges.
Windsurfing club at school
The location of my school next to the sea is fantastic, and it means that my school can offer scuba-diving and windsurfing classes (and the marine teachers in charge of those classes are so kind!). A couple of weeks ago, I joined the school's scuba-diving class which was super-fun. Yesterday I joined the windsurfing club after the last period of the day.
I think the major problem about joining these school activities is the language barrier - I can't learn and they can't teach if I don't understand. Miyashita-sensei was called to a meeting so I was left with a few students from the vocational marine classes (i.e. English comprehension is not as good as the students in the academic classes - however their English is still much better than my Japanese!) teaching me how to windsurf. I had a crash course a few weeks ago on how to assemble the sail and Hirate-sensei said that he would attach a rope to my sail for my first lesson in the water. But there were no teachers here to do that - only a few students (who have been learning windsurfing at least from April this year) who didn't understand my apprehensiveness.
So here I was, standing on the pier, refusing to jump onto the board because I didn't want to stray too far away (the students' reassurances of "rescue boat will come" wasn't at all reassuring). It must have been a hilarious sight to the nearby fishermen - me in a wetsuit, jumping onto the board, sitting on it for a good five minutes refusing to do anything except clutch onto the steps to the pier (and pleading with the students to not let go of the sail), and then getting back out as soon as I was told that Miyashita-sensei was absent because he was in a meeting. One of the students had to run back to school and get Kami-sensei (one of my JTEs) to translate.
It is harder than it looks. I fell from the board into the water many times just trying to bring the sail up from the water. According to Kami-sensei, the students thought I did well for a first-timer - many of them had much more trouble than I did on their first lesson. I think they were just being nice to the clumsy wimpy ALT-sensei. Miyashita-sensei did come out to help after his meeting, but I could only do a further 15 minutes because I needed to cycle back home before it got dark.
Anyway, I will try harder next time.
I think the major problem about joining these school activities is the language barrier - I can't learn and they can't teach if I don't understand. Miyashita-sensei was called to a meeting so I was left with a few students from the vocational marine classes (i.e. English comprehension is not as good as the students in the academic classes - however their English is still much better than my Japanese!) teaching me how to windsurf. I had a crash course a few weeks ago on how to assemble the sail and Hirate-sensei said that he would attach a rope to my sail for my first lesson in the water. But there were no teachers here to do that - only a few students (who have been learning windsurfing at least from April this year) who didn't understand my apprehensiveness.
So here I was, standing on the pier, refusing to jump onto the board because I didn't want to stray too far away (the students' reassurances of "rescue boat will come" wasn't at all reassuring). It must have been a hilarious sight to the nearby fishermen - me in a wetsuit, jumping onto the board, sitting on it for a good five minutes refusing to do anything except clutch onto the steps to the pier (and pleading with the students to not let go of the sail), and then getting back out as soon as I was told that Miyashita-sensei was absent because he was in a meeting. One of the students had to run back to school and get Kami-sensei (one of my JTEs) to translate.
It is harder than it looks. I fell from the board into the water many times just trying to bring the sail up from the water. According to Kami-sensei, the students thought I did well for a first-timer - many of them had much more trouble than I did on their first lesson. I think they were just being nice to the clumsy wimpy ALT-sensei. Miyashita-sensei did come out to help after his meeting, but I could only do a further 15 minutes because I needed to cycle back home before it got dark.
Anyway, I will try harder next time.
Thursday 5 October 2006
Sushi @ Nawa Zushi Shiten (Osaka)
During our day trip to Osaka, we spent a good hour in search of dinner at places that were recommended by the Lonely Planet Guide. It is not easy when the roads are not marked (not in English anyway) and it is so easy to get lost and disoriented in such a busy, sprawling and crowded city like Osaka. It was quite frustrating at the time, but oh our happiness when we succeeded!
Apparently Osaka is well known for its takoyaki (octopus balls) and okonomiyaki however for many reasons too boring to get into, we settled for a sushi-ya called Nawa Zushi Shiten. According to the Guide, it is one of the area's most popular sushi restaurants. The main part of the restaurant (which is quite large) was full when we entered, so we were directed across the alley to a smaller section of the restaurant. It was kinda empty when we entered, but was quite full when we left. We sat at the counter, and the chefs prepare our sushi as we order them. Not much English is spoken, and the menu is in Japanese so some knowledge of at least hiragana and katakana would help with the ordering. But the waitstaff and chefs do try to help with ordering. The chefs were pretty amused by us gaijins, particularly when I whipped out my camera to take photos of them and the food.
The chefs at work:
The food itself was great - the seafood was fresh, and eating the sushi as soon as they are assembled is the best way to eat sushi. We tried all sorts of weird and wonderful seafood like o-toro (the fatty belly flesh of tuna which is a delicacy), uni (sea urchin roe, which we've tried before but this was actually quite sweet and wasn't at all fishy - a good sign that it was fresh), cockles, and many others that I cannot remember off the top of my head. Due to my extreme hunger (and partly because it always feels odd taking photos of food in public), I didn't take much photos of the food. The food was good anyway, and wasn't all that expensive - we had at least 10 different types of sushi and the bill came to around 3000 yen (~AU$33). It was a good experience and I would recommend the place.
The salmon sashimi sushi
The exterior - the main part of the restaurant is on the right hand side and the extension is across the alleyway:
Apparently Osaka is well known for its takoyaki (octopus balls) and okonomiyaki however for many reasons too boring to get into, we settled for a sushi-ya called Nawa Zushi Shiten. According to the Guide, it is one of the area's most popular sushi restaurants. The main part of the restaurant (which is quite large) was full when we entered, so we were directed across the alley to a smaller section of the restaurant. It was kinda empty when we entered, but was quite full when we left. We sat at the counter, and the chefs prepare our sushi as we order them. Not much English is spoken, and the menu is in Japanese so some knowledge of at least hiragana and katakana would help with the ordering. But the waitstaff and chefs do try to help with ordering. The chefs were pretty amused by us gaijins, particularly when I whipped out my camera to take photos of them and the food.
The chefs at work:
The food itself was great - the seafood was fresh, and eating the sushi as soon as they are assembled is the best way to eat sushi. We tried all sorts of weird and wonderful seafood like o-toro (the fatty belly flesh of tuna which is a delicacy), uni (sea urchin roe, which we've tried before but this was actually quite sweet and wasn't at all fishy - a good sign that it was fresh), cockles, and many others that I cannot remember off the top of my head. Due to my extreme hunger (and partly because it always feels odd taking photos of food in public), I didn't take much photos of the food. The food was good anyway, and wasn't all that expensive - we had at least 10 different types of sushi and the bill came to around 3000 yen (~AU$33). It was a good experience and I would recommend the place.
The salmon sashimi sushi
The exterior - the main part of the restaurant is on the right hand side and the extension is across the alleyway:
Wednesday 4 October 2006
Sunday 1 October 2006
Rice Harvesting at Senmaida
As the weather cools down and the season rolls to autumn, rice paddies are being harvested everywhere (and poor Rob suffers bad hayfever on some days). My supervisor is a committee member of a workers' union group for the Senmaida rice paddies in Wajima (we'd visited the "thousand rice paddies" previously), and invited myself and friends for a chance to experience harvesting rice by hand. I think that Senmaida is a council-owned land (as it is also a tourist spot), so working the fields are done by volunteers.
The city of Wajima also holds a double traditional Japanese wedding in the fields every year at the same time as the harvest day for tourists and locals to watch. It was interesting to see the traditional wedding garb, and how it's done but the ceremony was pretty ritualistic and went on probably a bit too long (1hr).
Traditional Japanese wedding ceremony:
Rice harvesting by hand is a pretty labour intensive job. There are four main tasks: harvesting the grass, tying them up in bundles (there is a special way to tie because it has to be secure enough for the drying process (which my supervisor said he was not confident doing)), carrying the bundles up to the drying racks, putting the grass bundles up to dry.
Rob harvesting with a sickle:
The drying rack:
Alex harvesting:
Harvested rice grass:
Being next to the sea, the scenery was beautiful:
The volunteers were then treated to a BBQ lunch, also prepared by volunteers:
The city of Wajima also holds a double traditional Japanese wedding in the fields every year at the same time as the harvest day for tourists and locals to watch. It was interesting to see the traditional wedding garb, and how it's done but the ceremony was pretty ritualistic and went on probably a bit too long (1hr).
Traditional Japanese wedding ceremony:
Rice harvesting by hand is a pretty labour intensive job. There are four main tasks: harvesting the grass, tying them up in bundles (there is a special way to tie because it has to be secure enough for the drying process (which my supervisor said he was not confident doing)), carrying the bundles up to the drying racks, putting the grass bundles up to dry.
Rob harvesting with a sickle:
The drying rack:
Alex harvesting:
Harvested rice grass:
Being next to the sea, the scenery was beautiful:
The volunteers were then treated to a BBQ lunch, also prepared by volunteers:
Trip to Kobe and Osaka Part II
Osaka
After the morning trip to Himeji, Rob and I took the train to Osaka - I think it took us over 1 hour to get there from Himeji eki (train station). Travel-weary and sick of trains by then, we began our exploration of Osaka. We'd initially planned to go to Shinbaishi area (which is the 'happening' part of Osaka) as well but we only had one afternoon in Osaka (and we were tired from hiking around and climbing the castle's stairs), so we decided to explore and stick around the Kita area (which is the business district of Osaka).
The eki is huge! I previously mentioned that train stations in Japan all have omiyage (souvenir) stores, and Osaka eki is no exception. There are departmental stores attached to the eki as well as the usual food court, bakeries and omiyage stores - there is even a fresh fruit and meat and seafood market within (all underground)! It was foodie heaven at the train station! I was so excited, I even took a photo! It was absolutely crowded, which is not at all surprising considering that Osaka is the second biggest city after Tokyo.
The 'market' in the underground station:
The Umeda Sky building is a twin-tower complex that is like a modern version of the Arc De Triomphe. You have a 360 degree view at the top of the tower. There are two observation galleries - an outdoor one on the roof, and an indoor one on the floor below. The ride to the top involves taking a see-thru elevator, and then a glassed-in escalator for the final five storeys to the top. We were blown away by the vastness of the city, which stretched out as far as the eye can see towards the horizon for the full 360 degree view from the tower.
The view of the tower from the ground:
In the elevator - the ride was fun, although Rob was slightly freaked out initially in the elevator due to his height phobia:
In the escalator:
The view of part of Osaka city:
Kobe Harbor Land and Meriken Park
We had a little time on Monday morning before our long trip back home to have a look around Kobe Harbor Land and Meriken Park. Harbor Land is full of shopping malls and all that, but I thought that Meriken Park (5mins east of Harbor Land and home to the Kobe Maritime Museum and the Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park) was more interesting. The memorial park preserves a part of a concrete pier that was destroyed in the huge earthquake in 1995. It's amazing how well this city recovered after such a massive earthquake. I believe that Kobe's official symbol is that of a phoenix, to symbolise the city's recovery from the earthquake.
It was really windy and we got a bit wet from the rain - you can see the dark stormy clouds in the photos.. (My mum was worried about us because she'd heard about the typhoon that hit Kyushu that day.)
Us with the radio tower and maritime museum in the background:
A ship on display at Meriken Park:
The earthquake memorial park:
We then made our way to the train station to begin our 6-hour long journey back home to our little town. The trip was fun, but we were pretty travel-weary and were glad to be at home.
After the morning trip to Himeji, Rob and I took the train to Osaka - I think it took us over 1 hour to get there from Himeji eki (train station). Travel-weary and sick of trains by then, we began our exploration of Osaka. We'd initially planned to go to Shinbaishi area (which is the 'happening' part of Osaka) as well but we only had one afternoon in Osaka (and we were tired from hiking around and climbing the castle's stairs), so we decided to explore and stick around the Kita area (which is the business district of Osaka).
The eki is huge! I previously mentioned that train stations in Japan all have omiyage (souvenir) stores, and Osaka eki is no exception. There are departmental stores attached to the eki as well as the usual food court, bakeries and omiyage stores - there is even a fresh fruit and meat and seafood market within (all underground)! It was foodie heaven at the train station! I was so excited, I even took a photo! It was absolutely crowded, which is not at all surprising considering that Osaka is the second biggest city after Tokyo.
The 'market' in the underground station:
The Umeda Sky building is a twin-tower complex that is like a modern version of the Arc De Triomphe. You have a 360 degree view at the top of the tower. There are two observation galleries - an outdoor one on the roof, and an indoor one on the floor below. The ride to the top involves taking a see-thru elevator, and then a glassed-in escalator for the final five storeys to the top. We were blown away by the vastness of the city, which stretched out as far as the eye can see towards the horizon for the full 360 degree view from the tower.
The view of the tower from the ground:
In the elevator - the ride was fun, although Rob was slightly freaked out initially in the elevator due to his height phobia:
In the escalator:
The view of part of Osaka city:
Kobe Harbor Land and Meriken Park
We had a little time on Monday morning before our long trip back home to have a look around Kobe Harbor Land and Meriken Park. Harbor Land is full of shopping malls and all that, but I thought that Meriken Park (5mins east of Harbor Land and home to the Kobe Maritime Museum and the Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park) was more interesting. The memorial park preserves a part of a concrete pier that was destroyed in the huge earthquake in 1995. It's amazing how well this city recovered after such a massive earthquake. I believe that Kobe's official symbol is that of a phoenix, to symbolise the city's recovery from the earthquake.
It was really windy and we got a bit wet from the rain - you can see the dark stormy clouds in the photos.. (My mum was worried about us because she'd heard about the typhoon that hit Kyushu that day.)
Us with the radio tower and maritime museum in the background:
A ship on display at Meriken Park:
The earthquake memorial park:
We then made our way to the train station to begin our 6-hour long journey back home to our little town. The trip was fun, but we were pretty travel-weary and were glad to be at home.
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