Happy New Year! As I mentioned on my instagram (@jpinsider), I wanted to thank you all for your support in 2014!! In 2015, I plan to revamp jpinsider.com in order to continue to deliver updated, fun information to you :) Before celebrating New Years Eve tonight, we visited the game center in Yokohama. Game centers are a place to go to play UFO games, driving games, all sorts of games + photo booths. We also call them "Ge-sen", short for "Ge-mu Cen-tah". Many teens, young professionals and even people older than that enjoy these places. It's a fun, casual place to go to when you're on a date, or with a friend. Fun attractions for those tourists out there visiting Japan: The SUPER-power users of games such as Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, Pop'n Music....It's amazing. I recommend you to take a peek! Also note: If you are trying to get an item from the UFO catcher, ask one of the employees for hints & advice! He/she will help you get the item you want. I got my snack after 3 tries thanks to the employee! (See my proud photo below :) ) Click "Read More" to see more photos...:)
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A beautiful walk and a gorgeous Zen garden inside of a Zen Buddhist temple established in the 1200s. An interesting waterway built by bricks as well. Highly recommend!
Fee: $4 to get into the Zen temple to view the Zen garden Click "Read More" to see more photos :) We spent 1 night in a ryokan (旅館) in Kyoto. A wonderful experience. Felt very nostalgic for me since my father took the whole family to various ryokans growing up.
A ryokan, is a Traditional Japanese style inn. Rooms with tatami mats (shown above), a public hot spring for guests to enjoy (usually natural springs), Japanese style dishes served for all meals and amazing guest services. Our ryokan was located in Kyoto city, in the middle of a residential area. It was a wonderful retreat :) and we found a very good deal for it. 12,000yen (approx. US$110) a night each with dinner & breakfast! Dinner was served in private rooms. Also, keep in mind that you can head to dinner with the inn provided yukatas in most cases! Dinner was a Kyoto cuisine also called "Kaiseki ryori". Kaiseki ryori focuses on the visual beauty of the dishes, taste, the season and of course the ingredients. These dishes not only look beautiful but also take the elements of the current season to enjoy. For example, we enjoyed this meal in the winter so we saw many root vegetables such as "gobo". There is a focus on "dashi" since it is Japanese style as well. Given that we are in Kyoto, there were lots of tofu served too. Yes, Kyoto is known for their tofu! Not just the regular tofu we see in American supermarkets, but different kinds such as "yuba"; tofu skin. Many small dishes are served. During our dinner, we counted 17! Let us share with you some dishes.... After dinner, if you go back to your rooms, you'll be pleasantly surprised to see that your beds are made :) So then, off to the hot spring and time to rest :) Day 2 in Japan!
Off to Roppongi to renew my US visa - on Christmas Eve. Christmas in Tokyo (both Even and the day of) is a celebratory day for lovers. You see couples everywhere you go. I mean every-where. Since I am here with my boyfriend this year, I got to take advantage of this event :) In order to celebrate Christmas Eve, we spent lunch at Shiodome city in a restaurant called "Seiyuzan" and had Korean BBQ a.k.a. "Yakiniku" (which literally means to cook meat). $40/each for a full course Korean BBQ. It included:
I'll start throwing in some of the basic + necessary ingredients you'll need to cook amazing Japanese dishes here! Here in San Francisco, I'm lucky enough to have a Japanese market. Every 29th of this month, thin sliced meat is 20 percent off. We buy 5 to 7 packs of meat and freeze them all. What to do with thin sliced beef? Sukiyaki style stew! For those of you who don't know, sukiyaki is a savory, sweet meat dish. It is usually cooked with a bunch of vegetables, but since I was lazy tonight, I only used meat. Every Japanese house hold has their own taste of Sukiyaki. Some like it with a very strong salty taste, some like it weaker. People in Kansai like it bold where as Kanto like it more bland. I love it the Kansai style, so keep that in mind! All you need is:
Steps:
Belos is my Lekue Steamer. Scroll to read more! I also experimented with a Lekue (Steamer) to make a similar dish with udon! Even more simple. Simply throw in all these ingredients and put it in the microwave!
All you need for this Lekue Steamer Recipe is:
Steps:
Something interesting I found on the web this morning.
Girls in Japan are no longer using the peace sign when posing for photos. Now, it's the "Cavity Pose"! What do you think? If you haven't already checked out my article on Sankeien Garden, a beautiful traditional Japanese garden located in the middle of the city in Yokohama, please do.
Click here for the link, I promise it will soothe your mind :) Right by Mt. Fuji, there is an amusement park just like Six Flags here in the USA (just a little more intense).
Why? All the Guinness World Records!
There is a bus operating from major stations (e.g. Shinjuku station, Yokohama station). Usually you can buy a package which includes the bus ride + ticket. Usually costs around $100. You'll get to enjoy the view of the beautiful Mt. Fuji, recently named a world heritage. Great food courts (mostly fast food, but we all know fast food shops in Japan are amazing) and clean fresh air. Make sure you stop by the service areas (on the highway) if you are driving there. Japanese service areas on the highway are superb. Great restaurants, fun street food and is the best place to buy gifts for your coworkers. More on that later :) Japanese Italian restaurants serve absolutely delicious dishes! So if you are there now, please give it a try. My personal favourites are located in Kamakura. Many restaurants are located right by the ocean and some are located in special alleys. Overall, restaurants in Kamakura have a very romantic feel...Perfect for date nights!
Just remember to give the Italian restaurants a try while you are in Japan. Don't shy away from it! Map of Kamakura and all it's Italian restaurants are at the end of this post. So, here's a quick and easy cream pasta recipe. All you need is for 1 serving:
...read more "Hatsumode" is a term we use in Japan when we visit the shrine for the first time in the New Year. People start lining up at to pray for a good New Year even before the countdown. Many people go during the day of the 1st. If not, the day after. The good part about going on the 1st or the 2nd is that you get to enjoy all the food stands. If you go later on, those stands may be closed but you won't have to suffer the massive crowd. This year I went to Yasukuni shrine located in the middle of Tokyo, right by the emperor's palace. We went on the 5th so the crowd was gone and luckily all the food stands were still there. "E-ma" (絵馬) - When you go to pray to the shrine or when your wishes have come true, you give the "ema" to the shrine to show your appreciation. In the Nara period, people considered horses animals which the gods used for transport. However, since horses were expensive, people started to draw horses on the wooden boards instead to give to the shrines. Now, we not only draw horses, we can draw other animals too. This year, since it is the year of the horse, the photographs show all horses. People were bowing before entering the shrine and when leaving the shrine too.
Happy New Year! Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu! I hope that the year 2014 will be an year full of great fortune! I've been spending the last few days of December in Japan. Will be heading back to San Francisco in a few days. New Years in Japan is always wonderful during the New Years as it is spent eating great food with family and most of all, it's the week I feel most proud to be Japanese. Visits to shrines are always fun. Revisiting Japanese traditions are something to treasure, always. "Toshi Koshi Soba" - Soba which you eat on New Years Eve or New Years Day! To wish for a "long" life...Just like buckwheat noodles. "Osechi" - Boxes packed with foods wishing for luck and prosperity for the New Year. Each dish usually has a meaning. Our family usually pre-orders at a department store but some families make their very own boxes!
Our family eats this the morning/lunch of New Years Day and will finish it in the next day or two. Click *Read More* to see more... :) As I organize all my recipes that I have been accumulating the last few weeks, I wanted to post some photographs I took from my trip back home to Yokohama a couple months back.
This is "San-kei-en" 三渓園, located in Honmoku, Yokohama. It is a beautiful Japanese garden. I've known about it, heard about it all my life, but had only been once (for a school trip back in elementary school). This time, when I visited, I was able to feel and see the actual beauty of this garden. I took it for granted all my life! I wish I had gone more frequently. It truly is a wonderful place to visit. I was able to reconnect with Japanese culture and appreciate the country I was born in. A 15 to 20 minute drive from Yokohama station is all it takes. I didn't know I was so close to something so pure, natural and breathtaking. Entry fee is cheap; a couple hundred yen (few dollars). Since it is located in the middle of a residential area, I highly recommend visiting by car. They have a decent parking lot so you shouldn't find any trouble. The park is also accessible by public transportation. 1 bus from Yokohama station. To get to the park, you'll have to walk/drive through narrow residential roads; which also are unique and fun. :) Address: 58-1 Honmokusannotani, Naka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture 231-0824, Japan Access:
Recipe: Japanese simmered Hijiki. Great way to eat this super food; high in iron and fiber!8/11/2013 I was surprised to see DAISO (Japanese $1 store) in San Francisco selling hijiki!
Hijiki is a very well known healthy ingredient in Japan; it's high in fiber, iron and calcium. The most popular dish which is made using this ingredient is a simple simmered dish. It's a side dish, not a main dish. People like to throw in carrots, garbanzo beans and even konnyaku. All of which can be found in the US. The ingredients are simmered in a sweet broth made of dashi, soy sauce and sugar. It's simple, tasty and very good for you. Great to pack in your obento too. Hijiki is usually sold in its dried state. You'll have to soak it in water for 20-30 minutes. The amount will increase by 7 to 8 times; it's fun to watch :) Ingredients (This makes a substantial amount, maybe around 6-8 servings)
Steps
I've got multiple comments about Tamagoyakis, Japanese sweet omelettes.
According to some research, Japanese people only started to eat egg during the Edo period (16th to 18th century). Even then, I'm sure it was a luxury item. Now tamagoyakis are often made as a form of comfort food. Moms and Dads pack it in children's lunches a.k.a. obento. Every time I eat a tamagoyaki I always reminisce my mom's homemade lunches back in elementary school. Just like an onigiri (rice ball), it's a dish which reminds you of your family. Somehow tastes different depending on the family though the ingredients being used are probably the same. Ingredients being used are eggs and sugar with a dash of oil on the pan. Use a small pan for perfect results. It may seem difficult at first but practice makes perfect. The more you try, the more easier it gets. I promise! As I mentioned earlier, I sometimes make these at night, cut them, freeze them in saran wrap and take it for lunch in its frozen state in the morning. By lunch time, they are defrosted and taste delicious! They go perfectly with rice; especially onigiri. I hope you check out the recipe I posted for this dish and try it out yourself! |
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