Sunday, December 19, 2010
Japan Street Art
If you are looking for some colour in Japan, just look down! Many cities have transformed their much overlooked manhole covers into unique artwork.
Friday, November 26, 2010
When in Kobe...
On a trip to LA a couple of years ago, Evan and I went to a swanky hotel for lunch and split an appetizer of Kobe beef sliders. Trying to ignore our waiters disdain for people who come in wearing hoodies and jeans and split the cheapest thing on the menu, we savoured those burgers. They were good...really good. So when I started to look up things to do around Osaka and saw that Kobe was just a short train ride away, an idea started to hatch. We could eat not just a slider, but a whole steak of this delicious beef.
We went to Kobe for lunch (instead of dinner) and even then we could barely afford the price of the meal, but I have to say I think it was worth it.
First we were presented with The Steak. It was all marbled and gleaming and sitting on its own wooden pedestal.
Then the fixings were brought out: tofu, green peppers, potatoes, zucchini, gelantinized fish, and bean sprouts. Some of these things are pretty suspect on their own, but it turns out everything tastes good when cooked with Kobe steak fat.
The chef then started to cook garlic chips on the grill. Evan and I agreed that smelling bad in enclosed spaces for the rest of the week would be worth it.
To start off, we had a creamy corn soup and a garden salad. They were pretty good, but it was hard to think straight with that steak in front of me.
Here's where the fun began. The chef sectioned off the steak into the centre piece, the fat, and the heavily marbled piece.
The fat was cooked with the veggies.
Then the centre part of the steak was cooked with the veggies.
The centre part was served with the garlic chips, mustard, rock salt, and cracked pepper.
The veggies and tofu that were cooked in beef fat were delicious.
The fat was cut into small pieces and added to the bean sprouts for a beef fat stir fry.
We love beef.
The meal ended with lemon sorbet and coffee/tea. I almost didn't eat it because I wanted the beefy flavour to last.
What else is there to do in Kobe? Who knows. But they sure do make a mean steak.
We went to Kobe for lunch (instead of dinner) and even then we could barely afford the price of the meal, but I have to say I think it was worth it.
First we were presented with The Steak. It was all marbled and gleaming and sitting on its own wooden pedestal.
Then the fixings were brought out: tofu, green peppers, potatoes, zucchini, gelantinized fish, and bean sprouts. Some of these things are pretty suspect on their own, but it turns out everything tastes good when cooked with Kobe steak fat.
The chef then started to cook garlic chips on the grill. Evan and I agreed that smelling bad in enclosed spaces for the rest of the week would be worth it.
To start off, we had a creamy corn soup and a garden salad. They were pretty good, but it was hard to think straight with that steak in front of me.
Here's where the fun began. The chef sectioned off the steak into the centre piece, the fat, and the heavily marbled piece.
The fat was cooked with the veggies.
Then the centre part of the steak was cooked with the veggies.
The centre part was served with the garlic chips, mustard, rock salt, and cracked pepper.
The veggies and tofu that were cooked in beef fat were delicious.
The fat was cut into small pieces and added to the bean sprouts for a beef fat stir fry.
We love beef.
The meal ended with lemon sorbet and coffee/tea. I almost didn't eat it because I wanted the beefy flavour to last.
What else is there to do in Kobe? Who knows. But they sure do make a mean steak.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Monkey Business
Canadian Thanksgiving coincided with Japan's "sports day", so I got a long weekend even though I am far from home. Thinking that it was a good opportunity for some solo travel, I headed to Nagano for the weekend to get some fresh air and mountain scenery. I consulted my trusty Lonely Planet and found that just outside of Nagano, in Yudanaka, there is an onsen...FOR MONKEYS!
Yes, that's right. Its not just humans that enjoy relaxing in the hot springs.
My goal was to touch, hug, and maybe kidnap one. But since the pamphlet I got said I couldn't do any of those things, I resorted to taking lots of pictures. Below are some of my favs.
Yes, that's right. Its not just humans that enjoy relaxing in the hot springs.
My goal was to touch, hug, and maybe kidnap one. But since the pamphlet I got said I couldn't do any of those things, I resorted to taking lots of pictures. Below are some of my favs.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Mange la Monja (pardon my french)
This weekend we had dinner in nearby Kamioka with a group of locals that we've met here. On the menu was "monja" which is a pancake batter that is cooked on a hotplate at the table.
The batter is then divided and toppings are added.
Once the batter is semi-cooked, you use your little spatula to separate out small sections. You push the small sections of batter into the hotplate to speed up the cooking.
We also had some delicious takoyaki (fried balls of octopus). Yum!
The hotplate
Batter being poured on the hotplate
The batter is then divided and toppings are added.
Italian and curry!
Soy sauce and kimchi!
Once the batter is semi-cooked, you use your little spatula to separate out small sections. You push the small sections of batter into the hotplate to speed up the cooking.
We also had some delicious takoyaki (fried balls of octopus). Yum!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Onsen Love
Since it was a pretty busy week at work, a low key weekend was just what the doctor ordered. Satoko and I escaped the dorm and headed to a diner in town for a filling lunch of shrimp and fries. Then we headed to an onsen.
An onsen is a hot spring where people go to communally bathe and generally relax. Onsens are kept at a hot temperature and contain minerals. The onsen we went to had a bubbly pool, a still pool, and an outdoor pool. All of the pools had a great view of the mountains and river. There was also a cold water pool and a a sauna. After we were finished bathing, we drank chocolate milk and sat in massage chairs. There were also rooms to watch TV and to nap.
I didn't take any pictures of the onsen since I thought I might cause a bit of a stir bringing a camera into a room full of naked people, but it looked something like the picture below (courtesy of Wikipedia).
I have to admire the Japanese people's attitude of working hard and playing hard. It seems that in general people put in a lot of long, hard hours at work but then there are places like this that exist purely for relaxation. I think I will definitely be a returning customer.
An onsen is a hot spring where people go to communally bathe and generally relax. Onsens are kept at a hot temperature and contain minerals. The onsen we went to had a bubbly pool, a still pool, and an outdoor pool. All of the pools had a great view of the mountains and river. There was also a cold water pool and a a sauna. After we were finished bathing, we drank chocolate milk and sat in massage chairs. There were also rooms to watch TV and to nap.
I didn't take any pictures of the onsen since I thought I might cause a bit of a stir bringing a camera into a room full of naked people, but it looked something like the picture below (courtesy of Wikipedia).
I have to admire the Japanese people's attitude of working hard and playing hard. It seems that in general people put in a lot of long, hard hours at work but then there are places like this that exist purely for relaxation. I think I will definitely be a returning customer.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Kanazawa Eats
I had originally planned to write about the meals we had this weekend in the last Kanazawa post, but there was so many great things to see there that I didn't have room for food talk. My apologies that this post will not contain any restaurant names since everything was in Japanese. But if you ever find yourself in Kanazawa, message me and I will try my best to give you directions!
Kanazawa is well known for their seafood donburi (which is seafood on top of a bowl of rice). Thanks to a recommendation from Satoko's friend, we headed to a donburi place for a fresh lunch. The first sign that this was going to be a delicious meal was the fact that this restaurant was located in the fish market and we watched the staff bringing in fresh fish from the stalls. The second sign was that even though it was only 11:30 am, there was already quite the wait to get in (after half an hour or so, we were still waiting outside and the lineup to get in was at least 20 people deep). This place was worth the wait. In the donburi I ordered I got tuna, fatty tuna, salmon, shrimp, sea urchin, squid, caviar, and various white fish pieces. It was also possible to order donburi with gold leafing (of course!).
For dinner we headed to a tempura place near our hotel. The first good thing about this restaurant was that it had sake samplers. I have always been a sucker for samplers (in North America this usually involved beer) and it allowed me to taste a few different types of sake, for which Kanazawa is famed.
I thought that tempura is tempura. I mean that I figured of all the Japanese food that we have in Canada, that tempura would be the one thing that would taste the same here. But this tempura was phenomenal. We sat at the counter so we could see the chef. He had a homemade batter and made everything fresh to order. He passed us our tempura straight from the fryer and it was the best tempura I have ever had. Apparently there are two ways to eat tempura: with the sweet tempura sauce and with salt. I started off with the sauce, but the salt soon became my favourite topping. They provided three different types of salt for tempura: a sea salt from Osaka, a finer grained sea salt, and salt with pickled cherries in it. Everything was served on Kanazawa laquerware and pottery.
These pics are making me hungry just looking at them...
Kanazawa is well known for their seafood donburi (which is seafood on top of a bowl of rice). Thanks to a recommendation from Satoko's friend, we headed to a donburi place for a fresh lunch. The first sign that this was going to be a delicious meal was the fact that this restaurant was located in the fish market and we watched the staff bringing in fresh fish from the stalls. The second sign was that even though it was only 11:30 am, there was already quite the wait to get in (after half an hour or so, we were still waiting outside and the lineup to get in was at least 20 people deep). This place was worth the wait. In the donburi I ordered I got tuna, fatty tuna, salmon, shrimp, sea urchin, squid, caviar, and various white fish pieces. It was also possible to order donburi with gold leafing (of course!).
For dinner we headed to a tempura place near our hotel. The first good thing about this restaurant was that it had sake samplers. I have always been a sucker for samplers (in North America this usually involved beer) and it allowed me to taste a few different types of sake, for which Kanazawa is famed.
I thought that tempura is tempura. I mean that I figured of all the Japanese food that we have in Canada, that tempura would be the one thing that would taste the same here. But this tempura was phenomenal. We sat at the counter so we could see the chef. He had a homemade batter and made everything fresh to order. He passed us our tempura straight from the fryer and it was the best tempura I have ever had. Apparently there are two ways to eat tempura: with the sweet tempura sauce and with salt. I started off with the sauce, but the salt soon became my favourite topping. They provided three different types of salt for tempura: a sea salt from Osaka, a finer grained sea salt, and salt with pickled cherries in it. Everything was served on Kanazawa laquerware and pottery.
These pics are making me hungry just looking at them...
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Kanazawa
In desperate need of a weekend trip, we decided to head to the city of Kanazawa. The trip consisted of a 45 minute drive to Toyama and then a one hour train ride. Despite the relative nearness of the city, we decided to stay the night there since this area has a lot going for it.
View Larger Map
Fish Market
The Kanazawa fish market was a labyrinth of fresh edibles. Since Kanazawa is uniquely situated between the mountains and the sea, there was everything from mushrooms and root vegetables to squid to (of course) fish. We spent a good while just taking in the sights and stopped for a quick oyster snack when we got hungry.
Castle
I had never seen an Eastern-style castle, so I was very keen to visit this site. The grounds were beautiful and for a small fee you can go inside and get a sweeping view of the town.
Traditional Gardens
Across the street from the castle is the site of one of the best traditional gardens in Japan, Kenrouku-en. Founded in 1676 and completed in the 19th century, these gardens feel like stepping back in time (and out of the hustle of the city). Lanterns and statues dot the landscape and every once and awhile you happen upon a waterfall or koi pond. In the centre of the garden is a tea room where you can sit and have tea served to you in the traditional style. Do not try and sneak in to see the room without paying for tea (and if you do, definitely do not forget to take off your shoes at the door).
Little Kyoto
This is a district in the city which is filled with cute kimono and gift shops as well as geisha houses. We toured inside one of the geisha houses and it was spectacular. Everything was so ornate.
Gold Leafing
Never before have I seen a place so crazy for gold leafing. Kanazawa produces over 99% of Japan's gold leaf and you can find it on EVERYTHING here. When we stopped for some green tea ice cream we couldn't help but add on some of the city's signature product. Also spotted with added gold leaf was instant coffee, sushi, candy, pound cake, stones, hand cream, and the walls of a random room in the middle of the city.
Pottery and Laquerware
Kanazawa is a very artistic city and it is especially known for its pottery and laquerware. It has a two distinct types of pottery: one which is plainer and primitively shaped and the other which has characteristically bright colours.
Its nice to know that such an interesting place is only a short distance away. I really hope to come back here after the first snowfall since I have heard that the gardens are quite beautiful in the winter.
View Larger Map
Fish Market
The Kanazawa fish market was a labyrinth of fresh edibles. Since Kanazawa is uniquely situated between the mountains and the sea, there was everything from mushrooms and root vegetables to squid to (of course) fish. We spent a good while just taking in the sights and stopped for a quick oyster snack when we got hungry.
Castle
I had never seen an Eastern-style castle, so I was very keen to visit this site. The grounds were beautiful and for a small fee you can go inside and get a sweeping view of the town.
Traditional Gardens
Across the street from the castle is the site of one of the best traditional gardens in Japan, Kenrouku-en. Founded in 1676 and completed in the 19th century, these gardens feel like stepping back in time (and out of the hustle of the city). Lanterns and statues dot the landscape and every once and awhile you happen upon a waterfall or koi pond. In the centre of the garden is a tea room where you can sit and have tea served to you in the traditional style. Do not try and sneak in to see the room without paying for tea (and if you do, definitely do not forget to take off your shoes at the door).
Little Kyoto
This is a district in the city which is filled with cute kimono and gift shops as well as geisha houses. We toured inside one of the geisha houses and it was spectacular. Everything was so ornate.
Gold Leafing
Never before have I seen a place so crazy for gold leafing. Kanazawa produces over 99% of Japan's gold leaf and you can find it on EVERYTHING here. When we stopped for some green tea ice cream we couldn't help but add on some of the city's signature product. Also spotted with added gold leaf was instant coffee, sushi, candy, pound cake, stones, hand cream, and the walls of a random room in the middle of the city.
Pottery and Laquerware
Kanazawa is a very artistic city and it is especially known for its pottery and laquerware. It has a two distinct types of pottery: one which is plainer and primitively shaped and the other which has characteristically bright colours.
Its nice to know that such an interesting place is only a short distance away. I really hope to come back here after the first snowfall since I have heard that the gardens are quite beautiful in the winter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)