Off to play in Princess Mononoke's Woods (Part 2)

It's still raining in Oregon...

After a rather humorous start to our Yakushima trip, day 2 was an absolute blast. Since we had the car for the rest of the day, we decided to drive around the entire perimeter of the island. As it isn't a large island by any means, a drive around the entire perimeter of Yakushima takes approximately 3 hours - but why would anyone do that when there are so many things to see on the island? Throwing our luggage into the car, we got ready for a day around the island.

(Fields and Mountains)

Heading east this time, we headed towards the port town of Anbo(安房) so that I could finally withdraw some money. From there, we proceeded to hike along various trails, taking in the gorgeous coast and forests before heading to our first destination - a short hike to see Senpiro Waterfall (千尋の滝.) Along the way, we tried the local citrus juice known as Tankan juice, which tastes like a combination of tangerine and orange. When we got to the viewing platform, it was a little disappointing that we could not see the waterfall at a closer range but it was gorgeous nonetheless.

(Rocky Coasts)

 (Land crabs where everywhere)

Back on the road, we decided to look for an onsen (温泉) to relax in. Near the southern part of the island, there are various onsen which overlook the sea　known as kaichu-onsen (海中温泉。）Kaichu-onsen was something that we all wanted to experience while we were in Yakushima. Eventually we came across a small one with just a donation box at the entrance. This bare minimal approach was perfect for student travelers as it certainly kept costs down. I don't know what came over us, maybe it was something about the Yakushima atmosphere but we dashed towards that onsen with more excitment than children at Christmas. Throwing off all our clothes in the blink of an instant, we hopped frantically over the sun-baked rocks in a vicious dash towards the inviting water. Surrounded by tropical blooms and the southern sea breeze - it was a moment of pure bliss. Little did we know, the money lost to the god of the ocean was being put to good use and our luck was about to change. Out of the blue, a little old man appeared and approached us. Curious to know where we were from, he stuck up a conversation with us. Turns out, he was a local on the island and looked at us as if we were crazy. "There is a much better onsen just a little ways away from her" he exclaimed, "you guys really fell for the trap" he chuckled while proceeding to show us the path to the real onsen experience. Following him down a rocky path in nothing more than the option hand to cover the man-junk we skipped on down after him. We were not let down. What lay ahead was a onsen build directly into the boulders protruding from the ocean overlooking a vast expanse of blue - not only that, the man insisted we take a swim in the ocean as well which was invitingly cool after soaking in the hot water. If there is one thing you should know about Japan, it is that nude frolicking is not out of the ordinary.

(Onsen looking out and part of the sea)

Satisfying our onsen itch, the old man recommended that we buy lunch and head out to a waterfall much better than senpiro falls - "Okawanotani (大川の滝)" he proclaimed in a southern dialect "is grander than senpiro falls! Buy a lunch box at a convenience store up the street and settle down there for lunch!" Thanking him for this suggestion, we hopped back into our car and headed for the waterfall. Oh, old man, you did not dissapoint us. This waterfall was beautiful. Surrounded by lush greens, one could walk so close to the waterfall as to feel its thunderous roar pounding at your chest. During our lunch break, the old man appeared again! This time, he insisted on taking our picture at the foot of the falls - which requires a certain amount of climbing to reach. Needless to say, we got some pretty spectacular shots. Thanking him again profusely, we headed back to the car to continue our journey around the island.

 (Okawa waterfall)

(Grooming monkeys on the road)

Heading into a much more forested area of the island, we were greeted by a pack of monkeys grooming each other on the sun-dappled roads. Showing no fear of humans, we had to navigate through the pack very slowly as to not run over them. In addition, we would also encounter lots of little deer which were a little more skittish than the monkeys. After an extremely winding and narrow trail (about the width of 1 car) and near collision with oncoming cars, we finally broke out of the forest and onto a road which round around the cliffs overlooking the sea. In all honesty, it is a majestically beautiful place in all aspects.  Coming round to the end of our drive, we proceeded to our next destination - our lodgings for the night!

(Starry Sky and the Milky Way)

We had decided to camp out on the second day of our trip complete with an ocean barbecue. Gathering our supplies we set up camp back at a campsite in Miyanoura and spent close to an hour trying to light a fire. When we finally succeeded it was pitch black. However, with the fire going, copious booze and seafood, we were treated by a truly outstanding night sky. A completely clear and cloudless night, the stars scattered as far as the eye could sea and the milky way twisting its way from the mountains behind us. It was truly one of the most beautiful things I have had the pleasure to experience in my life. Content and rather drunk, we decided to tuck in and leave the cleaning for the next morning. While we slept, it appears that wildlife had cleaned up our leftovers for us, as we awoke to garbage scattered throughout the campsite and all our leftovers consumed. That certainly explains the commotion outside during the middle of the night.

 (Sunrise at camp)

(End day 2)

Off to play in Princess Mononoke's Woods (Part 1)

(Outside our bed and breakfast)

I'll take some time to write a summer travel log in this dreary winter weather.
Back in September, I finally had a chance to visit a place I've been wanting to go to for a very long time. If you have had the chance to see Hayao Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke" You might remember the beautiful forests that the Kodama's, Princess Mononoke (San) and Wolves resided in. The forest in fact, is based off an ancient forest in Yakushima (屋久島）, an island off Kagoshima prefecture (鹿児島県) - and is said to rain almost constantly. Yes, after seeing the movie when it first came out, I have wanted to go to Yakushima.

(Navigation is simple in Yakushima)

Being the last trip big trip before my life as a salaryman, I wanted this trip to be epic and epic it was, in good ways and bad. Booking our ticket at H.I.S and with a group of some of my closest friends, we headed for Kagoshima by air. From Kagoshima, we stopped for a delicious sushi lunch before boarding a hydrofoil to Yakushima island. Initially, things did not look good. A typhoon had just passed and the waves were rocky at best. However, when we approached the island, the weather began to clear and we were welcomed to Yakushima by blue skies, clear oceans and misty mountains. Checking in to our bread and breakfast, we decided to rent a car to explore the island. Being a circular island, navigation through Yakushima is not really an issue. Starting from Miyanoura (宮之浦) we headed west to begin our journey. Coming across a white sand beach with crystal clear waters after no more than 10 minutes of driving boded well for the remainder of the journey; some silliness in the water and sand later, we headed towards Nagata (永田), a beach famous for its sea turtle nesting sites.

(Nagata beach)

It was there that disaster struck.

Since the typhoon had just passed, the waves were a little choppy, we decided to take a group picture when the my wallet fell into the ocean! Taking off my shorts and leaving them on the beach, I dove in after my wallet - managed to recover everything, except for 900 dollars in cash!! A truly FML moment. To add insult to injury, a big wave rolled in around the same time, swallowing my my cell phone AND pants into the afternoon swell.

Fantastic.

So basically, after swimming in the ocean frantically collecting the banknotes that were floating around in the waves, I was left without pants, 900 dollars and cellphone. Riding back to the bed and breakfast in nothing but boxers, a state of shock and a very large donation to the ruler of the seas we settled in for dinner, a delicious combination of pork dishes, bitter gourd, sashimi and and a whole deep-fried flying fish. After the beach ordeal, beer had never tasted so good.

(Deep-fried Flying Fish)

That was just day one.

First Business Trip!

I miss sunshine... Apparently, Tokyo has been warm and sunny for the last week or so. I, on the other hand, I'm on my business trip in the United States for just under a month... I haven't been back long but I already feel like I haven't moved in ages - its something about the culture of automobiles that makes me really lazy. Even if I wanted to go out for a jog, I've only seen two sunny days in the entire week...
On the plus side, got to go to Canada, Washington and Oregon, all places I've never been. I must say, seafood around the pacific northwest area is pretty good - they have got bountiful resources for some pretty fresh product.
The picture is a seafood meal I had somewhere on the Seattle waterfront - delicious!

Bring on the Nihonshu! (Sake)

I do have a soft spot for Japanese sake or nihonshu (日本酒） as it is called here. For the last few years, a good friend and I have been attending the bi-annual (spring and autumn) sake tastings held in Iidabashi.
What makes this event great is that for 4000 yen, you can try all the different varieties of the more expensive varieties of Japanese sake. Specifically, this event caters to the more expensive brews - what is known as daiginjo (大吟醸）. What this means is that the rice used in the fermentation process is polished all the way down below 50% - resulting in sake that is usually light, crisp and thoroughly refreshing. I have a preference for slightly sweeter, crisp sake's so there are many brews here that fit my particular tastes. At this event, sake brewers from all over Japan come to showcase their premium sake in a large banquet hall. In addition, the 4000 yen tasting fee includes a box of snacks for the tasting (advance reservations only) and mystery bag of sake - some worth more than the entry fee! (both my friend and I have gotten sake that was worth more than 4000 yen - totally worth it.)
Last year, we both felt that eastern Japan did better with their brews but to our great surprise, the west did much better than the east this year.

I highly recommend this event and encourage you to check out their website (Japanese only) if you are interested!

http://www.ginjyoshu.jp/index.php

Thankful

Thanksgiving weekend is finally over; I don't know how, but we managed to fit close to 30 people into a Japanese sized apartment and two entire turkeys were stripped to the bone...
Spent the entire Friday evening preparing for Saturday's mega feast - made 4 pies from scratch, prepared for casseroles, stuffing, stew and numerous other things that could be prepped ahead of time. I also had to pre-roast one turkey as we were having two 14 pound birds. Even if my oven is large by Japanese standards, there was no way more than one turkey could go into the oven at a time. Ended up going to sleep at 3:30 am.
Come Saturday, had to prep all the vegetables, roast the second turkey, prepare the gravy and finish off all the side dishes. Luckily, everything came out perfect. Many bottles of wine and way too much Turkey later, I am glad that everyone left well fed. Of course there were also those that stayed into the wee hours of the morning, drinking and chatting for the remainder of the evening. Thanksgiving is a challenge every year but so far, I have not regretted hosting every time it rolls around.
Many thanks to my family, friends and the many years to come!

Got my Turkey's at Nissin International Delicatessen in Azabu Juban for those looking for a Christmas bird!

Hasta la vista, student loans!

It may be a dark and gloomy Tokyo morning today but I am ecstatic. After three years of headaches, the dark veil cast over me by my student loans has finally been lifted!
The trouble started when I became a graduate student here in Japan. As the U.S did not recognize my school, I could not defer the payment of my student loans - a big monetary problem indeed. Thus, I've been grudgingly paying them throughout the duration of my study here until finally I received this notice in my inbox.
Payday and debt-free in the span of 24 hours, life is good today. The only thing on the horizon now is looking forward a belated thanksgiving feast on Saturday cooked by yours truly. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Thanksgiving

Hosting a thanksgiving feast on Saturday and planning on a 14-16 pound turkey. That means I have to prepare today - going to buy then thaw a turkey...I don't think it will fit in my fridge but we will see how it goes!

Timeline of a work visa

This is basically what happens when you are switching visas in Japan. Well, technically not a work visa, more of a permission slip if you will. As you can see, I managed to get "specialist in humanities/ international services"! Since its laid out so linearly in my passport, I thought I'd share the process.
I hope this visual provides a clearer picture regarding the visa process of Japan, I'll briefly talk through each point.
1. This is the temporary visitor stamp - I had switched to this from a student visa, but since I didn't leave the country, I didn't need to give in my Gaijin card and my Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) from two years ago was still valid.
However, if this is your first trip to Japan, go to the local ward office to get your gaijin card (外国人登録証) and apply for the Certificate of Eligibility at the immigration office. Doing so will expedite the residence change (work visa) process
2. After filling out the form take all documents to the immigration office. They will ask you to fill out a postcard addressed to yourself. Additional documents includes a copy of your passport, gaijin card, copies of your degrees/qualifications, tax records for the sponsoring company, company registration, company brochures and most importantly your work contract. Along with the application to change your status of residence. If all goes well you go home and wait for the postcard you filled out earlier to arrive.
3. When the postcard arrives, if you are successful, the 4000 yen box will be ticked - this means you must go back to immigration, purchase a 4000 yen stamp from family mart and proceed to counter A. Once there, hand in the postcard along with your passport. They will give you a number and you wait for them to attach the sticker.
When they call your number, your passport is returned with a new status of residence!
4. After that is done, if you plan on traveling, I highly recommend getting the multiple re-entry permit. It will cost you an additional 6000 yen and like before, purchase a 6000 yen stamp to hand in with your application.

(*Update* As of 2013, re-entry visas are no longer necessary, as what was previously the 外国人登録証 (Gaikokujin Rouroku-shou/foreigner registration card) now doubles as your visa. It is also now called the 在留カード (zairyuu ka-do/residence card.)
The new residence cards are now also the responsibility of the immigration bureau, so you no longer need to go to the local ward office to apply for one.

Good Luck!

Time to change that visa!

I don't know if this is helpful for anyone, but in case they were curious, should you work visa application be successful, you will receive this postcard in the mail. It will be the same postcard they give you to fill out during the application process.

Basically, all that is left from here is to head down to immigration (In my case the one in Shinagawa - 入国管理局）, pay for your stamp (4000 yen) and you are home free! I guess I can celebrate a little eh?
Once you change your stamp, dont forget to go to the ward office to get a new gaijin card!　(外人登録証!)

Bringing Back the House Party/Izakaya Ramblings

House parties - it certainly is a wonderful thing that there simply are not enough of here in Japan. While studying in the U.S, House parties were a common occurrence, even in the tiny apartments of New York City. Needless to say, a few unhappy neighbours along the way (particularly the ones downstairs.) As space is usually very limited in Tokyo - coupled with nearly paper-thin walls at most apartments; most of the drinking and eating is done in izakaya (居酒屋.）

Essentially, an izakaya is a drinking parlor that is laid out like a restaurant. Food is served with a wide range of alcoholic beverages. These establishments can range from tiny tiny establishments (such as those found in "nonbei yokochou" (のんべい横町) right by the Shibuya cross walk) which at best can seat 4 people to large sprawling chains that are found throughout Tokyo.
The food typically served at izakaya is composed of many small dishes which one orders throughout the course of the night. Being small dishes, it is typical to begin with a beer and 2-3 dishes and ordering continues throughout the span of the meal. This is appealing because one can order various things depending on ones particular mood at the time. There is of course, the danger of ordering and drinking way too much - but that is what the izakaya's want, right?

Although izakaya are wonderful things in their own right, cost performance is still best with a house party. Pictured to the right is the result of this weeks cooking, a veritable feast of Thai food at a fraction of the cost one would see at a restaurant - with lots of liquor to spare! Cooking your own food and drinking straight liquor and beer from a can, it is still one of my favorite ways to hang out. Now that my apartment has concrete walls and a relatively spacious living room (By Japanese Standards) the tradition of the house party lives again!

Thai Food

The streets of Thailand, the smell of the street stalls, the rumble of the passing motorcycles weaving amongst unmoving traffic. While you wait, sweat dripping from your brow you catch a whiff of fresh herbs amongst the tangled scents of smog, sweat and garbage...the feeling is like no other...

Thai food is ever so delicious but ever so expensive in Japan. However, there is a trick that works well when it comes to buying things such as Thai Basil, Holy Basil, Galangal or Lemongrass - even these supermarket herbs can be grown by taking cuttings!
Basically, you can grow new plants from the ones you buy from the supermarket!
With the Thai and holy basil, simply
1. pick off most of the leaves (but leave the top leaves intact)
2.make a downward cut near the bottom of the stem, just under where the leaves would grow out.
3. Place the cuttings in Water or soil and cover with a plastic bag to prevent moisture loss.
4. Keep the soil damp but not wet and wait for roots to grow
5. When there are enough roots, plant in a pot and gently introduce your new plant to the outside world!

With lemongrass, just put the whole thing in about 3 centimeters of water or directly into the ground!

Lastly, for galangal, just dig a hole and drop it in!! (it grows tall, be careful!)

All in all, this is much cheaper than having to always buy from a supermarket.

Lastly, I leave you with my simple recipe for moo-bing (pork skewers)

*Soak bamboo Skewers in eater first so they don't burn when grilling!

3-400grams of pork, sliced thinly

marinade:

1/4 cup of coconut milk
2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 chopped coriander root
1 chopped coriander bunch
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp Sugar (white or even better palm sugar)

- Mix marinade together in a zip lock bag.
- Add about 3-400 grams of sliced pork
- mash everything together in the zip-lock bag
- marinade for at least an hour
- put on skewers
- grill for a few minutes on each side until a little burnt (5-7 minutes)
- serve with chili sauce!

School Spirit

If there is one thing to be said about events held at Japanese universities, it would probably be the sense of school spirit during events. My previous university, elementary, middle and high school had basically no school spirit so coming to Japan certainly was a shocker.
One event that happens annually is the school festival. Most recently, I attended the school festival of the last university I attended - Waseda University in Tokyo. During the school festival (known as 早稲田祭/waseda-sai in the case of Waseda.) The school clubs collaborate with one another to put on performances, food stalls and a variety of other events over the duration of a few days. Some popular events include acapella groups, beauty/macho pageants, Japanese dance, hip-hop and guest artists. In regard to food, its the standard matsuri fare such as takoyaki, okonomiyaki, yaki-soba, wieners, crepes, choco-banana and a sprinkling of other random food stalls.
In some instances, these school festivals are notorious pick-up spots where guys will hit on anything remotely resembling a female. This is especially true for Keio's school festival (三田祭/Mita-sai) where groups of guys will basically jump any girl that walks past them. To see this in full effect, be sure to visit the school festivals around the later hours of the day - especially around twilight.
Being in Tokyo, Waseda-sai and Mita-sai is extremely cramped and crowded - every inch of the campus is carpeted by a slow moving mass of people which means one should set aside an entire day to explore this aspect of Japanese life. As crowded as it is however, it is a lot of fun - especially if you or your friends are running stalls or performing. It is almost a must to get wasted at the end of the day as well...ah, the student life...

Royal Family

Today I saw the Royal family on their way to Meiji Shrine. This is crown prince Naruhito waving from the car! The people were handing out Japanese flags for everyone to wave as the cars passed, it certainly was a festive atmosphere!

How to have two days worth of calories in one sitting (a tale of Jiro)

Imagine, a cauldron of pork parts simmering slowly in a broth of garlic and soy. As the hours pass, the collagen and fats from the pig melt into the soup. Discarding the spent bones, the resulting broth is luscious, silky, decadent.
An empty bowl, a bit of soy sauce goes in the bottom, followed by what appears to be at least a kilo of ramen - though the thickness of the noodle suggests udon. This is soon covered with 4-5 slabs of thick cut pork which has been simmered in a salty, soy sauce mixture. To cap off the heaving mass, a mountain of cabbage and beansprouts, a dallop of chopped garlic and the tour-de-force: a ladleful of glistening lard, scooped off the top of the steaming cauldron.

I speak of course, of the experience known as Ramen Jiro. I still struggle to find the reasons why I continue to return to Ramen Jiro, a shop best known for its gargantuan bowls of Tonkotsu-broth ramen. Needless to say, I feel my arteries clog and my stomach churn every time I go. But I cant stop. Everything they do at Jiro seems bigger, grittier, heavier. Exact figures are unknown but it feels like each sitting at Jiro results in the consumption of at least two days worth of calories. Not exactly known for their decor, Ramen Jiro draws long lines nonetheless. Perhaps its the its the portions, tiny interior or the rough run-down appeal of thier shops (they do not to call their simmered pork as "Cha-shu", they instead refer to it simply as "buta" or "pork".) While the flavor is not the best in terms of ramen, Ramen Jiro's no can do attitude and monster portions certainly appeals to the after work crowd.

My suggestion is, if you plan to visit Ramen Jiro, you might as well go all out - that is, order the big bowl and ask for "yasai to niniku mashi-mashi" (Lots of vegetables and garlic) and of course "abura" (oil, or in this case, lard.) Be prepared to smell of pork and garlic for the rest of the day and into the next morning. Go see for yourself and see what the Ramen Jiro experience is all about. Oh, and be prepared for a wait - the lines can stretch around the corner.

*I've been to the Ikebukuro and Mita branches but most recently the Kanda branch. Here is the Kanda branch address:

ラーメン二郎（神保町店）

東京都千代田区 神田神保町 2-4-11

Ramen Jiro (Jinbo-cho shop)

2-4-11 Kanda Jinbo-cho, Chiyoda-ku、Tokyo

Morning coffee...FOILED!

This morning, as I do everyday before I arrive at the office, I buy a can of coffee from the vending machine. However, to my dismay I was greeted by a little notice tagged onto the machine...the metro has stopped all sales of vending machine beverages! Not only that, Apecs gotten all the garbage cans removed and extra policemen patrolling not only the platforms, but the train cars themselves! The horror! This of course, is due to the APEC conference held in Yokohama, the next city over from Tokyo. Running until Nov. 14th, you have made my life just that much more inconvenient...thanks.

Check out Apec all over Yokohama now! (and be prepared for some inconvenience...ha!)

Blue skies

Finally a clear day, its been a while.

Listening to Masaharu Fukuyama's "Beautiful Day" seems strangely appropriate.

Baking deliciousness

Living in Japan, one of the things I have missed the most is an oven. Like many have said before, they are virtually non-existent with any apartment. After 2 years, I finally broke down and bought an oven.
I settled on a panasonic "bistro" series steam oven which essentially acts as an oven, grill, steamer and microwave all rolled into one compact, sturdy machine (just try picking one up!) The oven holds three racks and is big enough to bake 2 chickens or 24 cookies at a time (tried and true) and the results are fantastic. Oven preheating doesn't take very long and the digital timer ensures that everything is cooked at the correct duration.
The oven exterior also stays cool which means I can save space by putting it on top of my single-person refrigerator. It browns meat well and handles a large load of cookies well - although a halfway rotation is needed for cookies and cakes.
The price maybe the only drawback to this oven however, its sales price is 89,000Yen - but look around and you can get better deals, I got mine for 58,000 Yen, a good amount of savings considering. The next challenge - Thanksgiving Turkey!

When in Rome

I hosted a Halloween party over the weekend. Because I didn't get a pumpkin in time, we were stuck carving little kabocha squashes. So even though the color was completely off, we still had our jack-o-lantern (Albeit a very Japanese version.)

Wanko Soba

Ever wanted to eat an unending assault of soba noodles? then look no further - 岩手県(Iwate Prefecture) is the place to go! Traveling to Iwate is only a few hours by bullet train, but being a poor salaryman, the overnight bus was the way to go. Upon arriving at Morioka, the largest city in Iwate, we found that there are far many Wanko soba places to choose from, so just take your pick and head inside!

The term wanko soba literally means "Little bowl of soba" in the local dialect. while the origins are unclear, it certainly is an entertaining way to have noodles. Upon selecting a desired "course" dictating which toppings and fixings come with you soba (we paid approximately 2500 yen), an attendant soon arrives and starts placing the little laquer bowls of soba noodles in front of you. The moment you dip the noodles in the sauce (dashi) and slurp the delectable serving down your gullet, another bowl immediately is set down in front of you. I should also mention that this happens very quickly and you are advised to keep a quick pace when eating Wanko soba.

Soon, it becomes a cruel joke as the attendant begins to taunt you with an endless flow of noodles. The only way to stop is to cover your bowl before they have a chance to place another bowl in front of you - more difficult than it sounds mind you! When at last you manage to cover your bowl in a state of semi-consciousness, about to pass out from the sheer amount of buckwheat you've consumed in the span of half an hour, you are rewarded with a little certificate noting how many bowls you had. I only managed 77 but the old man next to us managed a staggering 125 bowls. How many can you manage? Grab a friend and head over to Iwate prefecture to give Wanko soba a try!

Cold...so very cold.

Its so cold today, we've already had Japan's first snowfall up in Hokkaido - earlier than normal. Here in Tokyo, the temperature has dropped to 9celcius overnight. Looks like we wont have the Autumn season this year. Even the hot lunch isn't warming me up. Brrr!

Frijoles, the Chipotle of Japan

I recall fondly they gut bomb of my college days. I am speaking of "Chipotle", the burrito which probably in itself contained enough calories to feed a small village. Ah yes, the thick cut carnes topped with beans, cheese, lettuce, onions, salsa, rice and a healthy dollop of guacamole and sour cream. Of course, who could forget the refill drinks, the alcohol and the tray with endless tabasco sauces and lemon slices.
After coming to Toyko, I feared that this little slice of tex-mex guilt would be nothing more than a distant memory of my college days. How wrong I was...
While it certainly is less of a gut bomb and the flavors don pack as much of a punch as the one and only Chipotle, it does its job as a substitute for the day I can feast upon Chipotle once again. The restaurant I refer to is known as "Frijoles" located just a short walk from Azabu Juban. Everything is pretty much a carbon replica of my beloved Chipotle, down to the steely interiors and vibe. The same three selections of meats and salsa, in addition to real sour cream and guacamole - a real rarity here. However, it is important to know that spicy in Japan is nothing more than a mere tingle on my palate so you may need an extra dowsing of tabasco if you like it hot. I will mention however, the toilets here are much cleaner and high tech.

Pay them a visit at:

Frijoles Azabu Juban

2-3-5 Azabu-Juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo

iPad, iHad some sushi

For remarkably good revolving sushi (回転寿司,Kai-ten sushi) give the Ikebukuro Seibu department store branch of Umegaoka Sushi no Midori (梅丘寿司の美登利) a try. Located in the Seibu Department Store connected too Ikebukuro station, it is convenient indeed.
Most of the other Midori Sushi chains require ordering verbally but at the Ikebukoro branch of their restaurant, the ordering is simplified in two ways. First, it is kaiten, which means that all of the basic plates of sushi revolve along a long conveyor belt throughout the restaurant. Second, they've introduced an iPad on every table to place a la carte orders.
Now I can only imagine how much that cost to install but they are a popular enough chain to afford it. With the apple-fication complete, keep an eye on how much you order, it is easy to get carried away staring at a shiny new iPad!

Just something to keep in mind however, be prepared for a long line before you are seated. We went on a weeknight and it was still relatively busy. In total we may have waited around 20 minutes before we were seated.
While the sushi is fresh and is definitely worth the price, be prepared to spend anywhere from 2-3000 Yen per person without alcohol (not bad actually.)

For those feeling brave, I recommend the salmon row - not the usual gunkan presentation but literally 1/4 of an entire sack of salmon roe on top of rice.

Another option is their Shibuya branch which is located on the 4th floor of Mark City, just a few minutes from JR Shibuya Station.

Here is the address to the Ikebukuro branch:

梅丘寿司の美登利 回し寿司　池袋西武店
電話03-6914-1185
東京都豊島区南池袋1-28-1 西武池袋本店8階

Umegaoka Shushi no Midori (Ikebukuro Branch)

Seibu Ikebukuro Honten 8F

Toshima-ku Minami Ikebukuro 1-28-1

Tokyo,

Japan

Tel: 03-6914-1185

Yakult makes an appearance, nostalgia ensues

Yakult is something that is extremely nostalgic. Having spent a large amount of time in Southeast Asia during my childhood, it was not uncommon to see the Yakult lady on her bicycle delivering this sweet beverage every morning. With a syrupy-sweet, yogurt-like flavor, we used to freeze the little bottles in the freezer and consume it frozen - scraping the solidified yakult out of the bottle with little spoons, perfect for the long hot days.
Yakult is actually a Japanese invention, produced by fermenting skim milk with a strain of bacteria known as lactobacillus casei shirota, developed by Kyoto University Medical School graduate Minoru Shirota. The company is so big, that they even have their own baseball team here in Japan - The Yakult Swallows.

This afternoon, a Yakult lady stopped by the office to hand out samples of their new product. As you can see from the label, this version of Yakult has 30% less calories than the standard variety.
(It doesn't really taste that much different though, I just tried a bottle.)
Although I do remember the original being rather sweet, it was surprising to discover that it contained 18grams of sugar per 100ml. I suppose that is why they are always sold in those little 80ml bottles.

Pepsi Generation

It should come to no surprise that Japan has an array of quirky flavors when it comes to snacks and beverages. This is especially true for things such as kit-kats, lays potato chips and of course, soft drinks.
Today I came across this new flavor on my lunch break; a Mont Blanc flavor of Pepsi. Mont Blanc is usually a cake made of chestnut cream so imagining that as a beverage is ever so slightly disturbing. However, the slogan does insist that this new flavor is "a dessert like beverage"(...)

Parting ways

In Japan, there are 宴会(enkai) or drinking parties that revolve around almost every possible theme. One of them is called the 送別会(soubetsukai) or farewell party.
In my case, it was the farewell dinner which my scholarship foundation threw for me.
The party was held at a restaurant called韻松亭(Inshoutei) specializing in seasonal 懐石(Kaiseki) cuisine, which is Japanese Haute Cuisine. It was decided we would have the course of the local chicken (地鶏, jidori) served sukiyaki style. If you ever get the chance, it is a wonderful restaurant located at the heart of Ueno park - dimly lit with tatami floors and a beautifully planted exterior.
When attending such formal parties, it is always the responsibility of the guest of honor (me, in this case) to go around all the tables at least once to pour all the guests a drink from a big bottle (typically beer.)
In addition, several toasts and heavy drinking is something that is rather difficult to avoid. However, once the initial formalities are addressed, the atmosphere becomes much lighter and I become much less terrified at the prospect of doing something that could offend a roomful of people.
At these events, it is customary to present the departing party with a present - which is this lovely little Burberry name card carrier. Accept graciously and expect to be teased about not owning something of such customary value in Japan. (Name cards are a big thing)
Of course, entering the salaryman life meant that this was a extremely appropriate departing gift!

New apartment, Fresh start

After living in one room with no kitchen, no bathroom and no toilet for a few years, the time has finally come for me to move into a new residence.

In Japan, this apartment is known as a "1DK" which stands for "1 Dining Kitchen." What this means is that the apartment has one room(bedroom) and a dining/kitchen room. While many of the smaller apartments today have combined toilets and bathrooms. In this instance, the toilet is in a separate room from the bathroom - very nice indeed!

While cooking with one IH heater certainly was an enlightening experience, it is something I wont miss too much. On a positive note, the new apartment has three gas burners! certainly a wonderful thing to have; certainly many feasts to come.

Thus, the new adventures of Za Salaryman begins...lets see where its headed!

Za life of a salaryman begins

An American in Tokyo, I have entered the world of salaryman-dom.