Tax hike comes in tomorrow

The government is raising consumption tax from 5% to 8% starting April 1st 2014.
One of the times I wish it were an April Fool's day joke....

Making sure your beer is.... beer

Is that beer you are drinking there - or is it a beer flavored drink?

In Japan, the first time visitor may be surprised at how cheap some of the beers are compared to other seemingly identical beers.

However, as with such things, it is not always what it seems.
You could very well be drinking "発泡酒" (Happoshu) which basically means sparkling alcohol.
Happoshu is taxed less heavily than full malt alcohols, meaning they can be sold cheaply.
The amount of tax is related to how much malt is present in the drink. The less the malt, the less the tax.

Thus, anything with a malt content of less than 67% (Prior to fermentation) is classified as happoshu, which can contain as little as 0% malt.
The classification can prove problematic since a lot of Belgian and German beers can be brewed with things other than malt, rendering them "happoshu" and not beer.

Taking this in, you can probably understand why izakaya beers can be brought so cheaply.

How can you tell the difference between happoshu and real beer?
take a look at these two lables:

Label says "Liqueur (happosei)" This is happoshu

Label says "Nama Bi-ru" This is real beer.

Hopefully this sheds some light on the differences between happoshu and Beer. Read the labels carefully, beer is usually always sold as "生ビール”look for those characters, and you should be alright!

Lastly, to see how far happoshu can deviate from actual beer, here is a limited edition spring cherry cocktail - since malt is not used in the brewing process, this is also called happoshu.

That about sums everything up. 乾杯 (kanpai!) And happy drinking!

Spring is coming! (Asparagus Bacon Snack)

The Sakura are finally starting to bloom in Tokyo again.
That can only mean that spring is coming, which can only mean hanami parties under the sakura!

The Sakura at 椿山荘(Chinsanso) Gardens

In other news, here is a new potato snack flavor I tried today, asparagus bacon flavor.
It was just okay...had the flavor of bacon, but couldn't really make out any asparagus flavor.

Calbee Asparagus Bacon Flavor

Wacky Ice Cream Flavor

Oh gari-gari kun (ガリガリ君), you've done it again!

Gari-gari kun is a widely available Japanese Popsicle that usually comes in a blue colored Ramune (lemon-lime soda) flavor. Fortunately, they like to keep us on our toes by coming out with interested new flavors. Here is one I found recently.

See that? it is cream stew flavored! Yes, a savory stew in the form of a Popsicle. Definitely weirded me out when I tried it since it tasted of a sweet-savory stew and had bits of meaty pieces in it. Happy I tried it but I probably won't be a repeated customer with this one...

Give it a try...?

Frozen is coming to town. (Some thoughts to getting your overseas media fix)

Finally, Disney's "Frozen" has arrived in Japan

Frozen Promo on Nihon Terebi Morning News.

For those of you that do not know, movies can take months to be released in Japan. Here in Tokyo, we are getting "Frozen" (released in the U.S before Christmas) - in March!
Oftentimes, the DVD's will be released overseas before we get them in theaters here.

The same goes for TV series, which may not even make the journey over. Ever.

How is one left to fend for themselves in such a situation? Here are some ways I get my fix.

I usually purchase subscriptions through my U.S itunes account - which is very up to date.
(Don't bother with Hulu Japan for overseas series, it is woefully underwhelming and sad.)

PC game supply is a site I have used with great success. Not only can you get gift cards for iTunes, but all your gaming needs are covered as well (Nintendo/Playstation etc.) You can visit them here.

The other options are VPN networks (I haven't gotten it to work very well) and of course some less than kosher methods which could get you in trouble.

How do you get your media fix? I would love to hear some other opinions!

寿司大 (Sushi Dai)

Sushi Dai

A good finish after a morning at Tsukiji Fish Market.

 

Sushi Dai (Entrance)

With Tsukiji Fish Market set to move to Odaiba in March of 2016, it is best to get a glimpse at the hustle and bustle of fish sales in Tokyo before it is moved to its new home.

For over 80 years, Tsukiji Market has been Tokyo's hub for satisfying the populations hunger for the freshest seafood. 

It comes to no surprise that good sushi can be had at a fairly decent price on the market grounds.

On this day, we had decided to try Sushi Dai, easily spotted by the long line trailing out the shop and around the corner.

As you may know, I am not the biggest fan of waiting, especially for mediocre food (I am looking at you, Harajiku Eggs'n Things.) As I was entertaining a guest, there was very little say in where we went so I will leave you with this warning:

When one dines at Sushi Dai, be prepared to wait...and wait....and wait.

We ended up arriving at around 8am and stood outside waiting for approximately two and a half hours. About an hour before we could get in, we were offered some hot green tea to warm us up as the winds were not exactly forgiving. When we reached the line directly outside the shop, we were given menus and asked to order. Note that this shop is tiny - there is only one counter for guests. Thus, try to get there before 5am for the least amount of waiting time.

Seeing as this was my guest's 1st sushi experience, we ordered the omakase which came just under 4000JPY at 3,900JPY.

Upon entering, the cozy and lively atmosphere was infectious. We were greeted by the enthusiastic chef's, no doubt used to the extremely international crowds. Saying hello to everyone in a variety of languages, their upbeat demeanor was a pleasant surprise after waiting in the bitter cold.

The atmosphere is lively and friendly

 We were lucky to be seated at the station of the 店長 (Tencho, Head of the shop), who wasted no time in preparing our sushi. 

The Omokase went as follows:

1. 大トロ Otoro, Fatty Tuna

2. 鯛 Tai, Red Sea Bream

3. 鰤 Buri, Yellow Tail

4. 雲丹 Uni, Sea Urchin (+1 on the house)

5. 鯖 Saba, Spanish Mackerel

6. 鯵 Aji, Yellow Jack

7.ホッキ貝 Hokki-gai, Artic Surf Clam

8. 赤身 Aka-mi, Tuna

9. いくら Ikura, Salmon Roe

10.穴子 Anago, Sea Eel

In addition, we were also given a piece of 卵焼き(Tamagoyaki, Japanese Omlette), Miso Soup and Some tuna and cucumber rolls (unremarkable.)

We also ordered some a la carte:

11. 中トロ Chuu-toro, Medium Fatty Tuna

12: Some unlisted fish that the Chef recommended...can't remember the name...but delicious!

13. いくら More Salmon Roe

All in all a great meal. Perfect as an ending after a tour of Tsukiji though, so I recommend it heartily. For me, the standouts were the Uni, Chuu-Toro and the Buri, which was in peak season.

Everything else was also on the good end, though I am not a fan of Hokkigai.

The total bill for the 2 of us came out to be just about 11,000JPY for the two of us, including a beer.

Lastly, not only the food, but the lively and friendly atmosphere make it fun and accessible to anyone not confident in their Japanese skills. The chefs all speak decent English, are friendly and there are menu's in English available as well. If you are looking for a quiet and intense experience like Sukiyabashi Jiro, this is not the place.

Bits of our meal

寿司大(Sushi Dai)

Address: 〒104-0045 東京都中央区築地5-2-1築地市場内6号館

(〒104-0045 Tokyo, Chūō, Tsukiji, 5−2−1, Tsukiji ichiba nai 6(roku) gou kan 

Phone:+81 3-3547-6797

Hours: 5:00 am – 2:00 pm

Your Residence Card is now also your Visa

The residence cards (在留カード, "zairyuu ka-do"）now serve double duty as your visa. Be sure to have it going in and out of the country.
This being said, the need for applying for a re-entry visa is now obsolete if you have the residence card (saves quite a bit of cash, actually.)

Don't forget an address

For those coming to Japan for work/pleasure etc. don't forget an address. You will need it for immigration. Just something that seems like common sense but is commonly forgotten.