Orchids, Orchids and More Orchids

A few weeks ago my friend messaged me and asked if I liked orchids and was interested in going to the orchid festival in Tokyo.  I pondered the first question for a few moments - do I like orchids?  I definitely enjoy flowers but I never really thought of myself as an orchid lover (or of any other flower for that matter), but I suppose that of all the flowers out there, orchids would probably be one of my favorites since it was by far the dominant flower at my wedding (see pictures to the right - hey, any chance I get to reminisce about that day, I'm taking it).  In any case, I am always up for new things and I love going to Tokyo, so I said I would go.  It was supposed to be a group of guys and girls on this outing, but the night before when we were all at dinner, the guys found out that Rich and his friends were going to UFC 144 at the Saitama Super Arena the next day and promptly informed us they were ditching the orchid festival for UFC (guess I can't really blame them). To our delight, it ended up being a girls' day out.

We arrived at Tokyo Dome City around 11:00 a.m. and since none of us had really eaten, we decided to eat before taking on the Orchid Festival.  Tokyo Dome City has it all - Tokyo Dome (home of the Tokyo Giants), an amusement park, a hotel (Tokyo Dome Hotel), a skate arena, a bowling center, a shopping mall, restaurants and the LaQua natural hot spring complex.  We walked around LaQua to check out our dining options - we considered eating at Bubba Gump, but once we saw The City Buffet and the sample selections in the plastic case, we were sold (it was also the best choice price-wise).  The buffet had a salad bar, Chinese and Japanese dishes, pizza (Japanese style), and an ice cream bar. By the time we were done, we were stuffed and sleepy.  Hmm...I think I see a pattern developing (buffet followed by some activity that involves a lot of walking), which is ironic considering that on Edo-Tokyo Museum day, we thought it was ridiculous to pig out at a buffet and then go sightseeing.

The official name of the festival is the Japan Grand Prix International Orchid Festival and it's an annual event which was started in 1991.  This year the festival was held from February 18 - 26 at the Tokyo Dome.  We really had no idea what to expect but once we entered the arena, we realized that this festival was a lot bigger than we had anticipated.  I'm not sure if it was because it was the last day of the festival, but there were tons of people (mostly older Japanese women, I'm not gonna lie) and by the time we were ready to leave, it was a struggle just to make it to the exit.

The festival had a little bit of everything.  There was an area to view the orchids which had been submitted for display/viewing, an area for the orchid competition (there were different divisions for the different species of orchid), there were massive orchid displays, orchid flower arrangements, orchid gardens and orchid-related crafts on display.  In addition, there were food vendors, a wine garden, and booths where you could buy orchids and other orchid-related products (one of the popular booths seemed to be the Shiseido booth where you could buy orchid perfume).   I had absolutely no idea there were so many different types of orchids or that they came in so many different colors, and I can honestly say that I now have a new appreciation for this flower (I was tempted to buy a plant but then I remembered that I've never been able to grow anything and decided against it).  According to the Daily Yomiuri, this year's festival featured 100,000 plants from over 21 different countries.  There was a special display where you could view a blue orchid from Borneo, but when we saw that the wait time to get in was at least 45 minutes, we agreed that it wasn't really necessary for us to see the blue Borneo orchid.  After we saw everything there was to see, we headed back to Yokosuka and ended our fabulous girls' day with tea and scones at Afternoon Tea. 

Here are some pictures from the festival:

Time To Take Out The Trash

One of the most difficult things we had to adjust to when we moved to Japan was the sorting of our trash.  I know what you're thinking - how hard can it really be?  Well, move to Japan and you will find out firsthand.  Rich moved into our house a few days before I arrived in Japan, so he was the one that got all the paperwork and explanation(s) from our rental agent on everything, including the garbage system. The thoughtful husband that he is, he also made a trip to Homes (our version of Home Depot + Target) and got Japanese trash cans and trash bags - although I later got an earful about how it took him forever to decide which trash cans and what size bags to buy.  In his defense, shopping for garbage bags is overwhelming the first time because there are so many choices -  i.e., what size and with or without handle (not really sure why anyone would get ones without handles though, they make it so much easier).

Anyway, I had barely walked through the door to our new home when Rich handed me a stack of papers explaining the trash system and said, "Enjoy!"  You can't really tell from the pictures, but the colored pamphlet is 6 pages long and is quite user friendly since it's in color and has pictures.  The other one, which is 5 pages long (front and back), is more comprehensive in listing items and identifying which category they belong to.  I studied both of them very carefully and thought to myself, this is going to be interesting!

Taking the trash out in Japan is a 4 sometimes 5 day a week chore, as our city has established five general categories which our trash must be sorted into and put out on the appropriate day (only a few of which overlap days).  Here is the schedule that we follow:

1. Burnables (food scraps, some paper products) - picked up on Mondays and Thursdays
2. Group resources (cardboard, clothes, magazines, toilet paper rolls) - picked up the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month
3. Plastics - picked up on Tuesdays
4. Nonburnables - picked upon the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month
5. Cans, bottles and PET bottles - picked up on Fridays

After living in The Bay Area, I am BIG on recycling and I get why Japan has this system.  But having just moved from a state where they only started curbside recycling in 2007, sorting the trash into 5 bins takes getting used to.  Also, since different trash gets picked up on different days and you place your trash either under a mesh net or in a steel cage, you can only put it out the morning of pickup.  That's right, there's no putting your smelly trash in your own bin; you have to wait till the right day to put it out.  You also can't throw away large items (you have to call the city to pick it up) and you can't throw batteries away, you have to take them to a store and put it in a collection box.  As I type this, I realize that at least you don't see old couches, dirty mattresses or other junk furniture lying on the sidewalk like you do in some neighborhoods in the U.S. (I won't name names, but you know who you are). 

You're probably wondering why you should care about sorting your trash properly. You don't have to, but if you don't, the trash collectors will leave your trash there with a preprinted Yellow Note identifying your trash violation.  How do they know if you've gotten it right or not?  Everyone is required to use clear (or opaque) trash bags which clearly show what's in the bag - talk about no privacy.  Having heard of how strict the Japanese are about trash and living in constant fear of the shame of getting a Yellow Note,  I probably checked the pamphlets any time I had to throw something away for the entire first month we lived here.

As the months passed with no incident, I think we got a little complacent with our trash sorting habits.  Well, after living here for 7 months without any issues, we got our first Yellow Notice the other day. And apparently they knew the violators were not Japanese because as you can see, the Yellow Note is in English not in Japanese like the others we have seen.  It seems we have been incorrectly putting non-PET water bottles in the plastics when they should be going in the cans, bottles and PET group.  Luckily this wasn't such a hard violation to correct (I say this, but Rich is the one that had to go through the bag and re-sort it) but the crappy thing is that we had to keep it for another week.  With the exception of this incident, I'm pleased to say that we've pretty much gotten the hang of the sorting and hey, I may even miss it when we leave here.

Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea is one of my favorite things to do.  When I lived in The Bay Area and I was in charge of throwing a birthday party, a shower or a plain ole girls' get together, you could always count on me to host afternoon tea at The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco.  There's something so relaxing about enjoying a cup of tea and scones with clotted cream (you can't forget the clotted cream) with your girlfriends.  And of course you can't find a more elegant atmosphere than The Ritz.  Ah but I digress...thoughts of San Francisco are thoughts for another day.  Truly though, I really do love tea.  I once went through a phase where I was obsesed with loose leaf tea. I'd get different types and flavors, I got metal cannisters to store the different flavors and I got every tea-related accessory I could find.  These days I'm back to regular tea bags, and I even gave away tea sachets from my favorite tea maker Harney & Sons Fine Tea as favors at my wedding.  Moral of the story = I really like tea.

Afternoon Tea at the shopping plaza where I frequent quite often has a tearoom/restaurant, a small bakery where you can get fresh pastries/desserts to go, and a shop across the way that sells a lot of cute tea, lunch/bento and kitchen-related merchandise.  I constantly have to restrain myself from buying everything in sight at the shop.  I would absolutely love to buy a lunch set from Afternoon Tea (food containers, thermos, chopsticks, musubi holder, ice pack - depicted in the picture to the left), but for one thing I don't have anywhere to take it and for another, the containers really don't hold much food at all (that's probably a good thing).  Although, my new favorite website is a site "dedicated to the subject of simple bento lunches," both traditional and not so traditional.  I've already found some recipes I want to try and I really think I need to get some cute bento containers to put my creations in.

Given that I like tea, it is a little strange that it's taken me 6 months to visit Afternoon Tea.  Recently, my friend and I were arranging to meet up for coffee and although I suggested Starbucks for lack of something better, in the back of my head I knew there was somewhere I wanted to try but I couldn't think of it.  To my delight, she responded "how about Afternoon Tea?"  We met at Afternoon Tea and both got the Cream Tea Set which comes with a pot of tea and two scones (complete with fruit preserves and cream).  I ordered chai tea which was perfect.  I have since been back and tried their signature Afternoon Tea blend which I also really liked.  Since it was lunchtime, people around us were ordering actual meals (pasta and salads) which, as is customary here, looked delicious and impeccable.  On my next visit, I plan to try one of their meal sets and I'll report back.

Lunch Date in Yokohama

Even though Monday was President's Day and a holiday, it wasn't really a holiday because Rich had to work for part of the day.  But since it was a week day, we wanted to take advantage of the fact that it was not a Japanese holiday, which we figured might mean less crowds and congestion at places.  I suggested we catch the train to Yokohama, which is always a great option because it's closer to us than Tokyo, but yet there's still a lot to do there.  Yokohama is approximately 20 miles south of Tokyo and is the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo.

After a short 30 minute train ride (including one transfer), we arrived at Landmark Tower/Queen's Square Tower in the Minato Mirai area.  The Landmark Tower, which is the largest building in Japan, houses offices, a hotel, tons of restaurants and a shopping mall.  The hotel is on the 52 - 67th floors of the Landmark Tower, there is an observatory on the 69th floor and the Sky Lounge Sirius (whose amazing view I hope to enjoy for myself one day, hint hint) is on the 70th floor.  At lunchtime during the week, the business people from the various offices come downstairs to the mall area to eat at one of the many restaurants.  Seeing so many suits always reminds me of and makes me miss the hustle and bustle of San Francisco.  Landmark Tower is awesome because it has Cold Stone, H&M, Gap, and Krispy Kreme, among others.....basically all the essentials. 

We were starving so we headed straight for Hard Rock Cafe. Even though we definitely love to eat at local restaurants, there's something comforting about going to a place with a name you recognize.  Plus, I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I just feel like a big ole burger.  However, the thing about U.S. restaurants in Japan is that you never know how closely the Japanese location will resemble the U.S. one in terms of menu offerings and what the food actually tastes like. In my opinion, Hard Rock Yokohama remained true to its roots and did not disappoint. 

I had the bbq bacon cheeseburger and Rich had the pulled pork sandwich, both of which were delicious.  Rich is pretty picky about his bbq, so if he says it's good, it must be good (he asked me to make it clear that he's a North Carolina vinegar bbq sauce person).  We were both stuffed so we didn't get anything for dessert even though the apple crumble was calling my name quite loudly (oh well, there's always next time).  I will caution readers though, you definitely don't want to go here if you plan on drinking a lot because drinks will run you about $12.00 a piece, $20 for the ones that come with a signature glass.

 After lunch we headed back to Landmark Tower and walked around for a bit.  I only window shopped though because we are heading back to the States in a few weeks, at which point my husband knows I plan to do a TON of shopping (so he understandably had me on a short leash while we were in Yokohama).  Since I didn't have dessert at Hard Rock, I stopped in at Mrs. Elizabeth Muffin for some yummy mini muffins for later. All in all, it was a great day and the best part was that I got to spend it with my husband!!

Things About Living In Japan That Make Me Happy

Now that I've lived in Japan for six months, I've gotten somewhat of a handle on what things are like here (well at least in Yokosuka).  I am by no means claiming to be an expert, but at least now I no longer walk around with a dazed and confused look on my face all the time (although the locals might disagree).  I know that those who live here have their own likes/dislikes about living in Japan, but since this is MY blog, it's only fitting that I give MY opinion of the things, even the little things, that I like about living here.  This is certainly not an exhaustive list, just the things that came to mind first (and in no particular order).

1.  Restaurant Buzzers:  Except for the really tiny restaurants, many of the ones we've been to in Yokosuka have buzzers at the tables.  From the moment Rich and I figured out exactly what the buzzers were for, we haven't been able to stop raving about them (to each other of course).  Basically, once you're seated, the server does not come back to your table unless you press the buzzer.  You can take as long as you want to look at the menu without being asked every 5 minutes if you're ready to order and you don't have to worry about flagging the server down (both of which annoy me).  The staff is much more efficient with their time and someone is always at your table within seconds of pressing the buzzer (well in my experience that's been the case).  It's amazing how such a simple concept makes the dining experience so much better. If only restaurants in the U.S. would adopt this concept!

2.  Japanese Sweets/Bakeries:  I'm a sucker for desserts and baked goods, so I really lucked out moving to a country where there are bakeries aplenty and where they are serious about their baked goods. Whenever I'm in the mood for fresh bread or a cinammon roll, all I have to do is walk down the street to the bakery.  When I really feel like splurging, I'll catch the train and go to Saint-Germain which is a little on the pricey side, but in my opinion, their stuff is the best (here and in Hawaii).  Anywhere you go in Japan, you'll find that not only do the desserts look impeccable but they also taste really good. Even the desserts in the grocery store are top notch.  For awhile my favorite was a pancake stuffed with custard and cream (yum) and Rich's favorite was the yellow roll cake stuffed with cream and an actual banana in the middle (double yum). The only downside to this all is that it's really not good for my waistline.

3.  Vending Machines:  Vending machines are everywhere in Japan (allegedly there is one vending machine for every 23 people here).  In some places you can find five or more machines from different vendors next to each other. And I'm not talking about crappy, boring vending machines.  Japanese vending machines are famous for their number, quality of product(s) and the sometimes odd/unique products they dispense.  There are vending machines where one can purchase things like corn soup, ties, sneakers, and batteries.  Most recently, Asahi announced their new machines will be offering free Wi-Fi.  I love the fact that vending machines are everywhere because you never have to go very far when you're thirsty.  In fact, there's a vending machine pretty much right outside my front door, so whenever I'm in the mood for a coke or lemon water, all I have to do is step outside.  They also come in handy in the winter to warm up....just buy a hot coffee and then use the piping hot can to warm your hands up!

4.  Safety:  Japan is known for being a safe place.  Like anywhere else, it has its share of crime, but I did read somewhere that it has one of the lowest crime rates.  Not that I'm out by myself at night on a regular basis, but I definitely feel safe walking from the train station to my house at night alone.  Although, I'm never really alone because even at 11:00 p.m., there are usually a good number of people that get off at my station.  My girl friends that live off base also feel comfortable walking around at night which is important given that we are always walking (even though we all have cars it's just easier to walk than find parking sometimes; plus, no drinking and driving).

5.  Small Portions:  One thing I've come to appreciate living here is the Japanese philosophy/practice against waste.  I do my grocery shopping at both the Commissary on base and at Seiyu the Japanese grocery store by our house, and I've noticed a difference in the shopping habits at each.  At the commissary, there are American shopping carts and shoppers' carts are usually overflowing with stuff (mine included, but only because I try to get all my shopping for the week done in one trip).  But at Seiyu, the carts are only the size of a shopping basket, and people generally only get just enough food for that day and maybe the next day.  Also, products at a Japanese grocery store generally come in small portions, which I love because I hate throwing food away.  I think it's the greatest thing that I can buy 4 or 6 slices of bread rather than a huge U.S. size loaf because I'm the only one in the house that eats bread and I know it won't go to waste!

Buffet + Museum = Happy Sunday

A few weeks ago when we went to Tsukiji, our plan was to visit the Edo-Tokyo Museum while we were in Tokyo.  Unfortunately that was a Monday, and 99% of all museums in Japan are closed on Mondays so we were out of luck.  One of the benefits of being affiliated with a military base is that we get to take advantage of the various tours and trips that MWR (Morale Welfare and Recreation) offers to base personnel and their families.  So, when I saw that MWR was offering a Sunday tour that provided roundtrip transportation from Yokosuka to Tokyo on an MWR bus, a buffet brunch at the New Sanno Hotel and a trip to the Edo-Tokyo Museum, I thought: umm, awesome!

We met the bus on base at 8:30 a.m. and after a short hour bus ride we arrived at the New Sanno Hotel which is located close to the notorious Roppongi district of Tokyo. The New Sanno is operated by the U.S. Navy and is only open to active duty and retired military and civilians, just like the Hale Koa Hotel back home.  I hear New Sanno has really nice rooms at bargain rates - and if only I could get a reservation there, I could speak from experience (it's only February, but they are completely booked every single weekend for the rest of the year).  The doors to the buffet opened at 10:00 a.m. sharp and we were the first ones through the door.  The spread was impressive: caviar, pate, carving station, sushi bar, and most importantly for me, lots and lots of bacon.  Champagne was included with the buffet and of course it only took one person to say yes to the waiter before the rest of us jumped on the bandwagon and had our glasses filled.

After stuffing ourselves to death with food and champagne, the last thing we wanted to do was walk around a museum (the champagne seemed like such a great idea at the time but probably contributed to our sluggishness).  Look, all I'm saying is that the tour organizers might want to consider rearranging the order of events.  Luckily, the 20 minute power nap on the bus ride to the museum energized us. 

The Edo-Tokyo Museum is located in Ryogoku near the Ryogoku Kokukaigan where the sumo tournaments are held.  The museum provides a history of Tokyo and the exhibits include life size replicas of the Nihonbashi Bridge and Nakamuraza Playhouse, scale models of town, and buildings from the Edo, Meiji and Showa Periods. The museum is very English friendly and we took advantage of the complimentary headsets with guided narration. We had three hours to explore the museum and that was more than enough time for us to get through everything. Although, we still somehow managed to barely make it back to the bus on time - departure time was 3:00 p.m. and I think we made it back into our seats at 2:59.  Thank goodness our seats were in the front of the bus so we were able to ignore the dirty looks we got from the rest of the passengers .The best part was that at the end of the day, we didn't have to get on a train and then transfer and then transfer again (all while standing up cause it's very rare that you'll actually get a seat on a train to/from Tokyo); instead we were able to recline our seats and enjoy the ride back to Yokosuka.

Here are some pictures of a few of the exhibits at the museum.

A model of the Rokumeikan which was

constructed in1883 for the purpose of

entertaining foreign diplomats and digniatries. 

If you can't tell from this picture, the replica is

under the glass floor.

A life size model of a house (it's actually just one room) that
 an entire common family lived in....yikes!

A replica of the Ryogoku Bridge which was built in 1659 and
spans the Sumida River.

Can you imagine skiing with these?

A life size replica of the Choya Newspaper buiding which
was located in what is now known as Ginza.

A life size model of the Nakamuraza Playhouse where
Kabuki Theater was often performed.

Pine Sour Anyone?

So as not to confuse anyone, "pine" in the context of this post refers to the Japanese short form of the word pineapple and not the tree.  As you may or may not have guessed, Pine Sour is an alcoholic beverage and it is absolutely delicious (or de-ri-cious as we like to say here), which is why I was compelled to blog about it.  But let me back up.  Shortly after we got to Japan, I found a Gyu-Kaku Restaurant in one of the popular shopping plazas near base.  Having eaten at Gyu-Kaku back home, I was excited to see a familiar name/business, so of course I HAD to find out if it was like the one back in Hawaii.

I later learned that Gyu-Kaku is actually a franchise that started in Japan, and that there are over 1,200 Gyu-Kaku restaurants located in the U.S. and various parts of Asia.  If you've never been, and you like yakiniku, you should definitely check it out.  Although the concept is the same at the various restaurants, the menu in different geographic regions is different.  For example, I was really hoping that the Gyu-Kaku here in Japan was going to have cheesy broccoli (like the restaurants in Hawaii), but I was out of luck.  On the other hand, the Japanese beef here really is top notch.

We had the good fortune of discovering the Pine Sour on our first trip to Gyu-Kaku (or rather, Rich discovered it - hey, I'll give credit where credit is due).  I of course ordered some stupid peach drink while Rich went straight for the good stuff.  When the waitress returned with our drinks, I watched in awe and a little bit of jealousy as the waitress juiced a half pineapple at our table by hand and poured the juice and all the pulpy goodness into a glass filled with Chu-Hi. If you're not familiar, Chu-Hi is basically shochu and carbonated water flavored with lemon.  That's all I'm going to say on the matter for now, because I'm sure it will be the topic of some later post, as it's very popular here. 

Anyway, after trying Rich's Pine Sour, I was hooked and couldn't stand to take one more sip of my peach drink so I immediately ordered myself a Pine Sour.  The combination of pineapple and Chu Hi is amazing and you can hardly taste any alcohol, which can be quite dangerous (something you don't realize until you wake up the next day with a nasty hangover). Since that first visit, Gyu-Kaku has become a favorite spot of ours and we do our best not to let too many weeks pass in between visits.  In fact, on many a vist, our group has ordered so many Pine Sours that they actually run out.  So this morning, when I got a text at 8:30 a.m. asking if Rich and I were up for Pine Sours and dinner at Gyu-Kaku, I knew it was going to be a good day (we ordered all the Pine Sours they had in stock).

Who Says You Can't Get Anything For $1.00 (Or In This Case, 100 Yen)

I was inspired to write this blog post after a recent visit to my favorite 100 Yen Shop.  Who am I kidding, they're ALL my favorite.  If the exchange rate between the Yen and the Dollar was 1 to 1, 100 Yen would equal $1.00 and on that basis, these shops which are located everywhere in Japan, would roughly be the equivalent of the U.S. Dollar Store (currently 100 Yen is equal to about $1.30).  However as with many things in Japan, in my opinion, 100 Yen Shops are far superior to any Dollar Store I've ever been to (let's ignore the fact that I've only been to maybe one Dollar Store in my life). 

Although we haven't specifically discussed it, I'm fairly certain the following words make Rich cringe every time he hears them: "honey, I've found a new 100 Yen Shop!" (to Rich: there are thousands of them in Japan so I've got a lot more discovering ahead of me).  I know exactly what you're thinking: what's the big deal, things are only $1.00 there.  Unfortunately (or fortunately, I'm not really sure which) the low price combined with the fact that you can find almost anything at these shops is what makes them so dangerous.  And one can easily leave having spent a ton more money than one intended.

Oh, and when I say you can find almost anything at these shops, I really do mean anything...and not cheap stuff either (well maybe some cheap stuff, but they definitely do have some high quality products).  From kitchenware to tools to office supplies to snacks, they have it all.  For example, at a birthday party I was at recently, for her upcoming trip to China, the birthday girl got a bag filled with travel items purchased from the 100 Yen Shop, including a 3-pack of "disposal bathrooms."  Who knew there was such a thing?  Well now you know, and if you ever need them, you know where to go.

There are several different chains of 100 Yen shops but my favorite is The Daiso, particularly the one close to base (but only because it's the only one I've been to; I hear the one in Harajuku is the mother of all Daisos so you can bet I'll be making my way there one of these days). Some of you might say that there's just as much stuff in these shops as in Don Quixote which I blogged about a few weeks ago, and while you may be right, the shopping experience is TOTALLY different.  The Daiso and the larger chains tend to have very large stores with lots of space and because there are so many stores, they usually aren't that crowded, which makes for an overall more pleasant experience!

 A well known fact about me (see previous blog post) is that I'm a shopper.  A little known fact about me is that I have a thing for containers. I recall one night a few months ago while looking for a container to put dinner leftovers in, Rich opened one of our kitchen cupboards and started laughing.  I asked him what was so funny and he said, "seriously, do we really need a container for the containers?"  So you would think that I would be in heaven shopping at The Daiso (see picture of containers above).  The problem is that everytime I go into the Daiso, I'm literally paralyzed with indecision over what size, what color, and how many containers to get. Luckily I have a lot of time on my hands these days and I can afford to spend 30 minutes standing in the container aisle just staring at all my choices.  Then when I get home and have to answer for my container purchases, I just use the trusty "but it's only 100 Yen" line, which has worked for me so far (although it probably won't be as successful after this post).

People blog about 100 Yen Shops quite frequently and at the end of one blog post I saw on the subject, the author issued a disclaimer stating that if asked, no, they don't buy gifts from the 100 Yen Shop.  I'm not sure why he/she would say that, but I on the other hand have absolutely no qualms about getting gifts from the 100 Yen Shops.  So friends and family back home, if you get gifts from me on one of my trips home and you happen to ask me, YES your gifts more than likely came from one of these shops.