Hanami 2012

In case you didn't know, it's sakura (cherry blossom) season in Japan - i.e., that amazing time of year when the country is covered in a sea of pink/white and hanami parties are all the rage.  During this time of year, cherry blossom flavored/themed products are all over the place - lotions, perfume, sake, wine, desserts, tea, etc.  The literal meaning of hanami is "flower viewing," and over time it has come to refer specifically to the Japanese tradition of enjoying the beauty of cherry blossoms.  These days, it also means getting together with your friends in a park or other scenic place (with sakura trees) to eat, drink and be merry.  I wrote a guest blog post on sakura season on the blog Fun, Food & Travel and it can be found here: Springtime In Japan Is A Fabulous Time To Visit .  How good sakura season is and whether you can actually partake in sakura/hanami festivities is all about timing and weather.  From the time the flowers reach full bloom, they only last about a week.  If there's bad weather near the blossoming time, that can also affect the timing and length the sakura are around - for example, last Tuesday we had a typhoon, which could easily have ruined sakura season this year (but it didn't). 

Last Friday I happened to be in Yoyogi Park in Tokyo with my friend.  Yoyogi Park, which is one of the largest parks in Tokyo, has approximately 600 sakura trees throughout. It was still early in the day (not quite noon) but it was great because I got to observe a private hanami party firsthand (and not the crazy loud partying type with tons of people) - I saw a small group of people look for a spot, pick their spot and then set up their blue tarp (during sakura season, the blue tarp is a necessity).  They were dressed in work attire so I'm assuming they were using their lunch break to have a hanami party...it was very endearing! While there are certainly other more scenic spots and spots that have more trees, Yoyogi Park is nonetheless an extremely popular place to have a hanami party. Apparently several thousand people were at Yoyogi Park over the weekend (people were even bussed in).

My other friends and I had also made plans to have an informal hanami party this past Sunday.  We didn't feel like going all the way to Tokyo, so we stayed in the Yokohama area.  We got lucky because it was a beautiful day to have a hanami party - even though it was still in the mid 50s, the sun was shining so it made it feel warmer.  We got off the train and walked through a popular sakura path along a river to get to the subway station in order to catch the train we needed to get to our final destiination.  There were people everywhere and food vendors lining the path...it was almost like a carnival or a fair without any rides (although there were stands which had games for kids).  At first we walked along without buying any food, but as we went along, we just couldn't resist.  It started with someone buying candied strawberries, which then led to the cream filled pancakes, which led to grilled chicken skin, then it was yakisoba, then it was takoyaki (well, you get the point).  By the time we reached the end of the path, we were well stocked with food.

After a short subway ride, we reached our intended park/destination. Again, there were people and blue tarps everywhere (seriously, I think the whole country comes out for sakura season).  I think we were all really hungry because we picked the first open spot we saw, which was on somewhat of a steep incline - but no matter, we ate our lunch and loved it.  After we were done, a chu-hi run was in order, as there was a convenience store right across the street (that's kind of a silly statement since 9 tines out of 10 there will be a convenience store right across the street).  With chu-his in hand, we took a stroll around the park -  there were children playing on the jungle gyms, people flying kites, playing baseball, jumping rope, and generally having a good time.  There was so much energy and laugher everywhere that you really couldn't help but have fun.  We came relatively unprepared, but thanks to our friend Mio who had just met up with us, we were able to set up camp with our own blue tarp. Mio brought more food and I brought some sweets, so we sat down for Round 2.  When it started getting chilly, we packed up and headed for the Taproom, one of our favorite hangouts.  Even though we were all still stuffed from Rounds 1 and 2, the Taproom has awesome beer, barbeque and the best pecan pie....needless to say, we sat down for Round 3.

Adventures In Furniture: My Trip To IKEA Kohoku

The current state of the guest room

One thing that has been bugging me since we moved into our house is the fact that our guest bedroom remains unfurnished.  Every time I walk past it (which is several times a day since it's across from my bedroom) and see the emptiness and empty boxes littering it, I wince.  Sure, I could just close the door, but I prefer not to do that.The guest bedroom had fallen in terms of priority, but with summer approaching I wanted to clean it up and and make it less of an eyesore. So, after many months, I finally decided I was really going to furnish our guest bedroom with the hope that one day soon we'll actually have some guests to use the new furniture (hint hint to my family and friends). 

I had been periodically checking the NEX furniture store to see if they had anything I liked (and within my budget), but most of their stuff is so big and bulky (or chunky as I like to say).  I knew there was an IKEA in Yokohama and one of my friends that lives down the street just furnished her home with stuff from there so I decided to check it out.  Having lived in Seattle and California, I had shopped at IKEA many times so I knew the drill.  In anticipation of the IKEA shopping experience, I went online and went through the catalog and basically picked out the pieces I wanted to get pending my in person viewing.

That morning I did a few things which I do every morning before I get out of bed - check the weather and the Yen rate.  The weather report said it was going to rain much later in the day and the currency exchange site said the Yen rate was down (or up, depending on how you look at it - all I know is that it was going to cost me more $$ today than the day before).  As soon as I sat down on the train, I pulled out my iphone to check my email and was greeted by an email from Rich forwarding an email from the Base Command notifying us that destructive winds were expected within 12 hours (i.e., a typhoon).  I figured I still had 12 hours, so I continued on to IKEA.  I got off at the Shin-Yokohama station and made my way to the IKEA bus stop (it wasn't hard since there are signs in conspicuous locations throughout the station directing you) - that's right, IKEA has its own bus that takes customers to/from the train station. 

I had barely even gotten into the store when I got another forwarded email from Rich stating that the winds were now expected within 2 hours. Ugh!  But I had come all this way and I was determined to get my furniture.  So I continued on with the intention of just getting what I came for, but if you've ever been through IKEA, you know they make it hard for you to do that by practically forcing you to walk through the showroom.  Of course I'm a sucker and I get sucked in and rather than head straight for what I need, I went through the whole damn store looking at everything (although at the end of the day, I am proud to say I left with exacty what was on my list). 

At first I was nervous about how I was going to get all of my items onto the cart by myself and then try and set up delivery.  Thankfully I found a very friendly staffperson, and with her help and my passable Japanese skills, I was able to get an itemized list of my pieces (with specific aisle and shelf information) and schedule home delivery.  After that, I raced downstairs to pick everything up (except for the bedframe and mattress, which luckily I didn't have to get myself).  Initially I had wanted to grab lunch in the restaurant/cafe and shop around their food store but with the typhoon fast approaching, I decided to get the hell out of Dodge and hightail it home.  By the time I got on the IKEA bus back to the train station, it had already started raining and the trains were packed with people trying to get home.  Even though the train ride home was miserable because we were packed in like sardines, I was happy because I had accomplished my mission (and within the budget my  husband gave me). I also made it home before the crazy winds started (and which kept me up all night irrationally afraid that the windows that didn't have typhoon shutters on them were going to shatter in a million pieces on me while I slept).  Now my impatient self just has to wait until next week before my stuff is delivered.  To be continued....

50 Reasons Tokyo Is The World's Greatest City

Ok let me start by saying that the title of this blog post is not something I came up with myself (and it does not even necessarily reflect my own sentiments); it's the title of a CNNGo article I recently came across online.  I found it amusing and I also agreed with a lot of what they said (as much of it applies not only to Tokyo but to much of Japan in general), so I thought I would share it.  The article can be found here in case you want to read the whole thing: 50 reasons why Tokyo is the world's greatest city , but here are a few of the "reasons" I liked the best (or which stood out to me the most).

The world's most sophisticated railways (#1) - I have to say, the train system in Japan is impressive.  There are above ground trains, subways, bullet trains...you name it, they have it.  What's more, some of the major stations have all three, so all you have to do is catch an elevator up or down (sometimes way way up or down) if your final destination requires a connection on one of the other rail systems. The sheer number of "lines" and stations (and people all racing to make their train) can be daunting to a traveler that is not used to the system, but think about it this way - if 6 year old children can navigate the railways by themselves (it's quite a common occurrence here to see children riding alone), so can you!

Highway rest stops are destinations (#20) - I laughed when I saw that this was one of the items on the list, because this is one of the things Rich and I commented on the first time we experienced a Japanese rest stop.  I have not been to Umi-hotaru, the rest stop mentioned in the article, but I have been to other rest stops in Japan, and all of them have been way more elaborate than any rest stop I had ever been to before. The first time Rich and I went on a "road trip" here was the end of last summer when we went to an IndyCar race at Motegi Racetrack.  Since Motegi is about a 5 hour drive north from Yokosuka, the MWR bus had to leave base at 5 a.m. (which I thought was ridiculous at the time) in order to make it to the track on time.  After the first 5 minutes on the bus, I promptly fell asleep and was awakened 2.5 hours later when we arrived at the rest stop.  My first thought was:  woah, this is a rest stop?  There was a Starbucks, about 50 vending machines and a restaurant - and everything was really nice (even the bathrooms were ridiculously clean for being a rest stop). 

The next rest stop I encountered was even bigger and nicer - it had even more vending machines, a full blown food court with fast food type stands as well as actual restaurants, a convenience store and specialty stores (in case you forgot to get omiyage from wherever you were coming from).  The thing is that every rest stop I've been to has always been packed with buses, cars and people.  I'm guessing that because people have to drive such far distances to get around, that's the reason Japan has such elaborate rest stops.  Whatever the reason, I think they're great and it makes stopping so much more pleasant.

Bat's what's up (#23) - Omg, before I  moved here, I had no idea there were so many bats around, but I soon found out! Shortly after our furniture and other stuff we had shipped to Japan was delivered to our house (before I arrived in Japan), our friend Bryan helped Rich move some of our furniture into various parts of our house.  One night after I got to Japan, Rich said that Bryan asked if I had met our new pet.  I was confused because we didn't have any pets per se.  He started laughing and said, yeah he wanted to know if you met our pet BAT.  Apparently at around dusk, Bryan was oustide of our house and saw something flying around near the top of the lamp post next to our front deck (fyi, the top of the lamp post is right outside my bedroom window) - at first he thought it was a bird, but then he realized it was a bat.  A few nights later, when we were heading to catch the train, I DID in fact see the bat, which apparently likes our lamp post.  Later, when we were at the train station waiting for the train, I saw tons of bats flying around in the sky - it kinda grossed me out, but at it made me feel better knowing that my house probably isn't the only one with a pet bat. :)  I haven't seen the bat since it's been winter, but now that summer is fast approaching, I'm guessing the bat will make its appearance soon.

Cocktails are maniacally fresh (#46) - See my post about the Pine Sour where I described how they juiced an actual pineapple at our table and then poured it over the Chu Hi (Pine Sour Anyone?)...enough said.

Eating Out In Japan: Plastic Food

I love going out to eat.  Rich and I usually eat at home during the week but when the weekend comes, I'm all about going out to eat.  When I found out we were definitely moving to Japan, I was really excited by the thought of all the new restaurants I would be able to try and all the yummy food I was going to enjoy (so far, I have not been disappointed).  At first I was nervous about eating in local restaurants: how would I know how/when to order, would I be able to communicate, how would I know what to order.  Thinking about the first time Rich and I ate at a local restaurant makes me laugh because we were so serious about it.  After we were seated, and not wanting to look like idiots, we spent at least 10 minutes in silence, carefully observing what everyone else was doing and how they were ordering.  This is how we first learned about the buzzer system I referenced in the post "Things About Living In Japan That Make Me Happy". Thankfully everything went smoothly and we're now old pros at eating out (well, for the most part anyway). :) 

Many restaurants that get a lot of foreigners tend to have English menus (or at least parts will be in English). But if not, don't worry, all you have to do is look for the plastic food display case to determine what type of food the restaurant serves and what to order.  When I really started exploring and searching for new restaurants to try, one of the first things I noticed was the display cases with plastic/model food that a large majority of restaurants seemed to have (keep in mind that I'm referring to the more casual restaurants; I don't think you'll find a plastic food display at Gordon Ramsay's at the Conrad Hilton in Tokyo).

Besides having a tendency to make a person hungry, these plastic food displays can also be incredibly helpful. For example, if you happen to be in a shopping complex or at a food court (where there are several restaurants in a row) and you don't know what you want to eat, taking a quick glance at the plastic food displays each restaurant has definitely helps those that are more visually inclined decide what/where they want to eat.  Also, if the menu is not in English, the handy dandy plastic food display can help you decide what you should order.  In theory, it also helps speed up the ordering process once inside the restaurant, because presumably the customer has looked at the display and has already made a decision as to what he/she wants to eat (unless of course you're my husband who changes his mind at least 5 times before we actually order).

Since I'm a curious person, I did some research into the origin and evolution of Japanese plastic food  The first Japanese fake food models were made in 1917 and were first used by restaurants starting in approximately 1926.  The original models were made out of wax and were intended to be used as a marketing tool because Japanese like to see the end product.  In fact, someone wrote a book which is devoted entirely to the subject of plastic food - in particular, it explores the psychological structure unique to the Japanese and which brought about the plastic food culture.

Apparently, over time, the plastic food business has become a billion dollar industry in Japan and the making of the plastic food has actually become an art form (there are even regular competitions that are held).  Each restaurant's items are custom made for that particular restaurant with an emphasis on making the model look as authentic as possible. I learned that the fake ingredients are often chopped up in a manner similar to how the real dishes are prepared in order to make the model more authetic. I'm here to tell you that the models really DO look like the dish you are served. There's one particular display that I pass a lot and I often wondered if the real salad actually looked like the display because the display just looked so perfect (see the chef salad on the left side of the pictue).  One day I was in the mood for a salad so I decided to order the display salad.  Lo and behold, the salad I was served looked EXACTLY like the display - all the ingredients were perfectly lined up in exactly the order shown in the display.  That taught me to never doubt a plastic food display again!

A Little More Insulation Please

Last night as per usual, I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom
(sorry if that's TMI), and as I was in the bathroom freezing (and silently cursing myself for forgetting to turn the toilet seat heater on before bed), I wondered: why are Japanese homes so poorly insulated? The question was timely, since the bathroom in Japanese homes is generally much colder than the rest of the house, and generally doesn't have any type of heating unit (although some people I know take their kerosene heater in there to warm it up before/during use).  Our bathroom has an overhead body dryer which we use as a heater, but it really only heats the area directly under it. Anyway, as I returned to my warm bed and went back to sleep, I sort of forgot about my question but I was reminded of it today due to the fact that it's essentially 30 degrees and snowing outside and I am a virtual prisoner in my living room (the only place in the house where it's nice and warm). 

It is fairly well known that home insulation in Japanese homes is poor (in older homes it is almost non-existent). Central air/heat is a foreign concept here, and you will rarely, if ever, find double-paned windows in homes.  I can understand the lack of insulation in older homes, but the lack of insulation in newer homes is a mystery, and not just to me - it is the subject of many articles and blog posts, but there is no consensus as to why this is the case.  For me, the lack of double-paned windows is especially problematic. In my bedroom, the headboard is in front of a large window, and at night, even with the heat on, the door closed and the curtains drawn, I can still feel the cold air blowing onto my face. From the brief internet research I've done to help me with this post,  I've learned of several inexpensive and common ways to minimize the problem - i.e., bubble wrap, japanese tape around the metal frames, and clear insulation sheets, all of which I plan to try out next year.  Winter 2012-2013, you're going down!

So, how are Japanese homes heated?  Our home has an A/C/Heater wall unit in every room (except the hallways and bathrooms).  These units use electricity (and a lot of it) and do an ok job of heating the room.  Our landlord also provided us with gas heaters for every room (there is a special gas outlet in each room), which we prefer because they heat an area faster than the wall unit.  Some people also use kerosene heaters which I've heard are the best in terms of heat and also price. We don't use kerosene heaters because it's kind of a pain to get the kerosene (and transport it home) and also we don't really have anywhere to store it.  Although sometimes, for the reason I describe below, I'm tempted to start using our kerosene heater in the hallway. None of these heating methods is perfect and they all have their advantages/disadvantages so I guess it's basically just a personal choice.

The reason I say I'm being kept a virtual prisoner in my living room is because it's the warmest spot in the house at the moment.  In order to cut down on our utility bills, we keep all the heaters in the house off except for the one in the living room/dining room/kitchen area (otherwise known in Japan as "LDK").  To keep that area warm, we also shut the sliding glass door.  The effect of keeping the door closed + no heating in the hallways mean that once you step outside the LDK area, it's almost as if you're standing outside the house, that's how cold it is.  When either of us has to do something outside the LDK area (like laundry or go upstairs or even use the bathroom), there's always a verbal "brrrr" that comes out of our mouth followed by the sound of running to quickly do whatever it was that needed to be done so we can get back to the warmth of the LDK.  This occurs in spite of the fact that I'm usually always bundled up clothing wise (on an average day I'll be wearing one, maybe two long sleeve shirts, athletic pants, furry socks and my house slippers).  Sounds silly, but it's the reality of Japanese living in the winter. And for a girl from Hawaii where it's almost always "80 degrees and partly sunny," these winters can be mighty brutal.

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.

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!