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The supermarkets (supa) and convenience stores (conbini) have a pretty large variety of ready-made/microwaveable food (bentos) for those of us who either don’t know how to cook or are too lazy to cook. Unlike the ready-made foods in the supermarkets and convenience stores in the US, these bentos were pretty tasty! xD
I met up with one of my Japanese friends in Shibuya the other weekend (Jan 15). We met up at the Hachiko exit, which is one of the most popular meeting spots in Tokyo. Hachiko was an Akita dog known for his loyalty for his owner. I got teary-eyed when I read the story on Wikipedia. :’( I wish my dog was that loyal! (Or maybe he is, but just doesn’t express it very well..?)
Shibuya is such an awesome place. There are shopping malls, arcades, restaurants, cafes, and the streets are a photographer’s heaven! The Shibuya Crossing is probably one of the most photographed intersection ever. xD
But back to food and fun and friend! We went to a cute cafe called Suzu Cafe that had very tasty food. I wasn’t really sure what the menu listed, but I ordered this Japanese style Salmon Pasta and Caramel Cheesecake for dessert. And it was soooo delicious! :D (Try not to salivate onto your keyboard!)
The caramel cheesecake was delicious! It tasted different from the heavy cheesecakes I’ve had before in the US, probably because of the different ingredients. It was a much lighter and smoother cheesecake, so I didn’t feel like a pig eating the whole piece. xD
Isn’t my Japanese friend cute? :) (Her chocolate cake looks so delicious, too!)
After that, we went to an arcade to have some fun. (I am hopelessly addicted to Japanese arcades, especially the crane/claw machines!! >.<) And here is some purikura pictures of the prizes I had by the end of the day. xD Without her encouragement (and a change machine that gave me an almost endless supply of 100yen coins), I wouldn’t have won that extremely cute brown Mickey Mouse! ♥
It was a good day. :)
I was already hooked on yakiniku when I was still in the US. I even went to Gyu-Kaku to have lunch with my friends before I left for Japan! Now, I continue to be amazed by all the meats and food items that can be grilled. xD The cow tongue is apparently one of the more expensive delicacies here. It definitely was pretty tasty, dipped in lemon juice. My favorites though were the harami, which is really tender meat, and kalbi, which is short ribs w/o the bones. xD We also ordered veggies and shrimp to try to balance out all the meat we were eating. lol
As luck had it, I remembered to take a picture of the train station closest to this restaurant, Yotsuya, so now I can go when I’m craving some yakiniku! :D
Also, it is one of my pet peeves when people call yakiniku Korean barbecue because there is a BIG difference between the two. In Korean barbecue, the waiters/waitresses cook the meat for you, even if you want to do it yourself. (That’s what I have experienced back in the US anyway. They didn’t even give us metal tongs!) In Japanese barbecue, you can cook the meats on the grill yourself with the metal tongs they give you, which is part of the fun of barbecuing in the first place!
This past weekend, our study abroad program planned a trip for us to the Ryogoku Kokugikan to see some sumo wrestling. The last couple of times I came to Japan, either for summer study abroad or summer vacation, I never got the chance to see it because there were no tournaments going on close by! So I do feel lucky to have gone to see this sumo tournament, even though it was a little long and tedious. The fights were exciting (what kind of fights aren’t? lol), but the traditional/ritualistic parts were a little boring after watching them lift their legs and stomping it done several times before they were actually ready for the actual wrestling part. A few of us theorized that maybe it was to psych themselves up or the audience?
We got to the sumo hall around 2pm, around the middle of the day’s tournament. The place was pretty empty, but it got more and more packed as it got closer to the final match between the top sumo wrestlers. (And we could guess who were the top ones by all the sponsors’ flags they had! xD)
If you want to see more pictures of the sumo tournament, you can check them out on my FB album. I took so many pictures there and I had to choose only a portion of them to upload!
Right outside the doors of the arena was a concession stand with all sorts of goodies, like sweet red bean paste buns, Mongolian meat buns, burgers, hot dogs, fries, ice cream, soda, beer, etc. Then there were the vending machines for those who didn’t want to wait on the long lines. xD I got a mixed flavor soft cream cone (vanilla and mocha flavored) and a Fanta melon soda. The flavors here in Japan are so unique. xD
A word of warning to those who would order burgers in Japan though. They put mayo in some of their burgers. And I mean A LOT of mayo! I’m not quite sure how mayo was introduced in Japan, but it’s still a little weird to me. xD
Thanks for following my blog about my time in Japan~!
I used to think that I had to eat Japanese food if I was in Japan. I can’t eat American or European styled foods here! You can get those back at home! But I think that was a bad way to think of it. Everything here in Japan has a little Japanese influence, some difference that makes it special, even if it is ‘American’ food. Take this delicious shrimp sandwich for example. The shrimps were some of the freshest and sweetest I’ve ever eaten, especially in a sandwich. The greens were fresh too. Knowing what I know now about the prices of fresh ingredients AND bread ($$$), this sandwich was worth every yen I paid for it and more.
On a related note, I bought an apple for Y98 (about $1.25) and a small loaf of bread (8 slices) for Y88 (about $1.10) at a large supermarket called Daimaru Peacock. That’s a great deal here! xD
I had shoyu ramen the other night at a place called Azabu Ramen. It was one of those restaurants that used vending machines to take your order and gives you a ticket to give to the waitress/cook inside. This is a much more efficient way for restaurants, especially fast food restaurants, to take orders. Places like the Shake Shack always have long lines of people waiting to order their food and pay, but with machines taking the role of the cashier, wouldn’t it go much faster?
Well, anyways.. the shoyu ramen was on the pricier side for me at Y700 a bowl, but it was delicious and hot, so it was probably worth the price. xD The waitress put me on the seat at the counter closes to the kitchen and where she usually stands and wait for people to come in. While I was eating, I couldn’t help but notice her speaking Mandarin Chinese. xD Then switch smoothly into Japanese again. I wasn’t paying close attention at first, but I noticed and wondered whether they were talking about ME, the girl holding a large textbook and a bag of groceries, waiting for my bowl of ramen. xD
![McDonald’s in Japan
I went to McDonald’s for lunch today because I just wanted some meat, but for a cheap price. After I ordered a shaka shaka chicken and a teriyaki burger, I turned around and saw this poster on the wall. xD
Right now, they are selling the Texas2 Burger. It looks like a regular burger with an extra layer of bacon and bread bun. Should I try it? xD The next one is the Idaho Burger, which looks like the bacon is replaced by french fries or strips of potato the middle burger bun is replaced by a hash brown and the bacon is joined with onions and a sauce. xD The Miami Burger has chili and tortillas, the Manhattan Burger is like a club sandwich with roast beef and sour cream. Maybe I will try it if I’m really craving bacon one day. :X [From the Japanese McD site]
I love shaka shaka chicken. xD It’s basically a fried chicken patty with a seasoning of your choice. There is black pepper, cheese, and pizza flavor. I usually go with the spicier black pepper. You pour the packet of seasoning into the little baggie, close it up, then shake it, shake it, shake it (get it? shaka shaka? xD) until the seasoning covers the chicken. Then you tear off the top part of the baggie and eat. :) It’s one of the few items on the Y100 menu, along with the McPork, hamburger and apple pie. When I came to Japan last time and I was short of cash the last few days, this was what I ordered if I was hungry. So unhealthy, but so good! :X
I really like eating at McDonald’s in Japan for another reason. They let you sit there for the whole day even if you only ordered a soda. Plus, since it is Japan, the tables and everything were really clean. I sat in there reading my law book for a while before class. xD I think it’s the same for a lot of cafes or small eateries, but it just feels more casual and comfortable at MickeyD’s. xD](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_leyyjiGkBS1qg8zixo1_1280.jpg)
I went to McDonald’s for lunch today because I just wanted some meat, but for a cheap price. After I ordered a shaka shaka chicken and a teriyaki burger, I turned around and saw this poster on the wall. xD
Right now, they are selling the Texas2 Burger. It looks like a regular burger with an extra layer of bacon and bread bun. Should I try it? xD The next one is the Idaho Burger, which looks like the bacon is replaced by french fries or strips of potato the middle burger bun is replaced by a hash brown and the bacon is joined with onions and a sauce. xD The Miami Burger has chili and tortillas, the Manhattan Burger is like a club sandwich with roast beef and sour cream. Maybe I will try it if I’m really craving bacon one day. :X [From the Japanese McD site]
I love shaka shaka chicken. xD It’s basically a fried chicken patty with a seasoning of your choice. There is black pepper, cheese, and pizza flavor. I usually go with the spicier black pepper. You pour the packet of seasoning into the little baggie, close it up, then shake it, shake it, shake it (get it? shaka shaka? xD) until the seasoning covers the chicken. Then you tear off the top part of the baggie and eat. :) It’s one of the few items on the Y100 menu, along with the McPork, hamburger and apple pie. When I came to Japan last time and I was short of cash the last few days, this was what I ordered if I was hungry. So unhealthy, but so good! :X
I really like eating at McDonald’s in Japan for another reason. They let you sit there for the whole day even if you only ordered a soda. Plus, since it is Japan, the tables and everything were really clean. I sat in there reading my law book for a while before class. xD I think it’s the same for a lot of cafes or small eateries, but it just feels more casual and comfortable at MickeyD’s. xD
Yesterday, I went to the Shiba Daimon/Minato City Hall area to apply for my alien registration card. When I walked back to the train station, Hamamatsucho station on the JR, I saw a sign for the Pokemon Center Tokyo. :D
It wasn’t a far walk from the station. It was in the Shiodome Shibarikyu Building and I almost missed it because of all the trees and stuff hiding the 2nd floor!
When I got near, I felt like a little kid walking into a candy store, except I had money in my wallet. xD But I did hold myself back a little. I didn’t buy everything I wanted. Just walked out with 3 folders in a cute Pokemon Center bag, telling myself the folders will be useful… xD
What I find interesting at shopping centers in Japan is the ultrasonic sound they play outside. It’s supposedly to prevent teenagers and kids from hanging out outside the shops because most people over 25 can’t hear it. I wonder if they are used in the US. I can’t really imagine teens and kids hanging around outside shopping centers, mostly just inside. I guess it’s more of a problem here in Japan. xD
The Mosquito device was invented by Compound Security, a Welsh company, as a deterrent for troublesome teenage groups hanging around outside shops and other public places. It sends out a very high frequency ultrasonic sound that only people under the age of 25 can hear (as you get older your hearing becomes less sensitive). Those who can sense it hear a very unpleasant buzzing noise which can be ignored for a short period, but which soon becomes very annoying and encourages them to move away. For this reason the device is sometimes known as the Teen Tormentor. (from HERE)
I’ve been trying to get used to life in Japan, but it might be a longer process than I thought it would be. For one thing, I hate spending so much money in one day! But food is a necessity, and it’s not cheap in this neighborhood apparently.
On the first day of class, Monday, I found a MOS Burger near campus! So happy! xD I can’t wait to try everything on the menu. lol Then I spoiled myself again by going to CoCo Curry House for chicken katsu curry. :X I really need to control myself. lol That’s what I did today for the most part. Didn’t really eat much of a lunch because I had to read my assignments for class. Then had a small beef bowl, gyudon, for late dinner at one of the few places that was still open at 10pm.
Well, it’s been a long day. Hopefully I will have more to post next time~!
(Source: justforjubilee)
