Grilled food on a cold wintry night, life's little pleasure

Nothing beats freshly grilled food
with a glass of beer or umeshu

OMG! I am behind on the SQ promotion cheap fares to Tokyo as my brain is suffering from election fatigue. Yup, every other person's status on Facebook is election related, not to mention, it's more news on tv, the internet or booklets stuffed at my doorstep. The plus point is I get to vote after so many years. Frankly, no more election news for me. Come Saturday, I am just going to get dressed, pop downstairs to the polling centre and cast my secret vote. Have already read about what to do and what not to do, cross, not tick in the box and what is a spoilt vote. Plenty of misleading posters around the neighbourhood that tells us to tick...

Back to the SQ mega cheap Singapore to Tokyo fare, it's only S$398 inclusive of tax. That is dirt cheap especially since you can see cherry blossoms around this time. But will I go? Nay. No time and that radiation problem at Fukushima that refuses to go away. I am sure the food that you consume in Tokyo is perfectly safe. Or very safe as I believe the Japanese have great respect for the food they sell and consume. Anyway, you can exposed to radiation in cities like Hong Kong and Singapore too.

Look, dirt cheap, right? At the cheapest in the past
for other airlines, it will be S$640 inclusive of tax.

But if you are going, please do visit this new favourite food haunt of mine in Tokyo. ふくはち Fukuhachi! Great food at affordable prices right smack in the middle of Shinjuku. Discovered it during my last trip to Tokyo. Super yummy.

What do I craved for while on holiday in the midst of winter in Tokyo other than a big bowl of piping hot noodles? Not sushi or tempura but a fresh batch of beautifully grilled yakitori, vegetables or whatever that is available at a Izakaya. Washed down with my drink of choice, pure heaven.

A different perspective to my Ito holiday pics

Put things in a different perspective...

After watching the disturbing images of the recent tsunami and earthquake in Sendai, Japan on NHK world, it does really put things in a different perspective.

As a Singaporean, I have never seen a tsunami warning sign before till recently, honestly I am rather clueless what to do during a tsunami or an earthquake. Not to mention a Ritcher 8.9 earthquake and 10m-high tsunami? Just numbers to me? But to the victims or survivors, it's a matter of life and death. The Sendai earthquake is a notch lower than the Ritcher 9.2 horrific earthquake in Banda Aceh (2004) but it is equally destructive as seen on the news. The Sendai earthquake is the largest earthquake to hit Japan and the fifth largest in the world since recording began but thankfully not the deadliest. A very frightening thought.

wikipedia

Not just an interesting sign anymore. It's life or death.

Seafood in Ito City 伊東

Fresh seafood is plentiful in Ito 伊東

Part II of my Ito 伊東, shizuoka trip. The food part. Being such a greedy gal, first thing on my mind when I reached a destination after checking in was to look for food. How do we know which restaurant serves good food?

By our sense of smell, long queues snaking round corners, luck or we will ask the hotel/hostel/ryokan's staff for their recommendations. Don't be shy.

We were famished after we checked in at K's House Ito Onsen. The four onigiris, japanese rice balls I ate earlier for breakfast at the train station just wasn't satisfying for me. I was hungry after the 2+ hours train journey from Tokyo. Yup, I ate four...that's a lot for a girl.

Gomiya is a family restaurant in Ito 伊東 that came highly recommended by the hostel's staff. We walked past the restaurant on the way to the hostel from JR Ito station. The grilled fish aroma wafting out of the restaurant was really enticing. The aroma, coupled with the people queuing in the cold stopped me in my tracks then.

Here we were again.

R 's queuing. If there's a queue, we will queue.

Menu. Appetizers, sashimi, various kinds of
seafood set meals, donburi and alcohol.
Don't worry, they have a picture menu
if you can't read this menu

Beautiful Ito

Hmmm, recently, I lost interest in my blog, I rather dive into other interests of mine. Sounds like blogging fatigue if there is such a term. But nonetheless, am back. One post before I attempt to roast a chicken. I saw Nigella's roast bacon brandy chicken on cable. Delicious. That's what we are eating for dinner later.

At Ito Orange Beach, a volcanic black sand beach

Tokyo! Since it's the NATAS fair week, lots of travel bargains, Not that I am travelling, but let's talk about Tokyo.

Tokyo had steadily became our favourite city after Melbourne. I shall attempt a summary of what I experienced, observed in the city, its countryside, what we ate and where we went. Yes, always expecting an intense walking marathon, I brought my trusty deep heat rub to ease my achy leg muscles and a very healthy appetite.

Ito Marine Town

The Power of the Korean Wave

Was in Tokyo over Christmas. On a nice Sunday morning, we decided to head for the quiet of Yoyogi Park before we hit the shops near Omodesando dori. An hour of peace and quiet in a big open green surrounding is good for facing the massive crowds at the malls. Yoyogi Park is usually crowded with people having a picnic or having their own street performance.

We didn't see this

Or people lazing on the grass

Instead we were faced with massive crowds when we exited from the JR Harajuku station. This station is usually very crowded on any given day because of the proximity of Harajuku and omodesando dori's shops but on that day, it was unusually crowded.

A crowd that consist mostly of young women which I pointed out to R. All heading towards the entrance of Yoyogi Park or so we thought. But with all the din we were hearing and announcements over speakers in the distance, we were clearly mistaken. Then we spotted this across the street at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium.

Queues. Hordes of people.

People, and more people crossing the 3-directional bridge.

Seriously, the bridge was vibrating under the weight
of all the people marching towards their destination.
I did wonder about the loading limit of the bridge

 

Young girls, women in their 20s -30s,
you can feel their excitement.

Fresh wasabi root from Alishan in Taiwan

Thanks for the fresh wasabi root, friends V & I

Does fresh wasabi taste different for the usual wasabi served at restaurants? The answer is a resounding yes. I have tasted freshly grated wasabi root in Tokyo and some Japanese restaurants in Singapore. Freshly grated roots are a faint green colour, lightly scented, mild but still with a kick unlike the lurid green ones from tubed wasabi. Tubed wasabi is made from horse radish, mustard powder and colouring BTW.

Couple V and I gave us the fresh wasabi from Alishan, Taiwan. Friend I's mum (Friend I is taiwanese) who came to visit had a friend who grows wasabi in her backyard in Alishan, Taiwan. So here we are, fresh wasabi. I never knew wasabi grew in Taiwan. Apparently, Taiwan imports their better quality wasabi harvest to Japan. All that I learnt from Japan Hour is that these roots need to be grown in very clean, unpolluted water and cool weather. Thanks for the root. : P

What did we do with the wasabi? R bought sashimi from Mediya and volia, dinner.

R's chirasu don with the grated wasabi

Mine, isn't it nicely presented?

Grating the wasabi, but here's one from our meal in Beer Delica, Tokyo.

Oops, I have forgotten to take a pic of the grating process. But here's a pic of our meal at Beer Delica, Tokyo, an izakaya I posted about previously. Hmmm, in Singapore, fresh wasabi is usually eaten in upscale Japanese restaurants. But in Tokyo, these can be found at Izakayas (local drinking joints). Not that out of reach after all.

Read more about Wasabi here

Love all the way from Finland. Marimekko, it is so nice of you to write back. Woo hoo

Yeah! The staff from Marimekko actually replied regarding my request for a iphone marimekko cover like the Docomo phones I mentioned in my earlier post. I really thought my email will just be passed around and filed. Suvi said my feedback will be taken into consideration. Ahem, dear Suvi, don't mind me calling you by your first name, you made my day. This is what I called good customer service when a company bothers to listen to feedback regardless how lame the request may be. To the staff of Marimekko, you really made my day. Don't worry, I won't beseech you with more requests. Always a fan. Thank you very much. I entered the What's Your Marimekko contest, maybe I get a chance of winning the contest. No?

I feel like I struck lottery

This is what I want to add to my collection of green bags. I wonder whether Style Nordic at Delfi has this version. If not, to the kawai sales staff at Marimekko in Ginza, Tokyo. See you soon.

I swear I am not a crazy fan. Really.

All things Japanese today

Missing Tokyo today. Let me rephrase, missing the food in Tokyo.

I wish I can eat this now. Melt in the mouth grilled maguro's tail 尾 part (tuna) and leeks. Going to dream about this tonight.

Our new fave izakaya in Shinjuku. The crowd consist of less salarymen but more youngsters or people like us. They have interesting food in their menu unlike the usual grilled items at most izakayas.

The very helpful barman at Delica who speaks better English than my broken Japanese.

I went to Izakaya Nijumaru at Cuppage Plaza for dinner. It's good but nothing beats eating in Tokyo after a long day of shopping. Thank God I am a designer. Designers can visualise, right? Pat tummy, 1 nice succulent tuna stick after stick. Mmm, bedtime.

Hideaway in one end of Harajuku

A treehouse in a quiet corner in Harajuku, Tokyo?

Last November, armed with a mobile phone captured map, we headed for some refreshment after shopping at Beams. 'Fashionista' R likes Beams very much. Situated just a stone throw away from Beams in the back alleys of Harajuku area and nestled amongst some homes and hair salons, we found our tree. Actually, we walked pass it. I found it only after I looked up.

Not Crop Circles but Paddy Art

I had lunch with my ex-colleagues and was talking about the different varieties of rice. Whether one likes brown rice, short-grain pearl rice, or thai fragrant rice? Organic or non-organic? Rice is still a main stable in my diet, even though I don't eat as much of it as before. But, now and then you will hear me retort 饭， 我 要吃饭! Not noodles or pasta. 饭! It's not possible to take the asian out of me. Rice to me is comfort food. I like brown rice for it's chewy texture and nutty flavour.

I came across this article about farmers who created beautiful paddy art in their yearly crops to bring more tourists to their village, Inakadate (northern Aomori Prefecture). Every year since 1993, the villagers have created pictures by using rice paddies as their canvas, living plants as their paint and brush. By using different varieties of rice, each with different foliage colours, they created large-scale paddy art. Before they made the switch to using computers, they did the planning and plotting manually. To me, these paddy art beat alien crop circles hands down.

Gardening can be whimsical too

Gardening can be whimsical too. Spotted while on holiday in Tokyo. Action figurines in planted containers. Expensive polar bears going for a walk. And inspiring shop in a basement.