Two days ago, I fulfilled one of my goals for this trip: I bought a moffle maker. Many of my relatives here had learned of the appliance for the first time through me, so I decided what better time to first use it than at a family brunch. Yesterday, Kuri and Seri were in from [...]
Archive for May, 2009
Moffle party
Posted in brunch, japan, kitchen accessories, tagged moffle on May 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Dinner on a stick
Posted in dinner out, japan, tagged kushinobo, toriden, yakitori on May 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
For the last two nights, we have indulged in two classic Japanese dinners: kushiyaki and kushikatsu. Kushi means skewer while yaki and katsu mean grilled (usually over a charcoal fire) and deep-fried, respectively. So put it all together and you have one night of grilled things on skewers and one of breaded and deep-fried things [...]
Lunch on the run
Posted in biweekly photo, japan, lunch out on May 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Dave and I were running to meet my mom this afternoon and didn’t have time for a sit-down lunch. Instead, we headed to the basement of Odakyu department store and each found a lunch box we liked.
Slurp-worthy noodles
Posted in japan, lunch out, tagged soba, udon on May 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
On our way to the train back to Tokyo, Dave and I had one last lunch with Kuri. We went out for another Yugawara specialty, and a favorite of ours, soba. Quick and healthy, soba is a popular option for lunches out in Japan. I try to have it at least twice during any given [...]
Best of the belts
Posted in dinner out, japan, tagged conveyor belt sushi on May 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
A quick train ride from Hakone (riding back towards Tokyo) is the quiet oceanside town of Yugawara, another onsen destination but not as touristy as Hakone. Yugawara is also home to my cousin Kuri, her husband, and their six-year-old daughter, Seri. After our night in Hakone, we stayed one night with Kuri (sadly, her husband, [...]
The star of Hakone: the food
Posted in dinner out, japan, tagged ryokan on May 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
After our day of walking around and exploring, we checked into a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn. There we were able to enjoy a soak in the outdoor bath and were served elaborate meals (dinner and breakfast are included in your stay) in our room. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.
Hakone
Posted in japan, tagged hakone on May 14, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Yesterday morning, Dave and I took a ride on the Romancecar, one of the many train lines that service Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures. After an hour and a half ride, we arrived in Hakone, a seaside town in Kanagawa prefecture that is famous for its hiking, onsen (hot springs), and views of Mt. Fuji. It [...]
Shinjuku station, 10am
Posted in biweekly photo, japan on May 13, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
On our way to Hakone — to bathe in the hot springs and feast on traditional food — we stopped here to stock up for the train ride. Japanese bakeries are amazing wonderlands of excess. You grab a tray and a pair of tongs on your way in and fill it to your heart’s content.
Themed eats, oven-free feats
Posted in dinner in, japan, sweets, tagged tokyo disney sea on May 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Day two in Japan was not as culinarily exciting as the first, but I did get to ride my first 360 degree-loop roller coaster since high school. I dragged Dave to Tokyo Disney Sea, the newest addition to the Disney empire here in Japan. I am a huge fan of Tokyo Disneyland and try to [...]
Snacking, sumo, sweets
Posted in japan, lunch out, sweets, tagged anmitsu, fugu, kappabashi dori, kibi-dango, sumo, yakitori on May 11, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Our first full day in Tokyo was a busy and food-filled one. After breakfast we struck out and walked around Shinjuku, the neighborhood where we’re staying. Right by our hotel we found a restaurant specializing in fugu, the deadly — if not properly filleted — pufferfish, considered a delicacy. I don’t think it’s on our list [...]

