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Kaldi Doody

There is a shop  in the town over called Kaldi. It’s pretty neato as  it’s a store that sells imported foodage from all over. There’s cheese from France, sweets from England, Curry from Thailand and Coffee from everywhere. It also sells Weis Bars which is a good old Australian treat. If you ever pass one ,I suggest you go in and have a look. I’m sure you’ll find something  you’ll want buy, due to the elation of discovering something from back home which you thought was unheard of over here. They also play funky samba tunes in there so you can toe tap away while you peruse. I visited Kaldi just yesterday to grab some stuff to make pizza, which was yum.

I just watched the movie “The Wrestler “which was really good. I also saw a trailer on the net for Ricky Gervais’s new film “The Invention of Lying”. It’s about a world where no one is aware of or understands the concept of lying, and Ricky’s character is the first person to discover how to lie. It looks really funny and as far as I’m concerned, he hasn’t made anything bad yet.

Food in Japan

So, a little bit about food in Japan today.

 To start off, food in Japan is delicious!!

I do appreciate the occassional Pizza, Fish and Chips, and Chrispy Chicken Wrap,

you can’t beat the taste, quality and a variety of food in Japan.

I wanted to introduce some of my favorite food today.

1. Tsuke-men

This is a lot like Ra-men in Japan (actually it’s a type of ra-men). However, the soup is not directly poured on to the ra-men in the same bowl, but instead it’s served on the side. The stock is a little thicker, a little greesier (mmMMMmmm!!) and a lot more flavorful. Almost all ra-men shops have tsuke-men on their menu. I highly recommend you give it a try. It’s absolutely delicious!

2. Katsuo tataki

Katsuo is a type of fish in Japan, and Katsuo tataki is served semi-raw. Unlike Sashimi which is completely raw, Katsuo tataki is partially cooked and it tastes amazing when served with fresh vegetables such as onions and tomatoes. It is a very common Izakaya item, I also recommend this to anyone who likes fish!

3. Motsu nabe

Love it!! Motsu nabe is a lot like hot pot (you know, where you have a huge boiling pot of water and you put different things in it like meat, seafood, vegetables, meatballs, noodles etc etc.). Except for the soup stock is made out of “motsu”…  you can find out for yourself what it is. It might turn you off slightly (or a lot), but trust me… it’s good!!! It’s low calory and super delicious, so I hear it’s really popular among the women.

4. Basashi

Raw horse meat. I dare you =)

That’s all for now. I’ll post more unusual, but delicious food when I think of it.

Used Book Store in Japan

I’m amazed by how many book stores there are in Japan!

I’m more amazed by how popular used book stores are in Japan!

While used book stores are bearly getting by in Canada, used book stores are one of the most profitable business in Japan. What a difference!

I can’t believe how much Japanese people read! I really think Canada has something to learn from this.

Anyways, my main point today is that I absolutely love the used book stores. As a matter of fact, there is a used book store on the first floor of my building. It’s super convenient! Moreover, it’s opened until 2am(ish). Recently, I’ve been collecting Slam Dunk, a very popular basketball manga. I’m absolutely addicted =).

I’m also collecting books by Kaori Ekuni and Haruki Murakami, very very talented authors. For any of you who read Japanese, or who wants to study Japanese through reading, I highly recommend these two authors… and of course, a lot of manga.

Possibly due to the influence of my little brother and my boyfriend, I like a lot of shonen manga such as Slam Dunk, DMC (Detroit Metal City), Bagabond, Zetman, Rookies, etc. etc.

Anyways, if you ever get a chance, go check out a used book store!!   

Kyoto <3

I had the opportunity to visit and spend 6 days in Kyoto last week.

It was my first time in Kyoto… and I loooved it!!!

Where should I start… well, first of all, the temples were absolutely beautiful!!

I visited Chionin Temple, Kiyomizu Temple and Ginkakuji Temple. There are many other temples in Kyoto such as the Nijyoujo, Kinkakuji etc. but I didn’t have the time to visit all of them.

Of the 3 temples I visited, I liked Ginkakuji the most. First of all, it’s right beside Tetsugaku no michi, a beautiful road right beside a small river that flow into Kyoto university. Secondly, it had the most beautifully designed Japanese garden I have ever seen in my life, but most importantly, it wasn’t over crowded with tourists like Kiyomizu temple.

 Besides the temples, I was able to enjoy many other things such as a nice walk along the Kamogawa River. At night time, this river is filled with couples and musicians. Very romantic! =)

Also, the food in Kyoto was amazing!! Kyoto is very famous for things such as soba and tofu. (trust me, it’s good!) I recommend Tofu Glatin for anyone who’s willing to give it a try. (trust me, it’s good!)

I also bought my first Yukata in Kyoto!!! Yaaaaayyyy =) It’s black with blue flowers and my obi is red. I can’t wait for the opportunity to wear it!!

 Anyways, everyone should go visist Kyoto at least once!

Match Point, Sparrow and Soccer

MATCH POINT – The other day I watched Match Point. This is a movie about how luck can mean the difference between success and failure. The main character Chris kills his mistress so he can continue to live with his new wife and the wealthy lifestyle that his wife’s family provides him. It is a fairly depressing theme made worse by the main character’s lack of joy de vivre. The best thing about this movie is the glimpse that it gives us into the lifestyle of London’s well to do. The movie depicts a bubble of privilege that can sustain itself between generations and can lift those lucky few who weren’t born inside to an almost transcendental level of wealth.

Match Point was directed by Woody Allen and it is the second time that he has dealt with this story. The movie Crimes and Misdemeanors was the name of the other similar movie. This story’s theme focussed on the lack of morality of a world that could allow a killer to walk free and, in fact, to prosper.

SPARROW – The other day I helped a sparrow escape the living room. It was making a sorrowful song as it reckoned with its situation. It got stuck inside and was hiting itself on the closed window in an effort to escape. I opened the last window it hit itself on but then it tried another closed window.  I opened that window and it finally escaped. I think I heard it whistle a happy song as it flew away to freedom.

SOCCER – Today a few of the housemates are going out in to midday sun to play soccer. We walked to the park from the house. I wanted to go the more direct route by the creek that I had found on a previous walk but I couldn’t persuade the others to go that way. We got to the park and soon we chose teams. We played casually for a while but as we became tired we started taking score. To focus ourselves. Finally we decided to play to 10. It was 7 – 4 against us when this idea was passed. My team almost scrapped back to vistory but in the end we lost.

Shinobazu Pond

Shinobazu Pond seems to be the highlight of Ueno since it’s now filled with lotus leaves which will grow lilies soon!! They are so beautiful and add such grace to the Ueno area. We live at Ueno Nishi Oakhouse and very lucky to be near such a lovely pond where we can also ride in a swan and float under the sun:)  

Head like a F#cking Orange

 Here’s some excerpts from the the diary of the funniest man in the world, Karl Pilkington. It’s more entertaining than anything I could ever write an its a lazy excuse for a blog. Best to not make a habit of this, anyways enjoy! (if anyone actually reads this besides my girlfriend…. or maybe John)

Woke up to the news that Tony Banks had died. There was a piece on the news about how everyone was shocked. Got me thinking about an invention: a watch that counted down your life. If it said you’ve got three days left, go to the doctors. Told Suzanne  about invention. She said she wouldn’t buy one. But she said that about the iPod.

A fella on the plane was reading Coy Mag. It was a fishing magazine. I glanced over and noticed he was reading the Pond of the Month article. Don’t think they could make it into a weekly magazine. There was a really fat bloke on the plane. He was playing on his PSP. While I waited to go to the toilet, I looked at what game he was playing. It was darts. He’s that fat and lazy he can’t face playing a more active game on a games console.

Sat next to an old fella. Old men’s ears and noses carry on growing as they get older. Suzanne noticed his fingers were fat too. Maybe they continue to grow. Suzanne didn’t laugh when I said that her arse had the same problem.

 Funny right? Here’s great poem by the guy as well.

Bubbled wallpaper, what a mess.
Washer dryer knackered, what a mess.
Siamese twins seperated, one leg less.

Manny

Ever since I moved into  my guest-house in Tokyo, I have lived along side a real deceptive character. He is quite elusive as he goes by a variety of aliases, but generally he is known as Manny!!!!(or Manichan by the Japanese people in our house). When I first met him he like seemed generally normal, though not soon after he began to move in strange ways, almost disturbing ways. His actions were not easy to turn a blind eye to……then the costumes started.

One day he would look altogether normal, then the next he’d be sporting a strange white hat made of  paper. I did think to myself that this was slightly odd but in all fairness he wasn’t doing anyone any harm.

A week later he took the leap from odd, to out right bizarre. He was standing  in the living room, wrapped head to toe in aluminum foil, impersonating the Tin man from The Wizard of Oz. As the weeks went on  he has been dressed as a wizard, a rag cladded bum and an Egyptian mummy, terrorizing everyone in the house. His most recent attire is a flouro green and pink Mohawk and an electric guitar.

I guess I shouldn’t be too  critical as his wardrobe selection is involuntary and he is  a 1 foot tall wooden mannequin.

Security in a Guesthouse

Guesthouses that I’ve lived in so far, all have a very good security system. It’s very important to maintain a good security for all residents so we can feel as comfortable as possible in our home. Last week when I got home there was a strange man in the house and I knew that he doesn’t live in our guesthouse so I decided to contact the Oakhouse staff to let them know about this situation. They were very understanding as usual and their security measures were very good. I feel very safe living with Oakhouse and really would like to thank them for always taking care of their residents needs. Oakhouse Thank You!!!!

oh no

I’d completely forgotten about this blog! Looks like I will have to write one everyday until the end of June to receive that precious 2,000 yen discount^^

Time really flies in Tokyo. The place is packed with things to do and there’s a surprise waiting around every corner of this city. The downside is that it’s difficult to resist paying for some plastic kitchenware (I bought a pig-shaped cover for microwaving food) which I know is completely useless, but I just had to buy it cuz I know it only exist in this damn country!

So today, after church, instead of roaming around the streets of Tokyo, I decided to go to a nearby supermarket to buy some cheap sashimi and korean noodles. After stuffing myself up with some unknown raw fish I drank sawa with my French housemate, had an intense discussion about the existence of UFOs, conspiracies surrounding the Vatican and the Freemasons. Shortly afterwards we both realised that we were talking complete rubbish so we started mocking Londoners instead. Man, that French dude can imitate Cockney so well!!

Hope you all had a good relaxing weekend.