A Bit of Shopping 3

 We seem to be going shopping quite a bit in Japan. You might think that this is quite natural - so many cool things to buy in Japan, after all! However, I am referring to grocery shopping that we do way more than we would in Los Angeles. Yes, with us, the household number of people here is 2 more than in Los Angeles, yet this is not the biggest factor. The main reason for this is that it is not as common to stock up with produce and other items as in the U.S. The Costco's do exist in Japan, but nothing on the level and size as American versions. Moreover, the portions/sizes are normally smaller as well.

Whether fruits and vegetables (such as the above watermelon and lettuce), meat, fish, bread, snacks, and etc., portions/sizes allow for a chance to waste less food - just get only as much as you need - and keeps things fresh. I have yet to see anything bigger than a carton of milk - no gallon (or equivalent) size in any of the supermarkets that I've visited. Of course, if you suddenly need more, then off to a store you go :) This is not to say that you cannot buy a whole big watermelon, but buying a piece is useful to be able to eliminate some of the guesswork since you can see how ripe a watermelon looks inside.

Speaking of looks... On a supermarket store shelf, among various herbs, it was hard not to miss these nice little flowers:

These are chrysanthemum flowers. The sign says to "boil quickly in water with a small amount of vinegar then soak in water. This will add a lovely color and fragrance". They are also used without cooking for aesthetic purposes, like adding to bento boxes for a splash of color. In Los Angeles I have seen bento boxes with plastic chrysanthemum flowers, and always thought them wasteful even if visually pleasing. The real ones look prettier anyway.

All the extra containers, bags, and wrappings might seem rather wasteful and not particularly environmentally friendly, but the recycling in Japan is way better than in most other places. Many stores/restaurants have recycling bins for various types of recyclables. I would say that it is easier to find a recycling bin than a trash can. The fact that the general public properly participates in recycling helps as well.

English... Why?

 Japan has a rather interesting fascination with the English language. The train stations (and inside the trains) have names written in both, Japanese and English, which is useful for foreign travelers. Various stores and labels (i.e. McDonalds, Dominoes, Starbucks, etc.) would be in English, of course. So far, no surprises there.

It becomes more intriguing when doing shopping. Some words or a phrase in English can often be seen on clothing and various other items, such as bags and bento boxes. In Japanese, barely. Having English writing on items has been trendy for quite sometime time. To be fare, I have found clothing/items with writing in languages other than English - French, German, and Italian - but English appears to be the predominant "cool".

Sometimes this "cool" goes to certain extremes defying logic:

When grocery shopping at a local mall, sections such as "Meats", "Sea Food", "Dairy", and etc. are labeled in English. Keep in mind that this "local" mall is actually 20 minutes away by train from the main city - there are no tourists here and only a handful of foreigners, such as myself, who are here for family reasons.

While most Japanese have studied English in some form (usually during their school days), and some can speak the language however badly, most can read English letters for the sake of typing. Still, I have a hard time imagining most shoppers at the store bothering to read/understand what is written on the wall. Still, as the saying goes, "the grass is greener on the other side", so it is understandable to think that some other language is cool. Do I think that Japanese language is cool? You bet! 😎

Don't Cross (pun intended) Japan's Customs

 2022/06/12 After four year hiatus due to COVID and work, finally back in Japan!

Getting was not the easiest thanks to pandemic related unknowns: possibility of flight changes/cancellations, possibility of quarantine (luckily we did not have to), need for a travel visa for me showing that I am visiting family (no tourists allowed at the time), requirement of a negative COVID test (only certain tests accepted and special paperwork has to be filled out by the doctor), and even a requirement to download and use a rather confusing MySOS app to show negative test upon arrival. 

And right from arrival we got greeted with wonderful Japanese quirkiness. First, we had to navigate a pathway through a throng of people checking the MySOS app and giving us an empty ID card holder on a pink lanyard - not the same as Hawaii's lei, but this is Japan. Then, after passing by a station where people without properly completed MySOS app were being tested, we got to sit down at another station where they checked our temperature, documentation, and information on the MySOS app in fine detail. Further, we passed by a station where they collected back our pink lanyards... I was almost sad to part with it for some reason.

After going through the maze of the COVID-related stations, at last we were at the proper Customs checkpoint. Thanks to my family with their Japanese passports and my visa, I got to join them at the Customs for Japanese citizens - meaning I did not have to wait at all and, most importantly, I did not have to hear my family complaining how long they had to wait for me! While at the Customs checking-in window, punctuating Japan's weirdness that I love, there was a sign that drew my attention:

A crossbow... No, I do not have a crossbow. Why crossbows are so emphasized is beyond my knowledge, but I have a hard time imagining any airline allowing crossbows as carryon in the first place. And even if they had crossbows, would they actually declare them? Oh well, Welcome to Japan! 😎

Japanese Parking 1

We went to visit a friend who lives in a condominium. This many-storied condominium is new (opened just last year) and from outside it looks not unlike some American condominium houses within big cities. However, it has an interesting parking structures for the tenants.

First, within the building itself, there is a parking level designated specifically for bicycles. Perhaps, if American buildings had such parking options, more people would own/ride bicycles - better physical fitness and health, less traffic, and cleaner air.

Bicycles are nice, but cars are still very useful. The problem with cars is that they take up quite a lot of space, and in a space-conscious Japan that can be... problematic. Luckily, Japanese are very adept at dealing with space constraints in very ingenious ways that many other countries can learn from. Outside the condominium building where our friends live there is a separate parking structure that is able accommodate many vehicles while taking up relatively little space. This is accomplished by a sophisticated automated system that moves platforms the cars are on in various directions. Such automation eliminates the need for driveways, thus, saving space and parking headaches for people who have difficulty parking.

 

Here is a show of the automated parking in motion when our friend was getting her car out. To get her car, she entered the number for her parking space (not unlike at some vending machines) and about two minutes later she was ready to drive out. Alas, in the U.S., where patience can be in short supply, such parking might not be for everyone.



Cute and Expensive

We are staying in Sakai, about 20 minutes by train away from the center of Osaka. Sakai might be considered a small city within the greater Osaka area. Like many things in Japan, there is a certain dualism at play around here. On one side, Sakai might be considered suburban when compared to the tight and extremely busy streets of main Osaka. On the other hand, despite some mini gardens, rice fields, and numerous ponds, there are plenty of urban amenities within easy reach.

Still, one way to determine how urban you are is by your proximity to the train station. For example, above is the view from the last station on the train line that we use if we want to go to the main city. Any further travels from this station would have to be done by car, bus, bicycle, or... walking. In other words, if you are close to a train station you are easily connected to all things urban.

 

 

 

Whether in a big urban shopping mall or in a small local grocery store, you won't have to look hard to find things that were made to look cute. As in the above picture, just a couple of stickers was all that was needed to make watermelons stand out. However, it is not all about looks. I've eaten plenty of Japanese watermelons and they tasted just great, but some Japanese people are really eager for high-quality taste. The smaller watermelons of different types and perhaps from different regions are all reasonably priced, between 1200 and 1500 yen ($12 - $15). The watermelons on the right are fairly big in size and even larger in price. For each large one be prepared to pay 5000 yen (about $50). In the past, I also saw some small watermelons that were 15000 yen (about $150) each! Cute or not, it might be awhile before I try those.

 

 

 

Upon selecting your cute watermelons, or whatever else, you can proceed to one of the cash registers that are differentiated not by a number but by a cute stuffed toy animal. Of course, many stores still use numbers for their cash registers, but these stuffed toys are a good example of pervasive cuteness so prevalent in Japanese society. When done paying for the groceries (or in my case staring at the stuffed animals) you are expected to take a basket with your groceries to one of the tables behind cash registers. Typically, in Japanese grocery stores customers do their own bagging. Also, the cashiers don't ask if you prefer paper or plastic; you are expected to either use plastic bags or bring your own reusable bag... probably with some cute design.

Okonomiyaki-ya

On the 13th of July, we went with my mother-in-law to a little concert where she performed. She plays accordion and harmonica and often performs with a couple of other group members at various events and festivals. After one such event, we (including a couple of other group members) went to a little nearby café.

At the café, I decided to try a "matcha" or green tea ice smoothie. Green tea is a popular Japanese drink that can be enjoyed hot or cold (unsweetened). However, green tea flavor is often used for other drinks and foods, such as cakes, chocolates, ice-cream, and etc. My smoothie came topped with some vanilla ice-cream and sweet red beans. Considering that the day was very hot, this smoothie was quite welcome.

After parting with group members, we stopped by at some stores. At one of these stores I purchased a little stamp with my last name (in kanji, or Chinese characters). There were thousands such stamps located in tall spinning racks. Some stamps were even combined with the pens for extra usefulness. In Japan, it is very common to use such stamps with one's name where physical signature is required. For example, when a mailman delivers a package or when signing some document at work, a Japanese person would usually use a stamp with his/her name. The above-pictured stamps contain just generic most common last names. Often, a Japanese person might have a personalized stamp (either round or square) containing first and last names, but since it is hard to find kanji for my first name, a generic stamp is sufficient.

For lunch, we went Okonomiyaki-ya where we ate... okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is a very popular Osaka dish that is reminiscent of a pancake (not sweet) with various ingredients and topics. Most commonly, diced cabbage is added to a batter, but other choices are available. For instance, in Hiroshima, noodles provide the base. In this restaurant, our ordered choices were brought uncooked and placed on a giant hot plate in the middle of the table. This way each person can control how soft they want their okonomiyaki to be. Also, the hot plate helps to keep okonomiyaki hot. Our orders included okonomiyaki made from a bit different batters and with fillings that included shrimp, squid, and an egg.

In this video you can see example of a toping that is commonly put on top of okonomiyaki. This toping is called "katsuobushi" or flakes of incredibly thin tuna slices that have been dried. Due to the fact that the tuna flakes are very think and dry, variation in heat and moisture from okonomiyaki makes the flakes move as if they are alive. I never get tired of seeing people freak out when they see the flakes wiggling. Katsuobushi is not intended solely for okonomiyaki. It is a common addition to certain soups, rice, fried noodles, and a large number of other dishes.

A Bit of Shopping 2

On the 12th, my brother-in-law took us to a new giant shopping mall. If you have to imagine the size of this shopping mall, think about your average American shopping mall (i.e. Beverly Center) and expand it to 4 times that size. Needless to say, after several hours there, we barely saw a half of it. Still, what we did see (and tried) was interesting.

Among countless little stores and sale booths, I noticed one selling cellular phones and services. It would seem almost identical to such stores/booths in American shopping malls except for the fact that the choices and types of various cellular phones far surpasses the ones in America. Also, unlike in America, Apple's iPhones and Samsung's Galaxies are but a small fraction of available gadgets. For instance, there are Sharp's Aquos XX series (left) and Pantone series (right). Apparently, Pantone 5 actually comes with a built-in radiation sensor that allows you to detect radiation levels with a press of a designated button - after Fukushima's disaster such concerns might be understandable.

One of the booths in the mall was selling various pets, including impressively large beetles which are popular pets in Japan. Above is "ko-kasasu okabuto" (a.k.a "atlas beetle") which is almost as large as a hand and can be purchased for roughly $46 when on sale. There are numerous cartoons, video games, collector card games, and other merchandise involving battling and raising beetles.

All the walking and shopping had made us thirsty, so we stopped by a café corner with some very mouth-watering sweets. With each pastry looking deliciously-perfect it was a tough choice to pick what we wanted. Luckily, because you get 200 yen (about $2) off when you buy 6 items, we decided to eat some there and get some home as well. Each item costs between 300 and 400 yen (about $3 and $4), but the taste and the look was worth every yen.

Here are some examples of the things we took home: peach Jell-O (left) with fruit pieces, chestnut cake (center), and crêpe cake (right). All were simply melting in the mouth with a perfect balance of sweetness and taste.

Across from where we were enjoying our drinks and cakes, there was a familiar Subway. The name and the logo might have been the same as the Subway in America, but the menu was far from being the same. One of the advertisements there displayed some sandwiches unique for this summer season. I highly doubt you will find these sandwitches in America regardless of the season: spicy shrimp (left), spicy tandoori chicken (bottom right), and ratatouille a.k.a summer vegetables (top right). I have not had a chance to try Japanese Subway yet, but from my experience with other American brands in Japan I am certain that Japanese versions are superior in quality.

When we were done with our tea/coffee/cake time, we went to take a look at all the commotion nearby. Turns out, there was a group of very young looking girls for some popular (I guess) upstart band. I found neither their singing nor dancing to be at all impressive, but some people in the audience thought so otherwise. When the girls were done, they had a big line of fans (mostly guys in their 20s and 30s) who came in orderly manner to these girls for autographs and a little chit-chat.

After some more shopping for all kinds of items, we went to a big grocery store within this shopping mall. Typically, everything was picture perfect and in smaller portions than in American grocery stores. For instance, you can buy whole watermelons, but it is more common to buy here only what one would need in the immediate future because grocery shopping is done more frequently. Please note that seedless watermelons are not that common here - you have to deal with seeds, but the taste of these watermelons is better than American under-ripened-imported-from-far-away ones.

Finally, we stopped by at a "pan-ya" (bread store) to get some bread/pastries for our next breakfast. There were many enticing choices, but some, like the little bread seals, were almost too cute to eat. Personally, I went for my favorite mentaiko (marinated cod roe) bread.