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.

Udon-ya

Another hot and humid July (12th) day. For lunch we decided to go to Udon-ya. Udon are very thick noodles and the suffix "ya" in this case means "place" or "shop" where you can find the said items. Thus, sushi-ya could be roughly translated as sushi place and ramen-ya would be a place where you can get ramen (another type of noodle).

 

This particular Udon-ya had a twist to the ordering process. First, we had to select among several basic types of udon (hot or cold) and sauce/soup bases. Then, we went along the side with silver hanging lamps that kept various side dishes warm for our choosing. Most of the side dishes were of the deep-fried variety, but one could also get things like chopped fresh green onions.

 

Considering how hot it was, we opted for cold udon that we would dip into a bowl with a special cold sauce/soup. The lid of the soup bowl (left upper corner of the tray) served as a plate with sesame seeds (left) and ground ginger (right). The small white bowl contained deep-fried batter and the rectangular plate had deep-fried squid (left) and deep-fried shrimp (left). The side dishes are also usually dipped into the soup. Naturally, there were many other choices for side dishes, like meat and veggies, but seafood is typically my choice. If we were eating hot udon, the noodles would already be in the big bowl with the soup, with side dishes there as well.

 

Right outside Udon-ya, past the parking lot behind the restaurant, we were with a view of several small rice fields that someone still grows here. However, do not let yourself think that this is a rural place. Since my wife's place is located about 20 minutes by train away from the main Osaka center, it is more spacious and has certain "rural" aspects, but otherwise it is a typical urban city with numerous shopping malls, stores, restaurants, and etc.

 

 

After our delicious lunch, we stopped by the library for some reading materials. Alas, my Japanese level still limits me to the youth section. The library itself is not much different from American libraries. However, one interesting deviation is a section devoted specifically for haiku. Here is an example of a haiku from the famous Basho, Matsuo:

A monk sips morning tea,
it's quiet,
the chrysanthemum's flowering.

A Bit of Shopping 1

After our lunch at kaiten sushi on July 11th, we stopped by a shopping mall for a little shopping. In one electronics store I was struck (not for the first time) with the fact that in many Japanese stores there are a lot of advertisements, to the point of the extreme, vying for costumers' attentions.

 

It would be very easy for Western people to be overwhelmed; everything seems to beckon the eyes, making it hard to focus on any one thing. Everything is bright and calling from banners displaying various colors, fonts, and images.

 

However, I dare to speculate, for Eastern people this plethora of information is less daunting considering the fact that reading kanji (Chinese characters) requires quick visual recognition and processing of information. For example, when my wife (who is Japanese) reads books in Japanese, she seems to skim the lines at a speed that far surpasses my fastest level of reading (and I can do pretty good speed reading). According to her, she doesn't do any speed reading at all. I have to believe her because when I try to read kanji I look at them as pictures - conversely, when reading in English or Russian I have to first recognize individual letters to make each word. In Japanese, I often do not even need to remember how to say the word to know its meaning.

 

 

Once done with the electronics store (where we bought a new fan for our room) we stopped by the grocery department to pick up some food and drink. Passing by the ice-ream section we saw ice-cream sandwiches from Haagen-Dazs with new flavors. Alas, I highly doubt that you will find in America either these new or old Haagen-Dazs ice-cream sandwiches - I'm especially doubtful of seeing green tea and chocolate flavored ice-cream sandwiches. So far, green tea flavor is my favorite, but I'm planning to try the mango flavor in a near future.

On the way home from our little shopping, we stopped by a FamilyMart convenience store for some caffeine. This store has a nice little machine that can provide you with various lattes, espressos, cappuccinos, and etc. with but a few button presses. I have never been a coffee drinker, but my wife and mother-in-law were impressed by the taste and convenience. Still, I doubt that Starbucks has to close its shops just yet.

Kaiten Sushi

For many people, Japan is synonymous with sushi. While Japan has far more to offer, there is no denying that sushi is something dear to my heart. Knowing that, my mother-in-law took us to what is called "kaiten sushi" (also known as conveyer belt or roundhouse sushi in English). The great things about such places are the price, ability to see what you're getting, and the fun watching the sushi (and other things) speed by on a conveyer belt that snakes around the restaurant. It's more than enough to rile the appetite of sushi-loving people like me.

For people who are not into raw fish or various seafood, there are still plenty of choices to select from. For example, in a picture above, you will find sushi with omelet slices. Please note on the side of the table adjacent to the conveyer belt, there is a nob that looks like a black button to dispense hot water (to make green tea which is in the box next to it). Also, there is a slot to drop plates to count how many were consumed as it determines the price. Each plate costs 100 yen, or roughly $1.00. In Los Angeles, sushi places that count by plates charge more than twice as much and offer less than half the variety of choices found in Japan.

In this picture there are plates with various cakes and pastries. There are many other cooked and non-fishy choices such as soups and ramen (pasta). Some choices can seem downright strange: bacon sushi, sausage sushi, hamburger patty sushi, and etc.

From the left, here are scallop sushi, tuna roll, and salmon roe sushi.

 

Here you can see an egg and seafood bowl, row shrimp sushi, and cooked and toasted shrimp sushi with mayonnaise.

here you will also see a scallop and sea urchin sushi at the top and a different kind of raw shrimp on the right.

 

These are the 10 plates piled by my appetite. This is not my biggest number, by any means, but I was comfortably full regardless.

 

 

 

Right above the conveyer belt on the side of the table, there is a little touch screen that allows for ordering (in case you do not see or do not wish to wait for the item you want). Also, the screen serves another purpose, it displays various humorous animations when you try to win prizes. When you drop the plates in the slot at the side of the table, for every 5 plates you have a chance to win a prize. The prizes are inside the round plastic balls (known as "gotcha balls") which are above the screen. Prizes may include various items such as figurines to attach to phones or keys, wind-up toys, stickers, and etc. Of course, it is the gambling aspect that is attractive.

 

For my son that was a big charm of this particular kaiten sushi restaurant. After 22 plates, he managed to win a small (about 3 cm square) screen-cleaning pad with a picture of some characters. This pad has special coating on one side that allows it to be attached and reattached to a smooth surface. So you can stick it on a back of a phone or tablet when not in use. In his case, it will come in handy to wipe the screen of his Nintendo 3DS game system.

 

 

 

Even if a kid (or adult) did not manage to win something, there is an assortment of various capsule machines in the lobby. Since each machine has a 5 to 10 different items, one never knows which one he/she will get - the attraction of gambling is not at all inconspicuous here. Furthermore, there is a Nintendo wi-fi zone for those with Nintendo handheld devices to download and play some free games.

 

Kaiten sushi are popular establishments, but they still have to compete with each other and many other restaurants and eating places. Thus, they try to add things that would attract more costumers, in this case those with kids at their side or those who are kids in their hearts.

 

 



Arriving to Japan

Greetings and welcome to the first post in this blog about everything Japanese. There are plenty of things to share about Japan so sit back and enjoy!

So far, we arrived in Japan's Kansai Airport on July 10th, around 5 p.m. local time. This almost 15 hour trip from Los Angeles, with a stop at Honolulu, has been long and uneventful. We were rather worried due to the recent news about a typhoon that was ravaging Okinawa and was moving northward. We thought we might have to deal with delays and were going through some of the possibilities about alternate routes in case the flight was rerouted, but we needed not worry. When we arrived, we were greeted with a setting sun peeking through the clouds. The only sign of any bad weather were the puddles of rain water on the asphalt.

 

From the airport we took a bus towards the city of Sakai, where my parents-in-law live. We were greeted with a nice view as we passed over a Sky Gate Bridge R, which is the longest tuss bridge in the world. This bridge is the only solid connection to the Kansai airport which is located on the man-made island.

 

 

On the way, we passed by elaborate motorways and large buildings full of typical city life.

 

 

Our bus trip took nearly an hour, but we had no shortage of beautiful scenery still visible in the waning light. It is very common in the hilly areas to see little pockets of communities nestled within innumerable valleys and surrounded by luscious greenery.

 

When we arrived at our destination around 8 p.m. we were rather tired, but non-less excited as we usually are whenever we're in Japan. Thus, we looked forward to all the things we know and love as well as all the new things that we never fail to find.