Buy a Shrine Book!

No matter what your day's sightseeing agenda may entail, there is always opportunity to throw in a shrine or temple visit!  Japan's places of worship range from the grand to the small, and are scattered through cities, neighborhoods, and countryside alike.  It doesn't take much effort to get out and visit a few (or a lot).  Visit a temple or shrine that is sizable enough, and chances are that shrine books and stamps will be for sale.

Here is my shrine book.  Its Japanese name is goshuinchou.  In English, they are usually referred to as temple stamp books or shrine books.  I prefer  shrine book (less cumbersome).  Shrine books come covered in many colors and patterns.  Inside are the blank pages on which each shrine's (or temple's) stamps and kanji inscription is transcribed.  My kanji reading ability is extremely limited, but I enjoy collecting these stamps for their graphic, artistic quality.  Plus, they are gorgeous records of all the shrines and temples I've visited!

My shrine book.

Opened all the way, you can see the book's clever design.  Display just a couple pages, or unfurl several to create a more dramatic scene!  

The inside of my shrine book.  This is not a permanent display.

Since my kanji reading ability is so beginner, I label each stamp in pencil.  Each page gets the temple name, the date I visited, and the location of the temple.  Otherwise, there is no way I would remember each stamp!

These two stamps are both from Kinkakuji (The Golden Pavillion) in Kyoto.

Stamps have two components.  The actual stamps are red. One of the several stamps your page receives will record the shrine or temple's name.  The other stamps on the page are often the insignia of the powerful families who worshipped at the shrine, a lotus and tiratana (Buddhist religious symbols), or a illustration of the shrine itself.  You can see the lotus/tiratana stamp in the photo immediately above, on the left page, in the upper left corner.

The calligraphy is done by hand.  The date on which you are receiving your stamp, as well as a special saying, is written with brush and ink.  The most recent stamp I collected says "happiness, peace, power."  But you don't need any reading ability in order to appreciate the artistic skill and confidence displayed!

A calligrapher signs my book at Futamiokitama Shrine (the Wedded Rocks)
in Mie Prefecture. Watch the process, if you can.  It's beautiful to see.

Shrine stamps can be purchased at one of the smaller buildings in the temple or shrine complex. There will usually be an easily recognizable display of shrine books on the counter.  The larger temples will often offer stamps in more than one location, so make sure you don't miss any!  Stamps almost always cost 300 yen.  If it's raining, pretty fabric bags to protect your book might also be for sale.  On unusually busy days, the calligrapher will offer you a numbered tag and clip the corresponding tag to your book.  Get your sightseeing done first, and then return the tag to pick up your  freshly signed book.  And when you eventually fill the pages from cover to cover?  Just flip it over and go back the other direction!

One of the stamp counters at the Kotaijingu, the shrine to
Amaterasu Omikami (the Sun Goddess) in Mie Prefecture.

Enjoy a beautiful and unique record of your time in Japan!

Ganbatte!

-The Tofu Fox

Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you!

Today's Photo!

My neighbors finally hung their koinobori!

How To Get Yen Off Base.

Japan is generally a cash-based society.  Small stores and restaurants don't take cards. Train fares have to paid for in cash or with a pre-loaded train pass. Cab drivers require cash.  This was a difficult adjustment for me, used as I was to almost exclusive debit card use stateside. Large department stores usually have the ability to make credit/debit card transactions, but if you want to buy a hat from the boutique down the street, forget it.

There are a few ways to avoid carrying large amounts of cash.  Automatic bill paying for rent, utilities, and cell phones can be set up.  A Japanese bank account can be created to receive your English-teaching salary.  Things like school tuition can be paid at convenience stores.  But grocery shopping, souvenir shopping, any other kind of local shopping, travel, and sightseeing all require cash.

Base ATMs dispense dollars and yen.  If you're like me and live off base, forgetting to have your husband stock up on yen before he leaves work results in a irritating trip back.  Our base ATM only dispenses yen in denominations of 5000 yen (about $61.34).  Which, if you just need 1000 yen to buy dinner, is obnoxious.  Why not just go to a Japanese ATM?  Most Japanese ATMs don't take foreign cards.  Or a Japanese ATM might only accept 4 digit PINs. If your card's PIN is 5 digits, you're in trouble.

Our very first dinner at a Japanese restaurant resulted in a serious yen mis-calculation.  Unused to the foreign bills and prices, we frantically dug through our wallets to come up with enough to pay the bill. We didn't want to get stuck doing dishes with a slumbering Baby Tofu Fox! Mr. TF made a dash to the our local post office (post offices have ATMs) only to discover that it didn't accept our Mastercard.  God had mercy on us and we didn't have to struggle to explain our stupidity to the non-English-speaking staff. Another American happened to be eating there at the same time and lent us the few hundred remaining yen.  Trust me, after that episode, we have never been without yen again!

Please, don't despair!  In the event of emergency (earthquakes, anyone?), that spring jacket that simply has to come home with you, or any other purchase that exceeds the contents of your wallet, there are ATMs that reliably take foreign debit cards!

My local convenience store.

 This is the convenience store 7 and i Holdings.  Logo look a bit familiar?  Here, you can buy beauty products, cough drops, rice balls, egg sandwiches, and pay for your kid's tuition at the checkout.  The ATMs also take foreign cards!  Stores are located everywhere. If you try to find one using an iPhone, the map feature usually displays them automatically.  There is nothing too terribly difficult about using them.  These are pretty standard ATMs.

A 7 and i Holdings ATM.

First, insert your card, enter your PIN, and select your desired language.
I want to know who in this country is speaking Portuguese.

Select the desired withdrawal amount.  The only drawback
of 7 and i Holdings ATMs is the large amounts.  If you
 need the cash to pay bills, this is less of a problem. Sorry for the poor 
quality of these pictures.  I didn't really want to be asked why 
I was taking so many photos of the ATM!

User Tip: I have noticed that the instruction display of these ATMs often ask you to insert your card the wrong way (for foreign cards, at least).  If your card is declined, try flipping it around before freaking out and giving your bank an irate phone call.  This past year, our post office installed a foreign-card-friendly ATM.  This is worth checking out with your local post office, because post office ATMs dispense bills in 1000 yen increments.  [I don't know why the font has suddenly changed size.  I have tried to correct this in Blogger's Edit about 50 times.  I am so annoyed right now]  Now, there is no need to withdraw a massive amount at 7 and i Holdings in order to buy milk and bread, or drive all the way back to base to access an ATM.  Hooray! Monetary convenience is now yours!

                                                                            Ganbatte!

                                                                        -The Tofu Fox

Anyone know of any other ATMs that take foreign debit cards?  Please, let me know!

Western Recipe, Japanese Grocery Store Ingredients

I don't want this to be a blog that constantly Commissary-bashes.  I buy breakfast cereal, dried pasta, Boboli pizza crust, and Little TF's cheese sticks from the Commissary.  Pre-potty training, it was obviously easier to buy diapers that didn't require mental conversions from pounds to kilograms (adventure, not masochism, is the goal here).  Certain American items also just can't be found off-base, although many of them can. Of course, the Commissary is often cheaper.  The wine prices at the Mini Mart are generally unbeatable, too.  

It's still a fact that the freshness and quality of the Commissary's perishable items is, in general, poor.  And when the apples for sale have been in deep coolers for the entire previous year (there was a sign last fall guaranteeing certain apples radiation-free, due to their age), fresh taste and texture is inevitably lost.  So when the American members of Cooking Club had the assignment to cook Italian food last week, I made it my personal mission to purchase all ingredients from Japanese stores.  It can be done!

Chicken bouillon cubes: Taiga grocery store
Mascarpone cheese: Costco
Japanese shallot: Coop grocery store
Fresh, peeled shrimp: Taiga
Bread: Costco (in this case because I was buying
in bulk,but usually from my local bakery)
Tarragon plant: local, French home store
Wine: Costco
Roma tomatoes: Costco

The ingredients shown here were for a Bruschetta with Shrimp and Tarragon recipe.  With a few, small tweaks- Japanese shallot instead of our more familiar, garlic-like shallot, and chicken bouillon cubes instead of boxed or homemade chicken stock- the recipe was easily re-created!  Obviously, this is not the usual (or admittedly more convenient) one-stop shopping that is offered by the Commissary. But for me, this method of grocery treasure hunting is much more satisfying!

Ganbatte!

-The Tofu Fox

Costco has locations in Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, Kyoto, Saitama, Fukuoka, and elsewhere.  Not all of Costco's produce is from Japan; however, an item's country of origin is often clearly labeled in English.  

Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you!

How To Get Rid Of Cockroaches

Mild Kanto Plain winters, brutal summer humidity, and cramped city living all combine to create perfect conditions for buggy creatures.  Giant spiders and centipedes abound (I hear those two are seen on base quite often, but I have never had either in my apartment, thank GOD), but the cockroaches are the bane of my summer existence.  Now that the weather is warming up, I am busy replacing my cockroach deterrents.

Sold at any 100 Yen or hardware store, these little disks are your must-have weapon for cockroach battle.  Cockroaches here are big and fast and prolific.  They speed down sidewalks and zip up exterior walls.  They wiggle their way inside everywhere, even into unoccupied residences.  I spent our first Japanese summer armed with a can of hairspray; having an crawling Little TF made traditional bug sprays a bad, indoor idea.  Of course, there are two problems with the hairspray model.  First, you have to stand there and spray a lot until the cockroach finally flips over into its death throes.  Second, if you use the hairspray from your bathroom cupboard, you will have to switch hairspray brands.  Otherwise, your hair will forever remind you of cockroaches.  Which is gross.  

Of course, no one in Japan kills cockroaches with hairspray but me.  People use these, instead!  I don't know what's in those black containers, but they work.  So well, in fact, that after setting out about 30 throughout my house, I only saw one cockroach last summer.  I didn't even find any dead ones.  Cockroaches prevented!  Success!

Japanese literacy is not necessary for figuring out what to purchase.
Just look for the dead cockroach illustration!

Simply unsnap each unit to separate.

Find sneaky places to hide them!  I tuck them well away from Little Tofu Fox
(after this photo, this little guy is going under the rug).  Under couches,
behind the refrigerator, and in closet corners are all good locations.

 What about that one cockroach that I saw last summer?  I was late for an appointment, running out the door, when I saw a cockroach skittering around my bathroom.  I was running so late that I didn't have time to grab the hairspray. Instead, I simply scooped up three black disks and lined them up in front of my bathroom door.  The disks were about 5 inches apart from each other, spaced across the bottom of the door frame.  When I came home a few hours later, that cockroach was dead.  Hooray for effective bug elimination!  Now, I just need to find something that gets rid of all those mini, jumping spiders...


Ganbatte!

-The Tofu Fox

Disclaimer:  I don't know what's inside these disks.  Something in them attacks the cockroach's nervous system.  Whatever it is seems strong, given the effectiveness. This is absolutely not a green way to go about bug destruction, and these are absolutely not something I want my kid to get ahold of.  But when a cockroach falls off the ceiling into your mom's hair and you hear one rattle across your darkened bedroom wall when your husband is deployed and unable to do his BUG-KILLING JOB, these little disks are literally balm for the cockroach-traumatized soul.  So with that in mind, do with this information what you will.  

Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you!

Everyday Living: Flowers Everywhere!

My next-door neighbor's house.

 The Tofu Fox Family arrived in Japan at the end of January, 2010.  It was cold.  It was wet.  After 3 years split between Florida and California living, winter on the Kanto Plain (which is actually relatively mild) came as quite a shock.  Add to that the heating difficulties of our apartment, and I thought spring would never find me.

Of course, winter  eventually passed.  Spring in mainland Japan is possibly the most lovely spring of any country on earth.  From the arrival of the cherry blossoms in late March and early April, to the hydrangea and iris of June, Japan is in constant bloom.  Just about every plant or tree in my neighborhood will flower, if I watch it for long enough.

Disclaimer: If you are thinking of living off base when you move to Japan, be aware that my photos have edited out a lot of concrete and a lot of overhead wires and a lot of apartment buildings and a lot of people.  Do with that information what you will.

Most private gardens are fenced and gated.

Gardens run the gamut from wild to manicured.

Fresh, red maple leaves peek over high walls.

One of my favorite gardens on my street.  

Some gardens feature a lovely, stone lantern.

Even those without gardens carve out some space for flowers.

Spilling into streets...

No space is too small!

Say hello to my window box of pansies!  They are home to a
very happy coconut pig from Guam.  

One Thousand Carp Streamers

Two years ago, we saw the koinobori flying over the Sagami River.  Literally translated as "carp streamer," smaller versions are making their appearance all over Japan, right now.  Flown in celebration of boys, koi represent courage and dedication.  Like the koi that fight their way upstream each spring, families hope for boys who are strong and brave.  The mythical koi that win their river battles are transformed into dragons; so also do families wish for their boys to fulfill their destinies.  Tiny, nylon koinobori are being sold in discount stores for 100 yen, and elegant, silk koinobori can be purchased at Babies R Us for the equivalent of several hundred US dollars.  I haven't yet seen any hand-painted koinobori for sale, but they are probably out of my price range.

At the Sagami River, wires are stretched across a section of the valley, where over a thousand koinobori flutter and snap in the breeze.  It's an incredible sight.  Driving is probably the easiest way to get there, with people parking in dry sections of the river bed. This is a very dog-and-kid-friendly event...lots of space for running, with many river pebbles to pick up!

Koinobori

Celebration is in the air! When Little Tofu Fox and I went, there were booths selling fair food
and drinks.  Bring a chair and relax!

One of my friends told me the koinobori are corporation-sponsored.
 That's really all I know about how these banners get here.

 Make sure to pick a day with plenty of wind, so as to see the koinobori at their best.  The sounds of all that fabric snapping in the breeze is truly amazing.  Kanagawa Prefecture's English tourist website says that the Sagami koinobori can be seen from April 29-May 5.  They are located upstream from the Takada Bridge on the Sagami River, in Suigotana, Sagamihara City.

Can't make it to the Sagami River?  Take a walk around your neighborhood! Or, if you live on-base, hop off at a neighborhood train station and start walking through the residential areas.  Families are hanging out their personal koinobori right now!  Look carefully if you see one.  There are at least four fluttering components: the streamer at the stop, following by three koi.  The top koi is black.  That is the father.  The second one is red, and that is the mother.  The third and any remaining koi are the boys in the family.

I spotted these koinobori as Little TF and I cycled past our station.  I am
still waiting for our next-door neighbor to hang theirs!

Ganbatte!

-The Tofu Fox

Sitting On My Bookshelf: Food Of Japan.

I can't say enough good things about this cookbook.

Booth, Shirley. Food Of Japan. London: Grub Street, 2000.
Available at Amazon.com

•   The first section is kind of an extended culinary dictionary, with descriptions of Japanese cooking utensils, cooking methods, tableware, and presentation.  
• The second section delves into descriptions of the main foods featured in this book: soy, tofu, rice, etc.  
• The remainder of the book is filled with recipes.  Most of them contain just a few ingredients, which makes throwing together something healthy and delicious as easy as it gets!
• My only lament is the lack of illustrations.  But the few that made it in the book are beautiful!

What Is It And How Do I Cook It: Fresh Bamboo Shoots.

"Bamboo shoots, along with the cherry blossom, are the indicators of the passing of winter, and the emergence of spring." - Food Of Japan.

Walking to the grocery store this week, Little TF in tow, we passed by our local "veggie man."  His stall is one block down from our apartment, and he is there every day except Sunday.  He is old and wears a Naval Academy ball cap, waves hello to Mr. TF biking to work and gives Little TF hot sweet potatoes when I buy produce.  I use my stops at his stall to practice my minimal Japanese, which is a very gratifying experience; any effort, no matter how butchered, is met with exclamations of encouragement and amazement.  LTF and I were passing by his stall when I screeched to a halt.

"Kore wa nan desu ka?!" -Me, pointing at the bizarre, new produce on offer. What is it?

"Kore wa takenoko desu!" -Veggie Man. It's takenoko!

I whip out my iPhone, click on my handy-dandy Japanese dictionary app, and type in "takenoko." Takenoko = Bamboo shoot.

"Eeeeeeeeeh?!!!" Me, using a Japanese expression of amazement and surprise.

"Oishii!  Oishii!" Veggie Man, persuading me that it's delicious.

So, I bought one.

We all know what bamboo looks like.

Bamboo forest at Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, Shizuoka.

We all know what canned bamboo shoot looks like.

Canned bamboo shoot.

 But...what does bamboo shoot in its natural state actually look like?

Small bamboo shoots, divested of most of their husks, swim
in the Veggie Man's cool water bath.

Large bamboo shoots, still in their husks, rest on the ground.

Now that I knew what it was, how was I going to cook it?  Not knowing nearly enough Japanese to ask the Veggie Man, I headed home to my new favorite cookbook, Food Of Japan.  It is a book that deserves its own blog post.  For now, I bring you its recipe for Bamboo Dumplings! (The ingredient list is located at the bottom of the post.)

First, without removing the husks, boil the shoot for one and a half hours. This removes bitterness.  Don't forget to add water to the pot as needed!

Drain, then cool.  Remove the layers of husk.  Discard the husk.  Cut the shoot down the middle and remove the strings.

The husk pieces are on the left.  The tender (and WOW were they tender) inner pieces of bamboo are on the right.  My sliced shoot did not reveal any strings to remove; perhaps it was too small?

Cut off the bottom stump. Grate the bamboo core on a fine grater to achieve a pulp.  In a large bowl, combine the pulp with flour and salt until it is stiff.













Take a tablespoonful of the mixture and form small balls.

Heat the oil to about 320F (I just made it really hot) and deep fry the balls until golden.  If your kitchen is more Japanese than mine, use long cooking chopsticks to remove them.  Otherwise, tongs will do the trick.

Drain on paper towels.  While they cool, bring the simmering ingredients to a boil.

Add the dumplings and simmer for five minutes (here was where I said, "really!?" to the cookbook.  I simmered for about 60 seconds, and that was plenty of time).  You want dumplings that are slightly softened, but not falling apart.

Food Of Japan says this is a specialty of Sanko-in Temple.  See if you
can do a better job than the monks!

Serve hot in a medium-sized bowl.

 Oishii!!!









There was a lot of work involved, but these bamboo dumplings were delicious. Mr. TF couldn't stop eating them, and as soon as I told Little TF that she might turn into a panda if she tried one, that suspicious little eater immediately gobbled down three.  Don't wait to try this dish...bamboo shoots can only be harvested and purchased in spring and early summer!

Ganbatte!

-The Tofu Fox

Ingredients list:

1 medium bamboo shoot, 4 TBS plain flour, oil for deep frying.

For Simmering:

17 fl oz. dashi, 1 TBS sake, 1tsp soy 

sauce, pinch salt.

Japanese Grocery Store vs. Base Commissary.

Japan is kind of famous for being expensive (ok, duh).  Add to that a murderous dollar-to-yen exchange rate, and it's enough for any military spouse to make the local base commissary their one-stop shop.  For instance, take these beautiful, perfect, Japanese department store strawberries.  They are probably the most exquisite strawberries in the whole world.  But, let's be honest, the Tofu Fox Family does not need to buy a box of thirty-six strawberries that costs $51.52.  

I don't think the average Japanese grocery shopper is buying these, either.  These
seem to be more in the "gift" category than "grocery list" category.

Wait! Before you stampede to the nearest, tax-free military installation, look!  Here are Japan-grown strawberries that I bought from my local, Taiga grocery store. They are the reddest, sweetest strawberries I have ever eaten.  The conversion here works out to $4.29 for the pack. See?  Much more reasonable!  Still so delicious!  

Little Tofu Fox can plow through this whole thing in about 10 minutes.

And here we have the strawberries from the Commissary.  Shipped from the States, these strawberries are...somewhat red.  There is also some white and brown mixed in.  They are $5.69.  I don't think anything more needs to be said, here.

I was not able to do a cost comparison by weight.  The Japanese strawberries don't have that
labeled, and I don't own a kitchen scale.  My finely-tuned eyeballing skills don't reveal
any major size difference between each country's pack of strawberries.

In this first round of Japanese Grocery Store vs. Base Commissary, the winner is obvious!  Enjoy eating delicious, Japanese strawberries!

Flea Market Finds: Higashi Molds.

Stop at one of Tokyo's many weekend flea markets, and you'll inevitably pause and say, "What is that?"  

Here, we have higashi molds!  Higashi are dried sweets that are often eaten during Chado (tea ceremony).  Check out the link below to see some photos of beautiful higashi. 

Don't be intimidated by the original, culinary purpose of these molds.  Their graphic quality can be appreciated all on its own.  A grouping of these would look stunning hanging on your kitchen wall.  Sure, your Japanese friends here might laugh, but once back in the States, your good taste and artistic eye will be admired by all of your American friends.

If you are studying Japanese, the kanji for this higashi are 干菓子 or乾菓子. Not to be confused with this higashi, 東, the kanji for "east."

http://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Sweeter-Than-Sugar

Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you!

What To Do If Your Car's Brakes Fail.

Please, deploy your vehicle's parachute.

How To See Something Amazing: Shrines.

Kasuga-Taisha.  Shrine of the Fujiwara Family.  Nara.

Step 1.

Wake up and decide to have an adventure.

Step 2.

Pick a place to go.  Have a stack of guidebooks at hand...that will make this step much easier!

Step 4.

Pack your kid's diapers/snacks/bottles/extra formula/binkies/wipes/ziploc for dirty diapers/blankie/extra outfit/magic charm to to instantly silence crying (ooooh, maybe the shrine has one of those).

Step 5.

Pack your wallet/fully charged phone/keys/chapstick/train pass/extra yen/extra-adventurous attitude.

Step 6.

Smile and tell yourself this adventure with your kid WILL be fun.  Or really funny in a couple of years.  Either way, good things will come of it.

Step 7.

Repeat!  Repeat!  Repeat!

If you do this enough times, at enough shrines, you will see things that you've never seen before; yet, somehow you've seen them a thousand times.  Wherever you are in the world, only the details that are different.

Shinto wedding.

Exchanging of rings.

Getting teary at the wedding of complete strangers.

Omiyamairi.  Very similar to Christian baby dedications.
Little Tofu Fox used to be that small.  Getting teary, again.

What can be more amazing than two lives being joined together, or a life just beginning?
This is part of life in Japan.  Don't miss it.

Ganbatte!

-The Tofu Fox

Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you!