What Is It And How Do I Cook It: Lotus Root!

I've had lotus on my mind for a couple months now.  During our recent trip to Taipei, we stumbled upon a beautiful lotus pond in full, stunning bloom.  The perfect, pink blossoms were absolutely stunning.  We returned to Japan and I immediately scheduled a visit to Yokohama's Sankeien Gardens famous lotus pond. I had to see more! The traditional, Japanese shops have (of course) gotten into the spirit by setting up little lotus-themed displays, complete with lotus-scented incense and lotus-printed washcloths. All this lotus-viewing excitement inspired me- what a perfect time to learn to cook with lotus!

Renkon- aka lotus root- is a very popular vegetable in Japan.  Packed with fiber and vitamins, lotus root is also extremely starchy.  In addition to its edible qualities, traditional Asian medicine prizes lotus root for its ability to increase energy and vitality.  Both of which I could use in spades.  More lotus root, please!

Lotus root is also one of the few Asian foods that I recognized upon moving to Japan- dried lotus slices and pods are stock items in floral design studios.  I've never tried to cook with lotus, though. Recipes using lotus root aren't exactly filling up the English-language cookbooks. I was flipping through one of my Japanese cookbooks* last week, trying to figure out what to make for dinner, when I suddenly spotted a salad recipe that used lotus root.  I quickly scanned it.  A recipe using lotus root and only a few other ingredients?  That's my kind of deployment cooking!

For my salad recipe, I had to purchase the lotus root, tomato, snow peas, and cucumber.  The salad's remaining ingredients were already in my refrigerator or cupboards.  The extras- peaches (heavenly), roasted peas (Little TF snack), fresh salmon (to go with the lotus salad), and bento (my lunch)- brought my total to 1650 yen.  Not bad!

Step 1.   Prepare the lotus root.

• Cut the lotus root into thin (3mm) rounds and soak in vinegared water for 5 minutes (this is what will keep your lotus root from turning brown).  Briefly blanch the sliced root in boiling water.
• In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.  Immediately remove from the heat and let cool.  Soak the blanched lotus root in the marinade until flavored, about 20 minutes.     

Step 2.  Prepare the red onion.

• Slice the red onion into very thin slices.  If the onion is bitter, soak in ice-cold water to crisp it and remove harshness.  Drain well.

Step 3. Prepare the snow peas.

• Have ice water ready in a small bowl.  In a small saucepan, bring salted water to a boil.  Boil the snow peas for about two minutes.
• Drain the snow peas and put them in the ice water to stop cooking.  Drain.

Step 4. Prep the cucumber and tomato.

• Cut the tomato into 6-8 wedges. Lightly pound the cucumber to soften it, so that the dressing can penetrate.  Cut the cucumber into 1 1/4 inch lengths.  

Sliced lotus is so pretty!

For the dressing:

• In a medium bowl, beat egg yolk and gradually add 5 Tbsp of the vegetable oil, first drop by drop, then in a very thin stream whisking vigorously all the while.  The oil should be completely emulsified.  Mix in miso, sudachi citrus juice, and soy sauce.  Adjust thickness with more vegetable oil, if needed.

Pat dry the onion and snow peas.  Arrange vegetables in a serving dish.  Spoon on the dressing and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.  

Enjoy this fresh and beautiful salad! Itadakimasu!

The lightly cooked lotus root had a very light taste with a satisfying crunch.  It reminded me a little bit of a water
 chestnut, as far as texture went.  My salad bowl, a repurposed noodle bowl that I found in Kappabashi, is decorated with a traditional, ocean wave pattern.

Ingredients:


Marinade for lotus root-
    1/3 cup water                      1 tsp sugar
    1 Tbsp rice vinegar             Pinch of salt


2 small to medium best vine-ripened tomatoes
1 Japanese cucumber or 1/3 English cucumber, unpeeled
2/3 oz. lotus root
1/4 medium red onion
4-8 whole snow peas
2 tsp. white sesame seeds, lightly toasted


Dressing-
    1 large egg yolk                          1/4 cup sudachi citrus or lemon juice
    1/3 cup vegetable oil                   1 tsp soy sauce
    Scant 1/2 cup yellow miso




Note:  I got home from the grocery store and realized that I was out of eggs and miso.  I'm not a huge raw egg fan anyways, so I just left that out.  I substituted dashi for the miso.  Dashi is extremely salty, so be careful not to add too much! 


* This recipe is from Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook, by Mark Robinson.


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!

Sunflower Festival!

One of my absolute favorite things about Japan- and I have a lot of favorite things- is how almost anything fun, beautiful, or religious gets turned into a festival.  Does a city have fireworks scheduled?  Ta da! It's a festival.  Do you see food stalls set up outside a temple's gates? Festival! Is it cherry blossom season?  Festival. Are the iris blooming?  Festival.  Once mid-summer rolls around, Japan is practically overrun with festivals!  Between last weekend's drive from base, to my apartment out in town, and then to a sushi restaurant for dinner, I counted three.

Right now, Zama is having their annual Himawari Matsuri, or Sunflower Festival!  Mr. TF is home from deployment (happy dance!) for a brief time, so we dropped Little TF off at preschool and decided to check this festival out.  It was our first time at this particular festival, so we were pretty excited!

This area of Zama has sunflower manhole covers.  Too cute, Zama.  Too cute.

Cheerful flags snap in the breeze and advertise the Himawari Matsuri!

Happy himawari! 

Part of my festival love includes the awesome people watching.  Everyone is always relaxed and having a great time!  Kids run around waving their festival toys while parents frantically fan themselves in the heat. Usually there is ridiculously chipper music or classic festival tunes being piped out of a loudspeaker.  Of course, purchasing some item of the festival's themed merchandise is an essential part of the Japanese Festival Experience.  Make sure to stop by the special snack tent, or pick up a cute cell phone charm!

Rainy season has passed and it is now a full-blown scorching, swampy Japanese summer.  When attending festivals, apply the sunscreen, bring a hat, and tuck a fan inside your bag or belt.  Black UV protectors for your arms are optional.

I get not wanting a sunburn.  I apply sunscreen and bring a parasol.  But the ARM COVERS?
It was 97 degrees outside!  Japanese women, I salute your dedication to perfect skin.

Of course, beating the heat also requires adequate hydration.  Keep your eyes peeled. There is always a slushy stand, somewhere!

So many tasty flavors.

Sunflowers admired, we took our slushies and sat under one of the tents.  Mr. TF got strawberry.  I ordered melon, as in honeydew melon. Yum!

My slushy and free festival fan.

This particular festival in Zama is fairly small and doesn't have a huge number of booths, but there was still plenty to eat and drink.  The souvenir stalls were even smaller, but we did buy some sunflower cookies and a pack of blueberries from a local farmer's stall.

After the shade and slushies cooled us down enough, we reemerged into the blinding sunshine and climbed the observation deck to get the full sunflower view.

Lots of sunflowers, with plenty more to come!

The sunflower festival was clearly marked.  There were roadside flags, groups of elderly sightseeing ladies, and a giant, sunflower girl balloon.  Definitely head over if you get a chance...in the morning, before it gets too hot!

The Zama Sunflower Festival is running from now until Tuesday, July 31, from 9 am-3:30 pm.  We drove our car to the Kurihara site and parked in a festival parking lot (look for elderly men waving red batons) for 200 yen.  We tried to go to the Nittajuku site but could not find it.  If you know where the Nittajuku one is, please let me know where it was hiding!

For a map and public transportation directions, please visit the Tofu Fox Facebook Page.  I also dropped a pin on my smart phone, which says the Kurihara site is at Kuriharachuo 34-65, Kuriharachuo 1-Chome, Zama.


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.

Fire was a huge concern in old Japan (and in fact, still is).  Many old temples still have beautiful rain barrels situated under their eaves.  I love visiting temples in the rain...in addition to enjoying less crowded conditions, I can watch the rain barrels in action.

Water drips into a rain barrel at the Naritasan Shinshoji temple, Chiba Prefecture.

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!

In Which I Climb Mt. Fuji And Learn A Lesson. (2)

I never, ever had any intentions of climbing Mt. Fuji.

Before moving to Japan, I would always give a resounding no to anyone who asked if I was going to try. I hate hiking.  I hate dirt.  I hate sweat.  I hate being miserable.  I hate ugly hiking boots.  It's just not my thing! When I want to enjoy nature, I find the closest forest and spread out a blanket. Contemplating a traditional Japanese garden is also nice. So is viewing Mt. Fuji.  I didn't want a miserable hike ruining my future, Fuji-gazing experiences.

But my fourteen year old (and youngest) brother wanted to climb it.  As I thought about it, I realized that, any second, he's going to realize how lame his big sister is.  I had to seize the last bonding experience we'll have until he turns twenty-five (Which is when he will realize that he's just as lame as me).  And there's the fact that he suffered through Hello Kitty Land with us.  I owed him big time for that one.

So I reluctantly agree to climb Mt. Fuji with my brother.

When my sister-in-law did her climb last year, she left my apartment at 5am to catch the first train.  I hadn't sat down and timed our train connections, but I figured that it probably took her twice as long to take public transport as it would me (she had only been in Japan for four or five days when she summited).  So if she had to leave at five, we could leave at 6 am and be just fine!

Oh, foolish me.

On the appointed day- a weekday, of course, to avoid the climbing hordes- we left the apartment at 6:20 am (someone's little brother didn't wake up with his alarm).  We were outfitted in our proper, water-wicking gear and carried our proper, well-stocked backpacks. I had this handy-dandy little booklet, from the base's Outdoor Recreation center, that had detailed train and bus directions (definitely pick one of these up if you plan on taking the train).  We could have driven, but I really enjoy the additional layers of experience that trains and buses give me.  If we had taken a car, we would have missed out the mountain trains that are covered with cheerful Mt. Fujis!

We made all our train connections just fine.  I loved watching the Kanto Plain disappear and the cool, forested mountains surround us.  Intensely green rice paddies, cheerful flower and vegetable gardens, incense-wreathed shrines, and icy mountain streams zipped past us as our train climbed higher and higher.  Between forested peaks, we could see Mt. Fuji, moving ever closer.  Yikes.

We decided to climb the base-recommended route (and also the most popular), which requires a train to Kawaguchiko and then a bus to Kawaguchiko 5th Station.  We arrived at Kawaguchiko Station just after nine am and headed to the ticket counter to purchase our bus tickets for the hour-long ride to 5th Station.

I squinted at the bus timetables.  Wait...does that actually say that the next bus isn't until 10:30?  Do we really have to wait over an hour?  The ticket lady confirmed that yes, for this 2012 climbing season there is no bus that runs between 8:30 am and 10:30 am.  I started to worriedly do the math.  Ok, so if the bus ride is about an hour long, we won't get to 5th Station until 11:30-ish.  That means we're missing about three hours of climbing time.  &*%@!  


My eyes then just happened to wander to the return bus timetable.  Wait...does that say the last two buses off the mountain are at 8 and 10 pm?!  Hmmmmm. If we catch that last, 10 pm bus, we aren't getting back to Kawaguchiko Station until 11 pm.  The Tokyo trains will stop running before we can get home.  We'll have to sleep somewhere and head back home in the morning.  *@#%! I REALLY don't want to do that.  We have to catch that 8 pm bus!


Since there was absolutely nothing to do but wait for the 10:30 am bus, we decided to lighten our backpacks and store our clean changes of clothes in the station's coin lockers. Spotting a souvenir shop across the parking lot, we wandered over to take a look.  The shop sold Fuji Sticks (more on those farther down), so to save a little more time, we purchased our sticks there.

With all this time to twiddle our thumbs, I started to calculate our remaining time.  Ok, so we're getting to Mt. Fuji at 11:30 am, at the absolute earliest.  We'll probably have to use the bathroom and take a few photos before heading up.  That means we'll probably start climbing right before noon.  A quick Google search says that the average time needed to complete a Mt. Fuji climb, for a person in good shape, is five hours to summit and three hours to return.  That's a total of eight hours.  Hmmmm.  Am I in good shape?  I like to think I am!  But I don't hike. Am I in good enough hiking shape?  Well, I have to be.  If we get started at noon, we have to be back at 8 pm. We have to make that 8 pm bus.  That's an eight hour climb, exactly.  &*#%! No choice!  Ok, so if it takes us five hours to summit, that puts us as heading back down at 5 pm. If sunset usually around 6:30 pm, that means we'll be returning in the... dark.  &#%*!  Does that souvenir shop sell flashlights?!


The souvenir shop, did indeed, sell flashlights.  Good thing we picked one up, as it turned out later.

Our bus finally arrived and delivered us to 5th Station.  At 5th Station, there are plenty of restaurants, souvenirs shops selling Fuji Sticks, and even a post office, none of which we looked at. We made a beeline for the bathroom, took a couple photos, checked our map to make sure we were on the right trail, and took off!  Sure enough, it was just before 12 noon.

Exhausted school kids.  They probably climbed the night before and enjoyed a glorious sunrise from the summit.

Don't feel like climbing the whole thing?  Take a horse part-way up!  This is cheating, of course,  

This pretty much sums up how each of us felt about climbing Mt. Fuji.

And here I thought I was thoroughly prepared. Our fellow Japanese climbers looked like climbing professionals!  Most were wearing those...gaiters?  Is that what they're called?  Basically, they were nylon tubes that tie just under the knee and then strap under a hiking boot's instep.  They kept dirt and sand from getting inside shoes.  Pretty genius, and when climbing down, I really wished I had some.

A spectacular view, not far from our starting point.  An English-speaking
climber pointed out an ancient temple on the jutting rock below.  

And then the pretty views were lost in the swirling clouds and we left the verdant tree line behind, only to stare a chunky, red rocks for the next seven hours.

Climbers take a break before tackling the next switchback.

Notice all the sticks in the above photo.  Those are the afore-mentioned Fuji Sticks!  If you climb Mt. Fuji, definitely pick one of these up (they cost roughly 1000 to 1500 yen).  Not only is a Fuji Stick a pretty cool souvenir, but it was an invaluable hiking aid.  Mine was a great tool to lean on as I hauled myself up the jagged rocks, and then saved my knees on the soft, rocky dirt that we trudged through on the descent.

The climbing route is dotted with small huts.  These huts are where you can use the bathroom, purchase snacks, water, and oxygen (I hear the oxygen is useless.  If you get sick, just turn around. Reaching the summit probably won't happen for you), and then get your Fuji Stick stamped.  Each hut has its own, unique stamp.  The stamp costs between 200-300 yen.

Our sticks get their stamps.

If you need to stop and take a break, the huts have outdoor benches and sell bowls of hot (and expensive) noodles.  If the weather is bad and you want to sit inside, be prepared to pay a lot of money.  Since we were desperate to finish our climb in 8 hours, we only stopped at each station to shovel some trail mix in our mouths while we waited for our sticks to get stamped, and use the bathroom.

It's not a Japanese point of interest without souvenirs! Snag a souvenir, skip the oxygen.

Prince Shotoku's climb.

About three hours into the climb, panting and exhausted, we came upon a hut that is adjacent to a small shrine.  This sign informed us that the shrine was dedicated to Prince Shotoku, who climbed Mt. Fuji on the back of his Black Horse.  This irrationally enraged me (I was in pain).  Prince Shotoku didn't climb Mt. Fuji.  He rode Mt. Fuji.  Cheater.

Most of our climb was boring. My fourteen year old mountain goat of a brother scampered ahead of me the whole time.  My legs hurt. The blustery wind blew dirt in my face.  I had to literally drag myself over rock faces for a good section of the climb.  The switchbacks went on forever.  Thank God, though, that it didn't rain!

When you reach this point, you'll know you're almost there!

Four hours and fifty-three minutes later, we summited Mt. Fuji!  Hooray!  We posed for a photo and excitedly looked for our last stamp station.  Could. Not. Find. It.  The men stationed at the last hut kept gesturing towards the crater.  Huh?  We didn't have time to wander around looking for this stupid stamp station!  8 pm was looming every closer! In stumbling Japanese, I asked a fellow climber (he looked like he'd done this before) where to find the stamp station.  He poked his head inside the hut, and hollered for someone.  

The next thing we knew, we were being presented with the set of ink stamps that climbers, who summit in time to see the sunrise, press onto their stick's flags.  We only used the first two stamps. The last stamp was the proud, sunrise stamp.  After stamping our flags and quickly peeking inside the crater of Mt. Fuji, we bowed and thanked the helpful climber and the hut employees, before making a dash for the return trail.  We may not have seen the sunrise, but we were definitely about to see the sunset!

We did it!

The final torii gate.  Don't forget, Mt. Fuji is revered as the first of Japan's Three Holy Mountains.

We raced down the trail, in firmer sections flat-out running.  Climbing down Mt. Fuji takes a ridiculously long time, and we had that 8 pm bus to catch.  There are no huts on the return path, and I didn't remember seeing any sleeping accommodations at 5th Station (maybe there are?).  Sleeping in the 5th Station parking lot sounded pretty miserable, so on we sped.

The sun set about two-thirds of our way down. Thank-goodness we purchased that flashlight, earlier, because the return trail was completely un-illuminated!  My brother and I linked arms and carefully (but quickly) picked our way through the dark.

We made it to the bus stop with a total climbing time of seven hours and forty-two minutes.  The 8pm bus pulled up and we collapsed, exhausted, inside.  WE MADE IT.  Of course, the adventure wasn't over, yet. When we pulled up at Kawaguchiko Station, the station attendants yelled that the train was being held for our bus!  We sprinted for the storage lockers, unlocked our clean clothes (No time to change!  Sorry for our stinkiness, fellow commuters!), and sprinted back to the waiting train.  Once inside, we gleefully high-fived each other.  Not only did we climb Mt. Fuji, but we didn't have to spend the night in the parking lot.  A resounding success!

Note To Self:  When planning a new activity (you know, like climbing a mountain), be my usual, control-freak self and have everything figured out beforehand!


Please, when planning a Mt. Fuji climb, pay attention to all transportation details.  I should have looked at all appropriate timetables well before setting out for our climb.  Of course, we could have spent the night on the mountain in one of the huts; frankly, I didn't want to spend the money.  


This is not an activity to approach in a casual manner!  We saw people (all foreigners) climbing in sandals, jeans, and tank tops. Even though the climb is doable, people still get injured.  Wear proper gear and pack enough food and water.  Don't forget a rain jacket. Hypothermia is still a concern, even in August.  Pay attention to return routes.  The trail that we took off the mountain splits into two directions.  Picking the wrong direction will cost you hundreds of dollars in taxi fares back around the mountain.  The base-sponsored safety brief recommended bringing 30,000 yen a person in emergency funds, which can cover extra transportation, hotels or a last-minute, top of Mt. Fuji sleepover.  


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!

Summer Favorites

Things in Japan that I am loving right now...

The branches of unripe persimmons that my corner "flower man" sold to me yesterday.

The sweetest peaches in the world.

The park by my house, which is currently full of kids and their parents catching...something.

Lotus.

The little girls at Tokyo Disney who dress up like their favorite princess, even when it's 100 degrees out.

This yummy Turkish hole in the wall that a friend and I stumbled upon in Asakusa.
Turns out they have a nicer restaurant location in Shibuya.  Hello, Date Night!

The old and the hyper-new.  Asakusa's Sensoji temple and the world's newest tallest tower, the Tokyo Skytree.  

In Which I Climb Mt. Fuji And Learn A Lesson. (1)

For this deployment, I've been experimenting with a new life strategy.  Rather than being my normal control-freak self, I've been trying to just go with the flow.  One of my friends is really good at this. She doesn't worry about things, she takes each day as it comes, and if something doesn't pan out quite right, she just shrugs it off and keeps going.  I kind of suck at all of that.  This past month- with non-stop visitors for four weeks- seemed a great time to just chill out and not worry about the details.

So far, I have learned two valuable lessons!

Lesson #1:  It's good to be able to flex and go with the flow.  It's good to be completely spontaneous.  I have been a lot less stressed.

Lesson #2:  Do not, Self, do not be relaxed and chilled out when planning something very important.  Something important...oh, I don't know...say, like climbing Mt. Fuji.

When it came to collecting my climbing gear, I was still super neurotic (old habits die hard).  My sister-in-law visited last summer and climbed Mt. Fuji by herself.  She took along a couple bottles of water, Little TF's goldfish snacks, and a couple mini boxes of raisins.  She did not wear hiking boots, pack a flashlight, or bring a poncho.  I, being myself, twitch every time I think about it.  But hey, she survived and had a great time!  Determined to pack everything I might possibly need, I dragged my brother to the free, base-sponsored safety brief.

Pretty much everything the climbing instructor recommended, I packed:

1. Outdoor, sweat-wicking jacket.  In fact, all climbing clothes should be made of quick-drying material.  At the climb's starting point, it's summer.  At the top, there might be snow.  So bringing layers and a warm-ish jacket are key.
2. A brimmed hat and a bandana to protect my face from wind, rain, and blowing dirt.  I didn't end up needing the bandana, but the brimmed hat was great for keeping dirt out of my face as I climbed.
3. A good backpack.  A friend lent me her backpack and its corresponding Camelback.  The Camelback saved us a lot of time (You'll see why that ended up being a lifesaver, further down this post), as I didn't have to stop to rehydrate.
4.  Hiking boots.  I had some from an old high school trip to Turkey.  You can see they aren't ankle-height.  This was ok for me, but ankle-height would have been nice.  The soil on the way back down is very loose and difficult to walk in.  Ankle-height boots would have given me a lot more stability.
5.  Sunscreen.  Even if it's cloudy, skin can still burn.  I put it on before I started climbing.
6.  Hand sanitizer (none of the mountain's bathrooms had working sinks), chapstick, and Advil.
7.  A camera, of course!
8.  Gloves.  At some points, we were almost crawling up on hands and knees, grabbing jagged rock to pull ourselves up. Gloves also helped to protect our hands from the cold.
9.  Clean change of clothes.  We didn't want to sit in sweat and dirt all the way back home.
10.  High-energy snacks.  Lots of trail mix and granola bars.  We could have bought all this stuff on the mountain, but the prices up there are eye-popping!
11.  A poncho or rain coat.  Even if the forecast around Fuji-san doesn't call for rain, it can still happen. I have had too many friends who had miserable and wet climbs.  Our base MWR had heavy-duty ponchos for rent...I think it was like $1 a day.  Don't buy the 100 Yen Store ponchos.  The powerful winds that can whip around Fuji-san will tear a cheap poncho right off your body.
12.  Plastic Ziploc bags for everything that we needed to keep dry.
13.  Toilet paper.  Sometimes the potties don't have any.
14.  And, since I'm a mom, wet wipes.  Those things are so handy, even though we're long past the baby stage.
15. A flashlight (I didn't start off with this item in my backpack. More on that, later).
16.  Update:  I forgot to mention that we also brought 40,000 yen in emergency funds.

The night before our climb, I skipped wine with dinner (I wanted to climb while as well-hydrated as possible) and went to bed early.  As I snuggled under the covers, I gave myself a nice little pat on the back.  Good job, Self.  You have stayed true to your control-freakedness by being fully packed the evening before your attempted climb; however, you are still being spontaneous. You still haven't figured out what trains and buses to take to Mt. Fuji tomorrow!  That's ok, you've lived in Japan for two and a half years, now.  This stuff isn't really that new anymore, right? Trains...yaaaawn...and buses are a bree...zzzzzzzzzzzzze.

In the distance, over the mountain range and in the direction of my slumbering apartment, Mt. Fuji laughed.


To Be Continued...


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!

100 Yen Store To The Rescue!

This past Thursday was Little Tofu Fox's third birthday!  Happy Birthday to my big three year old!  

I asked Little TF a couple months ago what kind of birthday party she wanted. "A goldfish party," she replied, in one of her random requests that tend to send me scrambling.  This time, though, I was on top of things!  I placed an order with a Major Online Party Retailer almost four weeks ago; since I've played the overseas shipping game (Will it get here in time!?  What do I do if it doesn't!?) more times than I care to count, I paid for expedited shipping.  

Fail.  None of the super cute goldfish drinking straws, paper plates, napkins, goody-bag stuffers, or color-your-own-beach-balls made it.  Major Online Party Retailer, I highly suspect that, even though I paid extra for faster shipping, you shipped it via USPS Standard anyways.  That, or the goons at our military post office haven't decided they need to deliver it to me, yet.  I will give you the benefit of a doubt for now, Major Online Party Retailer.  We'll see whenever the stuff finally gets here.  

So where did I turn to save my three year old's fishy birthday party?  The 100 Yen Store, of course!  

I went hunting at two different 100 Yen Stores.  The very small store that shares a building with my grocery store (which is where a lot of 100 Yen Stores tend to be located) was where I found the super-kawaii Hello Kitty fishing games!  These are based on a popular festival booth game, in which children use paper nets to try and catch as many goldfish as possible, before the net disintegrates. Perfect for Little TF's birthday Goldfish Party theme!

Next, I found some cheerful beach balls. There were about 20 colors to choose from, so I had no problem matching gender and even favorite colors.  The gift wrap section had clear plastic bags with little metallic twisty-ties, which only slightly made up for the loss of the goldfish-printed goody bags that I ordered from the previously mentioned Major Online Party Retailer.  The little plastic fish that I ordered from Amazon did make it in time, of course, so I was able to toss those in.  

Little TF's birthday Goldfish Party was saved!  We may not have had all the other fun stuff, but I could at least put the fishy goody bags together and draw little yellow frosting fish on top of her hot pink cupcakes. Really, that's all a three year old needs to be happy, anyways, right?  Thank-you, 100 Yen Stores!

Steal Her Outfit!

Omotesando-dori is one of my favorite streets in Japan.  In addition to trendy malls and funky little shops, the great fashion houses of Gucci, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton all have storefronts here.  It's the location of Vogue Japan's annual Fashion's Night Out and Gwen Stefani's "Harajuku Girls" hit.  All this fashion means that Omotesando-dori is one of the best places to spot the latest trends and micro-trends, whether for women, men, or both!  Walking down the street this past Monday, this mysterious woman and her fantastic outfit caught my eye.

She was very careful to keep her umbrella tilted down over her face.  Who was she? And who was she talking to?

-She's carrying a woven bag.  Woven/basket-like bags are very in for this summer.

-She is wearing a sweater with longer sleeves.  No matter the heat, Japanese women tend to keep their arms, shoulders, and chests covered.  There is an almost paranoid fear of sun damage in this country (and a fear that I am starting to take on).

-She is carrying an umbrella on a perfectly sunny day.  Again, this is linked to the fear of sun damage.  It seems to work (either that, or they have miracle-workers for dermatologists), as even middle-aged Japanese women have perfectly smooth, unwrinkled skin.  

Had to take another photo that included the shoes.  

Of course, she is wearing fabulous shoes.  Every young Japanese woman worth her salt can click around Tokyo in the highest heels imaginable. They wear them up and down subway stairs and while pedaling their bicycles.  All day.

Her look is very current, but also extremely classic.  Many of us probably have red cotton sweaters and cutoff denim shorts in our closets, right now!  Scoot over to a Japanese mall and pick up a fantastic woven bag.  Cute and cheap sun umbrellas can be purchased at one of the train station shops.  Can't fit your American-sized feet into any of the adorable Japanese shoes?  This is what Piperlime is for! Once you have assembled your new outfit, make sure to sit in a prominent location and hide your face under your umbrella. Intrigued passers-by won't help but notice your fabulousness! (Sky-high heels optional)

Thank-you, Mystery Woman, for such fabulous fashion inspiration!

A Tokyo Shrine On A Monday!

"What is something fun to do in Tokyo? "
"My mom is in town this week...what should I take her to see?"
"Having a hard time figuring out what to do with young kids around here...any suggestions?"

What is a great answer to each of those questions?  Shrines!

Shrines (or temples) are my favorite/one size fits all/must-see places, whether by myself, with Little Tofu Fox, or with visitors.  For visitors, they fill the "must see something unusual and Japanese!" category.  Massive shrine gates, fortune boxes, wafting incense, and exquisite temple gardens delight even the most jaded of travelers.  For my kid, shrines usually offer a great chance to get out of the stroller and stretch her legs. It's great, especially if we've ridden the trains for awhile.

And for those us who have been stationed in Japan for awhile and done a lot of MWR tours?  It doesn't matter how long I've been here, or how much sightseeing I've done- a visit to one of my favorite shrines is guaranteed to teach me something new!

Pictured above is my favorite shrine in Tokyo, Meiji-jingu.  In English, Meiji Shrine.  Enshrined within the complex are the revered spirits of Emperor Meiji (grandfather of Emperor Showa, or Hirohito) and his consort, Empress Shoken.  I love this shrine, because it is located smack in the middle of Tokyo and at one end of the uber-trendy Harajuku district.  When the consumer madness becomes too insane, I like to step inside the cool, leafy shrine complex for awhile.  On sunny days, the people-watching here is the best: chic Japanese ladies, families wearing their best kimono for photo ops, and excited tourists snapping too many photos (yep, including me).  On rainy days, I like to listen to my feet crunch down the gravel paths and listen to the rain plop onto my umbrella.  On those days, I am usually one of the only people there...a rare experience when living just outside Tokyo.

In Japan, shrines often seem to function like the European "town square."  It's where the community's events happen!  Festival performances, plays, and flea markets are always popping within a shrine's environs.  You never know what you might see, which is why I took my mom, brother, and some other good friends there on Monday.  "It would be great if we got to see a wedding," I off-handedly remarked to my friend.

Well, we stumbled upon a new experience, alright!  Monday, outside Meiji Shrine, happened to be the date and location of the biggest anti-nuclear power demonstration in Tokyo since the first reactors that were idled, post-earthquake, restarted in June.  I later read news reports that estimated 170,000 protestors!  We had to weave through them to get to Meiji Shrine, and later squeezed through sidewalks next to the chanting crowds on our way back to the train station.  With strollers, no less!

Protestors crowd the bridge outside Meiji Shrine.

Shoving through those crowds required a lot of work, so we stopped at the shrine's cafe and ate some lunch.  Then, of course, the little ones required some leg-stretching, so we slowly moseyed through the shimmering heat and along the shrine's wide, graveled path to the massive, gated entrance.

Which is when we hit the Tourist Jackpot.  A wedding.

I've seen a wedding at Meiji Shrine in the past, but it was raining and so the bridal procession skirted around the edges of the grand building, underneath the eaves.  I barely caught a glimpse of the bride.  On this perfect, cloudless day, we watched in awe as the procession made its stately progress across the courtyard.

The red umbrella dates from the Heian Era (like 1200 years ago) and is used to signify
a happy occasion.  It also shows up in parades and outdoor tea ceremony.

Most of the family members were wearing somber black or other dark colors.  What a switch from our American weddings!  My friend explained to me that this is because to dress too cheerfully would be unseemly...other guests might resent a family that seemed too happy about their daughter's (or groom's) luck.  The exception in this wedding party was the girl in the vividly colored kimono on the right.  She is either a friend of the bride, or a family member under the age of twenty.  These two groups are allowed to wear brightly colored kimono to the wedding.

The woman on the right is not the bride's mother (my first thought). She is the matchmaker!  Of course, most Japanese couples now follow the Western model and create their own romance.  However, in traditional Shinto weddings, a "matchmaker" still occupies her rightful place in the procession.  This is usually the wife of the groom's father's close friend.

A bride doesn't need to be wearing a Western wedding dress to need help adjusting the back!

And then we hit Tourist Jackpot #2.  Another wedding was being photographed in one of the shrine's side courtyards!

We watched from a distance as the bride went through two kimono changes.  The red and white kimono are Japan's traditional colors for happy occasions.

I stood snapping photos from a respectful distance (I am the owner of what I joking refer to as a "creeper lense"), but my mom crept in for a close-up.  A distinguished older gentleman (perhaps the father of the bride?) beckoned for us to come and get a closer shot.  Perhaps he figured that if he gave us obnoxious foreigners what we wanted, we'd leave them in peace.*  I quickly snapped this shot and then bowed my way out, murmuring my most polite and grateful Japanese (which, let's be honest, is probably atrocious).  Thank-you, again, kind gentleman!

Just gorgeous.

We passed this cute little family as we left the shrine.  I didn't see any extended family around, but the photographer and elaborate, folded kimono makes me think it was an omiyamairi, or Baby's First Shrine Visit. 

Precious.

Ornate baby kimono.

Everyone left this shrine visit happy.  Happy kids who got to run around, and happy mommies and friends who got great photos!  If you're asking any of the questions at the top of this post, get a shrine visit on your calendar, ASAP!



*I have no idea how many Japanese taboos we broke in taking those photos.  I'm embarrassed to even think about it.  If you're Japanese and reading this, please don't even tell me. 


Meiji-jingu is located next to Yoyogi Park, behind Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote Line.  When exiting the station, TURN RIGHT.  On our first shrine visit, we turned left and wandered around the perimeter for about an hour.  Idiots.  Additionally, you can take the train to Omotesando Station, and enjoy some shopping as you walk down the street.  Omotesando-dori (street) dead-ends into Meiji-jingu.


Meiji-jingu is a very popular shrine for New Year's, so consider a visit then (beware of crowds).  It is also one of the most popular wedding sites in Japan!  Each time I've seen a wedding, it's been on a less-crowded weekday. Of course, there are probably weekend weddings, there, too.  


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!