Shopping Malls Are Air-Conditioned, Too! (Tama Plaza)

Even though summer feels like it should be almost over, the heat is still going strong.  With Mr. TF deployed, pretty much my only weekend goal is to stay cool.  Aquariums rank pretty high on my go-to list for Heat and Humidity Avoidance, but shopping malls are up there, too!

Little TF and I checked out a new mall this past weekend.  I have been passing the Tama Plaza train station (Tama Puraza in Japanese) for a couple years now, and never knew it housed a monstrous mall, until one of my English students mentioned having to transfer to her company's Tama Plaza location.  

I am always on the lookout for new malls!  It's so fun to window (and for real!) shop in Japan, but the bonus for mommies of young kids are all the indoor play places.  Many Japanese children live in apartments, or houses without yards, and so when it gets too hot or rainy to play at the public parks, these indoor play places end up being real life savers.  I've got several on rotation for Little TF, especially during deployment weekends!  

There was actually a free, little play area in one of the mall's many levels.  Little TF appreciated its convenient location across from the Hello Kitty store.

There was a super-kawaii kitchen store, with all kinds of nifty stuff...

An organic store, with body products, snacks, and a small produce section, ...

Organic jelly?  Yum!

A giant, misting machine in the outdoor area...

A fantastic play place (Success!)...

It has a toy store, too!

The yummy, international food chain, Kaldi Coffee...

A wine shop...

A tea bar...

And more stores, stuffed with random cuteness, than we could shake a stick at!

The third floor of Tama Plaza's mall is where many of the restaurants are located.  Little TF and I split a basil and tomato pizza.  She proudly informed me that we were on a date.  I love her.

This restaurant had an English menu!  Bonus!

Most of this huge mall was indoors, but there was also an outdoor section that I am sure will be really nice whenever fall rolls around.  I plan to go back, order a tea at one of the outdoor cafes, and watch Little TF get her wiggles out.

In addition to all the new, Japanese stores, more familiar chain stores such as Gap and Gap Kids, Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Muji, McDonald's, Franc Franc, North Face, and Crocs were all on location!

Tama Plaza Terrace, (Not to be confused with this Terrace Mall in Fujisawa), is built right on top of the train station.  Getting there via train couldn't be easier!  There is also public parking, but driving is not recommended on busy weekends.   The restaurant area, Terrace Dining, is on the mall's 3rd floor.  There is sushi, Italian, a green tea cafe, Korean, fondue, Chinese, ramen, etc. So many choices!

Access:  Tama Puraza Station, via the Denentoshi Line.  Express trains stop here.

For more information, including maps, visit the mall's Google-translated website, here.

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!

Food And Travels: Asia

One of my favorite parts about living in Japan is the easy access to so many other countries.  China, Taiwan, South Korea, and all of Southeast Asia are only a short flight away.  One of my favorite parts about visiting other countries?  Eating my way into as many blissful food comas as possible!  

Moving to Japan was my first exposure to any Asian culture.  I did take an Asian Art History Class in college, but it hasn't exactly helped with food recognition.  So, I have been hunting for really good cookbooks.  Know how to make something is not enough. I want to know why.  Food Of Japan was my first cookbook find- an amazing explanation of Japanese food. Now I know where tofu comes from and what you do with all those little, dried fishes! 

Food and Travesl: Asia is my new, favorite cookbook.  Part cooking, part photography, and part travelogue, this book is much too beautiful to hide on my cookbook shelf  Food and Travels: Asia instead has pride of place on my coffee table!  The title is a bit of a misnomer...don't expect to find any Japanese, Korean, or Chinese recipes. But do enjoy detailed, exquisite recipes and lush photography from India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Laos, and Bali.  

Recreating those tasty dishes that you enjoyed on a vacation or during a port call just became a lot easier!  This book even recommends substitutions for tricky-to-find ingredients.  That's not to say all the recipes are difficult.  Many of them require just a bit of familiarity with your local, Japanese grocery store, or the Commissary's Asian food aisle. Allow me to recommend the Coconut Fish Curry on page 102.  It's one of our favorites.


Food and Travels: Asia, by Alistair Hendy, sells new on Amazon for $75.  I would definitely recommend purchasing a copy from the "used" section, instead.  Used copies start at a very reasonable $1.62.  Since this book ships from the UK, keep in mind that the default shipping will be a very slooooow Standard shipping.  Do not order this book now if you are about to move back to the States!

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!

Our neighborhood kicked off its festival with an Awa Odori dance procession.  These two little girls were proud to lead the way!

Your Handbag Needs This NOW!

The Mystery of the Missing Soap In Japanese Public Restrooms has been officially solved! Well, not solved as in, "Why the heck isn't there any soap in public restrooms," but solved as in, "this is what fixes the problem!"

No one can be in a new country for long without using a public bathroom.  This particular, cultural quirk is therefore one of the first experienced by jet-lagged Americans.  While our shocked brains are still trying to process our first encounter with a Japanese toilet- whether a squatty or a heated, singing version- we head to the sinks to wash our hands, only to make a puzzling discovery. There is no soap.  It's not that the soap dispensers haven't been refilled. It's that they never were installed to begin with.  I still scratch my head about this one.  Japan is an incredibly clean country.  In public restrooms, you are almost as likely to find a small flower arrangement as you are to find toilets.  Often, there will even be a cloth towel with which you can wipe down the counter after a vigorous hand-washing. Why no SOAP?

Many of us Americans have solved this problem by carrying a small bottle of hand sanitizer in our hand bags.  I don't like hand sani, mainly because it leaves my hands feeling more medicated than clean.  Plus, I have always had this lurking feeling that every Japanese woman has not resigned herself to a mere water hand rinse. It's Japan.  There is a brilliant solution to every problem.  

So I couldn't help squealing out loud when Little TF and I were browsing a ridiculously cute home-goods store at the mall and my eye caught sight of this.

Of course.

Water dissolves these perfectly purse-sized sheets on contact. Good-bye, gross hand sanitizer!  Hello, clean, apple-smelling hands!

I love how my friend and fellow military wife, Peyton, puts it as she explores Guam.  "Finding out what the locals already know."  I think that sums up living in Japan, as well!

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!

I Need Coffee!

Hubby left this past weekend.  

The time he spent at home was beautiful.  Exhausted Mommy and Whiny Child vanished.  The Grill Master and Silly Tickle Monster was back  home! All was right in the Tofu Fox world for three beautiful weeks.  It's kind of incredible how much light leaves our home when he does.  

One of my biggest Deployment Hates is that I have to spend the next few months waking up with Little TF around 6 am, every single morning.  When we had our first deployment, two and a half years ago, I worried a lot.  I worried about how much I would miss my husband, all the baby milestones he would miss, what I would do if the car died.  But all of those worries were dealt with, or somehow never became a big deal.  But when Little TF's door slides open at 5 am, like it did this morning? Morning Mommy Duty is what drains me. I find myself greeting each morning with grouchiness instead of joy.  Someday, I will long for the pitter-patter of those little feet.  But right now?  It's tough to appreciate what I have when my body would love to sleep for another solid two hours.

I don't want Little TF's early memories to be of the Morning Mommy Grouch Monster!  In an effort to brighten up my morning attitude, I started collecting super-cute, Japanese mugs!  I have to start my day off with coffee, and I might as well add a healthy dose of cuteness, right?  Mr. TF's obnoxious mugs have their place...with him.  Instead of grabbing a Navy mug (Dang it, Navy, it's your fault I'm up at 5am!), I now enjoy sipping coffee out of a cherry blossom or bunny-patterned mug.  A little bit of beauty, while Little TF whines for Cheerios, a glass of milk, and her new pop-up Japanese toothbrush, makes my morning fog just a little more bearable.  

Mug from a small ceramics shop in Kamakura, plate from a 100 Yen Store.

Yesterday morning, I enjoyed my coffee out of a beautiful, hydrangea mug.  Every time I drink coffee from it, I am reminded of this past June's beautiful visit to the hydrangea temple.  Happy memories are always morning-brightening!

I also enjoyed a special treat with my coffee.  A friend, recently returned from a trip to Kyoto, brought me a box of yatsuhashi.  This treat is not as beautiful as other Japanese confections, but WOW is it delicious.  Yatsuhashi is one of Kyoto's most famous, regional treats.  The most popular version of this glutinous rice pocket has a sweet, cinnamon-y filling.  It was the perfect addition to my coffee.  How could I not have a good deployment attitude with a coffee mug this cute, and a delicious reminder that a friend was thinking of me?


Collecting a few, cute mugs is a great deployment survival strategy.  Not only are they fun to drink coffee out of, but they're cheap!  Taking care of yourself and buying a cute mug here and there may even help to fend off those deployment-fueled, late night internet shopping binges.  Not that any military spouses know what I'm talking about, right?

Yummy Summer Wagashi

It's hot.  Yesterday, the sun beat down from a nearly cloudless sky and the humidity was at 63 %.   Weather.com told me that Tokyo was at 32 Celsius, but that it felt like 44.  44...what?  Degrees Celsius?  Because when you convert that to Fahrenheit, that means that in Tokyo, yesterday, it felt like a whopping 111 degrees Fahrenheit!  

I took a geology class in college, once (I had to), and I remember learning that Tokyo has so many people, and so much concrete, that the mega city creates its own, mini weather system.  Sick, right? And I believe it. All this concrete radiates heat. That's why I'm hiding in my house, typing out a blog post!  

Summers in Japan have always been hot, though, due to most of the country being located in the subtropical climate zone.  In keeping with traditional Japan's keen sense of the slightest, seasonal shifts, my local dessert shop unfurled a new banner.  Ta da! It's time for the summery summer wagashi!

Many of these juicy-looking wagashi are gelatinous in nature, and for good reason.  A soft, cool texture is perfect on a sweltering day!  My previous post had a photo of wagashi from Kyoto, the texture of which was meant to evoke an icy, mountain stream.  Water is a major, summertime theme in Japan.  During these miserable months, Japanese may cool themselves with koi-and-water-patterned folding fans, hang a tinkling, koi bell from the eaves of their home, or serve tea on a tray decorated with delicate, golden water ripples.  Anything to make the viewer think cool.

I could hardly contain my delight when I entered my local wagashi shop, hoping to purchase some of the wagashi on the outside poster, and spotted these.

A dessert with a bubble-filled pond and a swimming gold fish?  Squeal!!!  Ok, so the bottom layer was made of gelatinous beans and Little TF could only be persuaded to take one bite.  Could a dessert be any cuter? Could it?

Remember, also from yesterday's post, that fresh, green leaves can be used to imbue a sense of coolness?  Woven Things are also part of the Japanese, heat-fighting repertoire!  Women wearing summer-weight kimono or yukata like to carry their necessities in woven, basket-like hand bags.  Homes and businesses shield their windows from the brutal sunshine by using sudare, woven screens made of bamboo.  My summery house slippers have a woven bamboo sole.  Woven Things convey lightness and promote the passage of any possible breeze.  

Look! This wagashi combined both a leaf and a miniature, woven basket!  This treat, while not as adorable as the goldfish wagashi, was a much more delicious selection.  Inside its gelatin skin was a sweet and soft ume, or Japanese plum.  Little TF and I had a fight over this one.  So good!


Want to see more super-cute wagashi?  Take a look at my Pinterest board, Japanese Food!

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!

A Bowl Of Tea And A Fresh, Green Leaf

In tea class, we are practicing Summer Procedure. While the goal of Winter Procedure is to imbue guests with warmth and coziness, the goal of Summer Procedure is to enhance every cool sensation possible- while still enjoying hot tea.

We begin every practice- regardless of season- with the "host" bringing out the small plate or tray of wagashi.  These delicate, seasonally appropriate treats are enjoyed while the host prepares the bowl of tea.  The delicate flavors that linger on the tongue offset and sweeten the slightly bitter taste of tea. 

Our summertime wagashi.

The wagashi in the photo above are special. Our tea instructor brought them back from the beautiful city of Kyoto.  Kyoto houses the headquarters of our particular School of Tea. Combine this prestige with the smugness of cultural superiority always claimed by Kyoto-ites, and these are very special wagashi, indeed!

Called yuzukohaku, the clear and gelatinous texture is meant to invoke an icy mountain stream.  The yellow bits of yuzu- a Asian citrus traditionally associated with winter- call to mind the mountain stream's lazily floating bits of grass.  I close my eyes and take a bite.  Cool and fresh.  It's perfect.

From left to right: Ceramic bowl to hold dirty water, ladle used to scoop water, bamboo stand (inside the dirty water bowl) for the ladle, lacquered container holding the powdered tea, large ceramic jar for cool water.

These are each of the items I will need to practice the tea portion of Tea Ceremony.  Hiding just outside the tea room door, each patiently awaits its entrance.  The large, ceramic vessel holds my cold water.  It is usually topped by a ceramic lid; however, this is an extra special Summer Procedure.  Our instructor brings a large, leaf "lid," instead.  Ahhhh...the room feels cooler, already.

From bottom to top:  The tea bowl (chawan). The small piece of white linen used to clean the bowl.  The whisk, which is essential to preparing a properly frothed bowl of tea.  The scoop, which is used to scoop tea out of its lacquered container.

The tea bowl for summer procedure is special.  An appropriate, seasonal choice is a vessel with gently flaring sides, as opposed to a deeper tea bowl with high sides.  A more shallow bowl means a cooler bowl of tea.  Which, during a sweltering, Japanese summer, is very much appreciated.

After I enter the tea room for the final time, I purify the tea utensils, wash the tea bowl, and discard the now-dirty water.  I remove the leaf from the top of its vessel.  Folding the leaf and floating it on top of the water with which I cleaned the tea bowl, I feel a bit sad.  The leaf's role is now finished. Summery leaf, I wish we could have admired you for a little bit longer.

I am ready to make tea.  The leaf is folded and put away, and my purifying cloth 
rests on the tatami, waiting to be refolded and tucked back into my belt.

I scoop powdered tea into the purified tea bowl.  In a moment, I will carefully pour the hot water and whisk the two together. My instructor and fellow students will sip, savoring the oasis of peace that is given by a bowl of tea.  I pause for a moment to appreciate.

Smooth. Woven. Powder.

Pink fades to white.  Shocking green. 

It is beautiful.

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!

A gnarled tree branch, in the garden of Kamakura's Engaku-ji temple, is propped up by a beautiful wood-and-rope support system.

Much more beautiful than the harsh, metal cables we use in the States, don't you think?

Fashion's Night Out!

To support retailers, designers and combat the general malaise of the recent Great Recession, VOGUE decided that a party would be just the thing.  A big party.  In 2009, VOGUE celebrated its very first Fashion's Night Out with a massive, fashion extravaganza in New York City!  It was declared a resounding success, for retailers and celebrants alike. The thing with parties, of course, is that no one likes to be left out.  Tokyo- being more fabulous in general, but especially when it comes to fashion- decided that Japan needed its own Fashion's Night Out!  

If you've ever wandered past Omotesando-dori's Louis Vuitton facade and thought, "Man, I'd sure like to drink champagne while admiring all those handbags,"  this is the event for you.  All the storefronts- both high and low- get into the spirit!  Champagne, hors d'oeuvres, DJs, leggy models, and miles and miles of couture become accessible to the masses for a few, sparkling hours.  Hordes of people, crammed inside a Tod's or a Chanel, might even mean that Anna Wintour, herself, is in residence.

Since moving here in 2010, I've had a blast attending both the 2010 and the 2011 fetes.  Let's take a short walk down last year's memory lane, shall we?

FNO revelers pause for a rickshaw photo op.

Our first FNO stop was at the traditional Japanese jeweler, Niwaka.  The only Facebook ad on which I've ever clicked was one which popped up a few weeks before last year's FNO..."Interested in Japanese culture?  Come see a FREE performance by authentic, Kyoto Geisha!"  Why yes, Facebook, I was interested! As attending a geisha performance can cost hundreds of dollars, I knew this was probably my only chance.  Good thing I dragged our group there early...it was a full house!

An apprentice geisha, or maiko, gives an interview before the performance.  

What better way to celebrate FNO than by appreciating a performance by the Japanese women who have taken fashion and elevated it to high art?

The two maiko performed an intricate fan dance while the senior geisha (geiko, in this instance, as geisha from Kyoto are called) accompanied the maiko on the koto, a Japanese stringed instrument.

Everything about the performance was perfectly appropriate for the season, from the autumnal backdrop to the maple leaf hair ornaments and kimono.

After watching a breathtaking performance and sighing over the geisha's beauty and elegance, we hit the streets.  All the store windows were decked out in their best, FNO finery. What fun!

Two years ago, all the fun was at Louis Vuitton.  While sipping champagne, we tried on luxurious, leather gloves and admired the fall jackets and shoes.  This past year, the party was at Dior!  The in-house DJ had the music pumping into the streets, while impossibly tall, smug models showed off the fall collections.  Ooh la la!

In light of all this fashion fabulosity, we need to start planning our outfits, now!  Zara and H&M are my favorite, FNO outfit go-to retailers.  Let's be honest, half the fun of Fashion's Night Out in Tokyo is getting ready for it!

FNO has traditionally been held in September; due to Japan's triple disaster last year, the 2011 FNO was pushed back to November.  This year, in 2012, FNO will be held on September 8, from 5pm-11pm in Harajuku.  

Omotesando Hills, a major shopping mall on Omotesando-dori, is the official FNO center.  Head here to purchase the official, 2012 FNO VOGUE t-shirts and totes (sold on the B3 floor)! Proceeds will benefit the Tohoku disaster recovery efforts. 

Access:  Either Meiji-jingu Station or Omotesando Station.

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!

Aquariums Are Air-Conditioned.

It's August on the Kanto Plain, our not-so-favorite time of the Japanese calendar that gives Little TF a permanent heat rash until the beginning of October.  It's too hot to play at our neighborhood park, too hot to take her out to run errands after preschool, and almost too hot to go wading in the nearby nature preserve's little stream.  

There is no need to collect more heat rashes!  We're in Japan!  Whether you're at the beach or in the heart of Tokyo, there's probably an aquarium nearby.  Air conditioning and the country's geographical location combine to make Japan's aquariums not only the best in the world, but also perfect locations to beat the heat! 

 We took a trip to the Prince Hotel's Epson Aqua Stadium, in Shinagawa, Tokyo.  Yes, this world-class aquarium is located in a hotel.  It's on the small side, but impressive nonetheless!

Creepy, worm-like things.  They kept popping up out of the sand and waving around like seaweed.  Little TF thought they were horrifying.

One of Epson Aqua Stadium's main attractions is the Submarine Tunnel.  We stood in amazement as fish wiggled over our heads.  The aquarium also claims to own the world's only captive, dwarf sawtooth shark, which draped itself on top of the Tunnel's curve.  Little TF got a good laugh out of that one.

The Stadium's space restrictions mean fewer tanks of sea creatures. But you (and any kids) won't be disappointed. Interactive programs and animal shows make the Epson Aqua Stadium a must-see attraction!  Dolphins and sea lions have their own performance arenas!

The sea lion show was full by the time we got to it, so we quickly hurried to the dolphin pool to claim our seats.  We stocked up on ice cream and melon soda and watched the trainers prep the dolphins for their show.

When we arrived at the dolphin pool, we saw kids lining up to actually pet them.  Unfortunately, dolphin-petting tickets were already sold out.  Sad.

Movable targets hang from the ceiling, waiting to play games with the dolphins!

The dolphin show was pretty amazing.  We usually go to Enoshima's aquarium to see their dolphin show, and Epson Aqua Stadium's show was much better.  Once Little TF saw the trainers riding the dolphins, she declared, "I want to be a dolphin trainer when I grow up!" Line up behind every other little girl in the world, kid.

If you make it to the dolphin show, pay attention to the color of your seat!  Light blue seats indicate that you will get splashed.  There is a whale with a trick specifically meant to soak the participants.  Still want to get an up close and personal seat? Don't worry!  The Stadium sells ponchos!

This girl is ready to get soaked!

Done with the aquarium?  The Prince Hotel also offers "Attractions Square!"  Head over to ride the dolphin carousel and pirate ship, or sit back and enjoy the Visual Ride Theater (height restrictions and extra charges apply).


Epson Aqua Stadium Admission Fees:
Adults: 1800 yen
Children 7-15: 1000 yen
Children 4-6: 600 yen

Access:  Take the JR Tokaido Line to Shinagawa Station.  The aquarium is located inside the Prince Hotel.   4-10-30 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Interactive activities include dolphin and sea lion feeding, touching, and experiencing life as a dolphin trainer.  Unfortunately, the website has a notice that says these activities are for Japanese speakers, only.  Bring a Japanese speaker, or try to do it, anyways.  Individually priced tickets for these activities are available at the second floor information desk.  

Visit the Prince Hotel's Epson Aqua Stadium website for more information.  

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!