New Year's Eve Soba and Nabe

Like many holidays I grew up celebrating, New Years is all about the food!  My husband and I have celebrated this holiday in a "Japanese fashion" for most of our marriage.  It really is the only holiday he really looks forward to all year long.

We always eat soba at some point on New Year's Eve.  This year, we ate it for lunch.  The eating of soba represents letting go of the hardships from the past year and welcoming the journey ahead of the new year.  Soba noodles also symbolize longevity, which is a great thing when starting a new "chapter!"  A park mom friend told me where we could get really good soba.  So, my husband and son went and picked up some freshly made soba this morning.  He used the strong broth they sent with the noodles to make it more mild.  He created a lovely dish featuring a tempura nest and the noodles nestled in a warm bowl full of broth and topped with green onions.  I'm sorry to report that I forgot to take a photo, but it was delicious! 

Photo curtesy of: udon.es

For dinner, we always eat nabe on New Year's Eve.  Each year we switch up the feature ingredient, but the style of cooking is what is the tradition.  Nabe is a soup cooked in the middle of the table.  We have a single burner induction range for our table that we use with an enameled cast iron shallow pot. We start by simmering broth in the pot while we bring plates of soup ingredients to the table.  This year we featured monkfish, oysters, and mushrooms.  There were several other ingredients as well, including daikon, scallops, cabbage, mizuna, and cod. 

We added about 1/3 of the ingredients to the stock and let it simmer while we put homemade ponzu (a citrus soy sauce) in our bowls.  Once the soup was fully cooked, we pulled various items out and into our bowls.  We dug in as quickly as we could, only the heat of the fish could hold us back!  We then put another 1/3 of the ingredients in and repeated the cooking and eating process.  After the final round, we had a beautiful strong broth with lots of little bits of the various ingredients.  To that, we added 2 heaping bowls of cooked rice and let it simmer for a bit to absorb the broth.  Finally, we added two whisked eggs to finish off the risotto. 

The meal is very, very filling.  But it is also so much fun as it takes time and everyone sits and chats while enjoying the delicious fish and vegetables and risotto. 

For us, it doesn't feel like New Year's Eve without these dishes!  We alter them a bit from year to year - changing the type of nabe or how we serve the soba - but the tradition makes the holiday for us.

As a bonus, we received a package from some dear friends today that made us all so very happy and feel so loved.  One of the items from the package was a box of Fran's chocolates.  We dipped into them before our son's bedtime as a special treat.  We used to live really close to the factory of this talented chocolatier and have several fond memories of visiting the factory together.  We're sad not to be spending this night with our beloved friends that we have rung in the new year with so many times.  We missed them (and other friends that also regularly join us) as we ate our soba and nabe, but the package helped us know that we are together in spirit.  It also led to an hour long FaceTime chat, which is always so fun.

Preparing for New Years

New Years is hands down the biggest holiday in Japan.  Just like every other family here, we have been busy preparing. 

I'm cleaning the house.  This isn't just a regular cleaning.  All the corners need to be cleaned.  We are talking "mother-in-law is coming over for the first time" kind of cleaning.  It has to be done to perfection.  Even though we've only been here two and a half months, it's amazing how much needs attention. 

We went shopping for special celebratory foods and waited patiently for our osechi set to be delivered to our house (the traditional New Years Day meal).  It was delivered fully frozen and now needs to thaw before we eat it on the first of January.  I will write all about the food when we eat our fill. 

Much to my husband's chagrin, we purchased special New Years sake that has gold leaf in it.  When we visited Japan for the only New Years that we've spent in Japan together, his parents bought this special sake.  He was adamant that it was not part of their tradition.  However, it reminds me of a very happy memory with his family, so the gold leaf sake will be part of our celebration.

We also bought decorations and proudly put them on display.  We now have a braided wreath on our door that is intended to keep misfortune and unclean spirits away, called shimenawa.  There are lots of different styles at the store - some more like a swag and others like a wreath, but all made with a rope.  No matter the style, they are meant to attract the  New Year's God to bring good fortune.

Inside our home, we have put up a kagami mochi.  It used to be made with fresh mochi (pounded rice formed into large stacked disks), but is common to have plastic versions these days.  According to the Japan Kagami Mochi Association, kagami mochi is thought to contain the spirit of the rice.  They say a deity visits during the New Year’s period, bringing a good harvest and the blessing of ancestors, and the power of life.

There is much to be done in preparation.  Today my son asked if we were going to have a big party and invite everyone we know.  I had to disappoint him with the news that we would be celebrating with just the three of us.  He doesn't realize it yet, but it will still be super fun with just our family.

Tobu Zoo and LIGHTS!

Today was my husband's first day off for a winter vacation.  The whole office closes for a week surrounding the New Year holiday - which is the biggest holiday of the year here.  We decided a family fun day was in order.  My son loves to visit zoos, so we decided to go to Tobu Zoo.  Tobu Zoo is a zoo and amusement park all wrapped up into one.  It just so happens that they also currently have a huge lights display, often called "illuminations" in Japanese.

We got out of the house at the decent hour of 9am.  We needed the early start because it took us an hour an a half to get to the zoo.  After one bus ride and three train rides, we arrived at the zoo.  The zoo property is long and narrow with the amusement park rides covering one half and the zoo the other half. 

A little disclaimer here: I personally am a fan of zoos.  I think they can and do a lot of good as far as research and education.  They are a place for people to see animals that they wouldn't normally be able to see.  I am comforted by the fact that most animals in zoos these days were born in captivity.  However, I hesitate to visit zoos in Japan, because they seem stuck in the 80's as far as animal enclosures and the boredom of the animals.  I struggle between visiting these zoos to give them money to update their facilities and not visiting these zoos because I wonder if they really do have the best interest of the animals at heart.  I prefer to believe the former, and therefore sometimes subject myself to visiting, even though I know I have such profound mixed emotions about it.

We walked determinedly toward the zoo section of Tobu Zoo, only stopping for a quick roller coaster ride for my son and husband since the line was super short.  We were immediately greeted by a rhino, giraffes, zebra, ostrich, and a few other African animals (mostly separated from one another).  I was immediately struck with how close we were to them and how low the fences between us and them are.  I felt like the giraffe could have craned its neck and licked me if it wanted to!

The last 10-20 years, zoos in the US have put more and more protective barriers between the humans and the animals.  Distance and fences are usually the first line of barriers to be updated.  Tobu Zoo doesn't have those in place. 

This was the zookeeper's hand during his zookeeper talk.

No zoom.  I have now been WAY too close to a hippo!

My son fed the elephants fruit and veggies.

From there, we visited the zoo's superstar - the white tiger.  Wow, she was beautiful.  She was wandering around in her enclosure and repeatedly walked right up to us, which was both thrilling and terrifying, despite the glass in between us.  White Tigers are very special to Chinese and Japanese mythology, representing the west of Chinese constellations.  There was even a little shrine built out of the box used to originally bring the tiger to the zoo! 

Next to the white tiger lives the lions.  Next to the lion enclosure is a set of stairs going down that takes you into a popup area in the center of the lion enclosure!  Once again - terrifying and thrilling all at the same time!  The lions were pretty active while we were there, which was quite entertaining and thrilled my family to no end. 

These are actually two enclosures.  But I couldn't resist this awesome photo!

The other highlight of the zoo for me was visiting the firefly house.  This attraction cost extra money, but since I've never seen a firefly in real life, I was more than willing to pay to see these amazing bugs that I've always been curious about.  After paying ¥400 per person, we were taken into a room that was very dark to let our eyes adjust for several minutes.  There was a recording telling us information, but I have no idea what she was saying, so we seemed to be in there longer than it probably was.  (I was later told that the recording was explaining they breed the fireflies for the exhibit so they aren't taking any out of the wild.)  After we had fully adjusted, we were taken to a theatre where we sat in comfy chairs.  The room went totally dark and a curtain was lifted to reveal tiny little lights buzzing back and forth.  I swear there were mirrors in there to make it seem like there were more fireflies, but I have no idea if that is true or not.  I sat there entranced until the curtain went down and it was time to go.  On our way out were able to see a few of the bugs that were dead.  They were tiny!!!  I always thought they were the size of my pinky nail.  I had no idea some of the types of fireflies were 1/6 that size!

My husband pointed out their typo and the guy replied "Yeah.  I know." 

I'm guessing he hears that a lot.

After the animals, my son got to enjoy several amusement park rides.  I am a bit surprised, but he's a bit of an adrenaline junkie.  He loves coasters.  The faster, the better for him!  He's still limited to the kiddie rides, thank goodness!  I don't think I can handle him going on more intense rides.

Just as he was wrapping up his ride time with a spin around the carousel, I suggested we ride the "airlift."  They sky tram was really neat, decorated with steampunk looking fish, orcas, and octopus above the car that hauled us across the park.  The moment we were leaving the station, all the holiday lights in the park suddenly lit up.  It was a magical moment!  We couldn't have timed it better. 

While most holiday lights in the US disappear sometime between Christmas and New Years, many big illumination displays stick around until the end of February!  I even saw an ad for one place that keeps them up until mid-March.  Since they aren't typically Christmas themed, I understand the reason for keeping them around for a while.  They really draw in the crowds.

The lights at Tobu Zoo were incredible. They just went on and on.  I felt a sudden rush of joy that was simply electric.  We wandered around absorbing all the sights.  It was unlike anything I've ever seen. 

We didn't get home until after 9 pm.  Exhausted, but happy, we will remember this day for some time to come.

Money, money, money!

I wonder at what point I will stop converting yen into dollars.  I am comfortable in using yen.  I memorized the different currencies the last time I lived here.  But I still stop and think "Wow, this is $100" instead of "This is ¥10,000."  (For really easy conversion, I simply put a decimal in the yen to make the dollar equivalent.)  After being here for 4 months (today!!!), I expected to stop the conversion by now. 

Photo curtesy of: cnbc.com

The thing is, things just cost different in Japan.  Items that are super common or popular in the US (and therefore not very expensive), but are a rarity in Japan, are more expensive here than in the US.  For example, we could order a pizza from Domino's for $5.00 in the US.  Sure it was a special, but I saw the commercials all the time.  Pizzas from Domino's here are around ¥3,000 (or $26.50).  That's for one medium pie!

This isn't a revolution, just something I've noticed again and again.  I'm constantly thinking to myself "Is this really worth $30?"

The other I've noticed recently is that I'm having a hard time converting to a coin-based culture.  In Japan, there are ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥50, ¥100, and ¥500 coins.  The largest coin being worth approximately $4.50.  There are only 3 bills: ¥1,000, ¥5,000, and ¥10,000.  In the  US, I try to always use up my change.  I'm always doing math to get fewer coins back when making cash purchases.

For example, I purchase items for ¥619.  I pay ¥1120 instead of ¥1000.  ¥1120 - ¥619 = ¥501 which is 2 coins back (¥500x1 and ¥1x1).  If  I were to pay the lesser amount, I'd end up with a lot more coins.  ¥1000 - ¥619 = ¥381 is 8 coins (¥100x3, ¥50x1, ¥10x3, and ¥1x1). 

But when doing that here, I'm constantly left with bills to pay for a ¥100 purchase because I've used all my change!  If I am at a store, it is no big deal.  However, when I am paying a person for something and they have to make change, I feel bad.

Photo curtesy of: dreamstime.com

It's really no big deal.  However, it is just a change in thinking that I expect to happen, but has yet to do so.

Fondue in the park

Cheese isn't usually a big thing in Japan.  Pizza isn't a weekly occurrence.  Macaroni and cheese really isn't a thing.  Even sandwiches usually come without it.  It is really sad for me because I love cheese. 

Today, we made fondue in the park.  It is surprisingly popular here - not the park part, just the fondue.  I had never heard of it here, but suddenly it kept popping up as mentions in TV shows and in conversation.  It turns out that it is really popular because cooking at the table is so popular here.  Cooking communally is part of the culture.  So, when someone suggested having fondue in the park, I was so excited.  Have I mentioned I love cheese?

Each person brought something to dip into the molten goodness.  I brought apples.  Someone else brought baguettes.  There was also blanched broccoli, roasted potatoes, little sausages, deep fried fish, mushrooms, peppers, and more.  The one "interesting" thing to dip was pineapple, which was surprisingly good.  One of the moms went to a wholesale store to buy lots and lots of cheese, as well as all the other ingredients required for fondue. 

Once again we utilized the single burner stoves.  After feeding the kids ramen, we got busy making fondue.  It was super simple to make.  I say this, not being the one who actually made it.  But it looked simple enough.  In just a couple of minutes, we were happily dipping to our heart's content. 

It was so delicious and an unexpected easy picnic food!

To compliment the fondue, the moms also built a smoker and smoked various foods.  I was very curious as I watched them build the smoker.  They cut a box into sections, making room for some grates to put the food onto.  In the bottom of the box, they lite some smoking blocks.  Once everything was tucked inside, they taped it up tight to try to keep as much smoke inside as possible.

After over an hour in the smoker, we began to remove food - cheese, oysters, fish, fishcake, apples, and even eggs!  Another huge success!

Both menu items were complete surprises to be eating in Japan.  It was so much fun to be a part of.  I love experiencing new things - even the unexpected or non-traditional.

Park adventures

We spend pretty much every day in the park.  It is so enjoyable for us.  Despite it being cold and sometimes very windy, the sun shines on us and when we're bundled up we are just fine.

Today we met in a different area of the park, so we could utilize the picnic tables to make lunch for everyone.  Typically we purchase half price sandwiches from a bakery on Mondays.  Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we bring bento.  And on Thursdays and Fridays, we eat soup or other food cooked on the fire at Piyo Piyo (the outdoor playgroup).  This week, Piyo Piyo isn't meeting because it is winter break from schools.  However, we still wanted to cook meals together.  It is so much easier to cook in the park, as well as much less expensive!  For example, we made an amazing clam chowder last week that cost the price of one vegetable contribution (I brought a mix of onion and corn that I already had at home) and ¥215 ($1.90) per family!  It was so delicious.

Today's menu was curry udon.  Everyone brought their own udon noodles and a vegetable for the curry.  People brought cabbage, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and corn.  Someone bought the rest of the ingredients at the store.  Three people brought single burner stoves that use little cans of propane to heat up the soup base.  We had one of these in the US, but we never used it at the park.  It was specifically for special Japanese recipes that we would cook in the middle of the table.  Lunch was delicious.  My son asked for seconds.  Luckily another mom had brought extra noodles to oblige him.  (Sorry, no photos.) 

While we cooked and chatted, the kids played.  There were loads of leaves on the ground and they were endlessly entertaining.  They climbed trees and chased each other around quite a bit as well.  One of the moms brought some sand toys that the kids used to dig in the dirt with.  There were also some construction trucks working on a project across the way that the kids enjoyed watching.

We also built a small a fire in a little fireplace stand that we later used to roast marshmallows.  I enjoyed watching the kids run around to find the perfect marshmallow roasting sticks.  We laughed hysterically when one little girl brought a huge stick over an inch thick.  She's 2.5 and didn't understand why it wouldn't work.  At one point a mom brought her marshmallow back to the table and put in between two butter crackers (similar to a Ritz).  I raised my eyebrows and she smiled, saying "S'more!"  I said "Where is the chocolate?" and she just laughed.  At first I thought maybe this was just her thing until a second mom did it as well, and everyone shouted "S'more!"  I think they missed the graham cracker memo.  That is often the case when running into something seemingly so American - copied, but tweaked.  It's like the recipe was written down wrong and then distributed.

It was a wonderful 7 hours of fun and exploring a different part of the park.