Negative Nelly

My husband, son, and I met some friends from the US for dinner.  They were stopping in Tokyo for just 3 days on a tour of Japan with another couple.  My husband researched and found a (mostly) gluten-free restaurant in Roppongi, a hipster salad bar named .Raw (dot raw), for us to have dinner together.

It is a small restaurant featuring a salad bar, hot food bar, soup, and deli items.  I'm always looking for more vegetables to put on my plate and this place filled a void I have been missing.  Salads are not typically meals in Japan.  But this restaurant featured them in all their glory by offering over 6 types of lettuce/greens and an array of toppings.  I loved the sprouted beans and quinoa for protein, as well as all the fresh made salad dressings.  The hot food bar had a pasta salad (not gluten free), ratatouille, a medley of sautéed mushrooms, and a couple other options. 

While we sat enjoying our amazing salads and tons of fresh vegetables, someone asked me how life was in Tokyo.  I found myself being very frank about how difficult life is in Tokyo.  It is incredibly crowded and overwhelming.  I get tired and grumpy of having so many hurdles.  I miss my chickens and garden and house and neighbors.  I miss my favorite grocery stores and parks and understanding labels.  For some reason I felt comfortable enough to let my guard down and tell it like it is.

At some point, I apologized for being a Negative Nelly.  They all shook their heads and said they understood.  I don't think I droned on too long about the near panic attacks on the train or the constant inquiries "where are you from?"  They all understood that living somewhere and visiting somewhere are two totally different things.  My complaints were not going to dampen their spirits.

As we traveled back on the (packed) train, I asked myself if I'm unhappy here.  The answer that came to me is no.  I am happy here.  It is just challenging and I need a break.  It takes a lot of strength and tenacity (and a touch of insanity) living in a foreign country and keeping that up all the time is exhausting.  I'm hitting the point of needing a break from it all.

Converting recipes

When I moved to Japan, I did not bring my vast collection of cookbooks.  I enjoy cooking and do it quite often.  Even though I knew I would do a fair amount of cooking here, there are a lot of hurdles to overcome in the kitchen.  After 18 months, I am still adjusting and changing how I cook to accomidate a Japanese kitchen.

One of the major reasons I did not bring a lot of my cookbooks is because the ingredients are different in Japan.  There are so many things that I cannot run out to the store and buy like whole wheat flour or white vinegar.  I either have to find them at an import store, order them online, or wait for someone to visit me from the US.  Sometimes my husband swears that the ingredient I am looking for is available in Japan, but it is so different that I don’t consider them the same thing.  For example, peanut butter is typically called peanut cream in Japan because it is a product featuring more sugar than peanuts.  In my opinion, there should only be one ingredient in peanut butter - nothing but nuts.

There is also the methodology of cooking.  I do not have access to all the accessories I am accustomed to using and my American cookbooks require.  I am super lucky to have one at all, but my oven is the size of a microwave.   However, I don’t have my mixer, blender, or many other appliances.  Changing how I go about cooking has taken some getting used to, but it is manageable.   I rarely roast vegetables anymore, but we eat a lot more one pot meals.

One of the biggest adjustments for me has been with baking.  I have no problem with converting recipes from Fahrenheit to Celsius and looking up the weight in grams of various ingredients.  However, my big pain point is adjusting recipes for the difference in ingredient packaged amounts.  Two sticks of butter in the US is 226.8 grams, but you buy it in 200 gram packages in Japan.  So, I either have to adjust the entire recipe or buy two packages of butter instead of one.

The cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons are also different sizes.  The difference in a tablespoon may seem small - 1 US tablespoon equals .99 metric tablespoon - but the differences add up.  So, I need to make sure to be consistent with using either American measuring cups or Japanese ones.  I have also made a huge list of the weight of various ingredients, which overall is much easier for me to follow now that I have it written out and posted inside my cupboard door.

While I am not a professional cook by any stretch of the imagination, it is a small hurdle I live with daily.  Luckily it doesn’t stop me from making dinner or yummy treats like banana bread with chocolate chips.

Some things will always be made in my kitchen, no matter the extra work needed.  Nothing beats homemade goodness!

Stuffed beyond full

After 3 days at Tokyo Disneyland, I am exhausted beyond words.  We walked an average of 25,000 steps per day.  It’s what you do at Disney.  Another thing people do is eat.  And we did a lot of that as well.  Japan is known for it’s cute food and Disney does not disappoint in this department.  Here is a sampling of just some of the cute food currently available at Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea, as well as the Ambassador Hotel.

Tokyo Disneyland:

DisneySea:

Ambassador Hotel’s Tick Tock Cafe:

Dining with Mickey

When my husband and I first traveled to Walt Disney World on our honeymoon, he made several reservations for character dining.  I thought character dining was for kids and rolled my eyes at his efforts.  Our very first meal at WDW was in the Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and friends.  While we sat eating, Eeyore walked up to our table and "asked" for a hug.  I obliged and found myself transforming into a child that didn't want to let go.  He was so soft and I felt so small in his arms.  From that moment on, I was hooked.

When it was time to figure out dining for Tokyo Disneyland, I was excited to experience character dining with our son.  On our last trip (in November), my husband reserved meals for us at The Diamond Horseshoe for a show with Woody and Jessie from Toy Story and with Chef Mickey at the Ambassador Hotel.  So when it was time to schedule dining for this trip, I thought he would pick something different.  However, there are very, very few options for character dining in Tokyo.  Since we didn't really want to see the Diamond Horseshoe show again, we voted to have breakfast with Mickey and friends.

The restaurant, Chef Mickey, is buffet style with both western and Japanese foods.  Of course there are several Mickey items on the menu, including Mickey shaped waffles.

Our son loves when Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy comes to our table.  He gives them hugs, asks for their autograph, and takes a couple photos.  Then he talks for the rest of the day about how they joined him for breakfast.  It really is magical for him.

This time we brought a Mickey Mouse popcorn bucket for the characters to sign.  It is pretty impressive to see these big gloved hands penning beautiful signatures, but they do it every time.

Although character dining is much more expensive than regular restaurants, it pays off in time spent in line since you don’t wait for an hour plus to meet just one character.  I don’t think the line to meet Mickey in Toontown today ever got below 90 minutes and it was a Monday!

I wish Tokyo Disneyland had more character dining opportunities because we aren’t heading to WDW anytime soon and he really is the perfect age for this kind of interaction.  Of course, I’ve proven that you never really are too old for it.

Disney style

Each time we visit Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea, I cannot get over the fashion.  People dress up in Tokyo in general (much more than Seattle anyway), and they can get pretty creative in what they wear.  Entering the world of Disney is just another version of the interesting Japanese fashion sense.

The first thing I notice is all the hats.  There is a whole line of character hats that are the heads of the character.  But the fun doesn't end there.  The character's body is dangling from the back of the hat.  It looks like their head blew up and then grew a human under it.  These hats make me laugh every time.  There are also several headbands that make me chuckle.  What do all these people do with these hats when they get home?  Do they ever wear them again?  I don’t think I have seen a single one outside the wonderful world of Disney.

There is also the choice of footwear.  I cannot comprehend wearing heels to a theme park where you walk miles and miles.  But, there they are.  Women in heels that make my head spin.  I guess there are people who always wear them.  Tokyo is a pedestrian city, and I always see women hoofing it in heels that would break my ankles in a New York minute.  If I wear non-sneakers it is usually Danskos or the like.  However, at Disney, I always wear sneakers.  Comfort over fashion all the way!

Another popular fashion choice is twinning - when two (or more) people dress alike.  I've seen this at Disneyland in California and at Disney World in Florida, but nothing to this extent.  Couples dress exactly the same, down to their footwear.  Families don matching shirts and pants.  Groups of schoolmates color coordinating their outfits.  It is so entertaining to spot these "twinsies" that I make a game out of it.  Of course, no one else in my family is as fascinated with this as I am, but that is okay.

Part of the Disney magic is the fun that people create with their outfits.  Even if it seems outlandish to me, they are enjoying themselves, so who’s to stop them.  It’s all about imagination after all.

Put it out

I have been seeing small red lockers all over town since we moved here.  I've never really paid much attention to them, but I see them.  I only seem to pay heed to them when I'm not with my husband. 

One day, curiosity got the better of me and I took a picture of one of these mysterious boxes. 

After I got home, I asked my husband what it was.  "Oh, that's a fire extinguisher." he explained.  They are for people to use while waiting for the fire engine to arrive.

I understand having fire extinguishers in buildings, but on street corners was a little different.

I guess I feel a little better knowing we have a fire extinguisher down the block if we need one.  It seems like by the time you run and grab it and get back it would be too late, but it's better than nothing. 

The eagle has landed

We don't get guests very often.  I don't take it personally.  It is really expensive to come to Tokyo.  So, when we do have guests, it is a really big deal for us. 

My stepmom arrived for a visit today.  I got my son out of school early and we headed to Narita Airport to pick her up.  The hour and 45 minute journey was a bit painful with my son asking every few minutes "how much longer?"  But we made it.

When she walked out of customs, we jumped for joy.  It has been 4 months since we went to the US and saw any of our loved ones in the flesh.  Distance is so hard!

After the long flight, she was tired.  But we made the journey back home together, including one very tight train where she was relieved to get freed from the sardine treatment after being squished beyond belief for 6 stops.

We met my husband for a quick dinner of yakitori (skewered, grilled chicken) and headed home where we helped her to get settled and we all collapsed from exhaustion. 

Tomorrow the adventure will begin.  But first we need a good night's rest!

Old vegetables

I have come to the conclusion that Japan is a pickle mecca.  Although it is vacant of my beloved dill pickles, there is a wealth of fermented goodness.  Many pickles are made from soaking food in vinegar or softening them with salt.  Nukazuke (noo-ka-zoo-kay) is a Japanese pickle made from fermenting vegetables in rice bran.  While I am not the biggest nukazuke fan, I was curious how it is made.

My husband saw an advertisement for a free class to learn how make nukazuke sponsored by the city of Nerima.  He quickly signed me up, which was good since none of my friends were able to get into the class. 

I showed up to the open class room at the back of the Nerima store Coconeri.  There were rows of tables set up for the attendees.  We sat down and heard a lecture about the health benefits of nukazuke and how the rice bran produces pickles.  They gave us some samples to try of various vegetables to show the versatility of the methodology.

We were then instructed to open a kit that was placed in front of each seat.  The process is quite simple.  Just massage the rice germ and press it into a clean container.

Then take the vegetables you want made into the nukazuke and push it into the mixture, making sure  to cover it completely.  We were then instructed to remove the vegetables daily and mix up the rice bran. 

Although the class was an hour and a half, it went by very fast.  Soon I was walking out the door with my cucumbers nestled inside rice germ, inside a plastic container, inside a bag.

A couple of my friends have inquired about what I learned in the class.  Stores sell these kits all over the place because it is a really popular pickle.  While I have refrained from sharing my words of wisdom, I have offered to share the handouts.  I don't feel like I have any important tips for them since the mixture is now sitting underneath my sick with mold growing on it.  Mission failed.  Better luck next time... after I buy more rice bran.

Momma makes lunch

Part of my daily duties is to make bento for my boys.  Bento is a lunch box typically filled with rice and little bits of a variety of foods.  Bento boxes come with a separate compartment for the rice so it doesn't get soggy.  This is the largest compartment in the box.  My son's bento box is one level, so it has one large compartment for the rice and two small compartments for the vegetables and protein.  My husband's box is two levels, so the rice sits in a different tray nestled under the other one.

Miso pork, roasted potatoes and carrots, pickled daikon and carrots,

cherry tomato, tofu and veggie patty, simmered spinach salad

I typically assemble their bentos at night before going to bed, except for the rice.  If we don't already have rice cooked (our rice cooker has a stay warm function so they often eat leftover rice for lunch), I set up our rice cooker to make the rice in the morning (using the timer function).  This way, all I have to do in the morning is add rice with furikake (rice seasoning) and umeboshi (pickled plum) to their boxes in the morning and they are ready to head out the door with their mid-day meal.

Pumpkin wedge, corn and soybeans, deli vegetables,

walnuts and dried fish with honey, sausage, lemon chicken, meatballs with glaze

Every day I try to give my boys heathy bentos made with love and attention.  In order to have enough variety, I will use bits of dinner and then raid the freezer to balance things out.  When I make a dinner that compliments bentos, I will make extra and freeze it.  Right now I have takoyaki, chicken meatballs, and fried chicken in my freezer to bulk up their lunch.  I also make little stuffed peppers (Japanese peppers are much smaller than American bell peppers) that freeze beautifully for later use.

I also try to keep some extra proteins in the freezer.  My son loves when I add little sausages.  I recently found tiny fish that I grill in my stove before putting into the bento box.  Whenever my favorite fishcake vendor comes to the shopping center, I stock up and put these into bentos as well.

But I am not perfect (not by any stretch of the imagination).  I also have purchased frozen foods that I put into their bento boxes.  There is a section in the store freezer solely dedicated to bento sized portioned foods.  I just try to make sure it isn't all fried, because a lot of what is available is fried or completely lacking in any nutritional value.  I currently have lemon chicken, tofu and vegetable patties, as well as vegetables in little cupcake papers.  I also buy cooked vegetables in the deli - a lot!  Who has time to make all the side dishes?  I don't and I'm a housewife!

In addition to their bento boxes, my son has a little fruit box that I include strawberries, pineapple, apple slices with lemon juice, or whatever fruit I have on hand.  He loves fruit and it is the only permissible sweet/dessert allowed in school bento boxes.  I used to put the fruit into his bento box, but he has asked for more and more food, so I had to graduate to a second box!

So, why don't I just make him a sandwich and put it in a bag with an apple?  It just isn't done here.  Period.  Bento boxes are standard.  They aren't always as fancy as what I do.  Of course, there are also those that "compete" on the cute level that I don't even attempt.  Some of the moms make sandwiches for their kids and put them into the bento box (typically cut into long rectangles), but I prefer to just go with the flow and not be the topic of the teacher's room gossip.  After all, sandwiches are not as healthy as a bento, according to most Japanese people.