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8/26/2008 50 Years Of Chicken Ramen Instant gratification: Children chow down on Chicken Ramen at an event marking the 50th anniversary of the launch of the instant noodle snack in the Umeda district in Osaka on Monday. Fruity Kit Kat Kit Kat is one of the most popular cheap candies from America here and this summer we have a slew of fruity versions in kiwi, mango, pineapple and watermelon! All just 298 yen for a 24 piece bag! Origin Bento Origin Bento is like the McDonalds of bento shops that serve heaping, hot, fresh healthy bento and okazu throughout Japan 24 hours a day.
Aside from their seasonal bento, they also feature a full spread of salads and okazu. They usually have about 26 kinds of salads from tomato and eggplant salad to potato salad, tofu salad, okara salad and more along with a bunch of hot foods, more then like karaage, meatballs, sweet potatoes, yakisoba, onigiri, fried shrimp, rice dishes. Everything is priced the same, 150yen for 100grams so you just pile as much as you want in the containers provided, bring it up to the counter and they can ring you up along with your made-to-order bento or not.  For bento, they feature over 30 kinds of seasonal bento sets all made upon your order.
8/25/2008 Postowns Modern travellers passing through Narai
Thanks to the Shinkansen and the public transportation system, getting around in Japan is a convenient, efficient, and usually rapid affair. Despite this, sometimes I catch myself wallowing in self-pity for catching a bad connection or being stuck in a packed train. To snap myself out of it, there is always a simple solution; think of how people would have had to make the trip during the Edo Era. In the Edo Era, if a man wanted to get from Osaka to Tokyo he had to walk. As a means to assert control over the country, the Shogunate government of the Edo Era heavily restricted the movement of its subjects. For all but the most wealthy, this resulted in journeys being taken by foot across a nationwide system of walking paths. Because these trips would usually require multiple days, "post towns" developed along the routes to provide travellers with accommodation. Many locations in modern day Japan were first established as post towns, and this can be recognized by place names that end with "-juku"; two well known examples are Tokyo's Shinjuku and Harajuku. But neither of these places have retained much of the post town ambience that they had in the Edo Era. In fact, after the Meiji Restoration and the development of the railway system, most post towns lost their "post town ambience" as they modernized. However, there were also many that did not modernize. As the rest of the country progressed, some former post towns were left behind as relics of a bygone era.
 Tsumago at Dusk
The misfortune of neglected post towns 100 years ago has become our good fortune today. In a few picturesque towns that time seems to have passed over, the post town is still alive. Or rather, to be more precise, the post towns have been revived as a tourist destintation. Of course, people aren't passing through out of necessity anymore, and their journey will probably be just a few hours, at most a weekend . But nonetheless, people are still walking through these little towns, trying to find a bit of rest and revitalization. And in fact, what better way to find refuge from the trials of modern day life than to go to a place where it seems to have not yet arrived. Some post towns retain their original Honjin and Wakihonjin, which were the principal and secondary inns respectively. When important government officials (or perhaps the Emperor himself) would pass through a town with retinue in tow, it would be there that they would stay. The people of the town and the staff at the inn would go to great lengths to keep their guests comfortable and rested. Modern day travellers may not be greeted with quite the same pomp, but post towns will surely have either ryokan or minshuku where visitors can rest and be tended to if they wish to spend the night. I have had some very enjoyable experiences in the former post towns of Tsumago, Magome, Narai (all in the Kiso Valley), and Ouchijuku.
 A Firepit in Magome
Though staying at a ryokan is almost always an extremely pleasant experience, the particular pleasure of visiting a post town is undoutedly walking about the town itself. The buildings of the main street are usually kept as they were in the Edo Era, and people sell local specialties out of their shops, sometimes the same speciality that was sold in former times. Many of the old buildings have had their interiors turned into charming little restaurants. But simply walking up and down the streets is pleasure enough in and of itself. After spending so much of our days behind a desk or behind a wheel, there is something very calming about walking through a quiet old street. One particularly nice walk is between the two post towns of Tsumago and Magome, which has a nicely maintained trail. I suppose if you're in a post town the most natural thing to do is to walk to the next one.
 The walking trail between Magome and Tsumago 8/24/2008 Somen Somen is my favorite summer noodles. Somen are very thin, white Japanese noodles made of wheat flour. The noodles are usually served cold and are less than 1.3 mm in diameter. The distinction between somen and the next thicker wheat noodles hiyamugi and even thicker Japanese wheat noodles udon is that somen is stretched while hiyamugi and udon are cut. Somen are usually served cold with a light flavored dipping broth or tsuyu, and noodles are dipped into the sauce, not poured over like other foods. The sauce is usually a katsuobushi based sauce that can be flavored with Welsh onion, ginger, or myoga. In the summer time somen chilled with ice is a popular meal to help stay cool. Somen served in hot soup is usually called "nyumen," and is frequently served in the winter much like soba or udon would be. Some restaurants offer "Nagashi Somen" (flowing noodles) in the summer. The noodles are placed in a long flume of bamboo across the length of the restaurant. The flume carries clear, ice-cold water. As the somen pass by, diners pluck them out with their chopsticks and then dip them in a container of tsuyu. Catching the noodles requires a fair amount of dexterity, but the noodles that aren't caught by the time they get to the end usually aren't eaten, so diners are pressured to catch as much as they can. A select few luxurious establishments put their somen in real streams so that diners can enjoy their meal in a beautiful garden setting. Machines have been designed to simulate this experience at home. A very similar variety of thin wheat flour noodles are called somyeon in Korea, and are used in a dish called bibim guksu. Ozzy On My Birthday? Ozzy Osbourne to play one concert in Japan Oct 27 8/23/2008 Starwood Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Seems like Sheraton has become close to my heart as in Indonesia I always stay at the Le Meridien Jakarta Royal Club which is a designated Starwood flury and this time some of us and me are staying at the Sheraton Bandara which I mentioned previously. Anyway Sheraton is exclusive in Japan, there are no Starwood or Sheraton in Tokyo except for the recent name change of the Miyako Inn here near Shinagawa which they took over, aside from that there are only a few outside, but not in China there is over a hundred... Starwood Hotels & Resorts has signed its 100th hotel in China. The Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel will feature 470 rooms, approximately 36,000 square feet of meeting space, 3 restaurants and bar, a health club, spa and indoor heated swimming pool. The hotel is part of the final phase of the Global Trade Center (GTC) mixed-use complex development. The complex comprises offices, retail shops, condominium, serviced apartments, and the hotel. The Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel is scheduled to open January 2011. Located in Dongcheng District, Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel is located in the heart of Beijing transportation network near the Third Ring Road, and within close proximity to the 2008 Olympics venue, business and financial districts as well as Tiananmen Square. In addition to the Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel, Starwood currently has two hotels under construction in Beijing: aloft Beijing Haidian and Four Points by Sheraton Beijing, Haidian; as well as 4 hotels in operation: Great Wall Sheraton Beijing, The Westin Beijing, Financial Street, The Westin Beijing, Chaoyang and St Regis Beijing. “With strong domestic demand, an increasing affinity for global brands and international inbound travel on the rise, our opportunity in China is perhaps unsurpassed anywhere in the world,” said Simon Turner, President, Global Development for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “What’s more, by 2020, China will generate over 100 million outbound trips a year, more than triple its current output, making it one of the largest origins of outbound travel in the world. As the Chinese travel abroad, they look for brands they know, and therefore Starwood’s development in China today, has significant implications for our hotels worldwide.” Starwood continues to grow aggressively throughout Asia Pacific, with over 80 hotels under construction. China continues to fuel growth in the region, and more than half of Starwood’s pipeline in Asia Pacific is in Greater China, where the company expects to double its portfolio by 2011.
In addition to the 43 hotels Starwood currently operates in China, Starwood has 57 new properties scheduled to open. These include 22 Sheratons, 12 Four Points by Sheratons, eight Westins, five W hotels, four St Regis, three Le Meridien hotels, two aloft hotels and one Luxury Collection hotel. http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3415 Japan Road Tokugawa Ieyasu designated the Nakasendo, or “central mountain road,” one of Japan’s five official highways in 1602. On this route stretching from Kyoto to Edo (now Tokyo) were 69 post towns. Three of these best preserved villages — Narai, Tsumago and Magome — are located along the Kiso River valley, making for a beautiful hike through history.
Narai, at the foot of the challenging Torii-toge pass, was known as “the town of 1,000 inns,” though in reality there were fewer. One was designated for use by the “daimyo” (feudal lord), another for lower-ranked officials, and others for ordinary travelers. It’s still possible to stay at several of the original inns. From Narai railway station, the town’s historic main street extends for about 1 kilometer, lined on both sides by two-story dark timber buildings. Some have display windows and open doors, through which lacquerware and other handicrafts are visible. Others have thin latticework covering the windows. Signs advertise handmade soba noodles. In between the buildings, narrow lanes lead off to temples and shrines, and the structures seem to almost reach out towards each other across the street. At five places, spring water is fed to covered traditional drinking fountains, which are still provided with water scoops for use by thirsty travelers, just as in centuries past. No power lines or even streetlights are present to detract from the traditional architecture. Vehicles are allowed, but the modern highway bypasses the town and traffic is light. Our group of five booked two rooms at the 190-year-old Iseya inn, which once provided horse and porter service. The once earthen-floored entranceway of the main building is now tiled, but waxed paper umbrellas still hang inside ready for guests to borrow. We were excited to be shown upstairs to two of the four original guest rooms. The old floorboards in the corridor were warped and creaky, and our rooms had lattice-covered windows looking out onto the street. We drank tea around a lacquered table and marveled at staying in rooms where travelers had been stopping to rest for nearly 200 years. Before dinner we strolled along the street as the day-trippers departed. A traditional cedar ball was hung over the entrance of the Sugi no Mori brewery, where we tasted sake made on the premises. As dusk descended, paper lanterns shone softly outside each building. Back at Iseya, dinner was served in the long, narrow dining room on the ground floor. Featuring mountain vegetables and freshwater fish, the dishes were full of distinct and delicious flavors. We all ate far too much. The next morning, nourished by a substantial breakfast, we bid farewell to Iseya’s proprietor and set off to walk a section of Kiso Kaido. The route over Torii-toge pass follows a narrow, often steep footpath through dense forest. A section not far from Narai and another near the next post town, Yabuhara, are paved with stones, known as ishidatami, which must have been difficult in bad weather for Edo-era travelers in straw rope sandals. Climbing to the pass, we crossed rickety bridges over fast-flowing streams. Frogs croaked and birds called. Distant mountains were occasionally visible. The route has huts for resting and wells for drinking, and two buildings with public toilets are also maintained. On the Yabuhara side, brass bells have been erected at three points. Walkers are encouraged to ring them to warn off any bears that may be around. Fortunately we didn’t encounter any in our three-hour walk from Narai to Yabuhara. The train back to Narai takes only six minutes. Another section of the Kiso Road further down the valley links Tsumago and Magome. This popular walk also takes around three hours, but the trail passes through more varied landscape than that between Narai and Yabuhara. From Tsumago, with its white-walled storehouses and timber buildings, the route skirts some rice fields on the way to Oku-Tsumago. A slight detour leads to two waterfalls. The trail also passes by an old teahouse as it climbs through forest to Magome-toge pass. Then it descends through fields and small hamlets until reaching a steep, stone-paved street that winds downhill between the souvenir shops, restaurants and inns of Magome. Neither Tsumago nor Magome allow vehicles in their main streets during the day. As in Narai, overhead wires are hidden away, and there are no convenience stores or other obvious symbols of modernity. In Tsumago, Magome and Narai, the slower pace of a bygone era beckons still along the old Kiso Road. Japan AlpsBetween Sword and Spear in the Japanese Alps Japan Times http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fv20080822a1.html I opened my eyes: clouds broke against the ridgeline, sending their tendrils skyward in the eastern updraft, high above the vertiginous vista that stretched away to distant, snow-touched mountains. I was taking a breather on a narrow ledge close to the pinnacle of Tsurugi-dake — Sword Peak — the most thrilling mountain in Japan's North Alps. I was not so much tired as overwhelmed by beauty and the emptiness of space below me. Further up the cliff, the elderly couple who had adopted me that morning on the trail were waiting. 
Walk with the devil: Jigoku-dani (Hell Valley) steams and hisses near Murodo, Toyama Prefecture
Peaks ahoy: Chains and narrow paths on the ascent of Tsurugi-dake Taking a breather before Tsurugi-dake
Campers in the Kara-sawa valley in October last year Emirates Airbus A380I've already flown on the Singapore Airlines A380 standard which wasn't all that great except for the first class private rooms but it seems the Emirates has their own version of this big airplane now too with all the options...
 Showers, bars, lounge - Emirates Airbus A380 has them all
Emirates’ new Airbus A380 has some luxurious amenities. This particular aircraft features 489 seats with 14 in first class suites, 76 in business and 399 in economy class. The airline has also ordered two other versions of the A380, one with 517 seats in a three-class configuration, and the other with 604 seats in a two class layout. The new plane has a wide range of innovations to help make journeys more comfortable and enjoyable, but the biggest surprise is definitely in the aircraft’s premium cabin - First Class. First Class passengers will be able to relax in one of 14 private suites, with seats that convert to fully flat beds. The suites are equipped with an electrically operated door, mini bar, reading lights, work desk with built-in illuminated vanity mirror, personal electrically controlled mini-bar and room service feature. Other features include a fold-out mechanical table, a flower vase, a literature pocket, a credenza sideboard, wardrobe, forward and aft stationary panels and screens. To ensure passenger privacy adjoining center suites in the middle of the First Class cabin have an electrically-operated privacy divider that can be raised and lowered. The suite is 2.08 meters long, with a seat that reclines from upright position to sleep position with a total length of 78.87 inches. The seat cushions are a comfortable 21.6 inches wide. The seat/bed is equipped with an electrically-operated leg rest, backrest, headrest, armrest, seat frame, leg rest extension and seat pan extension which enable the seat to convert to any preset position (upright, dining, or bed) or to any intermediate position between upright and flat-bed. The innovative seats also feature a multi-mode massage system with adjustable speed and intensity, and lumbar support adjustment. A touch screen Wireless Integrated Passenger Seat Controller allows passengers to control Emirates’ IFE (In-flight Entertainment) and seat functions. A 23-inch wide LCD screen is linked to Emirates’ ICE inflight entertainment system while a PC power outlet, dual USB port and RJU headphone jack allows passengers to create their own entertainment. The most outstanding new feature, and something which will forever change First Class travel, is the Shower Spas. The First Class cabins on Emirates A380, in addition to all the above, also provide passengers with two fully-equipped bathrooms, complete with shower facilities. The two Shower Spas consist of a shower cubicle with water temperature / time control, vanity unit and wash basin, clothes changing area and toilet. A hairdryer and even a full length mirror have been installed. A 15.4-inch LCD monitor in each shower displays the live Airshow and tail camera output. Other features of the bathrooms include heated flooring, leather seating, and exotic flowers to create a relaxed ambience. To ensure passengers arrive at their destination in the best possible shape, the airline provides passengers with cosmetics that include perfumes by Bvlgari and Timeless Spa shampoo, conditioner, body moisturizer shower gel and exfoliate. The aircraft also features two bar areas, one exclusively for First Class and the other for both First and Business Class passengers. First Class passengers have the use of a fully-stocked bar, situated at the front of the First Class cabin on the upper deck. First and Business Class passengers can use the Lounge situated at the rear of the Business Class cabin on the upper deck. In addition to a fully stocked bar containing premium branded liquers and spirits and a selection of hot and cold canapés and snacks, there are two sofas, and a 42 inch LCD screen showing the aircraft’s position and views from its external cameras. Each cabin features a unique, advanced mood lighting system, complete with a starlit sky. This adjusts throughout a flight to reflect the time at the destination, and to help combat effects of jet lag. http://www.japantoday.com/category/travel/view/showers-bars-lounge-emirates-airbus-a380-has-them-all Hachinoki Sweet Hiroshima’s best-known traditional sweets shop, Hachinoki is a must for anyone wanting to taste old-fashioned Japanese confections such as dango, anmitsu, kakigori, and more. The shop first opened in 1958, and half a century later Hachinoki's master still makes his sweet bean jam fresh every day.
 The shop occupies a prime downtown corner, but is cozy and intimate inside. If you like, you can start with a simple but nurturing rice ball or bowl of noodles, or you can go straight to dessert. Dango are soft, round dumplings made from rice flour and delicately flavored with various seasonings. The mitarashi dango, basted with sweet, soy-based syrup, are especially popular here. The varied tastes and textures of anmitsu's jumble of jellies, fruits and sweet bean jam make every mouthful different, while the kakigori shaved ices are a wonderful summer treat. They even have a coffee-flavored ice. Stop in, and leave the downtown rush behind as you linger over the tastes of an earlier time. 8/18/2008 More Soba Soba a type of thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. It is served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup. Moreover, it is not uncommon in Japan to refer to any thin noodle as soba in contrast to udon which are thick noodles made from wheat.
In Japan, soba noodles are served in a variety of situations. They are a popular inexpensive fast food at train stations throughout Japan, they are served by exclusive and expensive specialty restaurants, and they are also made at home. Markets sell dried noodles and men-tsuyu, or instant noodle broth, to make home preparation easy. Some establishments, especially cheaper and more casual ones, may serve both soba and udon (thick wheat noodles) as they are often served in a similar manner. However, soba is traditionally the noodle of choice for Tokyoites. This tradition originates from the Edo period when the population of Edo (Tokyo), being considerably wealthier than the rural poor, were more susceptible to beri beri due to their high consumption of white rice which is low in thiamine, and are thought to have made up for this by regularly eating thiamine-rich soba. Every neighbourhood had one or two soba establishments, many also serving sake, which functioned much like modern cafes where locals would drop by casually. Soba is typically eaten with chopsticks, and in Japan, it is traditionally considered polite to slurp the noodles noisily. This is especially common with hot noodles, as drawing up the noodles quickly into the mouth acts to cool them down. However, quiet consumption of noodles is no longer uncommon. Like many Japanese noodles, soba noodles are often served drained and chilled in the summer, and hot in the winter with a soy-based dashi broth. Extra toppings can be added onto both hot and cold soba. Toppings are chosen to reflect the seasons and to balance with other ingredients. Most toppings are added without much cooking, although some are deep-fried. Most of these dishes may also be prepared with udon.
Cold Chilled soba is often served on a sieve-like bamboo tray called a zaru, sometimes garnished with bits of dried nori seaweed, with a dipping sauce known as soba tsuyu on the side. The tsuyu is made of a strong mixture of dashi, sweetened soy sauce (also called "kaeshi") and mirin. Using chopsticks, the diner picks up a small amount of soba from the tray and swirls it in the cold tsuyu before eating it. Wasabi, scallions, and grated ginger are often mixed into the tsuyu. It's said that the best way to experience the unique texture of hand-made soba noodles is to eat them cold, since letting them soak in hot broth changes their consistency.
Hot Soba is also often served as a noodle soup in a bowl of hot tsuyu. The hot tsuyu in this instance is thinner than that used as a dipping sauce for chilled soba. Popular garnishes are sliced scallion and shichimi togarashi (mixed chilli powder).
Soba is traditionally eaten on New Years Eve in most areas of Japan, a tradition which survives to this day (Toshikoshi soba.) In the Tokyo area, there is also a tradition of giving out soba to new neighbours after a house move (Hikkoshi soba), although this practice is now rare.
The most famous Japanese soba noodles come from Nagano. Soba from Nagano is called Shinano Soba or Shinshu soba. Ni-hachi (two-eight) soba, consists of two parts of wheat and eight of buckwheat; Juuwari (100%) soba, the finest (and usually most expensive) variety, consists entirely of buckwheat.
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Soba Buckwheat noodles (soba) are my favorite noodles in Japan throughout the year. Usually these noodles are served hot with simple toppings like a raw egg or tempura but in the summer they have all kinds of different varieties of cold soba (hiyashi soba) with delicious cold toppings too.
Soba noodles are native Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour (soba-ko) and wheat flour (komugi-ko). They are roughly as thick as spaghetti, and prepared in various hot and cold dishes. The most basic soba dish is zaru soba in which boiled, cold soba noodles are eaten with a soya based dipping sauce (tsuyu).
Like pasta, soba noodles are available in dried form in supermarkets, but they taste best if freshly made by hand from flour and water. Soba making has also become a popular tourist attraction for domestic and international travelers. The activity is offered by many community centers and travel tour companies. Below you will find an illustrated description of the soba making process.
1st step: Mixing the flour The first step, mixing the flour with water into a dough, is considered the most important and difficult part of making soba noodles. The correct amount of water is added step by step to the flower and mixed for several minutes until the flour becomes moist enough to be formed into a dough. The dough is then pressed until it becomes very smooth and contains no more air.
The dough is then rolled into a thin square by repeatedly rolling it around a wooden rolling stick. 3rd step: Cutting the dough At last, the dough is folded and cut into the noodles.
For zaru soba, the noodles are then boiled and cooled down with cold water, before served with a soya based dipping sauce (tsuyu), wasabi, nori seaweed and negi (Japanese leek). The water used to boil the noodles (soba-yu) is often added to the remaining tsuyu and drunken at the end of the meal. Other popular soba dishes are noodle soups with various toppings, such as Kitsune Soba, Tanuki Soba and Tsukimi Soba. Despite the name, the popular dish Yakisoba is not made with soba noodles, but rather with Chinese style noodles (chukamen). Crabs I have turtles myself but yeah in a city as big and crowded as |
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