Friday

Sandy and I spent the morning waiting in our hotel room for a non-smoking room to be cleaned, and what better way to pass the time then watch sumo matches on TV! Seriously, I actually, officially, like a sport. Sumo is unlike anything I've ever seen. There's a cool shinto quality to the whole thing, and the matches themselves get pretty vicious. I'd like to see a match in person.

We finally moved into our new room, on the tenth floor, and headed out on the town. If Sandy had her wish, we would eat curry for every meal, so we went to this newish looking place near the train station called "Curry Kitchen Spice" but forgot to take pictures of our meals. It wasn't excellent, it was just food. We then hopped on the Yamanote train line to Sugamo, one of our favorite little wards of Tokyo.

Curry Kitchen Spice in Akiba

Sugamo is all old people. All the stores are old people stores, but everything is so cute and non-touristy. We saw only one gaijin there, on the train platform, and he looked lost. We bought a bunch of treasures at this little place crowded with old Japanese women, and they were all so sweet and nice to us. I bought a jinbei, but with long pants instead of the shorts shown in the picture. It is soooo comfortable, for serious, and since I bought it in Sugamo, it was only about 15 bucks! We also found a place with black sesame ice cream. Freaking delicious.

Kurogome ice cream in Sugamo

Since Sugamo is the only place (besides Osaka) that we have seen taiyaki in Japan, and since taiyaki are Sandy's most absolute favorite dessert thing, we had to hunt down the little taiyaki stand we found last time we were here... and we did. We didn't take any pictures because we were too busy eating them.

Oops! A sign in Sugamo!

So we ate taiyaki on these little chairs and walked around a bit afterwards, eventually boarding the train with a million kids just out of class and heading back to Akiba. It was very warm that day, and we wanted a Cooling Beverage, so we went to Excelsior Cafe for iced coffee drinks. Excelsior Cafe is sort of like the Starbucks of Japan... even though there are Starbucks stores all over Japan. It was overpriced but okay.

Excelsior Cafe in Akiba

After a short nap in the hotel, we set out once again, this time eating ten don (tempura don, not tendon) for dinner. Mine had oysters, octopus, chicken, shrimp and vegetables! Yummers! Somehow though, we only got a picture of Sandy's meal.

Tempura don in Akiba

I bought a manga, which are half the price over here then in the U.S. I figure that translating it will help me read Japanese quicker, as it takes me a bit to decipher stuff. I try to read everything we pass, and I'm recognizing a few kanji as well (I just need to know how to pronounce them). I have also tried speaking to everyone, which is frustrating at times, but it really helps me.

Wait - vending machine dining time. There are vending machines everywhere. In Akiba, they are more than everywhere. I didn't see it as much last time, but recently they have started offering quite a few hot, canned meals in vending machines. Oden, udon, ramen... so I was intrigued. I got the ramen, which had a piggy on the can, because ramen broth is made of piggies.

This was HOT!

It was hot, ready to eat, and came with a little fold-out plastic fork. For some reason I totally trust beverages from vending machines, but food from them makes me a bit uneasy.

Noodle, broth and piggy slab

The noodles were a cross between wheat and rice, kinda rubbery, like shirataki noodles. The broth was salty and oily, and the slab of fatty piggy slice looked boiled and tasted just fine. It was okay. I would eat this crap if I were homeless and they wouldn't let me into stores and restaurants, but I'm pretty sure if you ate this for a week you would get all oily and just die. I want to try some of the other stuff now.

Well, it is off to bed for me now.

Labels: Akihabara, canned ramen, curry, Japan08, Sugamo, taiyaki, vending machine

posted by tangentbot @ 7:26 AM 


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Wednesday

Our day starts early, and we had a quick breakfast in our room before leaving. First, we checked out a few shipping options via the helpful folks at the Osaka Tourist Info Center. Next, it had to be ramen for lunch. We found this place nearby and the ramen was a bit odd, but still really good. I had the miso ramen, and the noodles were thicker and softer then I have had before. They put sesame seeds in there as well, and huge slices of broiled pork. Very yummy. Sandy's ramen was not as spicy as mine, but still had a subtle deliciousness to it.

Pretty good ramen in Osaka

All full up of ramen, we set out to spend money. I bought two knives from an old dude in Namba, for less than I had anticipated. They are really good knives, however; I got a vegetable knife and a sashimi knife, both single edged. Now I have to learn to sharpen them without messing up the blade(or better yet, find someone locally who can do it for me).

This awesome lady made us yummy okonomiyaki-esque things for only 120 yen each! We sat on little chairs along the main shopping arcade and ate them.

These things were yums

There is a store in Japan called Tokyu Hands, and I swear, if I lived here, they would have my money. They have everything, all high quality, from kitchen to craft to toys to science stuff. It's just a department store, but how many department stores have a guy that stands outside and fixes your bicycle for free? So many Osakans rely on bicycles on transportation, and Tokyu Hands provides this as a public service; you don't even need to walk into the store. I bought some bento toys and a banana holster.

I keep forgetting to photograph street art. Sorry.

Great stencil in Osaka

After much walking, we returned to our neighborhood. We happened to wander into another local curry house, and it was absolutely amazing. The dude spoke no English, as is the norm, but was totally rocking American country music on the stereo. Like, the 'not good' kind. The curry was unlike anything I had ever tasted, and the cabbage/cardemum pickles served with it was also incredible. Sandy had naan and curry, and I had katsu curry. So freaking good, for serious.

This curry was pure win

We returned 'home' to clean, pack, and get to bed early for our final day in Osaka. Tomorrow, we go back to Tokyo for the remainder of our trip, and we are kind of sad to leave Osaka, as it has really grown on us.

Labels: curry, Japan08, Osaka, shopping

posted by tangentbot @ 7:46 AM 


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Chicken Curry from a box is easy to make... anyone should know this. But why follow some box instructions when you can use MY NEARLY IDENTICAL VARIATION‽ Just sayin'.

Labels: anyone should know this, Chicken Curry, curry, food, Japan, recipe

posted by tangentbot @ 12:49 AM 


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Economists love the Nintendo Wii (who doesn't?)

The Moon Landing

Guess when I'm going to give you up... Go on, guess...

And with that, I am off to make curry.

Labels: curry, economics, Mario Paint, misc, moon landing, Nintendo

posted by tangentbot @ 5:37 PM 


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Yum!

I updated the recipes portion of this site with a recipe and picture of yummy curry potato croquettes I made tonight. They're easy to make, go check it out!

Labels: croquettes, curry, food, Japan

posted by tangentbot @ 1:29 AM 


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