Konbucha Japanese Kelp Tea

I had an unpleasant surprise this morning when I took a sip of my tea expecting jasmine, only to find that it tasted like sweat. When I stayed at a Toyoko Hotel a few weeks back I decided to take the cute powdered tea packets from the room home to try. I tried the green first and true to the packaging it was green tea. This morning I went for the pink packet assuming it would be Jasmine tea, but found that it was actually konbucha. konbucha is not made from tea leaves, instead it is made from seaweed and can have added flavor from shiso, or plum. When I asked A & M about the stuff they guestimated that konbucha is only popular among 1/2 of Japanese people. M likes it, but A will only tolerate the plum version. My previous experience konbucha, and probably what kept me from spitting it out this morning, was at a nomikai where it was served as an after dinner drink and I was instructed to drink it because it was very healthy. A & M agree that it is healthy due to mineral content. I have another packet remaining at home and rather than drink it as tea I plan to cook with it, apparently it can be used as an MSG substitute. I am thinking of trying the pickle recipe from this site.

Stove Top & Fish Broiler Cooking 18

Fresh out of the fish broiler. Rice and beans with vegetables topped with cheese, salsa and avocado. For scale, this cast-iron skillet is a number 3 which means it is about 6in in diameter.

Japanese Contract Employee Three Year Rule

Today was M's (of A&M not L&M) last day at the company, she is a contract worker and her contract is not being renewed. There are currently a lot of news articles about how the economic conditions have resulted in layoffs of many Japanese contract workers so I assumed that this was the same situation faced by M. She an A briefly explained that this situation was different. Because M had been a contract worker for three years if she were to stay at the company they would be required to hire her as a permanent employee. Skeptical, I did some research. On Google books I found International labor and employment law By Philip M. Berkowitz, Thomas Müller-Bonanni, which states:

"Under a recent amendment to the LSL, the maximum employment period for contract employees is three years, with limited exceptions such as contracts tied to specific projects of involving certain types of professionals. If an employment contract provided for an employment period of three years but the employee continues to work without both parties' explicit extension or renewal of the contract after the three-year period expires, the contract is deemed to be extended for an indefinite period.
Further, Japanese courts often give contract employees whose contracts are explicitly and regularly renewed protection similar to that or regular employees with respect to the discontinuance of the extension/renewal of the definite-term employment contract. In other words, it becomes very difficult for an employer not to extend/renew the definite-term employment contract of those employees to whom the employer has, by way of statements of documents to them of treatment of other employees, given a reasonable expectation of continued employment until the mandatory retirement age."

It sounds like a rule that was meant to help contract employees, but may in fact be hurting them. M will certainly be missed.

Kousa / Kosa / Yellow Sand

Starting in late January A & M would mention some yellow sand blowing from China into Japan. At the time I disregarded the notion off as some sort of Japanese old wives' tale, but this spring I had firsthand experience with kousa. For me it appeared as a fog around the sun and a light powder on cars I didn't notice any of the other affects such as breathing difficulty. The yellow sand comes from the Gobi Desert and is desertification. Based on some older news articles I read popular belief seams to be that China is not doing enough to reduce desertification. The Japanese government is currently studying the health affects of Kousa which is a natural phenomenon, but has intensified health risks due to industrial pollution. I have been in the office each time it has occurred this spring so I haven't gotten any photos, but this one from The Japan Times is an intensified version of what I have seen.

30 Hours in Tokyo Day 2

Our first stop on Money morning was the Tsukiji Fish Market I remembered it bring stressful when I was there with Mom and R, and this time proved no different. In addition to the speeding mass of tuggers the wind was blowing disposable Styrofoam coolers into the air making it even more difficult to navigate.


Following the fish market we somewhat inadvertently ended up at Hama Rikyu Garden which was still mostly dormant, but did have a large field of blooming yellow flowers. Next stop, the Sensoji Temple complex. In comparison to some of the temples in Nara and Kyoto it was nice, but not amazingly impressive.
Three day weekends are exhausting, after Sensoji we stopped near Roppongi Hills at Chinese Cafe Eight (If you go to their website, be sure to checkout the staff bio page) for a late lunch. I cant recommend the restaurant because the dining room is all smoking and there are no vegetarian items on the menu.
Finally on our way back to Nagoya by Shinkansen.

30 Hours in Tokyo Day 1

After the Okkawa Float Festival M and I traveled on to Tokyo for the remainder of the weekend. Our first stop after arriving at Tokyo station was the Tokyo International Forum for us it was a stop only to see the interesting architecture. From the International Forum we walked to the Imperial Palace but found ourselves unexpectedly blocked by the Tokyo Marathon so we stopped to marvel and the mass of people and enjoy the funny costumes worn by some of the participants.We didn't end up making it to the Imperial Gardens because it started to rain but we did stop and take some photos near the palace. When it started raining we decided to buy day passes for the subway, which ended up being a great deal despite the fact that some lines were not included and we once ended up stuck at a station where we couldn't use our passes. By subway we first traveled to Akihabara, the electronics district.
In Akihabara we stopped for lunch at Mos Burger a frequently recommended chain burger restaurant. I had one of their rice burgers, which uses compacted rice in place of a bun.
From Mos Burger we traveled to Ginza to see the Sony Showroom, on our way we ended up encountering the marathon again.After dropping our things off at the hotel, once again a Toyoko Inn (At check-in I was given a substantial Sunday discount after joining their loyalty club, a surprise perk for which they come every more highly recommended), we headed to Fuji Mamas near Harajuku for dinner. Dinner was excellent, the best restaurant food I have enjoyed since arriving in Japan. Following dinner we took one last subway ride to Shibuya to see Shibuya crossing not only at night, but also in the rain.

How to Use a Huge Diakon

L gifted me with a large Daikon Radish from her CSA box a few weeks ago. I wasn't home when it was delivered but M sent me an e-mail saying that he had just put a daikon the size of a Baby to bed in the refrigerator crisper drawer crib. After that I set to work coming up with enough ways to cook daikon having little experience using it.

First up, shared by Martha Stewart daikon used in place of pasta. I wouldn't make it again, but it was an interesting idea. Daikon and fish stew. This was supposed to be a Thai dish, but I just didn't really care for it.Zucchini pancakes with daikon in place of zucchini. I liked the base recipe which included a lot of hearty ingredients like oatmeal and flax.
Potato and leek soup with daikon substituted for some of the potatoes. I didn't like the base potato leek soup recipe that I used, but I think with a better recipe daikon could be a great fit.Daikon home fries, yum!Tabouli with a special daikon addition. This worked really well, the daikon added a nice crunch but the flavor didn't stand out.Daikon french fries I used this recipe, these are apparently a big hit with the Atkins dieters. I thought they were OK, but M really liked them.Daikon hash browns. I was afraid to use just daikon so I mixed in potatoes as well. I also liked this usage, the spiciness of the daikon was a good mix with the potatoes and onions. Rice and vegetable salad with dakion, peppers, tomato, peas, corn, carrot, and cheese. I guess I was running out of ideas, I like anything mixed with rice and cheese so for me this wasn't bad.

Okkawa Float Festival

Last Saturday was the Okkawa Float Festival, which came recommended by the Nagoya International Center. When we arrived the floats were parked.
The floats were impressive from far away, but more impressive closeup because of the details.
After the floats had safely maneuvered the dangerous hilly stretches of the route lots of locals joined in to help pull the floats, but it was evident that the real work was being done by the professionals at the back.

Name this Car

This car is parked out in front of an apartment building down the street. The closest I can get is a Bentley Continental, the wheels and windows match, but the front and read ends are wrong.

Manhole Covers 7

Asahi Brewery Nagoya Tour

Last Saturday after visiting the Tokugawa museum M and I moved on to the Asahi Nagoya Brewery. The brewery is located near the JR Chuo line near the Shin Moriyama station which is a much more industrial area than I am accustomed to seeing in Nagoya. As soon as we exited the station I was happy to see a billboard with a walking route directing us to the brewery. M and I were the only people in our tour which was conducted in English! The brewery itself didn't look too much different from the breweries that I have toured at home. The most interesting part was the area where they explained how all of the brewing bi-products are reused, for example the grains the remain after brewing are fed to livestock and plastic bottles are recycled to make the uniforms worn by the tour guides.Not surprisingly the highlight of the tour was the free samples, we tasted the Asahi Super Dry and the Asahi Black. The taps in the tasting room included two spouts one for getting the beer into the glass and the other for topping it off with foam. There were signs (like the one above) throughout the room explaining how to recreate this pour at home.

100 Yen Stores

I fell like it is almost too much of cliche to bog about, but 100円 shops are a big deal in Japan. To clarify, 100 yen is equal to 1 USD depending on the exchange rate so these stores are comparable to a dollar store at home. The difference I have found is the everyone here goes to the 100円 shop, I cant remember the last time I was in a dollar store. Some things I have purchased at the 100円 shop that I wouldn't have expected to find are, metal cooking pans that fit in the fish broiler, a wooden rolling pin, stationary, terracotta flower pots, Oreo cookies, dishes...

Tokugawa Art Museum

On Saturday M and I visited the Tokugawa Art Museum which is a privet museum known for holding the copy of oldest novel in its collection. The museum had an interesting collection of Tokugawa family treasures, of which I found the temporary exhibit of Hina Matsuri Dolls the most interesting. After having visited the National Museum in Tokyo the Tokugawa museum was a let down due to its smaller collection.

R visited the museum when she was in town and recommended a visit to the grounds. The weather wasn't great and there was a separate charge for the gardens so we didn't stop to see them. On the way to the Ozone train station we walked down this street lined with blooming magnolia.

What is It?

I've only walked past this place when it was closed, but I am intrigued. Is it a Bar or a Hair Salon?

Stove Top & Fish Broiler Cooking 17

Cabbage and avocado salad. When a ripe avocado and a refrigerator full of Winter vegetables left me with this combination I was pleasantly surprised with the result.

Water Fountain

This is a different take on a water fountain. It is located under a road overpass. Rather than being shot up from a pool this water falls down into the pool on the way rotating a sculpture.

White Day

Working in a team made up of myself and fourteen Japanese guys worked out to my advantage Friday when White Day was celebrated. On Valentine's day, according to Japanese marketed tradition, I gave a small chocolate of obligation to my team members who in turn repaid the favor for White Day. The advertised rule is that White Day should be repaid three fold and for me it was, I came home with quite the loot.

Eight Hours In Osaka

It has taken me far too long to write about Osaka since at this point it has been nearly a week since I was there. Our first stop in Osaka was the aquarium, which like the Nagoya aquarium was situated on the coast. The Osaka Aquarium, reportedly, has the second largest tank in the world is arranged such that the large tank has viewing from four floors. There were a lot of people, taking a lot of pictures.
The second stop in Osaka was Shitenno-ji temple, the first Buddhist temple in Japan.Next we went to Den-Den town a busy shopping district specializing in electronics.
Our last stop before heading back to Nagoya was Costco, while the packaged food was a mix of Japanese and American, the cafe had the same menu as at home.

Sleeping on the Job

A few days ago I was surprised to enter the office rest room and hear snoring. It seams that the heated toilet seat was so relaxing that it put this poor women right to sleep.

Entryway Tree Sculptures

A selection photos of the of the sculptured trees that people in my neighborhood have created. These things are popular and look like a pretty long term commitment.

Fried Pumpkin

This might be my favorite Japanese food, fried pumpkin - actually squash, but they call it pumpkin. I can pick it up cold at any of the nearby grocery stores, pop it in the fish broiler and enjoy it dipped in soy sauce. I like it so well that sometimes I don't even wait for it to get heated all the way through before devouring it.

Kobe

This weekend M and I decided to get out of Nagoya and head to Kobe and Osaka. Saturday morning our first stop was the Kobe Earthquake Museum, according to Wikipedia 6,434 people were killed in the earthquake which is also considered the most costly natural disaster to hit a single country. Interestingly, this information was nowhere to be found at the museum. M and I were the only people in the museum, at the 1230 tour time, which was eerily empty as was the rest of the city.Our next stop was Wakkoqu for Kobe beef based on a recommendation from http://www.michaelpam.com. I gave up my Pescetarian ways (but am making a donation to the Nature Conservancy to offset my hypocrisy) for the once in a lifetime meal, which was unlike any meat I have eaten, the entire cut including the fat is BBQd to deliciousness. After lunch we took a walk under the Shinkansen tracks and into a hiking area recommended for it's waterfall.
I enjoyed the view of the city as much as the waterfall.After our walk we checked in to our hotel and headed to Chinatown. Unfortunately, the restaurants closed earlier than we had expected so we had to settle for a Japanese chain restaurant instead.
Sunday morning we stopped at Kobe port on our way to Osaka.