Winter here, and food, too.

I think winter is almost over here. These few days, it's been coolish and rainy. Perfect weather Sarah would enjoy. But thankfully, almost the three weeks she was here it never rained! Yes!

And on to food. The other day I went out to dinner with my co-workers . We went to an all you can eat Japanese restaurant. So the rest of this post is devoted to food. Enjoy!

Sea urchin: I liken this stuff to "butter of the sea." It's like butter, very rich and savory tasting? Very fragile. But I can't do too much of it.

Mackerel sashimi: This stuff if the BOMB! Well, I don't like sashimi too much, but if there is a favoite, I would choose mackerel for it's perfect flavor and texture. (Other assessments: salmon and snapper are OK. Tuna is too pwerful a flavor, scallops too soft, octopus to chewy..)

Sauteed froglegs: See that spread eagle? Like they're ready to jump off the griddle. Sick, huh?

Sarah eating duck tongue. Yeah! I told her I don't like to eat it cause it feels like you're making out with a duck.

3 orders of ramen, please!

Scorpion tea: This was sold at a tea shop, not a medicine shop. These suckers were alive and snapping! There was a huge jar full of scorpions right next to it... but I wanted to be discreet in my picture taking. (fyi: people don't really drink scorpion tea.)

Mmm.... two yummy things, put into one... Ice cream + Burgers

Finally, these are my cookies that I baked for my Christmas cookie exchange. Did I tell you I won 1st place!??? I got a pastry bag/baking set. There were some things in it I don't own, so I was very happy. On the left is a Snowman sugar cookie and on the right are peppermint cookies. (I couldn't stop eating them... But butter is a fickle thing. Butter in China is... not what I'm used to.)

Bye!

Reflections on Tokyo

Overall...

1. How clean it is! No Joke. Everybody says it whenever they visit there, and that’s because it’s remarkable, and it’s true!
2. They also say the Tokyo subway system is like a bowl of spaghetti that’s been dumped on the floor. That’s also true. We were quite confused at the start there. There are also so many stops! Like, sometimes we would have 17 stops before we got to our destination! YIKES!
3. If Koreans are good-looking, the Japanese definitely trump them in style. It seems like EVERYONE is stylish- even little babies, old grandmas, students wearing their school uniforms. All the guys have hair styles that are infinitely better than mine, great clothes… Japan’s definitely where it’s at.
   

So, some top memories in Tokyo (in no particular order):

1. The Ghibli Museum: It’s in a suburb outside Tokyo. A little out of the way to go there, but I guarantee it’s worth the trip. It’s one of my most favorite museums IN THE WORLD. I actually had low expectation going there, but was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the town the museum is in. And some of the exhibits there were so amazing and moving, Josh even cried. (Well, in his heart anyway.)
2. Eating natto. Do you know what natto is? Hope you never, ever have to. It was in a sushi roll, and it looked like mushrooms, sort of. So I gave it a try. It is fermented [aka ROTTEN] tofu. Even the thought of it now makes me want to gag. Ask Sarah. She tried it, too.
3. Sleeping at the ryokan (inn/hotel.) We shared a traditional-style Japanese room, sleeping in tatami mats on the floor. Personally, Josh and I LOVED it.
4. We went to Uniqlo. The fitting rooms are on a raised floor, lined with carpet. You’re supposed to take off your shoes before entering any carpeted/or home-like place. (Even at the hotel, you take your shoes off before entering!) OOPS, I stepped on it with my boots. IT wasn’t a big deal, but all the staff kind of jumped as I did it… and kindly told me no shoes… use the slippers! I was mortified! It was a dodo head thing to do!
5. Taxis: They’re really, really expensive. Like they start at $7 USD. BUT, they’re so nice a clean…
6. Magician street performer at Ueno Park: This guy was so entertaining, really good, and spending the some 20 minutes watching him was thoroughly enjoyable.
7. Also at Ueno Park, we watched some guys play baseball. Josh was teaching me about Japanese baseball stances and pitching. It was quite interesting.
8. Vending machines: The first meal we ate was ordered at a vending machine. Put your money in, press the button of what you want, bring your ticket to the counter, pick up your food! It was efficient, easy, and the food was good and cheap. There are vending machines EVERYWHERE in Tokyo. On the street, in alleys, and restaurants… it’s crazy.
9. Japanese money… it’s very confusing. The smallest bill is 1000. So you’ve got tons and tons of coins cause normal things cost like… 520.
10. All that walking. We did A LOT and A LOT of walking. I feel a little bad because at times, it was probably killing Sarah and Josh. But Tokyo is a great city for wandering and exploring. The lights, the people, the food… I would like to visit Japan again sometime.