Now that I've had more than a few days of fun under my belt, it's time for me to lash out about my least favorite days on this trip. The trip has been amazing in so many ways, but not so much on days like these. And since Steph did such an awesome job with the timeline, I'll just add a little color commentary. Enjoy!
March 16: Sapporo to Osaka (9.5 hours)
7:00A … Leave the hotel and walk 2 blocks up to Sapporo Station
7:49A … Hop on the 36-minute train to New Chitose Airport
8:25A … Go up 2 flights of escalators to the check-in counter
8:35A … Circle around the central gift area for breakfast and settle on a couple fish cakes
9:??A … Head over to our gate and wait for flight, finally buy the Yoshimi Curry Curry Sticks we'd been seeing everywhere (delicious!) A little light to start the day
10:30A … Flight to Haneda (Tokyo) departs Oddly empty flight...just like the flight in, but who knows, maybe people are just avoiding Tokyo?
12:05P … Arrive at Haneda, pick up bags from baggage claim
12:30P … Head down to Keikyu line for the 25-min ride to Shinagawa
1:00P … Arrive at Shinagawa station and make our way to the Shinkansen area
1:07P … Miss the 1:07P train, pick up some unagidon for the ride Beware that unlike most other rail stations, once you pass the gate here, you only have one option for bento...and they were sold out of almost everything when we got to it.
1:20P … Get in line for the 1:37P Nozomi train, 4th in line
1:37P … Train arrives and it's standing room only, we squeeze in shoulder to shoulder
2.5-hour train ride, standing, within arm's reach of the heavily visited restroom
Eat half the unagidon and pass it to AJ who is about 5 people/7 feet away At least I got to sit on my luggage...Steph was totally squished by the b-room. I wanted to kidney punch anyone who climbed over me (and everyone else) more than once. So looking forward to the shinkansen, but it was like a can of sardines in an 225F oven. One school aged dude in front of me was watching Bieber Music vids on his ipod touch the whole time, while his buddy next to him looked at fetishy girly magazines...Pretty sure you can guess which one disgusted me more [ed: As I write this, Steph just asked me "Are you sighing just at remembering this stuff?]
4:06P … Arrive at Shin-Osaka station, head to Midousuji line
4:26P … Arrive at Hommachi station, walk a long detour and then 4 blocks to the hotel
4:40P … Arrive at hotel
We did not have reservations, because the on-line system wasn't working but we did send them an e-mail request. They hadn't looked at our email but were able to give us a room. Score! Highlight of this stretch was our hotel room...too bad we had to use it to be online the whole time to figure out what to do next
March 18: Osaka to Frankfurt (21 hours)
[ Booked flight and hotel the morning prior ]
3:30A … Wake up, shower, pack and head down to lobby MISERABLE
4:35A … Our taxi is ready to take us to Namba Nankai station, quick drive (trains not running at this hour)
4:50A … Buy tickets and wait on the platform/train for departure Clubbing hoes out in full effect waiting for trains home to start up!
5:15A … Train departs for 43-min ride to Kansai Airport
5:58A … Train arrives, walk across skyway to check-in counter
6:10A … Walk around dining courts and realize shops don't open until 7:00A, sit around no place to nap
7:00A … Windowshop our dining options and decide on one with toast on the menu, last minute purchase of Osaka Mini Choco Banana Kuchen
7:30A … Head into gate area and wait
8:35A … Flight to Narita departs
9:55A … Flight lands, walk over to international terminal, dump our full bottle of shikwasa juice (domestic flights allow full-size bottles of liquids through security) that one was whack, luckily we drank all of the good one.
10:??A … Realize we're in Tokyo and can finally buy some Tokyo Banana! buy 2 kinds: original and kurobe (chocolate), wait around gate area for flight
12:30P … Flight to Frankfurt departs
12.5-hour flight, flying mostly over Russia, watch at least 4 movies in a row I watch Battle Ship Yamamoto (again), and Partners: The Movie 2, she watches stuff with Katherine Heigl, we both watch Morning Glory...Harrison Ford is terrible in that.
4:45P … Land at Frankfurt Main, wait in passport line, wait in baggage claim, grab taxi
20- to 30-minute drive to hotel
5:30P … Check in at hotel in the suburb of Griesheim (don't stay there, just don't do it) Don't be fooled by the nice pictures and seemingly nice accommodations, this is as business as it gets, more expensive than our $30/night place in Sapporo, except the combo soap/shampoo is on dispensers bolted to the walls. Internet is free, but hella slow and only in the lobby, and you have to ask for a new login every hour. Eats are pretty limited and a walk, but a local Doner Kebab saves the evening. Oddly, a super high proportion of italian places in the area (we're not that near the border are we?) plus a Thai buffet that looked oh so tempting... We wanted to do laundry, but there are no facilities in the area...to do it we took a tram ride into the city (15min) plus hiked another 35 min to a laundry. It's right next to a super discount grocery store and chinese restaurant that wasn't open. Nothing else in the area. If you ever get stuck there, maybe the russian deli would be a better option? After laundry, wanted to mail some heavy ass books home...but we missed the post office by 30 min. Boo. My hand will continue to be cut by the bag, and I'll have to carry that shit for a few more days. One consolation is that we hit up the local brew house for some delicious beers and tasty meatz.
March 20: Griesheim to Milan (13 hours)
8:53A … Get to tram platform one block away from the hotel I wanted to print out our train tickets, since there are clear instructions to do so on the ticket itself. Ask the front desk at this "business" hotel if we could print out our ticket. Clerk, with laserjet printer directly behind her says, "sorry, that is not possible, we are only allowed to print out our own stuff, and there is no printer available for the guests. However, please let me see your ticket? *I show her the .pdf*, Ah, yes, you should be fine, you can print out these tickets at the station. I've done so myself. "Okay", I say...and off we go!
9:02A … Tram arrives to bring us close to Darmstadt Hbf station, walk a couple blocks to actual station
9:19A … Get train tickets to Frankfurt Hbf
9:30A … Train to Frankfurt leaves (had planned on taking the 10:30A train, but wanted to get out of Griesheim asap)
9:48A … Arrive at Frankfurt
Ask ticket counter to print our ticket for us. It is against their policy and they suggest an internet cafe at the end of the station. Instead, we walk to a nice-looking hotel across the street and they happily allow us to use their printer. Then back to the station. LYING BITCH! Our hotel couldn't possibly print our ticket for us, yet this random ass hotel right next to the station so kindly lets us print it out...doesn't ask for a charge, and they even ask if we'd like to use their internet for free. Umm, we're staying there next time.
Walk around, check where our platform is, look for lunch
10:15A … Sit down for lunch of bratwurts
10:45A … Get a couple seats at Starbucks and enjoy the 2 hours of free wifi The most productive 2 hours online in the past 2 days. Speed and reliability = less headaches. Props to Starbuxo!
12:42P … Scheduled departure time for our train
12:52P … Actual departure time for our train (10 minutes late) And so the dominoes start to fall.
1:15P … Scheduled arrival time at Mainz Hbf
1:20P … Departure time of next connecting train
1:35P … Actual arrival time at Mainz (20 minutes late)
1:40P … Catch later train at Mainz (20 minutes later)
2:10P … Scheduled arrival in Koblenz Hbf
2:16P … Scheduled train from Koblenz
2:35P … Actual arrival at Koblenz
3:16P … Catch later train from Koblenz to Bonn Hbf (1 hour later) Ugh, what happened to German reliability?
3:59P … Arrive at Bonn Hbf, take overpriced taxi instead of bothering with bus (at this point, who knows if they're reliable?!), 20- to 30-minute ride
4:30Pish … Walk back almost the full length of the terminal because the cab driver missed our airline stop Die, Allied Schweinehund!, check in, go through security, wait at gate
6:25P … Flight departs Eva, auf Wiedersehen!
8:00P … Flight lands and the cabin erupts in applause, head to baggage claim, follow signs to the Malpensa Express, wait in line to purchase tickets, get on train
8:33P … Train departs, direct transit to Cadorna station in Milan
9:02P … Train arrives at Cadorna, make our way to the Metro portion of the station, figure out how to buy tickets, get on train to get 2 stations away
10:00ish … Find and check in at hotel after initially walking in the opposite direction of the hotel (difficult to navigate when you're tired and it's pitch dark out in an unfamiliar city)
Fortunately, our room was a lovely oasis. Comfy bed, large bathroom, wifi (not free, but good signal) and switches for everything including the window curtains. Ahhhh
3.31.2011
3.28.2011
side trips
in case you missed these posts on my other blog ...
[ click here: side trip to yingge ], just a quick train ride from taipei
and a [ click here: day trip to asahikawa ] from sapporo
[ click here: side trip to yingge ], just a quick train ride from taipei
and a [ click here: day trip to asahikawa ] from sapporo
3.27.2011
4 days, 2 people … 20 scoops of gelato
don't feel too bad for us. we've had some fun in the past week. fun which included lots of gelati.
after a full day in milan with zero gelato (shops appear to close early, like 9:30P), we went on a mission to find some. and made sure not to pass up any promising-looking shops, just in case they'd be closed later.
first stop, gelateria marghera, only a few blocks from our hotel. we had some chocolate and strawberry. delicious. and they had other pretty frozen desserts too, but figured it'd be too much for breakfast.
then after lunch and walking around some, we came across bottega del gelato, just off corso buenos aires, south of loreto station. it looked like their specialty is gelato stuffed back into the fruit skins (you can kind of see the stuffed limes behind my right shoulder). we just went with the straight gelato: banana, strawberry and kiwi. again, delicious.
then further down corso buenos aires, there was one of grom's locations in milan. i had already hit my gelato quota for the day, but someone else went for some more. crema and nougat. ok, i stole a few licks. yummy.
the next day, we took the train to venezia/venice. we found a spot for lunch and enjoyed the sun. and then realized we had not had any venetian gelato on that fine day yet. so we walked along the main road and picked a gelato shop. stracciatella, ciocolato, and variegato nocciola. boo, big thumbs down. it tasted kind of weird and there was lots of air turned into it. that was the last poor gelato for me. no more choosing just any shop. unfortunately, a shop we wanted to visit to make up for that mishap was closed.
the next day, we took the train to sarmeola, a small town in the munipality of rubano, in the province of padova. i repeat, small town. the only attraction there was a family-owned compound consisting of a hotel, a restaurant, a bar restaurant, and a shop. at the bar restaurant, we found delicious (and the cheapest!) gelato in all the land. pistachio was my first choice. so creamy, so true in flavor.
aj followed that up with a scoop of crema (custard with a hint of vanilla). mmm, why can't all gelati be this good?
the next morning, after breakfast, we had to have one last scoop. chocolate.
later that afternoon, we found our way back to venezia. and the shop we were looking for the other day was finally open! aj got some fruit-flavored one (apple?) and i got zenzero (ginger). icy but nice clean flavors. i really liked the ginger.
aj liked it so much, he went back for a third scoop. coffee.
we walked around the rest of the evening, and capped it off with two scoops of artisanal gelati: lemon and milk. so good. oh wait, now that i'm recounting it, aj definitely went back for another cone. what was the flavor?
and the next morning, while waiting at the airport gate for our flight to barcelona, aj walks over with a scoop of pineapple sorbet. pretty decent. but mental note, sorbets should be eaten in a cup, not a cone.
after a full day in milan with zero gelato (shops appear to close early, like 9:30P), we went on a mission to find some. and made sure not to pass up any promising-looking shops, just in case they'd be closed later.
first stop, gelateria marghera, only a few blocks from our hotel. we had some chocolate and strawberry. delicious. and they had other pretty frozen desserts too, but figured it'd be too much for breakfast.
then after lunch and walking around some, we came across bottega del gelato, just off corso buenos aires, south of loreto station. it looked like their specialty is gelato stuffed back into the fruit skins (you can kind of see the stuffed limes behind my right shoulder). we just went with the straight gelato: banana, strawberry and kiwi. again, delicious.
then further down corso buenos aires, there was one of grom's locations in milan. i had already hit my gelato quota for the day, but someone else went for some more. crema and nougat. ok, i stole a few licks. yummy.
the next day, we took the train to venezia/venice. we found a spot for lunch and enjoyed the sun. and then realized we had not had any venetian gelato on that fine day yet. so we walked along the main road and picked a gelato shop. stracciatella, ciocolato, and variegato nocciola. boo, big thumbs down. it tasted kind of weird and there was lots of air turned into it. that was the last poor gelato for me. no more choosing just any shop. unfortunately, a shop we wanted to visit to make up for that mishap was closed.
the next day, we took the train to sarmeola, a small town in the munipality of rubano, in the province of padova. i repeat, small town. the only attraction there was a family-owned compound consisting of a hotel, a restaurant, a bar restaurant, and a shop. at the bar restaurant, we found delicious (and the cheapest!) gelato in all the land. pistachio was my first choice. so creamy, so true in flavor.
aj followed that up with a scoop of crema (custard with a hint of vanilla). mmm, why can't all gelati be this good?
the next morning, after breakfast, we had to have one last scoop. chocolate.
later that afternoon, we found our way back to venezia. and the shop we were looking for the other day was finally open! aj got some fruit-flavored one (apple?) and i got zenzero (ginger). icy but nice clean flavors. i really liked the ginger.
aj liked it so much, he went back for a third scoop. coffee.
we walked around the rest of the evening, and capped it off with two scoops of artisanal gelati: lemon and milk. so good. oh wait, now that i'm recounting it, aj definitely went back for another cone. what was the flavor?
and the next morning, while waiting at the airport gate for our flight to barcelona, aj walks over with a scoop of pineapple sorbet. pretty decent. but mental note, sorbets should be eaten in a cup, not a cone.
3.26.2011
In Transit
You know how during job interviews or small talk, people usually ask what you like to do? Well, I usually respond that I like to travel. And what do you know, I've been mistaken the whole time … Traveling is not fun, especially when you do it for 3 long days within a 5-day span. So correction, I like to discover and enjoy other interesting cities. Please let me know when someone figures out the whole teleporting thing.
March 16: Sapporo to Osaka (9.5 hours)
7:00A … Leave the hotel and walk 2 blocks up to Sapporo Station
7:49A … Hop on the 36-minute train to New Chitose Airport
8:25A … Go up 2 flights of escalators to the check-in counter
8:35A … Circle around the central gift area for breakfast and settle on a couple fish cakes
9:??A … Head over to our gate and wait for flight, finally buy the Yoshimi Curry Curry Sticks we'd been seeing everywhere (delicious!)
10:30A … Flight to Haneda (Tokyo) departs
12:05P … Arrive at Haneda, pick up bags from baggage claim
12:30P … Head down to Keikyu line for the 25-min ride to Shinagawa
1:00P … Arrive at Shinagawa station and make our way to the Shinkansen area
1:07P … Miss the 1:07P train, pick up some unagidon for the ride
1:20P … Get in line for the 1:37P Nozomi train, 4th in line
1:37P … Train arrives and it's standing room only, we squeeze in shoulder to shoulder
2.5-hour train ride, standing, within arm's reach of the heavily visited restroom
Eat half the unagidon and pass it to AJ who is about 5 people/7 feet away
4:06P … Arrive at Shin-Osaka station, head to Midousuji line
4:26P … Arrive at Hommachi station, walk a long detour and then 4 blocks to the hotel
4:40P … Arrive at hotel
We did not have reservations, because the on-line system wasn't working but we did send them an e-mail request. They hadn't looked at our email but were able to give us a room. Score!
March 18: Osaka to Frankfurt (21 hours)
[ Booked flight and hotel the morning prior ]
3:30A … Wake up, shower, pack and head down to lobby
4:35A … Our taxi is ready to take us to Namba Nankai station, quick drive (trains not running at this hour)
4:50A … Buy tickets and wait on the platform/train for departure
5:15A … Train departs for 43-min ride to Kansai Airport
5:58A … Train arrives, walk across skyway to check-in counter
6:10A … Walk around dining courts and realize shops don't open until 7:00A, sit around
7:00A … Windowshop our dining options and decide on one with toast on the menu, last minute purchase of Osaka Mini Choco Banana Kuchen
7:30A … Head into gate area and wait
8:35A … Flight to Narita departs
9:55A … Flight lands, walk over to international terminal, dump our full bottle of shikwasa juice (domestic flights allow full-size bottles of liquids through security)
10:??A … Realize we're in Tokyo and can finally buy some Tokyo Banana! buy 2 kinds: original and kurobe (chocolate), wait around gate area for flight
12:30P … Flight to Frankfurt departs
12.5-hour flight, flying mostly over Russia, watch at least 4 movies in a row
4:45P … Land at Frankfurt Main, wait in passport line, wait in baggage claim, grab taxi 20- to 30-minute drive to hotel
5:30P … Check in at hotel in the suburb of Griesheim (don't stay there, just don't do it)
March 20: Griesheim to Milan (13 hours)
8:53A … Get to tram platform one block away from the hotel
9:02A … Tram arrives to bring us close to Darmstadt Hbf station, walk a couple blocks to actual station
9:19A … Get train tickets to Frankfurt Hbf
9:30A … Train to Frankfurt leaves (had planned on taking the 10:30A train, but wanted to get out of Griesheim asap)
9:48A … Arrive at Frankfurt
Ask ticket counter to print our ticket for us. It is against their policy and they suggest an internet cafe at the end of the station. Instead, we walk to a nice-looking hotel across the street and they happily allow us to use their printer. Then back to the station.
Walk around, check where our platform is, look for lunch
10:15A … Sit down for lunch of bratwurts
10:45A … Get a couple seats at Starbucks and enjoy the 2 hours of free wifi
12:42P … Scheduled departure time for our train
12:52P … Actual departure time for our train (10 minutes late)
1:15P … Scheduled arrival time at Mainz Hbf
1:20P … Departure time of next connecting train
1:35P … Actual arrival time at Mainz (20 minutes late)
1:40P … Catch later train at Mainz (20 minutes later)
2:10P … Scheduled arrival in Koblenz Hbf
2:16P … Scheduled train from Koblenz
2:35P … Actual arrival at Koblenz
3:16P … Catch later train from Koblenz to Bonn Hbf (1 hour later)
3:59P … Arrive at Bonn Hbf, take overpriced taxi instead of bothering with bus (at this point, who knows if they're reliable?!), 20- to 30-minute ride
4:30Pish … Walk back almost the full length of the terminal because the cab driver missed our airline stop, check in, go through security, wait at gate
6:25P … Flight departs
8:00P … Flight lands and the cabin erupts in applause, head to baggage claim, follow signs to the Malpensa Express, wait in line to purchase tickets, get on train
8:33P … Train departs, direct transit to Cadorna station in Milan
9:02P … Train arrives at Cadorna, make our way to the Metro portion of the station, figure out how to buy tickets, get on train to get 2 stations away
10:00ish … Find and check in at hotel after initially walking in the opposite direction of the hotel (difficult to navigate when you're tired and it's pitch dark out in an unfamiliar city) Fortunately, our room was a lovely oasis. Comfy bed, large bathroom, wifi (not free, but good signal) and switches for everything including the window curtains.
March 16: Sapporo to Osaka (9.5 hours)
7:00A … Leave the hotel and walk 2 blocks up to Sapporo Station
7:49A … Hop on the 36-minute train to New Chitose Airport
8:25A … Go up 2 flights of escalators to the check-in counter
8:35A … Circle around the central gift area for breakfast and settle on a couple fish cakes
9:??A … Head over to our gate and wait for flight, finally buy the Yoshimi Curry Curry Sticks we'd been seeing everywhere (delicious!)
10:30A … Flight to Haneda (Tokyo) departs
12:05P … Arrive at Haneda, pick up bags from baggage claim
12:30P … Head down to Keikyu line for the 25-min ride to Shinagawa
1:00P … Arrive at Shinagawa station and make our way to the Shinkansen area
1:07P … Miss the 1:07P train, pick up some unagidon for the ride
1:20P … Get in line for the 1:37P Nozomi train, 4th in line
1:37P … Train arrives and it's standing room only, we squeeze in shoulder to shoulder
2.5-hour train ride, standing, within arm's reach of the heavily visited restroom
Eat half the unagidon and pass it to AJ who is about 5 people/7 feet away
4:06P … Arrive at Shin-Osaka station, head to Midousuji line
4:26P … Arrive at Hommachi station, walk a long detour and then 4 blocks to the hotel
4:40P … Arrive at hotel
We did not have reservations, because the on-line system wasn't working but we did send them an e-mail request. They hadn't looked at our email but were able to give us a room. Score!
March 18: Osaka to Frankfurt (21 hours)
[ Booked flight and hotel the morning prior ]
3:30A … Wake up, shower, pack and head down to lobby
4:35A … Our taxi is ready to take us to Namba Nankai station, quick drive (trains not running at this hour)
4:50A … Buy tickets and wait on the platform/train for departure
5:15A … Train departs for 43-min ride to Kansai Airport
5:58A … Train arrives, walk across skyway to check-in counter
6:10A … Walk around dining courts and realize shops don't open until 7:00A, sit around
7:00A … Windowshop our dining options and decide on one with toast on the menu, last minute purchase of Osaka Mini Choco Banana Kuchen
7:30A … Head into gate area and wait
8:35A … Flight to Narita departs
9:55A … Flight lands, walk over to international terminal, dump our full bottle of shikwasa juice (domestic flights allow full-size bottles of liquids through security)
10:??A … Realize we're in Tokyo and can finally buy some Tokyo Banana! buy 2 kinds: original and kurobe (chocolate), wait around gate area for flight
12:30P … Flight to Frankfurt departs
12.5-hour flight, flying mostly over Russia, watch at least 4 movies in a row
4:45P … Land at Frankfurt Main, wait in passport line, wait in baggage claim, grab taxi 20- to 30-minute drive to hotel
5:30P … Check in at hotel in the suburb of Griesheim (don't stay there, just don't do it)
March 20: Griesheim to Milan (13 hours)
8:53A … Get to tram platform one block away from the hotel
9:02A … Tram arrives to bring us close to Darmstadt Hbf station, walk a couple blocks to actual station
9:19A … Get train tickets to Frankfurt Hbf
9:30A … Train to Frankfurt leaves (had planned on taking the 10:30A train, but wanted to get out of Griesheim asap)
9:48A … Arrive at Frankfurt
Ask ticket counter to print our ticket for us. It is against their policy and they suggest an internet cafe at the end of the station. Instead, we walk to a nice-looking hotel across the street and they happily allow us to use their printer. Then back to the station.
Walk around, check where our platform is, look for lunch
10:15A … Sit down for lunch of bratwurts
10:45A … Get a couple seats at Starbucks and enjoy the 2 hours of free wifi
12:42P … Scheduled departure time for our train
12:52P … Actual departure time for our train (10 minutes late)
1:15P … Scheduled arrival time at Mainz Hbf
1:20P … Departure time of next connecting train
1:35P … Actual arrival time at Mainz (20 minutes late)
1:40P … Catch later train at Mainz (20 minutes later)
2:10P … Scheduled arrival in Koblenz Hbf
2:16P … Scheduled train from Koblenz
2:35P … Actual arrival at Koblenz
3:16P … Catch later train from Koblenz to Bonn Hbf (1 hour later)
3:59P … Arrive at Bonn Hbf, take overpriced taxi instead of bothering with bus (at this point, who knows if they're reliable?!), 20- to 30-minute ride
4:30Pish … Walk back almost the full length of the terminal because the cab driver missed our airline stop, check in, go through security, wait at gate
6:25P … Flight departs
8:00P … Flight lands and the cabin erupts in applause, head to baggage claim, follow signs to the Malpensa Express, wait in line to purchase tickets, get on train
8:33P … Train departs, direct transit to Cadorna station in Milan
9:02P … Train arrives at Cadorna, make our way to the Metro portion of the station, figure out how to buy tickets, get on train to get 2 stations away
10:00ish … Find and check in at hotel after initially walking in the opposite direction of the hotel (difficult to navigate when you're tired and it's pitch dark out in an unfamiliar city) Fortunately, our room was a lovely oasis. Comfy bed, large bathroom, wifi (not free, but good signal) and switches for everything including the window curtains.
3.20.2011
Japan: Things of Note
I don't know if you know this, but about 18 months or so ago, I had a plan. A plan to move to Japan, for at least a year. I called it my ... Japlan. Get it? Anyway, with all the business of work visas and such, it didn't pan out. So this trip was meant to be a sort of consolation prize, with 6 weeks spent across the country. Then with the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant leaks, our trip got cut short. Again, my plans for an extended stay in Japan have been foiled. Perhaps we'll try again in another year.
Anyway, here are some fun and interesting tidbits we observed during our week or so in Hokkaido and Osaka.
Adults, running. We saw this every day, multiple times. And almost all of them ran the same way: arms straight down, running only from the knee down. And a couple times, we found ourselves doing it too, but only because we were following someone showing us directions, which brings us to . . .
Showing directions. When you ask for directions, you'd expect someone to just tell you something like "go straight for two blocks and turn right." At least a couple times on this trip, instead of verbal directions, the person would run out of their shop and walk/run us towards our destination until we were within sight of it. One lady even ran 2 or 3 long blocks for us, in the icy snow, wearing only her long-sleeved shirt and apron. And our destination was just a soft cream shop, not even something important like a hospital or post office or hotel. That is some Japanese hospitality!
Super-cutely dressed children. It's the norm. I don't think we saw any child who wasn't dressed cute and stylish. (No, I take that back. The foreign kids were dressed pretty normal.) And I'm not talking about those silly sweatshirts with animals and random words on them. I'm talking about children who would put baby Gap models, and even Zara kids models to some extent, to shame. We'll have to figure out how to get non-boring clothes for our future kiddies.
Restrooms. I'm sure you've heard all about the Toto warmlets and washlets with the warm seats and water sprays. But the restrooms go beyond that to be even more accommodating. One women's lounge had a separate room with maybe a dozen vanity stations so women could put their makeup on, and women were actually using them. Another restroom had a mini toilet next to the main toilet for the little ones to use. And yet another restroom had an extra smaller toilet seat that could be used for kids.
Hotel toiletries. Loved that the hotels we stayed at had Shiseido shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Plus everything else you might need for your stay, including a toothbrush and toothpaste, razor, and comb. Most of this stuff elsewhere, you'd have to ask the front desk or housekeeping for them.
Non-smoking zones. Sapporo has a 4x12-block section of downtown where smoking even on the streets is prohibited. Loved it!
Airport baggage claim. I don't know if this applies to all airlines in Japan or just Japan Airlines. Either way, they were awesome. Imagine a baggage carousel where all the suitcases are oriented on the belt such that the handles are facing out. So all you have to do is grab the handle when your bag comes by. No need to reach across if your bag is stacked above another bag, because none of them are! Amazing. And that's the amazingness of JAL's baggage claim area.
Anyway, here are some fun and interesting tidbits we observed during our week or so in Hokkaido and Osaka.
Adults, running. We saw this every day, multiple times. And almost all of them ran the same way: arms straight down, running only from the knee down. And a couple times, we found ourselves doing it too, but only because we were following someone showing us directions, which brings us to . . .
Showing directions. When you ask for directions, you'd expect someone to just tell you something like "go straight for two blocks and turn right." At least a couple times on this trip, instead of verbal directions, the person would run out of their shop and walk/run us towards our destination until we were within sight of it. One lady even ran 2 or 3 long blocks for us, in the icy snow, wearing only her long-sleeved shirt and apron. And our destination was just a soft cream shop, not even something important like a hospital or post office or hotel. That is some Japanese hospitality!
Super-cutely dressed children. It's the norm. I don't think we saw any child who wasn't dressed cute and stylish. (No, I take that back. The foreign kids were dressed pretty normal.) And I'm not talking about those silly sweatshirts with animals and random words on them. I'm talking about children who would put baby Gap models, and even Zara kids models to some extent, to shame. We'll have to figure out how to get non-boring clothes for our future kiddies.
Restrooms. I'm sure you've heard all about the Toto warmlets and washlets with the warm seats and water sprays. But the restrooms go beyond that to be even more accommodating. One women's lounge had a separate room with maybe a dozen vanity stations so women could put their makeup on, and women were actually using them. Another restroom had a mini toilet next to the main toilet for the little ones to use. And yet another restroom had an extra smaller toilet seat that could be used for kids.
Hotel toiletries. Loved that the hotels we stayed at had Shiseido shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Plus everything else you might need for your stay, including a toothbrush and toothpaste, razor, and comb. Most of this stuff elsewhere, you'd have to ask the front desk or housekeeping for them.
Non-smoking zones. Sapporo has a 4x12-block section of downtown where smoking even on the streets is prohibited. Loved it!
Airport baggage claim. I don't know if this applies to all airlines in Japan or just Japan Airlines. Either way, they were awesome. Imagine a baggage carousel where all the suitcases are oriented on the belt such that the handles are facing out. So all you have to do is grab the handle when your bag comes by. No need to reach across if your bag is stacked above another bag, because none of them are! Amazing. And that's the amazingness of JAL's baggage claim area.
3.16.2011
Another new chapter
Due to the continuing deterioration of the situation in Daiichi, news this morning of fuel rod exposure along with the US Ambassador prescribing an 80km evacuation radius for US citizens (which is greater than the Japanese recommendation for its citizens), we have made arrangements to fly to Europe tomorrow morning.
Obviously we're sad to leave our trip to Japan incomplete. This visit was definitely a lot more than just a vacation for us, so in many respects this also sets both of us back professionally as well as personally. We caught a glimpse of what we came to see in Sapporo and Asahikawa, with people there showing not only incredible hospitality, but equally amazing skill and work. Their capacity and product of work definitely blurs the line between art and craft. In the Western world (at least in Western kitchens) there always seems to exist a debate between art vs craft...In particular, those who debate often position "art" as above "craft" and there are those in the kitchen who would see any attempts to create art in the kitchen as a pretentious pursuit. And if not that, they see it as a disrespect to the nobility of kitchen craft. Whether this is some form of asceticism or simple false-modesty or something else, I suppose, depends on the person. But, after seeing what goes on in Sapporo and Hokkaido, it seems to render the debate moot.
The life of a personal work is in the inextricability of art and craft.
3.15.2011
bad news/good news
the bad news is that we're canceling our visit to Tokyo
the good news is that we'll be spending more time in the Kyoto/Osaka region.
I really hope to get back to more fun blog posts soon...
3.11.2011
We're okay...
...but there were plenty of folks out there today who were far less fortunate. We, just like you, will be keeping them in our thoughts.
I'm deeply touched by everyone's concern, and for once I'm truly grateful for the internet. Just the thought of my family waking up in the morning (or middle of the night) to this kind of news, and then not knowing our status is something I've always feared. Luckily, at the very least, letting people know you're okay is easier and far more effective than ever before.
For some reason, as I've grown up, I've become jaded at the thought of earthquakes and natural disasters. I lived though '89 just fine, I've reasoned, so I've always kind of thought of people's earthquake fears (especially from those living outside of California) as blown out of proportion. Today, I can no longer think that way. One more thing I can not take for granted. As time goes by, and especially on my last few travels, I've come to realize just how tiny the world is. Whether it's in a good way (running into a friend on the street 5K miles from home), or a bad way, it just is true. When it comes to things "far away" I always have this perception of vastness, or largeness. But when you realize just how close everything really is, how connected we actually are, it becomes more and more difficult to think about what's happening as happening to "the other." There is no other, only parts of ourselves that we ignore or have yet to discover.
On a more positive note, life, safety, and the love of our friends and family...this is what carries us into the next day, and it is something I should be more thankful for, and hope to show more thanks for. I'm thankful for the fact that I'm in this with the love of my life, I'm thankful for our families for letting us be ourselves and loving us, I'm thankful for all of our friends, who make it their business to make sure that we're unhurt.
I pray for those who were hurt today and hope that the worst is over.
3.10.2011
earthquake in japan
we're pretty far from the epicenter of the quake (we're in sapporo, quake is ~240 miles northeast of tokyo), but we definitely felt it. for what felt like more than a minute. plus at least a couple more long aftershocks.
and as soon as realized what was going on, we both stationed ourselves under doorways. oddly though, no one else did. they just looked around and stood in the middle of the hallway.
and soon it was on all the channels we had.
we're ok. and seems like most others around here are too. just going about business as usual. hope the damage isn't much worse than what they're showing on tv.
and as soon as realized what was going on, we both stationed ourselves under doorways. oddly though, no one else did. they just looked around and stood in the middle of the hallway.
and soon it was on all the channels we had.
we're ok. and seems like most others around here are too. just going about business as usual. hope the damage isn't much worse than what they're showing on tv.
3.09.2011
Hokkaido
Our hotel room is the smallest one we've ever been in.
The latch on the door is falling off it's hinges.
The bedcover appears to be at least partially made from plastic.
The TV screen is smaller than the screens on our laptops.
We have to walk 2 blocks to steal Internet from another hotel's lobby.
It cuts out so much that it's taken 20 min to get this far.
It's freeeeeezing
I could not be any happier. For really reals.
I lub Hokkaido. BFF!
3.08.2011
one-day tour of taipei
we're just finishing up our third full day in taipei right now. taking a quick break before we head out to dinner. and possibly some more shave ice tonight, before we leave for our flight to sapporo early tomorrow morning.
anyway, our first full day in taipei was the longest day ever. seriously, longest. day. ever. and super tiring, due in part to the long day of travel just the day prior. and due more to the endless amount of walking we did.
i'm pretty sure we ended up packing all the highlights into that one day:
mini xlb at din tai fung (the mini ones are available only at certain hours on the weekends)
shopping/walking throughout taipei 101, shin kong mitsukoshi and bellavita
ride-along in the new audi a1 (i want one!)
back to the shilin food market for snackies
back out for beef soup noodle dinner
and back to shilin night market for dessert
then back to our room, where i passed out straightaway.
sure, all the walking and traveling can get a person tired. but i think there's something else that has added to the stress of being here in taipei: feeling lost and handicapped, mainly because of the language barrier. apparently, just because i look like everyone else here, they expect me to understand what they're saying. unfortunately, that's not the case, and i end up giving everyone the spitzer face and shaking my head.
getty images via nymag
luckily, i'm pretty good at reading maps and know enough chinese characters (or at least being able to compare characters) and have used universal hand gestures to make it work.
days 2 and 3 in taipei were a little more fun and relaxed. more on those days later.
anyway, our first full day in taipei was the longest day ever. seriously, longest. day. ever. and super tiring, due in part to the long day of travel just the day prior. and due more to the endless amount of walking we did.
i'm pretty sure we ended up packing all the highlights into that one day:
mini xlb at din tai fung (the mini ones are available only at certain hours on the weekends)
shopping/walking throughout taipei 101, shin kong mitsukoshi and bellavita
ride-along in the new audi a1 (i want one!)
back to the shilin food market for snackies
back out for beef soup noodle dinner
and back to shilin night market for dessert
then back to our room, where i passed out straightaway.
sure, all the walking and traveling can get a person tired. but i think there's something else that has added to the stress of being here in taipei: feeling lost and handicapped, mainly because of the language barrier. apparently, just because i look like everyone else here, they expect me to understand what they're saying. unfortunately, that's not the case, and i end up giving everyone the spitzer face and shaking my head.
getty images via nymag
luckily, i'm pretty good at reading maps and know enough chinese characters (or at least being able to compare characters) and have used universal hand gestures to make it work.
days 2 and 3 in taipei were a little more fun and relaxed. more on those days later.
3.07.2011
Taipei...before my downfall
After 18hrs of travel, including a super short connection in HKG, we decided to skip tucking into the comforts of our bed and decided to hit up the Shilin night market just a few blocks from our hotel. One of the "greatest hits" from the night market was our first snack:
Yep, it's fried chicken that's pretty much as big as your head. As far as I can tell, it's pretty much an entire half of a chicken, leg bones and wing tips removed. Nicely spiced, I picked up on cinnamon, star anise and lots of white pepper. (aka, crushed up bandaids...no, it's not as gross as it sounds, unless you're one of the lucky few who are sensitive to it). I'm pretty sure that the breading makes use of some sweet potato starch....while the crust is super crispy and crunchy, as the oil and chicken juice start to soak the crust, it gets this really nice chewy texture to it. It's somewhat similar to the "popcorn chicken" that you can get from boba tea shops back home...but definitely some significant differences.
Next up on the "greatest hits" list was the oyster pancake. Kind of hard to describe really...it's definitely no omelette, as the egg just seems to be the binder for all of the stuff in it. There're of course the oysters, we got shrimp as well, and then some greens, maybe cabbage, and some slimy starchy thing...not noodles, but definitely there. Like I said, kind of hard to describe. The oysters were pretty much warmed through rather than actually being cooked...nothing like fried oysters. All of it's topped off with a mild chili sauce. Interesting range of textures and new to me flavors, but personally not my favorite.
I keep being tempted by these gigantic sausages (yep, go ahead, comment, I dare you), but no matter how much I walked around seeing various carts with them, I did not see a single person eating one. So, is this like a to-go meal for the family...or just a joke that they play on unwitting tourists? (edit: later we figured out why we didn't see people munching down on giant tube steaks...they cut it up for you and serve it with raw garlic...and it's delicious!)
Looking to wash things down, we ordered up some freshly juiced bittermelon. Spiff actually hates bittermelon for the most part, but the taiwanese stuff (in addition to being white rather than green), is pretty mildly bitter. Even better it's pretty crisp and refreshing...definitely worth a shot regardless of your fondness for the thing. I'm pretty sure it would make for an excellent cocktail ingredient.
Yep, it's fried chicken that's pretty much as big as your head. As far as I can tell, it's pretty much an entire half of a chicken, leg bones and wing tips removed. Nicely spiced, I picked up on cinnamon, star anise and lots of white pepper. (aka, crushed up bandaids...no, it's not as gross as it sounds, unless you're one of the lucky few who are sensitive to it). I'm pretty sure that the breading makes use of some sweet potato starch....while the crust is super crispy and crunchy, as the oil and chicken juice start to soak the crust, it gets this really nice chewy texture to it. It's somewhat similar to the "popcorn chicken" that you can get from boba tea shops back home...but definitely some significant differences.
Next up on the "greatest hits" list was the oyster pancake. Kind of hard to describe really...it's definitely no omelette, as the egg just seems to be the binder for all of the stuff in it. There're of course the oysters, we got shrimp as well, and then some greens, maybe cabbage, and some slimy starchy thing...not noodles, but definitely there. Like I said, kind of hard to describe. The oysters were pretty much warmed through rather than actually being cooked...nothing like fried oysters. All of it's topped off with a mild chili sauce. Interesting range of textures and new to me flavors, but personally not my favorite.
I keep being tempted by these gigantic sausages (yep, go ahead, comment, I dare you), but no matter how much I walked around seeing various carts with them, I did not see a single person eating one. So, is this like a to-go meal for the family...or just a joke that they play on unwitting tourists? (edit: later we figured out why we didn't see people munching down on giant tube steaks...they cut it up for you and serve it with raw garlic...and it's delicious!)
Looking to wash things down, we ordered up some freshly juiced bittermelon. Spiff actually hates bittermelon for the most part, but the taiwanese stuff (in addition to being white rather than green), is pretty mildly bitter. Even better it's pretty crisp and refreshing...definitely worth a shot regardless of your fondness for the thing. I'm pretty sure it would make for an excellent cocktail ingredient.
3.06.2011
I've got the travel bug...
Unfortunately, this time, it's not the good kind. Oh well, sometimes when you eat everything in sight (particularly at various hawker stands in night markets)...you have to pay the piper.
Hey, at least that means as I convalesce I get to hit you with a little more of that blogger action.
So while we didn't quite have the time to hit up chinatown in Queens as originally planned, we did stroll on over to Manhattan's chinatown for some quick snacks and a look around:
Random meat shop, that for some reason had quite a bit more variety compared to the shops on Clement that I'm used to. I think what attracted me to the place was a small sign on the door promising crocodile meat? At least that's what I thought it said, either that or they were taking the "restroom for customers only" thing to a whole new level.
5 for a $1...always a standby for cheap eats. I had read that my old favorite had closed and reopened under new ownership, so I thought it'd be a good opportunity to try a new spot. Doesn't seem like there was as much(any) pink salt in these particular dumplings, but tasty regardless. I used to buy frozen bags of these and take them with me back to CA. Invariably, despite my best efforts, they'd defrost and end up glued together into a gigantic guo tie ball. Whenever I wanted to eat some, I'd have to break of whatever pieces I could manage and cook them anyway. A complete mess, but still totally worth it. Even Asian American Foods Co. in SF just couldn't compete...Even Spiff, the NYC skeptic (she doesn't like my favorite bagels, and pretty much "mehs" the pizza), said that these were uniquely tasty.
Straight from the line of Chinese grandmas and into the frying pan:
And just a couple more images from the day:
Random meat shop, that for some reason had quite a bit more variety compared to the shops on Clement that I'm used to. I think what attracted me to the place was a small sign on the door promising crocodile meat? At least that's what I thought it said, either that or they were taking the "restroom for customers only" thing to a whole new level.
5 for a $1...always a standby for cheap eats. I had read that my old favorite had closed and reopened under new ownership, so I thought it'd be a good opportunity to try a new spot. Doesn't seem like there was as much(any) pink salt in these particular dumplings, but tasty regardless. I used to buy frozen bags of these and take them with me back to CA. Invariably, despite my best efforts, they'd defrost and end up glued together into a gigantic guo tie ball. Whenever I wanted to eat some, I'd have to break of whatever pieces I could manage and cook them anyway. A complete mess, but still totally worth it. Even Asian American Foods Co. in SF just couldn't compete...Even Spiff, the NYC skeptic (she doesn't like my favorite bagels, and pretty much "mehs" the pizza), said that these were uniquely tasty.
Straight from the line of Chinese grandmas and into the frying pan:
And just a couple more images from the day:
3.04.2011
3.03.2011
5 hours in flavor country
Okay, so yes, by design this trip will contain some pretty serious culinary material...I expected that. But even by day two, my senses had been seriously dilated. So much so, that I'm going to have to skip what I was hoping to be a regular recap of the day's events and just focus on one part of our day.
I was told about Roberta's Pizza by my boss. Oddly enough, he didn't even tell me about the food...all he said was that the place looked like a gas station from the outside and that there was this crazy chef there that I should go check it out. What I found was...a pizza joint. No really, it's a pizza joint. 2 for $5 buds, or pitchers of nicer stuff, pizza, calzones, and some other italian specialties, NASCAR on the TV, bench seating. They throw bbqs when it's nice out. Grow veggies on their roof, oh and they also have a radio station?
In the midst of all this is Chef Carlo Mirarchi...and this is what *he* does: *clicky*
3.02.2011
bits and bites
It's kind of too bad that most shops don't exactly like you taking pictures of their interiors...and while I know most of you out there expect me to give play-by-plays of all the food we eat (and don't worry, I'm more than happy to oblige), a big part of the fun is seeing all the random little shops and areas with interesting vibes. Today I was introduced to Haus Interior, Love Adorned, Le Labo...and I finally made it to R by 45 RPM. Each can be as individual as the people behind them. I have a particular love for 45RPM...they happen to have a stone walkway inside the shop, and they water it on a regular basis. It's a small thing and totally random (who waters their indoor walkway?), but there's a certain beauty about it that I can't seem to let go of. I'll see if I can snag a picture of it at some point...anyway, there is a lot of beauty out there hiding in plain sight, and I'll do my best to share it with you.
Speaking of hidden beauty...if you ever get a chance to sit in front of Kenta Goto at the Pegu Club....do it! Goto-san's economy of movement and precision are something every cook wants to have and should work towards. We dropped in right at opening, so aside from a couple of other patrons at the bar and maybe two more tables, it was pretty much like a private drinking experience. Unfortunately, we couldn't linger since we had snack resos, but in a mere three drinks he gave us a taste of what he does. The house cocktail was a really nice intro to the place...history and modernity all in one glass. The Jamaican Firefly took the Dark and Stormy to a whole new place for me. Cohesion, balance, and spice really made it delicious. After these two drinks, and wanting to lighten things up a bit, I asked for Goto-san's suggestion. Having eaten one egg and toast for breakfast and some rice pudding for snack, another cocktail might have had me blitzed before dinner....so I asked for something more like an aperitif. What he put together was pretty much a "dish" focused around a single shiso leaf. Sake based, but with tequila and yuzu kosho as seasoning, it was exactly what I wanted without knowing what I wanted. What struck me was that all of the ingredients were all there to support the flavor of the shiso. It was a drink that reminded me of the way Chef puts dishes together...
3.01.2011
feels like vacation
just spent our first full day away from home. had a home-cooked meal last night with the family. gave my mom a hug. my dad dropped us off at the airport. and as of 10PM monday night, it was just the two of us.
we didn't do anything crazy today. just walked around the neighborhood, i.e. soho and east village. checked out a knife shop. made the requisite pilgrimage to muji. popped into madewell. generally walked about a mile or so. now consider, this is after waking up at 3:10AM monday morning, getting maybe only five hours of flight-quality napping on the flight over and having only this as breakfast.
we re-fueled with some rice pudding.
then continued our walking tour and visited a couple comps (small home decor shops). and had some tasty cocktails at pegu club [the site has music].
had some small bites in the east village. and went back to the apartment for a rest before heading out to dinner in queens. here is our lovely hostess. and yes, that is a three-piece pajama set.
took the train out to queens and met up with k&g for a canadian dinner.
at the end of dinner, we thanked g for taking care of the check. and he said something like, "there aren't too many dinners where i'm the only one not unemployed." and that's when it hit me. unemployed. well, technically, i'm self-employed now. but not yet at the point of generating any revenue. still just doing research and planning. on the car ride home, more thoughts swirled in my head. no more health insurance! i'm a free agent! being only the first day of freedom, it still feels like we're just on vacation. but this is real. i expect this won't be the last time i have these "whoa, i hadn't thought of it that way" kind of moments. kinda like this guy. you're sure it's all going to be ok. but it's still all pretty crazy.
we didn't do anything crazy today. just walked around the neighborhood, i.e. soho and east village. checked out a knife shop. made the requisite pilgrimage to muji. popped into madewell. generally walked about a mile or so. now consider, this is after waking up at 3:10AM monday morning, getting maybe only five hours of flight-quality napping on the flight over and having only this as breakfast.
we re-fueled with some rice pudding.
then continued our walking tour and visited a couple comps (small home decor shops). and had some tasty cocktails at pegu club [the site has music].
had some small bites in the east village. and went back to the apartment for a rest before heading out to dinner in queens. here is our lovely hostess. and yes, that is a three-piece pajama set.
took the train out to queens and met up with k&g for a canadian dinner.
at the end of dinner, we thanked g for taking care of the check. and he said something like, "there aren't too many dinners where i'm the only one not unemployed." and that's when it hit me. unemployed. well, technically, i'm self-employed now. but not yet at the point of generating any revenue. still just doing research and planning. on the car ride home, more thoughts swirled in my head. no more health insurance! i'm a free agent! being only the first day of freedom, it still feels like we're just on vacation. but this is real. i expect this won't be the last time i have these "whoa, i hadn't thought of it that way" kind of moments. kinda like this guy. you're sure it's all going to be ok. but it's still all pretty crazy.
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