Noodles Yum!

Today was a pretty tiring day - full day of class + make up class and a final exam. Hence the excuse to treat myself a little and I ended up eating out for both lunch and dinner - but I'm so glad!

Lunch was a great recommendation by ZQ - Japanese class classmate - to a tiny little shop selling Abura Soba (油そば). About 10-15 min walking distance from the main gates of school. And when I said tiny, I meant TINY. The shop had counter space for maybe 10? And enough standing space for 2 to cook behind the counter. The shop opens till 4am and apparently it is not uncommon to see a long queue outside at 1am. Abura Soba is actually more like ramen, with no soup and just a little bit of some kinda soy-based sauce, topped with bamboo shoots and a slice of grilled pork. On the table, there's some kinda of dried chilli paste, vinegar and (not spicy) chilli oil which you can add at your own preference. 600 yen for 1 regular-sized bowl may not seem very cheap, but the serving is SO filling. And YUMMY!

(Our shop looked pretty much like this one - though the picture is not taken by me. Too busy eating! >.<)

Dinner was a spontaneous decision to try Champon(ちゃんぽん)! There's a shop nearby the dorm that opened about 2-3 months ago by the same people at Ippudou and so finally got to try it today. Especially hooked when Jf mentioned that it's something like hokkien mee - which I loveee. And it certainly almost felt like it. It had a variety of ingredients from long cabbage to squid, egg, pork and fish cake (gosh! first time!) and was cooked in a flavourful gravy with ramen-like noodles. Again very yummy and very filling! Came back to find out that this was actually a dish that a Chinese created in Nagasaki - and apparently has Fujian origins hence the similarity to Singapore's hokkien mee huh. I like Champon! So much so that it helped me decide that I shall certainly go to Nagasaki/Kyushuu region this summer - whether on homestay or some other way.

Food =) yayyy.

Random Things

Interesting trivia:

Apparently Japan has one of the world's most expensive pizzas; second only to Norway.

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One of my floorball friends at the club is a Norwegian married to a Japanese; and they had met whilst studying in England. He can't speak Japanese (yet; learning but still very basic) and she can't speak Norwegian. Was just thinking earlier what it's like to be communicating in one's second language most of the time. Or perhaps for them it's close to their first anyway. Hmm.

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Just played my first match with Chofu today, albeit a friendly and not the Japan Cup. But didn't go too well, and the worst thing was, I forgot to enjoy the game. Hopefully won't be repeating this!

School

Although it's just been 1 week after winter break ended, it's almost time for the end of the first school semester (in about 2 weeks!). Which means nows the time where project deadlines, essay submissions and final exams are here, there and everywhere. Plus I need to decide on what to do during my 2-month spring break as well. Work? Travel? Homestay? How much? How far? How long? - Such a headache.

But so anyway, pardon a probable silence till exams are over! =)

Things to Do In Tokyo - Grand Sumo Tournament Jan 2010

This recent Sunday, Hoi Yin and I went to watch the Grand Sumo Tournament 2010! Fah was supposed to come along as well but she wasn't back from Thailand yet, so called Yang Chen instead and he joined us in the afternoon. Sumo is the national sport of Japan, with roots from even before Edo period even though it was popularised and nationalised then. I never knew much about Sumo so going to this event was certainly an eye-opener!

The Sumo Grand Tournament　(大相撲協会) happens 6 times a year - thrice in Tokyo and once each in Nagoya, Kyushu and Osaka. The tournament lasts 15 days and each sumo wrestler (rikishi　力士) gets to fight once each day. The one with the best record of wins at the end of the tournament wins the coveted Emperor's Cup. One of the most interesting things about Sumo (to me anyway) is the rigid hierarchical rankings. Who you fight is not based upon weight/height or any physical-related factors - rather it's upon your ranking. The sumo rankings (banzuke) is really complicated, with 4 divisions and 5 different rankings in just the top division. Basic rule for Sumo is basically to force your opponent out of the ring (dohyou 土俵) or force him to touch the ground with any part other than feet.

Even though the first fights started at about 9am, we went around 11am instead and it was SO empty, even though the tickets were almost sold-out. Lowest rankings start first, building up to a climax where the highest ranks fight last at 6pm. So most people only started coming at about 3pm, after the middle division fights started. The difference between the lowest ranks and the upper ranks was marked though - from size and fighting technique, to crowd response, to prepatory rituals and sponsors. The fight itself is actually less than a minute most times, but the prepatory and obligatory pre-fight rituals and cold war (shikiri 仕切り) often lasted up to the maximum 4 minutes that was allowed. This was only for the top ranks though - beginners had to start immediately. Okay less talk and some pictures:
(The arena at about 11.30am...)

(Sumos stay in traditional sumo stables - like a martial arts centre - and are paid a salary according to their divisional ranking. Only the top sumos often get sponsors - and one had like almost 20.)

(The coveted Emperor's Cup.)

(Speaking of which, guess who came unannounced? The Imperial Couple!)

(Several other prizes are given out each tournament as well like Best Techinique, Biggest Upset and Fighting Spirit.)

(Past winners get a huge potrait-picture up on the walls of the Kokugikan 国技館.)

(The Shinto Shrine roof that hangs above the sumo wrestling ring. Surprisingly, Sumo had alot of ties with Shinto religion, including actions like throwing salt to purify the ring, and stomping the left leg then right leg to drive away evils, or even just the Shinto-priest-like headgear of the match referees.)

(And the sold-out crowd at 4pm.)
(A sumo wrestler performing the Bow Dance after the last fight - it's a victory dance on behalf of all the winners of that day's bouts.)

Interesting fact about Sumo:
- The highest rank (yokozuna) is not one that is automatically granted upon winning tournaments. The Sumo federation and elders have to approve that the candidate is 1) consistently good enough, and 2) is character-worthy; because once a yokozuna, you never get demoted. Instead if you drop in standards, you are expected to retire.
- There are only 2 yokozunas now and both are Mongolians (Asashoryu and Hakuho).
- Besides Mongolians, there are Georgians, Russians and Bulgarians within the top division too.
- The referees are ranked as well, with the lowest rank ones going barefoot into the ring.
- The silk cloth wrapped around the sumo's waist and lower body is called mawashi.
- Being a sumo is more than a sport - it's a way of life. Staying at the Sumo Stables, doing chores and training according to rank, not being allowed to wear anything else but the traditional Japanese garb of yukatas, skipping breakfast, eating chanko-nabe for big lunch and sleeping afterwards...
- The sumo ring is considered sacred, and women are never allowed into it.

The last one is such bullshit honestly but it just totally reeks of Japanese-ness to me. The previous Osaka governor (a female) challenged this because she was to give out the trophies but the elders refused to budge, citing tradition. Sumo is declared as a 'modern Japanese sport' but everything in it is from centuries-old traditions. Interesting.

Tsukiji Market 築地

Last Tuesday (5 Jan), finally went to Tsukiji Market (築地)after being in Tokyo for 4 months. JF's brother was on visit here from Singapore, so we went in a big group of 8 people. 5 Singaporeans, 1 Taiwanese, 1 Finnish, 1 American. The famous tuna auction was closed to outsiders till 23rd Jan though, so we did not make the early wee hours trip (3-4am) but instead went at about 9am. Just in time to see the last vestiges of fresh fish market transactions and feel the dying-down bustle of the place.

Of course a trip there cannot be complete without a taste of the freshest sushi of course. The apparently best 2 sushi places were Dai Sushi and Sushi Daiwa, and both had loooooooooooong queues. Dai Sushi had the longest queue - it snaked in front of the shop, paused and picked up on the other end of the row of shops. So we went into Yamazaki which was a few doors down instead, because as much as yummy food is a must-go, queueing up is not quite the best way to spend one's time though, especially since we had 8 people.

In these 4 months, I've only beared to have sushi twice, and both times at kai-ten sushi of course (discount conveyor belt sushi). And I've always heard that Tsukiji is expensive but never realised how much more until I saw the menu which listed the cheapest sushi to be 400yen EACH and going up to 700yen each for the more exotic catches. Gritting my teeth against the shock of the prices, I just ordered whichever I felt I had to try (for novelty or for comparison) and mentally told myself that I'll definitely find a tiny village somewhere one day and enjoy cheap, fresh sushi then. Maybe 2 years later. So below are the pics of most that I tried:
(The sushi chef. There were just two elderly men manning the sushi counter - one was a nigiri (hand rolled sushi) specialist, whilst the other was the maki (sushi rolled in nori seaweed and topped with the seafood) specialist.)

(After you order, they place a fresh leaf on the ledge in front of you, together with pickled gingers and a pinch of freshly grated wasabi.)

(And the adventure begins! Started off with(L-R) Kanpachi (yellowtail stomach), Maguro (tuna) and Hirame (flounder). Before I came to Japan, my favourite sashimi was always hamachi (yellowtail) but now, it's Kanpachi. And I only just found out that day that it's actually the same fish, just that kanpachi was the fattier stomach part. <3 )

(That was followed by (L-R) salmon and toro (2nd grade tuna belly). Tuna has 3 grades - maguro (red colour, fillet part of tuna fish), toro (middle grade; fattier than maguro, hence pink rather than red) and Otoro (prized grade; fattiest tuna belly part, melts in your mouth). I also tried the Otoro (1st grade tuna belly) which was more expensive but I actually like the middle grade one (toro) best.)

(Amaebi - sweet shrimp. Not bad but I still think that prawns taste best when freshly cooked and in white wine for some reason. Yums.)

(And this is... abalone! Tried it for curiosity but will probably be the last time. Somewhat tasteless and still hard.)

I also tried uni (sea urchin) because I had tried it before at kaiten sushi and it wasn't all that good then. Kinda fishy and slimy. But this time was really good. I guess uni is one of those (like ika, prawns and maguro) where the freshness really makes alot of difference. This was smooth and not fishy at all - slid down the throat a real pleasure.

The whole experience was pricey yes, but really one of those that make you realise "oh, it can actually be sooo good". I still hope to do a roadtrip in Japan's less known areas and walk into a family-run sushi place with cheap but fresh sushi though!

Winter Break Trip - Osaka/Nara/Kobe Part 2

Second day in Osaka was spent at the rather famous Osaka Aquarium.
(Osaka Aquarium - Otters, dolphins, sharks, rays, penguins, jellyfish etc...and more. )

Ate 串かつ(ku-shi-ka-tsu) for lunch. Kushikatsu is apparently another Osaka specialty, where most of the food is served on skewers and you dip it in batter, then panko flour (something like bread crumbs) and deep fry the stick in a small fryer in front of you at the table. Interesting.


(The number of skewer/sticks on the girls' side of the table. Yum.)

After that was mostly spent walking around in Ame-mura (short for Amerika Mura; mura = village) which is a shopping area. Osaka fashion is somewhat louder and more colourful than Tokyo's - almost like an ahlian version, but it could be said that it's a much more individualistic and self-confident image than Tokyo's depressing sea of black coats. The people seemed more friendly and direct too, quite in contrast to Tokyo's politeness and keep-to-oneself feeling.

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Day 3 was spent at Nara - famous for its free-ranging deers and ancient Buddhist temples/shrines. Visited Todaiji, apparently the oldest and biggest wooden temple in the world maybe? Very pretty. The deers were some sort of nuisance though, especially if one was carrying a handful of the deer crackers - they'd come chasing after you.

(The beautiful Todaiji - biggest wooden Buddhist structure in Japan and maybe in the world too.)

Can't say I really liked Nara much - seemed too much like a tourist town, a town that never developed it's own modern character beyond displaying it's old glories. I had very yummy omu (shortened from omelette in katakana) rice there though. Omu rice is usually a fluffy fluffy (japanese call it fu-wa fu-wa) creamy omelette atop a mound of 'chicken rice'. Their chicken rice is basically rice with chicken meat and 'fried' in tomato sauce. The whole thing is then topped with demi-glace sauce. Somehow the whole dish just came together as a pretty delicious combination. No pictures sadly - ran out of battery and too busy eating heh.

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Day 4 was mostly spent walking around Namba/Amerika-mura area for shopping since one of my friends really liked to shop there. The 3 of us spoke to a shopperson for almost 1 hour. Osaka people really seem more curious towards foreigners - perhaps maybe because Osaka isn't really crawling with foreigners like Tokyo sometimes seem to be.

In the evening, took our backpacks/duffels and boarded the local train for Kobe! Kobe - port city with the "exotic" atmosphere - was quite a change from either Tokyo or Osaka. Dinner was at a small individually-owned (not franchise yay!) and dinner was good. =)


(The menu was written/printed in beautiful calligraphy script on what seemed like shaved wood.)

(My dinner - The lovely udon set meal. Came with so many things - rice topped with 1 prawn and omelette shreds, abit of tempura, udon and a mix of sushi!)

(A sashimi mix that I ordered and we all shared. All was good except for the squid/ika.)

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Day 5 was for Kobe and it was a surprisingly very likeable place! Despite all the 'what are you going to Kobe for? it's boring...' responses that we got prior to the trip. Beautiful mixture of architecture, many tooth-decay inducing patisseries, restaurants of various cuisines, a quietly vibrant frequency, sake breweries, the red port tower... and last but not least, KOBE BEEF.

(The entrance of the sake brewery museum we visited. Free entry and free sake-tasting. I like!)

(Before dinner, we went walking about Kobe - saw the European houses, Kobe's signature Red Port Tower and Nankin-machi, Kobe's Chinatown. As gaudily red and exaggerated as the place was, there was a sense of familiarity and comfort. =) )

(Last dinner of the trip in Kobe - went to a steak place and despite the hefty price tag of 4,500yen, I decided I really just had to try Kobe beef because once I got back to Tokyo, I just know I would never be able to willingly spend so much on it again. Normal price of 1 piece of Kobe beef is about 10,000yen anyway, so I went ahead and tried it. The moment I bit into a piece, I immediately thought: "I am NEVER going to be happy eating any other type of beef again...". It is THAT good.I still think about it.)

Winter Trip 2009 - Osaka/Nara/Kobe Part 1

So on the night of 22 December, Isabel, Dhani, Yang Chen and I boarded the night bus at Shinjuku bound for ....-drum roll-.... Osaka! The night bus was, well, quite bearable actually, except that I probably should bring a neck pillow if I ever repeat this experience - which I probably will since this is the cheapest means of transport for domestic travel... =/ Poor Dhani was not so lucky though, as he sat next to a rather (surprisingly) big-sized Japanese who kept talking with his friend the whole night. Arrived in Osaka the next morning at about 6am, and so the trip began!

23 Dec - Sze Ping, Osaka Castle, Peace Osaka, Namba, Okonomiyaki
Our hostel (Guesthouse U-en) was such a cosy place! We managed to book the private triple room for the 4 of us and paid just 300yen more than if we were to get the dorm beds. The whole place had an almost bohemian-feel and yet traditional Japanese style to it. Our room used to be part of a family home, so it was styled in the traditional Japanese decor of tatami mats, futons, and paper sliding doors. Nice!

Managed to meet up with Sze Ping (!) at the Osaka Castle Park, which was just a 15 minute walk from our hostel. Went into the main hall of the Osaka Castle as well, which has been converted into a museum of sorts, mainly detailing the life and exploits of the founder of the Osaka Castle - Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Pretty interesting but then again probably because I'm a history student heh =P.
(The Osaka Castle Main Hall - a converted museum about Hideyoshi Toyotomi.)

(Taking a photo together at a random face-cut-out in the Osaka Castle Park!)

Next up on the outskirts of the Osaka Castle Park was the Peace Museum Osaka, which I found to be a highlight of the trip. Having been to the Yushukan (War Museum @ Yasukuni Shrine) and seeing how amazingly biased it could be, this was surprisingly refreshing, with a whole exhibit on the WW2 atrocities as committed by the Japanese. At 250yen, this was probably the cheapest admission fee of the whole trip too.
(A pamphlet from Peace Osaka, of which the logo apparently reflects the whole universe if you look carefully.)

Went back to the hostel for a bit of much-needed nap, before heading out to Namba - one of the main nightlife/shopping centre of Osaka - and had Okonomiyaki dinner with Sze Ping! Unlike the bounenkai one at Chofu, the staff made the okonomiyakis for us here. I had extra cheese topping with my order and it was heavenly. Cheese = <3! Sze Ping and I were both lamenting that cheese in Japan is so darn expensive though blah. After dinner, Sze Ping went back to pack for her trip to China the next day, whilst we 4 walked around for a bit.

(At okonomiyaki dinner - Sze Ping!)

(Hungry Isabel, Yang Chen and Dhani looking sad whilst waiting for their okonomiyakis to be done.)

Paddy Xmas Party 22 Dec 2009

Amidst the rush of all the work due in the last week of school, and the never-ending small errands to do before going for the winter break trip, before one knew it, it was 22nd December - last day of school for 2009!

Had a Xmas party with the Paddy English Conversation circle at Shinjuku at a really pretty and cosy cafe/restaurant but my only gripe was that the food was far from sufficient =/ Tried a very yummy 杏酒(an-zu-shu) though. Pictures below!



Isabel, Dhani and I rushed off right after the Xmas party - rushed back to the dorm to pack for the Osaka trip! 45 mins to pack for 5 days haha. Oh well guess it's me, so what's new right? I remember having 40 mins to pack for Work and Travel in USA heh. Trip photos in the next post!

Chofu Floorball Club 忘年会

Back from the short trip to Osaka/Nara/Kobe, but more importantly, Happy New Year!

Will post my winter break photos in the next post, but for now, I realised I forgot to put up photos of the 忘年会 that I went for with fellow members of the Chofu Floorball Club! This was held on the 19th December, Saturday, and we had yummy Okonomiyaki(お好み焼き)!

忘年会(read bou-nen-kai) is basically like a year-end gathering/party that most people in Japan seemt to have as the year-end approaches. From as early as November, started seeing signs for these at restaurants and it always struck me how it's interesting that it'd literally mean "a gathering to forget the year". That's how I saw it anyway. Nonetheless, what an interesting experience it was.

Went to an okonomiyaki place at Shibasaki (near Chofu where I usually train) for the Bounenkai. And for 1300yen (19sgd~) you get to choose an okonomiyaki or monjyayaki, yakisoba and a free flow of softdrink as well as a soft serve ice cream. Pretty good deal. But what was more interesting was that I basically learnt how to make okonomiyaki and fry yaki soba!! The teppanyaki (hotplate/stove cooking thing) was in front of you at the table and you basically made it yourself. Yutaka, one of the male floorball players was absolutely pro at this! And he taught me how to cook yakisoba too! Am gonna try doing it myself next time.

Some pictures:


After okonomiyaki, they moved across the street for part 2 - the drinking part - so the high-schoolers went on home. Basically you pay a fixed price, and get to order any alcoholic (or not) drink on the menu for 1.5 hours or 2 hours and they provided several side dishes as well. It was in the traditional Japanese setting where they sit on the tatami-matted floor. So by the end of the night my legs were in pins and needles from having to sit on the floor - so uncomfortable I dunno how they do it! No photos though - forgot to take any. Highlight of the night was when I somehow 'won' a lot-drawing game and got a long-sleeved adidas jersey as a prize! Just in time, since I don't have any long-sleeved jerseys for training! Lady Luck must have been smiling down at me =)