Who's Rokko?
Rokko is a mountain near Kobe...
Last night Emma and I were taken to the summit lookout by our Japanese friend Toshi...
We met Toshi last week, he knows a lot of the NOVA people we work with. He invited us to cruise to Mt. Rokko with him...
So not only was it our first trip to Mt. Rokko, it was our first trip anywhere in a car in Japan...
Toshi has two cars, but last night drove in his van-like car... The car looks so small from the outside, but when you get in there's a ridiculous amount of room! Like crazy stretch-out-your-legs-in-the-front-and-back-seat room...
After a crazily wind-y (not a lot of wind, whynding... is it spelled the same? Weird...) route up the mountain (with an increasingly car-sick Emma) we got to the lookout...
It was extremely interesting to look from a great altitude upon the city of Kobe...
I took some night snapshots... They are located here. Enjoy!
8.19.2007
Don't be Afraid to Comment!
Is there an inherent fear of commenting?
After each blog entry, there is a spot that says:
After each blog entry, there is a spot that says:
8.16.2007
New Furniture!
Today we also finally got some furniture!
We now have a place to put things that we want to have on top of other things...
Check out the pics here!
Woo!
We now have a place to put things that we want to have on top of other things...
Check out the pics here!
Woo!
1st Package!
We got our first package today...And the winner is...
The lovely Ms. Bethaney Tschida! :)
Her prize? A call from Emma and I... A prize that, I think, is priceless...
We even took pictures! They can be found here.
We, of course, instantly made Mac and Cheese for dinner tonight... IT WAS GLORIOUS!!
I even took pictures... They can also be found here.
Yum yum yum yum yum yum!
And, I have to admit... I've already eaten 3 Kit-Kats... :)
8.14.2007
Who Cut the Cheese?
I did... Just now... From our Wish List...
Alrighty folks... Thanks to an overwhelming response, we are set for powdered cheese for a while... So you can cross that off the Wish List... But now you can add:
PEANUT BUTTER!
Any... A big jar of the cheapest most generic-y stuff you can find... The peanut butter over here comes in 5 oz. jars for 3 bucks and tastes a little off...
Thanks for all those sending packages! We'll take pictures of them when they arrive so you can see the smiles they put on our face!
:)
Alrighty folks... Thanks to an overwhelming response, we are set for powdered cheese for a while... So you can cross that off the Wish List... But now you can add:
PEANUT BUTTER!
Any... A big jar of the cheapest most generic-y stuff you can find... The peanut butter over here comes in 5 oz. jars for 3 bucks and tastes a little off...
Thanks for all those sending packages! We'll take pictures of them when they arrive so you can see the smiles they put on our face!
:)
8.13.2007
Some of Our New Favorites!
So when you go about the process of moving to Japan, along the way you have to tell a lot of people about it... And of course those people invariably want to know the same things... When you tell someone "I'm moving to Japan", their response is one of two things:
1. "Do you speak Japanese?" (As if I hadn't realized that people in
different countries speak different languages...)
2. "Do you like sushi?" (As if that's all Japanese people ever eat...)
So, in an effort to help people understand that all Japanese food is not sushi, here's a look at some of our favorite dishes we've eaten over here so far... Click on the names to go to the Wikipedia article on them:
Okinomiyaki - A "Japanese Omlettey-Pancake" made from eggs and cabbage, usually with some pork and seafood mixed in... Grilled and topped with a sweet semi-barbecue-y soy-y type-y sauce... Okinomiyaki restaurants usually have griddles built into the table and they serve it on your table sizzlin'! Yum!
Takoyaki - Are fried (yaki) balls (mant...) of batter, diced octopus (tako), and spices... A very similar sauce to okinomiyaki is put on them... They are usually fairly cheap (10 for $2.50)... Many many sidewalk shops sell them fresh while they cook them on the sidewalk or in the front window of the shop... Yum!
Yakisoba - Basically very similar to the Lo Mein noodles you get at a Chinese restaurant... Usually has bits of pork, octopus, and cabbage in them...
Beef Bowl - A bowl of rice with thinly sliced beef (or pork) and onions on top... Then a sweet soy sauce is drizzled over it... Served ridiculously fast when you order... I'm talking they take your order, they walk back to the kitchen and walk back with your bowl... Awesome... And most beef bowl places are open 24 hours, and a beef bowl is $2.50... And usually comes with...
Miso Soup - A broth-y semi-salty soup made from soy bean paste and various things... s'Good...
Curry and Rice - Just as it sounds, you get a plate that has some rice on one side, and curry on the other... We make rice in our rice cooker, then heat a curry packet in boiling water... Dinner in minutes! We like beef curry the best...
Nigiri-Sushi - Yes, we have eaten sushi... Yes, it is very good... Yes, it is raw fish... Usually I think people think all sushi is the rolled type of sushi... But actually, Nigiri-Sushi is more popular... It's basically a block of sticky rice with a slice of raw fish on top... s'Good... My favorite is salmon or tuna... Good stuff!
So those are some of our new favorites... Obviously there is so much more... I mean even a loaf of bread is different here!
Yum!
1. "Do you speak Japanese?" (As if I hadn't realized that people in
different countries speak different languages...)
2. "Do you like sushi?" (As if that's all Japanese people ever eat...)
So, in an effort to help people understand that all Japanese food is not sushi, here's a look at some of our favorite dishes we've eaten over here so far... Click on the names to go to the Wikipedia article on them:
Okinomiyaki - A "Japanese Omlettey-Pancake" made from eggs and cabbage, usually with some pork and seafood mixed in... Grilled and topped with a sweet semi-barbecue-y soy-y type-y sauce... Okinomiyaki restaurants usually have griddles built into the table and they serve it on your table sizzlin'! Yum!
Takoyaki - Are fried (yaki) balls (mant...) of batter, diced octopus (tako), and spices... A very similar sauce to okinomiyaki is put on them... They are usually fairly cheap (10 for $2.50)... Many many sidewalk shops sell them fresh while they cook them on the sidewalk or in the front window of the shop... Yum!
Yakisoba - Basically very similar to the Lo Mein noodles you get at a Chinese restaurant... Usually has bits of pork, octopus, and cabbage in them...
Beef Bowl - A bowl of rice with thinly sliced beef (or pork) and onions on top... Then a sweet soy sauce is drizzled over it... Served ridiculously fast when you order... I'm talking they take your order, they walk back to the kitchen and walk back with your bowl... Awesome... And most beef bowl places are open 24 hours, and a beef bowl is $2.50... And usually comes with...
Miso Soup - A broth-y semi-salty soup made from soy bean paste and various things... s'Good...
Curry and Rice - Just as it sounds, you get a plate that has some rice on one side, and curry on the other... We make rice in our rice cooker, then heat a curry packet in boiling water... Dinner in minutes! We like beef curry the best...
Nigiri-Sushi - Yes, we have eaten sushi... Yes, it is very good... Yes, it is raw fish... Usually I think people think all sushi is the rolled type of sushi... But actually, Nigiri-Sushi is more popular... It's basically a block of sticky rice with a slice of raw fish on top... s'Good... My favorite is salmon or tuna... Good stuff!
So those are some of our new favorites... Obviously there is so much more... I mean even a loaf of bread is different here!
Yum!
8.10.2007
Taco Night!
Mexican food is greatly amiss in Japan... At least in our part of Japan...
So what do we do for a nice dinner on our Sunday night?
We make some tacos.
Realize that taco seasoning (that (in America) usually costs 59 cents) costs (in Japan) $2.20...
That should give you a point of reference of how expensive it is to make tacos...
Also realize that Japanese cheese is non-existent... So all cheese is imported...
Thus you can see why a taco night is a big deal here... And worthy of a weekend night dinner and about an hours worth of bicycling, shopping, and walking...
We made the tacos... They tasted good...
Only thing missing... Sour cream...
So on our wish list (for now) is Mexican food...
So what do we do for a nice dinner on our Sunday night?
We make some tacos.
Realize that taco seasoning (that (in America) usually costs 59 cents) costs (in Japan) $2.20...
That should give you a point of reference of how expensive it is to make tacos...
Also realize that Japanese cheese is non-existent... So all cheese is imported...
Thus you can see why a taco night is a big deal here... And worthy of a weekend night dinner and about an hours worth of bicycling, shopping, and walking...
We made the tacos... They tasted good...
Only thing missing... Sour cream...
So on our wish list (for now) is Mexican food...
8.09.2007
Kobe!
Yesterday Emma and I walked around Kobe for about 6 hours... In the 90 degree heat... And the 6000% humidity... Whoo!
It was fun, lots of stuff in Kobe... Shops, restaurants, historical stuff... Here's a pic we took of the famous harbor:
We even stopped at Baskin Robbins.... I had a brownie sundae... Although the brownies were more like chocolatey sponge cakes, the ice cream (Rocky Road) was exactly the same as in America... Yum!
We ate at an Indian restaurant, Shiva.... Emma and I split a "Set" of food... Chicken Tikka, Tandoori Chicken, Curry, Naan, Meat and Cheese Kebab... Good stuff!
The mint chutney was suuuuuuuper good!
Then we came home and sat.... and didn't walk for the rest of the night...
It was fun, lots of stuff in Kobe... Shops, restaurants, historical stuff... Here's a pic we took of the famous harbor:
We even stopped at Baskin Robbins.... I had a brownie sundae... Although the brownies were more like chocolatey sponge cakes, the ice cream (Rocky Road) was exactly the same as in America... Yum!
We ate at an Indian restaurant, Shiva.... Emma and I split a "Set" of food... Chicken Tikka, Tandoori Chicken, Curry, Naan, Meat and Cheese Kebab... Good stuff!
The mint chutney was suuuuuuuper good!
Then we came home and sat.... and didn't walk for the rest of the night...
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