Hello all! I'm back! I know you've been basking in the experience of reading a blog entry from Ross but the time has come to come back to earth. Allie (the studious, blog conscious, consistent one) has come back from her brief hiatus. I though I'd do a quick little blog to mention a couple of little things we've been doing lately, just to keep busy and amused.
Movie Night A few weeks ago my best friend here in Japan, Natalie organised a girls night of 'Viking Dessert' and 'Sex and the City Movie'. Viking dessert (viking anything for that matter) refers to buffet or all you can eat meals. Some of the best viking dessert bars can be found in Osaka at the HEP 5 building. It's a big shopping centre with a giant red ferris wheel on top and has loads of great shopping, people watching opportunities and food. The Viking dessert we chose had lots of little sponge cakes and jellies and breads and make your own icecream sundaes and so on. Yum. The last time Ross and I went to a viking place we were amazed at the sight of someone we have come to believe was a professional eater. It's hard to explain now and was actually very hard to explain right after the fact but last time, Ross and I were just finishing our meal when a very petite girl entered the restaurant and began to eat. I am not saying this lightly, I have NEVER seen someone eat like she did. She heaped platefuls and platefuls of food and took them to the table and she would eat with a kind of frightening seizing and throwing back of her head as she sort of threw food down her throat. She was a tiny girl but we watched as she ate six heaped plates of pasta, bread, noodles, salad (conscientious eater) and fried meats then four heaped bowls of desserts. It was dazzling to watch her and also very unnerving. She would be mid mouthful (shovelful) and her eyes would dart around and despite the platefuls of food on her table she would return to the buffet, as if on a mission and collect another type of food. Then she'd return to the table and eat the previous foods and the new foods again. This happened repeatedly. We were completely taken in by her and by trying to figure out who (or what) she was....drugged? High? Just hungry? We left the restaurant shortly before her, and I'm not ashamed to say we decided to follow her for awhile. Just to figure out "what would she do next"???!!! Anyway, none of that madness this time, just a nice 'meal' at a viking dessert place with lots of friends and Erin's mum who was visiting - such a lovely mum! After dessert we headed over to TOHO cinemas, right near HEP5 where the lovely Natalie delivered the tickets she'd lined up for. There had been a mass lineup of women to see this movie and Nat and Sally had lined up for over an hour. I have actually never watched Sex and the Cuty on television but Ross had (yes, you read correctly) so he filled me in on some of the important details about characters and along I went. It was actually interesting cos so many of my friends were committed watchers of the show and were getting very emotional. I liked hearing all their thoughts on what should happen in the movie, and then their reflections on what actually did happen. A really lovely night out. PIZZA! I have been intending to do a blog all about food in Japan for a long time now and was especially encouraged to when I saw my friend Sam's food blog entry recently. I'll definitely have to get around to it as I have tons of interesting photos and its definitely something that keeps me busy, interested and focused in Japan - what will I eat next??? Ross and I like to eat out here a lot, especially with the heat of summer where we were not at all interested in cooking. It's not a matter of 'Should we eat out', it's a matter of 'where will we eat tonight?' It ends up costing about the same to eat out here as it does to stay in. Anyway, a few weeks ago Ross and I were sitting at home on a friday night. Friday is our day off but usually ends up being a stay at home day where we head to the gym or relax or clean or go for groceries. On Sundays we often go sightseeing or something. I like to make sure that whatever we do, on these two days we do something 'special'. This could be sightseeing or going for a walk or anything really but on this particular night, I decided it would be pizza. Pizza in Japan is a funny thing. Definitely nothing like home where we look down on Pizza Hut (or other people look down on Dominos but I love it) and head to our local Pizza place (Oh, I miss Pizza Heart in Box Hill). Here, pizza can be bought in Japanese bars (called Izakaya) or in Italian restaurants but the pizza here is extremely thin (not in a 'traditonal Italian super thin delicious way just in a super thin crappy piece of bread way) and not very tasty. We have had good pizza here - Ross likes putting tabasco sauce all over a cheese and bacon pizza thing at our local izakaya, our friend Rumi took us for woodfired pizza that was delicious and we've heard about a traditional southern style pizza place in Shinsaibashi that we keep planning to check out, but i will say one thing, we haven't had pizza like we remember it for a LONG time. And the main thing is, if you feel like pizza...you can't be satisfied unless you eat pizza like you love it! Pizza Hut is in Japan but it is extremely expensive and extremely strange. The pizza crusts here can be stuffed with cheese and sausages...the toppings include squid, broccoli, Caesar salad, spaghetti carbonara, tinned tuna, crab meat, pork rinds and tinned corn. Actually, my friend Cath believes in Japan you have to always 'find the hidden corn' as corn does tend to be 'hidden' in an extraordinary number of dishes at all different restaurants here in Japan. Anyway, Pizza Hut here is also very expensive so its very popular with people but definitely not eaten with any kind of regularity. This one Friday night, I decided our 'special thing' for the day would be ordering a pizza (woohoo go crazy Allie! - I can tell that's what you're thinking). Anyway, our closest Pizza Hut is a suburb and ten mins bike ride away in Tsukamoto. So i rode my bike down, ordered our $35 pizza (I know. It's extraordinary), cruised around Tsukamoto then picked up the pizza and using some mini basket style ocky straps I have bought to secure groceries, I strapped the pizza to the back of my bicycle and rode home. At one point i was riding alongside Pizza Hut delivery guy on his delivery scooter with pizzas in back. I was slightly embarrassed and a little bit proud of the piuzza strapped to my bike - I thought about winking with solidarity at him but decided my own satisfied feeling of 'You and me buddy, we're in this together' was enough. Great pizza. Great fun. Here;s the Pizza Hut Japan website if you're interested http://www.pizzahut.jp/menu/ (but no wiki Sam, I'll leave that to you!) :) Bryn's Birthday Last week Ross and I joined others to celebrate Bryn's birthday. It was good to catch up with some people we don't always get a chance to see and the beautiful meal at a Vietnamese restaurant in Umeda was really good too. It ended like most nights out here in Osaka; everyone standing around trying to figure out where to head next, trying to get into a few bars but being turned away cos there's too many of us (bars and restaurants in Japan don't like big groups) then deciding, of course, to head to the river! Yay! I love the river in Juso and hanging out by it is one of the most relaxing things to do. Sometimes we let off fireworks, sometimes we just chat. It's always good.
Time with Yoshimi I've finally had the chance to hang out with Yoshimi again recently. As her due date looms (yes, she's one of the pregnant ones) she is feeling better and better. Early in her pregnancy she was pretty much bedridden for two months where I couldn't see her at all but since early August we;ve been catching up again from time to time. Last weekend she took me to the Dick Bruna exhibition at Suntory museum near Osaka Aquarium. Probably not as exciting or meaningful for others but going to this exhibition meant a lot to me. Dick Bruna is the man behind 'Miffy', the famous Rabbit character from cartoons, books and a massive stationary demand here in Japan. Ten years ago I had the chance to stay with the loveliest family in Japan, the Nishimura family. Yoshimi was my host sister. The Nishimura family have the only licencing rights in Asia to Dick Bruna characters, so all the Miffy toys and stationary and goods that you see around Japan are made by Kutsuwa; Yoshimi's family's company. When I was 16 in Japan I visited the company, the factories, etc and had the best time with this family - so heading to this exhibition with Yoshimi was really important to me. We had such a lovely afternoon, talking and exploring the museum... Yoshimi was so sweet, helping me understand the more complicated Japanese, pointing out the famous characters and how the drawing has changed over the years, and even helping little children get books off the shelves to look at. I just know Yoshimi is going to be a great mum.
Hello all! I'm back! I know you've been basking in the experience of reading a blog entry from Ross but the time has come to come back to earth. Allie (the studious, blog conscious, consistent one) has come back from her brief hiatus. I though I'd do a quick little blog to mention a couple of little things we've been doing lately, just to keep busy and amused. Movie Night A few weeks ago my best friend here in Japan, Natalie organised a girls night of 'Viking Dessert' and 'Sex and the City Movie'. Viking dessert (viking anything for that matter) refers to buffet or all you can eat meals. Some of the best viking dessert bars can be found in Osaka at the HEP 5 building. It's a big shopping centre with a giant red ferris wheel on top and has loads of great shopping, people watching opportunities and food. The Viking dessert we chose had lots of little sponge cakes and jellies and breads and make your own icecream sundaes and so on. Yum. The last time Ross and I went to a viking place we were amazed at the sight of someone we have come to believe was a professional eater. It's hard to explain now and was actually very hard to explain right after the fact but last time, Ross and I were just finishing our meal when a very petite girl entered the restaurant and began to eat. I am not saying this lightly, I have NEVER seen someone eat like she did. She heaped platefuls and platefuls of food and took them to the table and she would eat with a kind of frightening seizing and throwing back of her head as she sort of threw food down her throat. She was a tiny girl but we watched as she ate six heaped plates of pasta, bread, noodles, salad (conscientious eater) and fried meats then four heaped bowls of desserts. It was dazzling to watch her and also very unnerving. She would be mid mouthful (shovelful) and her eyes would dart around and despite the platefuls of food on her table she would return to the buffet, as if on a mission and collect another type of food. Then she'd return to the table and eat the previous foods and the new foods again. This happened repeatedly. We were completely taken in by her and by trying to figure out who (or what) she was....drugged? High? Just hungry? We left the restaurant shortly before her, and I'm not ashamed to say we decided to follow her for awhile. Just to figure out "what would she do next"???!!! Anyway, none of that madness this time, just a nice 'meal' at a viking dessert place with lots of friends and Erin's mum who was visiting - such a lovely mum! After dessert we headed over to TOHO cinemas, right near HEP5 where the lovely Natalie delivered the tickets she'd lined up for. There had been a mass lineup of women to see this movie and Nat and Sally had lined up for over an hour. I have actually never watched Sex and the Cuty on television but Ross had (yes, you read correctly) so he filled me in on some of the important details about characters and along I went. It was actually interesting cos so many of my friends were committed watchers of the show and were getting very emotional. I liked hearing all their thoughts on what should happen in the movie, and then their reflections on what actually did happen. A really lovely night out. PIZZA! I have been intending to do a blog all about food in Japan for a long time now and was especially encouraged to when I saw my friend Sam's food blog entry recently. I'll definitely have to get around to it as I have tons of interesting photos and its definitely something that keeps me busy, interested and focused in Japan - what will I eat next??? Ross and I like to eat out here a lot, especially with the heat of summer where we were not at all interested in cooking. It's not a matter of 'Should we eat out', it's a matter of 'where will we eat tonight?' It ends up costing about the same to eat out here as it does to stay in. Anyway, a few weeks ago Ross and I were sitting at home on a friday night. Friday is our day off but usually ends up being a stay at home day where we head to the gym or relax or clean or go for groceries. On Sundays we often go sightseeing or something. I like to make sure that whatever we do, on these two days we do something 'special'. This could be sightseeing or going for a walk or anything really but on this particular night, I decided it would be pizza. Pizza in Japan is a funny thing. Definitely nothing like home where we look down on Pizza Hut (or other people look down on Dominos but I love it) and head to our local Pizza place (Oh, I miss Pizza Heart in Box Hill). Here, pizza can be bought in Japanese bars (called Izakaya) or in Italian restaurants but the pizza here is extremely thin (not in a 'traditonal Italian super thin delicious way just in a super thin crappy piece of bread way) and not very tasty. We have had good pizza here - Ross likes putting tabasco sauce all over a cheese and bacon pizza thing at our local izakaya, our friend Rumi took us for woodfired pizza that was delicious and we've heard about a traditional southern style pizza place in Shinsaibashi that we keep planning to check out, but i will say one thing, we haven't had pizza like we remember it for a LONG time. And the main thing is, if you feel like pizza...you can't be satisfied unless you eat pizza like you love it! Pizza Hut is in Japan but it is extremely expensive and extremely strange. The pizza crusts here can be stuffed with cheese and sausages...the toppings include squid, broccoli, Caesar salad, spaghetti carbonara, tinned tuna, crab meat, pork rinds and tinned corn. Actually, my friend Cath believes in Japan you have to always 'find the hidden corn' as corn does tend to be 'hidden' in an extraordinary number of dishes at all different restaurants here in Japan. Anyway, Pizza Hut here is also very expensive so its very popular with people but definitely not eaten with any kind of regularity. This one Friday night, I decided our 'special thing' for the day would be ordering a pizza (woohoo go crazy Allie! - I can tell that's what you're thinking). Anyway, our closest Pizza Hut is a suburb and ten mins bike ride away in Tsukamoto. So i rode my bike down, ordered our $35 pizza (I know. It's extraordinary), cruised around Tsukamoto then picked up the pizza and using some mini basket style ocky straps I have bought to secure groceries, I strapped the pizza to the back of my bicycle and rode home. At one point i was riding alongside Pizza Hut delivery guy on his delivery scooter with pizzas in back. I was slightly embarrassed and a little bit proud of the piuzza strapped to my bike - I thought about winking with solidarity at him but decided my own satisfied feeling of 'You and me buddy, we're in this together' was enough. Great pizza. Great fun. Here;s the Pizza Hut Japan website if you're interested http://www.pizzahut.jp/menu/ (but no wiki Sam, I'll leave that to you!) :) Bryn's Birthday Last week Ross and I joined others to celebrate Bryn's birthday. It was good to catch up with some people we don't always get a chance to see and the beautiful meal at a Vietnamese restaurant in Umeda was really good too. It ended like most nights out here in Osaka; everyone standing around trying to figure out where to head next, trying to get into a few bars but being turned away cos there's too many of us (bars and restaurants in Japan don't like big groups) then deciding, of course, to head to the river! Yay! I love the river in Juso and hanging out by it is one of the most relaxing things to do. Sometimes we let off fireworks, sometimes we just chat. It's always good. Time with Yoshimi I've finally had the chance to hang out with Yoshimi again recently. As her due date looms (yes, she's one of the pregnant ones) she is feeling better and better. Early in her pregnancy she was pretty much bedridden for two months where I couldn't see her at all but since early August we;ve been catching up again from time to time. Last weekend she took me to the Dick Bruna exhibition at Suntory museum near Osaka Aquarium. Probably not as exciting or meaningful for others but going to this exhibition meant a lot to me. Dick Bruna is the man behind 'Miffy', the famous Rabbit character from cartoons, books and a massive stationary demand here in Japan. Ten years ago I had the chance to stay with the loveliest family in Japan, the Nishimura family. Yoshimi was my host sister. The Nishimura family have the only licencing rights in Asia to Dick Bruna characters, so all the Miffy toys and stationary and goods that you see around Japan are made by Kutsuwa; Yoshimi's family's company. When I was 16 in Japan I visited the company, the factories, etc and had the best time with this family - so heading to this exhibition with Yoshimi was really important to me. We had such a lovely afternoon, talking and exploring the museum... Yoshimi was so sweet, helping me understand the more complicated Japanese, pointing out the famous characters and how the drawing has changed over the years, and even helping little children get books off the shelves to look at. I just know Yoshimi is going to be a great mum.
1 comment:
Hi Allie, I was inspired to read your blog after seeing your facebook status. :] I feel your connection with Miffy..remember how I have the Miffy pencil case? That is only one of my many Miffy bits and bobs.
Matt and I are thinking of visiting Japan in December. Maybe we can come visit you too. love, Bex
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