For the love of KitKat

Personally, I don't love KitKat chocolates that much. When I go to a supermarket, grocery or convenience shop, it's not even my first choice for a choco purchase. I'm not saying that I hate it though. It's just that I can take it or I can leave it. When I came here though, I find myself looking for KitKat everywhere. Not because I suddenly love eating it, but because I learned of the multitude of flavors available in Japan. Now, here's a collection of those flavors that I have seen and tasted so far. I did not include here the original flavor and the dark choco flavor because they are the common flavors available all year round. I am still in search of some of the other flavors which I saw in some other blogs, but I also have some in this collection that are not in those blogs. I will again be adding some more to this as soon as I discover new ones.

Strawberry Cake

Green Tea

Custard

Cheese

Salt and Caramel

Cola and Lemon Squeeze

Miso

All About Food (Part 1?)

     It's already 2011. Happy New Year!!! The latter part of last year have been really crazy for me, it still is. Anyway, it should not be an excuse not to blog. Especially since blogging might as well be a relaxing respite from the hullabaloo of a student's life. Not to mention that I haven't posted anything in such a long time.
     I have been browsing through my pictures looking for something interesting, and here's some bits and pieces that I'm gonna try to ram into this one post. And they are all about FOOD!!!
     Ask foreigners what their favorite Japanese food and most would answer "Sushi!"Why not? They are totally delicious! And you just have to wonder at the different variations there are. Sushi restaurants in Japan abound (of course!). One plate like this costs ¥100, pretty cheap if I may say so. Go to a sushi restaurant and you will find each table filled with stacked plates. In one of the restaurants I went to, you can even play a game using the plates. There's this bin where you put in 5 of your used plates and you will get a chance to play a game at the computer. If you're lucky you get one toy for a prize.

    
     You can also buy sushi at supermarkets. And they come in pretty packages, as most of the items in any Japanese store. They really make a big deal out of packaging things, which has its pluses and minuses.

Which moves us to another big thing here in Japan, the bento box! A bento box is a packed lunch or dinner...it's packed food ready to go. Bentos can be bought in supermarkets and combinis. But the arrangements in these types of bentos are pretty simple. Bentos made by Moms for their kids are more elaborate than these, and more artistic. The presentation I guess, is supposed to cheer on anybody who is supposed to eat it, and i supposed to boost also their appetite. Their seriousness in making these bento boxes can be seen in the various paraphernalia for making bentos available in the kitchen departments/sections of malls and stores. There are different cutting tools: moulding trays, knives of different sizes and for different purposes, shapers for this and that, scissors, etc. Most of these I haven't seen and used. From a talk with one Mom, she said that bentos can also be the point of discussion for Moms waiting for their kids in school, or during PTA meetings, or something. She added that it can sometimes be some sort of a competition for Moms as they try to best each other's bento.

     You can also find a lot of fried food in supermarkets. So for the lazy ones or for those who don't have much time to cook, or for those who just really love fried food, there's a section of it in all supermarkets. They have fried chicken, karaage (term for breaded chicken balls), tempura (veggies or fish), corn dogs, sausages, potatoes, etc.

     They also seem to favor custard cream and beans. Most of the rice-based cakes are stuffed with beans. Even pancakes are stuffed with beans. And then there's plenty of bread and cakes stuffed with custard cream too. This is one of them, shaped into a fish, this bread could be either filled with beans or custard.

     During summer, famous all around is the shaved ice. This is their version of what we call "halo-halo" in the Philippines. In here though, I found out that although they have different flavors or variations to it, mostly you would find shaved ice topped with fruit syrup, and that is already at ¥300! Doing simple math, I could already have 3 giant Philippine halo-halo with that price! Not to mention that each bowl of halo-halo would be filled with lots of fruits and whathaveyous. At a combini, I liked the ramune-flavored shaved ice though. It's topped with soft cream, and there's some glazed fruits inside.

     Come winter time, the nabe is a favorite. Nabe is a concoction of vegetables and meat. Actually, you can pretty much add in anything you want. Basically though, you would need a big pot, over a mini stove set on the table. When the soup stock boils, all the other ingredients are put in and in just a few minutes everybody digs in. The idea is to fill in the pot with the veggies and meat now and then, until everybody has taken their fill. You could also put in noodles, some seafoods. There's a lot of combinations possible. You can buy ready made soup stock (in different flavors) in supermarkets, then just choose your own combination of meat and veggies and you're ready for a nabe party!

     Okay, talking about food just made me hungry. So at this point, I'm putting an end to this post. Note however that this is Part 1 of how many posts I am not sure. I am sure though that I like...no scratch that...I love FOOD!

The culture of "omiyage"

     There's something in Japanese culture that is similar to that of the Filipinos...the omiyage. In my country, we call it "pasalubong.
     Although it is not demanded, it is kind of expected of a person who just came from a vacation, visit, or trip to another place to bring home an omiyage that is specific to that place. Buying an omiyage for officemates, friends and neighbors seem to be a avery serious matter that anywhere you go in this country, there are plenty of shops where you can buy all sorts of omiyage. These can be anywhere in the city, in train/bus stations, suprmarkets, malls, everywhere. The best omiyage would be anything that can be eaten, and mostly they would come in beautifully designed box or packaging. The packaging is a big deal too, not only for omiyages but for a lot of things. This will probably be covered in another post though.
     What they usually do is to buy one box for the whole office. It doesn't matter how big or how many the omiyage is, the important thing is that everybody get to have even just one small piece. 
     From my experience (at my part-time job), now and again there would be something for everybody from a certain officemate who just came back from travel. It would either be a piece of biscuit, cracker, chocolate, nuts, pudding, bread, candy, etc. There was even one time that we had ice cream cookies. Small as they are, they would be greatly welcomed and appreciated, with gushes of "Oishi!" or "Subarashi!" or "Sugoi!" or some of the equivalents of "Oh, you didn't have to". The important thing was the thought was there.
     Apparently (from what I have heard and read so far, that is) going on a vacation or travel is considered a very big luxury for working people. When you go on vacation or trip (even if it's on official business, I think), your colleagues would have to work extra hard to cover for your absence in the office. As such, you are in a way indebted to them. Thus, bringing back an omiyage is an expression of your appreciation for their hard work (while you were gone) and thus bodes well for maintaining a harmonic relationship in the office. In addition, there are also set of appropriate phrases to say when giving/presenting them your omiyage. In essence, these are said to humble yourself towards others and thanking them for doing you a big favor.
     Omiyages are not only given when you come back from a trip. Before coming to Japan, I was advised to bring  goods that the Philippines is known for to be given to my sensei, labmates, and other people who will be helping me along the way during the first few days of my stay. Well, I got dried mangoes, the special coffee blend from the university, some key chains, and some stuff from Goldilocks. I just got this and that because I really didn't know what they would like. I figured if I get various stuff, I'd at least have plenty to choose from which would be more apporpriate to give to people. ;-)

Lift your hands...

     In Nihongo class, the teacher (sensei) asked us a question which required us to raise our hand if we understood the statement. He then proceeded to enlighten us on some of the different ways of raising one's hand and their meanings. According to him, this is from a certain elementary school.
     If one raises his/her arm in a fist it means he/she did not understand the lesson, question, statement or whatever it is that was asked. If the hand was in a V sign it means that the person understood it a little. and if the fingers were spread out it means "totally understood".
     Well, I'm not sure if the same thing goes for all schools. Verifications...anyone?

Toilet Humor ;-)

...not!
     Sorry but this is not of jokes about urinating, defecating or other necessary but kinda icky bodily functions. Back in my country, I used to travel a lot because of the nature of a certain project I got involved in. And because of that, I've seen some of the worst and some of the best comfort rooms. More often than not, it would be the former. I remember one time when I was still in college, there was this Australian guy who said "How could you call it a comfort room? Do you feel any comfort when using it?" Sadly, I had to agree. When I go on travel, I would ask our driver to stop in gasoline stations because they usually have cleaner and well maintained toilets, ergo there's a little comfort in using them.
     Here in Japan though, you wouldn't have such worry. So far, in the places I have been to (school, park, office, etc.), they all provide you the comfort you need and then some more...

Wanna make sure it's clean? A cleaning liquid
is provided if you want to wipe the seat before
doing your thing. Tissues abound too.

The seat can be made warm, esp. during the
cold seasons, with flushing water sound effect
while doing your thing, and some other buttons.
Flushing via hand sensor.

  

Does your little one wanna go to the loo too?

Need to change baby's diapers? 

Baby in tow? Let him have a seat while
relieving yourself. You can make
cutie faces at each other while you're at it. 

     Now, these are just some of the things you can see inside a ladies' comfort room. I'd like to see what's inside a men's room too but I'd probably get caught for bad behavior if I suddenly go in men's comfort rooms.

     By the way, there are basically two types of toilets, the Western which is the second picture and the Japanese style. I'll post a pic of it in another post soon.

Porn Unlimited!!!!

     I was in a combini (short for convenience store) waiting for some friends. I was a bit early so I decided to check the stuff in the store to while away the time. I was browsing at the magazine racks for something to read as I was talking to my sister on the phone. FYI it is okay to browse through and read the magazines in the store as long as you like. You can stay there for the whole day reading if you so wish it. And the staff won't admonish you for staying too long.
     To continue, so as I was browsing through the magazine titles, my sister asked me what I was doing and so I told her, I'm looking for something to read. she told me to be careful not to pick up the porn magazines. I went like "What?! there are porn magazines in the combini?" right after I said that, I came to the end of the magazine racks and lo and behold! Right before my eyes are the magazines in discussion. I immediately averted my eyes and faced the opposite rack which displayed some beauty products.
     As i turned my back, this other guy went to that spot, took out a magazine and started browsing. Ooooppssss! I wen to the other end where they have the bentos (packed food) and bread.
     Although I knew it's probably ok to check those kinds of magazines but I'm a girl and I think most of those who'd check out that corner would be guys.
      Anyway, before I went out of the combini, I discreetly took this one picture, to remind me of this encounter. Right after this, whenever I would enter other combinis, I would try to discreetly sneak a peek whether they have these too. Hehe.

Nattou Love Nattou Hate

     Nattou is one of the traditional foods in Japan. I got to hear of it from my sister when they served it to her in the hospital after giving birth to her daughter. The doctors in the hospital said it's really good for the health. And she urged me to try it.

     Well, I was game for anything, especially when it comes to food. Before I tried it though, I had to do a little research about it. 

My first encounter with nattou. I boiled
some spinach and mixed it in with the
mustard sauce. And that's it. No rice.

     There's much about the country's history that is rooted in nattou's existence but I won't bore you with the details because you can always Google it or something. However, there doesn't seem to be a unanimous liking for nattou in the whole of Japan. Some love it, some hate it. Well it must have something to do with its smell, flavor and texture. Nattou by the way is fermented soybeans. It is kind of sticky, slippery and has a little musty smell. It can be eaten with rice as it is, but usually the prepacked nattous have some kind of sauce that goes with it (usually mustard). Sometimes though they add some other boiled or fried vegetables, eggs or meat. 

     The amazing thing about it is what it can do for your body. 

     "Natto is also celebrated for its high amounts of vitamin K, which makes it an outlaw food for those taking warfarin(brand name Coumadin®). It also is high in a number of anti-oxidants, particularly selenium. Natto also contains a protein called nattokinase, which may be a natural blood thinner. Since natto allows the soybeans to ferment and grow bacteria, it is also a probiotic food." (www.wisegeek.com)

     "The key element in natto is the fermentation of the soybeans, which make them easier to digest while increasing your body’s ability to absorb nutrients." (www.bodyecology.com)

     From the testimonies of friends and acquaintances who tried to regularly eat nattou, some of them lost weight, blood sugar levels decreased, they seemed to have more energy, symptoms of heart problems have significantly lessened, etc. So I guess, there's really something in it. Wanna try some?

     *I am still on the process of knowing how many flavors/kinds of prepacked nattous are there. Here's a good site where you can read more about nattou: http://www.soyinfocenter.com/HSS/natto3.php