Food and Drink – Page 2

(Sapporo Trip – Part 2) Japanese Fast Food

November 12, 2018January 9, 2019Autumn/Fall, Food and Drink, Seasons, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Here’s Part 2 of our 5 part series about Brandon’s trip to Sapporo.

When people hear “fast food”, images of McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Burger King, Jack in the Box, and so on will more than likely pop up. Japan does have McDonald’s and Burger King, but the Japanese take on fast food is, for lack of vocabulary, awesome.

Here are a few examples of Japanese fast food:

Tonkatsu Curry with Cheese from Curry House CoCo Ichibanya (aka “CoCo Ichi”)

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This homemade tonkatsu curry is available for a limited time throughout the year. For those who don’t know, ton means pork and katsu is short for katsuretsu, which means cutlet in English. Brandon tried this dish for the first time during this last trip, and this is my (Chad’s) favorite CoCo Ichi dish. You can cut the tonkatsu with your spoon!

When ordering curry at CoCo Ichi, you can choose the amount of rice (“less” 200g and 51 Yen cheaper, “regular” 300g, and “more” which has different amounts) and the spiciness of the curry (mild, regular, 1-10).

Curry dishes with something deep fried will take about 5 minutes to prepare, if the restaurant isn’t busy.
Katsudon

There are many restaurants that serve katsudon, tonkatsu donburi (bowl). Deep fried, tonkatsu (breaded, deep fried pork cutlet) on rice, and depending on the region in Japan, the tonkatsu is further cooked in a sweet shoyu (soy sauce) broth with egg or just has a special sauce.
Tenzaru Soba (Tempura & Zaru Soba)

Tempura, which was originally introduce by the Portuguese, is a seafood and/or vegetables that are battered and deep fried.Zaru Soba is cold soba (buckwheat noodles) with a dipping sauce.What are those three small dishes on the bottom? From left to right, dipping sauce, grated daikon (Japanese radish) with grated ginger, leek and wasabi. Many people put all of these into the dipping sauce before eating a bite, and I don’t think this is the right way to eat zaru soba. In my opinion, first, you should eat a few bites of the soba with just the dipping sauce. The water in the soba will slowly dilute the dipping sauce, so this is why you should slowly add daikon, ginger, leek, or wasabi little by little. By doing this, you will be able to enjoy different flavors. Personally, I first add a little daikon and leek, followed by wasabi, and finishing with ginger. I start with the milder daikon and leek before the bold wasabi and finish with refreshing ginger.
Kaiten-zushi

Kaiten (rotating/spinning)-zushi (sushi) is probably the most well-known Japanese fast food, and the quality of fish available in Sapporo is one of the best in Japan.

There are many other types of Japanese fast food, for example gyūdon (beef bowl), tendon (tempura donburi), and other types that are area-specific. So, don’t be afraid to go out there and explore these different convenient and ono (delicious) fast food dishes!

Coming soon:

Part 3 – Jingisukan (Grilled mutton)
Part 4 – Mt. Moiwa
Part 5 – COSTCO

(Sapporo Trip – Part 1) Susukino – Shopping, Eating, Drinking

November 9, 2018December 31, 2018Autumn/Fall, Food and Drink, Seasons, ShoppingLeave a Comment

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Brandon went on a trip to Seoul and Sapporo, so here are some pictures and info from his adventure!

This post will focus on the Susukino Area. Susukino is considered to be one of the major entertainment districts in Japan.

The Susukino Area can be accessed by taking the Namboku Line (heading towards Makomanai) from Sapporo Station and getting off at Susukino Station, which is two stops from Sapporo Station.

Shopping:

When visiting Sapporo, Susukino is an area you must visit. For those who enjoy window shopping, there’s a shopping arcade/street (shōtengai, 商店街) called Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade/Street. Tanukikoji is located just north of Susukino Station. In modern Japanese society where numerous shōtengai are steadily becoming empty “ghost-streets”, a stroll through Tanukikoji is experiencing a fusion of traditional and modern Japanese culture.

Eating:

For ramen lovers, Sapporo is heaven. Many visitors check out the Ramen Yokochō (Ramen Alley) in Susukino for their first bowl of ramen, but if you are more adventurous, skip Ramen Yokochō and explore less-traveled side-streets to find your bowl of steaming perfection.

Other than ramen, there are many types of food to make your waistline bulge: jingisukan (“Genghis Khan”: grilled mutton), seafood, and more.

For more photos of food, check out this post we wrote about Sapporo and Otaru.

Drinking:

For those who love their alcohol, Susukino has a lot of places to satisfy your thirst while eating delicious food. Just be careful of drinking too much at a nomihōdai (all-you-can-drink)!

When eating/drinking while traveling Japan, if you want to try many types of food and restaurants, we recommend not eating or drinking too much at one place. However, if you are paying a good amount of money at a certain establishment, get your money’s worth!

Keep an eye out for future posts about more food (of course) and other places to check out while visiting Sapporo!

Part 2 – Japanese Fast Food
Part 3 – Jingisukan (Grilled mutton)
Part 4 – Mt. Moiwa
Part 5 – COSTCO

Fukuoka & Beppu ー Great Food, Relaxing Onsen

July 17, 2018August 29, 2018FAQ, Food and Drink, Nature, Traditional Culture/Spots2 Comments

Today, we’re going to introduce Fukuoka and Beppu, which are both on the island of Kyushu.

Fukuoka

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Getting there:

Fukuoka is a prefecture in Kyushu, and Fukuoka City is the largest city in Kyushu and has a good mixture of both traditional and modern culture.

To travel from Hawaii to Fukuoka, Hawaiian Airlines cancelled their non-stop flight from Honolulu to Fukuoka, so we recommend flying into Kansai International Airport (Osaka), and then taking a shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Hakata Station, which is about a 3-hour train ride. If you are landing in Tokyo and then going to Fukuoka or plan to go to Tokyo from Fukuoka, taking a shinkansen will take about 6 hours from Shinagawa Station and Tokyo Station. Flights from Haneda to Fukuoka take a little less than 2 hours. If you want to fully utilize your JR Pass to save money, taking a shinkansen is the way to go. Also, because of travel time, combining Fukuoka and Osaka into the same trip will maximize your travel experience.

Important Note: The main station in Fukuoka is NOT Fukuoka Station; the main station is Hakata Station.

Ramen

Hakata Ramen is the local-style of ramen in Fukuoka. The soup broth is made from pork bones which gives it a brown-yellow coloration. The broth is rich and will cling on to noodles well.

When ordering Hakata Ramen, you can choose the firmness of your noodles. Generally, there’s 5 levels: extra soft, soft, regular, firm, extra firm. Extra soft noodles will break easily, so we don’t recommend getting extra soft noodles. Soft noodles don’t break as easily, blend with the broth, and will kind of dissolve in your mouth. Regular noddles are good for those who haven’t eaten too much authentic ramen before. So, start at regular, and then test out other types of noodles to find your zone. Firm noodles tend not to blend too much with the broth, but you can enjoy both the flavor of the broth and the flavor of the noodles. Extra firm noodles are for those who know how to slurp up noodles and like to taste the rich broth “crisply”.

If you are a foodie, you have to check out the yatai (street vendors) of Hakata!

Our personal to-do list:

Places we haven’t been to but want to go to include: Futamigaura and Kawachi Wisteria Garden. Also, because Fukuoka is located on the Sea of Japan side of Kyushu, sunsets are amazing along the coastline.

Beppu

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Beppu is located in Oita Prefecture and is one of the best areas for onsen (hot springs). Each onsen has different medicinal benefits from nicer skin to a recuperating from fatigue. Not to mention, each ryokan (Japanese-style inn) will include a Japanese-style meal.

Beppu stretches from the sea to the mountains, like an ahupua’a here in Hawaii, so there are a lot of different kinds of delicious food to eat: from different types of meat dishes to seafood.

If you’re traveling to the Kansai Area and have more than 7 days, checking out Fukuoka for a few days and Beppu for a night can fit into your schedule. If you just want to travel around Kyushu, at least a week (preferably 10 days) would be needed to visit all of the prefectures there: Fukuoka, Oita, Miyazaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Shiga, Nagasaki.

Recommended Destinations for Your First Trip to Japan

June 29, 2018June 29, 2018FAQ, Food and Drink, Modern Culture/Spots, Traditional Culture/Spots2 Comments

Happy Aloha Friday!!!

Planning your first trip to Japan, but where to go? We recommend going to Osaka and/or Tokyo. If you have only a short period for your vacation or if you are on a tight budget, we think going to Osaka is best for your first trip. If you have time and enough money, we think going to Osaka first, and then going to Tokyo is a good plan. In this post, we’re going to explain why Osaka and/or Tokyo are good destinations for your first trip to Japan.

Osaka

Osaka culture – In my (Chad’s) experience, locals in Osaka are really honest and genuine. Not saying that people outside of Osaka are not honest and genuine, but the people in Osaka (well, Kansai in general) are very easy to connect to because they are usually outgoing. If you go to a bar and meet a few locals, it’s easy to start a conversation. You must be thinking, “I don’t speak Japanese, so how will we communicate?” But there are people who will try to have a conversation even though they don’t have English speaking skills. It helps to speak a little Japanese, but I think making an effort is what is most important.
Great access to other areas of the Kansai Region – From Osaka, you can go to every prefecture in the Kansai Region (Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama, Mie, Shiga) without riding a shinkansen. In other words, you can Osaka as a hub to travel around the Kansai Region, which is rich in Traditional Japanese Culture. Historically, Kyoto was the capital of Japan for a little over 1000 years, and Nara was the first capital of Japan. So, if you want to get in touch with the roots of Japanese Culture and History, Kansai is the place to go.
Traditional and modern Japan – Osaka is a fusion of both traditional and modern Japanese culture. During the spring, you can enjoy the sakura around Osaka Castle during the day, and eat good food and drink alcohol at night around Dotonbori, Namba, or Shinsaibashi (to name a few places) at night.
Awesome grinds (food)! – Osaka has GREAT food! Okonomiyaki, kushiyaki, takoyaki, yakiniku are just a few of the super ono local foods you can each in Osaka.

Tokyo

Multicultural metropolitan – Without a doubt, Tokyo is the most multicultural city in Japan because of the sheer amount diversity in the city. If you want to eat Japanese food, of course you’ll be able to find good quality food in Tokyo. If you feel like eating great pizza, there are a lot of authentic Italian restaurants with delicious pizza. If you feel like Nepalese curry, Tokyo’s got it! You get the picture, right? You can find all kinds of food in Tokyo to satisfy your craving. Another thing is Tokyo is relatively multilingual, which means you can find English signs almost everywhere. Also, compared to other areas of Japan, a lot of people speak enough English to help you if you are lost.
Convenience – First and foremost, trains throughout Japan are on-time most of the time, but if you miss a train in Tokyo, the next train will come in 5 to 10 minutes. So, it’s not a big deal if you miss one train. Next, if you’re craving some ramen in the middle of the night, you’ll find a place to eat. Tokyo is the city-that-never-sleeps.

In conclusion:

1. Osaka-only plan: If you’re short on time and money, and want to see both traditional and modern Japan hit up Osaka. If you’re in Osaka for 5-7 days, you can check out more places than if you were in Tokyo for 5-7 days.

2. Tokyo-only plan: If you want to jump straight into one of the most populated cities in the world, and also want to be on full-gear for your entire trip, head over to Tokyo.

3. Osaka-to-Tokyo plan: If you have the time and money, and want to ease into Japan, head over to Osaka before Tokyo. So, you have to first fly into Kansai International Airport, and then book a flight out from either Narita or Haneda (we recommend Haneda).

4. Tokyo-to-Osaka plan: If you have time and money, and you want to jump into the excitement (and craziness) that is Tokyo before taking it (a little) easy, go to Tokyo and then Osaka.

Autumn/Fall ー A Great Season to Travel Japan

June 25, 2018August 22, 2018Autumn/Fall, FAQ, Food and Drink, Nature, SeasonsLeave a Comment

This time of year is a good period to start planning for a trip to Japan during Autumn/Fall. What’s good about Japan during the Fall season? We’ll talk about two things which make Fall a great season to go to Japan: 1. Fall leaves, 2. Food, 3. Climate

1. Fall Leaves/Foliage

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When the leaves start changing colors to bright yellow, red, and orange, it’s also a really comfortable time to visit Japan. The humid summer heat is gone, but the cold of winter has yet to set in.

The best time frames to check out fall leaves are:

Hokkaido: Because Hokkaido is large, in northern areas of Hokkaido, leaves will be changing color in late-September, and in southern areas of Hokkaido, leaves will be changing color in mid-October.
Tohoku (Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata, Miyagi, Fukushima): Early-October (from Aomori) to late-November (in Fukushima).
Kanto (Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa): Late-September (from the mountains of Gunma) to early-December (in Kanagawa)
Chubu (Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi): Late-September (from Kurobe Dam area in Toyama) to early-December (in Aichi)
Kansai/Kinki (Shiga, Mie, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Wakayama, Hyogo): Early-October (from Shiga) to early-December (in Hyogo)
Chugoku (Tottori, Okayama, Shimane, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi): Late-October (from Tottori) to early-December (in Yamaguchi)
Shikoku (Kagawa, Tokushima, Ehime, Kochi): Late-October (from the mountains in Tokushima) to early-December (Ehime)
Kyushu (Fukuoka, Oita, Miyazaki, Saga, Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima): Late-October (from the mountains in Fukuoka) to early-December (in Kagoshima)
Okinawa: Leaves change colors on certain trees, but because of the climate, it is different from the rest of Japan.

Because about 70% of Japan is mountains, certain areas in a prefecture will start turning colors compared to areas in lower elevations.

2. Food

Many people say that a lot of the best foods are available during Fall because farmers harvest them before Winter comes. Here’s a short list of what is in season during Fall:

Rice
Sanma (Pacific saury; we don’t know what this is in English, but we know sanma)
Unagi (freshwater eel)
Salmon
Eggplant
Mastsutake Mushrooms
Yaki-imo (Sweet potato)
Chestnuts

3. Climate

During Fall, coming from Hawaii, we recommend:

During the day: long pants, t-shirt, jacket/sweater
At night: long pants, long-sleeve shirt, jacket/sweater

If you go around late-November to early-December, you should where a long-sleeve shirt during the day also. If you are sensitive to cold, you can always go to UNIQLO and buy some cheap clothes to keep you warm.

With all of the walking, sightseeing, shopping, eating you will do while traveling in Japan, Fall provides cool, dry weather to enjoy Japan to your heart’s content!