Based on the displays in the 100 yen stores, you would think that Halloween is huge in Japan. And it is, sort of--just not quite as Americans think of it. To American kids, Halloween means two things--costumes and trick and treating. The Japanese nail the costume part, but the free candy to strangers thing needs a little work. …
Month: October 2015
DO MEE NO’s
Yesterday I chaperoned a school field trip to the zoo. I lucked out with a lovely group of kids, but I was still pretty wiped and not up for cooking dinner. The kids have noticed Domino's pizza out in town and have begged to try it. So last night we did. We're not huge pizza …
Disney, Tokyo Style
Last week the kids' school closed for fall break. We spent a day at Disney Sea, seeing how the Japanese do The Mouse. The basic gist is the same: FastPass, crowds even mid-week, etc. But Japanese visitors really nail one thing, and that's dressing like their pals. Plenty of American kids and even families will …
Back Alley Ramen on a Saturday Night
This past Saturday the elder child headed out to a sleepover, so the menfolk and I went out for a rockin' Saturday night. We headed off on foot to Yamate Station, a nearby train station. We rode a few stops and got off the train at Yokohama Station. Our destination: Tanukikoji, a pedestrian alley with …
Adventures in Baking with a Crappy Japanese Oven
OK, it's probably not fair to call my Japanese oven crappy. Perhaps "not suiting my needs, or bakeware" is a more diplomatic description. I've used the oven a bit since moving in about six weeks ago, but until now I haven't mustered the courage to bake for real. Elder Spawn turns ten this weekend, and we're …
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Japanese Potato Salad
Nope, not a euphemism. I'm talking about actual potato salad, in Japan. Any time I pass near a prepared foods section of a grocery store, I always end up buying a small portion of potato salad. I used to buy some only when I was actually shopping for prepared foods, but I've given up practicing …
Hiking the Kamakura Hills
The Great Buddha (Daibatsu) at Kotoku-in Temple is easily the best-known site in Kamakura, a historic city just down the coast from Yokohama and Tokyo. Mark and I visited there in 2010, and the kids and I went there this past August. Even though giant Buddha gets the most attention, plenty of other sites in Kamakura …
The Neighborhood Temple
We live on a really steep slope, well above sea level. The hillside is steep enough that sidewalks to the bottom are flat-out flights of stairs. We descend 187 steps down one such pathway to reach our nearest train station, Negishi station. Twenty steps from the top sits a small Buddhist temple called Sokoji. Two religions …
