Kendall Blogs

Delicious cracker/cookie!

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 16:10:26 +0900

Delicious cracker/cookie!

Kyoto Handicraft Center: Sichimi

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:00:59 +0900

While in Kyoto, Lauren and I visited the Kyoto Handicraft Center, a set of two six story buildings full of all of the crafts for which Japan is particularly known—-right across the street from an awesome sword shop with neat sets of preserved samurai armor.

Each floor of the center was bursting with various toys, dolls, prints, clothes, jewelry, and food items. While walking around and looking at everything was fun, but the highlight was the class we took on the making of sichimi, a blend of spices which is typically Japanese and used in everything from stir fry to soup, but especially in noodle dishes.

For once, I had someone to explain what each of the ingredients were!

My finished sichimi!

Kyoto

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 16:36:00 +0900

Two weeks ago we visited Kyoto, our farthest travel destination of the summer thus far. Though Japan has some of the best, fastest, and most comfortable trains in the world, they’re also expensive and, with our student budget, their $300 round trip price tag was a bit of a turn off so we opted for the slow, adequate overnight bus. On Friday night we took the Tsukuba Express into Tokyo and caught our bus to Kyoto. We’d paid the $10 extra to get one step up from the cheapest seats (but one step down from “Cocoon”) and we spent the first twenty minutes of the trip happily exploring the functions of our enormous pink seats.

Once arriving at the hostel, we split up to hit the sights on our to-see lists and Lauren and I quickly found a beautiful area of picturesque streets, temples, and tea shops.

While we were exploring, we were stopped by a group of young girls in kimonos who asked us a list of questions in English (including “Where is your favorite place to visit in Kyoto?” to which we answered “Here.” because it was the only place we’d gotten to so far) before requesting a picture and moving on with many arigatos.

Here’s Lauren and me with our interviewers.

While exploring, we frequently stumbled upon interesting scenes like this and always wondered uselessly (explanatory signs always being in Japanese) about the meanings of the beautiful displays. The Japanese people I meet always suggest that I visit this or that temple or shrine, but I so often don’t understand the significance of these sights.

I’ll have to read up on it—-looking for a good book on the subject if anyone has suggestions!

Check out this earthquake map!

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 16:21:50 +0900

Check out this earthquake map!:

Today we got two earthquakes in a row! If you go back in time at the link you’ll be able to see details—these two happened around 2 and 3pm while I was in the NanoBio lab, which is on the second floor of a building a few minutes from where my office is located.

When I got back to my fourth floor office, one of my lab-mates filled me in: it feels a lot bigger when you’re up a few floors. I wonder how Lauren felt up on the eighth?

Now this is how you wear a kimono!

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:57:19 +0900

Now this is how you wear a kimono!

Yoyogi Park

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:59:24 +0900

Last Sunday, we visited Harajuku again and, while Daryl and Alex got lunch, Paige, Lauren and I wandered around Yoyogi Park, famous for its… eccentricities. Yoyogi Park (and all of Harajuku) is a sharp contrast to other areas like Tsukuba where every school-age person is in a uniform and every man on the street is in a suit.

Yoyogi park was a treat. In addition to the countless groups practicing musical instruments (ranging from band instruments to ones I had never seen or heard before that day) there were also people putting on shows and dozens of people, curiously dressed, just wandering around like we were. We spied a handful (platoon?) of Storm Troopers purposefully walking in what I could only assume was the pursuit of a couple of escaped Jedi (or lost droids), but my favorite group was undoubtedly the greasers.

Near the entrance of the park, there were two groups group of men (one with a single lady) with hair slicked as high and as greasy as possible. At first they were sitting around their audio equipment smoking and sticking out their lower lips and generally looking disdainfully at the park-goers around them, but later on we caught them in the midst of what I certainly hope was a dance off.

There were probably six of them wearing tight leather pants and leather jackets and, in the midst of blasting music, they were dancing around like there were the T-Birds. The other group, dressed mostly in blue jeans and white shirts, was standing around looking surly and unimpressed.

I tried to imagine my dad (because that was about the age range represented) dressing up in tight leather pants and greasing back his hair and dancing around in public, but ultimately failed to picture it. It must be the charm of the park. You can juggle or practice with your band or recite poetry or put on a comedy show or dress up as whatever you want and dance…and you’ll be no weirder than the next person at Yoyogi Park.

This past Sunday, we returned to Harajuku in hopes of checking...

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 14:53:53 +0900

This past Sunday, we returned to Harajuku in hopes of checking out its famous cos-play scene. Almost immediately, we found a used kimono market. The embroidery was amazing and I loved looking at all of the fabrics!

I bought these on the street while we were in Asakusa this...

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 15:54:41 +0900

I bought these on the street while we were in Asakusa this weekend hoping that they were meatballs. Actually, they were gelatinous rice balls—-like mochi, except no ice cream and covered in barbecue sauce.

Hamazushi!

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 15:24:53 +0900

Last night we went out to sushi for dinner. The only conveyor belt sushi we’ve been able to find in Tsukuba is Hamazushi, right across from Lala Garden and next to the McDonalds. It’s a quick bike ride away, the selection is impressive, and every plate in 99 yen! (except for the cake)

Posing next to the worst fish imaginable.

Tower of (past) sushi!

Sold by the Sengen cafeteria at NIMS for only 90 yen, this juice...

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 14:59:11 +0900

Sold by the Sengen cafeteria at NIMS for only 90 yen, this juice is my favorite so far.

The can comes out of the machine cold and the taste is sweet without being stick-to-your-teeth overly sugary (something that many of the Japanese drinks have problems with).

A mouthful of this juice is like taking a big bite of a fresh Georgia peach. Delicious and refreshing! Not to mention the adorable can…

Green Tea Class

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 14:57:35 +0900

Last Friday, Lauren and I were able to attend a Green Tea Class, free courtesy of NIMS. Walking in we were greeted with trays of tea things, a bowl of typical Japanese teatime treats, and a glass of cold matcha with milk which our hostesses called “welcome tea”.

Before starting with anything else, we got a chance to try a dozen different types of tea lined up in a row with details on the taste, quality, and production process for each tea listed behind the cup.

So much tea!

Predictably, my favorite type of green tea, Gyokuro, is also the most expensive.

After tasting a dozen different teas, we got a chance to learn how to prepare them ourselves. The essentials for tea serving include a teapot—the Japanese style features a long arm for pouring and a screen attached to the interior so you can use loose tea without drinking the leaves—a water pouring/cooling device—again with a long arm—cups, saucers, tea, and a measuring spoon.

The first thing to know about green tea is that water temperature is important. Our education on the topic was extensive, including everything from diagrams and graphs to actual demonstrations.

If the water is too cool, the tea will be too sweet, and if it is too hot, the tea will be bitter. You must strike the perfect balance of taste.

After thorough, educational, and entertaining instruction from our tea experts, we got a chance to try it ourselves.

Now that is one fine looking cup of tea.

But our instruction wasn’t over yet. After preparing and pouring the tea in the proper manner, we set to drinking. There is a correct and an incorrect way to hold a teacup. Hand placement and posture are both important to the tea-enjoying experience. Here is Lauren, demonstrating improper tea-drinking technique. Notice how her fingertips are likely burning off given that she is touching the thin teacup sides.

The best way to hold the thin-walled, handle-less Japanese teacup is using the palm of your left hand while barely touching the sides with your right.

Here I am drinking green tea like a champ.

After demonstrating competency at preparing hot green tea, we got a chance to demonstrate many other uses for it—-making cold tea with a water bottle and tea bag, using the spent tea bags as body scrubs and eye masks, and even eating it.

We tried tea from our pots and ate tiny mounds of them with a soy and vinegar sauce. It tasted pretty good. In fact, our instructors had to tell us not eat it all so there would be enough left for the later demonstrations.

Eating tea. Surprisingly good.

In between cups, the teapot should be open to let the tea air.

These sweet candies melted in your mouth like a ball of powdered sugar and complemented our bitter second cup nicely.

Last of all, we got to see iconic Japanese powdered matcha prepared by a master.

The final product was thick, frothy, and tasted almost creamy. It was also a beautiful bright green.

Katsu!

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 12:22:15 +0900

Last week we went to a katsu restaurant—the praises of which Daryl and Alex had been singing since we’d arrived. Katsu is a pork cutlet covered in flour, egg, and panko (bread crumbs), deep fried, and served with spicy karashi (Japanese mustard), Worcestershire-type sesame seed sauce, rice, miso soup, and “salad”. Before getting our food, we were given a bowl of sesame seeds and pestle with which to grind them.

We made the dipping sauce with these sesame seeds.

My katsu was simple but delicious. Others decided to be a little more adventurous and opted to try some of the more unique katsu combinations on the menu including pork stuffed with cheese and plums.

Originally introduced by the Portuguese, it has become a Japanese specialty (kind of like the California roll) and is one of our favorite restaurants in Tsukuba. Katsu is delicious!

Here’s a video compilation of all my best shots from last...

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 17:03:41 +0900

Here’s a video compilation of all my best shots from last weekend’s Tokyo visit. The beginning shows Kelly, Boo, and me messing around at the Imperial Palace gardens while Lauren takes pictures. Kelly is acting as Boo’s hands as I force him to narrate.

Tokyo: Shibuya

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 12:39:59 +0900

On Saturday, Kelly, Lauren, Boo, and I spent the entire day exploring Tokyo. From 6am to midnight we trained our way all across of Tokyo.

Shibuya: the Times Square of Tokyo

Bright lights and thousands of people. That was Shibuya. After arriving in the district, we sat by the station (one of the busiest in Tokyo) where we’d agreed to meet Daryl and Alex (neither of whom wanted to go to the fish market quite enough to leave at 6:15). As we sat, we must have seen at least a thousand people walk by in their Saturday night best. The contrast between the fashion of the day—where we saw herds of young people in uniforms identical down to the hair style—and of the night—characterized by being as unique as possible—was marked. There was no one “look” which dominated the night, something that was subtly bothering me though it took me a while to identify.

After waiting for a bit, we found Alex and Daryl, who’d gotten lost, and headed off to a bar, after which we returned to Tsukuba via the hour-long Tsukuba Express line and, finally, ended the day.

We went to conveyor-belt sushi tonight! 7 plates for $8!

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 22:43:00 +0900

We went to conveyor-belt sushi tonight! 7 plates for $8!

Tokyo: Harajuku

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 17:03:09 +0900

On Saturday, Kelly, Lauren, Boo, and I spent the entire day exploring Tokyo. From 6am to midnight we trained our way all across of Tokyo.

Harajuku: the fashion district

Harajuku was my favorite stop of the day. We didn’t stay long because we were tired after walking for most of the day, but I’ll definitely be back. We decided to visit Harajuku after talking to Paige and she suggested it as a great place to look for used kimonos and other fashion-related stores. After all, Harajuku is the fashion district.

Our first stop was the 1964 Olympic stadium which, that day, was the site of a free concert put on, judging by the unending sea of girls and young women flocking to the arena, by a boy-band. Boo was the only one of the four of us who was willing to venture into the enclosure to see what the fuss was about and he came back with the report that one word was plastered everywhere: “Sherlock” which is the title of a song released in March by the South Korean boy band Shinee.

After extracting ourselves from the herds and herds of people pouring into the area, we headed off in the direction of a thrift store Paige had recommended. The area was neat—-full of good-looking restaurants and big and small stores alike. The thrift store “Chicago” looked disappointing at first. Walking in, it looked like someone had taken Will Smith’s wardrobe from Fresh Prince and decided to sell it. Walking in a little further, however, we found the used-kimono section. There we spent a while trying on the clothes and looking at all of the beautiful embroidery, especially on the multi-thousand dollar wedding kimonos (right next to the $20 cotton pieces).

After grabbing a quick dinner and learning that the Japanese enjoy shrimp burgers and “chicken sandwich” is universal, we headed off to Shibuya to check out the night life as the sun set.

Tokyo: Ginza

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:37:10 +0900

On Saturday, Kelly, Lauren, Boo, and I spent the entire day exploring Tokyo. From 6am to midnight we trained our way all across of Tokyo.

Ginza: visiting the famed Japanese department store

Ginza means “Silver Mint” and the Ginza district of Tokyo is so-named because it was once the site of a silver coin mint built in 1612. These beginnings must have played a part in shaping its modern incarnation, because Ginza is now one of the most luxurious, upscale shopping districts in the world.

Having exited the Ginza metro station, we found ourselves next to an intersection consisting of a busy six-lane highway perpendicular to an equally packed five-lane pedestrian highway (closed to vehicular traffic on the weekends). Our first sight in Ginza was when the crosswalk signals switched to “walk” and the massive herds of people swarmed across the street.

Our goal in Ginza was to see a Japanese department store, famous for their quality goods and excellent customer service, and we were not disappointed. Recognizing the Wako Clock Tower from Kelly’s guidebook, we started there—-taking the elevator to the top floor and exploring each as we walked down. Besides jewel-studded cuff-links, leather purses in display cases along with the white gloves with which to handle them, a sparkling floor devoted to women’s jewelery, and ties which cost more than I will probably spend all year, we also noticed that some of the floors boasted a greater number of attentive, well-dressed sales representatives than browsers.

On the top floor of the Wako Clock Tower, we stumbled upon a museum displaying the history of the Wako window display. Along with many exhibits and images of past displays, there were also “Photo Ops” where museum-goers could pose with past props. My favorite included a giant dragon.

Browsing through Ginza was a glittering whirlwind of window shopping and spectacle-seeing. The sheer variety of stores was incredible. There were western clothing stores, high-end European designers, familiar-smelling bakeries, an Apple store (which looked pretty much the same as any other), and even a string quartet playing outside an electronics store not far from where a monk was inching forward holding a bowl and ringing a bell for reasons unknown.

Before quitting Ginza in favor of Harajuku, we had to cross the street—needlessly, since there were entrances to the metro station on either side, but the cross was an experience worth having. We walked across the street in defiance of the twelve impatient lines of cars to either side and then hopped into a train headed west.

when making onigiri, you should wet your hands to keep it from sticking to your hands :)

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 10:51:28 +0900

I will try that next time! Thanks for the tip!

Tokyo: Ueno

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 12:01:00 +0900

On Saturday, Kelly, Lauren, Boo, and I spent the entire day exploring Tokyo. From 6am to midnight we trained our way all across of Tokyo.

Ueno: Getting lost in a non-tourist area

After departing from the gardens of the Imperial Palace, we headed off to Ueno, following a sort of loose “your turn to choose” system to determine where we’d go. Armed with our guidebooks and a day-pass to both of Tokyo’s metro systems, we were willing to deviate from plan and be a little spontaneous. Thus, Ueno was my choice. I’d marked it in my guidebook because of the collection of traditional shops it boasted along with a few temples. Assuming districts in Tokyo were similar to those in Boston (where walking to a nearby T-stop is completely feasible and sometimes more efficient), I planned to arrive in Ueno and wander until we found the Yushima neighborhood, listed in my guidebook as “a district of traditional shops”.

Instead, we wandered for an hour, finding many bars and strip clubs, but no traditional shops, until eventually we’d wandered in a circle and Paige rescued our expedition by taking charge of the map. Eventually we found one of the shops listed, but our wandering first took us through a “Frage Festival” in a nearby park where we couldn’t buy anything without tickets but were offered many samples nonetheless.

The shop, Jusanya, was well worth the adventure it took to find it. Having stood for 240 years, it was so old that we, at first, didn’t recognize the name because the Japanese characters were backwards, dating from when Japanese was written from right to left.

Inside, the store was tiny, probably around ten feet wide and twenty feet deep. The majority of the space was taken up by working stations where two men were busy making combs by hand, exhibiting amazing control—-if they slipped the tiniest amount, a tooth would break and all of their work would be worthless.

The pieces displayed in the case at the front of the store contained a variety of ornamental and functional hair pieces ranging in price from just over $20 to well over $1,000, the price increasing with the intricacy of the carving. I’d have liked to take pictures in the store of the absolutely beautiful (and expensive) pieces, but am still uncertain as to the etiquette of photo-taking in Japan, so here’s a photo of the simple hair pin I bought in the shape of a crane.

After leaving the comb-shop, we headed off to explore one of the several shrines in the area. Benten-do, an imitation of a famous shrine near Kyoto, was located on an island in the center of Shinobazu Pond and boasted a large gong which pilgrims could ring. In addition there was incense to waft, fortunes to be told, water to wash, and many spaces to sit. Arranged so that the sitter would face the lily pad-covered water, it was clear they were intended to be places to rest and contemplation.

As a matter of course, there were many street food stands leading away from the shrine. One sold meat on a stick, including tiny octopi.

Despite the fact that we got pretty lost and didn’t really find most of the things I’d thought would be easy to find, it was a fantastic place to visit. This was largely because it was pretty far off the beaten track, if the lack of tourists was any indication. We experienced a bit of Tokyo life that wasn’t something most tourists get to see.

I made onigiri last night! I went non-traditional and used rice...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 11:57:18 +0900

I made onigiri last night! I went non-traditional and used rice with seasoning and some soy sauce and the filling is pieces of tofu.

I also cheated a little and used some tupperware to shape it since I couldn’t seem to figure out how to keep the rice from attaching itself to my hands in sticky rice mittens. I’m having one for lunch today, so we’ll see how it tastes…