The Wayfarer Blog

Yes, that’s right. I wrote “Oink, Oink,” and not “Happy Valentine’s Day.” I feel like a bit of a pig. And not because of what I ate, but because of what I said. It was the “perfect” ending to a “perfectly odd” day.

Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t really a bad day. Sure, a lot of annoying things happened, but what’s new, right? By the time I got to my evening company class, I was in a pretty good mood. I have two back-to-back classes, and I’ve been teaching most of the same students for years, so I can get away with a bit of joking. But tonight, I put my foot in my mouth…

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Japundit has an interesting post about how the Japanese are not satisfied with only one word for rice. There are many ways to say rice in Japanese, including several not mentioned in the article.

I remember once at my high school, the teacher was translating something involving “rice” from English to Japanese, and he translated it as gohan, (ご飯), which is cooked rice that you eat, instead of kome, (米), which is uncooked rice. Since I have to pretend that I don’t know Japanese, even though the students know I do, I had to wait until after the lesson to correct him. The students didn’t get the correct information, but his delicate “face” was preserved.

(Just another case of how blindly following a set of arbitrary rules is rather idiotic and counterproductive at times, but I digress…)

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In the “I really didn’t need the calories or added expense but I don’t care!” category:

Christmas Cake!

Christmas Cake is a big deal in Japan. In every cake shop and supermarket, and in front of every convenience store, you can see a crowd of people buying cakes for Christmas. This year, I decided to get one, too.

I went to my local Supermarket and got a few groceries. Ginza Cozy Corner, a famous cake shop, was selling cake in two areas of the store. One area, their dedicated shop, had a huge line. But in the middle of the store, they had a special booth set up with just a few people. I walked up to the counter and chose this beauty:

Click the link below to read on and see more pictures!

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After a day at my high school, I needed a break. After all, I had a few hours to kill before my night class (but not enough to make it worth going home, yuk, yuk…)

So I decided to go to a coffeeshop in Takadanobaba, where I sometimes teach a private student. Now, as some of you know, I am a green tea junkie. Not only do I love green tea, but I love green tea cakes, cookies, and ice cream. There are many kinds of green tea (that would be a good idea for a future post). But the main kind used for sweets is called, 「抹茶」or “matcha” (the “a’s” are like “Mama”). Matcha has a naturally sweet taste, so it is well-suited for desserts.

Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Many Americans think green tea is bitter and gross. Every time I go back and try what usually passes for green tea, I know why. Most of the tea is not so good to begin with, and people brew it too hot, which ruins it (green tea is very delicate. If you boil it, it will become bitter and lose its flavor.) There is a huge variety of green tea in Japan, and the level of connoisseurship may even rival wine. Green tea can at times be: strong, mild, sweet, or bitter. They take it very seriously!

Anyway, as I was walking into the coffeeshop, I saw a sign advertising several seasonal green tea drinks. Since it was rather warm, I chose the “Frozen Matcha” 「フローゼン抹茶」As you can see, it is quite a work of art. On top of the green tea/milk smoothie, they put 「小豆」(”azuki,” or sweet beans), whip cream, a wafer and matcha syrup. Wow. The only way I can describe it is, [和風！」(”wa hu”), which means “distinctly Japanese”…but also sounds like “Woo Hoo!”

Ok, sorry…I was being a bit silly there. But it was good. I like the 「抹茶クリームフラッパチーノ」(”Green Tea Frappacino”) that was first developed for Japanese Starbucks, but is now available in the US (YAY!)…but it is a lot sweeter than this one. This one is much less sweet, so it might appeal to many Japanese, who are usually prefer less sugar…It definitely gave me the energy to tackle my night class. How about you? Did you treat yourself to anything fun today???