The Wayfarer Blog

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???

I have no idea. I saw it yesterday while I was walking around between classes. Maybe it is an owl…? Anyway, I thought it was interesting.

What do you think? Any guesses?

I had a couple hours to kill between classes, so I walked around Yotsuya Station and took some pictures. Nothing special…just to amuse myself. I will post more tomorrow, but here is one for tonight. This is an Okinawan restaurant, which I didn’t realize until just now when I was looking at the picture on my computer!

The pictures and words beckon customers to descend the steps and enter the restaurant…to enjoy fresh seafood and delicious Okinawan food.

I have only had Okinawan food a couple times. One of the main things I remember is goya (苦瓜), a very bitter melon that is often served in Okinawan restaurants! It is ok, but not my favorite…definitely an acquired taste. But it is one reason that Okinawan food is nutritious and delicious!

Check out this Wikipedia article on Goya for more info!

I really like this…Let’s call it today’s photo!

This is, of course, a Japanese billboard for Spiderman 3, which will be hitting theaters soon. I took this at Shinjuku Station, on Platform #14, which is the Sobu Line. I’ve mentioned the Sobu Line before. I ride many trains, but the main one is the Chuo Line (中央線). As I mentioned in the previous post, There is a rapid line, called the Chuo Line, and a local one, called the Sobu (or Chuo-Sobu Line). If you’d like to learn more about the Sobu Line, check out this Wikipedia Article.

I wrote about the new Krispy Kreme in Tokyo back in a December 13, 2006 article, More Dietary Dangers Looming in Japan.

Here are a couple pictures:

(above) This is where the line starts, in front of the shop.

Every time I’ve been by here, the lines have been ridiculous. I’ve heard it can take an hour or more, just to get a donut. Man, Krispy Kreme donuts are ok, but there aren’t that great! So I think it is interesting, but I am not going to stand in line for one. In the US, people also go nuts over Krispy Kreme donuts…what’s the big deal?

Click on one of the pictures to go my Flickr page. I have a few more pictures of the line at Krispy Kreme. You can also see them in my 新宿 Shinjuku Flickr Photo Set.

This is the entrance to Tokyo Disneyland. I went there with a few friends on September 19, 2005. I remember it was a really hot day! But it was fun…

Time for bed. I have a long day ahead of me, and it is already late…

I’ve seen shows like this a few times in Tokyo. It is usually about the same. The monkey does various tricks; jumping, dancing, bowing to the audience, etc.

I took this about a year ago, near Yasukuni Shrine. You might be familiar with Yasukuni Shrine. The former prime minister, Mr. Koizumi, angered people in China and Korea by making official visits to the shrine. (Many war veterans, including Class A War Criminals from World War Two, are enshrined there. His visits to a shrine that honors war criminals as the head of state were seen as a slap in the face by many people in other countries.)

But putting aside politics, it is a good place to view cherry blossoms. Although it is only about a 10 minute walk from my school’s headquarters, I have only gone there twice.

Well, maybe not. But i have taken many videos on my Canon A95 digital camera. i certainly won’t win any Academy Awards for my videos, but they might be interesting for people who’ve never been to Asia. I’ve been meaning to post some of my videos, but I’ve never gotten around to it.

Ok, disclaimer time…As i said, I shot these with a basic digital camera, often under less than ideal conditions. The video quality, sound, and camera shake might deter some people from watching them. But if you are interested in catching a glimpse of some things i have seen, and if you are willing to risk motion sickness, I present the world premiere of Andrew’s Homemade Travel Videos!!! Read on…

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March 18, 2007. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. From now on, life in Japan will be a lot more convenient. And I have a penguin to thank! (more…)

Today is March 3rd, which is 雛祭り (Hina Matsuri/Girls’ Day) in Japan. 　雛 (”hina”) means “doll” and 祭り　(”matsuri”) means “festival.” All across Japan, people are displaying their dolls in their homes. But, according to tradition, they have to take them down by the evening of March 4th. I don’t really know much about this day, but apparently, there is an old tradition that if a family leaves it’s dolls up too long, their daughter will find it difficult to get married.

I did see a couple displays. They are very nice. It’s too bad they only display them for a week or so every year. At one of the homes where I teach children, I had hina-arare rice crackers for the first time. It’s hard to describe them. There were pink, yellow, and brown ones, of varying sizes. They had the same texture as a corn puff, but with a mild flavor. This site has a good picture of what they looked like.

If you want to learn more about it, and see examples of some of the dolls, the Wikipedia article is here. And you can go here for a site on children’s festivals in Japan. And of course, you can also type in “hinamatsuri” in Google. If you want to look at pictures on Flickr, try here, here, or here.