Weekend Away: Guam

One week of rushing between Yokohama and Tokyo, organizing and supervising events for the institute I represent. I took the very last train home every night. However it was alright, as in my mind I visualized my goal: 4 days in sunny, warm Guam.

A friend was kind enough to share her free tickets with me, so we had an impromptu long weekend in the sun. Unlike last year, the weather was absolutely perfect, a segue of of bright blue skies, clear blue water and white sand.

Guam is kind of strange, a mishmash of American, Chamorro and East Asian influences. When we danced at The Beach, a bar on Gun Beach, it was interesting to hear the MCs speaking the local dialect.

We hung out on the beach of the Fiesta Resort (relatively convenient, not too overpriced) and ate our way through a ton of good food. Besides Proa (already mentioned in this post) and their astounding Taro Creme Brule' Cheesecake, this time we also tried Meskla Dos and their heart stopping sandwiches (double grilled cheese sandwich, with eggs, tomatoes and special tartar sauce, accompanied by cinnamon dusted sweet potato fries- oh my arteries). A little place called Dr.Kabob also furnished us with good falafel, lentil soup and cardamom tea.

I got up bright and early to try paddle boarding, which is immensely awesome and I would definitely like to do again. In the evenings we ran on the beach, and picked our way around the wilder edges of Tumon Bay. Ms.R had to endure my squeals of delight about every moment of Guam's gorgeous sunsets (yup, the subset obsession continues unabated). Hitting up the Ross allowed us to contribute to the economy a bit, and benefited my ever growing running and yoga wear collection

While it is very touristy, I still find it a very relaxing place to go, as the basics can all be reached by bus, and the plane ride is only 4 hours.

It seems that, with age, my ability to take an actual vacation (instead of fun but exhausting trips where I rush around, hitchhike, and wander about constantly) is increasing. Four days is probably the limit, but it is really nice to just chill and take in the beautiful vistas.

Hidden Tokyo: Eating

Like other people collect shoes, figurines or books, I collect restaurants. You have to admit, it is a space-friendly hobby, for a country where meterage is always in contention. A couple lines in a book, or online, and it is yours (until it closes, at least).

A couple of my latest acquisitions are a bit eccentric. A brief walk from Shirokanedai takes you to David's Deli, the oldest Jewish restaurant in Tokyo. The interior has not changed in decades, and the stairwell is graced by copies of Chagall's biblically inspired stained glass (as are some of the plates).

My quest this time was varnishkes, a dish of pasta and fried buckwheat. We also added falafel and hummus for good measure, with cups of nana tea. Lovely. There is also a tahini cake available, but that will have to be for a different time

Completely across town, in a tiny corner of Okusawa, is Onibus Coffee. A friend of Wave-chan's owns it, and is dead serious about coffee. He also did all the wood decor, and the staff are all super sweet, not to mention make a killer cappucino! But beware, don't come here looking for food, as the menu only extends to carefully chosen biscotti.

I am afraid the quick picture doesn't do it justice, but tucked away by the stream in Ebisu is a wonderful udon place called Yamacho. Not only is the decor totally wa-chic, but the menu is also quite interesting, and you can choose the thickness of your udon. I went for the soy milk broth udon, with tuba and umeboshi. You should also order a plate of their dashimaki tamago, which is outstanding.

Finally, a brief ode to ochazuke, in the unlikely locations of Akihabara (or Narita's departure hall). I adore this simple, comforting food, and Dashichazuke En is a simple, cheap option. This is a chain, but the quality level is very high, and I am a big fan of the pickled vegetable set.

Hmm

On my way to and from work I have been distracted by the televised ads for a certain English conversation school (which will remain nameless). There are a couple different versions, so it took a few views for it to finally hit me.

Basically, one of the ads shows a man going into a one-on-one eikaiwa session thinking: 'Me, alone with a foreigner?!'  (and yes, it is written out exactly like that)

Sincerely, I find it rather annoying, bordering on the offensive.

1- I hate the term gaijin/gaikokujin. It still smacks of that 'everyone over there, who isn't us'. As if other countries are all the same, lumped together by their non-Japaneseness. I can deal with oubeijin,as I know it is very difficult for non-EU/US citizens to distinguish between Western countries. Nonetheless, I never use those terms, usually saying 'non-Japanese' or indicating someone's nationality specifically.

2- What is with this 'omg, I will be alone with someone from another country! What will I do? Will he/she try to eat me?!' mentality. Others have written extensively (and far more eloquently) on the subject of (especially non-Asian) 'gaijin' not truly being viewed as actual people.
And this is the problem. Because most people would not say 'Me, alone with another person?!', unless said person was a recognized axe-murderer, known flasher or other dangerous critter.

No matter what my boss says on the subject, it is subtle discrimination, from what I can imagine very similar to that African Americans face in the US. The constant 'oh, your Japanese is so good' comments. They are fully acceptable if you are a student. Not if you work full time for a Japanese company, and still occasionally get the keigo wrong in your frequent e-mails. The questions like 'are foreigners ever shy?'. Who? Everyone outside of Japan? 10 people, 10 colours ya'll.

Okay, enough from me. I shall go have a cup of tea and stop being crabby.

Sakura Days: Mitsuike Koen and Kishine Koen

With all weather forecasts showing that it would rain over the weekend, I had resigned myself to only getting to see the (admittedly pretty) sakura on my walk to work.

 However the weather gods decided to show their favor, and we managed to have two dry, if chilly, days to enjoy the fluffiness to the max.

On Saturday a couple sharemates and I headed over to Kishine Koen for an evening hanami session. I have been trying to seek more local sights, instead of always running off to Tokyo, and this park is a great find. While there are not as many sakura as in other places, the trees they have are huge! Being rather minor, it was not crowded at all, and we got a nice bit of the wooden deck near the stream to ourselves. There is also an awesome slide, that we spent a good 15 minutes sliding down.

The following day was Mitsuike Koen's turn, a really large park with three small lakes and tons of trees. It is a bit troublesome to get to, as you have to catch the 104 bus from ShinYokohama station, but I think it was worth the trek.

 While there were lots of visitors, the sheer size of the park allows it to not feel crowded. There are plenty of places to lay out your blankets, without having to overhear the conversations of nearby groups.

 The afternoon slowly got colder, and poor Matcha-kun had shown up in a t-shirt. Fortunately I was wearing lots of layers, so lent him my oversized sweater and scarf... just to find that he looks better in it than I do! Very unfair ;p

Hidden Tokyo: Ookurayama Bairin

This year spring has decided to sprint on rapidly. I am just getting over the plum tree overload, and the sakura are already begging for our collective attention.

Once again my beloved Ookurayama reveals its secrets, in this case a lovely little forest of plum trees (bairin). Since it is a kind of odd spot, the crowds are relatively sparse, making it easy to get a seat under a nice, fragrant tree. On a stage in the background (draped in the traditional red and white stripes), musicians and local music students play a series of traditional Japanese instruments.

 I love the bright reddish-pink ones the most, but they also happen to be the hardest to find...and are always surrounded by photographers!

 

After a pleasant rest on the park, we decided to finish off the day on true hanami style, getting sushi at a place right in front of the station. Basic, but I really reccomend their wasabi maki, which are oddly addictive (and sinus clearing!)

Despite moving into spring, my wardrobe seems to be in monochrome recently (except for bright red lipstick). If done correctly it can be a look with a lot if dramatic impact, and very useful in a profession where you want people to remember you. Although in my case it also has something to do with trends on Italian fashion (all of these are new clothes purchased during my trip home!)

But that's fine, I shall leave the pastels to the sakura!

What do you eat?

My grandmother seems very concerned about what I eat in this far off, exotic country. In attempt to reassure her I brought a bunch of pics with me to Italy. Then I remembered that a few readers have also asked me about my diet/training, and so here it is! 

Not exactly exciting, but I make a real effort (during the week) to mainly eat food I have cooked (or simply assembled, as I eat a lot of veggies raw) myself. Stir fries, curries and brown rice are a staple lunch. I also eat tons of tofu burgers, avocados and pasta. Lots of dairy and fruit as well, to be super kind to my bones.

Weekends, however, are a different story entirely. All the fancy foods and restaurants I introduce here are products of gourmet weekends. If you eat healthily 80% of the time, you certainly get away with an occasional giant plate of eggs benedict and pancakes (or cake, pizza, fondue....).

And the benefits are incredible. Eating well and exercising properly make you feel content (it is proven that running regularly helps fight low-level depression). The desire for junk food diminishes. Without a terribly nasty workout schedule (2 runs per week, yoga once a week, weight training whenever I have 10 minutes free) or awful diets, I look pretty darn toned.

What are your tips for staying in shape? Always good to learn something new!

Week Away: Italy

 Hey, this isn't Japan!

Indeed not, welcome to Northern Italy in the winter. Two cross-continental flights, long layovers and a quick car ride from Malpensa, and voila'. The things I will do for filial piety... still, it is lovely to see my parents in person (rather than on a screen), and any grandparental weirdness I can deal with.

Northern Italian cuisine is not known for being exactly light, and so I had a great three days of filling up on the region's cheeses (fontina is amazing), scoffing large quantities of polenta and risotto, and trying many, many different delicious wines. The views of the snowy mountains and quaint old town are the perfect backdrop to such gastronomic excess.

Another lovely part of going back to my motherland is the shopping. Since I am not actually a huge fan of spending entire days in Tokyo seeking a single pair of pants that fit correctly, it is so wonderful to be able to waltz into practically any store and find lots of clothes in the right length. Indeed, in less than 12 hours I managed to accumulate an entire new wardrobe.

 The last two days of this trip were spent on my old home turf, Rome. As usual the city is beautiful, the weather fantastic and the 'maritozzi alla panna' (a Roman morning delicacy, honey and raisin bread filled with fresh whipped cream) to die for.

It felt odd to be back there. Despite not having lived permanently in Rome for over half a decade, I still know all the byways, and even the cobblestones feel familiar.

But best of all I got to see my horse (although I am most likely 'her human'), and spend lots of time with her. One of the few downsides to living is Japan is that we have to be so far away, and I don't get to see her nearly enough, although I know that she is in good hands and has a great life.