Japanese Summer Drink

One of my students recently told me about a new drink, which has become popular at Japanese pubs. Apparently, the sweet taste is a favorite among women.

What makes this drink unique is that it uses a well known frozen treat called "gari gari kun".

Japanese ice candy: Gari Gari Kun

Here is the recipe:

1 gari gari kun (soda flavor)
sparkling cider
whiskey (optional)

This drink seemed really fun, so I went off to the local 7-11 to buy the ingredients and make it myself (minus the alcohol).

My soda and glass...

...plus one gari gari kun....

...and add to the glass. Voila! C'est fin!

So how about the taste? Well, it was very sweet! I stirred the gari gari kun around to melt it down. The taste was similar to cream soda in Canada. I think it would taste better with the whiskey. (laugh)

I'd like to hear some unusual drinks from my readers. Got any to share..?

*** I've been pretty busy lately and have a lot of travel news to share with readers. Tomorrow, I'll post the first installment of a mountain climb. 1,252 meters (about 4,000 feet!) 

Bus Trip - Part 5

...the final installment of a bus trip to Osaka and Nagoya, continues. 

My friend wasn't busy, so the next morning, we headed out to a local cafe to enjoy breakfast. In Aichi and Gifu prefectures, cafes are often open in the morning and sell what is called a "morning set". It's a standard breakfast with coffee or tea.

We looked over the regular menu, but voted to just eat the normal "morning set".

Menu:

A traditional "morning set":

Unlike Western style breakfasts, in which you can select the foods to eat, morning sets in Japan are finalized -- you get what the restaurant serves. Luckily, these are all my favorite things: yogurt, salad, an egg and toast.

There is nothing like enjoying a slow morning over breakfast with a friend. Before saying good bye, we asked the shop lady if she would take our photo....

I then headed to Nagoya station to catch the bus. This time, I rode a double decker bus, sitting up top where I enjoyed the view all the way home.

The bus home:

I really enjoyed this trip. Visiting spots by bus is a cheap alternative for those interested in traveling in Japan. I highly recommend it.

There are a variety of long distance bus companies in Japan. I used JR Highway bus. Website HERE. Another recommended company is: Willer Express (site HERE). More information about long distance bus travel in Japan is HERE.

Bus Trip - Part 4

....a trip to the Kinki & Chubu regions of Japan continues. This time, we move east.

After spending 3 days in Osaka, I jumped on the bus in the morning and began heading east. My elephant joined me on the almost empty bus.

My elephant = best travel partner ever!

The overcast weather added to the grey atmosphere as we said "good-bye" to Osaka:

I passed the 3.5 hour ride by watching videos of Dave Chappelle's stand up routine, and Kylie's Anti-tour on You Tube. As for my elephant, I think he slept. (laugh) We arrived in Nagoya, where I used to live for 8 years. I wanted to visit a good friend of mine here, the super funny and chatty, Miss W.

She had a request: to eat 手羽先 [te-ba-sa-ki = chicken wings], a speciality in Nagoya. I took her to the same place we went to last year -- Yama Chan!

Our food: 

As I don't drink alcohol, I was looking over the menu for something unique to drink that would make me at least, feel giddy. I found my favorite....ラムネ [ra-u-ne = Japanese cream soda]. My friend had never heard of it, so I showed her how to open the bottle...and promptly failed and had to ask the waitress for help. (laugh!)

The bottle, before opening:

The video of how to open a ramune bottle with special bonus!

Cutenekko's giggle ^_^

My friend is one of the few with whom I can talk about anything and everything. It's really nice to have a friend like that. We enjoyed being girls and talking over our drinks about love, relationships, jobs, life in Japan and all the unique things in between.

I stayed over at W's place, and we ended up talking even more, this time, over her homemade grapefruit-shu (liquor). I don't drink, but to say "no" to alcohol which has been handmade, would have been regretful. The drink was perfect on a hot, end-of-the-summer day.

Her grapefruit liquor:

My glass:

Amusingly, I felt woozy after only one glass. Gahhhh! We laughed over my weakness -- first, I couldn't open a Ramune bottle, and then, can't drink a half a glass of liquor without falling over. Sheesh! (laugh)

Tune in tomorrow; I will show you what is known as a Nagoya "morning set".

Yama chan is famous for chicken wings. There are branches all over Nagoya, and some friends in Tokyo said you can find Yama chan in the big city too. Website HERE (Japanese only | 日本語だけ）Average price for a plate of wings: ¥300. One bottle of Ramune costs about ¥130~150. 

Bus Trip - Part 2

...a bus trip to Osaka continues. 

From Nagoya, the bus traveled another 3 hours before arriving at Osaka. The next morning, I met my friend and we enjoyed some things near Osaka port. First up: the Ferris Wheel! This one is called Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel.

View of the Ferris Wheel:

We could enjoy great views from inside our glass cabin....

View of the ship dock:

View of a bridge:

View from the very top (plus a cabin):

Cutenekko and her boyfriend, Mr. Elephant ^_^ (laugh)

After completing a 360 on the wheel, my friend suggested taking a boat harbor cruise. We chose a ship that is famous to history buffs -- the Santa Maria!

My ticket:

I love how the ticket makes it seem we will be flying through space!! (laugh) 

The ship:

The cruise lasted about 40 minutes and passengers could see how Osaka Port is more of an industrial port than Yokohama.

Many industries line the coastline in Osaka...

One thing that surprised me: next to Universal Studios Japan, was this....

....a huge IKEA warehouse. IKEA has been expanding rapidly in Asia recently. Thailand got one just last November. In Japan, almost everyone buys IKEA furniture for their apartments. Prices are not as cheap as you might think.

After departing from the boat, my friend took me out for afternoon tea! Be sure to check back again to see a British tea shop in Osaka. 

Tempozan area is home to several sights: an aquarium, sightseeing cruises and the Giant Ferris Wheel. Visitors can buy a combo ticket at a lower price. If you buy the tickets separately, the Ferris Wheel is ¥700 per person, ($17/ 250 Baht) and the Santa Maria Cruise is ¥1,600 ($16/ 550 Baht). Access: Subway Chuo line, Osakako station, walk 5 minutes. Information is HERE. The Santa Maria cruise terminal is next door to the Ferris Wheel. 

Bus Trip - Part 1

I was invited to visit a friend who lives in Osaka. Most Japanese prefer to travel by shinkansen, the ultra-fast bullet trains. These, however, are quite expensive, often costing over $100 one way. Another option, which has been increasing in popularity recently, is the highway bus. The whole trip (return) cost less than a one-way shinkansen ticket.

I booked two separate legs for my journey: Kanagawa --> Nagoya, Nagoya ---> Osaka. The bus stopped frequently, about every two hours, at a rest stop. Expasa is a popular rest stop (there are numerous Expasa shops in Japan), which usually house Starbucks, ice cream, famous fast food and convenience stores, etc.

Expasa:

The highlight is using the toilet. Really! Tourists always rave about the all-automatic, completely private, toilet stalls in Japan. So I snuck a photo for my readers....(laugh)

About halfway through the journey, we stopped at Hamanako (Lake Hamanako), in Shizuoka prefecture. The day was perfect, and the view even better....

Finally, after 5.5 hours, we arrived in Nagoya in Aichi prefecture. You can see Nagoya TV tower in the background:

I had only 10 minutes to change buses here, but luckily my bus to Osaka was parked and waiting for our bus. I'll blog about the second leg next time.

A one way JR highway bus ticket from Kanagawa to Nagoya Station costs about ¥4,200. Tickets can be booked online. You can print and pay for the tickets at any Lawson convenience store. JR highway bus site is HERE. (Kanto region, in English)

River Fishing in Kanagawa

My fishing buddy took a half day off work one Friday and invited me out to try some river fishing. We headed out to a very local spot in Kanagawa for an afternoon of fun.

The place was breathtaking! A large waterfall dominated the view, with the river following lazily down the slope....

We experimented in various locations along the river, until my friend figured out the secret to catching the fish. From then on, we enjoy catching ます, [ma-su], trout. ^_^

Waiting for a bite.....

Oh! I got a hit! Woo! 

Oh no! I lost him....

After catching, and accidentally releasing my first trout of the day, my fishing friend made it up to me--quickly catching another one. 

The first catch:

My fishing buddy is quite the pro, as we ended up catching six fish. After all that work, we headed back to his mom's place, where she cooked us up a big dinner, including the trout.

The fabulous dinner:

My butter fried trout, before.....

....and after! ^_^ T'was super yummy!

Fishing in Kanagawa is quite a popular pastime. Due to the large number of rivers and close proximity to the ocean, I often see people fishing on weekends. I wish I could share the fishing spot with my readers, but my friend taught me a new word: 穴場 [an-na-ba], which means "a secret spot". His specific request was: "Don't put the location of this river on your blog!" Hahaha. Okay will do.

Depending on the location, you may need to buy a permit to fish along rivers. A half day pass costs about ¥2,500 ~ ¥3,000 ($25~30/ 800~900 Baht).

Yamate Italian Garden Park -- Part 2

Sorry for the delay...here is the second part regarding this free park in Yokohama. The first post is HERE.

Down the garden path from the Diplomat's house, is the quaint, green trimmed cottage called "Bluff 18 Kan Ban". The first thing viewers can enjoy is a white marble fountain.

The outside of the cottage is trimmed in green; it reminded me of the home from "Anne of Green Gables".

 Inside the entrance, stood a model of the house and attached hall, which is used for private parties and wedding ceremonies.

 After switching to slippers, I toured the upstairs of the home, which featured some really beautiful rooms. Here is the dining room:

 Again, in this house, were more flowers arranged in interesting ways. A sunflower:

I preferred this house over the Diplomat's house, due to the antique furniture, fireplaces and light green themed windows everywhere. This sitting room was just waiting for a poker game:

As readers know, I love sunrooms and I fell in love with this room almost immediately. Everything about was perfect -- all that was missing was a nice cup of tea and a book. ^_^

I took this photo for my dad who is a fan of boats. With the rocking chair, this looks like the perfect place to take a rest on a cold winter's night.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of Bluff 18 Kan Ban. I will to find more free things to do in the Kanagawa/ Tokyo area soon. ^_^

***Special Bonus***
On the way home, I stopped at an import shop near Yokohama station. There, I found two interesting things -- Kern's Nectar (Pineapple Coconut) and my favorite drink, Dr. Pepper (Cherry Vanilla!!). The Nectar was really interesting and creamy. The cost for each can was reasonable: ¥120 ($1.20/ 40 baht)

Yamate Italian Garden Park is located 350 meters uphill from Ishikawacho Station (JR Negishi line). Entrance is free. There are other houses on the tour; maps in English, Korean, Chinese and Portugese are available at the Diplomat's house and at Bluff 18 Kan Ban. Website HERE.