Christmas Cookies!!!

My favorite part of Christmas, ever since I can remember, has always been decorating Christmas cookies. Unfortunately here in my house Japan we don't have an oven, so I can't actually make any of the wonderful Christmas shaped cookies from my childhood, but my wonderful mother was kind enough to send me a big ol' box of powdered sugar, so at least I was able to make the buttercream frosting! This year I made up a big batch and had a Christmas cookie making party for my students. It was a big success and here are some of the finished cookies. Enjoy! (Also a little thank you to Justin who gave me some motivation to start posting again!)

A New Kit-kat Enters the Hall of Fame

I've been on a diet, so I haven't posted any new Kit-kat posts in a while, but the latest one I just had to try: Cola and Lemon Squash! The Cola one was okay, it tasted a little fizzy with that weird cola-but-somehow-not-cola-taste you get with cola-flavored things like cola-gum and cola-pez. It was neither here nor there, delicious nor gross, fish nor fowl.

The Lemon, however, was something special, it earned it's place in the Hall of Fame beside salt, green tea and sparkling strawberry. It has a mild lemon cream taste with just a tad of sour bite at the end and is a pleasing pale yellow color, just as it ought to. I'll be bringing some home in August for the curious along with aloe-yogurt and bitter almond.

P.S. The text on the package says "Cola Flavor and Lemon Squash Flavor, Which will you eat first?".

Sakura Matcha Kit-kat

This Kitkat is my favorite so far; even better than salt. The bar itself is a lovely shade of green, and they've managed to get the balance of chocolate and matcha just right. The wafer has a delicate cherry blossom flavor that is a perfect match for the green tea. This one is definately 10 out of 10!

PS As I was writing this blog I saw a TV commercial for this Kit-kat

Kit-kat Passion

The latest Kit-kat on the shelves is Raspberry and Passion Fruit. It has bitter dark-chocolate wrapping crispy wafers with tart raspberry jam and just a hint of passion fruit. It's not as sweet as the usual Kit-kat and it has a much more refined and adult taste. This is another winner. Also if anyone is interested I was reading on Fark the other day that there are even more new regional Kit-kat specialties in the works, including wasabi. I can't wait to try that one!

Double Trouble from Kit-kat

I tried two new kit-kats this week: Maple and "Complete Vegetable". They were both quite tasty in and of themselves, but neither were real standouts.


The maple was your standard white chocolate Kit-kat with just a tiny hint of maple syrup. Like the rose variety I thought it was good, but just not mapley enough. They ought to have made the maple flavor a bit more prominent; as it is, it felt too similar to other white chocolate kit-kats I've had and lacked personality.


The vegetable was a little better. It had a quite charming orange sherbet color as you can see, and a light fruity smell. The flavor was a nice mix of carrot and some kind of fruit (apple? orange?), but as with the maple, it could have had a bit more kick.

Osaka: Of Lolitas and Macarons

Last Monday Rin and I went in to Osaka to do some textbook shopping and we saw a pink Goth-Loli at the station. The picture's a little blurry 'cause I took it from kinda far away but I hope you like it.


We also went in search of macarons and found paradise on earth. A few weeks ago my friends Shiho and Naoko gave me a box of the most delicious macarons ever and said they were from the Hankyu Department Store. I went there but they didn't have the same ones, but fortunately they had even MORE delicious ones (if that's even possible). I had a cassis-violet, a yuzu (a type of citron) and a raspberry chocolate macaron. Perfection!

Kit-Kat Revolution

The latest Kit-kat to hit the shelves is Sparkling Strawberry and it's the best yet. (Well, actually tied with Salt; they're both delish.) It has the standard creamy white chocolate taste with the perfect tart bite of strawberry at the end. Pepsi should take a lesson from Kit-kit; it's not enough to just keep coming out with weird flavors, they have to actually taste good too.

Rice for Rin

I fed Rin his first solid food today: rice gruel. He really seemed to like it, eating it up with a big smile and getting it all over himself. (Of course I stripped him down to his diapy before I gave it to him. ) Unfortunately I forgot to take a pic, so you'll have to wait until the next feeding to see him covered in gloopy rice.

Kit-Kat Report

The latest weird Kit-kat flavor to come out is Royal Milk Tea. This one is not too adventurous; just your standard kit-kat wafer surrounded by creamy tea-flavored white chocolate. It's pretty much exactly what I expected from the name, and a good solid candy-bar. I can definitely recommend it.

More Pepsi Madness

As faithful readers of this blog are no doubt aware, Pepsi Japan occasionally puts out unusual limited edition flavors. Their cucumber and shiso sodas were both delish, but they've come a bit of a cropper with the latest release: Pepsi Azuki. The first sip is ok, but the lingering aftertaste of sweet beans is really not something you want out of a cola. I recommend giving this one a miss.

Eyeballs!

About the eyeballs, I was watching a cooking program and they went to a fish market and showed all the different parts of the tuna and how to cook them, and the last one was the eyeball. A tuna's eyeball is really huge, about as big as a baseball, and the chef cooked it in foil, and brought it out for the host to try. She looked a little grossed out, but she soldiered on and ate it. She said it was oily but delicious. I almost barfed just watching it. It's too gross to put up on this blog, so if you want to see what it looked like GIS マグロの目玉 for yourself.

Oh, Those Wacky KitKats

What will they think of next?

When we went to the conbini a few days ago we discovered yet another new seasonal variety: Apple Cider Vinegar!?! It was white chocolate with a mild sour/fruity aftertaste. Sho-chan said he preferred it to Lamune, but I disagreed; the Lamune had a special something about it that really endeared it to me.
Then lo and behold we went to the supermarket the day after that and they had Rose KitKats. I have to admit I was rather unimpressed with the rose ones however. They were just plain milk-chocolate with a very faint hint of rose. If you didn't know it was supposed to be rose you might not even notice it. If you're going to go for such a wacky flavor, I think you need to really go all out and this was honestly rather half-hearted.

Lamune Kit Kat

As you may know KitKat sells various seasonal limited edition versions in Japan. This summer the new flavor is Lamune, which comes from the English "lemonade". The original Lamune is a fizzy lemon drink similar to Sprite or 7-up sold in cute blue glass bottles, stoppered with marbles. The Lamune Kit Kat is the same shade of blue as the Lamune bottle, but only vaguely reminiscent of the taste. It starts out quite sweet and creamy, much like your standard white chocolate, but it has a little sour kick of lemon right at the very end. I'm quite fond of them and I'd advise anyone who can get their hands on some to check them out.

Pee-pee Attack, Shiso!?! and a New Blog!

1. I've been gradually getting into the swing of being a mom, the feeding, the bathing, the sleepless nights and the pee-pee and poopy diapers. I guess I was a little bit too cavalier about the diapers though because a few days ago when I was changing Rin, he let fly with a little yellow stream right all over me, the mat and the futon. Now I make sure to put a wipe down over his little equipment before initiating the diaper-change.


2. It's that time of year again; time for Pepsi to come out with a new weird limited edition summer beverage, and this year is a topper. They've made shiso soda. Shiso is a green leaf with a bit of a pungent flavor that's apparently called perilla in English, though I've never heard of it (and neither has the spell-checker, apparently). I'm a big fan of shiso in all kinds of dishes, (especially cold shiso and pickled plum spaghetti), but I never would have thought to make a soda out of it. Give it a try if you get the chance, I guarantee you're in for quite an experience!

3. Since all my relatives are clamoring for pictures of Rin, I've decided to make a new blog just with pictures of him which will hopefully be updated daily.

At the hospital

Sho-chan, Mom and I are all at the hospital now, biding our time. The contractions have started coming fast and furious, and I've decided to stay for the night, rather than go back home and have to come again in the middle of the night. (I just had a contraction while writing this blog entry in fact and had to stand up and waddle around like a penguin, breathing out my mouth. Foo..Foo... fooooooo.)

The hopsital staff are really great and they encouraged us to go out and have something to eat while it was still possible, which we did. We headed down to the sushi-go-round for some pre-celebration sushi, stuffed ourselves and came back. I think we must've slightly freaked out the other patrons though, since I had to keep grabbing Sh-chan's arm and squeezing it and grimacing. (I saved the penguin dance for inside the hospital at least!)

This will probably be the last pre-birth update, so wish me luck!

Goog Niter!!!

New Juice Report

Japan is a great country for beverage lovers; it seems like every day there's a new kind of juice or soda on the market. Today's spotlight is "Zooce: the juice that's like a zoo." I love the packaging, but I'm not sure I want to imagine what a zoo tastes like. Especially not the elephant cage...


Luckily it just tastes like some kind of random carbonated fruit, (maybe pineapple?) with an aftertaste reminiscent of Flintstones chewable vitamins. Goog niter!

Chocomania!!!!

Today is Valentine's Day and you know what that means....

Chocolate, chocolate, and just for the flying heck of it all, a lil' more chocolate. I know a lot of single people like to hate on Valentine's but I never did, even when I was a lonely singleton myself. Who needs a boyfriend when you can console yourself with a 24 pack of Russell Stover chocolate creams, or even better: a Godiva sampler.

I love you Valentine's Day. I love you chocolate. (Second only of course to my wonderful sweet Sho-chan, my shy Baby X, my fantastic family back in the States, and my lovely Rosie).

Abuelita and (No) Baby News

My student Shouta did a short homestay in California over the winter break and he gave me the above Abuelita (Little granny) chocolate drink as a souvenir. It's apparently very popular in Mexico, and after trying it I have to say it's quite yummy. I can't remember ever seeing it in the Mexican section at the supermarket, but if you ever come across it give it a try; it's creamy and lightly spicy.

As for the baby, we went for the 20 week check up today, and got the good news that the baby is healthy, energetic and growing at the right pace. Unfortunately he/she did not want to cooperate and give us a clear shot of his/her crocthital area, so we'll have to wait until next month's check-up to see if it's a boy or a girl.

Also, regarding names, the boy's name is decided; it's 麟太朗 (Rintarou). But we still have a few candidates for the girls name including: 玲奈 (Leina), 絵里花 (Erika), 純奈 (Junna) and the new contender 柚香 (Yuzuka).

What a Wonderful Weekend!

This weekend was absolutely great!
1) We went to the hospital to see the latest ultrasound of Baby Kanou and were treated to a very clear view of a teeny-tiny perfectly shaped baby foot! We were also able to see the whole shape very clearly and see the umbilical cord. Super exciting!!

2) My friends Naoko and Shiho came to visit and we had a lovely time eating some truly amazing cake from Saint An and watching the sumo.


3) The last match of the sumo tournament, Ama vs. Hakuho was a fantastic drawn out battle to the bitter end. Hakuho eventually won, gaining him his ninth tournament victory, but Ama showed that he is truly worthy to join the ranks of the Ozeki, and I am looking forward to his promotion in January! Congrats to Ama and Hakuho! (This just in- I read that along with his promotion to Ozeki he'll be gaining a new shikona {sumo name} and it won't include the character 安. The cheap horse is cheap no more!)



4) Sho-chan got a cool new hair cut. Here is posing with the stylist Ippei-san. She was alittle camera-shy.


and here is Sho-chan again. I really like this new cut!


5) Ippei-san mentioned that there was a new Indian restaurant that had opened up near us, so we went to check it out. luckily it was still open and we had dinner there. The food was top-notch, the portions were generous, the price was reasonable and the staff were very friendly and courteous. Absolutely 10 out of 10. We will definitely be going there a lot in the future. If anyone wants to go, it's called Subhi Mahal and it's in the little plaza next to Toridoru down the road from the Minamigaoka 7-11.


6) On Sunday my former co-worker Hisae called up out of the blue, and wanted to meet on Monday. I was thrilled, and so she came to our house for a nice chat with her husband Ma-kun and their cute little baby boy, Souma. He was the sweetest, chubbiest little baby and not at all shy with us. Here he is with Sho-chan.


7) Hana-chan came over to work on the budget and we got everything settled, and in the black!

8)Finally we went to the video store and rented Maiko-haaaan! It's about a man who's obsessed with Geisha and Maiko, and it was totally hilarious and over the top. Abe Sadao is really a wonderful actor. Please watch it if you get the chance!

Check out: Saint An's website and be prepared to drool over the succulent and inviting cakes displayed therein.

Also a new post on Let's Signing! I've been busy!

Autumn in Kyoto (almost)

This past weekend Sho-chan and I went on a day-trip to Kyoto. We were hoping to take in the autumn leaves, which are especially beautiful in the mountains around Kyoto, but unfortunately we were early and most of the trees were still green. We had a great time sight-seeing and eating yummy food though, so no loss. Here are the pictures:


This is Sho-chan at Sanjuusangendou, the famous "Hall of 33 Bays". I always go to Sanjuusangendou when I visit Kyoto, but Sho-chan had never been before. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys temples even a little. There are more than a thousand spectacular gold-painted statues of Kannon (the Chinese goddess of mercy Kwan-Yin) and they say that anyone can find a statue that resembles someone they know.


This is a small pond at Sanjuusangendou. It's a little hard to make out, but there's a large carp swimming in the water near Sho-chan's hand.


From Sanjuusangendou we went to Kiyomizu temple, another famous sightseeing spot. On the way there we spotted this couple. Recently it's become popular for visitors to dress up as a maiko (apprentice geisha) and walk around Kyoto. There are many shops that rent clothes and do geisha/maiko make-up , but you can always tell the real from the fake by the way the walk. The fake maiko have a heck of a time in the giant clogs that go with the kimono. Also real maiko aren't usually strolling around tourist spots in the middle of the afternoon dressed in their full regalia.


This is a display of ema (votive plaques) at Kiyomizu temple. You can buy one and write your wishes and hopes for the future on it and hang it up here.


Here is one funny ema that we saw.


From Kiyomizu we went to Ginkakuji and on the way there we saw many young men pulling rickshaws (rickshaw comes from the Japanese jinrikisha). I've always wanted to ride in one, but they charge an arm and a leg, so we just took a photo.


This is the sand garden at Ginkakuji. Magnificent, isn't it?


After our long day trekking around we went to a lovely little restaurant in the Gion area of Kyoto. Dad and Julie may remember this place; we had lotus root chips, pumpkin soup and some delicious daikon pickles there. Here I am pouring Sho-chan a little cup of steaming hot sake.


And finally Sho-chan enjoying a well-earned cup of sake at the end of a long day of walking. Until next time, see you!