My Passion about Japan

Frozen Fantasy

2012-02-16T05:46:00.000-08:00

I've visited Japan three times yet I've still got two unfulfilled dreams, first is experiencing hanami in Japan and the second is visiting Sapporo's Snow Festival. This news from Mainichi about 'Frozen Fantasy' in Sapporo makes me think..' when will I visit Hokkaido again..?'

These pictures courtesy of Mainichi news..

Ramen Championship Singapore

2012-02-06T00:59:00.000-08:00

I got one night stop over in Singapore last month and I was hoping to have a chance to try the ramen at Iluma Building in Bugis, but unfortunately I was too early, the shops open at 11:30am and I didn't have time to wait since I need to run for my connecting flight. The Ramen Championship has been run since last year till July this year (as long as I know), didn't get the chance to take proper photos either, but I managed to go to Liang Court in Clarke Quay to try Marutama Ramen.

The good news is that the Ramen championship has new outlet at T3 Changi Airport, so next time I can try the ramen without leaving the comfort of Changi Airport.

(Ramen championship at Iluma building, Bugis)

Marutama ramen in Singapore is quite famous but frankly speaking, it was a little disappointment, for me there are two most important things from a good ramen, first is the broth and second is the noodle's texture, in this case the broth didn't taste as I expected, too light I would say and the noodle was a bit overcooked.

(Marutama ramen in Singapore)

Europe trip

2012-01-08T20:23:00.000-08:00

I am spending my last night in Rome after 15 days travelling around 10 cities in 6 countries, yes it's quite a tight schedule. All the hassle and pain from dragging around our big luggage, travelling in the notorious Paris metro, being stuck in Spagna metro station in Rome, waking up early to catch our train etc, all paid off by the joy of viewing the beautiful Swiss alps (even only from the train), enjoying the beautiful Titisee lake in Blackforest near Freiburg, tasting escargot and laduree macaroon in Paris, wandering around the gothic city of Barcelona, all thanks to our best friends in Freiburg, Amsterdam and Paris!

Here are some of my favourite shots (apart from Vatican) taken by my Nikon D3000, Olympus though and iPhone 4.

(Amsterdam city)

(Barcelona city view from parc guell)

(The amazing La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona)

(Parc guell Barcelona)

(Frankfurt city)

(Freiburg, Germany)

(Ulm Münster church in Freiburg)

(Titisee lake in Blackforest near Freiburg)

(Le jet d'eu in Geneve)

(Old city of Geneve)

(Sushi restaurant in Geneve)

(Cathedral in Milan)

(Milan)

(Paris)

(Escargot dish in Paris, cooked and served without the shells)

(Pisa city)

(The leaning tower of Pisa)

(Japanese resto in Venice)

(Pizza in Rome)

(Poffertjes with advocaat, not avocado but more like rum)

(Poffertjes with fruit in Amsterdam)

(Fontana de Trevi, Rome)

(The famous Colosseum in Rome)

(Gondola in Venice)

(Venice)

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-02T07:05:00.000-08:00

A quick post from Rome..

I happened to attend New Year's mass at Basilica St. Peter in Vatican yesterday, here some photos from Vatican.

Happy New Year 2012.. wishing you all the best

(some people wearing kimono for the mass?)

KuraKura

2011-12-23T20:48:00.000-08:00

Kura haymarket Sydney, one of my favourites for casual dining in the city just opened the new KuraKura. I believed they are under the same management. The new KuraKura is located on the same corner of Ultimo road in Haymarket, with the same great service and affordable menus, but this new KuraKura takes place on the second and third floor with more spacious and cozy atmosphere. They have exactly the same menu with Kura plus new ones and some drinks from cocktail to hot sake.

My favourites from Kura are aburi salmon and salmon don, but this time the Hokkaido Udon on the menu is really tempting, comes in cream and cheese with pork and onsen tamago (half boiled egg) and served with baby spinach. The Hokkaido udon looks more like a pasta and tastes really yummy but quite heavy though.

(Hokkaido udon)

(salmon wing)

For healthy choice, the tofu salad is really light and refreshing.

(Tofu salad)

Wanted to try the Umeshu jelly for dessert but unfortunately sold out so I picked ume-apple from the cocktail range as I always love umeshu.

(Ume-apple)

The mini okonomiyaki comes with crispy skin which is nice and the combination of okonomi sauce and mayo is perfect.

(Mini okonomiyaki)

Menya Super Rich Tonkotsu Ramen

2011-12-02T23:54:00.000-08:00

It's officially summer now but it's only 15 degree Celsius when I left home yesterday morning, well .. it's just an excuse for myself to have a bowl of hot and tasty ramen.

Menya serves a new 'Super Rich Tonkostu Ramen' a while ago but never got a chance to taste it before since it's only available from 5:30pm and they only serve 10 dishes a day. The tonkotsu broth really is rich and tasty and the taste is just great, worth a try for tonkotsu lovers.

Bounenkai

2011-11-30T19:37:00.000-08:00

I called my best friend in Japan last weekend and he was attending a 'bounenkai', and yesterday I got an email from another friend in Japan and she said she is having 5 bounenkai in the next few weeks. Five bounenkai? Yes, it's normal she said, if you are in Japan you will be invited to 'bounenkai' parties by friends, family, company, the division you work for, etc. Lucky you! I said, for me I normally have one 'bounenkai' only which we call it Christmas party and for me November - December are the busiest months at work, can't afford to have five parties.

'Bounenkai', literally means 'forget-the-year party, or you can call it year-end party where people get together at an izakaya, eat and drink, forget the bad things from the past year and expecting the better one to come, have fun and get ready to be drunk!

Travel Japan by Film

2011-11-18T08:52:00.000-08:00

The 15th Japanese Film Festival is on! With the special guest appearances in Sydney by director Hideyuki Hirayama and actor Yutaka Takenouchi, two films by Takenouchi Oba, the Last Samurai and A Honeymoon in Hell have already sold out, lucky I've got my ticket for this afternoon :)

The interactive map Travel Japan by Film really is a unique and creative way to explore Japan and this year's film festival!

Canberra-Nara Candle Festival

2011-10-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

The Canberra-Nara Candle Festival on 22 October marks its 18th anniversary of the Canberra-Nara sister city relationship. I took three-hour ride by bus from Sydney especially for this event and booked a hotel two months ago, and all paid of yesterday afternoon! It's the biggest Japanese Festival I've ever attended in Australia, thousands folk enjoy the Japanese culture, food and thousands of candles lit up by the mayor of Nara city when the sun goes down.

The event starts around 5pm and features live Japanese entertainment, origami, ikebana, lantern making, mochi making demonstration, and surely the food! The weather was perfect at Lennox Garden just behind the Hyatt Hotel, enjoying the performances including the Nara University High School students singing and dancing AKB48 songs, tasting the freshly made mochi, amazed by the spectacles of 2,000 shimmering candles, there were lots of fun.

(The performances)

(The stalls)

(The mochi-pounding team)

(Sake tasting)

Fuji Pan

2011-10-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

Pan in Japanese means 'bread', this Fuji Pan and Fujiya restaurant are under the same management and they are located in the same building just on the corner of Goulburn and George street in Sydney CBD. I tried the crab and cheese, chocolate and melon, and chocolate croissant and love them all! This Japanese bread has a smooth texture but much firmer than the typical Asian bread.

I didn't get the chance to take picture of each breads since I finished them all on my way home.. Yakitate! :)

updated with new photos:

(I love this Snow white choco..)

Oiden

2011-10-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

If you are a regular customer of Menya Mappen, you might have noticed its new 'sister restaurant' just opened last month right next door, Oiden.

Oiden serves more rice bowls while Mappen specializes in udon and soba, they both have lots of tempting tempura and small serve of side dishes in affordable price, both offer cozy atmosphere of Japanese eateries in the 70's (or earlier?) and same great hospitality. It's a bit hard for me to choose either to go the the left side for soba or to the right one for rice bowl.

(Oiden set meal comprises rice, miso sup, pickles and coleslaw)

(Potato salad)

(Tuna tataki bowl)

(Eggplant)

(Eggplant and barramundi tempura)

Matsuri in Sydney 2011

2011-10-06T00:37:00.000-07:00

Matsuri in Sydney 2011 is coming soon!
Set your reminder on October 15 at Palm Grove Darling Harbour!

Tulip Time

2011-09-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

It was Sydney's gloomiest weekend since February, according to weatherzone, with less than an hour of sunshine all weekend, but it doesn't stop me from going to Bowral for Tulip time! The weather was much cooler on the highland but the beautiful garden blanketed by colourful tulips is worth the visit.

Heavens of Kamikochi

2011-09-23T05:04:00.000-07:00

I was reading this 'Hiking with the gods of nature in the heavens of Kamikochi' from Mainichi news and it reminds of of my dream to visit Nagano.I've been to Japan three times and somehow never made my way to Nagano, one of the best alps in Japan. It was in 1998, the first time I dreamt of Nagano while watching the Winter Olympic and then few years ago I happened to watch 'Season of Snow', a movie taken in a snow resort showing the stunning view of the majestic white mountains of Hakuba, at that time I told myself 'why don't you go there on your next trip to Japan?' well somehow Nagano is still on my 'next-visit list in Japan'

Back to the Kamikochi, if you love nature, hiking and mountains this article about the priceless view of sacred highland of Kamikochi and the energetic 73-year-old mountain guide is worth the read.

Here are some useful links about Kamikochi and Nagano:

http://www.kamikochi.or.jp/english/index.php

http://kamikochi.org/

http://www.hikyaku.com/nagano/naganog.html

(The scenic beauty of Kamikochi, picture courtesy of Mainichi)

Animania 2011 Sydney

2011-09-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

I've been a regular visitor of Animania in Sydney, I missed out on the first event last March but I made it to the event yesterday for this year's second one. It's always a good time when anime lovers of all ages get together enjoying the stage show, dance classes, video games, art workshop and taking pictures of fabulous costumes!

(A stall from Japanese Foundation Sydney)

Butaebi Maki

2011-09-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

It's a prawn wrapped in thin slices of pork fillet cooked with teriyaki sauce, a simple dish yet the taste will make you go back to Nazimi Japanese restaurant at 141 York st Sydney.

The crispness of pork fillet and the buttery prawn blended in teriyaki sauce doesn't taste greasy at all, so you won't get the guilty feeling from eating this special dish from Nazimi.

(Butaebi maki from Nazimi)

As I mentioned on my previous post, Nazimi, one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in town also has the best Tasmanian salmon steak I couldn't resist.

(Tasmanian salmon steak from Nazimi)

Sakura Matsuri 2011

2011-08-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

Updating my previous post with some photos taken today, the last day of Cherry blossoms festival at Auburn Japanese Garden.

(Two food stalls selling Takoyaki and Yakitori)

Cherry Blossom Festival 2011

2011-08-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

Spring is just around the corner! Sakura season is on!
If you live in Sydney here are two Cherry Blossoms Festival you shouldn't miss:

1. Cherry Blossom Festival at Auburn's Japanese garden, Chiswick Road-Auburn.
When : 21 August - 28 August 2011.

2. Sakura Masturi at Cowra Japanese Garden, Cowra.
When : 24 September 2011.

Black Rice

2011-08-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

Indonesian black rice (not glutinous rice), is one of the several varieties of black rice.It is a deep black color and turns deep purple when cooked. It has a relatively high mineral content (including iron), the grain has a similar amount of fiber to brown rice, and like brown rice, it has a mild, nutty taste.

(Black rice served with deep fried chicken and tofu)

During my holiday in Bandung, my second hometown, I happened to enjoy some of the local favorite dishes of Sundanese cuisine (West Javan): black rice, brown rice, and rice mixed with oncom. Oncom is a secondary product from the production of other foods. It's made from fermented groundnut and soybean, fermented using molds.

(Brown rice served with deep fried chicken)

The below 'Nasi tutug oncom' or rice mixed with oncom, served with gepuk (sweet smashed fried beef), crispy fried tofu and sambal (special chili sauce)

(Nasi tutug oncom or rice mixed with oncom)

Singapore stop over

2011-08-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

Stopping over in Singapore has been part of my holidays for years, despite the heat and muggy weather, the convenience of Changi airport and their airline have been my favorites for traveling. In Changi you can shop and pay by major currencies and not to mention the comfort of its facilities. As far as I remember, the first time I visited my Singapore 10 years ago, I didn't find many Japanese eateries nor shops around but now you'll come across Japanese eateries and shops in every shopping mall, some maid cafes around Bugis and the Japanese related events such as cosplay, all of those showing the influence of Japanese culture in this city. Talking about Japanese food stuffs, my favorite place is Meidi-ya supermarket in Liang Court shopping centre around Clarke Quay area.

Some of my shoppings..

(Chocolates from Royce)

(Blue Mountain coffee from Meidi-ya)

(Choya umeshu extra years bought at Changi)

Ippudo Sg

2011-07-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

A quick post from Singapore, stopping over for 2 nights before flying to my hometown for a-three-week holiday visiting families and friends.

Ippudo Singapore is quite famous for ramen lovers in Singapore and decided to try the one in Mandarin Gallery Orchard (they have another shop in UE square), got there around 12 noon and I had to queue for about 20 minutes before finally got the seat. It might be the best ramen in Singapore but still you can't compare to the ones in Sydney such as Ryo's or Ramen Genki, but if you happen to be in this city and craving for some yummy ramen to slurp then this Ippudo is worth a shot.

(Shirotama ramen from Ippudo sg)

(cucumber with sesame)

(Ippudo Mandarin Gallery, Orchard Singapore)

The shirotama ramen I ordered wasn't a disappointment but nothing special though, while the cucumber with sesame side dish is quite refreshing and gives a pleasant after taste for my taste buds after slurping the rich tonkotsu broth of Shirotama ramen.

Goshu Ramen Tei

2011-06-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite dishes in winter is ramen, I could go to ramen restaurant every weekend plus 1-2 bowl of instant noodle I cook at home, just couldn't resist slurping hot noodle in a chilly weather. Despite the name 'Goshu Ramen Tei', this down-to-earth Japanese eatery in York St Wynyard, my favorite dish is not the ramen. Almost every time I ordered their teriyaki, either beef or fish, my favorite one, but this time I just wanted to try their ramen and wagyu steak.

(Wagyu steak)

(Miso ramen)

(Japanese green tea)

The miso ramen is not the best one and the wagyu steak is very tasty but not as tender as I expected, a bit chewy actually but overall I am quite happy with their wagyu steak. Their prompt service, great hospitality with smile has never disappointed me.

Matsuri Perth

2011-06-14T17:14:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I was enjoying Japanese food at Masuri in Adelaide and couple days ago I was having dinner at another Masturi, this one located on the ground floor of QV1 building, corner of Hay and Milligan st Perth.

Matsuri Adelaide is more traditional and has a homey interior while Matsuri Perth located in a modern building with glass wall and the staffs ready with palmtops to take you order, kinda modern and hi-tech. Both are authentic Japanese restaurants with great service but I prefer the one with traditional and cozy ambience with personal touch on serving, the staff would come to your table pouring the green tea for you and asking if everything is good. Yes, the modern and hi-tech ordering service is more classy and looks elegant but somehow it may lose its personal touch and friendly atmosphere I guess? Here are my experiences, when I asked the waitress to refill my green tea with hot water she smiled and tap on the palmtop to re-order the green tea and then I waited for another 3 minutes or so to get another hot green tea served (and yes my bill was charged). It might be the rule for them to do so, but on another occasion I was more happy when the waitress smiled then took the pot and refilled it in less than a minute! (without charge)

(Chirashi sushi from Masturi Perth)

(Seafood salad from Matsuri Perth)

(Umeshu)

Nazimi

2011-06-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

Nazimi Japanese restaurant at 141 York st (lower ground) just behind the Queen Victoria Building is more like a small hidden gem around Town Hall precinct. I had passed by this authentic Japanese restaurant many times, nothing fancy from outside, never had the chance to get myself into their homey dining room but today I eventually made it!

(Tasmanian salmon steak)

The succulent salmon steak served in a light yet tasty sauce is the best salmon steak I've ever had. Also ordered a combo set of chicken katsu and sushi. The juicy yet crispy chicken katsu served with rich sauce and fresh salad with sesame dressing which is my favorite dressing. Most of the dishes served using old Japanese ceramic bowls, plates and cups which give a delightful touch. As I always mentioned, every restaurant has its special and best dish, and Nazimi is on my favorite list for salmon steak.

(Crispy chicken katsu)

(Aburi salmon)

(Aburi salmon roll)

(Aburi salmon roll and nigiri sushi)

Tokyo Ria

2011-06-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

Tokyo Ria on level 1 World Square is a 'sister restaurant' of Seoul Ria, so you can tell that it's a Korean-Japanese restaurant, but I am always open to try something new in town. It's a nice place to dine out with friends with excellent service, the touch screen menu make it easy to browse and order while the staffs are always happy to assist you. We didn't wait too long for our first order of sashimi to be served. The salmon, tuna and king fish sashimi are really fresh beautifully presented. The seafood nabeyaki (hotpot) was a perfect pick for winter time and our favorite dish of the night was grilled calamari served with sweet chili sauce.

(Grilled Calamari)

(Seafood hotpot)

(Salmon and King fish sashimi)

(Salmon and Tuna sashimi)

Matsuri Adelaide

2011-05-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

It was the first time visiting this beautiful 'city of churches', not much time though since it's only a one-night-weekend getaway. Taking picture and enjoying Japanese food are two hobbies that can't be separated when I travel, I'd try to find at least one local famous and one best Japanese food in town.

Matsuri Japanese restaurant is one of the top recommended ones in Adelaide, an authentic Japanese restaurant with excellent service and great food, I am happy did choose the right one!

(Salmon steak served with wasabi mayo)

(Tuna sushi)

(Matsuri on level 2/167 Gouger street Adelaide)

Here are some shots around the city of Adelaide, a city of churches.

(Macadamia Chocolate from Haigh's Chocolate)

(The Pancake House on Gilbert Place, Adelaide)

(Russian Blints from The Pancake House, Philadelphia cream cheese and raisins rolled in French crepe served with blueberries and vanilla ice cream)

Zakura

2011-05-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the warmest day over the past few week, plus the clear sky it's a perfect time for a day out. Hanging around Bondi Junction mall and decided to have lunch at Zakura in Oxford Street.It's one of the best Japanese restaurants in Eastern suburbs with authentic Japanese cuisine, good ambiance and great service. They serve from fresh sashimi & sushi to hot nabeyaki udon, from a small plates of crispy calamari tempura to the complete bento box served with rice and miso soup. This time I wanted to try their special home made teriyaki sauce so we ordered one teriyaki salmon bento box and a salmon carpaccio. The salmon teriyaki set also comes with salmon sashimi, pan fried gyoza, agedashi tofu and salad. I know that carpaccio normally served as appetizer but the thinly sliced salmon in olive oil and mayonnaise comes in generous portion also yummy enough for a main meal.

(Salmon teriyaki set)

(salmon carpaccio)

(Zakura in Bondi Junction mall)

Miso Bolognese Ramen

2011-05-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

Ryo's Noodle House in Crows Nest is one of my favorite Japanese eateries in Sydney, this down-to-earth ramen house has a complete range of ramen from shoyu to tonkotsu. This relatively small place with Noren door and menu written in Japanese on paper scrolls all over the wall give the authentic feeling of a Japanese shop.

Normally I stick to my favorite tonkotsu flavor but today picked something from the menu that I had never tried before, ramen with miso bolognese sauce. The name says it all, the ramen served without soup like a usual ramen instead it served with minced pork, bamboo shot and mushroom in a thick miso sauce, garnished with spring onion and topped off with shoyu tamago (soy sauce egg).

(Ramen with miso bolognese sauce)

(steamed veges for fresh topping)

Free Comic Book Day

2011-05-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

Free Comic Book Day, the first Saturday in May each year, when the participating comic book shop around the world give away comic books for free to anyone comes into their store. It was the first time I heard about this event when I run into Kinokuniya Sydney store yesterday and joined the queue to get a free comic book.

Some cosplayers didn't miss the opportunity to show-off their costumes and the shop's staffs were dressing up in fabulous costumes too!

Izakaya

2011-05-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

I had been quite busy over the past couple weeks, on top of that the unusual rainy days made my days 'busier' than expected. Eventually we got a bit of sunshine on the weekend and decided to dine out at Musashi in the city (corner of Pitt-Campbell st), an Izakaya style Japanese restaurant in Sydney.

Now talking about Izakaya, in Japanese i means 'to sit' and sakaya means sake shop, Izakaya evolved from a sake shop to a drinking and dining place with casual atmosphere yet has great friendly service. Every city in Japan has its own local famous Izakaya and here are some of best Izakaya in Tokyo I'd definitely recommend:

Yamariki Izakaya, an Izakaya in 'East end of Tokyo' (Morishita) run by 4th generation owner. Yamariki offers its famous Nikomi, beef guts stew cooked in miso for 8 hours and your could try this Nikomi with garlic bread.

Mimasuya, claimed to be the oldest Izakaya in Tokyo (opened in 1905), it offers beer-battered fugu (poisonous blowfish) which can only legally be prepared by licensed chefs. It's located at 2-15-2 Kanda Tsukasa-cho, Chiyoda-ku.

Wish we had those Izakaya in Sydney, we do have some izakaya down here but none of them is as good as the ones in Japan. Musashi has good dishes but for me it's a bit too elegant for an Izakaya and a bit pricey.

(Japanese kir, a cocktail from Musashi)

(Salmon teriyaki from Musashi)

(John dory with garlic butter sauce from Musashi)

Japan: Kingdom of Characters

2011-04-16T19:51:00.000-07:00

Windy with showers, that's the weather forecast for today but it doesn't stop me from going out to the Japan Foundation Gallery at Chifley Plaza. Today is one of those selected Saturdays the exhibition opens.

Japan: Kingdom of Characters, an exhibition by Japan Foundation Sydney, it's really worth a look even if you are not a big fan of Anime or Japanese culture. Displaying some life-sized models like Hello Kitty, Ultraman and Gundam, also a dozen of cute and adorable anime models. The exhibition runs from 8 April - 28 May, so you still have time to visit this great exhibition!

(Hello Kitty)

(Pokemon)

(Gundam)

(Ultraman)

(The bunny girl)

(Carmin from Septem Charm Magical Canan)

(Kasumi from Dead or Alive)

(Misty Mei from Otaku no Video)

(Natsume Aya from Tenjho Tenge)

(Natsume Maya from Tenjho Tenge)

(Parfait from Heartful Memories)

(Takaya Noriko from Gunbuster)

(Tohsaka Rin from Fate)

Tadaima!

2011-04-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

I am back home! Back from my 'kampung' (hometown), a small town of Central Java, visiting my family and friends three weeks wasn't long enough..
Eat, eat and eat... that's all I did so not much to share except some shots from my 'kampung'..

(Egg serabi)

(Plain serabi)

The above pictures are 'serabi', an Indonesian traditional delicacy made from rice flour and coconut milk, and palm sugar, sweet and rich in flavor. Every province or city has different kind of serabi, in my hometown serabi could be served plain or cooked with egg or banana.

(Teh Poci)

The above 'Teh Poci' is a traditional tea pot from Central Java, made from clay and used to serve strong jasmine tea with strong aroma and normally served with rock sugar.

(Ketupat)

Ketupat is a kind of rice cooked in a woven palm leaves, boiled for hours so it has a firm texture and served with dishes like curry.

(Salak and banana)

Salak is a tropical fruit native to Indonesia, believed to be a high nutrient fruit and could ease diarrhea but don't eat too much otherwise you will have constipation..

(Kenanga flower)

(Mango tree)

The 'kenanga' flower and mango tree are from our backyard, the mango tree has been producing sweet and delicious mangoes for nearly twenty years!

Pray for Japan

2011-03-23T21:51:00.000-07:00

All six reactors at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have been connected to external power on Tuesday according to the Tokyo Electric Power Co. This news brings a little bit of relief even the nuclear crisis is still far from over with the high radiation and contaminated food found in some produces, but expert says no need to fear radioactive contamination of food, rain if proper steps taken.

So let's keep praying for Japan....

(A picture designed by Mu63n)

I have a friend who share the same passion about Japan, he has great skills in drawing and art designing and he really is into anime, he designs the above picture for me and if you'd like to see more of his drawing you can visit his devianART profile, Mu63n.

Talking about anime, last weekend I joined the Animania 2011 in Sydney and here are some of my shots

(A stall organizing a donation for disasters in Japan)

Ganbaru

2011-03-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

Over the past week I have been watching TV and searching the news on the web for all the latest updates on the disaster and nuclear crises in Japan, and today a little article on News really caught my attention. A nine-year-old Toshihito Aisawa pictured at an evacuation centre in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, with two handwritten signs as he continues his search for his father, mother, grandmother, and two cousins lost in the quake and tsunami. One is written their names, on the other 'I will come again tomorrow'.

This 'I-won't-give-up' kid reminds me of one word that Japanese people used everyday, Ganbaru, which could be loosely translated as ' doing one's best and hanging on to the bitter end' or 'please keep up your hard work until your goal is achieved.'

Ganbaru is, for one thing, a process-oriented concept that emphasizes the moral significance of an effort, or doryoku. What is important is that one makes the sincerest effort possible, and the outcome of that effort is secondary at best. In other words, in the value system of ganbaru, the process of making an effort is intentionally dissociated from the outcome that the effort brings, so that the effort can be evaluated and admired on its own merit.

The imperative form 'Ganbate' or 'Ganbare' is also a very popular term to encourage someone undertaking a very difficult tasks. The term also means work hard and patiently, Do your best, Don't give up , Hang in there!

Ganbare Nippon!

頑張って!

(from some sources)

Japan's largest earthquake

2011-03-12T01:01:00.000-08:00

It was 2.46 PM on Friday March 11 when the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan struck Tohoku region and towns swamped by tsunami afterwards..

The news on NHK world are really heartbreaking.

My deepest condolences..

My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan..

Tokyo Top Picks

2011-03-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

One reader emailed me few months ago asking for some info about Tokyo, and I just got another email with same topic. Not that I am a travel expert but I'd like to share my favorite places in Tokyo as well, so here are my 'must visits' in Tokyo:

Tokyo Disney Resort. When I was kid my favorite comic book was 'Donald Duck' so this theme park was on my top list when I visited Tokyo for the first time. Actually this Disneyland is 'outside' Tokyo, it's in Chiba to be exact. Known as the first Disneyland to be built outside America, it's now the most visited theme park in the world.
Shibuya - Harajuku.I put these two vibrant precincts as one since I love to walk from Shibuya Station where you can find the Hachiko statue up to Harajuku station, strolling down the streets and enjoying the street fashion scene. Harajuku is particularly attractive for young people. On the west side of JR Harajuku station you will find Meiji-jingu Shrine, located in the heart of a city's forest, is another charming side of Harajuku precinct.
Akihabara . This 'Electric Town' is the capital of Otaku industry, the Tokyo Anime Centre in the UDX building stages regular anime marketing events and merchandising fair for local and foreign anime-junkies.
Asakusa. After strolling around the vibrant and modern side of Tokyo, let's go to the birthplace of the Edo culture that established Tokyo. Asakusa will charm and amuse you with its traditional Japanese atmosphere. Ancient Buddhist temples and shrines stand alongside shopping districts and traditional crafts, all within walking distance from Asakusa station.
Odaiba, it's a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay linked by the Rainbow Bridge. Don't miss the Fuji TV building where you can go up to the observatory deck for free. If you are visiting Tokyo end of this month, you could be part of Tokyo Anime Fair 2011 at Tokyo Big Sight from March 24-27, 2011. I did plan to go to Tokyo for this biggest Anime Fair in the world but unfortunately I won't make it since another urgent trip plan came up.. so disappointed though.
Tsukiji Market. If you love Japanese food especially sushi and sashimi you'd love this biggest fish market in the world!

I can go on and on about Tokyo but if you are visiting Tokyo for 3-4 days, these places would amuse you enough so that you'd plan your next visit.

(Rainbow Bridge)

(Kaminarimon gate, Asakusa)

Benshi

2011-03-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

Benshi is a narrator who stands beside silent films reading out the intertitles to audience and explaining the action.

If you are into Japanese film and culture, you will get a chance to hear Kataoka Ichiro in action when the 1933 Japanese silent-film classic, The Water Magician, screens at the Playhouse on March 6 as part of Screen Live series. Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, one of the Japan's greatest directors, the film tells a griping tale of a woman's love and sacrifice. Actress Takako Irie stars as a water juggler in a travelling circus who falls in love with a coach driver. The Water Magician, set in 1890, is one of the surviving silent films and features three trademark Mizoguchi elements: ill-fated women, extreme emotion and tragic love.

The film intertitles are in English but Ichiro will perform the film in Japanese, Ichiro will demonstrate why benshi were so beloved that many developed their own following among Japanese cinema-goers.More than 7000 benshi were working in Japan at the peak of the silent-film era. Today, a small group of benshi specialist continue to hone their skills, many are descendants of Matsuda Shunsui, a child benshi in the pre-war period who devoted himself to preserving the films and performance style of Japanese silent cinema.

(The Water Magician)

Info and buy tickets

(Source: SMH)

Sushi Hotaru

2011-02-26T23:03:00.000-08:00

If you are a regular customer of Kinokuniya book store in Sydney you'd notice the brand new Sushi Hotaru on level two The Galleries Victoria around Town Hall station. That's how I found this new Sushi bar's 'opening soon' sign few weeks ago on my way up to Kinokuniya and today I was the first customer on the queuing line at 11.30 when the staffs greeted us with their 'irrashaimase..'

They have a good variety of sushi with some kinda fusion nigiri sushi, all priced at $2.5 during the opening special and $3 for the side dishes. The quality and the freshness are good and I'd be happy to comeback for a $2.5 nigiri sushi but if I compare with my favorite sushi in town, I'd definitely stick to my favorite Makoto's sushi. They have a good location inside the Galleries Victoria and the ambiance is ok, the service is good but not 'excellent' as I always expect from an authentic Japanese restaurant, or maybe I am just a fussy patron.

(Tuna sushi)

(Grilled salmon sushi)

(Scallop sushi)

(Inari)

They also have a wide variety of side dishes on the menu but unfortunately most of them were not available, I was expecting to have agedashi tofu and deep fried salmon's skin but they didn't show up at all so I ended up trying the drum stick karage and mini okonomiyaki.

(Mini Okonomiyaki)

(Drum sticks karage)

(Green tea latte with red bean ice cream)

Fishermen's Soup

2011-02-19T21:39:00.000-08:00

It's been one of those busy weeks at work and whenever I am flat out I'd tend to pamper myself with my favorite food.

Makoto is one of my favorite Japanese eateries especially for sushi, they serve the best range of succulent sushi in town. Beside sushi I also love their Fishermen's Soup, a bountiful bowl of seafood in a clear yet rich soup comprises mussel, scampi, fish, and crab just so.... delicious!

(Fishermen's soup)

(Tuna sashimi)

(Aburi salmon sushi)

(Sushi set from Makoto)

That's all I had for my lunch! Gochiso-sama deshta!.. :)

Swiss Maki

2011-02-09T21:26:00.000-08:00

Another mochi product from Shu Shin Bou Sydney, my favorite place in town for Japanese mochi.

It's more like an ice cream cake in a roll of smooth mochi with frozen mousse filling stuffed with seasonal fruit bits.

(Swiss maki)

iCookie

2011-02-05T21:51:00.000-08:00

For Apple's mania, you may love this iCookie, it's an 'iPhone cookie' from Green Gables in Tokushima prefecture, Japan.

(picture courtesy of AFP, via Google news)

Green Gables in Tokushima prefecture pioneered the tasty treat in 2008 as a special birthday gift for customer's husband, said Kumiko Kudo, the 44 year-old owner. The biscuit gained nationwide fame after a photo of it made the rounds via Twitter posted by economic writer Kazuyo Katsuma and pop singer Komi Hirose. Since then Kudo has sold hundreds of the cookies.

The hand-made iCookie doesn't come cheap at 2,730 yen, and it's only available by order and inside Japan, where the waiting time to snap up one of the biscuits has been as long as two months.

(source: AFP via Google news)

Only in Japan..

Fruit Salad

2011-02-02T21:42:00.000-08:00

There have been scorchingly hot days down here... if you live in Sydney you know what I'm grumbling about. Craving for something fresh to quench my thirst, I made a simple fruit salad with yogurt. Nothing fancy, just some pieces of peach, rockmelon, pear and blueberry topped with blueberry yogurt (my favorite one) and roasted peanut.

(My fruit salad with yogurt)

Talking about fruit in Japan, there is a stereotype that fruits in Japan are luxuries with a premium melon could be priced over 10,000 yen, but that's not all the fact about the relatively expensive fruit in Japan, for some regular fruit like banana you'd find it reasonably priced.

The most famous fruit in Japan during summer? It's Suika (watermelon), there is a traditional summertime game called suika-wari (watermelon splitting game), it's often played on the beach with a blindfolded person tries to split a watermelon with blows from a wooden stick while others yell out instructions about where to strike.

Fire on the mountain

2011-01-29T09:01:00.000-08:00

(Picture courtesy of AP Photo/Takaharu Town Office, Shuji)

This great picture of lightning has become 'photo of the day' on some Japanese online news. The lightning is pictured on January 27, during an eruption of Mount Shinmoedake in the Kirishima mountain range on the border of Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefecture. Smoke and ash continued to spew from volcano in southern Japan on Friday. (source: Mainichi News)

Otaru Beer

2011-01-22T21:52:00.000-08:00

Otaru is well known for its canal, fresh sushi, and Otaru Beer.

I was reading this article from Japan times:

"While Japan's major breweries continue to report flat beer sales amid an ailing economy, there is one Hokkaido-based beer maker that's brewing up a storm. Otaru Beer in the port city of Otaru has continued to flourish since its inception 15 years ago, with output growing at an annual average of 10 percent....

Ingredients used are all organic, with high-grade barley, wheat and hops imported from Germany to be combined with Otaru's soft, pristine water. The only other ingredient — yeast — is propagated by Braun himself and is the reason why Otaru Beer's draft ales and their bottled equivalents are only available within a 100 km radius of Otaru."

The news brings back memories of white Christmas trip around Hokkaido. I was on a one day trip in Otaru, exploring the beautiful streets with its irresistible sweets shops and came across this medieval theme cafe next to the famous Otaru Canal and then I found myself sitting on a timber bench overlooking the canal and sipping Otaru draft ale...

'nodogoshi ga ii...'

(Otaru Canal in snow, Christmas 2009)

Ontama

2011-01-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

One of my eating habits on the weekend is having brunch in the city. I am too lazy to wake up early and make my breakfast on weekend and my tummy wouldn't compromise till lunch time so having brunch around 11 AM is just perfect for me. One of my favorite places in the city for light meal is Mappen and last time I ended up slurping Ontama Soba, hot soba with Ontama (onsen tamago).

(Menya Mappen)

Talking about Ontama, a half-cooked egg originally cooked by dipping it into an onsen spring that's why it's called 'onsen tamago'. When you slurp an onsen tamago, the milky white egg and slightly set yolk would smoothly slide down your tongue and throat with a warm feel and you'd say 'oishii..!'. You can find the easy way to cook onsen tamago on the web, such us cooking it with rice cooker.

Talking about eating raw eggs, it was 6 years ago when I visited Japan for the first time, staying at my friend's house in Seki when his family prepared a dinner for us, it was the first time I ate raw egg, the Japanese way.

Get a hot bowl of rice, pour the egg over the steamy rice and dash it with a bit of soy sauce then mixed them all with a soup or Sukiyaki!

In Japan, eggs are specially checked to make sure that they are safe to eat raw. A high-tech machine taking care of the whole process automatically: cleaning the eggs, checking them for quality, sorting them for size and finally packaging them and sealing the carton. The latest machine can process 120,000 eggs in an hour! Take a look at the machine in action on Web Japan

Deep Roasted Sesame Salad Dressing

2011-01-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

It's summer now and one of my favorite foods during summer is salad, healthy and refreshing food that I eat not only during or after main meal but it's kinda snack for me, weird snack maybe?

Talking about salad, everyone has their own favorite dressing and mine is 'Deep roasted sesame dressing' from Kewpie (I assume everyone knows Kewpie mayonnaise). It's a rich flavor dressing yet comes with light aftertaste and perfect for someone who loves sesame.

(Deep roasted sesame salad dressing)

(My baby salad)

For all my need of Japanese foodstuffs in Sydney I always go to Maruyu, just a short stroll away from Town Hall.

Made in Nippon

2011-01-04T18:54:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned on my previous post that I found Japanese restaurant on every corner of Auckland city, there are also some Japanese supermarkets in town where you can find Japanese foodstuffs, sake, as well as Japanese traditional products. I happened to visit two of them, one is Japan Mart in Newmarket and the other one is Made in Nippon on Queen street, Auckland City.

(Made in Nippon, Japanese shops in Auckland)

Once you visit here, you must feel like you are in Japan! That's what they said on their web and it's true! I felt like I was in Japan! The Japanese chocolates and biscuits on the shelves are so irresistible and on the upper floor they have all kind of Japanese sake including Umeshu, my favorite Japanese drink. I did buy myself a bottle of Choya Umeshu and a small can of Ohshukubai Umeshu (never tried this one before).

(Choya Umeshu)

(Ohshukubai Umeshu with real green ume inside the can)

Talking about Umeshu, I also tried the Kikkoman Umeshu while having dinner at Daikoku, I know that Kikkoman is famous for soy sauce and other cooking stuffs but never knew that Kikkoman also produces Umeshu and it tastes great too!

(Kikkoman Umeshu)

Sushi Walker

2011-01-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

First thing first, Happy New Year! Wishing you all the best!

Just came back from Auckland yesterday and now I'd like to share some Japanese things I came across in that city. I had heard that there are a lot of Korean and Japanese eateries and shops in town but it still surprised me as I found sushi and sake bar on every corner of the city. Most of the Japanese restaurants and sake bars do serve a wide range of imported Japanese Sake and Japanese beers like Asahi and Sapporo beer on tap. During my three-day visit I went to five Japanese eateries in town, Tanuki Cave and Kura Sake Bar (both on Queen st), Daikoku Restaurant and Fuga Japanese Brasserie (both of them on Victoria st West, Auckland Central), and Motto Sushi in Parnell Village. I am happy to say there was no disappointment but if I had to choose my favorite one I'd say Kura Sake Bar, the cozy ambiance and the fusion dishes are just perfect.

(Kura Sake Bar on Queen st, Auckland)

(Kura Sake Bar)

(Seafood lovers donburi from Kura)

(Pan fried white fish with butter from Kura)

(Asahi beer on tap from Kura)

(Daikoku Restaurant)

(Tofu Salad from Daikoku)

(Deep fried flounder from Fuga Japanese Brasserie)

(Agedashi tofu with steamed vegetables from Fuga Japanese Brasserie)

(Sushi and Tempura Combo from Moto Sushi)

Kiaora Japan

2010-12-28T21:15:00.000-08:00

Kia ora! It means Welcome in Maori language, yes I am in New Zealand at the moment, in the city of Rotorua, a city well known for its geothermal spas scattered around the region where you can smell the sulfur from every corner of the city. Taking a break after a nine-bloody-busy-week during Christmas season, I am staying in Rotorua for three nights and heading to Auckland tomorrow. Walking around the city, much to my surprise that there are few Japanese restaurants in town, one of them is Kiaora Japan on Tutanekai street, the main street toward the lake.

(Kiaora Japan in Rotorua)

It comes to my surprise when I found a few Japanese restaurants in town, one of them is Kiaora Japan on Tutanekai street, the main street toward the lake. It’s an authentic Japanese restaurant packed with tourists and local people during lunch time serving a wide range of Japanese sake and Sapporo beer on tap.

Here are my lunch dishes today,

The lunch set special is NZD 10 comprises two sushi, teriyaki chicken on rice, salad and miso soup, while the shoyu ramen costs about NZD 12

(Shoyu ramen)

(seaweed salad)

On another note about Rotorua,
Are you a fan of Lord of The Rings trilogy? If yes then you should visit the hobbiton movie set tour located about 50 minutes driving from Rotorua. Despite the gusty wind and wet weather this morning I did enjoy walking around the ‘middle earth’ valley, the farm has amazing scenery of thirty-seven hobbit holes, oak trees and breathtaking views overlooking the valley.

Unfortunately, as a condition of entry you are not allowed to share anything on the internet including facebook, you-tube, and blogs. You are permitted to take as much photos or video as you like but Peter Jackson doesn’t allow you to share anything on the internet so I couldn’t share any picture or further information about this beautiful 'middle-earth' valley.

Mappen

2010-12-12T19:27:00.000-08:00

Menya Mappen, it's the third shop of Menya Noodle Bar in Sydney located at shop 11, 537-551 George street just a block away from Town Hall station. This self-serve noodle bar specializes in soba and udon while the first Menya shop in Chinatown offers the best ramen in town.

I always love a Japanese restaurant with traditional and vintage decor and yes this Mappen full of nostalgic posters on the wall from old foodie movies to samurai movie posters like 'zatoichi', which reminds me of 'Gokuraku showtengai' in Namba-Osaka, on top of that you can enjoy old Japanese songs while slurping your udon in hot yummy kakedashi broth.

(zaru soba, a cold soba served on 'zaru' or bamboo tray, topped with fried bean curd topping)

(mini gyudon)

A bowl of udon or soba priced around $4-$5 and the tempura topping costs around $1 - $2.50.

(sweet potato and vegetable kakiage tempura)

(how to enjoy mappen)

Cherry

2010-12-04T18:36:00.000-08:00

Cherry..

Fruit of a dark red to purplish black 'bing', the smooth skinned drupes last longer if picked with stems attached. Sweet cherries should be firm but not hard, they can be eaten as is or used in desserts or baked goods like cherry tarts and pies.

(Cherry pie)

It's the first week of summer when cherry season is in full swing. Last week I went for cherry picking in Young, the cherry capital of Australia, about 4 hours driving from Sydney. It was a bit too early as most of the cherries weren't quite ripe yet and the weather wasn't perfect, wet and muddy farm yet I still enjoyed picking and eating fresh cherry.

Saikyo-yaki

2010-11-26T20:37:00.000-08:00

I had heard about this authentic Japanese restaurant on Pacific Highway Crows Nest for a while and eventually I enjoyed my lunch at this award winning Asian favorite restaurant. Ju-Rin restaurant looks like an ordinary casual Japanese eatery from outside but when I walked in through the noren I could feel the authenticity of a Japanese restaurant, and the warm welcoming smile from friendly staffs made me think 'it's gonna be one of my favorite place!'

It's a bit hard to choose the meal I'd like to try since all the dishes are really tempting and after rolled down the menu I decided to try the Saikyo-yaki, a sweet miso-marinated grilled fish which tastes so yum... the sweetness of light miso flavor on smooth fish fillet are just perfect.

(Saikyo-yaki)

On top of that I ordered a wagyu set and I can only describe it as.. it melts on my tongue!

(Wagyu beef set)

I'd definitely comeback to try their new restaurant Hana Ju-Rin which will open at the beginning of December not far from Ju-Rin, located at 300 Pacific Hwy Crows Nest.

Tokyo Walking Talking

2010-11-19T20:17:00.000-08:00

Tokyo Walking Talking, a web by a licensed tour guide from Tokyo offering walking tour exploring Tokyo and day tour to Nikko . She is a professional tour guide with pleasing personality, a humorous person with authentic local experience and genuine sincerity.

It was one fine Christmas day when we first met almost three years ago, she picked me up right at the door step of my shinkansen at Tokyo station then took me around Roppongi Hills, Shibuya-Harajuku and Akihabara for one day tour. And it was Christmas last year when she picked me up (again) at Haneda airport before we headed to Yokohama for one day tour, wish I had more time in Tokyo, time flies very fast when you are having fun. I treasure all those memories and wish I'll get to Japan again one day. She is not only an ordinary tour guide I met, for me she is one of my best friends in Japan. Happy Birthday Izumi-san! (sorry a bit late)

So if you want to explore and experience Tokyo with fun, you can book your private tour with Tokyo Walking Talking!

All about fish

2010-11-17T20:17:00.000-08:00

Craving for fish? I'd recommend Sakae in the city to conquer your craving for yummy fish. I am not saying that the other dishes apart from fish are not good, their bento box menu is good and considerably affordable prices too . If you order one main menu then you can get the special sashimi for a special price of $4.5

It's not a fancy place but the interior is really clean with quick service and friendly service, it's one of my favorite eateries in town.

(Fish teriyaki set)

(Akamai/lean tuna sashimi)

Their sushi and sashimi are really fresh.

This grilled king fish head is on the entree menu but I like to have this with the steam rice. My photo looks a bit creepy but it does taste good! Fresh and slightly salted... the best King fish I ever tasted.

Maid Train

2010-11-08T20:59:00.000-08:00

Maid Train = Train with maid cafe, if you are an otaku, you gotta love this interesting news from Japan Today

The Seibu Railway Group has announced plans to introduce a new Maid Cafe-style train service between Ikebukuro and Chihibu Station.

Akihabara's maid cafe culture is closely aligned with Japan's 'otaku' subculture that is rapidly going mainstream. As several animation houses already exist along that stretch of the railway line that runs from Tokyo to Saitama, Seibu Railway officials said they are hoping to promote Japanese pop culture in the area between those stations by solidifying its reputation as an anime production zone.

The emphasis of the new service will be to allow passengers to ride in 'New Red Arrow' trains alongside staff selected from Akihabara's maid cafes. Maid cafe games and competitions will be held and train announcements will be made by the maids. There are also plans to have small photography studio alongside shops around Seibu Chichibu station at which customers can pay to have their photographs taken with a maid.

The fare for a trip will be 3,500 yen for adults and 3,000 yen for children. Each trip will accommodate 360 passengers.

(Picture courtesy of Maid Train, train with maid cafe)

Would love to hop on the train.. can't wait to visit Tokyo again..

Only in Japan..

Mother's Crepe

2010-11-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday afternoon and pretty much nothing to do, despite the wet weather I went out to city and ended up at the World Square shopping centre looking for something to munch on. On the lower ground level at the front of Shushinbou shop there is a new Japanese Crepe stand called Mother's Crepe. The display on the side is very attractive, a range of beautifully presented crepes and the 50% discount for the grand opening work very well for the promotion, people lining up to get their crepes for about $3.50 each. I was considering the ham and cheese since I prefer hot crepe rather than cold one but eventually I couldn't resist the strawberry choco!

(Strawberry Choco Crepe)

The strawberry choco was delightful but for me I like the hot and crispy crepe even when it stuffed with something cold like ice cream, or maybe my strawberry choco crepe was meant to be hot and crispy? So it wasn't crispy enough for me then, but once again it was a delightful snack for an afternoon tea time though.

Maru

2010-10-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Kinokuniya and found a book about Maru, the most watched cat on internet. I couldn't stop laughing watching this innocent-looking cat on YouTube.

If you love cat you gotta love this Maru blog.

Here is another link about Maru.

14th Japanese Film Festival

2010-10-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

Japanese Film Festival is on! I still have to wait for about 3 weeks till the opening film in Sydney 'About Her Brother' on Monday 22 November. I still remember vividly the first time I joined hundreds of folk watching 'Kamikaze Girls' three years ago and then the next year I watched 'Season of Snow' and won one of the door prizes from Nagano City tourism.

This year I'd like to watch at least two movies, firstly as a foodie and a Japanese food lover, 'Flavor of Happiness' in on my 'must see' list, and as a big fan of Ryoko Hirosue I don't want to miss out 'Zero Focus'.

(Flavor of Happiness, picture courtesy of Japanese Film Festival)

( Zero Focus, picture courtesy of Japanese Film Festival)

For more information about the festival news, film list, preview or watch the trailers please visit 14^th Japanese Film Festival.

Mizuya

2010-10-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

Mizuya, this 'izakaya' style restaurant on George street offers private dining rooms equipped with karaoke facility, cozy atmosphere and tempting cocktails on the menu which make it a great place for drinking out with friends. The touch screen ordering makes it easy for you to add something to your order and the service is good. The price is above average but still ok considering the place is right in the heart of the city. They got every kind of Japanese cuisine on their menu from Kushiage to Sushi or sashimi and from sukiyaki to teppanyaki.

I picked the wagyu beef for the hotpot with mixed sashimi as the cold side dish, adding sushi set to my order as I was craving for sushi, then picked the cheese potato mochi as desert.

The wagyu beef sukiyaki for $18 was my best choice as the sushi set and cheese potato mochi were little disappointments.

(wagyu beef hotpot)

(Sushi set)

(Sashimi as side dish)

(Cheese potato mochi)

Collagen Kaki Sushi

2010-10-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

I happened to be in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend, staying in a hotel on Bukit Bintang known as the major shopping district in town from the premium mall like Pavilion to the specialty shopping plaza like Lao Yat, a popular shopping center for electronics and IT products.

Right across my hotel there is Fahrenheit 88, a refurbished plaza with Uniqlo, an innovative brand from Japan for fashion, opening their first store in Malaysia end of this month.On level 1, I found a Japanese restaurant called Sushi Zanmai, the menu has a wide range of Japanese cuisine from sushi to bento box. When scrolling down the menu, their sushi and sashimi look quite unique so I picked a chutoro sashimi, aburi sushi set and a Collagen Kaki Sushi which was on special for 6.80 RM for two pieces.

Collagen Kaki Sushi

The Kaki Sushi is an oyster sushi with strong flavor of oyster so if you want to try this kaki sushi make sure you are a fan of oyster. I don't know whether this sushi really contains collagen in it, but it really is a unique kind of sushi.

(Chutoro Sashimi)

(Aburi sushi set)

Overall it's a cozy place, the sushi and sashimi was good, the service was a bit slow but still ok.

On another note, there were wet tissues available on the table and I was a bit surprised when I was charged 0.2 RM for a wet tissue while no price shown for that, neither on the menu or on the tissue's packaging, I thought a wet tissue normally would be complimentary, well... I guess most customers won't even bother for an 0.2 RM?

Tulip Time

2010-10-04T21:14:00.000-07:00

It was an extremely busy weekend for me, lucky to have a public holiday Monday..

Went down south to Bowral in the Southern Highland of NSW this morning to enjoy the Tulip Time..

Cherry blossoms

2010-09-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

Cherry blossoms or Sakura represents spring, in Japan a wide variety of Sakura can be found (believed to be more than 200 varieties) and the most popular variety is Somei Yoshino with pure white petals and tinged with the palest pink, especially near the stem.

This spring somehow I couldn't make my way to the Sakura Matsuri at Cowra Japanese Garden being held this weekend on September 25-26, but I did take some sakura's shots around Katoomba and Leura in the Blue Mountain region.

Here are some of them..

Corica Strudel

2010-09-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

I've been to most cities along east coast of Australia but never been to the west coast, including Perth, so I think I can't call myself a traveler then. Eventough I've never been to Perth yet I got my favorite pastry over there, the best strudel I've ever tasted!

Corica, a local famous pastry shop in Northbridge, Western Australia. Apart from their signature Apple Strudel, the Blueberry Strudel is also one of its kind.

(Corica Blueberry Strudel)

How did I get this Corica blueberry strudel from Perth? Well, some people bring the strudels over and sell them in Sydney, occasionally you also find the strudels sold in a cultural festival in Sydney, and if one of my friends from Perth coming down to Sydney I'd ask them to bring my favorite strudel, either Apple Strudel or Blueberry one, or both of them if they don't mind :)

Deep fried Mars bar

2010-09-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

Love chocolate..?

Well.. I do, and if you also are a fan of this addictive sweets, then you may want to try this unique deep fried Mars bar.

(Deep fried Mars bar from Sydney's Bondi Surf Seafood)

The bar is dipped into coconut butter, pre-cooked in a low-temperature oil then deep fried, served with sprinkled powdered sugar and priced at $2 each.

It is said to have been invented in the Haven Chip Bar in Stonehaven, near Aberdeen on Scotland's northeast coast, in 1995. The chocolate bar is typically chilled before battering to prevent it from melting into the frying fat.

In Sydney, you can find this at Bondi Surf Seafood on Bondi Beach's beach-front road.

Rahmen Genki

2010-09-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

I happened to wander around Artarmon while craving for a bowl of ramen, and speaking of ramen in Artarmon, Rahmen Genki is the only one I know. This authentic Japanese restaurant located in a leafy and relaxing area just off the train station. I had got my brunch earlier that day so even the curry on the menu was so tempting, I ended up ordering a bowl of seafood ramen.

(seafood ramen from Rahmen Genki)

The seafood ramen comes with a huge prawn, fish fillet, squid and garnished with seaweed, spring onion and sweet corns kernels. Normally my favorite soup for ramen is tonkotsu but this time the light soup tastes so good, perfectly matches the seafood.

Onigiri with Furikake?

2010-09-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

Today I was too lazy to go out to get something yummy, the gusty wind ripped through the city from the morning. Too lazy to cook too... so just made myself some simple Onigiri.

(My Onigiri, one plain and one with furikake)

Nothing fancy, just simple onigiri made from sushi rice, lightly salted, stuffed with fish floss and sprinkled with furikake.

Spring!

2010-09-01T05:13:00.000-07:00

Spring has come! It' my favorite season of the year even I don't like its gusty wind. I always looking forward to the blooming cherry blossom and the tulip time so for you who are looking forward to it here are some festivals worth a visit during this spring in Australia.

1. Floriade, Australia's biggest flower festival set up in Canberra from Saturday 11 September to Sunday 10 October 2010.

2. Tulip Time. This year will be a celebration of 50 golden years of Tulip Time in Bowral's Corbett Garden in the Southern Highlands of NSW, from Tuesday 21 September to Monday 4 October 2010.

3. Sakura Matsuri Festival on the weekend of Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 September 2010. In its 21st year at the Cowra Japanese Garden, Sakura Matsuri has developed into a showcase of Japanese arts, crafts and cultural activities. Even if you are not into Japanese culture but if you do love enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms you shouldn't miss this much loved festival in a beautiful country town of Cowra.

Spring two years ago, I made my way to the Sakura Matsuri and hopefully this year I'll have a chance to go back there.

(Cowra Japanese Garden)

(A Tokyo Geisha show)

How to eat your sushi

2010-08-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

I happened to wander around St. Leonard looking for something yummy for my lunch and came across this 'Bento-ya' on Chandos street. The menu board next to the entrance looks tempting so I did give it a try.

My sakura bento box

My 'sakura bento' comprises three gyoza, two sushi, salad, steamed rice, and prawn teriyaki for the main dish. Considering the price, the portion weren't a disappointment and the taste still ok but one thing really caught my attention when they served my bento box, can you notice from the picture? They mix wasabi into the soy sauce! One thing I hardly found in a Japanese restaurant (even it's not an authentic one). This unusual way of serving sushi reminds me of one page from "Morimoto-The New Art of Japanese Cooking". Morimoto-san gives two advices in regards How to Eat Sushi:

- Don't dunk your sushi rice first into the soy sauce, he said: this spoils the the texture of rice that I've worked so hard to create and overwhelms the delicately seasoned rice.

- Don't mix wasabi into your soy sauce. Ideally, the sweet bite of wasabi tucked under the fish, and the rich, salty slick of soy on top meet each other in the mouth, not before. This create an exciting friction that's lost when they are combined into a murky sauce.

Morimoto also said: I don't believe strict rules should govern how you eat every bit of food, yet I do hope customers will appreciate the efforts I've taken to create a balance and delicious sushi.

735-yen iPad?

2010-08-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

Only in Japan..

A unique product from Gifu, here is the news from Mainichi:

A company run by students here is enjoying brisk sales of its "Padnote" -- a notebook which looks just like Apple Inc.'s iPad tablet. The unique product has been developed and released by Gocco. -- a start-up business established by students at the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences (IAMAS) in Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture.

"When we develop new software, we often start by drawing a design image on a piece of paper. We thought, 'A notebook in the same size as iPad would be convenient,' and developed the product," says Ryosuke Kimura, 31, company president and a second-year graduate student at IAMAS.

The notebook with gridlines is designed to facilitate drawing. In collaboration with a printing firm near the college, they have managed to imitate the exterior appearance of the iPad, including its texture and control buttons. The product went on sale online in May, and gained unexpected popularity for its unique design and cheap price of only 735 yen apiece.

The notebook has been available at Tokyu Hands department stores nationwide since June, and the company had sold a total of some 2,000 notebooks online and over-the-counter by the end of July.

"We copied the detailed design (of the iPad), and the notebook is apparently attracting people apart from software developers due to its uniqueness. I would like to exchange various ideas with my colleagues and offer them to the public," Kimura says. The company is also planning to release a memo pad designed after the iPhone sometime in the future.

The Padnote costs 735 yen a piece. Inquiries about the product can be made by e-mail at info@coccojapan.com.

And here is my new toy..

Actually it's my very first Apple's product! I never owned iPod nor iPhone, I am just not a fan of Apple's but this time somehow I ended up buying this iPad.

Let it snow..

2010-08-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

I reckon there won't be many post from me this month, got an unexpected thing came up earlier this week and there will be a lot of things I have to go through till end of this month.

Thankfully, we made our way up to the snowy mountain last weekend!

Arriving in Perisher Blue on Saturday morning then spent almost the whole day up there before headed down to Cooma to stay overnight. Continuing our snow trip to Thredbo on Sunday morning, exploring a beautiful snow village while enjoying the heavy snow pouring all day.

Trying to get proper shots despite the heavy snow..

Here are some shots of Perisher Blue..

(Perisher Blue chair lift)

(Curry shack in Perisher Blue)

And here are the Thredbo's shots..

(Thredbo shuttle bus)

(Thredbo village)

(Christmas in July..)

Aroma Festival

2010-07-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a day of coffee and chocolate craze!

Hanging around The Rocks from 10AM when The Aroma Festival kicked off and back home around 2PM after sipping couple cups of coffee, mocha, chai latte and couldn't stop munching Italian pizza-like bread, corn, cheesy spiral spud, doughnuts... yet still stopped by a ramen shop in the city..well I still need to put on some weight though :)

Here are some snaps from The Rocks Aroma Festival..

The free event guide available around Circular Quay

a winter morning + hot coffee + spectacular harbour's view

Who doesn't love chocolate?

Coffee Sculpture, made from more than 5,000 cups! But I was too early and couldn't get the chance to see the whole image. Last year's incredible 3,604-cup Mona Lisa coffee sculpture achieved a Guinness World Record.

Cupcakes in the cage

Tempting Naked Berry

Somehow I put the wrong caption and link on those berries before, sorry for the mistake Naked berry :)

Some Italian ginger bread and pizza-like bakery

Green Tea Mochi

2010-07-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

I've got a few posts about mochi from Shu Shin Bou, not that I am a big fan of this shop but I couldn't find another shop in the city selling Japanese mochi. So every time I crave for mochi I'd run to their shop and get myself some fresh and yummy mochi.

This time I got their blueberry mochi and green tea mochi, the blueberry filling is really nice but my favorite one is green tea for its strong green tea flavor.

(Green tea mochi and blueberry mochi)

Anglerfish battle

2010-07-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching Iron Chef on SBS 1 and it was an anglerfish battle between the challenger Seiya Masahara and the Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, the famous Iron Chef for his unique style of cooking and presenting the food. The challenger, Seiya Masahara, lost three battles with Chef Morimoto before finally winning one in this anglerfish battle.

This anglerfish is so unique for me as I've never seen one before. This wide-mouth fish is famous in northern Japan such as Hokkaido as 'Ankoo'. The fish named for their characteristic method of predation. Anglerfishes typically have at least one long filament sprouting from the middle of the head; these are detached and modified three first spines of the anterior dorsal fin. This first spine protrudes above the fish's eyes, and terminates in an irregular growth of flesh (the esca) at the tip of the spine. The spine is movable in all directions, and the esca can be wiggled so as to resemble a prey animal, and thus to act as a bait to lure other predator close enough for the anglerfish to devour them whole.

(Source: Wikipedia)

And if you are an Iron Chef's fan, which Iron Chef do you think has the best win-loss records? I thought Morimoto-san would be on the top but I was wrong, here is the list of their records.

Iron Chef	Title	Win	Loss	Draw	Total	Win %
Chen Kenichi	Iron Chef Chinese	67	22	3	92	75.3%
Yutaka Ishinabe	Iron Chef French (I)	7	1	0	8	87.5%
Hiroyuki Sakai	Iron Chef French (II)	70	15	1	86	82.4%
Masahiko Kobe	Iron Chef Italian	15	7	1	23	68.2%
Rokusaburo Michiba	Iron Chef Japanese (I)	32	5	1	38	86.5%
Koumei Nakamura	Iron Chef Japanese (II)	24	11	1	36	68.6%
Masaharu Morimoto	Iron Chef Japanese(III)	16	7	1	24	69.6%

(Source: Wikipedia)

Fish Sushi Roll

2010-07-14T03:12:00.000-07:00

It's not a real sushi but a product of Barby's bakery, one of my favorite bakeries in town. It's a bread rolled in nori (dried seaweed), filled with cucumber, corns, cream and covered with fish floss on the sides.

(Fish sushi roll from Barby's bakery)

Barby's bakery has one shop on level 2 of Market City and another one on corner of Goulbourn and Sussex street right in the heart of Chinatown strip. I love their breads since they are soft and they got lot of mouthwatering flavors.

Samurai Summit

2010-07-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

I have been a fan of cosplay and any event related to this popular Japanese Pop culture, not that I'd like to dress in Inuyasha or Sesshomaru's costume but I do love watching people in fabulous attractive costumes. I wish I could fly to Nagoya end of this month to see the World Cosplay Summit 2010, this cosplay event begun in Osu, Nagoya in 2005 sponsored by TV Aichi. This year the WCS will be held on July 31 - August 1.

During the press conference held at the Central Japan International Airport, the president of the airport pictured in samurai costume to announce World Samurai Summit will be held in Nagoya, the capital of Aichi Prefecture, along with the World Cosplay Summit.

(picture courtesy of Mainichi News)

Kopi Luwak

2010-07-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Kopi Luwak is one of the rarest and most expensive coffees in the world. This Indonesian coffee made from beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by Asian palm civet, that's why it's called Kopi Luwak in Indonesian, Kopi means coffee and Luwak means civet. The civet eats the berries for their fleshly pulp, in its stomach, proteolytic enzymes seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids. Passing through a civet's intestines the beans are then defecated, having kept their shape. After gathering thorough washing, sun drying, light roasting and brewing, these beans yield an aromatic coffee with much less bitterness, widely noted as the most expensive coffee in the world.

I had been browsing around to find this coffee in Sydney, eventually found this Olio Cafe in St Leonards and couldn't resist to give it a try. For $9 you will get this coffee in a tiny mug served with a cookie and a small glass of water to clean up your palate before you finish this coffee in couple sips.

(Kopi Luwak from Olio Cafe)

The coffee has a real smooth taste with no after taste and if you'd like to buy the beans, the cafe sells a pack of 250 gram Kopi Luwak for $100.
And if you'd like to buy the coffee from the farmer in Sumatra here is the web from Pagaralam Sumatera, Indonesia: Kopi Luwak Sumatera.

You could call this coffee as 'cat poo coffee', so would you fancy a cup of 'cat poo coffee'?

Daiei Watermelon

2010-06-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

Hokuei, a town of Tottori Prefecture in Japan is not only home to Detective Conan but also the famous Daiei watermelon or also called as Tottori watermelon. Madoka Ueno, the Tourism Ambassador for Tottori Prefecture described Daiei watermelon as being 'large, sweet and crisp' at the Mainichi Newspaper, promoting this famous watermelon of this year's harvest as it shipped across the country.

(Picture courtesy of Tottori Tourism)

Tottori watermelons have not been limited to Japan, either, making appearances overseas in Taiwan and Russia, and in June of 2008, being shipped to Dubai for the first time, where they sold for around 30,000 yen a piece (in Japan, a typical size Tottori watermelon sells for about 3,800 yen).

Talking about Tottori, the prefecture is also famous for Nijisseiki Pear, the king of all Japanese pears. Tottori Prefecture is the largest producer and exporter of these pears. While the Daiei watermelon is in season from late June to early August, the Nijisseiki Pear is in season from late August to September.

(source: Mainichi and Tottori Tourism)

Morimoto-san

2010-06-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

Masaharu Morimoto is my favorite chef from Fuji TV's show Iron Chef. I was so surprised when I found one particular cooking book on the shelf of Sydney library, a book called "Morimoto - The New Art of Japanese cooking" published by DK publishing New York. It's really a great cooking book full of inspiration about Japanese fusion recipes and useful tips by Morimoto-san, the Iron Chef Japanese.

Almost 25 years before Morimoto became an Iron Chef, before he owned four widely acclaimed restaurants and released his own award-winning beers and splendid sake, he washed dishes at Ichiban sushi, a small restaurant in Hiroshima run by Ikuo Oyama, a kind but demanding chef who prepared a wide range of food, including sushi, sashimi, udon and Japanese curry rice.

At 25, he opened his own cafe in downtown Hiroshima. It was a tiny place with a few tables that dealt mainly in delivery to nearby medical offices and a police station. At night, he labored as a sushi chef in another restaurant, delivered newspaper and worked as an insurance agent at Morimoto agency, a makeshift outfit that he alone operated.

Morimoto and his wife landed in New York in March, 1985. He picked up more or less where he had left off in Japan, working afternoons at one sushi restaurant and nights at another. After six years of being underpaid and overworked, he began the search for new opportunities, and eventually worked as sushi chef at the Sony Club, an exclusive dining room that catered to Sony's executives and talents. Fortuitously, he got a position at Nobu Restaurant in New York where he was there from the beginning, surrounded by new flavors and working under a mandate not to be limited by the strictures of tradition.

Morimoto's big break came during a trip to Japan to see his friends and family. A Japanese customer at Nobu who adored his food had invited him to cook for a group of her friends in Tokyo. Although he didn't know it then, this group included a judge and a producer from Fuji TV's popular show "Iron Chef". Several months later, he got a call from someone from the show asking him to be Iron Chef Japanese. At first, he declined the offer but a number of his colleagues started lobbying him and a week later Morimoto reconsidered and signed on. Morimoto flew to Japan every month until the show ended, about a year after he started.

(Source and courtesy of: Morimoto, The New Art of Japanese Cooking)

Moffle

2010-06-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

It was 7pm when I wandered around The Rock's market on the weekend and came across a Belgian waffle stand, when you are freezing and find a hot food with tantalizing aroma you wouldn't just walk pass without getting one. The chocolate Belgian waffle is so nice and it just reminds me of a waffle craze in Japan few years back then. The waffle craze in Japan didn't stop there, Sanyei Co. invented a moffle makers which set another trend of new kind of rice snack in Japan, moffle.

Moffle (mochi + waffle) has the waffle shape and while the outside is toasted and crispy, the inside contains a thin layer of glutinous mochi. Making a moffle is quite simple, just open the lid of the moffle maker, which looks very similar to a waffle iron, place the mochi inside and close the lid. After several minutes, a toasted waffle-looking mochi is ready. You can use instant mochi blocks available at supermarket.

It is also possible to make moffle sandwiches by combining ingredients with the mochi before cooking, alternatively you can add sweet or salty toppings as the plain taste of mochi goes well with either.

(Source: Japan Times)

(My chocolate waffle)

I haven't found any shop selling moffle in Sydney so far, and when I find one I'll update this post

Tetsuya's Pursuit of Excellence

2010-06-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

Wanna win a meal for two at Tetsuya's ? Check this out!

Tetsuya Wakuda is one of the world's most famous chefs and his restaurant in Sydney is consistently rated as one of the top 50 in the world. To celebrate Tetsuya's Pursuit of Excellence, SBS is giving one lucky viewer the chance to win a meal for two at his famous restaurant.

For your chance to win this unique experience, watch Tetsuya's Pursuit of Excellence at 7.30pm on Thursday, 17 June 2010 on SBS One.

(Source: SBS)

St Mary's

2010-06-10T19:31:00.000-07:00

Still in the mood of Vivid Sydney, I joined the folks enjoying a dazzling light spectacle at St Mary's Cathedral Sydney last night, illuminated in beautiful lights, adding a bit of warmth to the chilling winter night.

Mochi dumpling

2010-06-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

I've got a few posts about Shu Shin Bou's products including the God's fruit and daifuku, and this morning I just dropped by their shop in the the world square complex to try their new product, Mochi dumpling, priced at $2 each.

Well, it's more like mochi than dumpling, it's not that kind of dumpling you'd find when you have yum cha and it's not like an ordinary mochi in small ball shape with cornstarch dusting. This mochi dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves just like Chimaki (Japanese glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves or also known as Chinese rice dumpling or called bah-chang in my hometown).

(Mochi dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves)

(Mochi dumpling with kiwi fruit and cranberries filling)

Definitely it doesn't taste like bah-chang :) The transparent texture is chewy just like normal mochi and the filling is more like ice cream, overall it tastes good and fresh as a desert, especially for one who loves mochi like me. They come with 4 different fillings: taro, red bean, kiwi fruit and cranberries, next time I am gonna try the taro and red bean ones.

Vivid Sydney

2010-06-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

It was a clear day yesterday, after rainy and wet days over the past couple weeks the city deserved a nice break, so I decided to walk down the harbour in the evening to enjoy Vivid Sydney! A festival of light from May 27 to June 21 where some landmarks across the city lit up by beautiful lights plus some music performances down the streets.

Here some of my shots, HarbourBridge and Opera House lit up by colorful lights