Author: Angela

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Don’t hate me because it’s beautiful.

Dan and I just returned from a 2 week vacation in Indonesia.  I know that no one actually wants to hear about a happy couple honeymooning at the beach, so I’ll spare you the details.

Though, I can’t help but share a few lessons learned —

1. Outdoor bathrooms seem like a good idea, until it is pouring rain and you are suffering from food poisoning because you were an idiot and had local ice in your your beach-side sunset cocktail.

2. When a guidebook says a city is “hard to love,” believe it.  Travel writers are adventurous, capable folks, so when they say Jakarta is a tough place to really like, you probably won’t be able to prove them wrong with 24 magical hours.  Especially when you decide to stay at a hotel where bomb-sniffing dogs check your handbag before you enter the lobby and your taxi-driver gets a pat-down.

3. Don’t sit next to small children when taking a boat across open water. It is not going to end well for them, and thus, you.

All said, it was a great trip and the parts of Indonesia we saw were absolutely beautiful.  We flew into Bali where we spent a few days in Ubud amidst rice paddies, then went north to the mountains where we stayed in Munduk and, after the power went out, watched the most amazing thunderstorm from our hut’s balcony.   We took a boat to the neighboring island of Gili Trawangan where we had the beach to ourselves.  We spent a few nights on the southern coast of Lombok, where we saw amazing coastal scenery and because of a room snafu, had a private swimming pool.  It was an accident, but it was awesome.  There may have been canon balls and underwater handstands.  On our way home we stopped in Jakarta for a night, experienced the great wonder that is Jakarta’s traffic (though a 2 hour taxi ride only cost us $12), and hopped a red-eye back to Tokyo.

In all honestly, I would love to share photos but we took more than I can safely download to my computer without it crashing (1000+).  Though, OK, I did manage to snap a few with my point-and-shoot.  Maybe just one beach photo…

I ain’t foolin — we really had the beach to ourselves, which I guess isn’t such a big deal when you’re on an island and there is so much of it to go around.  This beach in particular is slated for development, so it won’t look like this in another 10 years.

Vacationland, I miss you already.

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Tokyo Craft Guide

You may have noticed it, up there.  Look a little higher… a little higher…

There it is, my Tokyo Craft Guide — an ever growing list of the fabric shops, paper shops, yarn shops, and cream puff counters in Tokyo.  I know that is a pretty huge endeavor, but give me time, people.

While out and about, hunting and haunting every craft-related shop in this fair city, I started keeping a list and eventually, a Google map.  Then I thought, “Wow, six-months-ago-me would have totally loved me for this!”  Cue light bulb.

Dear future-you, I hope you enjoy this guide, inspired by six-months-ago-me and updated by the here-and-now-me, for your craft-shopping pleasure!

You can find the full Tokyo Craft Guide here, and a map here.  Questions or comments?  Leave me a note, I’d love to hear from you!

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Murder Pie

One of the reasons I love blueberry pie — it always looks like something went terribly wrong…

Blueberry Murder might make a good name for my pie shop.

These are from Pie Night at Chef Miri’s.  That one hiding in the back?  Chocolate Banana Cream.  It sort of has a deep-dish thing going on, which is a very good idea.

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Valentine Sweets

In Japan, it is a Valentine’s Day custom for women to give men chocolates. I don’t even love chocolate that much, and I feel cheated.

You are supposed to give your Valentine handmade chocolates and reserve the store-bought stuff for friends and coworkers, but I saw these and couldn’t resist:

Highball-filled chocolates. Dan called them whiskey Gushers. Eeew. Or, ooooh?

I’m looking forward to White Day, the holiday on March 14th when men reciprocate. According to trusty Wikipedia, I can expect jewelry, white chocolate, or marshmallows.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Update – I just found this.  Totally eeew.

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I Really Need to Stab Something

It has been a tough week, so when my calendar buzzed to remind me about sashiko class this afternoon, I had mixed feelings. Though I knew it would be good for me to be around other humans, going to class takes so much effort. I know I’m whining, but listening is hard work.

I decided to buck up and go, and as always, I am glad I did. It turned out I really just needed to stab something.

In case you are new here, a quick debriefing: my craft-time pastime of choice is sashiko, a style of embroidery, which in Japanese means “little stabs.”  And I love to overwork the pun.  As can be evidenced here, here and here.  And here.

The concentrated craft time made me feel better.

A new kit was waiting for me when I got to class, a pouch for holding my sashiko goods.  The kit comes with everything you’ll need — thread, fabric, pattern.  The design includes an image of Japanese scissors, which according to Dan look like Pac Man.  I have scissors more like this, which all the ladies get a kick out of.  (For those observant few — yep, that is a sashiko coaster.  More on that to come…)

Class-time chatter was mostly about shopping.  I think I picked up on this mostly because I’ve become familiar with the various department stores (mmmm, food halls), though I’ve also learned a few more verbs (yay for action words!).  The ladies were cheerful, and they watched me stitch and nodded their approval.  My sensei even sent me home with her pouch, so I can have a model to look at while I work between classes.  Look at the size of her stitches on the left, compared to mine on the right.  So teeeny.  I’ve got some practicing to do.

Here is the reverse, what my pouch will look like someday.  The red felt is for holding pins and needles, and the pouch will hold all my threads and tools.  I’m so excited.  The only thing I love as much as crafting is organizing my crafts.

My favorite part of every class is show-and-tell.  I love watching as everyone pulls out the projects they’ve completed since we last met, and the whole table echos with sugoi! With this group of crafty old ladies it comes from the gut, and the table sounds like a chorus of beer-chuggin’ dudes.  I love it.

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An Afternoon Stroll

On Saturday Dan and I took a stroll to Nippori in search of Yanaka Ginza.  We recently purchased a new camera and thought the quaint shopping street would be perfect for some practice shots.

But first, no afternoon stroll through Tokyo can begin without ramen:

We didn’t even make it to the train station before this stop, since this ramen-ya is in our neighborhood.  Dangerous, I know.  B1F, 1-7-9 Azabu Juban, Minato-ku  博多チムそば 麻布十番店、〒106-0045 東京都港区麻布十番１丁目７−９

On to Yanaka Ginza.  Well, almost.  To reach Yanaka Ginza we had to take the train to the JR Nippori station, which is also the home of Fabric Town:

Does anyone remember Cheapo in Minneapolis?  Oh, the hours I spent trying to look interested in used CDs while Dan click-clicked his way through new arrivals.  Apparently it’s payback time.  (You can find more info on Textile Heaven here.)  Only one hour was lost, and then it was back to our mission…

We got a little turned around, and eventually found our way across the train tracks via tunnel.  I sort of love/hate it when I’m in one of these tunnels and the train passes overhead.  Popping out the other side, we noticed people were gathering:

We’d stumbled upon Fujimizaka (meaning Fuji view slope), and joined just in time to watch the sun set over the city.  Everyone was gathered along a road that climbed up a steep hill (apparently some with better cameras than us).  If you are like me and need a little help, Fuji-san was just about here:

Finally, on with our quest.  We were looking for Yanaka Ginza, a small shopping street in northeastern Tokyo that is famous for maintaining the feel of Shitamachi, the traditional and lower class part of Edo which housed merchants and artisans in the marshy (read: humid and stinky) low part of the city.  Most of Shitamachi is gone, due to fires and wars over the years, but a few areas of Tokyo still do it right.  After some iPhone-led zig-zagging through neighborhoods, we finally arrived… and forgot to take photos.

Believe me though, it’s great.  We bought sencha 煎茶, stood in line for grilled meats, and wandered from shop window to cafe menu.  On our way home, we passed a small shrine tucked along the road:

A nice end to a lovely winter day.

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Feeling Toasty

I’d like to take you along on a little journey… to buy a toaster.  In Japan, purchasing an electronic appliance is no small feat:

And this was just the toaster side of the aisle.  Ovens, ranges, and fish broilers had their own sections.  Dan and I had initially planed to purchase an oven — after my stories of pie-woe, we were urged by many to stop whining go out and get one for ourselves.  But it quickly became clear that our apartment didn’t have space for the huge “counter top” oven/steamer/grill/microwave robot contraptions that were out there. (If you need a reminder, you can see photos of our tiny apartment here.)  And so, back to the toasters.

I was amused by all of the options.  They had single-slice mini toasters, double-decker toasters, toasters shaped especially for pizzas, toasters in colors to match your teapot, high- or low-tech.

This one is advertising a touch screen computer panel, but I was more interested in the panda cake it claims it can make.

This toaster would have been perfect for one of my old roommates… you know who you are, Carb King.  “What’s for dinner tonight?  Toast? Pizza? Baked cheese? Toast?”

We settled on this beauty simply because it was big (4 slices!) and had easy-to-interpret controls.  Maybe it’s not quite right for an overstuffed apple pie, but it could probably manage a few tarte aux pommes.

Or an open-faced avocado and cheese sandwich.  Since bringing this new friend home, I’ve been eating toast for approximately 2.8 meals a day.  Don’t judge.

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Stab to the Heart

Don’t worry, this is not a sad story.

Those little old ladies did it again: my third sashiko class left me with a completed project (finally!), a handful of snacks, and a full heart.

I need to keep up with my sashiko classes perhaps only to continue seeing my new old lady friends.  You may remember my first class — a whirlwind of mysterious chit-chat where I picked up my teacup pattern and learned through miming.  Conducted entirely in Japanese, my guess is I picked up about 3% of what was said.  My second class was an equal amount of confusion, but with a few more parts warm & fuzzy.  I may have upped my comprehension level to, let’s say 5%.   For class #3, I was up to a solid 14%.  And that’s after you calculate out the show-and-tell oohs-and-ahs and the many giggles.

Part of my success was due to the fact I was with a new group of ladies, so the usual niceties, “My name is Angie” and “I’m American” were easy home runs.  Then one woman asked if I was a high school student.  Understandable, considering I have no idea if they were 60 or 90.  When I told them “I’m a housewife,” out came a fresh round of giggles.  After class, they sent me on my way with a few handfuls of rice crackers and a bounty of bows.  It was a lovely time.

I’ve decided I need to continue going to these classes so that I can get to know some other women and try to socialize in Japanese.  Otherwise, my only interaction with other shufu 主婦 is at the grocery store, where I get elbowed and banged into and harassed about whether I want chopsticks with my bento lunch.  I need help to remember they are just as shy as I am, and just as curious about my sunglasses and camouflage hipster hat as I am about the tiny dogs in their purses.

Finally, I need to talk about this amazing pastry.  I admit I had no idea what I was buying, and picked it because I wanted something impressive for my little show-off photo shoot.  I went to my favorite neighborhood pastry shop, pointage, knowing they wouldn’t let me down.  And wow, was this one good.  There was a chestnut in there, and a fig steeped in Earl Grey, and some cheesey custard, and lots of buttery flakes.  I don’t claim to be a know-it-all about pastries, but I do eat a lot of them.  And this one wins.  Thanks, pointage.  Is it a blessing or a curse that this place is a 5 minute walk from my apartment?  I can’t decide.

Psst… Hey you, visiting Tokyo?  Check out pointage boulangerie in Azabu juban.  Here is a map.  Just don’t make it crowded so I can’t get my sweet chestnut buns.

Also, interested in the sashiko class?  They’re held monthly at Blue & White, 2-9-2 Azabu juban, Minato-ku, tel. 03 3451 0537.  Come join me!

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Mmmm.

In the aftermath of my musings on cold-weather warmer-uppers, I found this recipe for nabe.  I haven’t tried it yet myself (only because I don’t have a suitable pot).  Anyone else willing to try it out and tell me how it goes?

If I were to make this, I think I’d chose potatoes from Group A, fish chunks, shrimp and mussels for meat, leeks (if I could find them) or a yellow onion from Group B, and all sorts of mushrooms, though especially shiitake and enoki.  Then some tofu.  From Group C I’d pick cabbage and top it off with spinach.  And I’d definitely add ramen noodles at the end.  Duh.

Can’t wait to hear what you try!

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Cold Weather Firsts

It has been chilly here in Tokyo.  Don’t worry, I’m not going to complain about the cold — since it is currently 21 degrees F (-6 degrees C) and snowing at my parents’ house in Minneapolis, and that’s after, according to my dad, “it had warmed up overnight.”

Here is the forecast for Tokyo this week:

Fear not, Americans — this is Celsius.  OK, so maybe it is not that cold…

That’s more like it.

But my parents house in Minneapolis is cozy, and my apartment in Tokyo is not.  The building is poorly insulated and my curtains sway with the breeze, get my draft drift?  50 degrees F (10 degrees C) feels chilly when you are inside.  I bought a pair of legwarmers and actually wear them.  And not ironically.

A drafty chill is the norm around Tokyo during the winter months, but there are plenty of other ways to keep warm.  This weekend I got to try a few for the first time.

Nabe 鍋 is a traditional winter dish, a one-pot soup or stew that cooks right at the table and is shared with friends or family.  Perhaps a little humble and unassuming, this soup pot of friendship warmed me right to the core.  You get to watch the broth bubble and then poke and pick out your favorite bits.  It was delightful.  Ours featured spicy sauce and soy milk, tantan tonyu nabe 担担豆乳鍋.  I probably just made-up that word, but it doesn’t matter because the soup was delicious.  Sorry for the poor cellphone photo – I was too excited to take the time to get a real camera.

My other cold weather first this weekend was to cuddle under a kotatsu 炬燵, a small table with a heating unit underneath that you cover with a heavy blanket.  Don’t even ask me about fire hazards, because all I know is that the kotatsu is my new love.

Doesn’t it look cozy?  A friend has a kotatsu with a pit underneath where you can dangle your legs and play anonymous footsie games.  There are a few months of winter left, so I’m thinking I can justify finding a kotatsu of my own.  If it works out, you won’t hear from me until spring.