Friday, October 30, 2026

this and that

enjoyed this movie recently "the lunchbox" 

I have been wanting to watch it and luckily found it on you tube

enjoyed this one too..."east side sushi" which I also have been wanting to see and also found it on you tube
 



tried the frozen blueberries from 7-eleven...they are more on the tart side so not too good to eat with pancakes, probably better in smoothies or in muffins...
we ate the pasta sauce we received from the family fair...this was ono!

I added broccoli that I had frozen

This sauce is on the saltier side so we cannot have this too often
krazy lady is at it again...she often comes across to cut our plants because she "thinks" all our leaves come over to her side and fills up her drains...
poor plants



With all the rain lately, it has affected the price of leafy veggies

1/4 of a hakusai (chinese cabbage) was 258 yen plus tax! I used the 1/4 to make millefeuille nabe (hot pot) last night

I made this hot pot lazy style without the consomme cube and kim chee, this version was without maitake too...

We ate it with daikon oroshi and dashi shoyu.

Typhoon 31 (In-Fa) has formed and is making its way toward Okinawa...it's been gloomy with the clouds 

We've gone from Autumn straight into Winter...though the temps are supposed to go up over the weekend

Have a safe weekend!

Thursday, October 29, 2026

toothpick

do you use the toothpick that usually comes with wooden chopsticks?

apparently, not everyone does
 

so, recently, they have been making these "packets" without the toothpick

if you usually use the toothpick, you'll have to start bringing your own

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

ikedayama bread & coffee

I had an errand to run and also checked out another location for Ikedayama Bread & Coffee

This one is located near the JR Gotanda Station 

I got their saucisson and cinnamon roll


Loved the sausage, it was super flavorful with a snap

I would've preferred the sauerkraut to be "loose" and not stuck onto the sausage with cheese but I still enjoyed this

The cinnamon roll was a disappointment, I think it might have been overbaked

This shop seems to be a lot smaller than the one in Jiyugaoka and the one in Higashi Gotanda

I'll probably make the walk to the Higashi Gotanda shop in the future.

Ikedayama Bread & Coffee
1-2-10 Nishigotanda, Circles Gotanda 1F
Shinagawa, Tokyo
Open daily: 8:00-19:00

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

swicy

a television show here said that the food trend this year is “swicy”...sweet + spicy = swicy

I saw this at one of the supermarkets that I go to and bought one to try
 

I don't think I've ever tried Buldak, but have heard it is really spicy

This version comes with the spicy sauce packet and a sweet sprinkle packet
there are sugar crystals as well as brownish ones
even if this was level 1, it was too spicy for me...mouth.on.fire

should’ve added an egg, still I'm glad I tried it

Monday, October 26, 2026

penguin bakery

Been wanting to try Penguin Bakery for some time now.

They are originally from Hokkaido, and have franchises all over Japan

Earlier this year when they first opened in Motomachi, the lines were kinda krazy, so it was nice to just be able to "walk in" purchase things and "walk out"

I got their root vegetable curry pan, corn bread and cookie melon pan

The root vegetable curry pan was so ono! filled with lots of veggies and curry

The curry wasn't super spicy which was also nice
The corn bread was filled to the gills with corn! love!

Least favorite was the cookie style melon pan...there were crystal sugar pieces here and there to give a "crunch" but it was not even "cookie like"

Anyway, I wished they had more savory items.

I'm glad I tried this bakery, not sure I would go back though

Penguin Bakery
1-13 Ishikawa-cho
Naka ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa
Open daily: 10:00-19:00

Sunday, October 25, 2026

gacha gacha no mori ribasuku

After lunch at Codie's, I walked to Yamashita Park to see the roses

so many furry people out and about

 

I wasn't too sure if I was early for rose season or if "this was it", still, it was nice to see


kochia
unusual colored coleus

found an interesting objet...zangiri, which commemorates the birthplace of Western style barbering in Japan during the late 19th century
caught these two talking story
found the statue of the girl with red shoes

blog friend, Kirk, also posted about the girl with red shoes in San Diego, which is Yokohama's sister city
Nearby is the Industry and Trade Center

And in the basement is the Gacha Gacha no Mori Ribasuku, which I learned about from social media

not sure what ribasuku stands for…
Entrance fee is 10 yen (or more) this money is given to charities
This shop is tiny but they let you see the toys from the gacha gacha machines, so you can buy the one you actually want at the price that the gacha machines sell them for
since BFF likes otters, I found one for her...300 yen (tax included)

I'm glad I checked this place out and it was a nice walk after eating such a big lunch

Gacha Gacha no Mori Ribasuku
2 Yamashitacho, Industry & Trade CenterB1
Naka ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa
Open daily: 11:00-17:00

Saturday, October 24, 2026

codie's

Have had Codie's on my "to try" list for some time now

Went to check it out on Friday, since I had some time on my hands
 

The shop is tiny, seating only about 12?!

Burgers are cooked to order so be prepared to wait
Luckily, Kat was first to order...
Avocado cheeseburger with fries and an oolong tea...2013 yen (tax included)
This made up for that junk one I had the other week

The patty was juicy AND the fries were well seasoned even if they also had ketchup on the table.

Also appreciated that they had a knife and fork on the table because it got messy eating from that paper wrapper...
Since it was close to Halloween, they also let you take a piece of candy from their Jack 'o lantern near the register

I'm glad I tried this place and will be back whenever I'm nearby

Codie's
1-5-7 Shinyamashita
Naka ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa
Closed: Mondays
Hours: 11:00-22:00