kameido tenjin

Back in March, we visited Kameido Tenjin.

I bookmarked this area and waited for the fuji (wisteria) to bloom.

Tuesday was forecast for the last sunny day for the week, so I went to check it out.

Unfortunately with all the temperature ups and downs they haven't bloomed fully (the first photo is of one of the longest wisteria vines when I went)

We have other things planned for GW (Golden Week), so I'm not sure if I'll be able to go back and check it out again.

Still it was nice to see.

If you'd like to see some of the other photos I took, please look here.

tofu poke

If you don't eat raw fish or can't get your hands on fresh raw fish, using tofu in poke is a nice substitution.

I used 150 grams of firm tofu, half a packet of the NOH poke mix (a teaspoon of the Hawaiian salt and chili peppers), a teaspoon of sesame oil and added some green onions.

Mix well.

Make this ahead of time, so that the Hawaiian salt will melt.

NOTES: super easy and tasty. I plan to make this more often this summer.

pizza olive

A new kiosk opened up in the JR Kamata Station recently called Pizza Olive.

Since Satoshi didn't need dinner on Friday, I tried their seafood pizza...750 yen (tax included)

I like that they sell their pizzas in half sizes.

The thin crust was a little too hard for my liking.

But, there was various seafood (squid, shrimp, clams) and some veggies (bell pepper, mushroom) on the pizza.

I want to try their regular crust to compare...I'll be back.

Pizza Olive
JR Kamata Station, 2F
Ota, Tokyo

foodie friday

Yesterday I met up with friend, M, she no longer teaches the rugby players Japanese, but has been keeping busy with other projects.

We waited in line for seats at Pelican Cafe. The cafe that is run by the bakery Pelican.

I ordered their keema curry cheese toast.

The crust was crisp and the curry had just the right amount of spices.

They also used some dal (split pulses) in their curry.

But, I also felt their cafe is overhyped.

920 yen (tax included) for the toast and it didn't come with a beverage or even salad...

M chose their shrimp avo sandwich which was 960 yen (tax included)...I think they could've at least had a little salad on the side for the price.

I'm glad we tried this place though I don't know that I'll be back.

We then walked down the street to Dandelion Chocolate where I had their nib scone and their cacao nib cold brew.

The weather has turned a bit summery...I'm glad M had some time to catch up for lunch and some walking.

Thanks M!

Pelican Cafe
3-9-11 Kotobuki
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.6231.7636
Hours: 9:00-17:00
Closed Sundays

that time of year again...

Apparently it is election time for our ward.

There are 70 something candidates running for council and 6 candidates running for mayor.

Of course, most of them have campaign cars running around with loud speakers...

It was krazy seeing all these campaign cars pass each other on the street (of course they were all on their loud speakers too).

Very noisy especially during "my nap time"...ahem!

As for the photo, on the way back from the market, I found a man looking at all the candidates kind of in awe.

At least the election will end on Sunday (it will be Satoshi's first time voting since we moved)...if you can go and vote, do so.

Have a nice weekend.

out and about

Saturday was forecast for sun while Sunday was forecast for rain.

So...we tried to get everything done on Saturday...starting at Todoroki Valley.

The trail is only a kilometer (.62 miles) and it will make you feel like you are not in a big city like Tokyo.

Lots of trees, birds and quiet.

There are several temples too.

WARNING: Just do not go after the rains or while it is raining, very dangerous & slippery.

Lunch was at Sushi Zanmai.

The owner is known to spend millions of yen on whole tuna and performs many tuna carving shows.

Meh, over-hyped...we felt some of the fish that was served was kind of "dry" in texture.

After lunch, we went up to Sarue Onshi Park.

They were having a tulip festival...but disappointing...only a little patch of tulips...(I guess when you've been to Keukenhof (pre-blog), nothing compares)

On the other hand, I will check this place out next year for cherry blossoms.

So many bridges in this area...

Clover Bridge...

Will need to check out Kiba Park for cherry blossoms too, next year.

And then we found ourselves near Kiyosumi Gardens.

The double type of cherry blossoms were blooming, so we paid for admission to check them out.

And the azaleas...

The weather was summery and it was nice to be out and about.

Sushi Zanmai
1-13-7 Jiyugaoka
Meguro, Tokyo
Phone: 03.5731.3211
Open 24 hours

sending virtual hugs

Sending virtual hugs to Paris...so so sad seeing Notre Dame Cathedral in flames yesterday morning on the news.

These were some photos of the cathedral from our Paris trip in 2011.

I know it will take time, but I hope they will be able to restore the damaged areas.