back to yakiniku king

after being cooped up since Friday, we wanted to get out on Sunday

I wanted to go to Yakiniku King because they are having a Shin Okubo fair, with all sorts of Korean street foods that will end soon

we tried the huge piece of loin 1290 yen (tax included) and dragon harami marinated in a tsubo (pot) 790 yen (tax included)

We tried the dragon harami before, it was just as good as before

the chef cooking....tan (tongue)...790 yen (tax included)

sanchu...comes with a sauce, I think it was miso-ish, it didn't seem to be spicy 190 yen (tax included) for 3 leaves

assorted kim chee

Jongno's fried cheese thingy...this is what I wanted to try...

Like a corn dog except all cheese.

good! I'm glad I tried this...390 yen (tax included)

Nene Chicken's yangyneom chicken...this was kinda junk...the sauce was too sweet and there was more breading than chicken...390 yen (tax included)

harami (outside skirt/bavette)...390 yen (tax included)

thickly cut kalbi...590 yen (tax included)

hitokuchi reimen (one bite cold noodles) 290 yen (tax included)...this was actually enough for both of us

I'm glad I got to try the items from the Shin Okubo Fair that I was interested in, since they were limited

I'm glad we didn't have to wait long for a table and that we were able to get out after the typhoons

so

the typhoons turned out to be lots of rain

thankfully no wind, just lots of rain

that in itself did its own damage in several areas, we were okay though

Friday, we did have this big earthquake from the area around Mount Fuji

dunno what we've been doing but I think Mother Nature is pissed at us...so many earthquakes and other natural disasters lately.

Hope you have a good week

this and that

are you watching the FIFA World Cup?...we are kinda

Everyone is raving at how the Japan soccer fans clean up after the games...well, their wives have something to say about it...

"please do it at home"...since most don't help around the house....ha!

Tokyo Furry People: waiting for its mom/dad

Last summer, Koss Coffee had this seasonal drink during the summer

It was too hot to walk from the station to the cafe last summer, luckily they have it again this summer, so I finally got to try it the other week

Coffee + coconut syrup + fresh cream + honey + tonka bean

Caramel-coconutty...love!

A bit pricey at 1000 yen (tax included), but I'm glad I got to try this

On one of my walks, I saw this teeny house.

Then on a recent walk, the teeny house’s lights were on, so I went to check it out

It is a teeny flower/plant shop

The flower/plant shop is on the parking lot of this coffee shop...hope to check out this coffee shop, Ever Green, soon

Tried a new (to me) smoothie from 7-eleven, this one had watermelon & strawberry

I think I told V that their smoothies have milk in them, not all do, but I think they have to note it because the machine they use is the same for all the smoothies.

Anyway, this one was super refreshing, I would get it again!

I think I said this year was La Niña, but it is actually El Niño. 

The weather has been really weird, rainy but cool, sometimes humid

It was that time of year again...I went for my physical check-up

Wanted to get it over with before I go on my "vacation"...ha!

Afterwards I had brunch at Civitas...the price has gone up!

Almost 2000 yen (tax included) now! I think when I first started eating at Civitas back in 2018 it was 1200 yen (tax included)

This matcha chocolate ice cream bar was delicious!

so was this mint chocolate one filled with ganache

there was a huge earthquake yesterday...we were swaying...blah!

(Also heard there were 2 earthquakes in Venezuela, hope everyone there will be okay)

There are also two typhoons approaching...#7 (Mekkhala) and #8 (Higos)

I made sure we have fresh foods up to Friday, but the forecast has changed to include Saturday...

I'm sure we'll be fine but I told Satoshi we can always just eat rice and tsukemono (pickles)...

He said, "like the Edo period"

I told him, well, if he helped shop maybe I could have bought more foods...grr!

Anyway, we do have eggs, so that can always be turned into something...

Have a safe weekend!

matsuzakaya

Recently tried Matsuzakaya 

They are mainly a butcher shop and are also known for their roast pork and other foods

Apparently they have been in business for over 80 years.
 

We tried their sweet sour pork...932 yen (tax included) for 333 grams

This was delicious, not overly sweet with lots of tender pork pieces and veggies in it

and their koumiyaki (spice grilled) chicken...480 yen (tax included) for 5 wings

this was delicious too, not overly peppery, very meaty and tender

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

Matsuzakaya

1-44-4 Kitasenzoku

Ota, Tokyo

Closed: Wednesdays

Hours: 10:00-20:00

*cash only

putting out your trash

In Tokyo, since the roadways are sometimes narrow, there are areas to put trash out, this is so the garbage truck can easily access it

For homes, they seem to have "groups" where they (the housewives) take turns cleaning their trash area after it is picked up

Most condos in Tokyo, seem to have a "room" to put trash into and have staff to take it out on the trash days

When we lived in Osaka, our apartment only had an area that we could put our trash, the people who picked up the trash had access to it so no one had to put it out for pick up (photo from 2018 when we moved from Osaka to Tokyo) and we were only allowed to put the trash out on the morning of the pick up not from the night before

Sometimes, if you miss the time for trash pick up, you can “sneak” your trash under another net/area

The nets are supposed to deter the crows, but if you don’t cover the trash properly, the crows pull out the trash bags and make a mess!

I took this photo (above) when the guy in beige brought his trash down the street and tried to put it under the net and the lady in black ran out immediately to tell him that he wasn't allowed to put his trash there

I think she didn't want his garbage there because if the crows made a mess, she'd have to clean it up...

in the photo, you can also see a lady on the left cleaning up what the crows did to a "groups" trash area

Lots of unwritten rules, yeah?!

chikku takku

Been wanting to check out this teeny bakery, Chikku Takku

Not sure how long they have been in business but it is run by a cute grandpa

I tried their chocolate filled Doraemon...226 yen (tax included)

So delicious!

Glad I tried this bakery and will be back whenever I am near by

Chikku Takku

3-18-9 Sanno

Ota, Tokyo

Closed: Tuesdays

Hours: 8:00-20:00

*cash only

the fan (part 2)

So the management company called us last Monday and sent a guy to check out our fan last Wednesday

(They said that it would take about an hour)

What I was impressed with was this...this thing that has tape (green) attached to plastic film

He used it to cover areas that he didn't want to get dirty

Then he took the fan apart, measured things and took photos of things

He said that easiest way to fix it would be to get a new motor for the fan

If they cannot find a replacement motor, then they have to install a larger model, which means that we won't be able to use the shower area for a week!

Plus the panel with the on/off switch would need to be changed and we might also need a new breaker.

The second idea sounds too time consuming, so I'm hoping they can find a new motor...please send us good mojo...

kubota ice

At one of the supermarkets I go to, I found these ice cream bars, what the Japanese, especially Kansai (west Japan) people call, "ice candy"

These are made by Kubota Ice, a company in Kochi

What I like about these is that there aren't many ingredients in these, just milk, sugar and the fruit or "flavor"

Back in March I tried this strawberry & milk bar
 

and recently this matcha bar

So delicious!

I hope to try other flavors from this company in the coming months

mil's (final)

I told you about BIL telling Satoshi that they needed to make more changes to MIL's

It was about the same time when BIL was getting scammed

He lost his savings

And then he did something unthinkable

He stole from the company that he worked for and gave the money to the scammers!

Luckily the company did not press charges

Thankful that Satoshi’s company allowed him time off and to work from home/Kyoto in order to take care of things

Long story short, we had to sell MIL's

Because his name was also on the deed, Satoshi also received some monies from the sale, but needs to use this money to pay his taxes from the sale of the house

SIL divorced BIL to protect herself from any responsibility of BIL’s debt

Satoshi also cut ties with BIL so that we would not be responsible for any of BIL’s other debts

Before MIL's was sold, I had Satoshi bring the ihai (spirit tablet) of the ancestors, MIL & FIL to Tokyo

And the Kannon (goddess of mercy) that was on the butsudan (family altar)

A very sad adventure but lots of important lessons to learn from

I appreciate all the good mojo from family and friends throughout all of this.

this and that

Tokyo People: the guy with the sunglasses has his portable fan clipped onto the train pole...keeping cool
 

Kinda caught a glimpse of an Eurasian magpie. It was huge in comparison to the sparrows I usually see

Caught these two on the lanai the other day.

There was another one on the electric pole...

I don't mind except that they hangout but they also poop here and there on the lanai...boo!

Caught these two furry ones (can only see one) on the way to the DIY store

On the way back from the DIY store, I stopped into 7-eleven to maybe get a smoothie, but they had a big smoothie sale the day before, so they were all out of smoothies.

I instead got a warm chocolate chip cookie for the walk back home

Made lup cheong rice with the lup cheong I bought in Yokohama

Over the years that I've tried to make this, I think this was the best version

bought us some udon bentos from Marugame, one day for our lunch 

Their summer version has buta (pork) shabu and ume (pickled plum) okra...filling!

also got us some udonuts...kinako flavor

We went to Hamazushi one evening...during the weekends, the wait for a table or counter seat is krazy!

I think we waited for over an hour...

Since I wasn't really in the mood for sushi, I ordered other stuff...like mango & edamame

I did eat a couple pieces of sushi, but I also ordered cheese fries...

I made hoisin sauce chicken.

I was shocked to learn that raw tenderloin has more sodium than the brest?!

I simmered this instead of baking so that we could eat up the marinade too

I really like this building in Ginza/Yurakucho

We had a rather large earthquake the other day...it was quite "long" and our phones were beeping

It seems no one was injured, so that was good! but still scary!

Sanrio has the cutest mailers

Was lucky to take a video of Dr Yellow, the yellow train that checks the Shinkansen (bullet train) routes.

I had heard it was retired, but happy to see it.

The weather is still wonky, some days it is humid, some days it is blazing, some days it is cool, some days it is rainy

Hope you have a safe weekend.