baby steps

Starting today in Japan, plastic shopping bags will cost at least 1 yen (I have seen some shops say they will charge 4 or 5 yen, there was even a shop that was going to charge 15 yen).

This is to decrease the amount of plastic in our garbage.

Apparently though, if your plastic bag is made from 25% or more biomass, you don't have to charge for the bag...of course, a lot of businesses are trying to get on board with this type of bag...I personally don't think they should allow this type of bag, and should go "cold turkey".

Supermarkets in the past would give you 2 or more points on your point card as an incentive to bring your own bags, but I think with this new charge rule, they will probably do away with the point incentive.

I am trying to "train" Satoshi to carry a bag around with him too because he will pay for a bag rather than carry one around.

Me, I'm a penny pincher when it comes to bags and have used washable shopping bags for awhile now, so I am not too worried but will have to remember to carry more than one when going out.

Are you washing your shopping bags?  I wasn't but with COVID-19 I now wash them along with the handkerchief mask that I use that day.

During our "lockdown" I only went to the grocery store once a week but now go three times a week.

With this new plastic bag rule, I hope it will make a difference as to the amount of plastic in our garbage.

15 cents

If you live in or planning to visit Hawaii, a new law applies a 15-cent charge for bags which started on July 1st.

Groceries, clothing, pretty much anything needing a bag will cost you 15-cents (each) unless you brought your own bag (s).

The only thing exempt is take out foods.

It can add up if you forget your bag.

I like that it will cut down the amount of plastic bags Hawaii will be using.

coin lockers

I haven't used a coin locker in awhile now, and was amazed at how high tech they are now.

You can pay for the locker with an IC card now. Apparently IC stands for Integrated Circuit.

In Japan these IC cards are popularly used to pay for train fares as well as for shopping and meals in many train stations.

I'm glad they had an "English" button to explain things too (I think they also had Korean & Chinese choices too).

I thought having the crab on my receipt was a nice reminder as to where I had left my bags.

Have you used coin lockers in Japan? How was your experience using them?

foodie friday in kyoto

We've been having rain off and on. Kinda gloomy.

Friday was forecast for sun, so I made sure to get out and about.

I started by walking around Tofukuji.

I didn't want to pay admission and fight the crowds, so I just admired the fall colors from afar.

Then I went to Demachi Futaba and queued up for some sweets.

They have been in business for over 100 years...

Love their mame mochi (mochi that is filled with sweet bean paste and studded with black beans).

It's kuri (chestnut) season, so I made sure to get one of their kuri mochi too.

I also got an inaka mochi (yomogi mochi filled with sweet bean paste) for Satoshi.

Afterwards, I went to Matsuhiro Shoten to check out their gamaguchi bags & purses.

I've written about them here.

After trying to decide on a print and style of bag, I got myself this one.

There may have been wine with the duck and fig terrine I had at Le Bac à Sable...the cheese bread they served was good too!

After lunch, I checked out Weekenders Coffee.

They opened a little shop on Tominokoji.

The shop is at the far end of a parking lot, so you may walk past it without noticing it...I almost did! (thank goodness for GPS!)

Their cappuccino was nice, too bad there aren't many places to sit...

Window shopped in Gion at the new Hermes shop.

This area is widely known for geisha and high end places to eat, so this shop totally fits in.

It was a warm autumn day and it was nice to get out.

Demachi Futaba
236 Seiryu-cho
Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto
Phone: 075.231.1658
Closed: Tuesdays & 4th Wednesday
Hours: 8:30-17:00

Weekenders Coffee Tominokoji
560 Honeyano-cho,
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Phone: 075.746.2206
Closed Wednesdays
Hours: 7:30-18:00

maika'i

In Hawaiian, maika'i means "good".

I recently came upon these eco-bags in Foodland.

I like that these are made of fabric and that they are washable.

Previously I bought their oil cloth type bags, which I wrote up here.

They are a bit pricey at $9.99 + tax, but, with your Maika'i card (Foodland's point card), you'll get a $1 off.

Maika'i (good) things all around.

Have a nice week.

made in hawaii

Love this "foodie" tote I got from my Aunty M.

It's made by Gary Fujimoto of P55dle, who silkscreens the print and sews each item too.

I also love that this is "made in Hawaii".

Thanks Aunty!

thanks, eh?!

You know, with all the weight restrictions, and things you cannot bring onboard the plane these days...

Everything "liquidy" has to be packed into the bag that you check-in. Everything.

So, of course, mine is packed to the gills.

So intricately packed to the gills is my bag that I'm pretty sure everything would "fly out" if you unhooked those straps.

A rule I have is if you take something out, put it back where you found it...

"They" opened my suitcase, shuffled everything around, even opened my mango chutney.

WT?! mango chutney sauce all over my clean clothes because they didn't put the lid on properly...

I'm thankful nothing was confiscated.

And it could've been worse with broken bottle of mango chutney or mango chutney itself all over things...still hoping that the chutney is still edible though...

Like we say in Hawaii, "thanks, eh!"...sigh

things I'm liking (disliking)

While I like being able to get Illy coffee in a can, I'm not liking that this one was too sweet for my liking.

And that this one, with no sugar added, was way too bitter for my liking. Even Satoshi, who drinks his coffee black said, "whoa?! that is bitter"

I'm liking this exhibit, a huge Hermès Kelly bag in which you can go inside to see how it feels to be inside the bag.

I didn't get to check it out but it looked kinda fun, don't you think?! (by the way that is a real security dude standing next to it, looks like a mannequin, yeah?!)

The cheeseburger from Ferdinand, this had lots of different "stuff" in it...I think there was a demi-glace sauce, ketchup, relish, lettuce, mayo and cheese besides the burger.

Messy for sure, but really delicious.

Love toro-salmon. Toro is usually the term used for the fatty belly of tuna but in recent years it is used for the same area on salmon.

We recently checked out a new kaiten (conveyor belt) sushi place in Minoo and I had a plate of toro salmon among other items...yum!

My cousin once ragged on me for eating only salmon at the sushi shops, "to each his own" I say!

Gianduja chocolates from the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong from my host-sister.

She and her family recently went to Hong Kong Disneyland and this was her omiyage (souvenir) that she brought back for us.

Gianduja (hazelnut) ganache covered with white, milk and dark chocolates. I ate the dark ones and gave Satoshi the bulk of this box. (Thank you!)

Loving these Mariani honey bars...especially the sesame one, it reminded me of Chinese sesame peanut candy only a little softer and a little sweeter.

I thought I should also pass along that the package says they are "gluten & wheat free".

The caramel nougat from La Cure Gourmande was delish!

A soft caramel centered betweeen two pieces of nougat...OM!

And the bolognese udon at Tsurutontan Top Chefs in Daimaru.

The udon was over cooked and a bit too soft for my liking but I liked the idea of using udon for a Western-style dish.

Min Min's shrimp spring roll...these were stuffed with glass noodles, veggies and shrimp...so good!

What have you been enjoying?

odds & ends

I know you thought I was done talking about France, but I thought I'd share some random things that I noticed or found convenient on our trip:

If you get one app on your iPhone (not sure if they have this app for other types of smartphones), get this one...MetrO.

It is free and it works for 400 cities (though I only tried it for Paris) and you can use it while you have your phone on "airplane mode" (not roaming).

The 400 cities it works for have mainly train/subway type of transportation systems.

Choose the city you want to use it for.

Put in the station you want to start at (green flag) and the station you want to end at (red flag) then hit the "running man".

It will give you the shortest route to get to your destination. We used this along with a tourist map and got around pretty quickly.

If you hit the "back arrow" it will give you information for the reverse direction of what you just entered.

A ride on the Paris metro is 1.70 euros, this includes transfers as long as you don't step outside the station. (Unlike Japan's system which charges by distance and for most transfers to other modes of transportation.)

We bought a carnet (book of tickets) 10 tickets for 12.50 euros and shared it. It can be used on the Metro, RER (some areas), Bus (some areas), Tram & Montmartre Funicular.

So, you can transfer from Metro to Bus, and all sorts of combinations.

TIP: A lady at a shop told us that if you use a ticket to ride from point A to B, do your shopping and then get back on within an hour, you can use the ticket longer than you are supposed to (for 2 rides than just 1).

We tried this several times and were able to use our metro tickets longer than they are intended for.

Not too sure but I think there is a one day pass for the metro too.

I used a shoulder type bag while traveling. It was really convenient to keep an eye on my things, to have them right in front of me.

Never have your bag resting on your backside.

TIP: our tour escort gave us long twist ties to "lock" our zippers. Stick the twist tie into the eye of the zipper handle and wrap the twist tie around your bag straps. It is good for when you are at sight-seeing spots, where you may be "busy" taking photos and not paying much attention to your bag. It isn't too good if you are out shopping, p.i.t.a. to take your wallet out frequently.

In my purse I had these items...a folding umbrella, my passport holder, a wallet, pocket tissue (just in case the bathroom didn't have t.p.), sunglasses, mints (by the way, those VerMints are spicy! plus I think with the addition of ginger they help with motion sickness), iPhone, a moleskine Paris notebook (with maps and places to write addresses and notes down), a pen.

Oh and my digital camera.

Also handy were a set of utensils, this was good when we ate in our room and on our picnic.

I also brought these sachets, for my shoes. I didn't bring more than one pair of shoes, so these sachets were necessary.

If you have your own shopping bags, they are convenient too, not all markets give bags.

Ooh and bubble wrap is good to have too, especially if you buy wine or jam (or both).

Some places we picked up foods for dinner are Daily Monop', Monop', Franprix, Carrefour City, these are a combination convenience store and supermarket and sell toiletries, pre-packaged foods, alcohol, fruits and veggies. We didn't have a way to heat up food so most of the foods we bought were ready to eat.

I bought these mini-dressings by A l'Olivier at La Grande Epicerie...6.30 euros. They come in a box of 12, 4-olive oil + balsamic vinegar, 4-olive oil + citron + balsamic vinegar and 4-olive oil + basil + balsamic vinegar.

They are about 1 tablespoon (20 ml) each and I think they would be perfect if you are staying in an apartment while in Paris. I used one on roasted veggies when we came back from our trip and it was delicious.

On a side note: I noticed that all the clocks in the Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport were Rolex.

And on a funny note: This was our first time to Schiphol Airport (AMS). We had gone to Amsterdam for our honeymoon but had not gone through the airport. It is beautiful and if you have some time you should check out Rijksmuseum, it is free and a nice way to see what the museum has to offer.

The thing I really enjoyed listening to were the airlines call late passengers... "Mr. (insert name here), you are delaying the flight. Please proceed to gate (insert number) or we will proceed to off-load your luggage. Thank you".

Hope these tips were helpful, are there any specific items you travel with?

things I'm liking

It's Sunday and Satoshi is working, thought I'd share some random things that I'm liking...

This canvas tote.

I love tea and one of my favorites is Mariage Frères. Recently they came out with a mook (magazine + book) and their furoku (freebie) was this tote.

It is perfect for a short trip to the market and I think it will be perfect to bring
food on a picnic.

How beautiful are these sasanqua petals?

I loved the way the fallen pink and white covered the ground like a carpet.

Recently Yoshimi gave me this for my birthday, a happy pig (a fruitcake) and fair trade chocolates--one with glazed walnuts, one with chopped almonds & one with croquante...I shared half the pig with Satoshi (Thank you!)

What are you liking?

staying dry

Since the rainy season started, I found the perfect way not to get my wallet and some groceries wet...oilcloth bags!

I don't know why I didn't go through my stash of bags before, but this is definitely a great way not to get stuff wet.

The cloth is coated on the outside with what seems to me like vinyl or plastic, so when the rain hits it, the rain repels.

Just wipe the bag when you get back and your wallet, cell phone and digital camera will be dry!

What do you do about your bag when it rains?

p.s. my two oilcloth bags are: Hello Kitty (which I got from a friend in Hawaii) and Laduree, Paris macarons! (which I got as a freebie inside a Japan fashion magazine)

p.p.s. How was/is your 4th of July? We technically don't celebrate here, but here's what we had for dinner, in case you were curious...steak, chirmol (made with okra, tomato, lime, onion, cucumber, italian parsley (didn't have cilantro at the store)), carrot salad, baked onion rings and La Guillotine beer. The maker is the same that makes Delirium Tremens though not as fruity, it had the same alcohol content (8.5%), it also had a little bite to it but went nicely with our meal.

Have a nice week!

furoshiki

After seeing La Fuji Mama's post about furoshiki. I had commented and she asked me to post about my Coach furoshiki. (I got the Coach furoshiki when I purchased a fashion magazine here.)

I then went through all my furoshiki....I didn't realize it but I do have somewhat of a collection.

A bunny chirimen (crepe) furoshiki (46 cm x 46 cm).

And the Gion matsuri cotton furoshiki (100 cm x 100 cm).

A Laura Ashley cotton handkerchief that turned into a furoshiki (56 cm x 56 cm).

Sbilla (which I think is a Japanese brand) cotton furoshiki (48 cm x 48 cm).

Cotton tea towel that turned into a furoshiki (48 cm x 48 cm).

And the polyester Coach furoshiki (70 cm x 70 cm). This one is a bit stiff, guess it will take some time to soften.

Here are some ways to use furoshiki from the magazine article--as a means to carry wine, cake, flowers or as a bag.

This site offers techniques on how to tie furoshiki for various objects.

I use the 100 cm x 100 cm furoshiki mainly to carry dishes to pot luck, and the smaller furoshiki to carry bento and mugs to picnics.

If you want to help the environment, want to stop using plastic bags but don't know how to sew, this is a great way to carry groceries and gifts because any squarish piece of fabric can turn into a furoshiki. Also, if you use a nice piece of fabric you could use the furoshiki as gift wrapping and give it away along with the gift inside.

Be creative and do your part to help the environment.

just use a different bag...

As I watched the news, I was rolling my eyes at all the people lined up in front of the department stores in Japan to get this bag. And in Taiwan (I think it was), they had a stampede for this bag...pu-lee-ze.

Sure, it may be the in-thing to have right now, but if you truly want to help cut back the amount of shopping bags and plastic bags being used and waste going to the landfills....just use your own cloth bags, I'm sure you have a couple lying around waiting for you to use.

Photo from Anya Hindmarch site

new bag

After two (brrr) freezing days of rain and flurries, the sun is back! (yeah!!) I spent most of the morning between several loads of laundry and making a new bag.

I ran into a few problems and the bag didn't come out as the book pictured. (Guess I'll have to try it again!) But, I think it will serve its purpose. When we moved to Japan 5 years ago, I hadn't sewed since home economics class in intermediate school, still, I had Satoshi buy me a sewing machine.

Besides food, another thing I love is BAGS, so I figured instead of buying them, I would try to make them. Since then, I have made my own tote bags which I use when grocery shopping. At the grocery stores, they give you extra points on your point card for using your own bag not using their plastic bags.

And we often take these totes with us on our trips or when galavanting around Osaka, they fold up nicely and come in handy especially when we need another bag to bring home our souvenirs or purchases.

In a couple of days, it will be St. Patrick's Day. At home, my mom usually cooks fresh corned beef with cabbage, carrots and potatoes. Since I couldn't find fresh corned beef in our markets, I decided to use canned corned beef and made another dish which we have in Hawaii....Corned beef and cabbage.

There are two ways that my family has this dish. One is with salt and pepper. The other is with shoyu (soy sauce) and sugar (we say shoyu-sugar or satojyoyu). I decided to make it the shoyu-sugar way.

Ingredients
1 can corned beef
1 onion
1 cabbage

1T sugar
1T shoyu

Cut cabbage into bite sized pieces, slice onions
Cook in a non-stick pan
After cabbage and onions slightly wilt, add corned beef
When everything is mixed and heated, add the shoyu and sugar.

An easy dish for busy people!
Enjoy! and Happy St. Patty's Day!