matcha smoothie

it wasn't smoothie weather but I wanted to try the matcha smoothie at 7-11 before they ran out 

Apparently this smoothie was a hit at the Osaka Expo 2025.

The matcha that is used is by Kitagawa Hanbe, a tea farm that has been around in Uji Kyoto since 1861

It was a little sweet but still had the bitterness that comes with matcha…delicious

I'm glad I tried this and would get it again...420 yen (tax included)

meh

I saw this drink (the one on the right) when I passed by Dean & Deluca the other day and wanted to try
 

I had the chance on Saturday...lychee, coconut water and a matcha espuma which is similar to whipped cream

They should tell you to mix it well before drinking because I didn't and boy, did it taste weird

The lychee flavor was super sweet and fake

But mixed, it was balanced 

I'm glad I tried it but wouldn't get it again.

iced strawberry matcha latte

V wanted the recipe for the iced strawberry matcha latte....here you go!

Iced Strawberry Matcha Latte : serves 1

3 strawberries, diced

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon matcha

hot water

ice

1/2 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)

Dice the strawberries and add sugar, let sit aside to macerate

Make your matcha...I added some hot water (about 3 tablespoons) then whizzed with my milk foamer thingy, set aside

Add strawberry then add to cup

pour in almond milk, or milk of choice

Add the matcha that you set aside

Stir

Enjoy!

NOTES: I think I used a 200 mililiter sized jar (8 ounces) enjoyed this version more than the one I tried with strawberry jam

I think it might be easier to drink if you mash the strawberries...

We usually don’t have strawberries in summer, so I had to make it now

If you try this, I hope you enjoy it too

gensouen

Gensouen is a tea shop in Nishi-Ogikubo.

They are run by Harada Tea which has tea fields in Shizuoka.

Apparently they were having a pop-up at Futako Tamagawa, so I checked them out when I was there.

Earlier in the day, I had a dentist appointment...they filled a cavity and took a mold to replace a ceramic cap.

Since they filled a cavity, I had had anesthesia and wasn't supposed to eat for at least 30 minutes.

That's when I bought this tapioca matcha milk drink and caught the train home.

It was slighly sweetened and the matcha (green tea) was super bitter and thick!

After mixing it though, it balanced out with the milk and was delicious!

I'm glad I tried this and look forward to trying more bubble drinks in Japan, they are starting to trend!

If I do get to Nishi-Ogikubo, I want to check out Gensouen's other matcha sweets.

Gensouen
3-14-3 Imagawa
Suginami, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3397.4188

messages

　Over the weekend, you may have heard there was a false alarm in Hawaii, sending panic across the State.

BFF said she didn't even get the alert on her phone...yikes!

Thank goodness it wasn't real but I'm sure it was still quite chaotic and scary.

I am not too sure what we are supposed to do here in the event that we get the "notice", but hope the government here will give us more details on what to do.

Yesterday though, I received this "message" at Starbucks on the back of my matcha pudding..."each day is a gift".

It truly is.

Be kind to one another.

so...

So, if you are following us on Instagram, you know that we were headed for Akita Prefecture yesterday morning...

We were all onboard and waiting for the plane to back away from its spot.

After a good 10 minutes though, the captain came on and announced that our flight was cancelled due to major snow in Akita...

So we all deplaned and stood in line for refunds, rebookings, etc.

Since we used miles for our flight we weren't sure they would give us back our miles.

Fortunately, in the end, they did credit our mileage back.

We were bummed and on the way home decided to drown our sorrows in some matcha tiramisu and coffee.

I was also bummed because my spic and span kitchen now had to go into action...

Dinner was kim chee gyoza.

Although our travel plans were hampered it really was better that we were safe than sorry.

monday

Because the hotel we were staying at had a "first come first serve" policy for riding their shuttle, we decided to get to the airport early and have breakfast.

On our way back to Osaka, I was in the right seat at the right time and got a "snowless" Mount Fuji video (click the photo to see it).

By 10:00-ish we were standing in this krazy line to see the Hokusai exhibit at the Abeno Harukas Museum.

People cutting in line for tickets and unreal shoving inside to see the different works, put a damper on my enthusiasm.

I tried patiently to see as many works as I could, but gave up towards the end of the exhibit and instead waited for Satoshi to exit the exhibit.

At 1:00-ish we went up 300 meters (984 feet) to the top of Abeno Harukas (which I think is the tallest building in Japan at the moment)

definitely not for those afraid of heights...

Lunch was late but delicious at Piccolo Curry.

This was their special beef and regular beef curries over rice topped with a scrambled egg.

Dessert was a matcha soft serve made with green tea from the Minami Yamashiro area of Kyoto at Hankyu Umeda Department store.

It was whirlwind 3-day weekend, even though it was quite summery, I'm glad we got to do all that we did.

Piccolo Curry
Abeno Harukas Dining 12F
Tennoji, Osaka
Phone: 06.6654.6063
Hours: 11:00-23:00
Open when Abeno Harukas is

museums & ippouen

Remember the dragon at Kenninji?

The artist, Kaiho Yusho, was being featured at the Kyoto National Museum.

Satoshi said he wanted to check it out, so, Sunday that is what we did.

We got there early, along with hundreds of others...

Just to get into the museum we had to queue up...

While we were waiting our turn to ride the elevator, I took this picture with Kyoto Tower far off in the distance.

Meh, I wasn't impressed by this exhibit. Plus the inside of the museum smelled like a locker room...ugh!

Glad that Satoshi enjoyed the exhibit though.

We then went up the street to Shimizu Ippouen...a tea house.

If you order lunch & a sweet, they give you a little discount...so that is what we did.

Satoshi's maguro don with sesame oil and raw egg yolk.

You separate the egg and add to your donburi just before eating....only in Japan!

Satoshi's parfait....this had matcha ice cream, shiratama (like mochi) & sweet bean paste.

How cute is the wasabi container?! Made of wood with a teeny spoon and cover too!

I ordered the Maguro Houjicha (roasted green tea) Dashi Chazuke...so good and just the perfect serving!

I chose the matcha roll cake...I normally don't like white chocolate but that swirl was nice to balance out the bitter matcha.

There was also some konbu cha (powdered kelp) and bubu arare (small rice cracker puffs) sprinkled on the white chocolate to give it a sweet-salty flavor & crunch.

Although we went soon after they opened, we had to wait for a table, still, I'm glad we tried this place and want to come back to try their shave ice.

Bellies full, we crossed the street to Chishakuin.

Click on the photo and you should be able to hear the temple bell ringing.

Their garden area was super quiet and peaceful.

While viewing the garden, we also caught a rare glimpse of a grey heron up close...

Then back down the road to Sanjusangendo.

Amazing display of 1000 kannon (figures for peace) statues inside the long rectangular building.

Every January 14 they hold archery tournaments here too, apparently which used to be held on this long deck.

The double cherry blossoms are in bloom...click to see the video.

And then back near the Kamogawa (Kamo river) we sat and had a snack. (click to view video)

It was kind of summery this weekend, but still comfortable to be out and about.

Shimizu Ippouen
665 Honkawaracho, corner of Higashi Oodori & Shiokoji road
Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Phone: 075.202.7964
Hours: 11:30-16:30
Closed Mondays

matcha pudding

Starbucks recently came out with a matcha pudding...kind of like their custard pudding, but with a matcha sauce at the bottom and matcha mixed into the pudding itself.

I liked how this wasn't too sweet.

The maple covered nuts were nice too (pictured on the side).

The weather has been flip-flopping between warm and cool, making it hard to figure out how to dress...

hope your week is going well.

things I'm liking (disliking)

Yesterday, it rained all.day.long. and now the cold is back (until Saturday, so says the weather dude...)

It's been awhile since I've done a liking (disliking) post...

Disliking the Pablo monaka (wafer) ice cream bar...the ice cream was a cream cheese flavor surrounded by a sickly sweet apricot sauce enveloped by a crisp wafer shell.

Pablo is a popular cheese tarte (cheesecake) maker, and they have had some delicious convenience store creations in the past, this just wasn't one of them.

Kind of in the middle on Minoh Beer's Godfather 4.

While I normally enjoy stouts, this one seemed a bit watery.

On the other hand, the yuzu flavor was nice.

Meiji Almond...this was a rich matcha (green tea).

Usually whenever something is green tea flavored they usually mix the green tea with white chocolate making things a bit too sweet.

This version was nice because it wasn't sweet.

Kinoko no yama's matcha and chocolate "mushrooms".

The balance of matcha and sweet chocolate are perfect.

Nature Valley's Coconut Crunch granola bars.

I first came across these at the cash register area of Yamaya. After buying one, I had wished I had bought more.

There is lots of coconut in this.

I'm glad I was able to find more at Yamaya recently.

City Bakery's rugelach. Packed with dried fruits and nuts.

This is huge but so good with the flaky croissant type outer shell.

Here is a better photo from the first time I tried it.

What have you been enjoying lately?

matcha tea soda

I recreated the matcha tea soda that I had in Kyoto.

Put 1 teaspoon of matcha into a bowl and add 1/2 a teaspoon of light brown sugar.

Add 2 ounces (about 60 milliliters) of hot water (not boiling) and whisk until frothy.

Add some ice to a glass and pour the matcha in.

Then fill the remainder of the glass with soda water.

NOTES: Not as green as the one I had in Kyoto but still really refreshing. I'm making these again while the daytimes are still warm.

happy valentine's day

Happy Valentine's Day...in Japan, it's only for the guys...which I've told you about here and here.

This is the recipe I used for the truffles, though I only made half the recipe.

Super easy and only 2 ingredients, well 4, if you consider the matcha powder and chopped almonds.

I tasted some before giving them to him and we also had some extras to enjoy too.

Have a nice Valentine's Day, everyone!

matcha scones

Awhile back, Kirk asked if I had made matcha (green tea) scones, which I had not.

Well, I finally did.

This recipe is relatively easy. The scones are not sweet, you may need jam or something sweet (maybe a sweet beverage) with them. We liked them as is.

Kat's matcha scones: makes 10-12

180 grams flour
8 grams baking powder
1 tablespoon matcha (green tea)
50 grams butter
20 grams sugar
1/2 egg
50-75 mililiters of skim milk*

Cut butter into the flour and baking powder
Add the matcha and sugar, mix
Add the egg and milk
Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in refrig for 30 minutes
Roll out to about 2 centimeters thick and use your favorite cookie cutter
Bake at 180C (350F) for 15 minutes

NOTES: To get half an egg, I scrambled a large egg then weighed it then divided the amount in half. The amount I used in this is 26 grams.

*As for the milk, first use 50 mililiters and if the dough is too dry, then add a little milk at a time while mixing.
The dough should be moist but not runny.
The cutter I used was a 5 centimeter (about 2 inch) round.

If you want to make these scones richer, use cream instead of the skim milk.

You could easily double this recipe so that you won't have to "half an egg"...

I hope Kirk makes these for his wife and I hope she enjoys them!

jouvencelle

Last Saturday after his German class, Satoshi met up with his niece.

She is still in college and is starting to look for a job, which I wrote up about here.

He received these wafers by Jouvencelle, called Coronetta, from her for taking time out of his schedule to talk to her about job hunting, interviewing, etc.

They are very thin, in fact, they were packed in bubble wrap. Inside of the wafer roll is a thin coating of green tea chocolate...delicious.

Hope she'll be able to find a job.

gokan

Last Sunday, Satoshi asked me what kind of dessert he should bring home after work. I asked him to get the pudding from Gokan. I've written about Gokan in the past and we've eaten at their cafe in Kitahama too.

In the Hankyu Department store, I've also walked past the Gokan counter many times and this pudding had caught my eye.

Not just because it looks delicious...but because they are served in these beautiful ceramic tea cups.

The custard pudding is marbled with green tea pudding. And instead of the usual liquid caramel on the bottom, I think the caramel was made with kokuto (literally black sugar or raw sugar).

The pudding is then topped with some sweetened adzuki beans, some shiratama (rice flour dumplings) and some matcha (green tea) gelatin cubes...oh, and a whole strawberry.

We really liked this, it wasn't too sweet and the portion was just right.

uji

Sunday we spent the morning at church for their Autumn service. It was basically the same service as the one during Obon except this time they had chairs for everyone to sit on.

After the service, Satoshi, my MIL and I went to Uji. It is about 40 minutes from the Higashiyama area by train.

I have visited Uji with my Aunty M1 and with Satoshi during various times of the year. This was the first time to visit the Tale of Genji Museum. This museum showcases "The Tale of Genji" and the culture of the Heian period in Japan.

I studied this in college but to tell you the truth, I don't really remember much about the story (guess I should go back and read the book I have stored away...somewhere...)

Anyway, my MIL had been wanting to visit this museum for some time now. Last year was the 1000 year anniversary of the tale being written by Murasaki Shikibu.

Most of the displays were in Japanese, so I couldn't understand most of them, but did find the display on incense intriguing. The display had different items like clove, sandalwood and other items which were combined to make different fragrances for incense.
After walking around the museum and the Ujigami Shrine (the shrine is a UNESCO world heritage), we walked across the river to the Uji shopping arcade.

My MIL was interested in checking out the sweets at Nakamura-Tokichi, a famous green tea shop in Uji.

We found the shop and a VERY L-O-N-G line waiting to get into the cafe. Instead of waiting for a table, we went across the street to Yamakawa, a patisserie.

This tiny patisserie also had a cafe, so we signed our name to their waiting list and after about 15 minutes, had a table.

If you are going to eat anything in Uji, get something made from green tea because Uji is known for their matcha (powdered green tea).

Satoshi got their sencha (roasted green tea) roll. My MIL got the matcha ice cream and a slice of baked cheesecake (she found the ice cream too strong and made Satoshi eat most of the ice cream). I got their matcha vanilla (matcha cake with matcha mousse, a layer of vanilla mousse and adzuki bean and a layer of vanilla whipped cream). This dessert was really light, and the sweetness of the vanilla layers balanced out the bitter matcha layers.

It was a beautiful day and we were glad to get my MIL out of the house.

Tale of Genji Museum
45-26 Uji Higashiuchi
Uji, Kyoto
Phone: 0774.39.9300
Admission: 500 yen (about US$5)
Open: 9:00-17:00, Closed on Mondays

Patisserie Yamakawa : UPDATE: 2/2014: this shop is now called Patisserie Yuji
70 Uji
Uji, Kyoto
Phone: 0774.66.1102
Closed Tuesdays and every 3rd Wednesday

kuromame + kuri + matcha muffins

Remember I received some bottled items from my MIL? I used the bottle of kinkan (kumquats) for some muffins. Well with the remaining two bottles, I did something similar.

I mixed green tea into the batter and added the kuromame (black beans) and kuri (chestnut).

Like the kinkan (kumquats), the kuromame and kuri were also packed in syrup.

I cut the amount of sugar for the muffins in half because the beans and chestnuts still had some syrup on them.

Use this recipe, but disregard the earl grey tea and nibs. Also, instead of 150 grams of flour, use 140 grams of flour and 10 grams of powdered green tea.

I added 60 grams of kuromame (black beans), using a slotted spoon, drain most of the syrup before measuring. There were only 9 kuri (chestnuts) in the bottle, so I placed one chestnut into each muffin cup and with the remaining 3, I sliced them in half to garnish the tops.

Bake at 350F (180C) for 25 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick.

NOTES: I had a bit of a disaster in the kitchen. While defrosting my butter in the micro, it sort of "blew-up", leaving me with a lesser amount of butter. I added some EVOO to make up for it, not sure if this is what made the muffins drier. Still, the green tea flavor really came through in these muffins. Cutting the sugar was a good call too, the beans and chestnut were sweet.

starbucks

I recently came across Starbucks new macaron...matcha (green tea).

It was good. A little bitter from the green tea, there was green tea cream in the center.

It went nicely with a dark mocha frappuccino.

foodie couple of days

The other night Satoshi had a party to attend to for the Hyatt. I think everyone received this "goodie bag"--pancake mix, maple syrup, darjeeling tea, herb tea & a black insulated bag for lunches. Can't wait to make the pancakes, though I want to serve it with bacon. I want to try making candied bacon. Got the idea from Kathy's blog.

The other day I had a lesson at Starbucks. Since the lesson was in the morning I had a muffin with my coffee. This is their soy milk banana muffin. I'm glad they heated this up, it was really dry. Can you imagine how it would have been if it were straight out of their refrigerated case? I don't think they use the actual fruit, just banana flavoring. I think if they used the fruit it would have been moist. Oh and the big slice of banana on top was a banana chip.

The Japanese love to shorten words. It gets to the point where they themselves don't know what the actual word is or means...yipes! A donut shop equivalent to Dunkin Donuts is MisDo (short for Mister Donut). I usually don't frequent this place, but had a craving for donuts, so this was the only place (unless you live in Tokyo where they have Krispy Kreme and Doughnut Planet) to get a donut fix. I got the double matcha ring & coconut chocolate donut.

The matcha ring was soft, chewy. I think they use the holes from the other donuts to make this. This one had just enough sweetness.

The coconut one was a cake donut. Kind of dry but the coconut on the outside was delicious.

Did you all watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics? I cannot believe that I watched it from beginning to end. Well, actually I cheated, since we have a two screen television, I had it on, but surfed and watched other things on the other half while I waited for them to light the torch almost 3 hours after the ceremonies started!

Hope your weekend is going well, it is Saturday here but Satoshi is working.