curry okayu

Super easy (as long as you have the "okayu" (porridge) button on your rice cooker).

1/4 cup washed rice
600 milliliters water or dashi(stock) (3 cups)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 onion, diced
1 small tomato, chopped

Cook on "okayu" mode.

NOTES: Next time, I would saute the onions before cooking them with the okayu. Also I would add the tomato before serving. We'll be having this again, especially when the temps get colder.

hiroeya

We tried a soba shop near the Hasunuma station, Hiroeya.

While their soba was delicious, I think the place could be a little cleaner...eek!

Not sure if we'll be back, but I'm glad we tried them.

Hiroeya
1-17-14 Higashi Yaguchi
Ota, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3731.3097
Hours: 10:30-21:00

on the lanai

So far, these are the only plants left on my lanai.

The tropical ones...because we get the afternoon sun and it was blazing this summer...

At least the ti plant has babies...

And the pineapple looks like it is getting big.

I will need to dispose of the other plants, not sure if the freesia survived, will find out after winter.

Hopefully the cyclamen is okay too...for now though these are the only ones that are still alive...sigh.

rengetsu

Rengetsu is a cafe near Ikegami that is in a machiya (old Japanese home).

We had their jitabyodon which is part of that stamp rally I told you about earlier.

Super tender pork, rice, some pickled ginger and sweet potato chips.

This was delicious but pricey.

We'll be back to try other items on their menu.

Rengetsu
2-20-11 Ikegami
Ota, Tokyo
Phone: 03.6410.5469
Hours: Mondays-Thursdays 10:00-18:00, Fridays-Sundays 10:00-22:00

out and about

Near the Toramon area is Atago Shrine.

Apparently this shrine is on the highest hill in Tokyo but the super tall buildings surrounding it, makes it feel teeny.

A samurai apparently rode his horse up these steps in a minute, which now symbolizes success.

We cheated and took the elevator up...we did walk the steps down though.

Take your time it is really steep.

Lunch was at a shop we stumbled upon, Benikatsu (Red Scorpion).

Buy your ticket from the machine then give it to the owner/chef.

He'll ask you what amount of noodles you want and the level of spiciness of your dish.

I chose the normal amount and the least spicy for my shirunashi tan tan men (tan tan men without soup).

Satoshi chose the normal amount of noodles and least spicy for his tan tan men (with soup).

He also added rice (which was free).

While you are waiting for your dish, the owner gives you some blanched moyashi (bean sprouts) topped with niku miso (meat miso mixture).

Eat half while you are waiting then add some to your noodles.

I thought this was a brilliant way to eat tan tan men as you don't lose all the bits in the soup because it is separate.

The char siu is so tender it melts in your mouth.

We'll be back to try other items on the menu.

About 20 minutes away is Hamarikyu Gardens.

A huge park in the middle of the concrete jungle.

The 300 year old pine was amazing to see.

As well as the field of cosmos.

We'll be back to see the other parts of the park when the weather gets cooler.

About 15 minutes away from Hamarikyu Gardens is Kyu-Shiba Rikyu Gardens.

This garden is a smaller and quite noisy in comparison to Hamarikyu.

If you plan to see both gardens, buy the ticket that combines the admission, you'll save a little money if you do.

Coffee floats were a must afterwards.

The weather is still blazing, hopefully we'll see some Autumn temps soon.

Still, we were glad to be out and about.

Benikatsu (Red Scorpion) (UPDATTE: no longer in business)
3-1-12 Nishishinbashi
Minato, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3436.2455
Closed: Sundays
Hours: Weekdays 11:00-21:00, Saturdays 11:00-15:00

Cafe La Mille (UPDATE: no longer in business)
2-4-1 Hamamatsucho, World Trade Center Bldg B1F
Minato, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3435.5422
Hours: Mondays-Tuesdays 9:00-21:00, Wednesdays-Fridays 9:00-22:30, Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays 11:00-19:30

saying goodbye...saying hello

Friday, we said goodbye to our kotatsu, the heated table that is used during the winters in Japan.

I still need to get rid of the futon (comforter that is sandwiched between the table top and base of the table), but I'll save that to be done after I research what needs to be done.

The guys that brought our new table, took our kotatsu (for a fee).

It was super fast, after coming with the table parts, they put it together, brought in the benches and left.

Not even 15 minutes.

Hopefully "someone" will be happy with this table...

kume kitchen

Sunday it rained for pretty much the whole day.

Recently though, the tourism office for our ward, Ota, started a stamp rally.

Stamp rallies are promotions where you fill up a booklet/sheet with rubber stampings from various places, kind of like a scavenger hunt.

When you fill up your booklet/sheet you can sometimes trade it in or show it to receive prizes...Japan loves this kind of promotion...

Since we aren't too familiar with our surroundings yet, this stamp rally is a nice way for us to get to know the area.

Anyway, this particular stamp rally has you eat at various shops to receive the majority of stamps for prizes...

So, since the weather was yucky...we hopped on the bus and went to the Senzokuike area (one of the areas for the stamp rally).

If you remember, we visited the park in this area back in May.

The reason we took the bus was to see areas that we usually don't see from the train.

Lunch was at Kume Kitchen.

Eating their haikara donburi was required to receive a stamp for the stamp rally.

Haikara is an old Japanese term for "stylish", "modern".

The donburi had a hamburger patty, egg, grilled veggies and demi-glace sauce....kind of like a loco moco.

I thought the rice was a bit mushy, but the overall flavors were good.

We'll be back to try the other items on their menu.

Kume Kitchen
2-30-3 Kamiikedai
Ota, Tokyo
Phone: 03.6421.9517
Closed: Wednesdays
Hours: 11:30-14:00 (Lunch), 18:00-21:00 (Dinner)