eep!

The other day as I was closing the sliding doors on our lanai, I heard a little squeal.

I looked down and this guy was squirming between the doors...

（In Japan, our glass sliding doors both move. Unlike the ones I've seen in Hawaii where one moves and the other does not.）

I freaked out and quickly opened the door and he was dazed.

With a stick, I tried to coax him outside.

It took some time to get him outside, and it seems he was okay...whew!

calbee croquette

If you are familiar with Japanese snacks, you'll know that Calbee makes potato chips.

Well, they recently teamed up with Hankyu Department Store in Umeda and started selling croquettes.

In Japan, traditional croquettes are mashed potatoes with bits of beef that are formed into oblong orbs and are deep fried. At the markets they sell these and other flavor variations too.

Anyway, before Golden Week, Calbee/Hankyu started selling these teeny snack types as well as regular sized croquettes.

And of course whenever something "new" appears, there are always krazy lines.

As you wait in line, they give you the "menu" so you can decide which flavors you want to get.

Then when you get closer to the glass case, they will give you tickets for the flavors you wish to purchase.

In front of the glass case, you hand over your tickets and someone readies your order.

Then you pay and go off with your purchases...pretty good system and the line moves quite quickly.

Luckily, this past Saturday while I waited for Satoshi to finish his German class, I was able to pick up some croquettes for us to try.

Their regular sized: plain, butter...we liked the butter one!

Snack type flavored like their chips: Nori shio (kelp & salt) and consomme punch (consomme)...we liked the nori shio one!

I'm glad we got to try these, definitely not something to buy everyday, but nice to maybe bring to a potluck party.

foodie friday in kyoto

Friday the water in our building was going to be turned off for several hours, so I went to Kyoto.

While there I ran an errand for Satoshi then I went to Obaku.

There is a bakery that I have been wanting to check out but was never in the area...Tamakitei.

I picked up a pastrami egg sandwich for lunch and other items for our breakfast the next day...top right was a croquant (puff pastry, walnuts), bottom left : miyazaki chicken, yuzu kosho & bubu arare (so good!) bottom right: yamaguri choco (chestnuts, chocolate & walnuts in puff pastry)

The sandwich was so soggy that I was disappointed with it but the other items we really enjoyed, I will definitely be back the next time we are in the area.

After buying some items at Tamakitei I went one station over to Mimurodo and walked to Mimurotoji.

We've visited here a couple of times...which I wrote about here, and here.

I had thought this temple was known for their ajisai (hydrangea), but they have way more tsutsuji (azaleas).

10,000 hydrangea plants & 20,000 azaleas!

Click to see a short video I shot from the top of the azalea "mountain".

I thought it was neat that a white azalea had inter-mingled with a pink one and became half-half!

After Mimurotoji, I went one more station over to Uji.

The area has changed since the last time we visited, more shops and eateries...a little more touristy.

I stood in line for Nakamura Tokichi, a well known tea shop in the area...I'm glad it wasn't a really long wait, maybe only half an hour?!

I had their namacha (literally raw tea) gelatin sprinkled with shincha (new/spring tea)...not photogenic, but super refreshing and perfect for the gross humidity on this day.

Then I went back to Kyoto city...and had an iced cafe latte at %Arabica Kyoto before catching the train back to Osaka.

It was nice to be out and about, though the humidity was quite bad...rainy season is coming...sigh!

Tamakitei
57-14 Gokasho Hirano
Uji, Kyoto
Phone: 0774.38.1801
Closed Mondays & Tuesdays
Hours: 7:00-18:45 (earlier if they sell out)

Nakamura Tokichi
1-10 Uji
Uji, Kyoto
Phone: 0774.22.7800
Cafe: 11:00-18:00
Shop: 10:00-18:00

%Arabica Kyoto
inside Fujii Daimaru Kyoto 1F
Phone: 075.746.5995
Hours: 10:30-20:00
Open when Fujii Daimaru is

update

Sorry it's been quiet here...

We had a bit of "excitement"....

Before Golden Week, Satoshi had to go in for a procedure.

I wasn't present when he received his results, so wasn't totally sure as to what had to be done.

When I asked him what the doctor said, it sounded like he needed to put a heart stent in...of course, I freaked out (on the inside)...

I asked family and friends for prayers and good thoughts (Thank you!).

We went to visit MIL, so she could sign some forms for his hospital admission...

The day came and as I went to watch him go into the operating room, the nurse mentioned that it could be as fast as 30 minutes or as long as 4 hours...

Since I wasn't too sure when he would be out, I grabbed something to eat and then waited for him to come out of surgery.

30 minutes later, he was back...

The doctor came to talk to us and explained what had happened.

It turns out he only had a cardiac catheterization done.

When they put the dye in, the area that they were concerned with had a "nice flow" so they didn't need to put in the stent...whew!

They are lessening his meds (on a trial basis) and he was discharged the next day.

After Satoshi was discharged he was having some trouble with his lower back, we thought it was from sleeping too much...or maybe there was some kind of complication?

Then this past Wednesday night, he was in pain...even crawling on all fours to the bathroom at one point...eep!

Thursday morning we called the hospital and they recommended that we go to another hospital (one right across the street from the one Satoshi goes to) because their outpatient services were krazy busy.

I was amazed with this teeny hospital across the street...they took Satoshi within minutes of filling out forms, x-rayed and gave him a lumbar epidural steroid shot for his pain and we were out of there within a couple of hours.

It turns out while he was hospitalized for the catheterization, he was probably sleeping in an unusual position which paired with bad posture made his lower back go all wonky.

So, thankfully he is on the mend, though if the pain does not go away within a week or so, he may need to go in for more tests.

Hoping that he will be pain free soon...have a nice week everyone!

nangokudo

I've seen these guys, usually at Tokyu Hands.

I'm not really one to sample things before buying, but the lady selling these kept putting different dried fruits into my hand...

I like that the dried fruits I purchased are "made in Japan"...Aomori apple, Setouchi lemon & orange.

Usually whenever I see dried orange, they are hard.as.rock. but these were really soft.

I chopped up some to top our oatmeal this morning.

It was delicious and a nice way to brighten up a grey morning.

How's your week going?

ya kun kaya toast & blood oranges

I recently received a bottle of Ya Kun Kaya Toast spread from T. It was our first time trying kaya toast.

It has a slight nutty flavor and isn't overly sweet.

Apparently you should eat it with some butter between two slices of bread...we'll try it this way soon.

Another thing we tried were blood oranges that were grown in Ehime...bummer that these weren't reddish, but they were firmer than the oranges we are used to and they were super sweet!

Thanks T for the kaya toast spread!

kinki university fishery lab

A couple years back, Kinki University opened up a restaurant in Grand Front Osaka that uses fish that the university fishery labs have farmed.

You should know that "kinki" is not that kind of "kinky"...but refers to the Kansai area (Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Wakayama, Shiga, Hyogo and Mie)

Anyway, when they first opened, the lines were krazy and to this day, they actually still are...luckily Satoshi and I got there 30 minutes before opening the other day and was able to queue up before the line got too nuts.

Dinner started with otoshi/tsukidashi (stuff we didn't order but still had to pay for)...aradaki (head & bony parts of fish that is simmered in shoyu, mirin, sugar)...fall off the bone tender.

An assortment of sashimi...all farmed.

The toro (fatty tuna) was quite lush & creamy.

I ordered their umeboshi sour which used Wakayama grown ume...delicious and not too sour!

Shintamanegi (spring/new onions, also from Wakayama) beer battered rings...a bit oily but super tasty.

The onions just melted in your mouth.

Buri kama (amberjack collar) shioyaki (grilled with salt)

The fish was moist and very nicely seasoned.

Tasty with a squeeze of lemon, dollop of grated daikon and a couple of drops of their housemade ponzu (citrus soy).

Their portions are a nice size and most of the wait staff are students of the school.

I'm glad we got to try this place and wouldn't mind going back if we are there when the lines aren't too krazy.

Kinki University Fishery Lab
Grand Front Osaka North Building, Umekita Floor 6F
Umeda, Osaka
Phone:　06.6845.7103
Lunch: 11:00-15:00, Dinner: 17:00-23:00
Closed when Grand Front is