Cafe Del Mar, a video visit.

Recently, we got a new action camera and since the only action we see is going out for a cycle or eating in a nice cafe, we decided to see how it works for food reviews and restaurant recommendations. My previous posts featured the wonderful curry and omelette with rice at Cafe Del Mar in Tateyama. Our charming host, Chika san, prepared the Indonesian fried rice you see in the video. Very delicious and mildly spicy. You really should watch the video in full screen. It's only 11 seconds.
As time goes by we hope to show you more video reports from the field. Is this how Anderson Cooper got his start?

Cafe Ohana, Ginza, Tokyo.

Vegetable Curry (front) and Hash Beef 

You can call it fate, good judgement or an innate sense that someplace could be great that often has led me to wonderful, off the beaten path, restaurants. There can be no better example of this than “Cafe Ohana” in Tokyo’s Ginza. With a hungry 18 year old boy by my side and a safe, comfortable choice of a “Subways” sandwich shop right in front of us, I took a chance to walk down a narrow hallway and take the elevator to what has turned out to be our “place to go” for lunch when we are taking photos for my other blog, “Panache Japan” http://panachejapan.blogspot.com/.  
We dropped in, on a whim, for the first time just 2 days before the terrible earthquake and tsunami struck Japan. I was impressed right away with the friendly greeting in English as we entered and the quick, excellent service. Even more so. I was delighted by the thinly sliced ginger pork lunch I had then, which I believed I only posted on Twitter.

Facing the entrance & bar

Last week, June 1st, we returned to Tokyo for a spring photo shoot and began to look for “Cafe Ohana” again. The streets of Ginza as you approach from Yurakcho Station can get pretty confusing amid all the traffic and distractions, but we did manage to locate our landmark “Subways” sandwich shop and the narrow passageway that leads to “Cafe Ohana”. We purposely went there early to beat the rush and were lucky enough to get the interior shots, you see here, of the charming cafe without any other customers. If you look closely on the tables you can see “reserved” signs, a warning to anyone wanting to go there for lunch without calling first. We were lucky.

I had intended to get the pork again, but decided to try the vegetable curry. You can see my meal in the forefront of the food shot along with the “Hash Beef” that my son ordered.

Heir to the throne

Overlooking Ginza

Both meals were wonderful  and not expensive at all,  only coming to ¥2000. The vegetables were fresh and the salad was very crisp.

So I’m sure that the next time we go to Ginza we will at least stop in for coffee, but most likely call and reserve a table for lunch, charming service, great food and a relaxing atmosphere all in one “off the beaten path” cafe.

Cafe Ohana

Tel: 03-3567-4388

Chuo Ku Ginza 3-3-12

Ginza Building 4F

Cafe Del Mar A Place to Rave About!

Scrumptious "Torotoro omelette"

To say I don't often get to rave about a place without taking a long train or bus ride would be a major understatement. Recently while on a bicycle ride in the Hojo Beach area of Tateyama I noticed a new cafe. The veranda and proximity to Tokyo Bay pulled me back one day to try lunch. The cafe was a little busy, but I really wanted to enjoy the deck and the fresh spring air. I ordered a "green curry", pictured below, hoping that it might be like Thai "gang guy" spicy curry. My expectations were exceeded when I tasted the wonderfully spicy dish which I was presented with white rice and a small carrot salad. Not for those who avoid spicy dishes, I warn you, but absolutely perfect for my overjoyed taste buds! I decided that my curry loving son should try it at the first opportunity which was today.

Spicy Green Curry!

He ordered the curry and I decided to try the "Torotoro" omelette, pictured at the top of the page. I often enjoy 'omurice' which is an omelette wrapped around a mound of rice-a Japanese creation that my son is quite good at making for the family. This, my friends, was no ordinary omelette! As spicy and delicious as the curry was, this dish was rich and flavorful. It is now going to be difficult to decide what to order for lunch. They also have individual size pizzas which I'm looking forward to trying late one Saturday afternoon. They close at 6 PM

Japanese are not like Europeans when it comes to eating outside. Cafes and restaurants with "al fresco" dining are difficult to find. In rural areas it's often difficult to find an eatery with an unobstructed view of street or scenery. It's a "privacy" issue. Just ask Google Earth about that problem.

This is not the case at "Cafe Del Mar",  even though you can't see Tokyo Bay, the veranda is spacious and  provides a view of Tateyama's spanish style train station, just a 3 minute walk away.

Finally, I must not forget the service which is charming and bilingual. The young lady who served us spoke English quite well. This led to my eventual question. "You are not from around here are you?"

By all means, if in the area of Tateyama station, visit Cafe Del Mar for a touch of class and great food.

Life will never be the same.

Imagine you've got it made from birth. Your family owns agriculturally rich land and has for generations. It has provided enough money for you to educate your children who have moved off to urban centers for work that is not dirty or tough. Life isn't bad and your eldest son, now in his 50s, has stayed home to continue the tradition. You've modernized harvesting with the latest equipment to make up for the shortage of labor. Life is good.
Then it happens, before spring planting begins a massive earthquake spews a tsunami across your fields, destroying everything in it's path including your eldest son working there. Fate has spared you and your grandchildren who were safe at a school, but everything you had is gone. For good measure, to complete the destruction, much of the sea water lingers in your fields with no way to pump it back to the ocean.
As you read this, imagining yourself in this man's shoes, picture yourself living in a gymnasium with scores of others, including your grandchildren who cry for their parents and have nightmares.
This is not fiction. This is reality for thousands of victims of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. What are they to do? The hopelessness of their plight has driven several to suicide and more can be expected in a country with a tradition of suicide.
Much of the western media have moved on, covering the nuclear plant disaster in Fukushima, badly, or muckraking elsewhere distorting reality to sell advertising. I don't miss the celebrity journalists at all, but the world has an image of Japan being "rich" and able to spring back as it did after Kobe. This is a different story. An urban center is much more resilient than a rural area populated with senior citizens. They are going to need much more than a fighting spirit to embark on a new way of life.
Don't stop imagining what it would be like if it were you in this man's shoes.

After the deluge.

If you look closely at the date of my last post you will see it was March 10th, the last normal day that Japan will experience for many days to come. We were in Tokyo the day before when the Tohoku area had a strong pre-shock to the massive quake that came on the 11th. We didn't notice it as we were probably on a train or in the metro at the time.
Needless to say, I haven't been in much of a mood to blog for the last 3 weeks. We live at the mouth of Tokyo Bay on the end of the Chiba peninsula and have been spared this time. Except for the major hit this area is suffering due to the loss of domestic tourism, life goes on at it's normal tedious pace.  The frustration  I feel living in such rustic surroundings is compounded by sadness for what happened and the inability to take physical action to contribute to recovery. I also have a nagging sensation that like the upstairs neighbor taking off his shoes, the second one is about to drop.
So, I have found myself getting more into the Japanese things that comfort me and give me assurance that an earthquake and tsunami will not keep my people down. I enjoy listening to traditional Japanese music and reading the haiku of my favorite poet, Santoka Taneda. Since spring and cherry blossoms are upon us now I thought I would share a haiku that seems appropriate for the season and recent events.


weeds that may die
any time
blooming and seeding




Peace be with you.

At theses prices, one is enough!

As some of you may know I have dropped a lot of weight over the last 6 months by adapting my lifestyle to my age. I can no longer pound down the beers like I did at a spry young 45 years of age. So when I do imbibe I go for quality over quantity. No more do I guzzle a gallon of "Lite"; so while in Tokyo yesterday I made a quick stop, before boarding the bus home, at a pub that specializes in Belgium beer and poor service(by Japanese standards). The beer you see pictured here was a cherry flavored brew with a 6% alcohol level. At ¥980 plus service charge that comes to about $12 a glass. It was good and I'll probably never have another, unless of course the "bubble economy" comes back and companies start picking up the bar tabs like they did in the late '80s. I get misty eyed just reflecting on those days.

Mystery Food Revealed!

Wakame bud, Mekabu

I posted a "foodie" quiz on Twitter (@libramuse) last night, "Identify the mystery food". You can see the original picture at the right and a full view of the sea vegetable "Wakame" below. We were given this monster strand by a good friend after her English lesson last night. The photo in the quiz is of "mekabu" which is the bud of "wakame" and the prize of the whole package. "Mekabu" is usually purchased in small packs at the market already processed and ready to eat with a little vinegar or soy sauce. It is touted for it's health properties, primarily it increases fat metabolism and helps burn off those "love handles".  I can testify to this along with the benefits of green tea in the same, ahem, area.

A wakame strand straight from the sea

I compare "mekabu" preparation with democracy in Egypt. It takes a lot of work to get it, then requires boiling to kill the really nasty stuff-then it changes color to a bright shiny green, yet you still have to cut off and discard the remaining bad parts of the old plant. Only after all this sacrifice and hard work is it ready for public consumption.

I know this isn't readily available in most markets, but if you are ever in a Japanese restaurant and they push a small dish of slimy looking green stuff in front of you, remember what your mother used to say, "Eat it, it's good for you!" 

Itadakimasu!

Healthy and slimming Mekabu

Plum Trees in Bloom 2011

Plum Trees in Bloom 2011
Originally uploaded by osiodhachan

Just a quick entry with a few pictures I snapped today with the iPhone. On my way home from the market the beauty of these trees in the bright sunlight was just stunning. I actually enjoy plum blossoms more than cherry blossoms; they say, "Spring is here."

Oops, this posted to the blog too!

photo
Originally uploaded by osiodhachan

The photo you see on this post was intended to go to my Tumblr blog and Twitter. However, I've changed so many settings on the mobile and my blogs that I have faint idea as to where things will pop up!
Just as well, what you see here is our very handy combination grill, hot plate and "tako yaki" cooker by Tiger. This version has been replaced with newer models that are just as versatile and convenient. If I were a single person I think I would just leave it on the living room table and use it almost exclusively. Bacon and eggs for breakfast, hot sandwiches for lunch and many other possibilities for a quick dinner for one.
We even use it on the patio in the summertime when it is too hot to cook inside.
So, an inadvertent post is sometimes better than none.
Special thanks for Glamourous Girl for commenting on this post or I wouldn't have noticed there was a picture with no text!

photo
Originally uploaded by osiodhachan

Serious Ramen! I mean it!

We had a little R&R in Tokyo last week and met up with our friend Mark "Magnum" Williams who introduced us to a ramen shop in Akihabara. Jangara specializes in Kyushu ramen and has several shops in Tokyo. I lived in Kyushu for over 10 years and am quite serious about ramen. There are many pretenders, but  Jangara is serious ramen. The above pictured bowl is the top of the menu version and the orange item in the soup isn't a carrot. It's karashimentaiko a Fukuoka delicacy. This was simply the best ramen I've had this century!  Expect to stand in line if you go there during lunch hours, but it is well worth the wait. So now we have a dilemma every time we hit "Akiba", Star Kebab or Jangara for lunch. It's going to have to be a coin toss.

Strawberry Fields

As the January wind rages over the vinyl covered "strawberry fields" here, I'm sure the original fields of Beatles song fame are covered with snow in New York's Central Park where the concept of fresh strawberries in January is as alien as a Boston Red Sox fan in Yankee stadium. But, I digress. Baseball season is a long 2 months away.
Today, I must tout the joys of being able to enter heated greenhouses and gobble down massive berries like the one pictured here. The southern tip of the Chiba peninsula sits on the edge of real winter for the rest of Japan and the tropics to the south. Fierce winter winds rage here howling like banshees in the Irish night, yet we get no snow and the temperature seldom goes below freezing. Due to these favorable climatic conditions there has arisen a booming business in strawberry and flower picking, all of which you can pick to your hearts content for a specified amount of time. Of course all of this for a fee. Today being Sunday I'm sure there will be a caravan of tour busses coming from Tokyo/Yokohama and points north on the infamous Tateyama expressway. The evening traffic jam headed back to "urbania" is something to behold. I have seen it many times as I return from the opposite direction after a fun and frolic weekend in Tokyo. I'm sure such a traffic jam is no joy for parents of toddlers with bulging bladders and a bad disposition.

So if you feel you can inhale about 2 large strawberries a minute, you can challenge my former student's record of 60 in a half hour, hop on a train, give me a "tweet" when you get here and "Let me take you down" to strawberry fields.

Adult or not, 20 is a milestone.

Monday morning holiday here in old Nippon as it is "Coming of Age" day. A holiday to celebrate all who became/will become 20 years old this year or last, wife isn't even sure which. These new adults all put on traditional kimono and go to a ceremony in their hometown, where the boys and some of the girls too, generally speaking, act like the imbeciles they really are. Japanese kids are basically coddled until 20 which is way too long in my opinion. Of course the news tomorrow will report on the few who will not see 21 as they go out drink too much and drive to fast. However, for the casual observer it is a feast for the eyes to see all the beautiful kimono on the way to and from the ceremony. My boy has 2 years to go before his and we have yet to decide if he will participate or not. Actually it will be his decision entirely.
We will observe the day by doing a little shopping, buy train tickets for a trip to Tokyo and enjoy a warm meal of "nabemono" this evening. Tomorrow should see a "return to normalcy" as Woodrow Wilson so full of hope once said. I hope your life has finally returned to normal after the holiday season.

Brown Rice "Mochi", the safe way to get energy!

Just a short post today to share with you something my wife "discovered" last night. After our trip to the in-laws where I voiced my love for "mochi" made from brown rice,"genmai" in Japanese, she decided to try put the rice in a food processer and see if a glutinous mass resembling "mochi" would result. To my surprise it did. She shaped them into small, sausage sized, patties and let them set overnight. This morning she browned them, a toaster oven is fine, and added them to miso soup. I am no fan of white rice mochi. To me it is bland and dangerous-at least 9 people died last week when it stuck in their throats. "Genmai mochi" is much more palatable and not as dangerous as the white globs of commercial...stuff.
I don't expect to convert you to a "mochi" eater, but if you need to carbo load for running or cycling, it is a great source of energy that won't constipate or kill you like white rice "mochi".

Temple at Dawn

Temple at Dawn
Originally uploaded by osiodhachan

On my early morning "power walk" I passed Yasuoka temple near the Sea of Japan coast in Shimonoseki. The ferocious winds of the last few days finally abated and the early morning calm was striking. The local dog walkers were stunned by the encounter with a "foreign devil" who greeted them loudly in Japanese. I'm sure I was mentioned over "mochi" & green tea in several households!

New Year's feast!

New Year's feast!
Originally uploaded by osiodhachan

New Year's day in Japan means we feast on food prepared the day before and watch zany TV programs. This year we are visiting my in-laws and enjoying a little different taste. There are many other pictures of "osechi" on twitter. Check them out!