tourists, towers, and toppings

Maybe it's that few of you have been to Tokyo?  Or you've been really really busy hitting the gym and cooking healthy meals after falling off the wagon during the cookie holiday season?  Or you're busy planning a wedding (excitingly, several of you fall into this category)?  Well whatever your excuse there have been few (ok, two) guesses for my Where in Tokyo is Carmen Sandiego post.  I'm going to give you the answers anyway, though.  Because I am nice.  Remember that around May 4, ok?

Photo #1
On January 2 the Imperial Palace opens it's gates (but not it's doors) to visitors wanting to give the emperor best wishes for the new year.  Kind of like the Pope, you can't actually get close to the Emperor, as he makes his hourly appearance behind the bullet proof glass windows of his residence.  That's him in there waving.  Look closely!  While there were many (old) people there paying their respects to the Emperor and his family, there were also a surprising number of foreigners in the crowds.  It seemed a significant portion of those visiting were there, like us, to see inside the normally off-limits Imperial Palace grounds.

Photo #2
Congrats Larry!  It is the Tokyo Tower!  We (Jeff, Micheal, Sara, and I) walked up and down the 600 steps to the first level, 150 meters from the bottom.  Was it good exercise?  Let's just say I counted that as my workout for the day.  Was it quicker than waiting in the line for the elevator?  Of course.  Was it cheaper than riding up the easy way?  Bingo.  Did I question my decision to take the hard route about halfway up?  You betcha.  It was especially disheartening when we reached the top and were handed a credit card sized certificate attesting to our feat.

After our very long walk up, we proceeded to wait in line for far, far, far too long for the elevator to to highest level observation deck (there was no walk up option) which was taking a maximum of eight (8! That's less than half the number of people who have come out of Mama Dugger's womb!) people up at a time.  Fortunately for us, there was a pot of gold at the end of our long journey.  While we were at the highest observation deck, we saw a beautiful sunset over Tokyo with Fuji-san (Mt. Fuji) in the background.

Ok, maybe it's a little dark.  If I had a better camera, maybe it would have come out better (hint, hint, Jeff!).  Still, if you look closely, you can make out sprawling Tokyo in the foreground and faint outline of Mt. Fuji on the horizon on the left side of the picture.  It is huge.  And I can't wait to climb it. [Correction: It's taken me about two months, and no one has pointed it out, but in fact Fuji is on the right side of this picture.  You don't need to ask if I still use the first grade trick of making an L with my hands to tell my right from my left.]


We also got some cool pictures of the Tokyo tower all lit up as we were leaving.  It was just a few days after New Year's, so they were still reminding everyone to start writing the new year on checks and everything.

Photo #4

Yes, Okonomiaki.  Yum.   Okonomiaki has been described to me as a savory pancake, so that is how I will describe it to you.  I don't really think this conveys what it is in any way, but I suppose it is cooked on a griddle and often made in the shape of a circle.  This is about where the similarities end.  Okonomiaki is made of cabbage, some kind of thin batter (ok, one more similarity), egg, and just about anything else in various combinations.  Common ingredients include vegetables, mushrooms (They are fungi and thus in a separate category.  And gross.  Just my opinion.), shrimp, chicken, and beef.   Usually, the ingredients are brought to your table in a bowl and you mix them up and cook them yourself.  When the pancake looks like it is holding together and cooking through, you flip it, let it cook a little more, and then chop it up and eat it right off the grill.

It is common to see okonomiaki garnished with nori (seaweed) flakes and mayonnaise.  There's Michael, to the left, very seriously about to dig in to his dinner topped with the green nori flakes and Kewpie mayonnaise.

Like mushrooms, you will find neither of these anywhere near my okonomiaki.  You will find mine covered with okonomiaki sauce, however, which is made completely out of friuts and vegetables, and soy sauce.  Itadakimas!

The other three pictures will have to wait until next time (dare I commit myself and say tomorrow?) to be identified.

Mata ne,
Melissa

Seijin-shiki

Like America,  Japan has holidays of questionable derivation celebrated throughout the year which I presume exist only to give people days off from work and school.  Monday was one such day.  (The last I can recall was the Emperor's birthday and the one before that was "Culture Day."  Don't ask me what distinguishes it from every other day in Japan.)

Today was Coming of Age Day.  It was established "to congratulate and encourage people who have reached the age of majority (20) during the year."  Twenty-year-olds dress up in fancy Kimono or hakama, attend a coming of age ceremony in a local government office, and celebrate afterward with family and friends.  This would be akin to the US giving everyone a day off from school and work to celebrate everyone who turned twenty-one in that year.  "Cities and towns throughout the nation hold ceremonies for these people."  It's kind of like a Bar-Mitzvah, but with sanctioned drinking and "adults" that actually look the part.

(I'm sorry, but the picture of the bare-chested man really did illustrate the hakama pants best.  Traditionally they are in fact worn with a shirt or kimono.)

The best part of this day?  Until recently it was held on January 15.  That is until the year 2000, when Japan instituted the Happy Monday System (yes, that is the actual name) which moved a number of national holidays from their traditional dates to Mondays in order to provide a long holiday weekend.  Seems like someone's been taking notes (See: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, et al.).

Kanpai!
Melissa

Nijuuhibaku*

Oh the stories he could tell...

*Nijuuhibaku means double victim (of nuclear bombing) in Japanese

spareribs? really?

Only in Japan. 

I know that there are some crazy flavored chips out there (chicken, shrimp, sour cream and onion...) but spareribs??  And what is with the association with Las Vegas?  I haven't been to Las Vegas, but I'd imagine a Las Vegas themed chip to be more along the lines of pina colada.  Or whatever losing your children's college fund tastes like. 

Believe it or not this is NOT the craziest food to be found in the konbini (convenience store). 

Mata ne,
Melissa