kyoto in the rain, take two

After a few days in Tokyo, we hopped aboard a shinkansen (bullet train) and headed to Kyoto.  Those of you who, like our Vice President, have only enjoyed the pleasure of an Amtrak train should take note, a shinkansen is a step above.  Nicer than your average late model airplane and complete with reclining seats, western toilets, and flight attendants, the shinkansen gets you to a destination across Japan faster and in comfort and style.  Needless to say, I was excited for the trip, in spite of the early boarding time. 

When we got to Kyoto it was raining so we dropped our luggage off at the ryokan and went right to lunch at the original Tenka Ippin, a Japan-famous ramen restaurant.  As usual, Jeff and I ordered ours niku nuki, without meat, and I got the small size.  This in no way means I had a healthy lunch.

Two things: 
1. I eat way too much ramen.  Arguably, any ramen is too much ramen because it is NOT good for you.   
2. I can justify eating way too much ramen while I am living here, knowing that I won't be able to get it in America.  It is near impossible to find "good" ramen in America.  In fact, we don't know of any.  

Tenka Ippin did live up to its reputation, by the way.  Yum. 

Because it was such a gross day, we decided to explore the Nishiki Market in central Kyoto.  It is a thoroughly modern arcade-style market filled with everything from ABC mart, the ever-present shoe store, to small stalls selling exotic ingredients for a traditional Japanese dinner, to a 400 year old family business selling very cool looking, and very expensive, knives. 

It was a rainy day, and every tourist in Kyoto had the same idea as us.  The Nishiki Market was packed.

Many people are surprised to see temples scattered about a modern-looking city, and mixed in with the clothing and souvenir stores throughout the market are several examples of century-old temples and shrines. 

After we'd had enough wandering around we sought out another of my mother's must-dos in Japan: shabu shabu and sukiyaki.  These are both distinctly Japanese methods of cooking very thinly sliced meat, and this restaurant happened to provide a split pot for enjoying both of them.  The fancy set-up:

 It's a Japanese style private room where you sit on the floor at a hori-kotatsu (a kotatsu, in this case, with your feet tucked in a recessed hole under the table).  

They're excited.  My dad because of the amount of meat on the table (it's bottomless as well) and my mom because she's apparently been hearing about this from her friend Cindi since she booked the tickets.
For the record, shabu shabu is swished through a boiling broth (yes, that is the best word for it - shabu shabu is the onomatopoeia for the swishing motion) of vegetables and tofu.  Sukiyaki is grilled/sauteed in a shallow dark broth with onions and a weird tofu (and potentially other vegetables, but we can't remember).

After dinner, we were feeling a little tired from the travel and a little soggy from the rainy weather so we went back to the ryokan to hang out.  We were in Kyoto during sakura season and reasonably priced accommodations meant that we were a little cramped for the first night. 

Those are the futons for all four of us.  Good thing we're family. 

More of Kyoto to come...

Mata ne,
Melissa

halfsies

Yesterday was our 6 month lunaversary!

There are we lovebirds on our wedding day.  

 Its hard to believe it's been six months already, but we've most certainly decided that this whole marriage thing really is all it's cracked up to be!  We've been telling all our friends how great being married is, and apparently some have been listening; no less than 4 couples we are close with have become engaged since our wedding day.  We'll go ahead and pretend we had something to do with it.

[Side note:  Aaron told me when he was here that I have huge trapezius muscles.  I thought that all my swimming muscles had scaled down to normal, but judging by this picture, I was fooling myself.]

To celebrate this milestone, we spent the entire day together (as we do anyway), snacked our way across Tokyo (yes, snacked - we ate something new about every 100 meters),  and enjoyed each others' company.  We were very happy to find a ramen shop that not only served vegetarian ramen (very hard to find), but also vegetarian gyoza (thus far, impossible to locate).

Then we got dressed up in a manner befitting the occasion and went our for a nice dinner.  Just me, my adorable husband, and

our little friend, the pig leg, sitting next to our table.

Normally, I am not one to gnaw on the leg of an animal for nourishment, or even to enjoy sitting next to such a display, but when you call it prosciutto and watch the owner of the quaint little restaurant in which you are dining cut it by hand, well, "when in Rome...."

The restaurant, owned by a charming British ex-pat, was quite small but served up arguably the best international fare we've had in Tokyo.  We didn't even look at the menu or prices - just asked him what was good and told him to keep it coming - and when we left we were astonished at the bill.  I could not believe how little we owed for all the food we ate.  I even asked Jeff if maybe he gave us a discount because we told him it was our lunaversary.

And there we are again, six months into marital bliss.  Think we look any different?  Older and wiser?  Still "honeymooners"? 

One thing is for sure, I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.  

And we couldn't be happier. 

Mata ne, 

Melissa (and Jeff)

not your typical burger.

Busy day yesterday. So action-packed, in fact, that it went until 3 am and I am just getting around to writing about it this afternoon. 

Jeff and I rode our bikes around for most of the day (since my toe is preventing me from walking for any extended period of time) and stopped for lunch in Harajuku.  I got what was apparently the popular "ladies choice" with avocado and onion as the topping rather than meat.  I'm sorry, but who needs additional meat as a topping on their meat patty?

Oh, and if chopsticks scare you: look! a knife and fork!

Notice the lack of bun and heaping plate of white rice that is served with the burger.  It was really really good and topped with a soy/wasabi sauce.

After that we stopped at one of the ubiquitous creperies in Harajuku.  This one is so cute in a little trolly car-like thing.

Taking the obligatory while-we-wait self portrait (please excuse the camera shadow under jeff's nose - he is not a dirty chimney sweep) 

After that, we had a few friends over to hang out.  Since the trains stop running at 1 a.m. if you're out after that, you have to wait until they start running again at 5 a.m. to go home.  We stayed up with them until about 3 a.m. before I crashed.   When those guys get chatting...

Mata ne,

Melissa

pork

The other day, we went out to an unfamiliar part of Tokyo to check out a fixed-gear bike for Jeff (he insists on being different).  On our way to the alternative bike shop, we passed a restaurant on the second floor of a building that had a line not only down the stairs, but out to door and down the street a bit too. 

In a city like Tokyo with enough restaurants to keep you busy for several years, a line out the door of a restaurant is reason to check it out for yourself.  We could see from the overpass we were walking on that the chefs seemed to be grilling cabbage and other stuff, and guessed it was okonomiaki, a panckake-like dinner usually grilled on the table in front of you. 

When we went back to get Jeff’s bike, the line wasn’t too long so we decided to stop in for lunch.  Maybe I should have been tipped off by the murals of pigs on the walls as we walked up the stairs to the dining area.  There were only a few choices for lunch.  None of them vegetarian and all featuring pork.  I’ve never been a huge fan of pork, and even managed to avoid it in Schweinfurt (“pig fort”) Germany when visiting a few years ago. 

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Jeff ordered me the basic dish which was essentially a slab of meat and a side of shredded cabbage.  I was honestly surprised to find that it was really good.  I enjoyed every bite.  That is, until my body reminded me with a tummyache a few hours later that I rarely eat meat and never pork .

It is almost impossible to eat the nearly vegetarian diet I had been accustomed to in America, and so hard to find many of the ingredients that make the staples of our meals at home.   I’m adjusting though, and finding new things everyday that I like.  A lot more on food to come!

Mata ne,
Melissa