Hatsumode 2011

Hatsumode is very important in Japan - it is the first shrine visit of the New Year.  I wanted to go to a shrine at the beginning of the year but I got sick so I finally went on 10th.  It was a really good day to go since it was also a national holiday "Coming of Age Day" which means that at the temple there were a bunch of 20 year olds dressed in beautiful outfits.  I went to Nagoya's Atsuta Shrine which is one of the most famous shrines in Japan.  It is supposed to house the legendary Kusanagi sword (one of the three imperial regalia of Japan).  The shrine was established around 2000 years ago.

The shrine grounds are huge (200,000 square meters).  At each entrance, stands a torii:

 There are lots of trees and even in the winter, it is quite green:

 In this place, people bring their old charms from last year to the temple to be burned:

 There were tons of people there!

 Here are some 20 year old girls in their special kimonos for the Coming of Age day:

 This is the main prayer building at the shrine:

 They had a large plastic sheet covering the floor in front of the building to catch all the coins that people throw before they pray in the new year.

 They were also selling quite a number of charms:

 Very nice wooden building and another 20 year old girl posing for pictures:

 Another girl:

 On the side of the main path are smaller houses (shrines?):

 This is a really really large sword housed in one of the buildings (a museum of sorts - I didn't go in further):

 Map of the temple grounds:

 This is a view towards one of the entrances - you can seem quite a number of food stalls on the side.

 I decided to buy some pastry which turned out to be basically like waffle stuffed with hot red bean paste - very very tasty!

 Another torii gate at a different entrance:

 Another prayer hall:

 I finally decided to try this fish that I saw often in food stalls... basically it turned out to be the same as that pastry I had before.. tasted like waffle with red bean paste inside, shaped like a fish.  It was tasty!

 I stood in that line for about 20minutes to buy that fish!

 I hadn't eaten lunch so I bought this okonomiyaki at a food stall and ate it by the pathway - it was good.

 Yet another torii at an entrance to the shrine.

 This is the charm I bought at the shrine - especially for the new year.  It is supposed to bring good luck to your home!  Bunnies!

 Atsuta jingu (熱田神宮) - the name "Atsuta Shrine" in kanji:

When is orange not an orange?

I didn't know this before, but the citrus family has quite a bunch of cultivars that are native to Japan (and different than the sweet orange that is grown in America).  Lately, there are a lot of citrus fruits in the stores since it is the season for them - so I buy different ones to try.

First off, the popular mikan (satsuma) - a bit sweet (but not as sweet as the American orange) and with no seeds:

Next is a Iyokan which is slightly sour with a thicker skin:

Finally some Ponkan which is from the tangerine family but bigger:

Will keep you posted on other ones :P.

Weekly Food Update (or 2.. or 3)

Okie, my 3rd Japanese course exams are done - yay!  I can finally post some things!

First off... food (important!).  I haven't done a food post in a while...

Cafeteria selections (not many since the cafeteria was closed for about 2 weeks over the winter break):

Some ramen with bone broth:

 Nice tasty soup!

 Another ramen - miso:

 Some hamburger on rice:

 Some pork cutlets on rice and random salad I picked myself:

 Tasty miso ramen and a cheese bun! (I felt like I needed something extra...):

 Marble tofu, some rice, some random salad, and miso soup - nice selection:

Next up, some sushi (tempura crab with some mayo and sauce):

 Very tasty tuna:

 Seared tuna:

 Sushi hot dogs!  I didn't try one but felt like taking a picture:

 Some other tuna I think:

 Hmm... tuna? heheh:

For the first time, I tried a Chinese restaurant at the mall near my place - got some marble tofu - was very good:

While visiting Sakae, I wanted to eat something.  So, I walked around for a while trying to find something to eat (being kinda picky) and finally I decided on this awesome Korean restaurant in the Central Park underground mall:

 Here is today's dinner, also korean (bibimbap of some kind) at the food court at the mall next to me.  There are about 20 different take out restaurants in the food court on 2nd floor of the mall.  First time I ate in the food court since I usually just go to one of the restaurants on the main floor.  This was served steaming hot and I had to stir it to keep it from burning (and cracked in the egg - might see the shell on the right but it is quite overexposed):

 One day I got some already prepared food at the grocery store:

Some interesting clear mochi-type thing with red bean filling:

Mystery Bags!

There is a Japanese custom that stores around this time (New Year's) sell special mystery bags of items called fukubukuro.  Those are priced from as low as few hundred yen (few $) to quite a lot I hear - basically, you can get cars or houses through those expensive ones!  It is kinda like a lottery since you don't know what is inside but you always get something and typically it is at a discount so you get more than you pay.

At the school co-op, they had these bags when we were coming back from lunch so we bought one for the lab.  The highest item that could have been in a bag was an ipod!  This is the bag for 1000en (~$12):

So we opened it with excitement....

Well... no ipod... but a lot of candy!  Definitely worth the 1000en.

Miffy!

I think I am finally starting to feel better.  Just came back from the shopping mall where I had sushi and walked around a bit and bought a few things that I needed (I hope that bottle is dish washing soap...).  Hopefully will be much better in the morning!

Today I got a call from the hospital that I went to last week to see the doctor.  I asked the lady to speak in English but she didn't so after a few repeats and "speak slowly please" I managed to understand a few words which I used to guess what she wanted.  Basically, when I visited, I paid around $50 that I was supposed to come back and get some of it back.  So she was asking when/if I'm coming back so I told her tomorrow.  Then she said something about a paper... which I assume meant that tomorrow I should bring that receipt paper with me (hmmm why would I go without it?).  So hopefully that is what she said... oh the joys of living in a place where you don't speak the language...

On a happier note, right before Christmas, my miffy shopping bag arrived which was quite nice! I collected 15 bread bag coupons for it - so lots of work!! It is a nice bag... I don't want to use it... ;P  It came with a nice Miffy envelope.  The address was what I wrote on the card that I sent them so it was legible enough that it arrived to me - so that was good, at least I can copy some kanji to some extent - now if I can just remember the ones we learn at school!

 miffy, help me remember kanji, kk?