torakris

easternsun, welcome to egullet and the Japan Forum!! I am really getting determined to find Asahi ponzu here in the Kanto area... though I am thinking I may have to mail order it. What does it taste like? how does it differ from regular ponzu? mix it with tahini you say....I might give this a try..

Hawaiian Bowl located in Aqua City at Odaiba (Tokyo) is a pretty good deal for the price, at 500 yen ($5) for a loco moco, or a set including a drink and salad for 680 yen ($6.80) and it doesn't taste half bad. The portions were on the small side though..... I have easily paid twice that for a loco moco that sucks. Some of the dissapointing places I have been to include Sun Aloha　I think they only had about 3 Hawaiian dishes on the menu it was mostly curry rice and not even very good at that.... This was the Yokohama (Kannai) shop H1 Cafe in Yokohama (Nakamachidai on the Yokohama subway line), I went here with a large group of friends for dinner and was able to sample quite a bit of the menu and wasn't impressed by anything. The onion rings were in a puddle of grease, the chips and salsa/guacamole platter had a handful of chips and two tiny white cups filled with salsa and guacamole about enough for only one chip and it was some ridiculous price, the spareribs were 85% fat with the rest being bone and lacked any flavor.....

One of my favorite places is Kua 'Aina (hamburger shop)and they seem to be doing well in Japan, but with burgers costing close to 1,000 yen ($10) a piece it isn't a place i really want to take my family of 5 very often..... Kua 'Aina Japan

The Japanese love Hawaii anyone who has ever walked around Wakiki can tell you that, there are probably more Japanese tourists than other countries combined..... So why did it take so long for Hawaiian food to catch on in Japan and why isn't it very good yet? Ok, some of them are good. Some of the big names in Hawaii have had restaurants for quite a while now Alan Wong Sam Choy Roy Yamaguchi Then there are the places that have been popping up all over the place recently. here are some from gurunabi (a Japanese restaurant search engine) and from e-food.jp but they are far from complete as most of the places I have eaten at aren't even listed... do you have any favorite places?

OSAKA PREFECTURE (region = Kansai/Kinki) http://www.kansai.gr.jp/culture_e/syoku/umiyama/osaka01.html discuss the foods of Osaka here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=61200

okonomiyaki and takoyaki are two of the first foods that come to mind. there is a great article here

word for 2/5: 肝吸い kimosui (key-moe-sue-ee) This is the clear soup containing unagi livers that is often served as part of an unagi meal. kimosui

I tried the azuki as well as the matcha kind a couple of weeks ago, and I was really disappointed. I love anko but the azuki kind had a really odd earthy taste. The matcha pocky tasted more of honey than of matcha, to me. I definitely prefer the kit-kat, that was really yummy - hmm I think I'll have to go get another one from the conbini soon... ← Thanks for warning me from the matcha one! I think I will spend my money on the matcha kit kat! I think I am becoming adicted..... The flavor on that azuki one really was odd, it was like they took all the bad things about azuki and anko and emphasized them my kids liked it though....

rub them together you say... I have to admit I have never seen that done, but then again I wasn't really looking... I will pay more attention!

I like anything that is in season! About a month ago we were at a sushi place and they had oyster sushi, which I had never seen before. It was served gunkan style with one whole (pretty small) oyster topped with radish grated with a bit of chile pepper and a thick slice of lemon. It was incredible and at only 180 yen (about $1.75) per plate (2 pieces) I didn't feel quilty taking 5 plates....

Is it just me or does anyone else have problems with waribashi, those disposable chopsticks that you have to break in half first? I find them too short to use comfortably, I don't think my fingers are that long or anything and of course I also break them badly end up poking myself with a splinter for the whole meal. I can use the Korean metal ones but prefer my Japanese wooden ones with a tapered point. I do not like the ones they offer in Chinese restaurants here, they are made with plastic (but to look like ivory) and are huge! both long and thick and then slippery to boot, how do people eat with these?

2/4: 肝　　きも kimo (key-moe) the liver The liver of the unagi is especially prized and you will find many dishes utilizing it.

I served mine the next day with ebi-furai (deep fried shrimp), don't want to waste the oil either!

My kids are still throwing them around (one day later), I am going to be finding beans in the corners of the rooms for months... When I had babies in the house I would make the older kids throw them out a window or go outside to throw, obviously they weren't eaten though. I don't see why a bowl wouldn't work, maybe make a game out of it and set the bowl a little away from you and see how many you can get inside.

lunch yesterday tarako-cheese baguette the bread is spread with a tarako sauce (it was quite spicy- more like mentaiko) and topped with gouda cheese, you are supposed to heat it up in the toaster oven. after toasting I wasn't very impressed....

a quick look at their homepage shows a new matcha mousse pocky as well....

taking a look at their homepage: http://www.glico.co.jp/pocky/lineup/index.htm it looks like they have a matcha one as well in the mousse series

A friend of mine, who knows that I am always on the lookout for new and interesting products, brought me this the other day Mousse Pocky, azuki flavor this was pretty gross, I love azuki but this was very starch-y tatsing and overly sweet....

A friend of mine, who knows that I am always on the lookout for new and interesting products, brought me this the other day Mousse Pocky, azuki flavor this was pretty gross, I love azuki but this was very starch-y tatsing and overly sweet....

One of my favorite Japanese tsukemono nozawana, straight out of the bag

Well they are usually eating Japanese style spaghetti, which usually doesn't have a heavy tomato sauce. I actually prefer to eat certain Japan spaghetti dishes with chopsticks as well.....

Why not stop at the Shin Yokohama ramen museum before your uncle picks you up? It is only a 5 minute walk from the station..... Or maybe when you are leaving Yokohama...

younger relatives or older relatives? For meals with older relatives I would stick with Japanese style, unless they really enjoy western foods. Places like Ume no Hana (tofu kaiseki) offer gorgeous atmosphere, great food and (if you are there for lunch!) decent prices all with private rooms. I talked about them a bit here. Ume no Hana or a similar restaurant Senzan which focuses on crab and also has private rooms. They are both very good and also very popular for groups, especially family groups. For younger people I would suggest yakiniku (Korean grilled beef) or maybe an izakaya.

In Japan most western foods are eaten with western utensils. I had a lunch at one of my favorite Italian places the other day and a fork and spoon were set at every place. At restaurants that serve a variety of foods, both western and Asian, the cutlery comes after you make your order. A spoon for those with curry, a fork and knife for those with steak, a pair of chopsticks for those with a rice dish. Many times western food here is served with a choice of bread or rice, in these cases the rice will come out on a plate and is then eaten with the fork. Even in many homes, western foods will be eaten with western utensils, one main exception being spaghetti.....

I have a feeling in this situation you will not be given too much of a choice in ordering. It will most likely be a pre-decided course meal maybe even decided at the time of booking the room. I have been to many family get togethers like this and most times we are not even presented with a menu, all the decisions are made by the "host" (your uncle?). often the only person with a menu.