helenjp

9-12 months sounds good for limited basic fluency in learning to speak and listen to a language in a high-exposure environment. When I say "limited", I mean that you will pick up the language you need right now, but won't be able to follow a police procedural on TV and may struggle at the bank or with a newspaper. 1-2 years, you should be able to get by in daily life. 3 years and counting, learn more about different levels of politeness and rarely-encountered situations. Reading and writing - that depends on lots of other things. But if you find a subject that you are interested in, reading in another language exposes you to many more ideas and more knowledge of food in your new country than you would get from your workmates, who after all are a small body of people in a single environment, subject to current trends and economics. Do yourself a favor and pay out money to study before you leave your home country. Even if you think you're treading water, you will learn so much faster in your new country. * A linguist (forget who) once said that a prime reason why children learn a new language so fast is that their playmates require them to learn so that they can participate in games properly. If you are not yet able to cope with daily work in your new language, take a class which requires some interaction - people will quickly tell you how to do things, both inside and outside of class, because it's a nuisance to them if you don't know. *

Ikea opening up fall 2008 and Costco in spring 2009 in front of the station at Shin-Misato (Musashino Line, one or two stations away from changeovers from Tobu Isezaki or Tsukuba Express Lines). This is part of the Lala-City development. As it's practically on my back doorstep, my Filipina neighbor and I have been watching progress with interest. Even though local discount supermarkets are cheaper for some things, even Japanese kitchen staples are surprisingly hard to find in bulk packages or multi-packs.

Old-established New Zealand brand, very likely the most common manufacturer there. In recent years they have made a point of marketing "sturdy and simple" standard design fridges to countries which specialize in higher-end fridges - I've even seen them in Japan, for example. Those sold in the US are likely manufactured at F&P's plant(s) there, so I don't know whether quality is any different from Australasian-manufactured F&P fridges.

On the run here....when I've made tamagoyaki with lots of dashi, I've found you need to make it in very thin layers.

Enjoying your blog! All this time I'd been wondering when you might post more again... Lamb's quarters grow near me, but I usually only use small quantities in miso soup. You can tempura them, dress them with vinegar, dress them "shira-ae" style with tofu/miso/sesame, and so on. Caraway cheese, must be two decades and counting since I last saw any... Keep fighting the good fight, you know you're connected through so many people on eGullet with friends and family who've faced the same battle with HIV.

I assumed that Tiger would be a cheaper choice than Zojirushi when I went to buy a 220/240V rice cooker for my sister...but in the end I sent her a Zojirushi fuzzy logic instead of a Tiger IH - and in the more limited range available for 220/240Vm the Tiger IH was more expensive than the Zojirushi. IH cookers are indeed good, but they are definitely dedicated to the job of making rice, and pricey. If my sister's Zojirushi cooker breaks, I could send her a new one and still come in under the price of the latest model IH of either brand. It's difficult to compare exact models from country to country - maybe easier to compare functions?

If there is a setting for sticky rice in Japanese, it will say おこわ (okowa) in hiragana most likely. Somewhere I read that with modern sticky rice, you might as well not soak it, especially if actually using a sticky rice setting on a modern rice cooker. I've been much happier with results since I started doing that - comes out soft, but not doughy.

Salmon jerky is popular and may be easier to bring in to Japan (also light to carry!). Flavored green tea teabags - these are *sometimes* popular. My friends liked green tea chai, but not the US version, because Japanese people generally don't care for cassia cinnamon if the flavor is strong. However they may be interested in other flavors.

I'd go for instant dashi too, even if you buy it on the island - you can get types with no additives (or so they claim!). If you have had back trouble, lighter is surely better. I use instant dashi when making bentos, as it's easy to add a sprinkle when dressing greens, simmering vegetables, making omelet etc. Apart from the regular katsuo or niboshi types, you can also get a kombu dashi powder, which is lighter in taste and very handy for those non-miso-soup uses. One thing...you may not find western cutlery in the kitchen, unless you are staying at a place with regular foreign visitors. Many people don't use any western implements other than a spoon. The standby for Japanese people camping etc. would be side-dishes and curry etc in retort pouches (which would be bit heavy) to either heat in hot water, or empty into a container for heating, precooked rice in vacuum-packed sachets, or dried noodles. Wasabi is a hill-country crop, so if you found it fresh in a supermarket on Shiraishi, it would be expensive. Tubes are great, but packs of sashimi etc usually have a sachet or two of wasabi paste with them. One thing that may be in short supply is fruit. Butter...the easiest option is probably "butter 1/3" or "butter 1/2" in tubes, a margarine/butter blend. Easy to spread, portable, affordable.

This site says that entrance to the Koukoen Garden is 300 yen, entrance plus tea at the Soujuan teahouse i is 500 yen. English Mori Seimenjo, in Hiroyuki's list - I think that's a good'un, and I think you should be able to see noodles being made. P.S. Takamatsu has a very special place in my heart, so please forgive me if I seem to be pushing it. Himeji is (along with the black castle down in er, um, Kumamoto in Kyushu) spectacular, and this is a good time of year to visit - being on flat land and open, it can be awfully hot and stifling in mid-summer. Although there is a bit of a technopolis between Kobe and Himeji, there isn't a lot going on apart from the castle. Okayama seems kind of non-descript, but really it's been a busy part of Inland Sea trade for a long time, and people from Kyushu and Shikoku families settle there too. I've always wanted to take time to explore it - I imagine there's plenty of interest, if you are interested in real life! Kurashiki...it's pretty and I enjoyed my visits very much, but what I really enjoyed were the galleries. The canal area is only a small part of the town, and prices (cafes etc) were expensive there even back in the '80s.

Although Waraya is part of Shikokumura, you don't have to pay the entrance fee to the park to go to the restaurant (it's right by the entrance, so I think you can enter either from the outside or from the park). If you have the time it would be worth going to, because the restaurant (from memory...) looks like no other. Yes, the Shikoku-mura park has a lot of traditional exhibits, and the setting was very natural and attractive when I saw it nearly 30 years ago, but it's a park, and as a garden doesn't compare to Ritsurin. I think there is a tea-shop in Ritsurin, where you can sit outside on those red felt-covered benches and sip frothy whisked matcha while you look at the gardens - you can get a ticket that includes tea (and maybe a sweet to go with it) as a set with the garden entrance fee - cheaper than paying separately for the tea. Entrance to the park 400 yen, entrance plus matcha/sweet set 1080 yen, entrance plus plain green tea/sweet set/880 yen. It is difficult to get the chance to have tea-ceremony tea outside this type of tea-house, so if you have never tried it, do consider it. P.S. While Kurashiki has some lovely art museums, you would certainly end up paying quite a bit in entrance fees one way and another. The big theme park that is there now wasn't there when I last visited, so I don't know what the city itself is like these days. P.P.S. Takamatsu people eat a LOT of udon, and they like it their own way - so even if you walked into the first every-day udon shop you saw, you would have to be unlucky not to have an experience that's different from other parts of Japan.

I'll certainly be looking out for those posts, and hope that more time and energy makes for a good "real" summer - you've certainly more than earned it!

No sorry, their udon shop is at a different location to the west of Takamatsu - your map location is closest to Ikenobe station, looks to be within Takamatsu city limits.

Another thing to consider is non-food kitchen items - things like dish-towels or aprons (as aprons are a kind of uniform required for all kinds of school and community activities). People here are as interested in the different color sense and designs of foreign items as people overseas are interested in Japanese design. Instant seasonings that your son can use to help prepare a meal here would also be popular (but stick to REALLY basic things like sauces for pasta or sachets for chicken/pork dishes etc. If you bring food items such as confectionery, if possible try to get something with individually wrapped items or packets - easier to share around, which is half the pleasure here. In June the weather will be getting humid and rainy, so candy which gets sticky easily or loose-packaged cookies may not be such a good choice. ...can you tell that recently I've been going over gift selections with my local friends recently, for Japanese kids heading overseas on similar school trips?

Actually the Kamebishi udon shop seems to be the least popular of the Kamebishi ventures...not that I can speak from personal experience.

A shop called THE Don...who knew? Have a great trip, anyway! I find it a little hard to imagine getting to Shikoku on wheels ...but people traveling from Tokyo should consider using the overnight sleeper Sunrise Seto to Takamatsu (or Matsuyama on holiday weekends etc.). Stuff in English about Kamebishi soy sauce (made using straw mats) and other products. Kamebishi make soy-sauce chocolates (Maison Kamebishi), and have a shop for traditional Japanese sweets, soy sauce ice cream etc. (Kamebishi Chaya) too, as well as an udon shop (Kamebishi-ya). However, the shops are not in Takamatsu itself but to the west. I wouldn't be surprised if they had branches in Takamatsu, but can't spot any. I bet the products will be available in departments stores in Takamatsu, if you stroll in to the food area and ask for "Kamebishi".

Sorry I can't help, but don't forget this is the town where they have office udon ladies, not office tea ladies! (Well, actually, udon deliveries to offices, and yes, I've seen it happen right before my very eyes...) So there are plenty of good places to eat udon. Also, it tends to be that one shop is best known for kama-age, another for bukkake, etc - so locals gravitate to the best shop for their favorite style, rather than a universal "best". If you actually enjoy fish, some of the best sashimi I've eaten has been in Shikoku. I just don't find Tokyo sashimi compares, at least at the prices I can afford. (That's true of many parts of Japan, not just Shikoku.) Sudachi and green yuzu are popular in summer in Shikoku, but you will be a little early for the new harvest I think - probably they are just blooming and setting fruit right now. Citrus honey is made here and there in Shikoku. Another Takamatsu speciality is "shouyu-mame". I haven't found anywhere else that makes them quite the same way - big dried broad beans, simmered in soy sauce. They are pretty salty - good with a beer - and not sweet/salty like those from other areas. Really a taste for "native sons", but worth sampling if you get a chance.

I've forgotten the name of "the" udon shop in the city itself (quite a small restaurant, a bit away from the station area), but one of the most picturesque is the restaurant on top of Yashima hill. You need to get to the popular shops early - they make their noodles in the morning, and when it's all used up, they shut up shop... Kama-tama is hot noodles mixed with raw egg yolk, and if you really like slippery stuff, try kama-tama-yama, which has grated raw yam as well. Curry-udon is also popular (udon in a curry flavored soup), though I just can't see passing up a bowl of regular udon to try it. Here is an udon map of Takamatsu - click each restaurant name (Japanese) too see a representative udon dish from that restaurant. Number 20 on that list is Waraya, which is in an old thatched house on Yashima, the flat-topped mountain overlooking the city. There may be better udon restaurants (but it's a good one) but this one has a great location. Here is a blog entry about Yashima and Waraya, and here is a Japan Times article.. At Waraya, try kama-age udon - served in the water it was cooked in, with condiments and soup (dip the hot noodles in) separate. I think this is the best way to enjoy the flavor of the noodles themselves, but if it's too austere, by all means try other types! As the noodles are served directly in hot water, they are a little softer than other types (except kama-tama with egg is often served straight up without being cooled/firmed too), but all types of sanuki udon are firmer than in other parts of Japan. Kama-kake means the noodles are served in seasoned soup (not in hot water). Often they are firmed up in cold water before being put into the soup. Bukkake-udon is boiled noodles served cold with a stronger-tasting soup to pour over plus condiments (also tipped straight over the noodles). Zaru-udon is cold noodles with a stronger-tasting dipping sauce plus condiments to add to the sauce. If you're serious about udon, you could even call up the "udon taxi" (usually from Takamatsu airport, tel for the udon taxi is 0120-33-2370 ) and for 14,700 yen plus cost of udon, parking, road tolls, you can have a 3 and a half hour noodle tour, including 4 noodle stops and a visit to an old folk theater at Kompira (so maybe you get to see Kompira too, and walk off a few noodles??). Ritsurin is really lovely, one of my favorite big gardens in Japan. Or it was back in 1979, anyway... Ikkaku in Marugame city is a great place to eat chicken if your bus passes that way. Their main shop in Marugame is along the road that runs in front of Marugame station, on the NE of the station. However, they have several Takamatsu branches, plus two in Yokohama and one in Shinsaibashi in Osaka. Takamatsu - in Festa II, 5th floor, Kajimachi And another Takamatsu branch on Yashima, next to the Kotoden Yashima station

I don't think they will go moldy all that easily, after all they are ume, and they are pickled, so they should keep outside the fridge (but don't quote me on it...). Spray them with shochu every now and then if you are worried. This week for the first time ever, I had some moldy umeboshi - I soaked them in water to remove salt, then started to dry them, in order to soak them in honey. Thanks to the horrible weather, they had a longer than usual soak, and were only half-dried when I had to bring them inside. I was waiting for another fine day...but the mold got them. However, normally salt content makes it impossible for mold to grow on properly preserved ume. Heating them would surely soften them.

The calcium carbonate in the eggshells binds with the pectin in the unripe ume to form calcium pectate, which keeps the ume crunchy (also used when making dill pickles etc for the same reason). This is also how that instant dessert "fruitier" works - pectin in the solution gels the calcium in the milk (it does include other stuff though). In my experience, peeled eggshells in gauze is underwhelming in its effectiveness. You probably need a fair old number of eggshells, and it's probably more useful to have several packages of eggshell distributed round the pickling container. You can also use sterilized shells, which you can scatter throughout the ume much more easily (maybe a better source of calcium than battery hen eggs anyway). I'm planning to make some this year too, but I'm thinking of either using shellfish-shells rather than eggshells, or trying the commercial method below - when I made them with eggshells, they did indeed get soft and wrinkly. My first thoughts were as noted down the bottom, but THEN I found that the Kanagawa Noukyou (Agricultural Co-op) already had a page on a home-style method: Here 500ml ume-su (ume vinegar/brine) 50g shells (shellfish or egg shells) Bring to the boil in a glass or enamel pot, simmer for 10 minutes, cool and strain. small green ume 2.8 kg coarse pickling salt (for this, the more natural nigari content the better) 500g (18%, though this would be a bit lower with natural salt) Wash and drain-dry ume, place in pickling container with 1/3 to 1/2 of salt, rub around until salt has scratched up the fruit surface. Pour over ume-su calcium extract, mix around, place wrap over surface, weight-distribution plate, weight (about 2x weight of fruit) and cover. After a week, add half the remaining salt, mix in, clean sides of container, clean and replace covers, lid, weights as before. Add the remaining salt in the same way after a further week. Pickle for 1-2 weeks longer, then drain and put into bags or containers and store in fridge. I've heard people say that karikariume should be eaten the year they are made, but I find they taste better after they have matured a little. You can pickle them with salted red shiso, just as for ordinary red umeboshi, if you wish. You can also buy various solutions and premixed "karikari-ume no moto" whicih provide calcium and/or coloring. If you want to go into business, here's a rundown on the commerical method. Soak the ume in slaked lime/calcium hydroxide (shousekkai) (0.5% solution) overnight, then transfer to pickling solution - brine with 0.1% calcium content. (Calcium chloride or enka-karushiumu). I'm not exactly sure of the salt content for the brine, but I would be inclined to start with 8-10% salt and work up to 15%. Maybe a tad more, but certainly not more than 20%, and after 15% there is an increasing risk that your kari-kari and crunchy will end up shiwa-shiwa and soft.

Japan has done this for a long time, but there's a lot of it now. I did a double take when I actually saw a "More in the package!!!" sign on something recently. I went out of my way to get the 1kg discount pack of grated cheese...and found that it had been downsized to 800g, AND a price increase to boot. With fresh vegetables, I find that the price changes very little over the year - what changes is the amount in one packet or bunch, could be as little as 1/4 of regular amount at times. Very annoying when I dispatch a kid to the other end of the supermarket to get a bunch of spinach, only to have to send them back to get enough spinach for the rest of the family...

I was surprised nobody else mentioned my Number One Kitchen Sound - deepfrying - the sound of the crackle changes quite clearly when food is done. The type and amount of bubbles also changes, so you get a visual clue too.

Make biltong (South African spiced dried beef) Make Indonesian beef floss Make Chinese stirfry (tenderize beef overnight with baking soda and marinade ingredients) Make Chinese salad (simmer beef, slice thinly, dress with soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil dressing) "Round" is "silverside" and "topside" (eye of round is part of the silverside) in the UK, Australia and NZ. Silverside is usually pickled or corned, and then simmered - makes wonderful sandwiches! Simmer gently in beer. P.S. This is a good cut for pressure-cookers!

The June issue of the Japanese magazine "Cafe & Restaurant" which comes out on May 20 will have a very timely feature on sugarless cold drinks. P.S. I see a recent issue of Ukatama has a feature on "hometown" country-style sushi. What I like about these is that they are often vegetable sushi (and as colorful as Korean dishes sometimes!).

I spent several weeks checking it out, for that reason - I came across it while looking into postmortem tenderizing treatments, and at first found it hard to believe that it had gone past the experimental stage. However problematic the process may be, there are clear benefits for meat producers. I read somewhere that ProTen increased the amount of "tender" meat from around 35% to 75% of the carcass. However, there are other considerations: 1) freezing without affecting tenderness, and 2) faster processing time (that is, chilling carcasses more rapidly, and therefore being able to cut them and package them and ship them out earlier), resulting in quicker turn-around. This site claims that ...but if that is so, why do the 2003 and 2005 editions of the US Department of Agriculture Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book state under "Papain" that meat tenderized with papain "by ante-mortem injection" must be roller-branded or labeled on packaging "tendered with papain" or "tenderized with papain"?