Kyoto Rains & Julia Eats

Julia sent us an email with a few delicious details!

My classes are Japanese language (Mon-Fri), Japanese Culture (Thursdays) and Intercultural Communication (Mondays). Japanese is mostly review at this point. My classes are only scheduled monthly, so some of them may change at the end of each month (like the classes that only meet once a week). My program is Japanese Language and Culture and the language portion is likely to stay the same all the way through August, but the culture courses are like to change more frequently.

I tried to buy a phone yesterday, but the vending machine wouldn't accept my credit card.

yes- you buy your phone from a vending machine...

The people working there were very polite and apologetic and gave me and Ariana (one of the exchange students who came along to get her phone plan changed) free tea. You could only pay in credit at that particular store, so long story short is, I still didn't get my phone. There are a couple of other places I can try instead…

There's a koi pond on campus. If you stand at the edge of it, the fish will swim over to where you're standing and say, "Feed us, human!" Okay, they don't actually say that, but they're clearly thinking it. I'm going to name all of them. 

I've been making a lot of soups for myself. I bought a bunch of different kinds of noodles, and I've been throwing them together with eggs, vegetables, and tofu. My grocery shopping process is basically:

“Do I know what it is?

 Is it vegetarian?

And…

Do I know HOW to eat it?”

 If the answer to those three questions is "Yes," then I buy it.

Other than an inexplicable craving for chips and salsa, I haven't had an issue with missing foods from home. I have plenty of stuff to experiment with!

This Giant Crab- kind of Famous in Osaka- sits above the crowds in a major shopping area... Julia took the photo when she visited the neighborhood in early April.

Editor Mom here: I went searching online and found all sorts of great looking Japanese recipes that Julia might be able to make with her ingredients on hand; especially tasty-looking is this Udon egg soup!

Ingredients (for two)

·         Udon Noodles – 200 g. (use dry udon, avoid the “fresh” pre-cooked kind you sometimes see in Asian stores)

·         Napa Cabbage – a few leaves

·         Spring Onion – one

·         Konbu – one small section

·         Eggs – two

·         Dashi – 3 teaspoons

·         Sake – one tablespoon

·         Soy sauce – one teaspoon

·         Salt – one teaspoon

·         Tenkasu – tempura bits

Preparation

·         Chop the napa cabbage horizontally, thin

·         Chop the spring onion

Cooking

Set up two separate pots, one large one (to cook the noodles), the other one smaller (to make the soup)

1.       Fill the large pot with water and bring to a boil 

2.      Cook the noodles for two minutes less than the instructions in the package suggest. (Usually the package says to cook the udon 12 minutes – if so, cook it for 10.) Do not add salt to the cooking water, Udon is already salted. 

3.      When the Udon is finished cooking, drain it and rinse it with cold water. Use your hands to rub off the slimy residue (after this udon becomes “al dente”).  

4.      Shake well in the strainer to get rid of excess water. Set aside.

5.       Put two cups of cold water in the smaller pot, place a piece of konbu in it, then bring it to a boil

6.      Once the smaller pot boils, add three teaspoons of dashi, the tablespoon of sake, the teaspoon of soy sauce and a teaspoon of salt. The broth for Udon soup should have more dashi and be saltier than the broth for osuimono.

7.       Add the napa cabbage 

8.      Add the now cool udon into the broth.

9.      Once the broth boils again, crack open the two eggs and pour them over the Udon – be sure the yolks are a few centimeters apart so they can be served separately.

10.   Add the spring onions

11.    Cover and cook over a low fire for 1 or 2 minutes – ideally, the egg yolk should still be runny at the end of the process

12.   Ladle the broth and noodles onto large bowls, then place one egg yolk on top of each bowl. (That’ll be the “moon” we’re watching!) Be very careful to keep the egg yolks intact.

13.   Sprinkle with tenkasu if you like.

14.   Serve right away: udon needs be eaten hot.

Interesting Tidbit: when eating Udon you are suppose to slurp! It cools the noddles as they go in! Enjoy!

Julia took this photo outside the Aquarium in Osaka- That's one BIG Ferris Wheel!

Julia has had a few technical difficulties with ATM machines in and around Kyoto, so here's a link that might help. (Plus the guy who does it is kind of humorous...He takes his "Intro to Japanese ATMs" seriously!)

http://www.thejapanguy.com/how-to-use-a-japanese-atm-the-basics/

I think this would intimidate me...

And now- here's more from Julia’s recent email:

Rainy season has officially started. It's been raining roughly every other day, though luckily only for an hour or two at a time. Humidity is increasing as well, but it's not anywhere close to Florida-levels. 

Friday evening, I went to a welcome party for new students on campus. I got there early, so I went to say “hi” to the fishies before the event started. When I got to the pond, someone else was already there: a black and white cat, who was watching the fish and looking very serious. I'm pretty sure she was a stray, because she was skinny and did not want to be petted. But now I know where to leave cat food.

 The welcome party itself was fun. There were delicious desserts and a yummy vegetarian sushi (cucumber slices instead of tuna). I talked with two girls from Malaysia for most of it. We're all in the same dorm, but we hadn't spoken before due to all of us being shy. 

Saturday, Arianna and I went to an event for Doshisha freshman considering study abroad. All the current exchange students were invited so that the freshman could talk to us about our countries and the study abroad process, but not everyone went. Arianna and I ended up staying after the event ended so we could keep talking to two Doshisha students who were considering studying in California. We exchanged Facebook information with them, so that we can set up a time to meet and talk again. 

I found a recipe for Okonomiyaki that I can modify to make vegetarian! I bought the ingredients yesterday, so tonight, I'm going to try making it. 

Okonomiyaki- a regional specialty of the Osaka and Kyoto areas, usually made with a base of Napa Cabbage (like a potato pancake, but bigger).

 In other food news, I've discovered I really like red bean paste. There's a conbini nearby that sells a delicious breakfast thing that looks like a sandwich made from two pancakes with red bean paste in the middle. I have no idea what it's called, but it's really good. 

http://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/dorayaki-japanese-red-bean-pancake/

Say hi to the animals for me!

Love you all,

Julia

Dorayaki is the sandwich with red bean paste! Conveniently, Mom found the recipe online and is sending it to Julia in her first care package which is on its way this weekend!!! With Chips and Salsa!

Meanwhile,if you want to watch someone make Julia's new favorite food, click the link and enjoy the show!

 making dorayaki at a food court.

 making taiyaki video… cute! Taiyaki is another similar Red Bean Paste snack. Red Bean Paste is called Anko, in Japanese!

Sayonara!

First Weeks

Remember that there will be links embedded in all posts so that you can view and learn more as your interest's dictate. Just click on any link to see more about what Julia is doing, where she is going, and what she is learning!

Julia flew out of LAX on Sunday March 22nd. On Monday she checked in via facebook messaging after her arrival and then we went 5 days before we talked to her again. She was busy! Her first news report from Kyoto was actually on Saturday afternoon, March 28^th via a Skype chat (California time; It was Sunday morning in Kyoto).

A Recap:

The Flight over- courtesy of Uncle Bob- was on JAL in business class, and Julia said, "They have a lot of space in business class!" Food was good, space was better, movies were good too. She declined the offered wine or beer. We forgot to pre-order  (72 hours!) her a vegetarian meal and so the flight attendants made do with what they could rustle up; Jules said it was all good. Upon arrival she had to proceed not to the exit but to: Customs, Immigration, baggage claim, find Yuuka (our exchange daughter from Nishinomiya ) in the airport, find and ship all of her bags to Kyoto via a delivery service, find the right train or bus into Kyoto and then depart the airport! And by the way, the signage over there is in Japanese...which may have made Jule's and Yuuka extra silly...

She and Yuuka were successful in all of their endeavors and spent an uneventful night in Kyoto having dinner, shopping at the "conbini" and sleeping at the hotel the UC program had booked. Conbini are one of those uniquely done well Japanese business ventures- see here to learn more (and to meet an adorable young American wife of an adorable young Japanese husband). The next morning they were both up early as Yuuka needed to get home and Jules had to get to orientation.

 She met the other UC students traveling from California (15+ students at Doshisha with her from UC) and after their introduction to Kyoto and the University they broke into random groups and began their personal explorations.

Students are: Miguel Garcia (UC Irvine), Amanda Perry (UC San Diego), Amy Lim (UC Irvine), Carla Fox (UC San Diego), Julia Franco (UC Santa Cruz), Niki Yung , Anh-vi Hoang (UCLA), Jennifer Castro,  Katie Stein(UC San Diego) and Arianna Hayes (UC Berkeley). 

Editor Mom here: I'm kind of playing the bit of a private eye stalker as I am getting much of my information by checking the facebook posts of other students in the program. This means I can collect a more complete picture of Jule's endeavors by seeing what EVERYONE else is doing/posting ...although this is a bit on the creepy intrusive side of things...sorry 'bout that to all! A big shout out to both Jennifer Castro and Valentino Rage who post a lot of details and pics!!! Hope to meet you in August!

Adjusting to Kyoto and living in Japan

By the end of the week Julia had visited one of Kyoto's hundreds of temples: Shokoku Temple

and had done some further afield touring back to Osaka where the group worked painfully hard to capture a victim from a vicious machine.

 

By Saturday the 28th of March they were fatigued from all their work during the week and set out for a taste of the famous Japanese Onsen Life. The next morning, when we talked to Julia via Skype, she said  “I’ve never been this clean before!" She also reported that it was fun, interesting, funny, and cool (plus very, very warm!) at the hot springs.

By the beginning of her second week Jules was settling in but realizing that busy was going to be a common description of her time in Japan. Her single dorm is on the third floor of an apartment building incongruously called Casa Kityama near the Kyoto Botanic Gardens.

 Her small but very nice apartment has a balcony -views of neighboring buildings, not the park though :(- with a sliding door, a single size futon, desk, etc and a small fridge and microwave (I think!). Downstairs there is a nice big fully equipped communal kitchen (no oven, which is common in Japan) where she has her own kitchen cupboard for her food and a spot in a big fridge for her perishables. This is where she will do any real cooking or group meals with other students. If you click on this map it will open in another window -somewhat larger- and you can find her area near the center at the metro stop for Kitayama. Her building is to the right of the concert hall (Basically across the streetish).

The week of March 30- April 3, after Japanese language testing for placement in classes was completed (March 25 & 26), the new students got to participate in Orientation at the University, register for classes, attend the Convocation Ceremony, and check out Club Day (There are approximately 410 clubs on or off campus!). Jules said the written testing was harder than she expected but that the oral portion was easier.  She ended up getting a level 3 on her results. She believed that all of the UC students succeeded in getting either 2, 3, or 4s in their rankings. These numbers are then used to determine what level and which courses the students can take at Doshisha. While Jules was hoping for a 4, she was just fine with a 3 after seeing how hard the testing was. 

Here is a little more on Julia's program at Doshisha- from the university's website: 

 “Center for Japanese Language and Culture, and Bekka Program (2015)

-As for the academic program on Japanese language and culture, the university has established a curriculum that allows international students to get accustomed to university life as early as possible; moreover, the university provides an opportunity for students to actualize their studies in Japan by encouraging fruitful results with academic study and research and the chance to study Japanese language and culture with a degree of depth. Regardless of being an undergraduate student (regular or special student) or graduate student (regular or special student), students are encouraged to take many courses. In this way, it is hoped that such students not only exercise their academic ability but also are able to receive unit credits. 

Japanese language subjects are offered at different levels of ability, with class allocations made on the basis of the Japanese Placement Test held before the start of each semester. 

Furthermore, as of 2008, in order to promote our Japanese language and culture program internationally and aiming at multicultural understanding, the university is offering coursework that allows students to study alongside with Japanese and foreign exchange students, alike, Japanese culture, traditional mores, history and so on. (These courses would include: “The Tradition and Beauty of Japan”, “The Tradition and Culture of Japan”, “The Tradition and Performing Arts of Japan”, “The Japanese Tradition of Noh Play”, “The Tradition and Art of Japan”, etc.). 

Cherry Blossom Season!

Meanwhile the biggest natural wonderful-season that Japan celebrates was underway right outside Jule's dorm window: Ohanami= Cherry Blossom Viewing, the act of going to take in the beauty of the season; to walk and view and witness the trees, blooms, scents and smells. And it was everywhere. 

 

 Cute Culture in Japan and Cat Cafes

Japan is a country that seems to reinvent quirky constantly, more so even than  England. That being the case, and because I find it endlessly entertaining, plus I like the idea of finding these little quirks and seeing if Julia already knows about them, I will showcase a few of these each time I post on the blog. Probably most of these will be passé to regular internet sloths, but for the grandparents out there, it may be new...

The Japanese have a love affair with small and cute. Cats, particularly Maru and Shiro, typify both. Maru who you can meet here and Shiro  who can be visited here are famous Japanese Internet cats. As a country that loves small and cute, cat cafes were a natural next step in lifestyle time-killers. But for Julia, they may end up being a hobby. So, to offer all the assistance a mother can from afar, here's your tour guide to four local cat cafes that are only a train ride away>>>>

The city of Kyoto is home to CaféMarumari (located near the Teramachi arcade- and the webpage is full of thrillingly delightful English translations courtesy of Google...truly, have a kleenex ready as you read out loud. If you open the page and it is in Japanese, cut and paste the web address into a new window's browser bar, choose and click to google search, and then select "translate this page" next to the Marumari website- use this method if any of the the translated links don't work.) and Café Cafe Nekokaigi (near Kyoto Shiyakushomae station). In Osaka’s Shinsaibashi district is Neko no Jikan, while the Cat Time Café is located in the Kita-ku ward of the city. If you can't travel to any of these delicious destinations anytime soon, watch CAT CAFES in Japan! 猫カフェに行ってみました♥  which is a tour of a cat cafe by an American student or check out Time magazine's recent article on the  topic. What I really enjoyed reading was the Yelp-like reviews of the various cafes. Yes, I too have time on my hands...

This is a review of Nekokaigi, as mentioned above, in central Kyoto- (FYI-many patrons talked in their reviews of how crowded and busy this cafe can be, including sometimes having to wait your turn to enter, so planning a visit during quieter times (earlier in day) is smart. 

"I wasn't sure what to expect of a cat cafe, but the human staff were very welcoming and explained how it works. The environment is bright and spacious, with lots of play equipment for the cats. They happily played or slept or came to meet the human company, as they pleased. I discovered Japanese cats aren't so keen on being stroked as I'm used to doing, but seem to prefer a vigorous patting motion. (Pat, Pat, he likes that.) Nekokaigi was one of the most enjoyable things I did in Japan.

The refreshments are fairly basic, but they aren't really the point. Nekokaigi is open until 8pm, with the last entry at 7pm, so it's a good late afternoon/evening activity. It is a little difficult to find, even with the directions from their website. What I would have liked to have known is that it is almost directly across Oike-dori from the end of the Teramachi Arcade. Do have the picture of the entrance from their website with you.

The absolute best thing is that you get presented with the card of one of the feline staff at the end - I have the card of Himawari, a charming tabby and white cat!" 

Yes, start collecting your cat trading cards now! I'm sure they'll be collectors items in the near future!

Dining as a Vegetarian in Japan

 What Jules did discover during her first two weeks is that being a healthy vegetarian will be a challenge while living in Japan- despite this being a nation that loves tofu. Initially, just about every eatery that she went to with the group while on their explores did not serve vegetarian entrees, so she had rice, or some kind of side of veggies (but no proteins...). While she works to find her own favorites that are a little more accommodating to her needs, here's a link that may help her from our friends at Lonely Planet. This is a tourist-friendly list of vegetarian restaurants, but they may not be in Julia's neighborhood, so that may still take some work.Thankfully, she has use of a kitchen so can cook for herself most nights and doesn't seem too perturbed by the issue. A few places that were not on the Lonely Planet list but could be map-quested or google-mapped and are a little closer to her apartment are:

Izusen at 42 Murasakino Shimomonzencho, Kita Ward, Kyoto- to the east of her and a bit pricey...

The Falafel Garden next to the Kamo River near the confluence... not exactly Japanese food... and

Morpho Cafe a vegan place down on the west side of the Imperial Palace Gardens on Horikawa-dori.

With classes set to begin on April 7^th, Jules had the weekend free to get some chores done and do a little more exploring, unfortunately, the weather was still in its spring tantrums with lots of rain and cool days. And as Jules is part cat, she wasn't thrilled with the wetness.  

 Here’s an excerpt from her last note to us: 

Not-so-great stuff: I tried to meet up with Yuuka yesterday  (Saturday, April 4^th) in Osaka, but I took the wrong train from Kyoto station. I wouldn't have been able to make it to Osaka from where I ended up until 6:30, three and a half hours after I said I would meet her, so I just went back home. When I messaged her on facebook to explain what had happened, I found out she had waited until 6:45… so I could have still made it. Which made me feel worse about the whole thing. 

I still don't have a phone. It's been raining roughly every other day, which really cuts down on my desire to go out. And I'm not sure what kind of phone I'm supposed to get, though Yuuka tells me there are some good stores in Kyoto to buy one from. I'll research that.

Good stuff: I bought and watched the new Ghibli film When Marnie Was There. It's really cute!! And it has English subtitles, which was convenient.   (Click the link and watch the trailer for When Marnie Was There.)

There's a path along a nearby river that's great for running. Plus, I see a lot of people walking their dogs there. Yay for cute dogs! I haven't seen any dog bigger than a medium-size Lab here; it's mostly small dogs. Also, it's weird to see rivers that actually have water in them.

I've been taking pictures. I have some of the aquarium I visited, cherry blossoms, and random animals. None of Doshisha yet, but I'm working one that.

 I've noticed a lot of people shorten the school's name to "Dosha" in conversation, sort of like saying "UCSC" instead of "UC Santa Cruz."

Hope everything is good at home. Love you all!

Editor Mom's  note: Yes, Dad immediately sent back some info to her that he researched about phone buying in Japan, a reminder of one of our big train travel oopsies that we made in Italy last summer (Mom & Dad's fault), and a request that she pass on to us a list of which classes she ended up registering for (we're curious about what she'll study at "Dosha"). 

So that's it so far for Julia's first couple of weeks in Kyoto- I'll post more as more comes in! Enjoy the vicarious experience and the links!!! 

Sayonara!