Photos by DJ

Kit Kat Jackpot!

Two new Kit Kat flavors were released here yesterday.  (Thanks Julie for the head's up!)  So, after dinner, we headed into Zushi in search of Ume Soda (plum soda) and ChocoMango.  Not only did we find them, we also found two new flavors to us too.  Not sure how long they've been out, but we picked up a Limited Edition custard and Kinako, toasted soy flour.  (Here's an interesting blog on Japanese snacks.)

 

This is the plum soda.  Ever have a green Kit Kat?  Like I said before, we've never had a bad Kit Kat experience, even with all these wild flavors.  This one was no exception and was pretty wild.  Not much to talk of until after the first couple of chews, and then the flavor just explodes!  Very yummy.

 

This is a mixed bag of both choco and mango.  Not sure of the real specifics.  We only tried the Mango one and it wasn't too bad.  Much more subtle in taste than the Ume.  You can buy Kit Kats here in a variety of sizes.  This is a bag of mini bars.  You can also get just the mango in a two pack too.

Here are the two extras we found.  We walked all around Zushi going to all the convinient stores, before finding the new flavors at the  train station, all we had to do was go right instead of left.  (We got them at the circle, heart, star store.) But then we wouldn't have found these others! 

 

Custard, again a very subtle taste.

 

Kinako.  We didn't know what these were when we first tried them.  They're chocolate, but not quite.  Again, still tasty.  These are bite size balls, almost like a malted ball of chocolate.

It's rather interesting to do blog searches of Japanese Kit Kats.  They're quite the craze amongst foreigners.  Not sure if the Japanese get as excited about them as we do, but it's sure a fun treat. 

Candy, Carfts and Corners

Time for a little update and catch-up.  Aren't I always trying to catch-up?  I have three photos to share today from this week. 

 

This was taken near the Kanazawa Hakei station.  It's actually the corner of a building.  Hubby was able to position himself well and zoom in.

 

I don't have a model the right size for this, but I finished my first hat this week!  I used circular needles and this was actually quite easy.  I'm very happy with how it turned out. Not sure what my next project will be, but I'd like to try making socks--my knitting group assures me they're very easy.

 

A new pack of kit-kats!  We got these in Tokyo last week.  Espresso Coffee.  Haven't tried them yet, but our friends said they were very good.  We've actually not had a kit kat we haven't liked.

Shibuya

We went into to Tokyo yesterday for a fun-filled day.  Our stop this time was Shibyua and a new one for us.  Shibyua is like the "Times Square" of Tokyo and was a lot of fun despite the crowds.  We went during commute time though which was a big mistake, but at least we were in town early.  We have gotten used to the crowds here and so long as you don't have to squeeze your way on to the trains, it's not that bad.

 

Shibuya has a famous resident, Hachiko.  He's a bronze statue outside the station of an Akita and has quite a story behind him.  Apparently Richard Gere is doing a re-make of the story.  I didn't know he had such a passion for things Japanese, but this will be his second Japanese re-make.  Did you ever see Shall We Dance?  We actually saw the original in Italy long ago and prefer the Japanese version to the American, but it was still a good movie.

 

Getting off the commuter express from Yokohama to Shibuya.

 

Before

 

During, not so bad!

Kit Kats

I know I've posted before about the abundance of Kit Kat varieties we can get here in Japan.  This weekend, Dale found a new one, the 150th Anniversary of Yokohama edition.  We didn't know what flavor they were until after we tried, but that didn't stop us.  It was very good too!  We found out that they're caramel and salt.  Not exactly two flavors I'd put together, but the Japanese aren't afraid of putting any flavor out there.  A friend of mine recently posted about some interesting ones on her blog: Dollars to Yen.  This is actually great blog, by the way, she gets out and does a lot!

Note to Self. . .

 

If I arrive at our little train station and there are more than the dozen or so people waiting, and the train already arrives full, it's probably not a good idea to try to go into Tokyo.  I was crazy though and got on and it took me THREE hours to make it my destination, the Japan Hobby Show.

 

I suppose the good thing about arriving as late as I did, was that I didn't have to wait in the long admission lines.  So there was a plus.  The show was very nice.  ALL kinds of crafts and hand's on activities.  I got a few new ink pads, and in the end, I was glad I went for it.  Although, considering it only took me an hour to get back home, it was a rather crazy day.

2 May

I'm back with a photo of the day!  Although at this point, it might as well be called photo of the week.  I haven't been very good lately at snapping my daily shots.  It's just been a busy time and no time to shoot, not to mention just out right forgetting.  This is customer appreciation weekend at our base and they had some special guests for the event.  One of the groups that came is the Vans Bmx and Skateboard team.  Not really into that kind of thing, but it was still pretty cool.  We also caught some hats and a shirt so not too bad.  Hubby, being as tall as he is, had the camera and got some good shots, including this one--if I had the camera, we would have seen just the backs of people.

 

I used Topaz Adjust to alter the photo.

Photo of the Day update

Don't really have a story today, just some recent daily photos.  The weather has been gorgeous, so today we went down to the playground.  There was a hawk checking us out.  They're pretty aggressive, one tried to get a bag from my husband while he was getting in the car not too long ago, another took off with one of the boys' toy cars.

 

Yesterday I woke up to this.  I don't think it needs an explanation.

 

Finally, we've entered the 21st Century and got not only digital cable, but also one with a DVR.  Wow!  Were we really missing out.  Our son has taken the most advangage of being able to record shows and discovered that he can even record more than one show at a time.  It is nice to not have to miss a show.  Better yet, being able to rewind what you're currently watching!

The Japanese Love Their Pets

Today we went out and explored, stopping at a near-by mall.  We knew there was a Lego store there, but weren't sure what else to expect.  It was surprising at how "western" the mall was.  We have gotten used to how much the Japanese love their pets and how much they like to have them with them.  They take their dogs everywhere.  We had heard about the pet stores at the mall, but what we saw really took us by surprise.  The magnatude to their obsession is crazy.

 

  

These little guys were parked outside the pet store.  Not just any pet store, but  one to the extreme specializing in EVERYTHING you could imagine--and sometimes not quite imagine--for your dog or cat.  There were clothes, jewlery, food.  You name it!

  

  

Awhile ago, while still in Korea, we caught a show on Animal Planet about the pet obsession in Japan.  One of their features was on the gourmet food that one can purchase for your pet.  These pets are so pampered that regular dog food just won't cut it.  The "snack" bar was located in the middle of the store.

 

  

If you look closely, you'll see that they have included the caloric intake of the treats as well.  Sorry it's a bit blurry, but I don't like taking pictures in stores.

We spent a lot of time exploring the store.  The boys really enjoyed it and especially had fun looking in the toy section.  I guess the scary thing was that this wasn't the only pampered pet store in the mall, there were at least two more!

  

This store had more licensed items.  Lots of Snoopy, Disney, Peter Rabbit. Do you need a Peter Rabbit raincoat with matching carrier for your pooch?

After enjoying some Cold Stone ice cream, mmmmmm. We explored the rest of the mall and came to a specialty food store that had EVERYTHING imaginable from just about anywhere.  It was really funny to see Old El Paso taco shells right there next to the Spam and Candadian Maple Syrup.  What really caught our eye though was the pasta section.  It had our favorite Italian Pasta and right beside it, Kraft Mac and Cheese!  However, the $10 can of Kraft Paramesan was amusing.  It's always fun to compare prices of everyday American products that we can get and what they cost out in town.  Philly Cream Cheese was almost $5!

  

(I took this from well outside the store.)

Finally, we were left with Garlic Joe's eatery and some interesting pizza.

 

Not too sure about this one. 

 

Kamakura, Take 2

Today we took advantage or our day off and went as a family to Kamakura.  This was our first trip back since that crazy trip last year in unbearable heat, humidity and pouring rain.  What a difference!  The cherry blossoms have definitely peaked and it doesn't look like they'll be around much longer.  We could really see the difference just since our little expedition on Friday.  We got an early start hoping to beat the crowds and had plenty of wonderful sites all to ourselves.  Unlike Friday when it was all Japanese tourists, today the Europeans and Australians were out and about. 

We went first to the Great Buddha, one of my favorite landmarks.  GORGEOUS!

 

  

My husband noticed this roof tile.

From here, we walked back down the street to the Hasedera Temple.  This has got to be one of the most beautiful, peaceful places, especially when not very crowded.

 

  

  

When I think of the cherry blossoms, I think of these above.  The light pink creating clouds of blossoms.  However, there are many varieties and quite the range of colors.

  

After a quick lunch at the golden arches--have to keep the kids happy--we headed down the Dankazura, the main street in Kamakura, to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. 

  

  

  

The ponds and streets are becoming quite littered in blossom snow.

I like to play with my pictures in Photoshop, and had fun with this one using a plug-in.

   

 

Culture Clash

Today we went to the Cherry Blossom Festival on base.  This was a celebration that included the Japanese public and it was fun to watch how they interpreted "American culture."  They were buying up the pizzas and bags of chips.  Enjoying hot dogs and hamburgers.  The best though, was watching a group of Japanese women eat nachos. . . with chopsticks!  Who knew.  The weather wasn't bad, but the skies were gray so it really detracted from the cherry blossoms that have just about peaked here.  It won't be long before it's snowing blossoms, covering the ground in light pink petals.