Today is Juyoga (15th night) or Tsukimi (Moon Viewing) to honor the autumn moon. The celebration of the full moon typically takes place on the 15th day of the eighth month of the traditional Japanese calendar. On this day, we decorate susuki (Japanese Pampas Grass) and eat Tsukimi Dango (Moon viewing dumplings) to celebrate this festival. As our country has historically been a agricultural society, this festival was originally celebrated to thank the god by presenting the first harvest of the season while admiring the full moon. You can a easy recipe of my moon viewing dumplings here . For more info on the moon viewing day please visit the Wikipedia
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It's October already, and the city now is filled with Halloween Decoration. The Halloween has become huge in the recent years and you will see loads of people dressed in costumes in Shibuya on Halloween night I think this has to do with the popularity of SNS here in Japan, where people can easily post what's happening real time.
For me, it's time to make pumpkin pie. If you hadn't checked out my Tofu Pumpkin Pie recipe, please go to my recipe page, and here you will see a very easy to make healthier option of the traditional American pumpkin pie. During our stay we had great food thanks to my sister's recommendation which was almost identical to the recommendation by my hairdresser who is from Hakodate. So if you cover what we have eaten, you have pretty much covered the best places to eat in Hakodate! 1. Uni Murakami (Sea Urchin Restaurant) If you love sea urchins, this is definitely the place to go. They have fresh salt water sea urchins that you usually cannot get elsewhere. (Most sea urchins in the market are treated with alum to keep its shape). They have other menus too if you are not fond of sea urchins. We tasted two kinds of sea urchins as you see in this photo. For more details : Hokkaido Travel Net 2. Asari Honten (Sukiyaki Restaurant) This most famous sukiyaki restaurant in Hakodate run by a butcher. That's why you can have the best wagyu at a reasonable price, and has been the local's favorite since 100 years ago. The building is very old and traditional style. It seems like they have no intention to profit from serving alcohol, as we asked for an all you can drink option and they said that we can bring our own drinks! For More Info: Travel Hakodate 3. Kaiju (Seafood) This seafood restaurant was just around the corner from our Hotel. You can get very very fresh seafood, right out of the tank. The squid's legs were still moving on the plate! For more info : Trip Advisor 4. Restaurant Sekkatei Gotoken Honten (Curry & Western Food) This is a long-established restaurant which opened in 1879. The building itself is a national cultural property. They don't take booking for lunch, so expect a queue. But you won't be bored as they have a small museum by the waiting room which tells about the history of the hotel. It's famous for their curry dishes but they serve other western dishes as well. For More Info : Travel Hakodate 5. Lucky Pierrot (Hamburgers) If you ask a local, this would probably be their most favorite restaurant. (The cab driver said so) This hamburger chain only exists in Hakodate, so I new nothing of it until my hairdresser told me about it. Voted the best local hamburger in Japan, despite its unique decor (every shop has its own theme). they serve very tasty burgers! We went to the one by our hotel, The Marina Bay Suehiro Branch which is on the waterfront and has a souvenir shop in the restaurant. For more info; Travel Japan 6. Breakfast Buffet at the La Vista Bay Hakodate
Ever since we planned our trip to Hakodate, we have been trying to get a booking for this hotel, which was not easy as it is probably the most popular place to stay. It is conveniently located on the Waterfront next to the Kanamori Red Brick warehouse. But what makes it special is their breakfast buffet which has been voted as the nation's best hotel breakfast. Just be sure to go there with plenty of time as it may get crowded during early hours and you might wait half hour to be seated. (We almost missed our morning sightseeing tour) For More Details: La Vista Bay Hakodate Our family holiday this year took place in Hakodate, a city located in the south end of Hokkaido Island. This trip was sponsored by my parents who live in Tomakomai city which is located on the south coast about 30 minutes from Sapporo Chitose Airport. My two sisters and their hubbies were invited on this trip so we had a big family reunion. We took the Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo stopping on the way at Hiraizumi, Iwate to visit the world heritage temples and stayed one night at Aomori. My sister who visited Hakodate last year knew very well on where to dine, together with the information I collected from my hairdresser, who is from Hakodate, we had the best Hakodate dining experience, which I will write about it in my blog later on. If you are going there by air, a weekend trip is just enough to enjoy Hakodate as the tourist attractions are quite limited in the city. (There are a lot of attractions outside the city as well) I've written a short description and a link to details along with some travel trips. You can plan your trip by arriving on Saturday morning. Having lunch, then having a stroll at Motomachi looking at the historic architecture, then dinner, afterwards going up to Mt Hakodate for the night view. Day two can start off to going to Goryokaku Tower (and Trapistine Monestry if you like) in the morning, then lunch and finish off with shopping at the Red Brick Warehouse. You might want to leave on Monday morning if you want to enjoy another night of a good meal. For more information on Hakodate Sightseeing please visit : Hakodate Official Travel Guide 1. . Motomachi Area A former residential area for foreign traders. We visited the Public Hall and The Old British Consulate. You can get a pass to visit multiple places at the entrance of each building. We bought a pass for 500 yen to visit the 2 places. For more info : Japan Guide.com 2. Mt. Hakodate night view We went to the top of the mountain by ropeway - a big mistake! The waiting line to get on the returning ropeway was so long and stressful, and they packed so many people in the car as if we were cattle. If you do not want to waste an hour standing in line, I strongly recommend you to get a cab as it will cost only 4,000 - 5,000 yen round trip and well worth it if you are travelling in a group of 3 or 4 as the ropeway fare is 1280 yen round trip (as of Aug. 2017) per person. The hotel we stayed at had a car sharing tour to go up the mountain twice a day which we failed to check. By the way, the view was great. For more info : Mt Hakodate Ropeway 3. Goryokaku Tower An observatory that overlooks the star shaped visita that shines on the grounds of Goryokaku Fort, a historic spot. You can also catch the views of the mountains and the Tsugaru Strait. For more info :Goryokaku Official Website 4. Trappistine Convent Japan's first convent built in the 19th century featuring a mix of Gothic and Romanesque style. It's located out of the city and it was part of a tour we went on along with the Goryokaku Tower & Fortress. For more info : Travel Hakodate 5. Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse
Brick warehouses from past trading days along the waterfront in the bay area redeveloped into an atmospheric shopping, dining and entertainment complex. We went on a short 15 minute boat ride out to the bay which was really fun. (1500 yen for adults) For more info : Kanemorei Red Brick Warehouse official site Last week we went to a Japanese Restaurant near Meguro Station called Shokuraku Tatata(食楽太太太)which is a branch of one of the most popular Japanese restaurant in Meguro called Wasosaku Ta (和創作太) Both places have the same system where you only have one course menu at 4500 yen. You can choose the main course, which was Pork Shabu Shabu, Stewed Fish and Grilled Wagu when we went. The course meal finishes off with a onigiri and a bowl of miso soup.You can choose a la carte from 9 pm. Booking in advance is recommended as Tatata is just as popular as Ta but has more table seats (Ta has only tables seating two and counter seats which makes it even harder to get a booking on top of its popularity) So if you want to enjoy seasonal Japanese dishes but not an izakaya and not as hi-end as some Kaiseki restaurants, Tatata is a really good choice. Adress: 2-15-2 Kamiosaki | B1F Meguro Business Mansion, Shinagawa TEL:+81 3-6721-9432 Trip Advisor Reviews Facebook Page Last weekend we had lunch at the Soholm restaurant in Tennozu. The restaurant serving Scandinavian cuisine is a little out of the way, but has a very relaxing atmosphere with good food. It specializing in gibier (game) with venison and boar this time of the year. The seats facing the canal is great if its not too hot. (It was very hot the day we went so we sat inside, which was also quite nice.) The portions were sufficient (compared to many other Japanese restaurants) and 1,500 yen for a holiday lunch consisting of a 2 course meal + coffe/tea is a good value. The only disappointment for me was that the glass of wine was only 1/3 full and it cost 800 yen! The deck by the canal is a great place to have stroll if the weather is nice. Next time we will try the bakery cafe next to the TY Harbor restaurant which also faces the canal. SOHOLM website Last month I attended a seminar to learn more about styling Japanese food. This seminar has been very informative and inspiring, I will definitely implement it in my future classes.
As you may all noiticed, we Japnease eat not only with our mouth but also with our eyes, that's why the way we present the meal is very important. The concept of food styling is strongly connected with the beautiful scenery in our country that changes every season. We try to replicate the scenery on the table using different table wares and garnishes that are right for the season, This is what makes the Japanese cuisine so unique and different from the other cuisines of the world. Japanese food presentation is also based on the Yin Yang theory that comes from China. And based on this theory, we categorize everything that surrounds us into Yin(陰)and Yang (陽). The Japanese cuisine sees odd numbers as Yang and even numbers as Yin . Three, which is an odd number plays an important part in Japanese food presentation. A combination platter is always presented in 3 or 5 kinds. The composition on the plate is a triangle shape (Higher behind and lower in the front). Food is piled in a mountain shape (which looks like a triangle from the side) And, we leave 30% space on the plate, so lots of 3s! There is much more (including must-follow rules in presenting a plate) to this which was new to me, but I won't go into details, if anyone is interested, just let me know in class. Summer holiday is over and classes will start next week. Please check my Class Calendarclass calendar for dates. You can also contact me for other dates to book. We had my friend's 17 year old daughter from Germany staying with us in July, During her stay we took her around Tokyo and on a weekend we drove out of Tokyo to see Mount Fuji. On the way we stopped at the Odawara Castle. This Castle is probably the closest Japanese Castle from Tokyo, and can easily be accessed by car and train as it is only short distance from the motorway and the train station. It's also a short distance from Hakone. It was renovated last year and inside the castle is a museum displaying the samurai armors and historical artifacts. I've only been to the castle in my husband's hometown, Himeji. The Himeji Castle is known to be the most beautiful castle in Japan, appearing in a couple of foreign films such as 007 and KILL BILL. Compared to the Himeji Castle, the castle ground are more compact and the castle tower not as elegant, but still it is impressive. Too bad there are no English subtitles in the video being played inside the museum and not much of the explanation boards are translated in other languages. For more info on Odawara Castle : Japan Guide.com Odawara City My cooking class will be closed for summer holiday from tomorrow, which is a national holiday in Japan. My children will be home most of the time now as the summer cram school is over and that would make it a bit difficult to do classes in my dining room. Thank you for your understanding.
My wagashi class has been popular during summer, making seasonal motifs such as sun flower, morning glory and gold fish in water. Although the sakura is not a summer flower, I will still do this one as it is my favorite as you can see on my logo. From September, we will be doing the autumn motifs such as the persimmon, chrysanthemum, and maybe something with autumn colors. We will be going to Hakodate City in Hokkaido on the bullet train to spend time with my family. It's great that I have recovered from all my illness and strong enough to travel. I look forward to doing more classes in September. If you would like to book a class just let me know. Have a great summer holiday! ( I will still be updating this blog during summer!) Miyuki Yesterday, I attended a seminar sponsored by Takara Shuzo, a major liquor company in Japan. I've been using their cooking wine in class, so I was keen on learning more about their product. The seminar started with a presentation on the characteristics of Takara's cooking wine. The major difference in their cooking wine which made it my first choice in choosing their product is that they do not add salt to their sake. Most cooking sake in the market is added with salt together with other additives. The reason behind this is that it makes it unfit for drinking, so the liquor tax can be avoided and shops which do not have a liquor license can also handle the product. Although it will be cheaper, it does sacrifice the taste and the characteristics of sake. Sake is one of the most important condiments in Japanese Cooking along with soy sauce and mirin, It has so much benefits you can not do without it. I've written more about this in my Grocery Guide Page, so if you are interested, please have a look. The presentation was followed by a demo by the Chef of La Bonne Table, who used sake for cooking French Cuisine. The seminar ended with an extravagant lunch prepared by La Bonne Table. All the dishes used Takara's cooking sake which surprisingly was a great match with French dishes. |
AuthorI'm Miyuki and I teach Japanese Home cooking at my home in Tokyo. Archives
February 2021
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