For some reason I woke up this morning craving scrambled eggs and toast, but I had to run off to work with just a mandarin orange thrown into my bag. I thought about fluffy just slightly set eggs and crunchy toast until lunch, and though today’s lunch of soup and pasta was good, it did nothing for my craving. So when I got home, I was on a mission to make eggs and toast for dinner, and ended up eating them as I edited some of my grad school essays.

I like my scrambled eggs to be just set and with plenty of salt, pepper and butter.

Here are the steps to how I make scrambled eggs:

Ingredients

• 2-3 eggs
• 1 tbsp salted butter
• salt and pepper

1. In a frying pan, set on the lowest possible heat, melt a generous amount of butter. I usually use about a tbsp of salted butter. Yes, I know that seems like a lot, but I never said my scrambled eggs were healthy >:)

2. While the butter is melting, lightly beat 2-3 whole eggs in a bowl.

3. Once the butter is melted in the pan, swirl the pan to make sure the butter is evenly coated and then sprinkle in salt and pepper.

4. Gently pour in the eggs (Yup, no milk to be found in this recipe)

5. Do not raise the heat, and using a wooden spatula, continuously scrape around the edges and stir the eggs.

6. Cook for about 4-5 minutes or until the eggs seem to be halfway set. Turn off the heat and move eggs to a plate. They might seem a bit underdone, but they will continue to set a bit more as they cool. Add more salt and pepper if you like.

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We left Tokyo Station at 8:30am, and drove north for 3 hours into Gunma prefecture.

The first stop on our tour was the Hara Museum ARC, which is an annex of the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo. Modern art museums are not my usual tourist spot of choice, but I was impressed with the Andy Warhol pieces as well as Yayoi Kusama’s pumpkin installation. Unfortunately. I wasn’t able to take photos of the interior installations, but the outside of the museum also had some interesting artwork on display.

Next was a stop at Ikaho Green Bokujo, which is a type of farm experience. There are ponies to be ridden, sheep to be walked and bunnies to be petted.

Then it was time for lunch! Mixed pork, beef and lamb barbecue with cabbage and bean sprouts, followed by the farm’s own vanilla ice cream

After lunch, it was time to explore the park area and see the sheep dog show. I love the Halloween decorations, it reminds me of pumpkin patches and fall festivals from back home.

After getting our fill of the Green Bokujo, it was time for a stop at the Takehisa Yumeji Museum. Takehisa Yumeji was a famous artist and poet who is famous for his unconventional painting of women and inventive prints and illustrations. There was also an annex with some lovely glass work, and the entire museum area was well designed and showcased Takehisa Yumeji’s many works.

After the museum, we were off to Ikaho Onsen Machi, starting of with a walk down the mountain side toward the central part of the hot spring town.

The red bridge is said to be the inspiration for the bridge featured in Hayao Miyazaki’s movie Spirited Away, and being in Ikaho, you can get a feel for the ambiance found in the movie. Along the easy walk down toward the town, there are quaint shops selling gifts and snacks if you get hungry on the way down.

There are 365 stone steps that pass through central Ikaho called ishidangai, starting at Ikaho shrine. The steps weave their way down in a slight zigzag pattern, and have interesting carvings and quirky shops lining them that recall a past era. You can play old-fashioned parlor games or try some konnyaku, devil’s tongue jelly, simmered in soy sauce, which is famous in Gunma.

After watching the surprise bubbles that appear along the stone steps at 5pm, we headed to the Tsukagoshiya Ryokan for a meeting and then dinner!

Everything was really fresh and surprisingly light. My favorite part was the salmon sashimi, which was sandwiched between lemon slices. I think I’m going to have to try adding citrus to my fish from now on!

In order to walk off some dinner so I didn’t sink in the onsen later, we went on a night tour of Ikaho led by the okami, the traditional female manager of the ryokan.

The hotel on the left also inspired the architecture of the ryokan shown in Spirited Away! After the tour and braving the many hills of Ikaho, we tried out the famous onsen before heading to bed. (No pictures though, sorry ;P)

The next morning, we were sent off to a hike to Haruna Shrine after a traditional Japanese breakfast at the ryokan.

It had just rained a couple of days before, so the 3km hike was a bit wet and muddy, and some parts of it were a little scary, but the natural scenery was gorgeous.

It was worth it to reach the shrine, and I survived without falling

One of the shops that line the path through the shrine area sold a variety of plums and plum flavored things, as well as miso flavored konnyaku and cucumbers. While I didn’t end up getting any pickled plums, I did go home with a bag of candied flower beans, hana mame 花豆 a specialty of Gunma. The flower beans are really good, sweet and mild flavored, they go really well with some hot tea!

Leaving the shrine, we stopped at Haruna lake to have lunch. Mizusawa udon is considered on of the best in Japan, so I was happy to be able to try it. Mizusawa style is similar to regular udon, in that it is slightly fluffy textured but it still has a firm bite. The broth was light and went well with the noodles. The deep-fried pond smelt わかさぎ sprinkled with lemon juice was also good, though I have never really gotten used to eating a whole fish, head and all.

There is nothing like working off lunch than by an impromptu paddle around the lake in a swan boat though! The lake is gorgeous, and looks like it would be a fun place to visit again when it is a bit warmer.

Our last stop before the end of our tour was the Tomioka Silk Mill, which has been listed on the tentative list of Japanese sites up for UNESCO World Heritage consideration. The silk mill was constructed in 1875, and introduced French technologies for silk production to Japan.

After a long bus ride back to Tokyo station, it was time to say goodbye.　:(  It was sad to go home, but it was an awesome trip! If you love onsen towns and seeing traditional Japan, start planning a trip to Ikaho <3

Thank you to my fellow tourism supporters and the amazing Japanese JTB staff また会いましょう～

Though the pad thai stall seemed tempting, this “dry” fishball noodle dish (mee pok) is a dish that I can’t help but associate with my childhood. In the summer, when the thought of eating a steaming bowl of noodle soup sounds daunting, my mother would make this dish instead.

You can choose from a variety of noodles, from rice noodles to egg noodles, as well as a few different types of fishballs. The flat egg noodles (mee pok) are served tossed in a scallion oil, chili paste and soy based sauce rather than in a broth, though it does come accompanied by a small bowl of soup. The noodles are salty and spicy, cooked until just tender they still retain a little bit of chew. While it may seem like there is an inordinate amount of oil in this, the scallion oil is fragrant and gives the noodles a silky texture that wouldn’t be the same without the oil. (So while your heart may shake a bit, your taste buds will thank you ;D)

 The Fuzhou style fishballs I opted for are slightly dense and mildly fish flavored as you bite into them, and the minced pork filling is a happy savory surprise that make the fishballs match well with the noodles. I love Fuzhou style fishballs 福州鱼丸,  but even in Singapore, they are harder and harder to find. (In Japan, they are nonexistent -_-)

Food Court@ Clarke Quay, Singapore

So before coming to Japan, I actually had never eaten a parfait before. I guess they just aren’t a popular dessert where I grew up. Count me among the happily converted though! In Japan, the parfait usually refers to layers of soft serve or scooped ice cream (sometimes both), whipped cream and toppings which range from cornflakes (surprisingly delicious) to custard, coffee jelly, jam or preserves, and fresh fruit piled high in a tall glass.

Recently, the one fancy fancy hotel in my city made the news with their seasonal fruit parfait, so of course we drove up the mountain to try it out. The type of parfait changes every couple months, and we were lucky to be there at the tail end of the the peach season.

I love peaches and there was very nearly a whole peach perced precariously on top of a scoop vanilla bean ice cream. The fresh peach was sweet with just a slight tang, pairing well with the mellow ice cream and the layers of thick custard and whipped cream underneath. About half way through the glass, I was surprised to find a couple layers of tangy peach preserves. I like to think of parfaits as the dessert that becomes more complex as you eat your way down to the bottom of each glass. I will admit, I was wishing for some crunchy cornflakes, but the extra spoonful of preserves at the very bottom was a nice surprise.

Fujiya Fruits Park Hotel@ Yamanashi City, Japan

Just looking at this picture makes me want another kakigori!

I took another trip to Nagoya a couple months ago, and went to this tiny shop in the market district for quite possibly the best shaved ice of my life. The green tea syrup was not too sweet and not too bitter, and there is plenty of condensed milk. What sets it apart from other kakigori that I’ve had is the texture of the ice. Many places use crushed ice, similar to a snow cone, but this shop uses very finely shaved ice. It melts in your mouth really smoothly, and holds the syrup well, instead of letting it all sink to the bottom of the bowl.This shaved ice was really big, but I somehow managed to eat the entire thing ^_^

@Nagoya, Japan

Speaking of silicon cook and bakeware, they are suddenly very popular in Japan. There have been a ton of mooks (magazine books) coming out with recipes and free cookware, including everything from vegetable steamers to cake molds. Baking with silicon molds is being promoted as being the “healthy” option for making donuts, cakes and even churros. I don’t know if it is actually healthier, but it does make me want to fill my kitchen with rainbow colored bakeware! Baked donuts are leading the boom, popping up everywhere from Mister Donut to my local supermarket bakery. I can only assume that is why it was impossible to find a full sized silicon mold for donuts!

Using the mold is simple, we just made a batter using a store bought pancake mix, eggs, milk and butter. Then we added cocoa powder, green tea powder and kinako (roasted soybean) powder to make different flavored donuts. After spooning the batter into our mold, we baked the donuts for 1o minutes, let them cool, and started decorating.

It was an awesome way to spend a rainy Sunday morning. The only downside? Now all I can think about is other flavors of donuts and icing that still need to be tested!

I know I really have no excuse for having been in Japan for 3+ years, and not making a pilgramage to Tsukiji. Some people have threatened to revoke my “foodie card” so to speak. So when a friend who shares my food obsession was in town for the Tokyo marathon in February, it was decided that we would make the trek out for breakfast sushi at 8am, and forgo the tuna auction earlier in the morning.

Nothing will wake you up faster than the smell of fish in morning! This are crates of dried bonito, or katsuobushi, which you might find as the main flavor component to Japanese dashi stock, or as tissue thin shavings atop an okonomiyaki. I seriously considered buying a bag of the freshly shaved bonito. However, sushi was calling us, so we headed to Sushizanmai.

Starting off with some tuna nigiri and kanimiso. The tuna was really fresh tasting, and the kanimiso is probably the best I’ve ever had. Sometimes kanimiso can be too stinky and salty that the crab flavor is completely obscured, but this was perfectly balanced, with a deep sea taste that made me want to order another right away.
However, there was other sushi to be had!

Tuna prepared 5 ways:
(left to right from the bottom left)
大トロ　really fatty tuna
中トロ　medium fatty tuna
赤身　tuna
あぶりまぐろ　lightly seared tuna
まぐろ手巻き　tuna hand roll

Even though Sushizanmai isn’t one of the fancy places to eat in Tsukiji, I thought the quality of the sushi was good. The tuna was some of the best I’ve had, and I would go back for the kanimiso

From the middle of April, I start to keep an eye on the wagashi corner of the grocery store, and do a little happy dance when I spot them for the first time in the season. Because these sweets definitely  have a season!  Wait more than a few days after the 5th of May, and you’ll have to wait another year before they come back.  While I like red bean mochi, and generally enjoy the taste of sweet bean paste, sometimes the tooth aching sweetness can be a bit too much even for me.

Miso an filled kashiwa mochi is at once sweet and salty, the miso paste lends a depth of flavor missing from regular red bean paste, making the filling taste almost creamy. I guess adding the miso to the filling is the same concept as adding flaky sea salt to a chocolate cookie, or salted caramels, the salty taste accenting the taste of the white bean paste and preventing the filling from being overly sweet. It’s difficult even in Japan to find wagashi shops that still make miso an kashiwa mochi, but if by chance you do find a place selling them, please give them a try!

This recipe makes sugar cookies that are slightly crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. They are simple and not perfect, but exactly what I wanted to munch on while curled up with some tea and watching back episodes of Good Eats.

Ingredients:

• 100g butter, salted, softened
• 200g powdered sugar
• 2 eggs
• 250g flour
• 20g baking powder
• 1tsp salt
• 1tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

—————
1. Preheat oven to 170C. In a medium bowl, cream softened butter and powdered sugar together until well combined, and until it lightens in color and is slightly fluffy. (use a stand mixer if you like)
2. Mix in eggs, one at a time until well combined.
3. Stir in vanilla extract, almond extract and nutmeg
4. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking power and salt, then add it to the butter and sugar mixture. Stir well.
5. Use a spoon or cookie scoop to drop roughly golf ball sized balls of dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are just about to turn a pale golden brown. Bake less for softer cookies, and a bit longer if you like your cookies crisp.

**while I tend to just eat these cookies as they are, I’m pretty sure they would be fantastic frosted, or rolled in sugar as well.

The area where I grew up didn’t have a Costco nearby, so when I went for the first time, I was romanced by the tasty polish dogs (only a buck fifty, and it comes with a drink!) and the sheer fact that I could buy a 10 pound can of ketchup, 50 black Sharpies, a sofa, and pumpkin pie the size of a large pizza if I so desired. In college, I had a job that required me to buy food to feed large quantities of people at a time, and for a while, purchasing 4 flats of muffins, and 2 lb cans of hot cocoa mix was normal. Oversized food is one thing, Costco sized food is another. For some reason, I find ridiculously large food, or large quantities of food inherently comical and interesting. (on the flip side, I also find extra small food funny and amazing as well )

 So what does Costco have to do with cheese crackers? As my mother says, I sometimes have eyes bigger than my stomach. The last time I went to Costco in Japan, I was persuaded into buying a 2 lb brick of sharp cheddar cheese. (they didn’t have to try hard) I think you can guess where this goes…but the short of it is I ended up having a half a block left, and needed to use it all quickly before the cheese spoiled. I did think about just gnawing on the block, but decided that cheese crackers were the more socially acceptable option.

Easy Cheese Crackers

Ingredients:

• 500g sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
• 300g whole wheat flour
• 100g white flour
• 100g butter, cut into small cubes
• 15g black pepper, to taste
• 30g garlic powder
• 3-6 tbsp milk, as needed
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt

——–
1. Combine wheat flour, white flour, salt, pepper, garlic power, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and mix well. If you want your crackers to taste more of pepper, you can add more if you like.
2. Add butter, and rub it into the dry ingredients with your hands. 3. Mix in grated cheese, rubbing it into the flour as well.
4. Add milk a little at a time, until the dough can be roughly formed into a ball.
(Note: if you have a food processor, you can do steps 1-4 by adding the ingredients into the pood processor and pulsing until the dough is comebined. I don’t have one, so I did everything by hand)
5. Split into thirds, and roll out the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap until it is roughtly thinner than a quarter of a inch thick.

6. Using a pizza cutter (or a pie crust cutter) cut the dough into desired shapes.
7. Place onto parchment or cooking paper with space inbetween each cracker, and bake for 11-13 minutes at 170C until the tops are golden brown, adding 30 sec-1 minute if you prefer your crackers to be crunchier.
8. Cool on a wire rack.
Perfect for using up cheese, and goes great with dips or with some tomato soup.