Traffic ---> Italian and Crazy Stores!

A few days back I took the kids out to grab lunch on a rainy Saturday. Daddy was gone, so the kids and I were excited to explore a new place. Well, traffic had different plan. We couldn't get anywhere near the place. Not even close.  

So, I pulled out my brand of Cra-Zy and turned their whining complaints into a goofy song. Laughing made the standstill traffic so much easier to stand. We tried for over an hour to get closer to the place, but eventually gave up.

Out came the cellphone and into Google went "family restaurants in Japan". Wouldn't you know, there was a "Fast Food Italian" chain restaurant about 3 miles from where we were. It sounds close, right? Well, that 3 miles took us about 49 minutes, but we got there.

The place was... well it was rundown. That is putting it nicely. Most places in Japan are incredibly clean. This place was like old wallpaper and 70's decoration. But, the tables and food looked clean.

I asked the kids if we should try to find something else. They just looked at me. And all four- at the same time- shook their heads "NO!"

Yes, it is difficult to find places and travel around in Japan. The kids can only take it so long. I can only take about 30 seconds longer than they can. We stayed at Saizeriya.

The waitress was incredibly friendly, the food was pretty good and the cost was low. The kids got 'typical' Italian pasta dishes, like broccoli and penne.

Baby girl got the kids meal. It is really the only choice, other than pasta, and she was not "in a pasta mood". Whatever. The dish was sausage and meat, which my carnivore loved. But that's not why I am showing you this picture. Her dish allows me explain an interesting phenomenon that I have not seen outside of Japan. 

Clearly, Japan is known for eating a ton of rice. It is served all day long, at almost every meal.  Somewhere along the way someone must have gotten sick of plain old rice. They decided to add "shakey" flavors to their cool creations. Now, the flavors are vast and widely available. My kids favorite flavor is "egg" or "egg and veggie". They love plain rice as well, but is stick the flavor packets in their lunch every now and again to keep things interesting. 

You can also see on her plate a small almost jelly-size packet that has an apple on it. That is a cross between a fruit cup and jello. You open the package and swallow the whole thing at once. What? Wouldn't that be a chocking hazard you ask? I thought so the first time, so I tested it. It dissolves so quickly that chocking is jot an issue. Taste, however is a tad questionable in my opinion. 

We also ordered "corn pottage". Miso soup is the most common here, but several places carry corn pottage. The interesting thing about this one, besides the random swirl of cream, was that the soup is served cold. Yep, cold. I was surprised, but we liked it.

Another new found favorite of the kiddos is Melon Fanta. It is less carbonated that some of the drinks here. I think they get it because it looks cool to drink bright green liquid? (I have no idea why, but most of the sodas here knock you down they are so overly carbonated. And don't get me started on the tragedy of coke zero here. Dreadful what has happens to that taste translation!)

All in all Saizeriya was an average, fast-food Italian joint for these Americans in the heart of Japan. Wow, that's a weird sentence. Wow, that's my life :)


There were a few store fronts I wanted to tell you about. Japan has some pretty good shopping. It is not all really exciting to me, but the names of the stores crack me up! I just had to share a couple of them. 

Here we are walking towards the shopping center. It is officially 'outside' under the awning in the middle of the picture. It is a little rough to truly shop when you are freezing in the winter and burning up in the summer. Somehow, if I need something bad enough, I can manage.

Welcome to "Wants". Hubby says they need a store next door called "Needs". Then, we could teach our children- and the rest of America- how to use money responsibly!

There are more and more American companies moving over to Japan. I had never heard of "Mister Donut", but our friend from CT said she had one growing up. Their donuts aren't that great in general, but they give us a little taste of home.

You don't like Mister Donut? Well, feel free to to walk next door to grab a slimy squid!

 Or, do you need a massive ET? You can have this one for about $500! 

You know you have ALWAYS wanted to go to the "Yellow Submarine"! Now you can and while you are there you can book a trip with this crazy named travel agency.

There apparently is a massive run on Australian Jean Stores? Why else would you name a store "Jeans Mate"?

Then there is the ever.so.random clothing store name "Womb". My only problem with it is it is a store for MEN? Seriously, do men want to shop at a 'womb'?

We have some amazing friends with the last name Amos. Low and behold I found THEIR store! "Amos Style" would be a sure hit with the man of that house!

Finally, another couple of very wild burgers served at McDonalds here. Right now it is the Hawaiian season. I have no idea why. Here is what the eatery.com says about the new fare, "Hawaiian Barbecue Pork Burger, which features a pork patty topped with pulled pork "slow cooked for four hours," plus coleslaw and pickles. The Loco Moco burger will feature two burger patties, a cooked egg, lettuce, and a gravy sauce.

I enjoy seeing new places to both shop and eat. I giggle at the names, and cry a little at the tiny sizes :)

Have a blessed day in your world- where ever you are!

Sippin' on Sweet Tea,

~Aggie Amy

Bits & Pieces of Life in Japan

Every place you live there is a set of "new rules" or things that are typical for that location.

In Texas, it is totally normal for you to order "tea" and receive sweet tea. God bless that beautiful piece of heaven!

Traveling through New Jersey when you pull into a gas station, it is understood that someone else will fill up your car for you while you sit inside the vehicle. You will also pay less for your gas here. Go figure. 

Head to Germany and it will take three hours to eat dinner. Even then you will have to beg for a check, because dinner is considered a social event that lasts ..forever.. I mean, that lasts for most of the evening.

When visiting in Moscow, you better keep your head down and your smiling face completely neutral. Otherwise, it is obvious you do not belong. Russians don't smile at strangers. Come to think of it, Russians don't really smile much at all. 

Well, in Japan there are definite ways of life as well. Some I can explain because I've learned the background. Others leave me clueless. Don't worry, I'm used to being clueless in certain areas. It keeps me humble.

Here are a few random tidbits we have learned while living and traveling in Japan.

* Men are Hungrier? There are two sizes of meals for adults. A "male" meal is about 50% larger than a female version. The meals cost the same amount of ¥ though. Women are smaller, and they "want to stay that way", as one local told me. They considered it offensive when a woman eats says much as a man. They even have different size Bento boxes for making lunches to take to work. The female version is not much bigger than two kid's juice boxes. Oh, that's how they stay so thin.

* They are on the Move! Their homes are not only tiny (like I have explained before), but the homes are also multi-leveled. This means that no matter what the age of the oocupants they must climb stairs and move around a lot. They also eat while seating basically on the floor. (There are thin mats to sit on, but they are no thicker than a beach towel folded in half.) Three meals a day, for their entire lives, they do a squats to get up and down to the incredibly short table. When was the last time you do some squats on the floor to eat. I not even 40 and the floor is really far down there! How do they do it at 90?

* Working 9 to 105!  (No blog is complete without a little Dolly Parton reference.) There is no reason to stop working here. They will find a job, any job for any one who wants to work. There are people working the crosswalks, washing down the sidewalks, watching out for walkers when construction workers are digging.... You name it. 

They are greeters at Mcdonalds, which is said "Ma-coo-do-na-el-das" here ~ just to confuse every.single.visitor to the country. Every other country I have ever been to pronounces McDonalds, like we do in the States. Japan makes it a 6 to 7 syllable word end pending on who is speaking. I digress.

Allowing the elders of the country to work doesn't seem to be about money, although I am sure it is occasionally. Most of all it seems to be about giving the seniors a purpose. 

When they are not working, every senior citizen plays some type of recreation in their town. They are everywhere! They come out in hoards during the day when the children are at school. All the local parks and fields are flooded with crocquet and mini golf, frisbee and some game that looks like boucee. 

Seriously, it is like the whole town became an "active seniors resort"! I want to stop and take pictures, but I may not sure how well that would go over. It is a fabulous system to keep their elders active, healthy and challenged. Plus, they are plugged in to a group so if something went wrong people would know to check on the missing senior. Their population not only lives longer, but lives much healthier than ours because they move, work longer and stay more active. Lightbulb moment anyone?

* Sit Tall, but be Bowlegged?  What? Let me just put it out there. 

A large number of the Japanese women we see have wonderful posture sitting down. They sit so tall you almost forget how short they are. Weird, but true. In restaurants you can look around and not see a single female who is slouching a bit. As if a pole from the ceiling went straight down their backs, they sit that straight up. But, then it happens. They stand up and start walking. It is just a mess for most females 30 and younger. It apparently started when their desire to walk in ever taller heels. They "copied the runway models" and put one foot in front of the other while turning their toes completely out. They look like the "omega" sign when they walk. They are beautiful, poised and precise... while being totally bowlegged. I'm not sure why. I have tried to ask, but there is not a polite way to say this. Really. I've tried.
 

* Females lack a certain American "necessity". This is a little awkward to discuss, but in the interest of education I am going to tell you the whole story. We explore in grocery stores. You can find out a ton about a country and her people in a grocery store. After multiple stores and looking around for weeks I discovered a interesting factoid. This island doesn't sell tampons. I have no idea why. I certainly am not asking about that one! I an ag see that getting truly lost in translation. Just a random truth to share with the lady blog world. Another weird fact, toilet paper comes in scent and crazy prints. 

 

* Germaphobics Galore!  My sweet sister-in-law would love this aspect of Japan. They are Germ FREAKS! I say that in the kindest sort of way. 

There are sinks in all the resturants out wash your hands without having to go into the bathroom. Awesome idea.

 

There are also anti-bacterial towelettes given to each diner at every single restuarant. Ritzy places or hole.in.the.wall joint. You will have a towelettes. Don't even think about using that thing as a napkin. Not cool. It is considered "dirtier than your dog's bum" once you wash your hands with it. 

And, oh my! the reaction if something hits the floor and you try to pick it up. This has happens to me. Of course it has. With four kiddos and the clutze that I am. I dropped a coin. The scenario played out like this. 

Setting: a high-class food store where the food looks like it from a magazine. It is the quietest place in town, even though there are 35+ shoppers active searching for their next noodle or rice meal.

A young cashier attempts to hand me some change from my purchase. It is, of course, coins since most of Japan's money is coins. I fumble it before dropping a lone 500¥ coin on the floor. I watch as it falls and hear the 'clink' of it's metal bouncing on the hard floor.  

The world stopped spinning. As if you were a huge piglet headed into a slaughterhouse, the whole audience knows this is a horrible idea.  They are trapped watching you as you make a huge mistake. The entire store freezes and the background music stops. The people all reach to help you, but in slow motion all you hear is a faint, "noooooo". Your finger almost touches the coin as a complete stranger jumps on it. Literally.  The man stomped on my $5, as if it were an an the was destined to crush. He looks at the cashier and hast fully said something in a deep, guitar voice. She started digging out a NEW coin for me as she call a manager to come sanitize the old coin. It cannot possible go back into the drawer and infect the other clean coins. 

We got out to the car and finally one of the kids broke the strange silence with, "That was incredibly strange! Do they not know how dirty money already? Dropping it on the ground wouldn't even matter that much since you didn't plan on eating it or anything." (Trust me my poor sister-in-law is washing her hands at this very second just thinking about me getting a coin off the dirty floor.)

Japan is obsessed with clean, if something falls on the floor, you leave it there. A lovely worker with a long- handled broom will make it disappear ASAP.  You do not even look at it. It never happened. Kinda like me wearing neon Capri pants and rubber bracelets from my wrist to my elbow. Never happened. 

 

* To the Left, to the Left! You drive on the left. You walk on the left. You step to the left if it's crowded. You face chopsticks to that left. You go through the buffet line to the left. The buttons for the elevator are on the left. The bus lets you out on the left side of the road. BUT, when you are in Osaka, you stand on the right and the buttons are on the right. It is like Austin, Texas. They just like to be weird. No one knows why, but it's their "thang" so let them have it. Before you know it there will be shirts that say, " Keep Osaka Weird!"
 

* Men are not quite as manly as most Americans. I'm totally cool with my man carrying a gun, but a large, decorated purse on a male is just not attractive to me.  I don't have a single solitary word to say about that. Not. One. Word. Then, there's all the men wearing capri pants... Momma always told me if you don't have anything nice to say.... Well, you know how it goes.

*A Whole new Kind of Seat Warmer! It's shocking at first to sit on a Japanese toilet, but it really is a luxury. When you sit down on the toilet and the seat is warm, the music is playing and the bathroom is meticulously clean. Warm toilet seats during the freezing New York winters while trying to potty train would have been awesome.

* Basic Manners are Back in Style.  I know the whole story of why Japanese bow. Here's the short version. Back in the Samari times your neck was the most vulnerable part of your body. When you bow, you quite literally, show the back of your neck to the person. You are making yourself vulnerable and showing the person you rust them to not cut your head off. 

Well, I don't want to bring out the Samari swords or anything, but I would love for basic manners to return to the USA. 

When you check out here, after the money has been exchanged and recipt given, the two people make eye contact. Then, they both places their hands down and bow at the waist while saying, "Arigatougozaimasu". (It sounds like, "R-E-got-toe goes-zi-moss.) it means ,"thank you so very much". It is utterly surreal that something so small can make the whole day better. But, it does. That small gesture reminds both people that we are in this together and that manners make life easier. When did we forget that? They even have "guards" who keep the grass they are mowing from landing in the street. Crazy!

* Smoking, Anyone? One of the cultural surprises here has been the vast amount of people who smoke. It is like the 90's in the US. There are smokers everywhere, though you never see a cigarette butt. There are designated smoking sections at almost every location. Both sexes smoke, but it is primarily the men who smoke in public. All ages seem to smoke and ignore the health risks. It is a conundrum for me. Why would they start a nasty habit that even the crazy Americans are working hard to get away from?

* Progress is a Team Sport. Japan has issues. They refuse to acknowledge mental illness, the number of young people is not growing fast enough to support their huge, aging population, and they are running out of room in the most popular parts of the country. Cremation is required because they don't have the land to even bury people. But, and this is where the rubber meets the road folks, they are a TEAM. They consider the community more important than the self. They sacrifice willingly to serve the country and each other. They know they are stronger together. They disagree, discuss both sides and put it to a vote. Then, they get busy doing whatever it is the majority voted for without wasting anymore time bickering. Doesn't THAT sound like something America could learn from?

I love bringing all the little tidbits to you. I pray that your day is brightened and your load lightened as you laugh at my mistakes  silly adventures.

I'm more advanced than the Ape, but none the less, still evolving.

Covering the craziness of my Crew,

~Aggie Amy

Skinny Japanese, Krispy Kreme & Mickey D's

When we arrived we had heard and read all about Japanese cuisine. We had heard how small they are and how large we will seem.

Still...

We were honestly, totally shocked to see how amazingly thin the people in Japan are. 

I am not kidding or even exaggerating. 

It took us 5 WEEKS to see a local who was even the slightest bit obese. 

Our discussions as to why and how the Japanese stay so thin. We talk about it often.

We can tell you several things:

1. The Japanese eat rice constantly. Constantly. For three meals a day. Almost every day. That alone would make people in the US cringe. All that carb/ starch three times a day? Yikes! When they are not eating rice, they are eating ramen noodles. What? How can they stay thin with all that? 

2. The Japanese MOVE constantly. They walk all the time. You see elderly men and woman riding their bikes all over town. The do squats at every meal to get up and down to the small table on the floor where the traditional Japanese dine. How many of us can do squats like that at 20 years old? 40? 80?

3. The locals go have tiny, and I do mean tiny, homes. Most of the them shop every day for the meals they will eat that day. Can you imagine that? You get fresh veggies and fruits every single meal! 

4. Fish is their friend and -by far- their most common meat. (Truly, the smell of fish is not my friend.) Fish is everywhere here and wonderfully fresh. You can order fish at almost every restaurant. How much fish do you eat?

5. Snacks are not an everyday thing. Once you get into higher level schooling, mainly high school, snacks are not looked on kindly. They love sweets and will take them to homes when they visit. It is not that they don't eat sweets or snacks all together. They do. But they are for special occasions and family gatherings, not for everyday. 

I am in awe as I look around at the size and shape of their people. 

Now, I interrupted my normal post to tell you that little bit of info. It has not affected my eating though. 

What can I say, you can take the girl out of Texas but don't you dare take her snacks away!

Rencently, we took our first visitors to Mickey D's. They love to travel and have been to Mc Donald's all over the globe. How would Japan's "Mak-ud-on-ar-udo" compare?

Well, first we had to pay for parking. Big time. It's about $2 for 30 minutes. We were in two cars so this could add up pretty quickly. We took the tickets inside McD's to ask how the system worked. We were so confused by the whole thing that the worker at McDonald's validated our parking. She then came and 'shooed' us out so we didn't have to pay for another 30 minutes. Or maybe she wanted us to leave.

The menu, at first glance, looks like the Mickey's back home. Then, you look again.  You think you might have to resort to just pointing at pictures. 

Then, the kind Japanese decide to take pity on our American selves. They hand us this version. Oh, thank you or "Arygato". We order our "sets" which is like a combo meal. It costs about the same, but the sizes are smaller. 

There are definite differences, like a pork don sandwich with radish cut like lettuce. That's a new one for me. Or the itty bitty little cokes that do not have free refills. Oh, wait. Maybe THAT is why they are so skinny.  The 'large' is about 10 ounces. 

There are intersting sauces as well: Butter Soy, Tomato & Herb, Curry, plus Basil & Cheese. You can get ketchup if you ask, but they only give you one per person. Imagine that. Like we would actually use the serving size suggested. Insert scuff here.

Everywhere you eat in Japan you get a cold cleaning wipe, individually wrapped, so you can clean your hands before you eat. You even get the wipe at McDonald's.  We forgot to pick ours up but I didn't notice until we were leaving. I hope our dirty hands didn't offend anyone. If so, I hope they now I we are from New Jersey. (Ha. Ha.)

The kiddie meal is still called the 'Happy Meal'. It comes with a choice of fries or corn. Al-righty then. Corn Kernels in the Happy Meal. Brilliant, skinny people. 

The Happy Meals have the cutest little pancakes available all day long. With your pancakes -and corn- you get two little tubes of 'icing' for your pancakes. One is a melted chocolate and the other one is strawberry yogurt. I tried to get a picture of the syrup and melted butter condiment combo. It didn't turn out. The condiment container has two sides. When you crack it open the melted butter and syrup combine to go on together. It is pretty ingenious. 

 The food taste the same, basically. The Quarter Pounder tastes much lighter. I am sure it is because they don't use the same 

meat. I really like it. The fries are a little taste of home, though not as salty as they are in the States. There are also some very unique burgers like the Shrimp Fillet-O, which is like a chicken fillet but inside the breading is little shrimp. It is served on a seeded bun with thousand island dressing. 


Drink wise they serve the typical coke array, plus gingerale, orange juice, milk, tea and "Qoo" which is the best apple juice you will ever have. 

We enjoyed McDonald's in Japan. The strangest thing, or the most unlike the US McDonalds is how you have to get rid of the trash. You have to pour out your "wasted" drink in a drain. Then you recycle your lid and straw. Finally, you throw your paper cup, fries container and paper wrappers in the trash can. 

A few days after we enjoyed McDonald's the kids and I were taking a side trip to a "mall" when we noticed a familiar sign. 

I thought I was dreaming. Seriously, did I get any sleep last night because I cannot be seeing clearly. 

Wait, I am seeing clearly. 

 I spy a Krispy Kreme! WhooHoo! 

We can barely contain our excitement!

They have Krispy Kreme in Japan?

Well, sign us up for a few of those masterpieces please.
 
 It is the season for all things World Cup, so KK is in on that theme. 

I let each child pick one to try at the store and then we took home a few to eat later. I mean, wink wink,  we took a few home for Dad, and us... of course.

G tried the World Cup selection of Japan: a green tea doughnut. She shared with everyone a small bite and enjoyed the rest herself. We all really liked it. Green tea as a flavor is really popular here, but it has to be subtle to taste good to us. This donut was both subtle and sweet. A great choice. (I got to the camera out a tad late and those silly kids had already started eating their doughnuts. Patience is not our strongest trait.)

C wanted to try the Italian World Cup doughnut. I guess he loves his heritage. Here is what was let after his first gulp. It was an Italian creme. It was quite yummy. He let me have a small sliver before he engulfed it. The other kids weren't interested in trying it. Their loss.

Baby C only wanted a glazed one. She was not in an adventurous mood. Oh well. She was happy.

A and I decided that we would share a doughnut since ours was a little too much for one person. It was unlike any doughnut we had ever seen before. 

It was on the ad when we came in. I know, I know. I can hear my husband's voice saying, "My wife is an advertiser's dream." He is shaking his head and waving his finger trying to discourage me. Alas, I give in.

 I purchase... drum roll please...

This amazing Japanese creation called the "Kool Kreme". It is a hot glazed doughnut with vanilla ice cream, caramel syrup and caramel PoPcOrN. It was so strange I just had to try it! Ours looked like this:

It was melting fast! I had to put the camera down quickly because A was diving in trying to eat as much as he could before I attacked the monster of calories.

The unique creation was pretty good. The doughnut, ice cream and caramel was divine. The popcorn was slightly weird and yet, somehow, good. I was in a bit of a sugar coma afterwards. But, it was worth it.

Oh, no. Didn't I start off this post with how healthy the average Japanese person is?

Well, it's a good thing I am not Japanese. 

I may feel guilty for loving my snacks. God Bless America, and her love of snacks. 

Also, please guide me to the nearest treadmill. 

I am going to need that puppy for the next few hours days.

Try new Things & Share Your Spoon,

~ Aggie Amy