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

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

The Quirky side of Japan

I wanted to show you a little bit of the true Japanese spirit.

They are amazingly considerate. I had heard that said before we arrived, but I didn't really understand.

Here are just a few random examples. (What can I say, I am in a random mood today.)

When there is construction that has to be done, the Japanese want to make sure that you know they are sorry for inconveniencing you. The sign translates to, "We apologize for trouble. We are sorry to you. We must repair issues. Thank you." Look at the cute little man bowing his head as if to say, "Sorry." Adorable.

Here are a few of the various road blockers. In the USA we use bright orange cones. They are effective, but they are certainly no where near as cute! There are all different kinds of 'road blockers', but I love the little pink worker.

Just in case you missed the other "Stop: Construction" signs.
There is THIS guy!

There is just cuteness everywhere!

Watch out for the Sliding Doors

It makes dealing with what could be a bit of a stressful situation, easier. It also turns a negative into a positive. Great idea!

The signs here are hilarious!

There are all sorts of sweet / funny characters that remind you
to be careful.

Stay off your cell when on train.

Don't Smoke and Walk. It 'offends'.

Don't cut the line!

Another topic that just must be discussed...

I am here to talk about toilets.

I, too, am embarrassed and would not normally talk about toilets.

In order to introduce you to the true Japan, I cannot leave out something that fascinates so many foreigners.

(If you don't like this part, feel free to skip it. I'll never know!)

Here is a picture of the programming that accompanies most public toilets.

It's a little hard to read, so here it is a little larger on a slightly different model.

The gist of all of this is that the Japanese do not like to be embarrased. 

They want every one to be considerate of each other.  They are incredibly modest.

This is how the toilet came to be.

Most toilets have several different ways to 'wash'. (I saw bidets in Europe often, but nothing like this!)

You can even the adjust the temperature and the pressure of the water. 

Some toilets also have a dryer. 

The seat itself can actually heat up as well, in case your bum is cold. 

The most unique part of Japanese toilets is that most play sounds, yes I said that. It has several different choices of sounds. The most common are flushing sounds, flowing water and forest type noises. All of these sounds are supposed to make using a public restroom less embarrassing for everyone. 

Newer models can release deodorizers into the air after you stand.

To top off the toilets is a sink. Literally. This sink runs for about 30 seconds after you to flush to allow you to wash your hands. The water is then used to fill up the toilet. Brilliant, right? 

There are always things that we can learn from other countries. 

Here are just two examples, considerate construction and modesty toilets. 

Can someone in the USA please get on that ASAP?

On a side note there is something else you should know about public restrooms.

In smaller stores, males and females share a bathroom.... at the same time.

I found this out the hard way the other day.

Let me paint you a picture.

We were out exploring and had gotten a tad lost. No one was stressed, as we didn't have an agenda or anywhere to be. It is just that we had been in the car quite awhile.

I was a little desperate, so I agreed to use a 7-11 restroom. Well, Matt went in first to see if the bathroom was going to be ok. (You never know.) He came out and said the restroom was very clean and it was fine for me to use.

He neglected to tell me that it was a 'shared gender' bathroom.

I walked into what I thought was the single commode bathroom and was shocked- flabbergasted actually- to literally walk in on someone!

HE was behind the 'Man's' door that was only went from his shoulders to his fanny.

I was supposed to go into another stall, the 'woman's' door, that had a full size door.

WHAT???

 I walked in and squealed!

Talk about embarrassed!

I am pretty sure the customers in the store heard me.

I almost destroyed Japanese relations with the USA all because I had to go potty.

My husband didn't notice the restroom was for both genders.

He just assumed one door was shorter than the other.

I was mortified and could not get out of there fast enough.

The man, didn't even notice. He washed his hands and quietly left the restroom. Maybe he was just trying to be nice and not cause me any further embarrassment.

I ran to the car.

I barely got the tale told because I was mortified.

The kids and Matt were rolling, hooting and hollering at my silly-self.

This would NEVER happen in the States.

One, crime would be committed if we put both genders in one space.

Two, woman would never go in there.

Moral of the story...

Never trust your husband when he goes in to 'recon' the bathroom.

Or maybe it should be: "Read the signs before you enter a bathroom"

How about: "Use the restroom at home"

Next time, I will pay more attention.

I still, love the Japanese.

Keeping it real,

~ Aggie Amy

What is SEIYU?

We made our way to Machida. "Little Tokyo" is a very large, active shopping town. It is known for it's pedestrian zones, where the cars are not allowed and the shoppers go from high rise store to high rise store in search of new goodies.

Oh, there IT is!

Now, where shall we shop?

Well, wouldn't you know it?

Guess what we found?

SEIYU!

What is SEIYU?

Well, let's see if you can figure that one out.

Here are a few pictures.
(** I apologize, the program is not letting me control the placement of the pictures. Maybe it's a glitch? Forgive me.)

8 floors of goodness.

Just to let you know, the exchange rate for 

the Yen is currently about 100. 

So, 100 Yen = $1.

The yellow tags in the pictures show how many Yen the item is. 

Divide by 100 and you get the cost in Dollars. 

Ex: 227yen = $2.27

These are like Little Debbie Strawberry Shortcakes.

Dried, and shredded squid. 

Green Tea Oreos anyone? 

Shampoo comes in 'bladder bags' as you nurses call them.
Recycling is huge here.
You can buy the actual bottle,
but it is very expensive compared to the bag.
 ( It's almost 4x more!)

This is how they start teaching their kids English.
They put the English version of words on the cracker.
So smart. We really should do this in America!

Did you figure out what store we found?

We found everything from food and fun items to bikes and backpacks. 

Face masks a plenty and TVs of all sizes. 

Did those famous yellow tags clue you in?

Here's one last photo to let you in our new found treasure.

Yes, Walmart! Gotta love finding stores that give you just enough of "home" to make you feel good.

Thankful for the small things & the Big Stores,

~ Aggie Amy