Shop of the Day - DripMania !

Today's prize for Jinglish-titled shop goes to Dripmania, a coffee shop in Tokyo train station.


　 Although I didn't actually investigate this, I suspect that the owner is expressing the drip-filter only approach to coffe-making. This also exlains the slightly funny name of:

　 Cafes such as this one, which serve coffee prepared with a chemistry set, are popular (relative to Europe).


　
Also, you can get a tin foil-wrapped coffee-already in filter-which-hangs-off-the-coffee-mug:

　 Fairly smart, I thought.

Make Your Own Octopus Balls!

Octopus is popular all over Japan, but in Osaka it is a local favourite.

I was watching TV the other day, there were a couple of guys in waterproof gear on a small boat in Osaka bay. They were wafting a net-in-a-hoop around in the water.

Suddenly, the thing gets heavy. They yank it aboard, to reveal a squelching bright red octopus.

They start talking about "That's a really nice one!", "look at the scar he's got across his face", "how old do you think he is?". So, naturally, I believed it to be a nature program. Soon, they've hauled out another one, and they're trying to hold it by it's head, in order to not get squirted with something.

Now, one of the guys just litterally puts one of the smaller octopus' legs in his mouth, and tries to tear it off. When this doesn't work, he pulls out a knife (Japanese knives are generally very sharp), hacks off a good-sized mouthful, and starts comping away. The chewing looks like hard work. "The sucker pads are sticking to my tongue, but it feels nice". Then, the other guy grabs octopus nr 2, swiftly moves to the back of the boat, where he finds an appropriately-sized pot of boiling water. In plops nr 2. After a brief boiling alive, the knife comes out again, and everyone on board is making happy faces expressing the tastiness and freshness of the creature's legs. By this time I was certain it wasn't a nature program.

But, anyway, say you've already tried the local Takoyaki (fried octopus balls), and you want something more fun. But you're not yet ready to charter your own boat with boiling pot of water.
Also, getting into a place like this during lunchtime is a half hour wait. 　




　 So, how about...

...making your own takoyaki !

Now, a place with a big "octopus" sign is a good place to start.

　 Inside is fairly compact.


　 But firstly, order yourself a "childs beer".　


Which is actually very tasty fizzy apple juice - like appletizer.


　 Next, check out the menu.



　 And have a look at the instructions.


　 Ready?

OK, here is the teppan (iron plate), with conveniently ball-shaped indentations. Gas fired from below.



　 Pour the pot of gooey liquid over the plate, and plop one piece of octopus into each well:


Next, put some cheese in, then the Negi (spring onion) goes on top:


This is where the men get seperated from the boys. Using nothing more than a sharpened metal stick, you must twist the gelling gooey stuff into a ball, and flip it over. All in one fluid movement.



　Put some sauce on top (sweet sauce, which, in all honesty, is not the obvious choice for cheese and octopus), and - what's this?

A dried seaweed dispenser! The stick sticking out of it is the stopper.　


There you go!


Now, once you're done eating octopus balls, you can get yourself an octopus ball key chain which tells you your fortune!

Shake, then a random stick will come out of a hole in Mr Takoyaki's head, telling you the answer to your question, in the form of Very Good, Good, OK, Bad, or Very Bad.　

Alternatively, you can get an octopus with a somewhat ironic chef's headband:

Early Morning Technique

So, this is what a Japanese traditional buffett looks like:



　 Neat, understated, with high-quality technology discretely deployed.

So, for starters, load up with a selection of seaweed-based products:


Almost all of these are sea-plants. And all are actually very tasty. Either with mayonaise, sesame seeds, or dried. 　

On the way, check out some temperature-control technology that would embarrass NASA:


　 But whats this?


Why, a packet of flattened dried seaweed (nori - the stuff sushi rolls get wrapped in), of course.　


　 So, you put some of the seasoned seaweed on your bowl of rice, take the nori, and ...


　 ...this is where the technique comes in...



　 ...its a sort of precision chopstick grasp...

　 ...there you go.

　 OK, but what about drinks?

How about no less than three different types of green tea - Genmai (baked unpolished-rice tea, fragrant), Kuromame (black soy bean tea, smells of soya), Houjicha (roasted tea).


　 Coffee is also available.

Now, due to poor spatial awareness I wasn't able to locate any form of stirrer. This is not the proper way to behave in a traditional Japanese restaurant:


Also, don't forget that the Japanese have invented the tiniest milk thimbles in the world. 5ml. This is just enough for two coffees.

An Elegant Solution

Now, you know how you sometimes are in the mood for a different breakfast, perhaps crunchy toast, sometimes some healthy fruit and yoghurt. But is the price of diverse tastes constant change?

So, it must have occoured to you that surely there must be an optimal, mathematically sound solution to this everyday problem.

Well, take a look at this:



　 Crunchy almonds, sugar coating (not too sweet), slighly chewy pastry and crumbly chocholate. All in one, convenient package, for about GBP 1.00.

Now, here's the twist:

put in the microwave, and heat it up.



　
This simple technique melts the sugar topping, softens the chocolate, and makes everything better.

As for the fruit and yoghurt, you can add a topping of strawberries for the extra-deluxe version.

Adult Weekend

What do you expect to find in a magazine called Adult Weekend?

A list of bars, theatres, and restaurants suitable for adults?

A front page article about how to make your relationship better?

Or how about an expose' on ....

" SUSHI!

Cheaper, and more fun ! "

　 This magazine promises to show you some awsome restaurants which are great value.

And it delivers.

I went to one in Ginza (poshest part of Tokyo) and the food was fantastic, decor traditional-chic, and it was cheaper than an average place you wouldn't look twice at.

But the magazine doesn't only deal with sushi, it also reviews other stuff:

　 But along the same lines.

But then, aren't the pictures pretty?

　 Here's some more sushi up close:

　 Wow. I want some of that !

(I'll swap the egg for a salmon)

　 OK, OK, enough. I'm going to eat the magazine at this rate.

　 Available at Tokyo subway stations for 500Yen ($5)

This caught my attention...

....Looks important

　

...a noodle shop specialising in duck?

Well, now I can see why.

Ultraman Leads to Great Success

Now, when looking through the myriad of tasty automated-vended beverage opportunities in Japan, what, do you think, is one of the top features that you should look for?
　














Why, how about endorsement by none other than Ultraman himself!

Now, people from Europe may not be completely familiar with the adventures and exploits of the great man himself. I do sort of remember a computer game featuring the silver hero, maybe guest-starring Gozilla.

Anyway, it is fairly safe to say that a super-hero from Japan will be fairly advanced in overall skills and technology employed, but will not noisy or messy at all. Probably he is excessively polite. And works very hard.

And, although we only see the good side of Batman and Superman, I bet you they stole street signs when they were younger.

So, when such a product is offered at the promotional rate of 100Yen ($1), it would be a crime to not get involved.




　
The drink itself it a "Saida", with sounds like Cider, but in fact is a sweet soda. Its like a mild version of Tizer, or Iron Bru, with a hint of isotonic drink. Quite good, actually.

The can says that Ultraman earned his stripes protecting the world in the space patrol team. Following this, he then joined the "Crew Guys", who specialise in protecting the earth. It appears that in typical Japanese fashion, he is part of a team and not a lone ranger.

The front of the can even looks like Ultraman's face. However, there are loads of different types you can buy and, er, collect, I guess.

This is the part where I became I true believer in the power of Ultraman:

Now, as you already know, all vending machines in Japan are clean, well-functioning, reasonably priced, and don't steal your money.

And there is usually one within ten seconds walk in any compass direction.

And, by my estimate, there are between eight and ten billion varieties of drinks available.

But what you probably didn't know is what this is:

　
"If the number goes like this, you get a free bottle" (!)

A random set of four numbers comes up. For me, it flashed 9999. And all the lights under the 100Y drinks lit up! I hit this one:




　
So, what does a free Pocket Juice Stnad taste like?

Very interesting.

Its kiwi fruit juice, which actually tastes a lot like lime juice, but with loads of chunky pieces of kiwi in it.

The texture of the bits is a little unusual. But the flavour is good.

Overall, quite good, not bad, certainly not for a free drink.

Hand-Made Onigiri To Order In Umeda Train Station

Now, this is really not very complicated at all.

Hito Tsubo ("One grain of rice") catches your eye.

　
You check out the modelled onigiri (rice with filling wrapped in seaweed).

Have a look at the prices. Salmon for 190Yen ($1.90)? Yes, that really is reasonable.

　



And, moments later, you can enjoy a hand-made onigiri with salmon filling. How good is it? Much better than the 7-11 version. The rice is properly warm and sticky, and there is a decent filling of salty salmon. Eat in walking down the subway to get the genuine why-am-I-getting-looked-at feeling.