Wednesday, December 1, 2010

bored.out.of.my.mind

so its been about a month since i got back from my super awesome asia trip. and now that im back, i am bored out of my mind. after the initial emotional distress i had from getting off a 12 hour flight wore off (about 6 days) all i could think of was "when am i going back!!!" my daily life just went on like i never left and now my fun adventures seem like lifetimes ago. this is very NG NG (no good)
i also noticed, my mood while i was away was way way up, now i cant help but always be unhappy with how everything around me is, and i find myself criticizing/questioning if everything is relevant

i miss this...

and this
一番しあわせ<3

Saturday, November 6, 2010

home

now i am finally home. its a weird feeling to be back, its like i almost never left and the past three weeks have been a dream or a blur. im feeling emotionally unsuited for the city right now, i hope that will change soon.

i just wanted to finish up my last few days adventure, i know i should have been the expert blogger and done this in a timely manor, but yeah... i miss my family back east.

so the last two days was saying thank you to everyone and inviting them to come visit me!

this is shiro-san, he came to new york in the summer for like 3 days. it was a hectic 3 days but we had an awesome time.

last time they came to visit me in new york was when i was five and shiro-san had a full head of dark hair lol


eyes forward



this is his super ossimo wife kyoko-san. i like her fashion sense, its like mid-west country meets conservative japanese.

this was like the fourth picture we took together since kyoko-san has a strange blink right when the camera takes the pic.

this is me encouraging her to keep her eyes open. see how well it worked!

i miss you guys lots!!!!


cheezu!

i also had to say good bye to my kawaii boys! i like terrorizing them so very much!!! i cant wait till the next time i go back, every time they get bigger and bigger. lets see how many more years i can keep this up.



look at mini on the right thinking were picking on big bro only ha ha ha!


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

mountain girl

so these are my final days in japan. ive been coast to coast. northern asia, southern asia. and now my 2010 vacation is almost over. i went on multiple adventures, and i couldnt have done it without everyone! thank you<3

i never finished posting my adventures in the mountains, did i?

so ive been learning the master techniques of weaving. my japanese mom is a super master, and i think she taught me well!

so back home i have a basic loom that i use, so when i come back i always use a 6 pedal loom.

this time i was lucky enough to make my 2010-2014 scarf!

start
weaving is no joke! i think anyone that does this has the patience of a zen master. i know this time i was kindda whatever about making my scarf... i guess i still have lots to learn.

so the pattern i choose is a black and grey diamond pattern scarf. my japanese mom has the same one that i have been eyeing for the past 5 years.

so told me to make my own, and a few years ago i attempted, but it wasnt the same.

this is my second chance...
finish



i didnt do a super good job on the spacing. i think my weaving master gave me a B-

i still have lots to learn!


but isnt my scarf fabulous???!! i heart it




6 more months


my japanese mom makes her own kimonos, which i think is the ultimate dopeness!

imagine thousands of silk strands, and one year later, you have a roll of fabric, just enough to make your own kimono!

the cool thing about kimonos... there is very little cutting of fabric, so you can always change the size, japanese people are so clever!

she said if i ever get married, she will make me a kimono. thats mad love <3

kusagi no mi



i also have been learning dying techniques! you cant make a kimono from pre dyed silk! you have to start from the very beginning!

ever wonder what indigo blue comes from?





one by one







so you have to pick off the berries one by one. well idk if you call them berries... they are more like seeds.






soak silk in cold water












while the fabric soaks you boil, till the color comes out.

its a kind of easy process, pick, boil, let it sit, finish! but this takes a lot more time than you think.










strain

battle royal






and then you put the fabric in the colored water. i have no patience for stuff like that so i decided to play tug of war with my mantis friend.'










just taking a break
and play with my dragonfly friends. see how hes my hommie! i put my hand out and he decided to take a break


i have so many new pets!

















after about an hour or two of letting it soak you take it out of the water and your done!

of course theres snack time in between!

this is a light blue green hue cus boiling a vat of seeds takes forever and you dont boil just once, its like over and over.

im not the only one with no patience. but of course everything came out ossimo!


not to be confused

this kindda reminds me of those shower rags...

maybe next time when im "older" ill have the patience to make this a super dark blue.

i guess this winter i will also be using a shower rag as my scarf.

adventure silk scarf dying, complete!





writing haikus



i also learned some zen shodo.... again B-

why do i get yelled at everywhere i go! :(









death ink


this is my arch enemy. shodo sensei will mark up your stuff when you do a bad job.

it doesnt help i didnt really learn the writing stroke when i was little, i guess thats why my stuff was all black and orange.

i kind of liked it like that.







there arent many things i find pretty, but this is wonderful! this is my cosmos field for you before i go to bed. oyasumi everyone. the mountain is a wonderful place!

Monday, November 1, 2010

risa no sweets matsuri, abare gui!

ho ho ho! so another champion day of eating! i think i have been tardy with my updates lately. im looking through my photos and have lots of caching up to do.


so yesterday was halloween, i had the pleasure of seeing my other grandma! whoop whoop

i tried to visit her the day after i got here but she wasnt feeling too good, but getting to see her makes me happy!

i brought over a super sushi lunch sorry guys i didnt have time to take photos but you can see some of the left overs. you dont know! when food comes out, you have to be fast or else its all gone

yeah. yesterday was a hardcore day of eating




just light one


thats my cousin in the middle, saori! she better 
come visit me in december, yen is strong!

thats my other uncle, this is our yakuza style smoking break. 

so after sushi break there is always room for desserts!







why hello!



so this is some mister donuts. its like i guess a dunkin donuts equivalent but of course not as sweet. 

we also had some roll cake and fruit plates to cleanse the palate. of course there was no picture time for the other stuff, once the desserts come out i dont stop.

they should make it so everything come out all at once. i know i know i must sound like such a cake snob. sorries!






















this is my donut eating grandma. this makes me exceptionally happy!









kochi neko!

ummmm kono neko kawaiiiiiiii!


this is my grandmas cat, soooooo cute! and sooo tiny! i played with this cat for a good portion of the day. omg!

kono neko kawaii!!!!! i was saying that while i was in vietnam about the mekong cat, office mate mai told me i had a limit to how many times i can say that. 

now that shes not around....

kono neko kawaiiiiii!!!!!!

look into my eyes and be mesmerized!















kawaiiiiii!!!!!! this is mi-chan 






nemui~














ok ok this is the last one. shes so cute!!!!!



i live in a wallet

so saori was super happy about this snake head left over that she carries around in her wallet. she said someone from her job brought this snake shed, and shes all fist pumping about how she got the head. seems like her and her work buddies were kindda fighting over which parts to get, so to her, this is gold.

yeah the snake skin=money in wallet.

so go look for some snake leftovers!






if i must..


so lets get to diner yeah? we had nabe! whoop whoop 
this was a major fancy nabe!


chicken, pork and crab=some ossimo soup base! 


so nabe is like lots of veggies so healthy all the way. 


my aunts spring rolls were kindda bomb too! i ate the spring rolls, saori ate the nabe, and roll cake.




go wild, eat crab!
















yummo! this was super perfect because its finally getting a little chilly here, i bet its nothing like new york weather. 


kindda scared to find out whats in store for me... dum dum dum!!!




yup i did a little work today! i got this picture in!




gochisousama! all done!


















happy november!

today i got to see some familiar faces yuka and chiyo! they came to new york earlier this year and we had a jolly time! i got to eat some mos burger <3 mos burger is like in-n-out but like japanese style. 

mos burger

this is probably the only "fast food" that ive eaten since ive been here, but i cant not come here and eat this.

the only reason i am so obsessed with this place is because of their desserts! OMG last time i was here they had this vanilla ice cream parfait, topped with azuki beans and corn flakes with some matcha powder and shiratama Dango i think i had one every day while i was here, but in my defense, i biked there....


dessert select


so they didnt have the parfait that i really wanted, but they did have some fall seasonal desserts. 

brown soupy (far right) is azuki with i think genmai dango? it wasnt that delicious, but i guess its like a classic i give it a B

thumbs up (left) this one gets a A in my notebook. it was pumpkin mousse with azuki and ice cream with the delish corn flakes! mmm mmm 

ehhhh (middle back) this was a pudding cup with a crunchy muffin like top. im not to sure of this one either... like a B-

sweets matsuri time!




so i might as well make this my sweets page! everyone knows how much i heart heart heart cake! its my most favorite 

check out my grandma all up on my cake! if this were anyone else, there would be problems... all good enough for everyone!














cake time!!!
fist pump and a high five to yuka for bringing me Mont Blanc aux marrons one of my all time favorite cakes, its like so amazing out here, i look for something similar back home, but nothing compares to japanese sweets


we also have some tiramisu and strawberry mousse cake, <3 <3


thank you so much!


geisha snacks





next we have some traditional wagashi. im not a huge fan, but i wont deny that this is kindda art by itself.


think about it, everything is made from some sweet potato or bean and mashed and colored and formed into a one bite goodness.


i remember when i was little i wouldnt want to eat this because it was so perfect. 


i would like to learn how to make this one day






maiko snacks
this is warabi mochi! fist pump and double high five to japanese mom who went all the way to kyoto to get this!
 joke joke, she was in kyoto for some business and knows how much i love this so she picked up a box for me! all i can say is i can now get through the rest of the year happy, i will read my blog durring the cold winter nights.






all done! and for the day, its not easy eating all day! i did something to the font so this post is a little wonky


hope you enjoyed! only a few days left in japan! gotta get more eating done!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

happy halloweeen!

so i kindda promised food in the beginning and got side tracked with all my cool farming things, my bad! ready. set. go!

ohhh by the way! happy halloweeeeeeen everyone!

witches like ice cream too!


negi toro don
day 1 (lunch): negi-toro don! this is like fatty tuna mashed with scallions wasabi and soy sauce.

its like a ginormous tuna sushi, in a bowl.

so bomb!








katsuo tataki


seared bonito fish, topped with sliced onion and garlic and scallions. pour ponzu on top! consume~

also BOMB! a hometown favorite!
bonito is kindda famous out here. this is sooo worth coming back for <3









this is lunch in full view. no one want to see salad, do they?








itadakimasu!


all done! gochisousama!








day 1: (diner)
wafu hamburger, with pasta

this was my sort of american food dish that i ate while i was here. this is the one and only time though. but of course, MEGA bomb!



itadakimasu!




all done! gochisousama!














day 2: (ladies lunch!) i am after all, a lady~

fried fish, rice, miso soup, pickles, stuffed tofu with veggies, and shredded cabbage


itadakimasu!







all done!











day 2: (diner) so too much eatting, going for something a little more healthy? idk everything ive been eating is healthy, but i am feeling tubby.


kochi favorite

grilled hokke, curry hyotan pumpkin i scored the other day, garden spinach with sesame and bonito flakes, and home made pickles

yummo!






snack: this is the super ossimo pear that i love love loveeeeee! nitaka nashi! way more bomb than housui nashi (taka!!!!)

this is a nigata and kochi nashi hybrid = nitaka nashi

so much sweeter, bigger and better!


this sticker equals oishiiiiii!






this sticker also equals oishiiiiiii!

this is probably the only fruit i will take my time to peel and slice and make it all nice looking before i eat it. its that good yo!










look at how wonderful this is! its heaven on a plate! please dig in

oooh just looking at this makes my mouth water


day 3: (lunch) summertime favorite. soumen, with grated Kabosu (so bomb!) sesame coated pumpkin croquette, and yasai itame with bacon

i know its not summer anymore but i always have this when i go back. no matter the season or the weather!



have a nice day!





this is my japanese dad. doesnt this picture look like he belongs in one of those "those welcome to japan!" visitor guide books?

i think its funny, because all he says to me in english is "have a nice day!" and "this is a pen!"

he tells me back then when he was learning english, it was always this is a ____ (fill in the blank) and it was always "jack" and "betty" going on adventures

this is soumen!!!!!


la la la~~




snack 2: this is totoro bread! omg this is so kawaiii!!!!

this makes me smile









ok gotta go eat some mos burger! see you all later with some more food!