momiji-gari and miyajima

omg, how long as it been since i last posted?
wait, nevermind, i don't wanna know.

hey-lo there everyone, i'm back (sorta? for now?) and i've got a picture-filled blog for you today on momiji-gari and miyajima! hooraaaaaaay!

so, what's momiji-gari? 

well, it literally means "maple leaf hunting" but before you picture bands of japanese armed with hunting rifles against snarling maple leaves, let me tell you it's a little less exciting than all that. it just means hanging out and looking at the pretty foliage that lasts about 2 weeks or so (if you're lucky). hiroshima has some gorgeous foliage this time of year and i finally got to head out to miyajima to capture some of it.

wait, what's miyajima?

it's a small island off the seto inland sea right next to dear old hiroshima prefecture and it's home to the itsukushima shrine (world heritage site, what what), wild deer, oysters a-plenty, and momiji manju (maple leaf shaped cakes). it's also got a lotta nature and a lotta foliage, making it a prime place to go huntin'.

so this is the giant torii gate that towers before the itsukushima shrine -- it's like the most cliche picture i could have taken, but this is like THE sight to see when you come to miyajima. see how little those people are? fuckin' HUGE. the tide was out so i was able to walk right on up to it too! 

here's those wild deer i was talking about. they're...pretty tame for being wild, but they will follow you around if they think you have food. this kid was pretty chill though.

 this is the 5-tiered pagoda which is on the hill next to the itsukushima shrine. also fuckin' huge.

but i digress. 

the purpose of my visit wasn't the deer or the shrine, it was maple leaves and foliage, so without any further ado...

whew! these were mostly all taken at the momiji-dani (maple leaf valley) park behind the itsukushima shrine. they were all taken with my olympus PEN SLR and i definitely finagled with the colours.

if you're ever in japan in november, really recommend going to hunt some foliage down -- but avoid going on a weekend. i was there on a tuesday and it was pretty jam-packed, so i can't imagine what the weekends are like, sheesh. 

hope you guys enjoy this little bit of fall from me to you! 

typhoon

【台風】taifuu

it's typhoon season (well, okay, it's been typhoon season since like september) and that means one thing for hiroshima: rain, rain, and more rain (three things?).

so what's up with typhoons? well, they spin the opposite direction of hurricanes and have names like bad sci-fi villians (vongfong, phanfone, kalmaegi...? bad sci-fi, that is). they also bring nothing but rain and strong winds and typically tend to destroy okinawa first before moving on to the rest of japan, so okinawa is kinda like florida.

in fact, there's a typhoon here now. it's actually the biggest typhoon to hit hiroshima in like 7-8 years. but you won't see me panicking. why? well, because even though hiroshima is pretty near the storm, all we've gotten is a bunch of rain and some gusty winds -- it's nothing more than a really rainy day. i'm not complaining, mind you, but i do sorta feel like if we're going to have a typhoon, then we should have a fucking TYPHOON, y'know? hiroshima's got that maryland thing going on where everyone on TV will say "OMG GOING TO SNOW" "OMG GOING TO STORM" and then like nothing happens except for like this:

we do tend to get some sideways rain.

oh, and to top things off, today is a national holiday (sports day...? i dunno) and a monday, making it the last day of a three day weekend so basically this typhoon wrecked everyone's weekend (not that it matters to people like me who don't get three day weekends but...). we actually had a typhoon barrel in last week too (though we didn't get nearly as much rain), so it's just been fabulous weather these days.

the moral of the story?

don't visit japan from september to october.

unless you really love typhoons, then by all means you should head to okinawa.

review: ajiwai marron pino

okay to be fair, i warned you that tons of limited edition snacks come out in the fall, so... i hope none of you are surprised by how many reviews i'm doing.

and besides, i wrote a quirky japan blog last night too, so it's not like i'm...shirking my blog responsibilities or...whatever.

anyway!

first things first, pino (made by morinaga) is another one of those standard japanese snacks. it's little bits of ice cream covered in chocolate, and they bring out LOTS of limited edition flavors throughout the year, so you'll definitely be seeing these guys again.

because it's fall, we have the ajiwai marron which i'll loosely translate into just marron, since it's pretty much saying like "tasty marron"...

look at the fall colours~ 

look at the giant chestnut~

the box boasts using "fragrant italian marron" in the ice cream, which sounds really promising.

until you take a bite.

... *closes eyes and waits for the "fragrant italian marron" to kick in*

... ... ... *still waiting*

... ... ... ... yeah okay, i got nothing.

i wouldn't even know it was marron-flavoured if i hadn't have bought the damn things myself -- there's hardly any marron flavour at all. it's not like it tastes gross or anything, it just tastes like vanilla.

and pino usually does a mildly good job at these limited edition things too...

i guess you can't have a winner every time.

but don't worry, in about 1 or 2 months, another flavour is bound to crop up. so until then!

quirky japan (episode 2)

it's time for another edition of quirky japan!

this time i'll be discussing yuru-kyara!

short for "yurui kyarakutaa" or "loose character (mascot)" --

wait, what? loose character? what's loose?

right, see, yurui is one of those words that's hard to put into english. it can mean, of course, loose like "this screw is loose" but it can also be used to describe things like music, atmosphere, character designs...

for example, the darth vader theme played by an orchestra is NOT yurui, but the darth vader theme played on an ocarina? that's yurui.

guitar? not yurui. ukulele? yurui.

starting to get it?

in this case though, it almost takes on the meaning "shoddy" -- let's look at a classic example of yuru-kyara, the beloved funasshi.

funasshi. the unofficial mascot of funabashi-shi -- he's apparently a pear spirit (funabashi is famous for pears) and he can talk (which is rare for yuru-kyara). he tends to end his sentences in "-nasshi!" so like..."nice weather we're having-nasshi!" 

notice the shoddy stitching, the stained fabric, and...all around lack of craftsmanship? it looks like someone's mom made it. the zipper is completely obvious in the back, and the stitching on his feet looks like it's not going to hold. and that's what makes it yurui.

since the advent of yuru-kyara about 3 years or so back, most EVERY city in japan has their own. they even have a yuru-kyara grand prix every year to vote on the best yuru-kyara in japan.

like this guy!

barii-san! hailing from imabari in ehime! (imabari is famous for towels and you can get there by boat)

kumamon! hailing from kumamoto -- this guy is ALSO responsible for the yuru-kyara craze AND he's been sanctioned by kumamoto. you can see his face on stuff everywhere from ramen to candy to folders to keychains... he's a marketing wizard.

even hiroshima has their own (disgraceful) yuru-kyara named "bunkakkii" they smashed together the words for "culture" (bunka) and "oyster" (kaki) and the design is oyster + maple leaf + the hiragana ひ (hi)... yeah, i mean i know hiroshima is famous for oysters and maple leaves and all but... it sounds like "bukkake" to me and if you don't know what that means, goog--- wait, on second thought, don't google it. anyway, YURUI.

but my favorite yuru-kyara is this little guy, sobacchi! from iwate prefecture. he's not famous by any stretch of the imagination, but he IS an adorable bowl of wanko soba (little cups of soba noodles that you eat in succession, famous in (duh) iwate!) just look at him! the cuteness is overwhelming. 

so if you're ever in japan, you're bound to run into one of these guys.

but watch out for this guy:

creepy. as. fuck.

aki-bare

aki-bare 【秋晴れ】 fall clear

ah-kee-bah-ray -- literally "fall sunny day" or "fall clear" 

it tends to get more cloudy and dreary in the fall and winter in japan, so they have a special word just for beautiful autumn days. and that, is aki-bare.

so enjoy my little piece of aki-bare -- this is what it's all about.

densen, again

just because.

densen

densen 【電線】

densen or powerlines just seem closer in japan. like you could touch them.

i admit, i've got a thing for them.

konbini

konbini 【コンビニ】

oh konbini.

you're on practically every corner of this city ー okay, of this country ー and i miss you when i'm not in japan.

the home of delicious limited edition snacks. of piping hot nikuman and oden in the winter. of alcohol and premium coffee. of bento and breads and desserts.   

oh konbini! you're there when i'm dying of thirst in the summer. you're there at 2 am when i'm drunk and looking for some instant ramen. you're there when i'm looking for concert tickets. and you're there to hold my packages. 

they hold the sum of japan within their walls ー truly remarkable as most konbini aren't even that big.

the major konbini here in hiroshima are:

☆ family mart (or famima)
☆ seven eleven (or sebun) 
☆ lawson
☆ sunkus (or circle K)

☆ poplar (poplar isn't a HUGE national chain like the top 4 here -- they also make their own rice in-store for their bento, so you get warm fluffy rice when you buy them and it makes ALL the difference)
☆ daily yamazaki (owned by the yamazaki bread company)
☆ coco! (they have fresh baked breads in-store -- YUM!) 

biggest brand names are definitely those top 4 though. you can probably find them anywhere in japan.

interestingly enough, the nickname for seven eleven is different in the kansai area than for hiroshima. they call it sebu-ire, taking the first two letters of the japanese for seven eleven, which is sebun-irebun. fun!

here's a list of all the things you can do (that i know of, anyway) at konbini:

★ mail stuff! packages, nengajou (new years cards), letters, takkyubin, etc
★ buy concert/event tickets
★ buy magazines
★ buy porny magazines 
★ pay your bills (gas, electricity...etc)
★ buy cigarettes
★ buy alcohol -- from canned chu-hi to bottles of wine and whiskey and nihonshu, look no further for your alcoholic needs
★ make copies
★ print pictures
★ get soft serve (at least you can at sunkus)
★ buy basic toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, face wash, bath salts, etc)
★ buy basic make-up
★ buy stockings, shirts (not at all of them, but some)
★ get ready-made (cold) food! bento, onigiri, oden, pasta, noodles, salads, sandwiches, side dishes (potato salad, simmered veggies, etc), breads, gyoza, and much more. don't worry, they'll heat it up for you too!
★ get instant ramen! of like every variety! and there are a LOT!
★ get ice cream 
★ get dessert! HUGE trend in konbini nowadays is uchi-cafe or "cafe at home" which means slightly nicer quality private-brand (PB) desserts that you take home and eat (rather than going to a cafe) -- uchi-cafe is actually a lawson brand, but other konbini are ALL doing it now (sunkus is cherie dolce, family mart has sweets＋,poplar has the hito tema series, and seven eleven doesn't have a brand name for it, but they're all over it too)
★ get money! you can find ATMs at nearly all konbini lately
★ get pens and paper and other things stationary
★ buy shuugi-bukuro and fushuugi-bukuro -- these are envelopes specifically for money given on occasions such as weddings, celebrations, having a child, or funerals
★ get energy drinks! millions of them! (and anti-hangover drinks)
★ buy laundry detergent, dish soap, and other cleaning products
★ get fresh ground coffee (and other cafe drinks!) -- this is also like the latest thing
★ buy CANDY! because that's half the fun of konbini! seasonal stuff and new line ups come in about every month, so it's really fun to browse 
★ NIKUMAN! ...need i say more? these warm, fluffy buns are usually filled with ground beef and veggies, but they have a lot of different varieties like pizza-man, curry-man, chashu-man...oh, and only during the fall/winter months
★ get fireworks -- only during the summer months, but hey! fireworks!
★ get hot ready-made food! fried chicken, hot dogs, fries, menchi katsu, korokke, oden... selection varies depending on the konbini
★ get frozen food! pizzas, pastas, udon, takoyaki, ice cream, you name it!
★ buy fresh produce -- not at all konbini, mind you, but at some you can find vegetables and fruits as well as eggs, tofu, etc
★ get drinks! i'm talking non-alcoholic here -- teas (green, black, red, sweetened, unsweetened, etc), coffee (lots of coffee; mostly in cans), fruit juices, smoothies, yogurt drinks, sports drinks, water, sodas, milk...

see? SEE?? you can do everything! and i probably haven't even listed it all!

if you're one of those people who really love going to the grocery store and browsing (like me) then you'll LOVE konbini. but they are kinda dangerous on an empty stomach (much like the grocery store). 

most major konbini also have their own kind of point card/prepaid card for quick and easy payment. in a cash society, fumbling for change while you're in a hurry isn't much fun -- so they have cards that you put money onto and then use for payment at the register. cards can be charged at any of their store locations and you also get points for every X amount of yen you spend. these points can be converted into actual yen. 

for example, seven eleven's nanaco card gives you 1 point for every 100 yen you spend (so like 1 point for every dollar) and you can turn 1 point into 1 yen, so if i have 400 points, i can use them as 400 yen (so 1 point can be turned into a penny). i know it sounds kinda piddly, i mean 100 yen for 1 point, and that point only gets me 1 yen? but seriously, these ADD UP. especially if you're in the habit of going to konbini daily like...all of japan is. you can also earn points at other affiliated stores too. japan LOVES point cards -- i really need to post about that, too. but usually they're free or very minimum cost to join, and are really worth it if you're a heavy user.

oh konbini... what would we do without you?

i hope i never have to find out.