let the rain begin

june and july are the 2 months that rain the most in japan. they call it 梅雨 (tsuyu). the term comes from "霉" in 霉雨, which means mold. you can imagine how much rain fall there is that makes things moldy. i'm not quite looking forward to it... but to prepare myself for the rainy season, here i am under my new umbrella (ella ella eh eh eh...) hahahaha :P

history of lamps

remember the comic travelogue i talked about 2 weeks ago? i had been reading about attractions that may be interesting and found a couple of museums which are worth visiting. the first one i visited was the kobe lamp museum.

the purpose of the kobe lamp museum is to display the various lighting devices from past centuries that reflect the lifestyles and cultures in early japan. the museum is located on the second floor of an office building (next to robinson!), and has a fairly small exhibition area. although not a big show floor, the collections are divided into distinct eras and designed to let visitors stroll smoothly through the exhibits.

just like any other civilizations, it all began with the natural resources - sticks, straws, and wood.
松明 taimatsu (torch made of sticks)
かがり火 kagaribi (wood fire in a metal basket hung from a tripod; or bonfire)

during the edo period, oil was discovered as a source of fuel, and oil lamps were invented.


these oil lamps are called ねずみ短檠 nezumi tankei. inventors created a mechanism that automatically allows oil to be fed to the top, which is designed into the shape of a mouse, and dripped onto the fuel plate.


then came the "paper boxed lamps" to protect the flame from being blown out by the winds.


with the invention of candles, people learned to make matches to strike fire in an instant. there were millions of designs on matchboxes - one of the earliest forms of advertisement.


"XXX" and "impregnated"??
impregnated means the flint had been infused with different particles, in this case.


in the late meiji period, gas/petroleum lamps were introduced by the europeans. but the japanese incorporated some of the traditional japanese designs, such as sakura, onto the glass shades.


in order to fit the japanese market, how can they not have these 豆ランプ (miniature lamps)? each of these are in the range of 10 to 19cm.


and last but not least, the invention of the light bulb in the 19th century by thomas edison made life so much easier.


with only a ￥400 adult admission, the kobe lamp museum is a good way to take a quick 45 minute break from the busy kobe streets. :)

Kobe Lamp Museum
〒650-0034
神戸市中央区京町80番　クリエイト神戸2 & 3F

kobe sannomiya

one of my frequent hang out places in kansai is kobe sannomiya 神戸三宮. although not as busy and crowded as tokyo's shibuya 東京渋谷, it is a centralized shopping area filled with department stores, local boutiques, and restaurants.

there are 3 major stations at this crossing: hanshin 阪神, hankyu 阪急, and JR.
the green building in the picture is called MINT Kobe. it opened just last year, with floors of shops and restaurants, a tower records, and a brand new cinema. the top 6 floors are office spaces.


close to MINT Kobe is the SOGO department store and Loft creative living store (Loft was once very popular in hk too).


and across from SOGO is the department store for young people - Marui OIOI


on the other side of town, you can find Tokyu Hands - another famous japanese creative living store. i can easily spend hours cruising in this building!


and last but not least, a more traditional taste - ikuta temple 生田神社
many locals come to wish for good luck at this temple on special festivals like new years day and shichi-go-san (七五三 - when boys turn 5 years old and girls turn 3 and 7 years old).


sannomiya is really at the heart of kobe, with easy access to the moutains (六甲山) and to the bay (ポートアイランド). if you ever come to town, don't forget to visit this city!

someone needs a translator

the other day i went to visit a friend who's staying at a hotel in kobe. his wife found this card in their room and she brought it down and asked if anyone understood the english part. do you?

(click for a bigger image)

the english translation seemed like it was done on a google translator or something... maybe the hotel should just find a true human translator.

we all took turns to take a picture of it and had a good laugh. haha~



what the card really meant...
Attention
In order to conserve the limited resources, the (water) pot is not plugged into the electric outlet. Please kindly plug into the outlet if you wish to use the pot. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

all you can eat... bread!

if you ask me which is my favorite kansai restaurant so far, i have to pick robinson in kobe. robinson is a modern french restaurant that has its own bakery. i've only been there for lunch, which they only serve a few set courses everyday.

pasta lunch ¥1,000
salad + pasta + bread

salad lunch ¥900
cup of soup + salad + bread

robinson lunch ¥1,200
salad + entree of the day + bread

for the pasta lunch, robinson provides two choices each day, and for the few times i've been there, they have a pretty good variety of pasta dishes.

in addition, over 10 types of bread are baked hourly and served straight out of the oven. and the best of all, the waiters keep refilling them for you for free! what can beat 焼き立てパン (fresh from the oven bread)?!

the restaurant is often packed with people but the wait is not too bad. it's located in the heart of the shopping area, so it's definitely a popular lunch spot for many shoppers like me!

Robinson
〒650-0034
神戸市中央区京町80番　クリエイト神戸1F
(2 blocks away from Daimaru)

shopping at the outlets

outlet malls are becoming more and more popular in japan. this weekend, i went to the mitsui outlet park at marine pia kobe (三井アウトレットパーク マリンピア神戸) in tarumi (垂水区). it isn't a very big outlet park, with only 2 wings and about 80 shops. they are mostly japanese brands, but you can also find some american brands like nike, adidas, lacoste, and juicy couture. the quality is above normal outlet standard, and it's definitely a popular attraction because of its great ocean view!

from home, it is about 40 minutes away by train.


you can enjoy a spectacular ocean view during the last 10 minutes of the train ride too!


the outlet park is built around the theme of a lively southern european seaport town


the shops face a boat pier and an open piazza for weekend outdoor events


and just a few steps away is the akashi kaikyo bridge (明石海峡橋) that spans over to awaji-shima (淡路島), then further reaches over to shikoku (四国).

comic travelogue

last week, i spent some time at the bookstore. i was looking for books on grammar and vocabulary so that i can brush up on my japanese. after much looking around and comparison, i finally picked out the one that would fit my level. while i was walking to the cashier to pay for my grammar book, a book with a comic cover caught my eye. it featured the cartoon character こげぱん (kogepan = burnt bread) and i couldn't help but pick it up. it's titled "osaka & kobe travelogue". i casually flipped through the pages and think, this is the perfect book to read about the famous places and restaurants, AND learn japanese!



the book is full of fun illustrations and descriptions that it makes it easy to read. the illustrator of kogepan is also known for her sarcasm and funny comments. besides the "osaka & kobe" series, there's also the "hokkaido", "okinawa", and "kyoto" series. maybe after i finish the current one, i'll consider getting the rest!

(meet the kogepan team! homepage: http://www.san-x.co.jp/pan/)

things i find interesting in jpn (1)

i went grocery shopping the other day and wanted to get some oyster sauce. this is probably the smallest oyster sauce bottle i've ever seen. of course i had to get it because it fits perfectly on the seasonings plate! (just kidding) well, practicality is another thing... i'm done with half the bottle already.


* * * * *

then, i walked over to the coffee aisle for some instant coffee. this one sits on a cup and yield drip coffee when you pour hot water over. it's the perfect solution for people like me, who don't have a coffee maker at home. quality is definitely below standard, but when starbucks are more scarce than コンビニ (convenience stores) in japan, this "home drip coffee maker" isn't bad at all!


* * * * *

for those of you who has had kids and taken them to the mall, did you find it hard to use the bathroom when you are carrying a baby and don't have any help? in most department store bathrooms in japan, they thought of the mommies' needs and built baby seats inside each stall. this way, they can safely place their baby in the seat and finish their business, without needing the help of others. smart idea, right? i wonder if they have baby seats in the men's bathroom too?

love generation

love generation is showing re-runs on fuji tv now!

kimura takuya 10 years ago... but he still looks the same now

he and matsu takako made a great pair back then

his new drama "change" will start to air today as well. kimutaku overflow!

to all moms

tempura専門店

during the golden week holidays, i was treated to an authentic tempura meal. tengayu (天がゆ) is a small neighborhood restaurant which specializes in tempura - the type that they fry right in front of you. i've had this special tempura cuisine once in sendai (仙台) many years ago, so having it again definitely brought back good memories.

for lunch, you get shrimp tempura, 2 types of seasonal fish and some vegetable tempura, a kakiage (かき揚げ)*, a salad plus pickled vegetables and soup, and a choice of rice or porridge, for only 1,600yen! very economical yet delicious~

the restaurant is located within a residential area and the entrance is so tiny that i will no doubt miss it if i'm not taken there. it can probably fit only 16 customers at once, but it is very comfortably decorated. these are the best food finds in japan!

*kakiage = small pieces of vegetable/seafood mixed together to form a tempura cake

the chef preparing fresh tempura for the customers
(that's a kakiage!)

lunch course

exploring the town

today, i want to introduce the town i am in. it's called kurakuen (苦楽園), which is situated along the shukugawa river (夙川). shukugawa is one of japan's famous spots for sakura (cherry blossom) in the spring. each april, many locals from the surrounding neighborhoods rush to the river in order to catch the short-lived cherry blossoms. the area in the far back is rokko-san (六甲山).

sakura trees along the river.
i can imagine how beautiful it is in the spring!

hankyu train (阪急) which can take me to kobe and osaka.
the train station is only a 3-minute walk away from the apartment, and over on the other side of the train tracks, you can find many local shops and restaurants.

there's still lots to explore in this little town and its greater neighborhood, so stay tuned!

in kansai

hi all! i safely arrived in osaka 3 days ago! weather here has been very sunny and warm the first 2 days, and a few small showers hit today. but overall it's been pleasant. jetlag has not affected me much either!

the area i'm now in is not exactly osaka. together with kobe, kyoto, and many other cities, they're called the kansai area (関西). but osaka and kobe are both within a 30-minute train ride from where i live, so it is easy access to these 2 cities.

may 3rd to may 6th is a long weekend for the japanese. it's their golden week, which consists of consecutive national holidays. people usually get a full week off (depending if the weekends land in between these holidays) but this year 2 of the holidays are on saturday and sunday, so most people only have 4 days off. the holidays definitely brought the crowd outside!

for 2 days in a row, we were hanging out in kobe. didn't really shop much (yet), but already had a few great meals!

the real sushi "belt" instead of the westernized sushi "boat" :P

whole baby squid - don't worry, they're not alive


strawberries that are hand packed to perfection - each one is the same size, shape, and color


vietnamese pho lunch set, nicely presented

a view of kobe from the restaurant

kobe welcomed its first IKEA store on april 16th. since IKEAs are rare in japan, everyone came to see this "new attraction" during golden week. we were hoping to make it a quick run and just pick up a few items since we're pretty familiar with the self-serve system. however, we got there and was told that the line to enter would be 3 hours!! that's crazier than the longest line at Disneyland! nah, it's not worth waiting that long at IKEA... so we turned back. maybe i'll come back on a day when everyone else is at work. :)

the huge structure, well, just like any other IKEAs

the train station was decorated with the IKEA theme

they also had one of the trains decorated with IKEA sofas and fabrics, but we kept missing that train... since we didn't get to ride it, here's a picture from the promotional material