Japanese Cuisine Daily Recipes & Something Kawaii From Harajuku?

Thank you for reading.

2010-01-22T21:50:00.000+09:00

I've tried to update this blog from time to time even after my main blog was replaced by Tokyo Kawaii, etc.
But I am not able to update this blog any longer now that I need to focus on Tokyo Kawaii, etc.

Thank you for reading and subscribing to "Japanese Cuisine Daily Recipes & Something Kawaii From Harajuku". I will not just delete it because it still connects people with my new blog, "Tokyo Kawaii, etc."

Thank you for bidding for the ad boxes which I've deleted completely by now.
Tokyo Kawaii, etc. has much more traffic and contents than this blog, and so please consider advertising your ad there if you're interested.

Please visit Tokyo Kawaii, etc. -if you find this blog interesting. -if you like Japan or Japanese culture. -if you like kawaii and fashion. I'll see you there!! (^0^)/~~

kawaii panda cushion

2009-11-08T21:22:00.004+09:00

I found this cute panda cushion at LOFT. I was busy taking this picture and I forgot to check out the price. (LOL) It's so soft and the texture was very smooth. Multiple pandas are cuter!! XD

LAWSON Rilakkuma soup mug

2009-10-23T21:02:00.005+09:00

A friend of mine who I gave my souvenir from a trip to Europe gave me back these cute cups from Lawson, or the Japanese popular convenience store. According to the Lawson's Rilakkuma campaign, I can see that he has collected stickers that are put on the campaign-related products, and he has collected 20 points of stickers for each cup. I knew this campaign because I saw the ad in front of Lawson whenever I pass by, but I rarely buy anything from convenience stores, and so I didn't even know how to get them. (It'd be totally impossible for me to gain them!) The campaign will be over soon...but I'm sure they will go for another Rilakkuma goods. :p

Thank you, my friend! <3

Japanese delivery foods

2009-09-17T06:30:00.000+09:00

What's the most popular delivery foods in your area, and what do you like and dislike?
In Japan, Sushi, Soba, Udon, Donburi, Unagi, etc. These delivery foods have been popular for a long time, maybe even before pizza delivery became popular. But there's a big difference between these authentic Japanese foods delivery service and pizza delivery service. After we order and eat these Japanese foods, we are supposed to wash the container roughly and get them collected next day so that they can be reused many times. It's eco-friendly. (Chopsticks are disposable, though.)

Most of Sushi, Soba, Unagi, etc. restaurants offer delivery service as well as eat-in. But these days, delivery-only Sushi store has appeared. Gin no sara is a good sample. I've ordered Sushi from them, but the price goes higher as delivery charge is inclusive, besides the Sushi itself costs high.

This company also runs Kamameshi delivery. Have you tried Kamameshi? I don't have it very often because it's not a home cooking cuisine. Yet, when I eat out, I'd rather choose something else. I once ordered delivery Kamameshi from Kamatora.

Here are pictures from what we (my hubby and I) got then.

Speaking of anti-itch drug in Japan...

2009-08-03T14:09:00.000+09:00

Speaking of anti-itch drug in Japan, "Muhi" is one of the most well-known brands. What I found at the drug store near my house the other day was Hello Kitty pokemuhi! What's pokemuhi? Pocket-sized Muhi! Isn't it so cute? With such a small size, we can carry it in a small bag and use it. It'll be useful at the outside event such as Bon dance (Bon Odori) in summer because we are bothered by mosquitos quite often. I feel like buying it, but it was priced almost as much as ordinary big size. Hello Kitty costs much! I chose the big one after all. LOL

Dragon Quest IX promotion at Shibuya station, Tokyo.

2009-07-15T12:53:00.000+09:00

I'm not into game but I feel familiar with Dragon Quest since I played it and liked it when I was a school kid.
So now Dragon Quest IX? Of course I didn't know that until I saw these cuteset slimes at Shibuya station last weekend. ;)

I'd prefer those slimes to the game itself! They look especially cute at pool side or beach, maybe... :lol:

This is an authentic Unagi restaurant from where Unagi cuisine is popular.

2009-06-30T18:18:00.000+09:00

Japanese Unagi is expensive and so I cannot afford myself Unaju so frequently. Paying as much as 3000 yen or more for just Unaju is too much to me, and I'd rather go drinking with that money. :p

When I see my parents, that is the best time I request them to take me to an Unagi restaurant. One reason is that I don't have to care about money, and another reason is that my home town, Urawa, there are many Unagi restaurants. As the town is famous for Unagi, it now has a Unagi character to be familiar with us. (The character is drawn by the famous Anpanman author!)

The taste is far different from home cooking Unagi and I'll miss it once in a while.

Inside the restaurant, it was tatami room and everyone was required to take off shoes to enter the dining.

Blogging was a good way to improve my English.

2009-06-22T22:33:00.000+09:00

It's been about 16 months or so since I started blogging this blog and another blog (Tokyo Kawaii, etc.) in English. One of the purposes of blogging in English was to improve my English. I have to read other blogs to leave comments, write my blogs to keep them interesting, and sometimes I need to watch and listen to MP3 or MP4 format to proceed with sign-ups with blog services and social networking services. These days in my main blog, (This blogger blog is a sub blog.) I started to film myself on Youtube, which means I now need to speak in English to my audience.

Without knowing, I have come to the point that I am surrounded by English environment once I'm hooked up with internet. Reading, writing, listening, and speaking. All these are to be done in English just to keep my current blogs running.

It's so weird that I feel like staying in the U.S or somewhere as long as I'm on the net, but once I'm off, here is Japan where 100% of communication is done in Japanese. When I spend too much time on blogging, English words come up faster than Japanese words before I try to say something to my family.

Flu masks in fashion or in cuteness?

2009-05-27T00:02:00.011+09:00

The photo is "Flu Masks in Fashion as Virus Nears Pandemic Stage" from Fox News. It'd be fun if people wear such face masks to protect themselves from swine flu or Mexican flu or H1N1 virus . But do you see these as "fashion" masks?

I felt a difference between our culture.
Speaking of fashion masks in our culture, they mean things like this.

Pico mask

Saihatei Kyoto Zakka

I cannot go to Tokyo without face masks these days, which is to protect myself. But most of people spending long hours in crowded places do not wear face masks at all yet.

I like kawaii cute things but as for face masks I don't need cuteness and I'd rather prefer things like this.

8 protection cards against evil

2009-05-13T10:38:00.001+09:00

Spending as much as 8000 yen for "Yakuyoke" to have monks prayed for my hubby and myself, evil was supposed to be waded off (? :p) and we received 8 protection cards to put 8 certain places in a house not for evil spirit comes into the house. The one in the photo is for the entrance. It's rather scary to see as many as 8 cards like this on all the specified points in the house, but we decided to follow as instructed.

Oh, let me tell you this is not because sad things or bad luck occurred to me or my hubby. It's because I was recommended highly by my fortune-teller that I should go to a shrine to do this to prevent from evil or bad luck that could be happening in the near future.

I think this is a very Asian practice and actually this 8 cards to gain protection from 8 directions is imported from China.

I have a related and further story at my new blog post, if you might like.

Cute Rilakkuma candy in doughnut-shaped can

2009-03-30T21:46:00.000+09:00

Only during the period until White Day, the Rilakkuma candy cans as in the photos were sold at convenience stores "LAWSON" in Japan. LAWSON sometimes launches special Rilakkuma items, which are not usually sold elsewhere. They are just so cute! On the other hand though, how would you make use of the can after you finish eating up candies? I may put paper clips inside and put the can on the desk so that I can see it while working. What else? I was wondering in the store, how I can make the best use of it, and then White Day's gone. All I have now is just these photos, none of either kawaii containers. (-_-)

It's been a while since my last post in this blog. As my main blog is Tokyo Kawaii, etc. I was not supposed to update this blog. But on second thought, it might be a good idea to add some posts occasionally, which I did not handle at the other one.

2009-01-29T22:30:00.003+09:00

I'm sorry I didn't answer some of the comments from following readers that I find today for the first time from last log-in.

JJ Tan
Sheryl
non-non

Please kindly check out my new blog at Tokyo Kawaii, etc.
which I constantly check out comments from blog readers.
Some of the posts from this blog are also read at Tokyo Kawaii, etc.

Thank you for understanding,
Kirin

Supplementary comments on my new blog

2008-12-05T11:14:00.004+09:00

Although I don't have much time to add new posts frequently, I can share the cutting-edge kawaii information that can be reached much easier because I live very close to Tokyo.

Tokyo Kawaii TV is one thing. I can watch the show from my house, understand what's spoken completely in my mother language, and even can step into the real store in Shibuya - Harajuku area that are introduced in the show. (I have an easy access to Shibuya - Harajuku area, the most fashionable & popular places in Tokyo.)

Kawaii Shop is another thing. I like to buy kawaii things and window shopping in Tokyo. That means I can just share the shop info. that I liked whenever I feel like so.

The blog posts sometimes refer to kawaii goods also.

Definition of kawaii is all different, depending on which point that one would feel so.

Some think Japanese street fashion or Gothloli fashion or mixed-up styles are kawaii, while others may think Japanese anime characters or Japanese girls are kawaii.

Tokyo Kawaii etc. is also covering such pages as Japanese foods (you can see here's a connection to this blog) Learn Japanese, Travel & Eat-out in Japan, all of which I have at a moment no time to update regularly though...:( *sorry*

So please visit and leave your messages to my new blog, Tokyo Kawaii etc.

I rarely check the comments sent to this blog even if you kindly did that for me.

Thanks for reading!

Kirin

Here's a link to my new blog!

2008-10-13T15:04:00.001+09:00

Ex-links are highly welcomed.
(please contact me at my shoutbox, comment section,
or by e-mail from here.)
Also please feel free to use the above banner at your blog if you like.
(code available from here.)

Moving over to the new site...

2008-09-13T10:20:00.004+09:00

"Japanese Cuisine Daily Recipes & Something Kawaii From Harajuku" will be replaced by Tokyo Kawaii, etc.

In that new blog, I am sorting out the contents that have already been published in this current blog. (If you've been a reader of this blog, you'll see what I mean. You'll find some of the posts that you have already read some time ago at http://jcdrkawaii.blogspot.com/ .)

Tokyo Kawaii, etc. is far from being perfect for release, but I'll never know when it'll be perfect with my poor computer skills. So I decided to let you know at this point.
There should be a way to import the posts from Blogger blog, as I tried, which turned out to be failed. Also, there should be a way to have enough space between lines when I write a post, but I don't know how. Making the site look cuter, having a side bar wider, changing colors as I like, placing pictures in a title, ...etc., I have so much that "I want it to be done like this" but it all seems difficult now, and if I wait for those to be done, I may have no chance to release it for months!

I will have to ask those who have ever kindly ex-linked my blog, http://jcdrkawaii.blogspot.com/ to link my new site, http://tokyokawaiietc.com/ as I gradually do the same for them. Please do not think that I ignore this, I just need some time.

Well, I'm sorry for any inconvenience of the usage of my new site for a time being.
But I'll try to do my best. (^o^)/

BTW, opening up a new site does not necessarily mean that I close this site.
Blogger blog costs nothing and I have realized that these days more and more people visit this blog from search engine.

If you have any opinion on my new site, Tokyo Kawaii, etc., please kindly let me know.
The site is on the process and I can easily accept and adopt your opinions, suggestions, or advice.

Thanks!
Kirin

How to write kawaii in Japanese

2008-09-08T22:01:00.004+09:00

I have realized that there are some people searching how we write kawaii in Japanese.
There are several ways.

1)可愛い
in kanji

2)かわいい
in hiragana

3)カワイイ
in katakana

This is my personal opinion, but I think kanji style is, kinda stiff or serious image because we normally use katakana or hiragana to express it among young girls.

Also, denying kawaii is "kawaikunai" in Japanese.
1)可愛くない　2)かわいくない　3)カワイクナイ(unlikely used)

However, as in English we say, "Isn't this cute?" we can say this way, "kore (=this) kawaikunai?" This means "this is cute, isn't it?" Even though kawaikunai sounds negative, it means positive and asking for agreement.

Rilakkuma at International Gift Show, Tokyo

2008-09-08T07:31:00.000+09:00

I went to International Gift Show that was taken place in Tokyo Big sight last Friday, for some business purposes, where I happened to find Rilakkuma booth run by San-X!

This is a bag that San-X was giving out when I was there.

Inside there was a brochure introducing event schedule for each major San-X character, as well as Rilakkuma and new characters "Homecoro" & "Kamonohashikamo"being scheduled to be released this coming November.

It's read that it's 5th anniversary for Rilakkuma, and Rilakkuma store opens in Osaka, 13 Sep. 2008 where you can buy Rilakkuma goods of limited sale that you can find nowhere else.

Nintendo DS Rilakkuma soft is also coming out 25 Sep. Wow~, I can see how much the character is loved by many people.

I love Rilakkuma most but I fell in love with other characters when I found them.

Well, here's my puppy dog blog in Japanese

2008-09-03T14:01:00.003+09:00

Here's my puppy dog blog in Japanese.

初わんこ★ピノと始める新生活
(meaning, a new life that we start with our first dog, "Pino")

I have to work for a Wordpress blog, first, but recording how Pino grows everyday means a lot to us, too. Also it's important to teach her various things while she's a baby. It's too late to do that after she is 10 months old.

Let me have a little more time until I can share the URL of my Wordpress blog!
I really appreciate the reader and subscribers of this blog, and I'm upgrading this blog to a next level with Wordpress platform. In that way, I can introduce more about hottest kawaii info. from Tokyo, Japan. So, please stay tuned!

BTW, let me tell you what I have noticed when I blog inside and outside Japan.
When blogging in Japan, I can feel a big difference from when I do that outside.
As you can see my Pino blog, we have a lot of icons, pictogram, and face marks, unlikely smily that is often used outside Japan. Another thing is that outside Japan, I can see people writing long long lines and contents without much space left between the lines, but when it comes to Japanese blogger, inside the country, it seems that we write a little bit, sparing a big empty space, again write a little bit with a lot of pictogram & icons, etc., etc...

I wonder what made this difference. Japanese blogs are very easy to read. Even if we're very much tired, we can still feel like reading them. What about English ones? No. Especially for me who use English as a second language, I would take a breath and say, "OK, I'm gonna read this stuff now!" I wish I could read faster and don't care about such breath or whatever just only to encourage myself. I know I will while I train myself with blogging...

Managing several different blogs

2008-09-02T08:24:00.005+09:00

These days, I am writing 3 different blogs.

1- this blog, at Blogger

2- my new blog, succeeding this blog, at my domained Wordpress blog

( I'm struggling with settings and now trying to fill it with sufficient contents so that it gets

ready to be introduced in here, sooner.)

3-my pet blog in Japanese, mainly as a record for ourselves, and secondly to share info. or

experience among other Shih Tzu dog owners. The blog platform is FC2, one of the most

popular free blog in Japan.

It's not easy for me to use 3 different ways to create a post.
That's the reason I cannot update my latest posts these days.

To be honest, I'm pretty busy at a moment, teaching a puppy (her name is Pino) where to discharge, how to do some trics, what's right and what's wrong, etc., etc., and every time she makes pee at a right place, I hug her, praise her, sometimes with a little snack like a dried cheese ball especially made for a dog, and change a toilet sheet for a new one. I just keep doing this for a while until she learns how to live with us. Meanwhile I'm just like a fresh mom to a baby, I stay at home watching carefully if she's doing OK all the time.

Meiji galbo chips

2008-08-29T17:33:00.000+09:00

Meiji galbo chips is a Japanese chocolate snack that is just released recently.
I don't buy snacks so often, but since I watched the commercial on TV, I wanted to taste it.
As it's named "chips" it's got a crunchy texture while it contains 65% of cacao.

Yummy! I like this (^0^)

Eating up a whole box means that I will gain 371 kcal, but it's difficult to stop once I start it...
( I know consuming 371 kcal is much more difficult, though...)
I'd better stay away from snacks, otherwise I could easily get fat!!

sweet & sour fried pork

2008-08-15T22:36:00.006+09:00

I wonder if this is Japanese cuisine or Chinese, but the other day I just made it for our dinner.
I referred to the recipe that came along with vinegar bottle.

It's pretty easy except for the thinly sliced cabbage, which in my case, turned out far from being thin (^_^;) ...I didn't want to share the whole picture because the cabbage I made was so ugly.

=How to cook=

1)Prepare 200g of the sliced pork loin, cut them into bite-size, and put on potato starch around them. (It's better if you finish cutting cabbage before you start on the pork.)

2)Fry them on the pan until they get heated.

3)Put the ingredients (2tbs of vinegar/ 2tbs of soy sauce/ 2tbs of sugar/ 2tbs of sake, or white wine/ 2tbs of water/ a little bit grated ginger and garlic for your preference) onto the pork and mix well.

I didn't add ginger & garlic as I didn't find them then, but it tasted great and I just loved it!
The best thing is to eat this dish with steamed rice!

glittering kawaii decoden, or decoration denwa (=phone)

2008-08-12T14:37:00.002+09:00

Decorating mobile phone with glittering materials is called "decoden" in Japanese, and this is also known as what Paris Hilton loves to have for herself, according to this video from Tokyo Kawaii TV.

These small parts are not genuine jewelry when it comes to our use, but even if they are plastic-made fake one, they look so lovely! Kawaii~, don't you think so?

It's nice for girls to express themselves even in such a small part, besides their finger nails, hair styles, make-ups, and what so ever around them. As for myself, though, I don't do anything to my mobile, just being so realistic, practical and no decorations at all. Things might have been different if I were 10 years younger ...(^_^)hehehe...

It's very weird but my interests were drawn to fashion and small things that decorate myself when I was younger. But as time passes, it is changed to how to live my life, what kind of job I should choose, how to manage household with my partner etc., etc, which is always very realistic and then I have realized I no longer have any spare time to care about what to wear, how to decorate things around me, how to lead more kawaii life of my own and so on... To be exact, it's not a matter of time, it's because I'm aged, and I'm being away from "young girl" even in a mental way. (Physically we are to get old, but we can stay young mentally, right?) That is not a bad thing, as anyone will face such changes, and I can see how I'm grown up. But on the other hand, I do miss the good old days when I didn't have to care about anything but boyfriend, fashion & what to do in summer vacation.

So I like to watch Tokyo Kawaii TV, young girls in Shibuya and Harajuku, and some kawaii outfit shops around Tokyo even if I don't wear as they do now. These are good ways to stimulate my mind that could get older anytime without knowing.

a designer to a blogger and to an auther of her books...

2008-08-10T21:50:00.002+09:00

While I was busy working and goofing off blogging, I received a message from Carmen.
Who is Carmen? She is the one in the video show that I introduced in my blog some time ago.

So what's up? She is going to release her books; one for kawaii cooking such as chara ben to be adapted and arranged in American way and the other one for Tokyo theme restaurants.
As she writes in her post, it's true there are so many unique restaurants and izakaya in Tokyo.
But as is often the case, when I'm in there, I feel I can go to any one of them anytime as long as I don't want to, which never really allowed me to have any chances to chose such places for drink or eat ever before.

She says she's coming to Tokyo this fall to take photos and to write by herself. That sounds so exciting and fun! Congrats on her book contracts, and I believe she'll make it!

Groceries of other countries' available here, at KALDI

2008-08-06T21:53:00.001+09:00

KALDI Coffee Farm is not just a coffee store.
It sells groceries from Europe, U.S, Asia, Oceania and so on.
I like to buy cookies from Belgium, olive oil from Italy or Spain, tea from U.K, and some spice and seasoning from Korea or China.
There are so many branch stores, nevertheless non of them is located near my place. (T_T)

If you're in Japan for a while and miss any foods of your country, KALDI might be offering part of what you miss, although the price is much higher than that you'd buy in your country. Especially these days Euro is so strong to Japanese Yen, and so European groceries are much expensive and my favorite cookie, for example, is priced something unrealistic.

I do miss the feeling of missing Japan when I was overseas.
I was so excited to find Japanese magazine or Japanese curry paste, snack, and mayonnaise when I lived in the U.S or Australia (I've stayed at each country for about 1 year.)
It's been a long time without having such long stay outside the country. I never thought marriage makes it so difficult for me to travel around as I used to. There are certain things we cannot achieve as we get old, which is not understandable when we were young, as I never thought of any possibilities that I cannot get out of Japan for years. I thought I could go anywhere when I was back from Australia, which is already 8 years ago! Of course I went to Europe, Korea, and China since then, but that is only 3-4 days of tour and I don't count that type of tour as travel because they are so quick and not impressive enough.

I wonder when next post is...Blogging is getting difficult when I'm engaged in a new project of my job. (>_<)

Harajuku remake fashion, this is soooo kawaii!

2008-08-03T22:51:00.001+09:00

Look at the video and find how kawaii and unique the garments that get "remake". If I were good at sewing and I had good enough time for making my stuff, I'd love to do this for my wardrobe!!

This is so creative and look so fun.
We can find cheap old clothes at Harajuku. (In the video it's on Takeshita street.)
I really like how people enjoy any kinds of fashion in Tokyo, especially Harajuku & Shibuya area.
I've much aged by now and my generation does not even look back Harajuku fashion, instead we may stay conservative. This also relates to the fact that we cannot wear whatever we like when we work, which accelerates being more and more conservative to our fashion. Also, rasing kids does not allow any extra time for better dressing for herself, when we become a mom. That is so sad and boring though...

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Ooops, the video was too big. Sorry I'm not good at all these technical things (>_<)
I quoted it from here.