Bento Challenge!

The Japanese bento is an art, in my opinion. They’re known by many for their neat arrangements and the time and effort put into making them. Making a bento is pretty meticulous but a pleasure to look at and eat.

*from Google images.

*from Google images.

*from Google images.

I think perfection is something highly valued in Japanese culture but is understood as something that can never be achieved. There is always something more to learn. Dedicated artists spend their lives working on their crafts whether it’s pottery, flower arranging, kimono painting, etc. Good things take skill attained through time.

I think all people value time, but choosing how to use your time importantly varies from culture to culture. In America, time is money, and when you aren’t making money with your time, you better be using every spare second for relaxing, pursuing hobbies, and spending time with family and friends. I think many cultures would consider it a waste to put so much time into something you’re just going to eat and use for energy. Then again, the reason Japanese bento are known around the world is because of the willingness to put time into them.

Why do many Japanese wives and mothers take hours to prepare beautiful meals for their family? Well, it’s simple really…It’s their way of showing love and affection. Also, I believe it’s that desire for perfection rooted in Japanese culture. In Western countries, love is show through hugs, kisses, and “I love yous.” In Asian countries, it’s shown through hard work for each other. Men work long hours for their family. Women spend time cooking and cleaning for their family. I’m not saying everyone is like this, but it is a traditional standard for sure.

Lately I’ve been thinking about my place in Japan. I am American. I am proud of my culture and value my beliefs. However, I also am a resident of Japan. I am living a Japanese lifestyle and have a Japanese boyfriend. Over two years have passed since we’ve been together, and with my time on JET coming to an end next year, there will be some drastic changes in my life, the main two being finding a new job and moving. The timing just works out to move in together, a thought that frightens and excites me. Of course I’m so excited to move in with the man I love and have my first real place that I get to choose myself, but I worry that I can’t live up to the Japanese standards of being a good “housewife.” I want to meet his expectations.

Of course my boyfriend understands that I am American and a working woman. He reassures me that anything I prepare for him will be fine, even if it’s the American way of throwing a sandwich, chips, and a piece of fruit in a bag and calling it finished. Poor guy has never cooked a thing in his life and is incapable of preparing a lunch for himself, but that’s normal here. On days woman can provided a meal for their husband or kids, they go to the convenience store and buy a premade bento or eat out. However, there is no love in that LOL!

I have begun thinking about my future life and how I’d like to balance the American and Japanese sides of me. I like cooking. I like art. So I thought I would start trying to make Japanese-style bento for myself as a way to prepare and practice for living with my boyfriend. Here’s what I’ve found so far…

First, omg, it DOES take sooo much time! I’ve come to the realization after my experimentation thus far that working full-time and making a bento AND dinner from scratch is just too much for me. During my first full week of trying to make a homemade bento and dinner for myself every day, I wasn’t eating dinner until 10pm! I also had no time to relax. It was go home, exercise, shower, do chores, make bento, cook dinner, eat, and sleep. I was spending like 2-3 hours on cooking. This is what I decided:

I can make a home bento from scratch if I plan to do a simple dinner like take out, premade meals, or 10 minute meals OR I can substitute parts of my bento with premade or simple things and make a dinner from scratch. I think a lot of Japanese woman buy frozen sides and such to put in their bento. Also, most Japanese households have rice ready-to-go in the rice cooker at all times which saves time. I’m slowly figuring out how to balance the time put in to cooking.

Another thing I I’ve found so far though this experience is that putting creativity in your lunches is fun, and I am looking forward to eating at work so much more every day. Bento are fun to eat. I can feel the love I’m giving myself hehehe!

So let’s get down to it…what do my bento look like?! Well, I have a long way to go. I went to the dollar store and got a lot of materials for making bento cute and organized. That part is going well, I think. My main issue, however, is that I’m not actually making Japanese food because it’s not what I want to eat every day. Work lunches are my best way to control my portions and eat healthy, so I pack lots of fruits and vegetables and keep it pretty light.

Cooking Japanese food is difficult for me. It’s something I’m not used to, and I feel like there isn’t much room for improvisation like there is with American food where you can just through whatever you have in the fridge into pastas, sandwiches or omelets. That’s just my opinion. For example, there is a set way Japanese karaage (fried chicken) should look and taste which is a common bento item. The same goes for dashimaki tamago (Japanese omelet) and so on. These are things that any Japanese woman can make I feel because they grew up around it, but to me even simple miso soup or rice balls make me uneasy. I know it’s something I really need to practice. For now, I’m making American-style Japanese bento, but I plan to experiment with cooking Japanese food little by little. Wish me luck!

Here are some bento I’ve made so far…

Seed and avocado salad, giant grapes, and
cheese and crackers.

Roasted veggie salad, pesto pasta and oranges.

*Saving time bento* Starbucks wrap, oranges,
and caprese salad.

Sandwich sushi bites, edamame, homemade
sweet potato chips, and kiwi,

Coconut edamame rice, blueberries and kiwi,
and spring rolls.

Quinoa chili, cornbread, and oranges.

Green sandwich, oranges, granola bites, and
store-bought sweet potato chips.

Salmon and cream cheese sushi sticks,
oranges, and veggie/egg scramble.

Cantaloupe and Mediterranean salad (the top box was a repeat
from a different day).  

Just to give you an idea of how big the boxes are.
Quite small actually (I have baby size hands lol)

Nara Tokae

Looking back at my old posts, I could’ve sworn I made a post about Nara’s summer festival called Tokae, but I couldn’t find it. Maybe I just mentioned it in a post about another topic. In any case, I figured I’d make a short post dedicated solely to Tokae.

Tokae is a candle festival in the Nara Park area that takes place every summer in August during Obon season. Thousands of candles are lit around the park illuminating paths and temples. It’s all sponsored by donations. It’s really pretty and romantic. The first time I ever went was with my female coworker. It was nice, but I kept thinking how much nicer it would be to go with a boyfriend or girlfriend. Many people dress up and go in yukata, but it’s not necessary if you aren’t into that sort of thing.

This year I was able to go with my boyfriend, and it definitely was nice. We got dinner first and then spent a while walking around looking at all the lights. It was hot, and there were a lot of people, but it’s a fun and free way to spend time, and I think the beauty of it is worth seeing a least once.

Osaka Cat Cafes

Hello fellow cat lovers! Looking for some cat cafes to visit in Osaka? Recently I’ve been obsessed with going to them. I’ve been to six different ones around Osaka in the past few months. I like cat cafés because I get to see and play with cute cats and relax. Time always goes by so quickly in a cat café. It’s a great way to kill time pleasantly while waiting for a friend, etc. Since many people can’t have pets where they live, cat cafes provide people with the temporary comfort of interacting with a pet. Let me introduce the places I’ve been to so far. I’ll provide links to their websites so you can check times and prices yourself.

Cat Tail

First up is Cat Tail in Amemura (American Village). This is the first cat cafe I went to in Osaka. I feel like this is one of the most properly run places and is really organized. I liked that at this place, some cats would willingly sit on your lap…especially if you have treats lol. You get your drink at first, and it comes in a nice cup with a lid that you can leave on a table or carry around with you at your leisure. There were a lot of drink choices. My only complaint about this place is that it’s quite small. It’s also a well known café, so there are always people there, and it can get kind of crowded.

This face, though.

Lap kitty!

Neko no Jikan (Cat Time) – North Branch

This is one of two branches, and it’s around the Tenma area. I’ll introduce the other branch next, but both of them are beautiful cat cafes and my personal choice. They are both spacious, well decorated, and have very nice looking breeds of cats. The north branch is decorated as a tradition Japanese tatami room. It is set up to where you play first and have your drink after in a separate room that also seems to be a dining bar anyone can go to in the evening. There’s a friendly old dog that chills in the bar area. My favorite thing about the north branch was a really derpy-looking orange cat. His tongue was always hanging out haha!

Neko no Jikan (Cat Time) – South Branch

The south branch is in Amermura. It’s perfect if you wana relax a little before getting your night of partying started. As I said, this branch is also spacious and beautifully decorated with nice looking cats. The theme of this one was like a forest. This place appealed the most to me the most aesthetically and location-wise. Here, you could get your drink and drink it anytime, but you had to sit at a table while drinking and not leave your cup unattended.

Save Cat Café

This café was also near Tenma. This one is really special because they take in strays, care for them, and try to get them adopted. I really respect this system. I wish all places were like this! I guess the only downfall is that at this kind of place, you don’t really get to see rare or pure breeds. Most of the cats here had parts of their ears or tails missing. Since they were all strays before, their personalities are a bit different. They are more lively and energetic. At most other cat cafes, the cats are bored and tired of people touching them. Since people adopt cats from here, the turnover rate of cats is pretty high, and there weren’t many that have been in the café for over a year. The owner was a really friendly, cool dude who encouraged you to play with and touch the cats. My only two complaints about this place is that it was quite small, perhaps the smallest, and it could’ve just been that day, but almost all the customers there were regulars. This means that they knew all the cats by name and knew the cats’ personalities, what toys they like, etc. They kind of hogged the cats to themselves. If I remember correctly, at this place you had the option of a drink or no drink. I went with no drink. There was actually a food menu, I believe, too, and you could order a meal and sit down and watch the cats through a window from the dining area. If you got only a drink, I still think you had to drink outside in the dining area, as well.

Piece of ear missing.

Half of tail missing.

So playful! :)

Near Nya

This cat café is in Umeda, and it had the most open floor plan. I think it was the biggest of them all. It wasn’t bad, but the room just felt a little bare. The cats here really enjoyed playing with toys, but it was one of the places you had to pay money to rent a toy. About half of the cat cafes I went to were like that. I can’t say much about this place. The drinks were just mini bottles of water, apple juice, or canned coffee. You could take one out of the fridge yourself and drink it at you leisure. I didn’t feel that the staff was very personable here. There was nothing particularly wrong with the place, but there was nothing about that stood out and would make me want to go here over other cat cafes.

Grumpy Cat.

Chubbie. :3

Munchkin

The last place I want to introduce to you is Munchkin in Kyobashi. This place is closest to my home and was the only one that had a 30 minute option. All other places were a minimum of an hour. You could choose with or without a drink. If you got a drink, it was just full-size bottles of tea, water, etc. What can I say, this place definitely stood out… The cats here are ANGRY! Like it’s a bit scary! The place is actually a decent size and quite comfortable, but holy crap there are just too many cats for one space. I think I counted like 17 in total! Usually cat cafes have around 10 or so. They did NOT get along with each other. They hissed, they meowed, and they cat punched each other in the faceeeeeee. The kind ones cowered in fear of the dominant ones. Sometimes I feared that I would be attacked. I guess you could say it was entertaining. Being so close to where I live, I decided to go back again and give it another chance. There was one very redeeming quality to going back. I found a kitten named Joanna that I didn’t notice the first time. She was the sweetest and most loving little kitty. You’ll find that when you go to cat cafes, the cats are sick of being touched by strangers day-in and day-out. They often recoil when you try to pet them, they never purr, and they never come to you (unless you have toys or treats). Joanna is still a kitten and perhaps hasn’t gotten sick of people yet. She came up to me, rubbed up against me, purred, and wanted me to pet her constantly. OMG I love her so much! For this reason and this reason alone, I will be going back here. One more thing, both times I went, there were hardly any people…as in the first time there was only one other guy and the second time I was the only customer. The lady who runs it kind of just stands in the corner and watches you while you play with the cats which is really awkward, but it you make conversation with you, it feels better lol!

Pissed cat.

Pissed cat.

Little Joanna! ...ok, she looks kinda pissed, too.

So hopefully that gives you some options for when you are in Osaka. Lastly, I just want to go over real quick the procedures of going to a cat café so you don’t make any embarrassing mistakes.

First, you go in and take off your shoes at the first opportunity. There are usually boxes near the entrance. Depending on the place, you will either take your shoes off right before or right after checking in.

When you check in, you usually get a time card to let you know what time you entered and what time your one hour will be up. Some places take your name and tell you that they will call you when your time is up instead of giving you a card. Many places make you pay in advance, but some will ask you for money at the end. You can pay extra money if you want to extend your time while you are there. Extensions usually go by 30 minute intervals. I would say the standard price for one hour with a drink is around ¥1,200 ($12ish). If you go two or three hours before closing, some places have free time where you pay a flat rate and you can stay as long as you want until closing. Most cat cafes close at 8 or 9 pm.

After checking in, you will be asked to spray your hands with a sanitizing spray so you don’t get germs on the cats. You will be directed to where you can put your luggage. There are usually little lockers. If you are getting a drink, usually you get it right in the beginning, but places vary.

Now that you are in, it’s time to play with cats! The staff will bring you your drink when it’s ready. There are profile books you can look at to see pictures and bios of all the cats there. You can see their name, gender, their likes and dislikes, etc. You are allowed to take pictures of the cats as long as you don’t use flash. You usually aren’t usually allowed to pick up the cats, but you can try petting them all you want.

Usually I look at the Japanese profile books because they
actually make sense lol! Tehe ENglish in this one was too funny,
though, not to take a picture!

Places have different rules about toys. Some let you use the toys for free, and some make you rent them. Be careful about just taking one without asking. Treats are also available for purchase and area good way to make the cats pay attention to you.

When your time is up, you have to leave. If you haven’t paid yet, get your luggage and pay, put on your shoes and leave. Some places will have sinks for you to use to wash your hands at after touching the cats if you so wish and lint rollers for your clothes. That about covers it! Happy cat travels!

Yodogawa Firework Show

Going to firework shows is becoming a summer tradition for me. Japanese fireworks are so impressive! Plus, it’s free! The only thing you must endure is the sheer amount of people. It’s sooo crazy! Oh, and the heat can wear you down pretty bad, too. It’s all worth it in my opinion, though. The shows are usually at least an hour long, and in addition to seeing the amazing display, you also get to see all the girls dressed up in cute yukata.

This year I went to the Yodogawa firework show. We (my boyfriend and I) got there about 3 hours in advance. Usually this is necessary if you want to get a seat. By the time we walked to the viewing area, found a spot, got comfortable, and cracked open our drinks and snacks, we didn’t have to wait long for the show to start.

I have been to the firework show in Kobe, the PL firework show, and the Tenjin Matsuri fireworks, but the Yodogawa firework show was the best in my opinion. I hear the Lake Biwa one is good too, so I’ll probably try to check that one out next year.

So here are the pros and cons of the Yodogawa Firework show. Pros: It’s over the Yodogawa River, and unlike the Tenjin Matsuri fireworks that are also over a river, there aren’t a bunch of trees or things in the way blocking your view, so you can see really well. You are also very close to the fireworks! Definitely the closest I’ve ever been! Other pros are that there are a lot of places to sit. It wasn’t that hard to find a spot. Next, it’s very close to where I live compared to some of the other shows, and the viewing area is accessible by several stations. Going there was pretty easy, and since everyone took different routes, the trains weren’t as crowed like the other shows I went to.

Cons: Holy bugs! You are sitting on grass by a river, so there are obviously bugs. This area is basically untouched throughout the year until this event, so suddenly everyone comes and creates chaos for the bugs, and they have nowhere to go. I had giant…and I mean GIANT…grasshoppers hop at my face. There were crickets, mosquitoes, and spiders. Bring bug spray and lids for you food/drinks. Also, a stick for pushing away the grasshoppers came in handy (we used an umbrella).

Like all the other shows, it’s extremely crowded. Prepare for traveling to and from the station and viewing area to take a while. Also, bathrooms are far and few between. Be careful! Also, there weren’t many places around to eat, so plan on eating somewhere else, or bring a picnic dinner.

Last, there are huge floodlights for safety that light up the whole viewing area. I thought they’d turn them off when the show started, but they didn’t. Shinya and I happened to be sitting right in front of one which was pretty annoying, so my advice is that if you go, if possible, try not to sit right in front of one of the lights.

Still, this show was absolutely gorgeous, impressive, long, romantic, and my number one recommendation thus far. If you are in Japan in summer, firework shows are definitely something you should try to experience.

Art Aquarium

I don’t often go to art museums or exhibitions, but once in a while there is something that catches my attention. My first year in JET I went to one of my favorite art exhibits to this day which was the temporary exhibit of Japanese ghosts, monsters, etc. It’s now long gone, but I still have the book of art that I bought there. I’m so glad I did!

The next thing that caught my eye was a goldfish art exhibition called “Art Aquarium.” I found out about it through my friend. Apparently it takes place every summer in the Nakanoshima area of Osaka. However, it was my first time to hear of it. I think it was around ¥1,200 give or take a few. Basically, it’s an art show displaying the beauty of different kinds of goldfish through using live fish, lights, interestingly shaped tanks, and music. Instead of me describing it, how about checking out these pictures?

My only complaint is how busy and full of people it was. Everyone I talked to who went said that it doesn’t matter the time of day, it’s always busy. The exhibit itself isn’t that big, so I guess it’s to be expected. However, I do recommend checking it out because it really was cool and beautiful.

A Little Trip to Arima Onsen

Money has been tight lately, so traveling during my summer vacation was not an option, but a little day trip to Arima Onsen in Hyogo Prefecture was doable. It’s a famous little onsen (hot spring) town. People who go there usually stay the night at a Japanese style hotel with its own private hot spring, but for those on a budget, it’s perfectly fine day trip in my opinion.

It was my first time going here despite there often being group trips there put on by the Osaka JET council. I just prefer to go to onsen on my own because I can relax more and do things at my own pace. I also prefer not to be naked if front of people I know lol.

From where I live, it only took about two hours to get to despite being secluded up in the mountains. When I arrived, I noticed the slight temperature difference which I appreciated. In all honestly, going to an onsen in winter is nicer, but going in the summer can be nice too in its own way.

The train ride up the mountain was pretty and so was the town itself. I stopped by the tourist center to get a walking/attractions map. I walked around the town a little and stopped in a café for a parfait which included Arima Onsen’s famous soda crackers. It’s weird to say, but Arima Onsen’s famous food is…carbonation? Lol! The springs themselves are naturally carbonated. I also tried their original cider which was like a clear, sweet soda. I can 100% for sure say, it was THE most carbonated thing I’ve ever drank in my life! It was almost painful to drink…but in a fun way. I had to burp after every sip.

Parfait.

Most carbonated soda EVER.

So I’m gona be honest, the town itself was super small. I walked the main course around the whole town that the tourist info center recommended, and it took about only 30 minutes. There are some temples to look at, but they are quite small, and since I’ve lived in Japan for so long, temples aren’t something that excite me as much anymore. The thing I liked seeing the most was something I don’t even know the name of. I guess it was like a structure in the ground where steam spews out of and perhaps pumps water to all of the hot springs? Idk, but it was cool. I was intrigued by how the iron in the natural spring water turned the streets and gutters a red color.

I don't even know, but it was cool.

Rusty gutters,

There are two main public bath houses you can go to if you are just coming for the day: Kin no Yu and Gin no Yu (Gold Water and Silver Water). The Gold Water bathhouse gets its name for the iron-rich, carbonated water I previously mentioned. It’s supposed to be good for your skin. The other place, Silver Water, is just regular colored water. You can get a discount if you plan on going to both, but I thought it would be a pain and take too long to take a bath, get cleaned up and redressed, walk over to a different place and do it all over again. So, I just got the one ticket for Kin no Yu, the red water place.

Kin no Yu,

Gin no Yu.

When I go to an onsen, I usually take my sweet time and spend around two hours there. When I went into the changing room, I was really surprised at first at how small it was. After I got naked, I walked into the bath room and was surprised again to see only two baths! However, the red water was really awesome looking, and I was excited to get in. After soaking about 10 minutes, I got out and was excited to see if the outdoor baths would be big and nice. I looked around for the door, and after about 10 seconds, I realized there was no door… There were no outdoor baths. Then I felt really disappointed. Outdoor baths are my favorite. I mean, the town is famous for its onsen, so I thought it’d be better. The onsen 5 minutes from my apartment is nicer and more spacious with about 10 styles of baths! I did realize, though, that this water at Arima Onsen was special, so I went back into the same bath for about 10 more minutes and enjoyed it as much as I could. I was out of the onsen within an hour. Walking around beforehand and eating my parfait only took about an hour. I was finished with everything wayyyy earlier than I expected. It was like 3pm. I spent about 20 minutes after my bath in a coin operated massage chair lol.

Since the only thing I had eaten the whole day was just that parfait, I decided an early dinner would be fine. The only thing is that dinner places didn’t open till around 4 or 5. I walked around the whole town again checking out the kinds of restaurant there were, and I also spent time just sitting and staring at the nature.

At about 4pm I went into a kamameshi restaurant. Kamameshi is rice cooked in a metal pot over an open flame that can include different ingredients like vegetables or seafood. Since I was on a budget, I stuck to one of the cheap ones, and got a mixed mushroom and vegetable kamameshi set. There were all sorts of food served on the side, and it was incredibly delicious. Since it was so early, there were hardly any people there, and at one point, I had the whole Japanese-style, tamtami room to myself. It was so beautiful and relaxing inside. I sat on a cushion facing a window that looked out to trees and mountains. While eating all the little delicacies, I had a fleeting moment I hadn’t had in a long time…that feeling of wow, I’m in Japan, and it’s amazing. I felt like a tourist again. I love that feeling. Of course after leaving the restaurant, reality hit me again.

Some of the side dishes...sooo delicious. The little piece of
salmon had this somewhat familiar flavor I can't even describe,
and it was perhaps my favorite part of the meal.

Mushroom kamameshi.

Such a peaceful place to eat.

With a full belly, I began the train journey home. I guess I would say that if you want to go to Arima Onsen, either stay the night in a nice ryokan or at least go to both of the public baths. It was a nice change of pace and seeing somewhere new in itself gave me a clear head and made the trip worth it. I don’t think I will feel the urge to go back though. Once is enough. This was the start of my month and a half month long vacation.