More Photos

Check out this... was at the Westin hotel the other day. Had a nice lunch with Kiyomi and some friends. As Kiyomi is not overly mobile we took the car. Plus we would get free parking with the lunch, which basically meant it was the most logical way to get there. In the basement... as you could imagine there were some pretty nice cars as it is one of the nicer hotels in Tokyo. Here is a picture of one line. It went Ferrari - Porsche - Ferrari. And yes this was even an F40. One of the rarest of rare Ferrari's.



There were some pretty nice Christmas trees that I saw yesterday too... This was the one in the lobby of the Westin.



This was the one that was next to Ebisu station.

Fall in Kanto

So had a couple of Temple days recently. Not long ago a friend from work was visiting from Australia. We did a little walk around Tokyo. Starts in Shibuya, covers Yoyogi, Meji Jingu and then over to Harajuku. Covers a lot of ground in a couple of hours and you get to see a lot of Tokyo.



The next day had a big walk around Kamakura with a friend from Canada. It had been a while since I was in Kamakura in this season. It was really nice... I bet the colours would have been even better a couple of weeks before. Still was a good walk (again!) and did really like getting out of town. Some photos from the walk below.

Christmas In Japan

Christmas in Japan is a little weird. Its not really a big family night, as such a very small percentage of the population is christian. Its more of a date night. All the single folks rush out, book a nice (as they can afford... or sometimes more) restaurant, a hotel, and if you are a guy - get a nice gift. Think something like a tiffany bracelet, earrings or something along those lines. If it is shiny and expensive you really won't go wrong. Its a very, dunno, commercial feeling.

Families will usually get a bucket of KFC for christmas dinner. No ... I am not kidding people will actually line up for that sh**.

You do tend to see some pretty nice christmas trees here though, this is the one in the lobby of my building.

A quick visit to Akihabara

Not too long ago, had a quick visit to Akihabara with Paul. We dropped by on our day off, looking mostly at the import video games stores. For those of you who aren't familiar Akihabara is the electronic capital of Tokyo... Hundreds of electronics shops and computer stores all crammed into a few blocks just two stops away from Tokyo station. Its a bit bizarre, kind of like the people who shop there.

Took some photos while there... the first one is a couple of guys watching a guy demonstrating good model building technique. Kind of impressive that he was locked behind a booth or something. The next three are off fake air pistols that you can buy here in Japan. They look COMPLETELY real to me... supposedly they are also accurate to the weight of the actual guns too. They fire small round pellets.







Akihabara is a pretty interesting place... but stay away from the maid cafes!

December in Japan

So exactly cold is Japan in December... well I guess it really depends where you are. Those folks who are in the mountains or up north in Hokkaido will find it pretty cold. In Tokyo though, well its pretty warm. Especially by Canadian standards. The last couple of days when riding to work, its been around 10 degrees celsius. Which I feel is pretty warm. Its no Florida or anything, but a hell of a lot warmer than Toronto!

Check out my neighbors rose growing next us. I took this last week, and there are three more in bloom right now.

Honey Garlic Mustard Sauce (For Chicken or Salmon)

Here is something I like to put on Salmon or chicken... works pretty well...

1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons honey mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Combine the melted butter, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, honey mustard sauce, brown sugar, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Reserve 2 tablespoons marinade for basting.

Basically then just put what ever you are cooking into sauce and let it marinade for an hour or two. Cook... eat... Good.

Mike

3 dollar Mac and Cheese

I'm going to file this under the "Not quite the deal of the century" section. Its a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese in Tokyo... all yours for 300 yen. If I'm not mistaken... isn't this like 5-10x the cost you could get it in Canada / US. But then again... I'm really not sure you its even worth that!