Ameyoko

One of the things I love most about traveling is visiting local markets.  Markets are not only great for buying souvenirs, but some of the best places to get a feel for what a city is all about.  You can always find something special, whether they are selling locally grown produce, arts and crafts, or antiques.  Yesterday, we finally made our way to Ameyoko, a well-known market in Ueno.  I had read about this market before, and I pictured it as a big outdoor flea market with vendors selling whatever they had that day.  In actuality, the area is more of a permanent structure.  It reminded me of the Italian Market in Philadelphia or Eastern Market in DC, but much bigger.

As with any market, you have lots of options for snacks as you walk around.  This market had several vendors selling everything from doner kebabs and soft serve ice cream to bubble tea and takoyaki.  This vendor caught our eye:

A machine makes sweet little pancakes

Leave it to the Japanese to use technology for everything.  We don't know what these little snacks were, but they were warm and yummy!  Imagine a puffy pancake filled with sweet bean (the yellow milder kind, not the stronger red bean).

Most little shops were selling dried foods or clothes.  Strangely enough, several shops sold American items also.  We saw lots of U.S. military gear mixed in with other apparel that I can only describe as "cowboy wear."  Many places made you really feel as though you were bargain hunting.  This came complete with giant bins of stuff all mixed in so you had to dig deep for a good find.

Happy hunting!

Mixed in amongst the bins of clothes and shoes were vendors selling fresh seafood from nearby Tsukiji market.  They would aggressively shout out their best items and prices.  It creates quite a festive atmosphere.  We saw lots of vendors who had "export quality" items also, like big jars of Hellmann's mayonnaise, Skippy peanut butter, and French's yellow mustard.  This stuff was really fun to see, but the coolest part of this market, was stumbled upon by accident.

Often in Tokyo, we find ourselves wandering off the main roads onto the smaller side streets.  This is usually where you find the best stuff- a bit away from the crowds.  As we were walking along a side street, I spotted a random escalator.  It didn't have a sign, but I could see a table of fresh seafood at the bottom, so down we went.  It was literally an underground market.  All kinds of amazing Asian food in one place!  Immediately we spotted green papaya and fresh cilantro (first cilantro sighting in Japan!).  Around the corner, we were overwhelmed with the amount of spices, sauces, and canned goods from all over Asia.

Filipino sauce packets, Indian spices, Thai juices- oh my!

It was great to find this little market.  We probably walked around the whole thing three times, just taking it all in.  "Look, black vinegar!"  "Oh my gosh, they have the red hot dogs!"  "Those turtles are still alive!"  We were totally unprepared for this mecca of goodness.  We actually only walked away with a small bag of chicarron (pork rinds) and a can of Thai iced tea.  Trust me- we will be back though, and soon!

After exhausting ourselves, we needed to sit down for some nourishment.  As always, a humble little izakaya pulled through.  The beer was cold and smooth, the chicken skewers charred and satisfying.  The surprise of the night though, came in the form of a simple scallop:

One fresh scallop: 3 parts

It is amazing how one little piece of seafood can taste so good.  I know I've talked about this before, but I can't help it.  The main flesh is sweet and tender.  The little abductor muscle is rich and buttery.  And those outer connective pieces?  Almost salty and crunchy!  Crazy good- I love me some scallops.  What will I do when I come back to the states, and the only way to eat scallops is boringly seared?  Trust me people- we are missing out on the other good parts.

One afternoon exploring a local market + one evening of good beer and food = another wonderful day in Tokyo.

Apparently, there was another small earthquake during the time we were out, but we didn't even feel it!        
        

New Foods

In an attempt at some normalcy, I'm going to go back to posting about my favorite topic- food.  The events since March 11th have left the supermarkets and convenience stores a little emptier than usual.  There is plenty of food available but without many of the main staples (bread, rice, instant noodles, etc.).  This leaves the shelves wide open to push other products, and it is a good opportunity to try new things.  Recently, we've been reaching for snack products more than usual.  Maybe because there is something comforting about junk food, or maybe we are just feeling a bit less guilty.  It started as, "hey- we just survived an earthquake, we deserve to treat ourselves!"  That might have been when this interesting snack found its way into my shopping basket:

Yes, you read that correctly: "Cheese Almond"

I had seen these strangely intriguing snacks at the market before, but who in their right mind buys something like that?  While partially disgusted by the concept, I had a sneaking suspicion they would be delicious.  First of all, any snack with "cheese" in Japan has been a let down so far.  The snacks that look like Cheetos, smell like Cheetos, and even say "Cheetos" taste more sweet than orange-powdered-cheese savory.  But somehow I knew these snacks would be different.  They were!  They tasted exactly like I imagine Handi-snacks to taste, if you were smart enough to put an almond on top.  Cracker (good!), fake pasty cheese applied with small red stick (good!), almond (good!).  You don't remember Handi-snacks?  They were amazing.  I'm not sure how I ever convinced my health-conscious mother to buy them for me.  Anyway these new snacks were fun.  I think they'd be a great little snack with a cold can of Japanese beer.

In the spirit of saving money, we found ourselves at McDonald's over the weekend.  I know, I know!  I'm in Tokyo, why am I wasting time at McDonald's?  Well, this time I decided to try something new.  Japanese people love shrimp, so McDonald's here has a shrimp sandwich.  I had seen it before, but why bother when I can get my standard Filet-O-Fish?

"Ebi" means shrimp in Japanese

The patty is made of little shrimp that get fried together

The new sandwich was very tasty.  I think it would do well back home.  The shrimp patty is crispy, there is a lot (by McDonald's standards) of lettuce, and a nice sauce (tastes like the Big Mac sauce).  Will I order it again?  Probably not.  I just wanted the novelty of trying something new, but let's face it.  If you're going to get McDonald's, you want to get your classics.  McDonald's isn't really the place to branch out.

Today I branched out a bit in my own small kitchen.  I was making a very humble breakfast of peanut butter on toast, when I looked over at the bunch of bananas I had just gotten from the market.  Now maybe this isn't that new for some of you, but I had never tried what is supposedly Elvis' favorite sandwich.  Although maybe he also added bacon or something crazy?  Anyway, I had never tried it before.  So, I sliced up a banana and put it on the toast.  Man, that thing was crazy yummy!  I didn't even think to take a picture of it- I just ate it right up.  Who knew?

Here's to new foods!     

Drama

The past few days have been crazy.  First, TEPCO (too reminiscent of PEPCO, if you ask me) freaked everyone out by saying there would be a giant power outage in Tokyo.  Thursday afternoon's announcement caused huge backups at train stations all over the city, and the power outage never came.  That's right, no Ikea candle lighting for me!  Then, I discovered this little memo on the US embassy's page.  What the?  I couldn't believe that after all these days of constant reassurance, the US was now recommending Americans leave the country.  Not just the afflicted area, but the entire country.  What was I missing here?  Did they know something they weren't saying?  It drove me crazy.  After many hours of frantic calls to the embassy, flight searching on Kayak, and crazed text messages to other Americans, we decided to chill for the next day or two and wait it out.

Can you imagine just packing a bag and running off to the airport to look for some dudes in orange vests that say "US Embassy"?  No thanks.  Too much chaos if you ask me.  And what is with the wording, anyway?  They recommend that "those in Japan should consider departing."  You recommend we consider departing?  Of course we have already considered departing- who hasn't?!  Outrageous.  If you are going to tell us we should leave the entire country, at least tell us why.  

Then, I get an email from my work that we will be closed from Saturday-Tuesday.  Did they know something I didn't?  Isn't the situation only getting better?  Turns out this was due to all the English teachers who have fled or asked for leaves of absences- not for safety reasons.  Drama!  Too much drama.  All these new developments left me feeling helpless.  I started this blog about feeling lost, and I had never felt more lost in my life.  What to do?

Things could change at any moment.  But for now, we are staying.  This report from the World Health Organization is good news.  And honestly, I get the feeling that the US (and the UK for that matter) just want to take some action.  They are probably not pleased with the way the Japanese government is handling things, and this is their way of commenting on that.  Until I see some solid evidence that things are getting worse, I think we are staying put.  

Please don't worry though.  Should things get worse, we have several options.  Trains are still running to Kyoto, Osaka, and other places south.  We have family in both Taiwan and the Philippines should we actually need to leave the country.  I know this is difficult for many of you back home.  We have lives here.  We came here for a reason, and we want to do what we came for.  We don't think we are being stupid.  I hope you can understand!   

Darkness

Originally Tokyo was exempt from the planned power outages.  Apparently tonight we will not be as lucky.  The past few days have been colder than normal, so people are using more electricity to run their heaters.  They will shut off the power shortly for this evening.  I thought I would post now because I don't know how long we will be without.  I am lucky that my work called me just about 10 minutes before I would have walked out the door.  We have some lovely Ikea candles that will be put to good use, and two awesome flashlights that some of our friends' were smart enough to give out as favors at their wedding (woot!).  Our stove is gas, so we should still be able to have a nice dinner.  I have always loved a short power outage- it's fun to hang out with your loved ones and play cards.  I think I learned how to play War during a power outage with my cousin. 

In the meantime, another nice read for you. 

Until next time!

Don't Panic

Lots of foreigners and Japanese people alike are fleeing the Tokyo area.  Fear of increased radiation levels has sent some of our friends back to the US, France, Germany, Australia, and Taiwan just to name a few countries.  Many people have also been urging us to come home, but we are trying to stay level-headed.  This piece from the British Embassy was nice to read, and I thought it may bring peace to some of you as well.  Thanks for all your emails and concern.  We are staying as updated as we can, and we'll be smart.  If the situation worsens, we'll do what we have to do.  For now, we are staying put.

Aftershocks

Japan is still shaking.  You wake up disoriented- should you run?  Is it a dream?  It isn't.  Sometimes you just feel like you're moving when you aren't.  Your muscles are tense all the time.  Your back hurts from not sleeping well.  You have headaches from stress.  You complain about stores not having the food you like or subway lines being too slow.  But then you turn on the news and you catch the face of an elderly man searching for his family.  A child crying for her mother.  Then you remember you are lucky to be alive.  You are grateful you were with a loved one during the quake.  You are healthy and safe.  All will be okay.  The coast is far away.  The nuclear plants are nowhere near here.  They are planning power outages, but it doesn't affect you.  You are going to be fine.

Thanks to all of YOU for your constant prayers and well wishes.  We are fine.      

Safe

Thanks to everyone for their concern.  The earthquake yesterday was like nothing I've ever experienced.  We are home safe and sound, and there isn't any major damage here.  I'll be back with some more updates soon.