Japanese Ramen Restaurants in London

Hi all,

Today, my wife wrote an article for my blog. She introduces about Japanese Noodle “Ramen”. I believe Ramen is now quite popular for foreigners. I see some Ramen Restaurants in London and they seem to be very popular. Here’s the Ramen article from her.

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I would like to introduce you to a Japanese dish which is not Sushi.

It is a noodle called Ramen. There have been new places opened in London in the last few years.  There are two Ramen-Bars in Tottenham, "Kanada-Ya Ramen Bar" and "Ippudo".

Kanada-Ya https://www.kanada-ya.com/

Ippudo    http://www.ippudo.co.uk/

I visited "Kanada-Ya Ramen Bar" the other day.

"Kanada-Ya" has three types of Ramen, Original Ramen, Moyashi Ramen  ( bean sprout noodle) and Chashu-Men(thick ham noodle). All of which can be topped with half boiled egg, extra seaweed, spicy miso paste and garlic sauce according to your taste.

I ordered the Moyashi Ramen with a half boiled egg and extra seaweed not forgetting asking to make the soup hot and the noodle hard because the Ramen in London is generally prepared as a special version for the English. The soup is less hot and the noodle is softer than the Japanese one.

The taste is really good. I felt like I was in Japan.

Both Ramen which Kanada-Ya and Ippudo serve are not actually the basic Ramen style but the Kyushu style from the Western part of Japan, after all the Kyushu style’s Ramen is also very popular in Japan. The Kyusyu’s soup is cooked from pork so it tastes thicker than the basic soya sauce one.

There is always a queue in front of the Kanada-Ya Ramen Bar.

I wish the English would be fond of it.

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That's all about for today. I did not introduce the Ramen Restaurants in Japan this time, but I will do it when I go back to Japan (it won’t be very long). As she wrote in the article, Japanese originated Ramen Restaurants in London (and probably in the other places) are very good so it might be a good idea to try some before you visit Japan (so you can find out what kind of tastes you will like in Japan).

Should you have any questions, requests or comments, please leave a message. I am very happy if you could give me some advises to improve this blog so more people can visit here and get information on what they need.

Bye!

Varieties of Canned Beer in Japan (Premium, Good value, Diet, Special)

Hi all,

Today, I would like to introduce about Japanese beers. In Japan people like me drink a lot of beer. The basic beers in Japan are very similar to the foreign lagers but there are very Japanese original beers. I will show them to you later on.

Firstly, there are 4 major beer makers in Japan.

1. Asahi beer http://www.asahibeer.com/index.psp.html

2. Kirin beer http://www.kirin.co.jp/company/english/

3. Sapporo beer http://sapporobeer.com/

4. Suntory beer http://www.suntory.com/

Some of them are quite well known outside Japan. For example, Asahi beer can be seen in every Sainsbury’s in the UK and Kirin sometimes can be seen in Tesco. By the way, Asahi’s beer brand name is “Super DRY” but there is no relation with the Clothing brand “Super Dry”, I believe (I heard it is a British maker).
The basic beers are as follows.

1. Asahi Super Dry

   

 2. Kirin Ichiban Shibori


3. Sapporo Kuro (Brack) Label


4. Suntory Malt’s


I cannot really find the difference but Asahi probably has the largest share and Kirin used to have the largest share for very long time.

And next is the little more luxurious beers.

1. Ebisu Sapporo Beer


2. Suntory Premium Malt’s


3. Asahi Super Dry Premium


4. Grand Kirin


If I am right, I thought you can find Suntory and Ebisu (Sapporo) easier than Asahi and Kirin. The former two were started quite earlier than the latter two, so they are better known for people, I imagine. They are all a little more expensive than the basic beers and said to be better taste.

Next beer are a little better value (cheaper) beer. In Japan there are what we call “Second beer” and “Third beer”. They use a slightly different ingredients so they can avoid Beer Tax, which makes them better value.

1. Sapporo Mugi to Hop the gold



2. Kirin Nodogoshi Nama


3. Suntory Kinmugi


4. Clear Asahi



To be honest, I cannot find much difference especially when I am drunk. So, maybe it would be good idea for you to buy some good beers and some cheaper beers. You can start with your good beers and when you get drunk, change your beer to the cheaper ones. That can save your money.

Lastly, there are beers which sound like very Japanese. Those beers are “Diet” beers. Those beers reduce the amount of sugar (glucose) so they are called “Diet” beers. Here’s the examples.

1. Kirin Tanrei Green Label (sugar 70% off)


2. Suntory Kinmugi sugar 70% off


3. Asahi Off (sugar 70% off)


4. Sapporo Goku zero (Sugar free)
 

There are more and more varieties of “Diet” beers. I never tried those beers but I suppose they are very popular especially for young ladies in Japan.

At last, if you are lucky, maybe you can find basic Asahi beer with this package.

This package Asahi are very fresh. They are delivered within 3 days since they are made at the Asahi factories. I found out that they are usually at the shops on Fridays. If my memory is right, the prices of this beer and other basic Asahi beer are the same. I usually do not find much differences but I can say this is outstanding!

That’s all for today. I hope you enjoyed it. Should you have any questions, requests or comments, please leave a message. I am very happy if you could give me some advices to improve this blog so more people can visit here and get information on what they need.

Bye!

Sub Cultures (Anime, Manga, Otaku etc...)

Hi all

Today, I would like to introduce you about Japanese sub cultures (Otaku, Anime and Manga). Nowadays, Anime and Manga became very popular not only in Japan but various parts of the world. So many foreigners visit Otaku related Shops, restaurants, etc… Akihabara and Ikebukuro, where are the two major areas with many Otaku related shops (kind of sacred places for Otaku people), are very popular for foreigners.

There are many Otaku shops in Japan. I introduce some of the major franchise shops.

1. Animate (http://www.animate.co.jp/)
Animate is the biggest Otaku shop in Japan. They have about 140 Shops in the country and
23 shops are in Tokyo. Also, there are some shops in Asia and the USA. Animate makes and sells their original Anime, Manga and other related goods.

2. Toranoana (http://www.toranoana.jp/)
Toranoana is also well known Otaku shop. They have 25 Shops in Japan. Toranomon is smaller than Animate but they sell many Doujinshi (privately printed books (?). I suppose foreign Otaku people know these words definitions much clearer and more accurate than me).

3. Melon books (https://www.melonbooks.co.jp/)
Melon books has 25 shops in Japan. Melon books and Toranoana are quite similar shops, I heard. The feature of Melon books is that it has more common manga (Toranoana has more Doujinshi).

There is a major Otaku event called “Comic Market (Comike http://www.comiket.co.jp/index_e.html)” opens twice in a year in Tokyo. This year, it will be held between 14 – 16th of August and December at Tokyo Big Sight. There were 560,000 people visited to the Comike, which was held in the last December.

To be frank, I am not very Otaku person, so I do not visit these shops but there are some Animes I used to watch. Now, I recommend you one anime which has very good story and is probably quite useful for people who visit Kyoto.

The Anime is called “Uchouten Kazoku (The Eccentric Family)” (http://www.uchoten-anime.com/). This anime is not made from Manga but from a novel written by Tomihiko Morimi. Tomihiko Morimi is my favourite novelist and I read many of his books.

The one of the best things for foreigners about this Anime is that they can learn many cultural things about Japanese people (daily lives, Family connection, etc…). Also, the video is so much elaborated that people can imagine what town of Kyoto look like. You can see various famous Kyoto places in the Anime. Morimi is from Kyoto and the anime maker is based in Kyoto as well.

Finally, if you are interested in Otaku Culture and want some Otaku goods, Manga, Anime, etc… You can buy them through the internet. I have got a friend who is running Internet Otaku Shop. The shop is called “Sakura-books” and the URL is http://sakura-books.com/ .

You can find various goods of Shingeki no kyojin (Attack on Titan), One Piece, Naruto, Hatsune Miku, Pokemon and more… in the shop. If you cannot find the products you want or if you have any questions, you can leave messages to consult about them with the owner. I suppose the owner is the “Black belt” Otaku, so I’m very sure that you can get very useful information.

That’s all about it for today. Should you have any questions, requests or comments, please leave a message. I am very happy if you could give me some advices to improve this blog so more people can visit here and get information on what they need.

Bye!

More Famous places in Kyoto

Hi all,

Today, I would like to introduce various attractive places in Kyoto. People who are interested in Japan know Kyoto is the most historic place in Japan and there are so many places to visit. I lived in Kyoto for 2 years when I was a student of graduate school in Kyoto. Today, I would like to introduce some places where I liked most and those does not include Golden Pavilion, Arashiyama , Kiyomizudera Shrine or Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, because they are very famous that you can find many information on the internet.

The first and the best place I like in Kyoto is “Ryoanji Temple” (http://www.ryoanji.jp/top.html).

What I like most about Ryoanji is its Karesansui (traditional dry landscape garden) garden. This garden doesn’t use water (basically, Rocks with moss and stones only) but it expresses flow of water. Karesansui makes me feel relax and think about our internal thoughts and emotions by just sitting next to it. Ryoanji Karesansui has 15 rocks. Several years ago, I was told that 15 is the best and perfect number in Buddhism. Although, there are 15 rocks in the garden, you cannot see all 15 rocks from any angles at once (some rocks always hide one or two rocks in their behind).

When I heard this explanation, I thought that it is difficult to see our lives as best and perfect (by our own eyes) but they actually are the best and perfect. What I need to do is not to find what is missing but feel thankfulness to what I have. If we see the garden from above, we will be able to see all 15 rocks. Our lives are in the same way. If we change the angles we watch something, it can change our bad feelings to good feelings. I found my impression right, when I found a Stone “Chisoku no Tsukubai”, which had “I only know I am Satisfied” writing on it, in the back of Ryoanji Temple.

The next place is “Tetsugaku no michi (Philosopher’s Path)” (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3906.html)

I used to walk on this path a lot, when I was living in Kyoto. Some of the famous philosophers in Kyoto liked to walk on this path many years ago, so the path has this name. This path is very beautiful especially in springs (cherry blossoms) and autumns (coloured leaves). The season of cherry blossom is introduced in my blog’s other article (http://traveljapantips.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/cherry-blossoms-2015.html ). Silver Pavilion is close from the Northern end of the path and Nanzenji Temple is close from the Southern end, so it would be convenient for you to walk before or after visiting one (or both) of those temples.

The Third place is “Shimogamo Jinja” Shrine. (http://www.shimogamo-jinja.or.jp/english.html)

Shimogamo Jinja is a very historical Shrine in Japan. It is said it was repaired in BC 90 so originally established more than 2100 years ago. The best thing about this shrine is that it has a wood called “Tadasu no mori”. Tadasu no mori is very beautiful and quiet wood that many people made Haiku (Traditional Japanese Poem) on this wood in the old age. Ryoanji garden is very spiritual place but Tadasu no mori and Shimogamo Jinja is also a very spiritual place in more natural style.

The last place is “Kamogawa Delta”. (http://guide.travel.co.jp/article/3715/)

Kamogawa Delta is located very close from Shimogamo Jinja Shrine. I spent a lot of time in this small area. Many young people (mostly the local university students) have picnic and barbeque in this small space, especially in April. This place is the best place for people to eat take-away lunch, if the weather is good.

That’s all about it for today. Should you have any questions, requests or comments, please leave a message. I am very happy if you could give me some advices to improve this blog so more people can visit here and get information on what they need.

Bye!

Good (Conveyor belt) "Sushi" restaurant at Good Value (100 yen!)

Hi all,

Today, I would like to introduce you about the good “Sushi” restaurants at good value in Japan. There are so many sushi restaurants in Japan to introduce, so I pick up the most basic and most popular franchise Conveyor belt sushi restaurants, like Yo Sushi in Europe with price of about 108 yen for each plate (very good value! Each plate has usually 2 sushis).

The first Sushi restaurant I introduce is called “Sushiro” http://www.akindo-sushiro.co.jp/en/

Sushiro is one of my favourite sushi restaurant. I have an impression that they use very good Neta (Fish, Shells, etc… you see on top of rice). The CEO of Sushiro used to be a sushi chef so, he knows everything about sushi. His policy is that he use at least 50% of his revenue on Neta. That is the reason why all Sushiro’s neta is so high quality.

The second one is called “Kura zushi” http://www.kura-corpo.co.jp/eng/ or http://www.kura-corpo.co.jp/

Kura zushi also serves you good neta sushi. It introduced Touch panel LCD screen ordering machine and the machine is very use for the customers because they can order what they like to eat without any convenience. Maybe it works well for foreigners, too. It might depends on the restaurants but when you finish eating each plate, you put empty plates in an insertion slot of each table. It will automatically calculate how much you have eaten. I can say Kura zushi is well ICT developed sushi restaurants, too.

The third and the last one is called “Kappa zushi” http://www.kappa-create.co.jp/en/index.html or http://www.kappa-create.co.jp/menu/list.html

Kappa zushi is one of the biggest Conveyer belt Sushi restaurants in Japan. They use to have (maybe currently have) the largest number of restaurants in Japan among all franchise sushi restaurants. I have an impression that relatively kids like Kappa zushi because they have some amusing things for them such as Shinkansen (Bullet train) Conveyer.

There’s some good smaller sushi restaurants and one of them I recommend is Musashi in Kyoto station (http://www.sushinomusashi.com/ sorry, Japanese page only). It costs 140 yen for each plate and the Neta are excellent quality. If my memory is right, you can see sushi chefs make sushi in front of you (unlike the restaurants I picked up above). If you visit Kyoto Station, I strongly recommend you to visit there. The restaurant is not very big and always busy so maybe you need to wait some time.

If you cannot find the Neta you like on the conveyer, do not hesitate and just tell the waiter/waitress. They are happy to hear your requests.

That’s all about it for today. Should you have any questions, requests or comments, please leave a message. I am very happy if you could give me some advices to improve this blog so more people can visit here and get information on what they need.

Bye!

Place to visit (Other places from Tokyo or Kyoto)

Hi all,

According to the QA forum of Tripadvisor, I found there are many people who are struggling with choosing the places to visit in Japan. I think Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hokkaido and Okinawa are already very popular places for foreigners, so I pick up other places where there are not so well-known as those places. Some of the places are not very far from Kyoto and quite convenient for a day trips.

1. Miyajima in Hiroshima (http://visit-miyajima-japan.com/en/ )

 Hiroshima is not very far from Kyoto and they have got quite a lot of amusing thing for visitors from the very beautiful Shrine to local food. The shrine, Itsukushima Jinja, is one of the most beautiful building in Japan (and the most for me). When the water level is high, you can see the shrine floating on the sea. The red of Shrine and blue of Sea and Sky makes very beautiful Contrast. There are famous food called Okonomiyaki (Japanese Style Pizza). I would strongly recommend to visit Miyajima and eat Okonomiyaki in Hiroshima when you visit Japan and have some time.

2. Shirakawago (http://shirakawa-go.org/english/ )

Shirakawago is in Gifu Prefecture. It has many Japanese Old style houses. Those houses are not big but looks very pretty. The scenery of those houses and fields in mountains is very beautiful. You cannot see such a scenery anywhere else in Japan. It is not easy to visit there but it would be invaluable experiences.

3. Koyasan (http://eng.shukubo.net/ )

Koyasan is home to an active monastic center founded twelve centuries ago by the priest Kukai (posthumously known as Kobo Daishi) for the study and practice of Esoteric Buddhism. It is the headquarters of the Koyasan sect of Shingon Buddhism, a faith with a wide following throughout Japan.

4. Yakushima (http://visit-miyajima-japan.com/en/ Or http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4650.html )

Yakushima is a subtropical island off the southern coast of Kyushu and part of Kagoshima Prefecture. It is covered by an extensive cedar forest that contains some of Japan's oldest living trees. Trees more than 1000 years old are affectionately called yakusugi (a combination of Yakushima and sugi, the Japanese word for cedar), the most ancient of which may be over 7000 years old.

So, they are the famous places other than Tokyo, Kyoto etc… I hope you find new places, where you want to visit.

That’s all about it for today. Should you have any questions, requests or comments, please leave a message. I am very happy if you could give me some advices to improve this blog so more people can visit here and get information on what they need.

Bye!

SAKURA Cherry Blossoms 2015

Hi all,

Spring is arriving to Japan. This season is probably the best one for the most people, who visit Japan. Why? The reason is it is the season of Cherry Blossoms. The vast majority of Japanese people love to see Cherry Blossoms. They often have parties under Cherry trees during the daytime and evening. They eat gorgeous Lunch (obento), drink alcohol (Beer, Sake, etc…), some of them dance and sing.

This year, the prediction of Cherry blossom period is as follows;
(http://www.jnto.go.jp/sakura/eng/index.php)

In most of the places, Cherry Blossom’s peak arrives about a week after it begins to bloom. And it finishes blooming about 2 weeks after the peak. The very best period to see cherry blossom is between about 3 days before the peak and the day of peak. One reason why Japanese people love Cherry Blossoms so much is that beautiful bloom does not last long time and it reminds us the fragility of human life.

The below list is the examples of best places in Tokyo Area.

1. Meguro Gawa river (late March to early April, 24h, Free, Meguro-ku, Ikejirioohashi Stn, Nakameguro Stn, Meguro Stn are the closest)
Pictures and Map: http://hanami.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0313e25849/

2. Chidorigafuchi Koen Park (late March to early April, 24h, Free, Chiyoda-ku, Kudanshita Stn is the closest)
Pictures and Map: http://hanami.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0313e25833/

3. Shinjuku Gyoen Park (mid February to early April, 9:00-16:00 and closed on Monday, Adult 200 yen and Kid 50 yen, Shinjuku Gyoen Mae Stn and Sendagaya Stn are the closest)
Pictures and Map: http://hanami.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0313e25816/

4. Sumida Koen Park (late March to early April, 24h, Free, Sumida-ku, Asakusa Stn, Honjo Azumabashi Stn are the closest)
Pictures and Map: http://hanami.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0313e25818/

5. Ueno (Onshi) Koen Park (late March to early April, 5:00 - 23:00, Free, Taito-ku, Ueno Stn is the closest)
Pictures and Map: http://hanami.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0313e25817/

The below list is the examples of best places in Kanto Area.

1. Kamikamo Jinja Shrine (mid April to late April, 24h, Free, Kita-ku, Kamikamo Jinja Mae bus stop is the closest)
Pictures and Map: http://hanami.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0726e31233/

2. Heian Jingu Shrine (late March to mid April, 8:30 - 18:00, Adult 600 yen and Kid 300 yen, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto Kaikan Bijutsukan Mae bus stop is the closest)
Pictures and Map: http://hanami.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0726e26116/

3. Tetsugaku no Michi (Way of Philosophy) (early April to late April, 24h, Free, Sakyo-ku, Ginkakuji (Silver Temple) Mae bus stop is the closest)
Pictures and Map: http://hanami.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0726e26126/

4. Maruyama Koen Park (late March to early April, 24h, Free, Higashiyama-ku, Gion bus stop is the closest)
Pictures and Map: http://hanami.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0726e26131/

5. Tenryuji Temple (late March to early April, 8:30-17:30 (closes at 17:00 until 20th of March), Adult 500 yen and Kid 300 yen, Ukyo-ku, Arashiyama Stn is the closest)
Pictures and Map: http://hanami.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0726e26482/

I used to live in Tokyo and Kyoto (not at the same time). Meguro Gawa in Tokyo and Tetsugaku no michi (Way of Philosophy) in Kyoto are my favourites.

That’s all about it for today. Should you have any questions, requests or comments, please leave a message. I am very happy if you could give me some advices to improve this blog so more people can visit here and get information on what they need.

Bye!