Tiffy in Nagoya: Unagi Hasshou うなぎ八勝

Tiffy in Nagoya: Unagi Hasshou うなぎ八勝

There's so much I haven't written yet (Nigeria, more of Korea, yadiyadiya) but I just want to share my favorite local food in Nagoya: hitsumabushi ひつまぶし

今までまだブログしていないことが沢山あるけど（ナイジェリア、韓国の旅行など）、一番好きな名古屋名物のひつまぶしを紹介したいと思います。

tororo hitsumabushi ・とろろひつまぶし・ PHP 1414・ JPY 3200 

It's basically fried eel. Fried so that it's just the right amount of crunchy. I wasn't able to take a picture of the whole tray because it was HUGE but it comes with broth and some seasonings (wasabi, seaweed, spring onions). I ordered the one that comes with tororo (for an extra 400 yen) because I love the taste and texture of sticky gooey yam.

I didn't know how to eat it at first so I just watched my boyfriend eating it first. It's really up to you how you want to eat it but if you want to maximize the whole experience, here's my guide to eating hitsumabushi:

1. Use the smaller bowl (not shown in the photo) and put a portion of unagi and rice from the bigger bowl. Eat it as it is to have a taste of the original flavor
2. Get another portion and put in whatever seasonings you want in. On my next serving, I put in some seaweed, lots of wasabi and poured in some of the broth
3. My third portion had me mixing the tororo in (sooooo good and sooooo healthy!)
4. Go crazy

Whenever I'm in Nagoya I go to Unagi Hasshou because it just serves great quality eel that I don't mind how expensive it is.

Photo from a random guy from the interwebz: anton

うなぎ 八勝（はっしょう）
名古屋市守山区上志段味東谷２１０９－１４６
０５２－７３６－４８７５

Exchange Students in Japan: Filipino Performance for the Panasonic Scholarship Summer Seminar

Exchange Students in Japan: Filipino Performance for the Panasonic Scholarship Summer Seminar 

by Tiffy 

Every year, Panasonic scholars gather somewhere in Japan for all the scholars to meet. And every year, we have to make a cultural performance and battle it out with other countries for the coveted trophy (that we give back to them at the end of the night). 

Just so you know how well the Filipinos do

We usually go to where we're having the summer seminar a couple of days before so that we can practice. This time, we went to Kyoto first so that we can include our fellow scholar who had to finish his interviews and experiments before we go to Mie Prefecture for the actual event. 

Our amateur performance:

Filipino Exchange Students in Japan: Crispy Pork Belly

Filipino Exchange Students in Japan: Crispy Pork Belly

By: Tiffy

Both my roommate and I just barely started learning how to cook. So when our Kuya Victor asked us if we wanted to have lunch, we kind of forced him to cook everything by asking him to buy ingredients for us when they were at the grocery.

"Ano gusto niyo pabili?"  ("What do you want me to buy?")

"Kahit ano!" ("Anything!")

So he really did buy "anything" and ended up cooking them! Sneaky!

If you're craving for crispy pork belly, never fear! It's apparently very easy to cook (although I've never tried)! 

Just buy liempo at your local meat shop, boil it until cooked, and sear (fry in super super hot oil) it. The sause is just garlic, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar (up to how you want it to taste like--I prefer super garlic-y and vinegar-y ones). 

What other Filipino food is easy to cook? Help! 

Glossybox Japan: November 2012

Glossybox Japan: November 2012

By: Tiffy

I like skin care products and I like trying out new products. So when I figured out that Glossybox is available in Japan, I wanted to sign up for it. Unfortunately, it was all sold out and the first subscription I can get was the July 2012 Glossybox. 

Fast-forward to November. I got my fourth Glossybox this morning and I am very happy with what I got.

The mandatory group shot

Lush Japan Enchanted Eye Cream

Full size 

45g for ￥3860

Daily Delight lip balm

Full size

One for ~￥609

Beashow by Noz ビショウ・バイ・ノズ

Sample set (2)

Head spa shampoo 10ml (full size 300ml ￥1029)

Smooth care shampoo 10ml (full size 300ml ￥1029)

Damage care treatement 10g (full size 240g ￥1260) 

Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Cream 20g 

(123g for ￥1575)

Embryolisse moisture cream 5ml

75ml for ￥2940

30ml for ￥1575

Lifestyle: Jim Whitaker's Rebirth

Lifestyle: Jim Whitaker's Rebirth

By: Tiffy

A bit of good news everyone: I passed my entrance examination of the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science. Starting next year April, I will now officially be a graduate school student. In the meantime, I'm doing the literature review of my research. My professor has thankfully been really supportive and has been giving me good advice. 

Student life shouldn't all be about reading and studying, however, lest I lose my mind. So recently I applied and was selected to be one of the CoFesta Student Ambassadors. CoFesta is a Japanese contents industry festival where events are connected with the different industries like games, animation, manga, characters, broadcast, music, and film. 

Aside from the Grand Ceremony, I also get invited to events related to the industry. 

Last night, I attended the US-Japan Film Academy Talk and Screening Event held in Roppongi Academyhills which was really cool because we got to attend it for free and registered at the press table.

It was a screening of Rebirth, directed by Jim Whitaker. Rebirth is a documentary about the people affected by the 911 tragedy.

Rebirth

Jim Whitaker talking about how he got into the film industry 

Also there was Rachel Gandin Mark, a former student of USC School of Cinematic Arts, who talked some more about the film industry and the pathways you can take if you want to be a certain type of film major.

The audience were also able to ask Jim Whitaker questions about his career and his film.

Six months before 911, Jim Whitaker's mother passed away. And this grief was part of the impetus of doing this documentary. 

When he was considering the people to include in the film, he looked into the firefighters, people who lost someone, people who were directly affected, and so on. When he approached them, he initially told them that he intends to interview them once a year for 10 years. After the 4th and 5th year, however, he realized that there was significant changes in his subjects' lives: one of the subjects who lost her fiance got married, the boy who lost his mother graduated, and so on. So that was when he knew that he was nearing the end. 

According to Whitaker, it wasn't easy deciding the final subjects: a subject pulled out during the initial interviews, some people that he contacted stopped responding to his calls, he had to cut out some people from the final film...

While filming, the final subjects weren't allowed to see the footage of their interviews until the final product so as not to affect how they act during interviews. 

It is a very emotional film and a lot of us in the audience were sniffling as we listened to what the people in the documentary had to say. 

 CoFesta Student Ambassadors with Jim Whitaker

Tiffy in Japan: Burdock-flavored Rice

Tiffy in Japan: Burdock-flavored Rice

ミツカン 釜めしの素 香りごぼう (208g)

The truth is, I'm not really very experimental when it comes to buying stuff from the supermarket. It's mostly because my boyfriend helps me do the grocery and his mom sends me a lot of foodstuff. This was one of them. 

2-3 cups of rice and add the stuff in. I usually make 3 so that I can put everything else in the fridge and eat it for the next 2-3 days. 

After 15-30 minutes (depending on the setting I choose)

Mix it all up and you're done.

It has a chicken-something taste to it and it smells REALLY good. Sometimes, I make onigiri for breakfast using this rice. 

Tiffy in Japan: Kabuki and Shrimp

What I love about my school is that they sponsor trips and give us tickets to shows too.

(Sign says: The University of Tokyo Kashiwa Campus)

Last month, they provided 70 international students with tickets to the Kabuki, a classical Japanese drama

The pace of the drama is really slow. So much so that it's not surprising to see several heads nodding and people falling asleep. But one of my labmates really love Kabuki and has watched it numerous times.

On the way back to Kashiwa from Tokyo, we passed by Kitasenju. We wanted to have an early dinner so we were walking around the station to look for a place to eat. 

After walking for quite some time, we went back to this small restaurant that served shrimps and crabs. 

Almost all the food in the restaurant has shrimp in it

Their special offer for the day: ￥90 for one

甘えびの唐揚げ | えびとアボカドのわさびマヨあえ

Fried shrimp | Shrimp avocado salad

Most of their dishes are around ￥300~￥400

赤えび刺身 | Red Shrimp Sashimi | ￥300 per piece

This was by far my favorite. It was so soft and fresh and just yummy.

えびかに家

東京都足立区千住2丁目65 小泉ビル

How to get there:

(122m from Kitasenju Station)

3 min walk from Kitasenju Station West exit

1 min walk from Kitasenju Station Nakamachi exit

Google map

Tiffy in Japan: Field trip to Nikko Tosho-gu and Nikko-bori Crafting

Field trip to Nikko Tosho-gu
By: Tiffy

As far as I've been told, the Student Affairs Section of the University of Tokyo holds field trips once a semester. Last month, I was fortunate enough to have been selected (they raffle off spots) to go to the field trip to Nikko Tosho-gu, one of the more famous shrines in Japan.

Despite the fact that it was pouring, there were still so many people there. 

Look at those puddles!

In some places, we had to remove our shoes before we can enter. 

(I can confidently say that at the end of the day, not one of our socks were dry)

Look at how amazing it looks--if I can live in a shrine, I'd make this my master's bedroom. 

   

Look ma: I learned how to carve on wood!

(Let's keep it a secret that the sensei did the hard parts for me: eyes, some curves, and 「日光」)

But I totally carved this myself!

Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

Tiffy: Picnic at Odaiba

Remember back in August 2009 when Gundam was in Odaiba, an artificial island in Tokyo Bay? 

Back then, my friends and I were pretty lucky to be able to see it before they took it down. But guess what? They put it back up again, this time in DiverCity Tokyo, a new shopping mall. 

The rainbow bridge looks amazing.

I went back to Odaiba this time with my new friends--schoolmates from the University of Tokyo. This time, however, we didn't get to see the Gundam. 

Spot the lady in the wedding kimono under the replica of the Statue of Liberty.

Coca Cola Store at Aqua City Odaiba

I was supposed to buy something for Bong but didn't know which one and I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to give it to him anyway this year! Sorry buddy. 

 

We also saw this street performer who would change his position if you changed the position of the doll in front of him. My friend was mischievous and he made both of the doll's legs extend out in front of it. No worries--I put it back in a comfy position before we left. And one of my friends left some change for him. He gave us a thumbs up when we left. 

The beach in Odaiba

We then bought some food from the convenience store--cheapskates that we are

And had a picnic in a hill with an awesome view of the beach

Tiffy's Attempt at a Different Dish

And I forgot what it's called.

Actually, my boyfriend came home before we finished cooking.

They have those powder soup thing and you just add stuff in!

The avocado is fresh from their garden. 

I cut the vegetables!
(Except the avocado--there's actually this technique that my boyfriend's mom taught me but I forgot)

Tiffy in Japan: Tully's Coffee

Tully's Coffee
Tiffy in Japan
October 28, 2011
Afternoon coffee


Remember two months ago: I went on a 6- or 7-hour drive to Chiba to visit Tokyo DisneySea. And, since we were on a budget, we stayed at an internet cafe because I still had to meet my future academic professor the next day. In addition to what I know of internet cafes, I learned that people who miss the last train at midnight also frequent internet cafes, which is why they can usually be found near train stations.

The meeting was scheduled for 2 PM so we had so much time to kill in the morning. So we drove around Kashiwa City and tried to get the feel of the place.

Compared to Tokyo and Nagoya, Chiba is definitely less crowded. After having breakfast at Sukiya (think Yoshinoya), we headed to LaLaport mall for some new books and coffee.

My companion had been itching to buy a new book and I've been itching for some coffee.

Funny how we ended up in a bookstore that had Tully's Coffee right beside it. This was a few days before Nicole went to the Tully's Coffee launch in the Philippines.

My order: マロングラッセラテ | Marron Glace Latte

Marrons are just simply: chestnuts.

I love how the Tully's Japanese website includes their whole menu and the corresponding prices.

And now to announce the winner of our Gandiva package contest: Ms. Elaine Chua

The winner has been sent a message. Please email us at manilafoodistas at gmail.com to claim your package! Thank you for all those who joined our giveaway! Watch our for more!