I'm writing this post as the Summer 2024 anime season runs and the outside temperatures are blisteringly hot.  I watched dozens of anime in the last couple of years and it is always interesting to see what stood out from the crowd.  So many shows are probably going to sink into the sands of time, but then, isn't this always the case for any creative media be it anime, live-action movies, TV series or novels.  On the bright side, many anime are based on manga or light novels so the authors of this source material would be thrilled to have an anime made from their work - period ..read more

I have another UFO spotted and tasted to write about today.  This time the classic saucer shape is a soy sauce and spicy mayonnaise yakisoba instant noodle.  The classic flavour uses yakisoba sauce (mix of ingredients using soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, etc.) but this one is more of a straight forward soy sauce that will have the mayonnaise to add a bit of tartness and creaminess along with some heat. A 3/4 view of the noodle bowl ..read more

I finished updating the 3rd edition of Tokyo Intro in June of 2024 with the latest information I could find.  I've always enjoyed planning for my Tokyo trips and this work benefits both readers and myself.  While many things stay the same in Tokyo, attractions constantly change and there are many new experiences to have now.  For the 3rd edition, there is now a trade paperback version available along with an ebook version.  It is exciting to have the book in print form as it is a tangible form of my work that can be held in my hand! The book is now available on Amazon Canad ..read more

Gyudon is a relatively simple dish to prepare of simmered beef in a slightly sweet and savoury sauce that appeals to most palates.  The sauce has soy sauce, mirin, sake, and dashi in it.  The two main solid ingredients in it are thin sliced beef (chuck is good), and sliced onions.  I really like this dish, but it is lacking in the vegetables department, so a side salad or other vegetable would be a nice accompaniment. This is the second time I've tried a frozen gyudon or Japanese beef bowl.  I can't even remember the name of the first brand I tried.  Back then I was st ..read more

 It’s Sumo Sunday!  Or maybe not!  I picked these cute little Rement blind box figures up awhile ago (back in 2016 I think) and finally put them up for display. Each figure is only 3 to 4 cm high (about an inch) and show a sumo wrestler in a pose.  There is a Yokozuna or grand champion and a 5 other figures in some classic poses. Many visitors to Japan want to see a Sumo tournament, but you need a service like JTB or Viator to get tickets as they are popular.  Tickets are released a month before the event and sell out quickly.  I've never gone to see Sumo myself b ..read more

There was a pile of these Myojo Butter Chicken Curry instant noodles at the supermarket.  They were selling alongside a regular yakisoba and the regular yakisoba was moving twice as fast from the size of the stacks remaining. I'm not too surprised and I also bought more of the regular flavour than this one.  I like butter chicken myself, but I was a little skeptical about how this one would taste. Butter chicken is actually a fairly recently developed Indian dish, much like chicken tikka masala and they both use tomato paste as a base ingredient. This curry was developed in  Del ..read more

Tokyo Station is mile 0 for the train routes throughout Japan and has the most departures for any train station in Japan so you know it is an important hub for transportation.  Around 1.1 million people pass through the station every day to make it a really busy place, although the busiest is Shinjuku Station. The station itself is huge and it is not just a train station.  Like most of the large train stations in Japan there is a number of malls, hotels and other amenities attached to it.  The malls are so seamlessly integrated in many places that you don't know when you have le ..read more

Since the beginning of the year a few types of Japanese Pokemon noodles were available on the local supermarket shelves.  I picked up an Ace Cook shoyu ramen, an Ace Cook shio ramen, and a Sapporo Ichiban vegetable consomme flavour.  The flavours are really nothing all that special (other than they are not made in North America).  These are targeted at children or adults who buy them for their blog.  The thrill of these noodles comes from the themed cup itself. Ace Cook Pokemon Shoyu Noodle Cup This is the regular soy sauce soup flavour.  It had a few of the generation ..read more

I completed the draft for my second novel, Kumotawa Confluence, last month. There wasn't a big celebration or fireworks - but there should be for anyone completing a big project! I started the novel back in 2020, so it has taken four long years and one pandemic interruption to get it to the finish line. Line edits and revisions are complete, and I expect to publish it in late summer or early fall as an actual book and will serialize it at the same time. Kumotawa Confluence is an urban fantasy novel set in an alternate, modern Japan. Most of the action takes place on the foggy slopes of Mount K ..read more

If you use Google Maps and search for Blackmud Creek Ravine, it directs you to two different spots.  One on the west side - if you are coming from the west, and another spot on the other side of the ravine if you are coming from the east.  I started my hike from the east side from Big Bear Park on 109 St by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints.  If starting from the west side, Google Maps directs you to the entrance of Running Creek Road.  You can walk into the Blackmud Creek Pedestrian Bridge.  I assume there are some trails north or south.  I didn ..read more