Taiyaki, a kind of unique sweets in Japan.

What's this!? Well, it's called "Taiyaki" in Japan. If you translate it literally, it means toasted porgy. You must be disappointed to see following this post, it's far different from Macaroon! Let me explain this sweets (reluctantly...no, just kidding ;)). Taiyaki was invented during Maiji-era, and have developed its own way. It originally has "anko", or sweet bean paste inside it. But this one you can see...

Cream cheese in it! Since I don't like anko very much, I chose it. There are a variety of taste, like chocolates, cinnamon apples and such. They even have one that tastes Okonomi-yaki, just like Butatama! (I don't regard it as sweets anymore :))
This sweets is familiar among my country, and you can find it many places like supermarkets and sweets shops.
You probably think "Why porgy?". It's because we consider porgy as a symbol of good luck. Their red bodies, which is a lucky color in my country. Moreover, when the time they invented Taiyaki, most people didn't afford to buy a real porgy so it was yearning fish.
I like dropping in at Taiyaki shop near my home and take some on the way back from working :D

I'm back! ;)

It's always not easy to survive such a total disaster like depression. Everytime it hits me, I think "Ah, I can't handle this anymore!"

But hey! I'm right back here again :) I know I can't blow it away for now, still I know it'll be soon, yes, soon :D

My boss gave me a box of macaroons, trying to encourage me. Immediately after getting back to my home, I took pictures of them. Although it was already dark in my room, what does it matter! They looked really nice, I always just stood and looked at it in front of a brilliant showcase in departments. Sure, I could buy some, yet I didn't because it's too beautiful to eat for me.

Food in Europe is so cool, especially sweets. I have to admit that. The color, the shape, the taste, everything.

Oh, I took pictures of Japanese sweets at the same time as well. But it's for the next post :D So....don't miss it ;)

Severe depression.

I'm sorry for not being able to update frequently. I've been under the very very severe mental condition and need some rest. Although I would like to tell you many stories, it seems so difficult that I can't manage it. I'll be fine soon, so please wait, please.

A short walk around Shinjuku station.

Everytime I walk around Shinjuku, I can't help but thinking this way, "What makes this city so total mess?" Huge ads, irregular buildings.... There must have been no particular thoughts when they built this city, I always think.

Still, I needs must to come here constantly. I can find most of things I need, and if I can't find something in Shinjuku, then I give up. Shinjuku is something like that place.

Well, take a look at these picture I shot today ;)

It seems to be prohibited to smoke on the roads in this city. I don't smoke, I don't drink, and I don't gamble at all. Looks like a boring life? It's not that bad! :D

I took a rather wide lens today, but it's not because I wanted, I just took the one which was attached in my camera at that time.

It's near Shinjuku-Sanchome Station.

Shinjuku is a name of a district, however, it contains many stations. Nishi(west) Shinjuku station, Seibu shinjuku station, Minami(south) Shinjuku station and so on...

Since this city is a business district, there are many restaurants available. Italian, Japanese, this picture is kushi restaurant I think (About kushi, see here).

In spite of the busiest city in Japan, it also has some temples and shrines.
 

 

I love those places a lot. Though I'm not a Buddhist, I feel and find myself that they protect me.

There is busy street right next to the shrine. They are totally different but completely stand same place. 

Before I came back to my home by train...

It's a time table for Seibu Shinjuku line, which is a bit minor one. But they leave this station every 2-3 minutes in rush hour! ;)

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and its new glass house, 2013 winter.

I'm a repeater for Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden since it's easy to access from my home, only about $2.5 for admission fee, and it's huge enough to take a walk for a while.
(you can search this garden with search box above ;))

Yesterday was the day after one week from snow covered in Tokyo. It still remains some parts of this garden :)

We don't have much snow in Tokyo, just a few times a year. So....it's some kind of fun for me to see it. Falling snow, covering snow and melting snow. Everything is so beautiful that I sometime stay put in outside to see it.

It was in the morning and I didn't see many people even it's a huge garden. I could take my time for nothing in particular. No thinking, no nothing.

Looking back on last week, I was too busy for thinking ahead and some chores. It was right after coming back to my country from Southeast Asia, so I had many things to do. However, it looks I've got through this.

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There is a glass house inside Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. It had been under construction for a long time though, they reopened it last November. Here it is.

Like the garden itself, I only found a few people there. Don't people know about reopening it? Or just they have no interest in it?

It's worth visiting there I think. It's new (That's for sure!) and warm such a cold day.

There is no additional fee for entering this new glass house, you just need about $2.5 to enter Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and that's all. So.... Don't miss it when you go there :)

Birthday, became 26.

A day after heavy snow covered with my country Japan, I turned 26 years old on 15th January.

Needless to say, I can live because of all people around me (of course including you ;)). I've been illness for a decade I once told you. I was totally useless, did nothing but hurt myself, wrist cutting, overdose, as if I was on the brink of killing myself at that time. There were hundreds or even thousands times when I thought it's far better committing suicide than living such a dark surroundings around me.

However, I've come to the turning point. My doctor told me last time that I will be able to stop coming to the clinic if I'm fine until the end of this year. In other word, I have a chance to be cured completely.

In 2012, I started part-time-jobs while other friends near my own age work full-time. If they found me that I'm not a full-time worker with this age and want to laugh, then laugh. Am I lazy person? Well, I don't think so. It seems I'm just a slow starter and I'm proud I actually have places to work after my life with terrible sick which once looked like a tunnel without any way out.

 I want to be a person who is honest. No song and dance, no hiding, no pretending, especially on this blog. If you feel that way to me, that means you truly understood me.

Thank you again for reading this blog. I deeply appreciate and like all of you. If you have trouble with something, feel free to tell me. I'd like to help you like they did when I had a huge problem.

I'm sorry for writing such a personal thing.... Well, my new life has just started! Let's enjoy together ;)

How to cook Shime-saba (mackerel sushi).

I cooked shime-saba, or mackerel sushi for yesterday's dinner. Here's how:

First, buy it in the market. I bought in whole fish and cut up like this picture by myself. In case you don't know how to do it? Then ask a clerk in the fish booth to do it! Although when it is bargain they probably deny it, usually they can do it free of charge ;)

Put a plenty of sugar on them and wait for 40 minutes or so. When it finished, wash sugar with water and wipe off it.

And later,

Put a plenty of salt like we did with sugar, wait for 1 and half hour, then wipe off salt as well. I forgot to take a picture of it :(

This is the final step ;) pour vinegar (we use rice vinegar in Japan) and wait for 10 minutes. Can you see why I overlaid a paper on the fish? Well, it's because of making vinegar on the surface of chub mackerels so that it's covered with vinegar adequately and we can save it as well.

10 minutes later, get ride of all bones in the chub mackerel. Then, cut them, and eat them!

Note: You need to find fresh fish which can eat raw. This post of explanation is only one of example. There are many different way of cooking shime-saba. Check many recipes on web sites and find one you like best ;)

Hope you will enjoy shime-saba in your home! :D

Natto, again ;)

Boring with my explanation of natto? Well, that's probably because I love it! This unique food in Japan is cheap, taste good, and easy to cook. They usually sell three portion of natto around $1.2 in supermarkets. Of course you can eat it alone, but many people "customize" the way of eating it.
Me? I like to eat it with green onion, an usual ingredient in the fridge ;)

Tuna Don, a kind of Donburi style dish.

Finally! I cooked sushi style food in my home!! I totally couldn't eat raw fish when I was Southeast Asia. Sure, I could eat it in Japanese restaurants, but since my policy was not going there, I'd waited for this moment a real long time :)
About rice, this time I didn't put any seasonings like vinegar or sugar, which we usually put when we cook sushi. It was casual style, only for my family.
And Tuna, I dipped it with soy sauce and mirin, or sweet cooking rice wine for 2 or 3 minutes. It is said that we had better not dip more than that or Tuna turn to be blackish color.

Taste was... just incredible!! I like food in Southeast Asia, especially in Myanmar (Burma) I told you before, but it seems that I love Japanese food more than anything :D