Past Food Travel - Japan 2010

Summer 2010 - Japan

So in 2010, I went on a cultural exchange (NPO) called World Campus International (WCI). It was a great experience. I spent 2 month traveling to various cities in Japan, living with LOVELY host families and meeting dear friends from around the world. While I was there I stayed with multiple host families who were quite frankly some of the best people I've met in my entire life. They were all willing to help and share with me. I really loved the experience of living with host families and would highly, highly recommend it. I got along great with all my host families and I love all of them dearly.  Didn't hurt that they cooked for me and took me to amazing places either. :P All the food was oishii! I miss the experience so much. 

It was an amazing experience to meet so many different people. This is a picture of my first host family who farmed their own land and had an organic bakery/ restaurant and taught Japanese and English classes to children in Omura, Japan. 

 This is in Ueda, Nagano with my host sister Raruka-chan making me pancakes. She was so sweet. Of couse I was taking advantage of child labor but she was an amazing and insistant cook.

 These are my Beautiful host sister from Ueda. Let's see if I can still remember names, there was Ayana, Lilica and Raruka, and there was also Haruna that isn't pictured. They were so sweet and lived in a rural area that you could imagine Totoro living in. Lot of fun, lots of giggles, lots of plants. By the way, I used to share a twin bed with all 3 of the girls! Baby feet in the face, always fun.

Lots of beautiful wild life and vegetation there too. 

I didn't always force my families to cook for me. I also cooked for them. This is my host family in Tama. Ahh, they were so sweet to me and I miss them a bunch. Tama is the city that Hello Kitty comes from. I made my host family some fried rice and Szechuan beef. It was fun. First time I watched Avatar was with my Host brother and I got to meet some interesting birds and go to Mount Fuji with these lovely people even through 4 hours of traffic! I miss them too!

 

We also experienced food together as an exchange group. This is our WCI meeting were me and these lovely girls made soba noodles on our own. It was fun! We also were a part of wonderful events the entire time. Including being dressed as ninjas and climbing Castle walls. 

We enjoyed many outings, that included the largest, most famous fish market in the world. Tsukiji. I enjoyed the best fish here. Was so much fun, there are so many out door markets and food vendors outside and freshest fish around.

 A lot of eating and drinking was done that summer.

Although I met new friends in Japan, I also met one of my oldest friends there too! We had a lot of Korean and Japanese BBQs while we were there (because my buddy is allergic to fish!). It was so tasty and loads of fun! Restaurants weren't expensive, around $10 USD at the time per meal and sometimes we even had our own personal room with a TV!!! 

Although my friend wasn't impressed all the time. I think it was because the people next to us were smoking and flirting annoyingly with the waiter.

But she also took my first McD in Japan. They have shrimp burgers and stuff. However, if you're in Japan and want fast food you ought to try:

• Moss Burger
• First Kitchen (shortened by the Japanese to Fah-King *giggle*)
• curry places (Curry House CoCo)
• beef bowl places
• ramen places
• bento boxes from connivence stores (surprisingly delicious)
• The bottom floor of department stores have restaurants and grocery stores that sell everything on the cheap after 8pm 
• vending machine restaurants! Those are fun. 

Desserts were also plentiful and decadent with mochi ice cream, chocolate cakes round every corner, and crepes with cheese cake, ice cream, fruit and whip cream all in one go and a chocolate sauce on top....Man I miss Japan a lot.

Ramen is exceptionally good in Japan. Try areas like Kyoto for some spectacular ramen. I also was able to meet another amazing person from Simplysyn in Japan. We had some ramen and karaoke through the night. Oooh and had dinner at Jonathan's an American style restaurant in Japan that has a bitch come button. I love those.

I also had my fair share of odd Japanese food. For instance, bread in a can. There was boobie pudding, natto (fermented slimy bean thing), raw squid...I can't seem to think of anything else but I'm sure there was!

Sashimi horse meat. My first experience with horse meat. It wasn't the best, I would've preferred tuna. It really just tasted like raw beef.

We also enjoyed some fruit. Although fruit in Japan is SUPER expensive. Super dooper expensive. Water melons can go for close to 100 bucks sometimes and it's common to see a vine of grapes for 5000 yen (50 USD) at the department store. It really is a bit insane but the fruit is quite delicious. I can still remember the peach (momo) my host family bought for me. Tasty, tasty. 

Of couse I was (am) known for foraging for food and plucking fruit when I see it. Japan was not an exception. I saw persimmons growing! First time ever so I had to pluck it even if it wasn't ripe. I also got raspberries from walks, blueberries and a huge pummeloes.

There were some interesting drinks as well including loads of sake and a milky soda called calpis, a lot of sake and green tea.

I even had the luxury of learning how to make green tea thanks to my beautiful host family in Toyota city.


BTW, you ought to also go to a maid cafe, a strange and niche thing in Japan where you a served by cute girls that act as maids. They also have little sister cafes were the girls act like your little sister. It's strange and fantasy filling.

This is one in Nagoya. It was nice, they girl even decorated our drinks with cute pictures!

All in all Japan was one of the best experiences of my life. I would highly recommend going for anyone BUT especially if you love food like I do. It was great fun, it was an amazing learning experience and I still miss it. The people, the place, everything but the heat! Do try everything that occurs though, Kabuki theaters, ninja shows, and go to an Onsens, one of the most relaxing things ever even if you are naked.