Ern's Monthly Page Turners (March 2009)

*本に関するネタ、日本語は書き込みません。

It's the end of the month and you know what that means. My regular readers (I wonder how many there really are) will know it's time for my monthly book reviews. Please feel free to recommend books to me as well or let me know what you're reading. As always, I'm in the middle of two books as well (one in Japanese - and this time it isn't an erotic photography book).

So, for your reading pleasure:

DOOMWYTE by Brian Jacques - Probably the weakest Redwall story to date. No danger to Mossflower, hardly any danger to Redwall Abbey. More of a treasure hunt with some bad apples thrown in. Or the main story of some bad apples - this time crows and ravens and reptiles with a treasure hunt thrown in. But as I've been reading this series since it started, I had to add it to my collection. This is the twentieth book of the series which started with the release of "Redwall" back in 1986. Anybody who loved "The Wind in the Willows" or "Winnie the Pooh" will love this series where the animals can be classified as good or as vermin (bad). The usual good gang are the mice, squirrels, otters, shrews, moles, hares, badgers. The vermin would include rats, weasels, ferrets, foxes, toads, snakes, and this time also includes ravens and crows. It's still a fun read though.

MAGIC BUS: ON THE HIPPIE TRAIL FROM ISTANBUL TO INDIA by Rory MacLean - I would have only been three years old during the "Summer of Love" and I certainly would not have been the child of hippies or flower children as my father was drafted into the military. I am an army brat. So I didn't know that a lot of young people headed to India by an overland route which took them through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and on to India and Nepal. But Rory MacLean knew and he decided to see if it was still possible to travel the overland route from Istanbul to Kathmandu. On his travels by bus, van, train, and plane (it's still too dangerous to travel by land through Afghanistan), he is joined by a menagerie of questionable but lovable characters including Penny - a 70yr old free spirit who made the trip in her younger days, an Indian business man who held a low opinion of the hippies and a host of others.

MY LOBOTOMY: A MEMOIR by Howard Dully - I'm sure we are all familiar with the joke, "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy". For Howard, it was no joke. In this heartbreaking memoir, Dully introduces himself thus: "My name is Howard Dully. In 1960, when I was twelve years old, I was given a lobotomy." He continues his monologue with, "My stepmother arranged it. My father agreed to it. Dr. Walter Freeman, the man who invented the "ice pick" lobotomy, performed it." One has to ask yourself what kind of parent would agree to such a procedure, and what kind of idiot would even suggest it in the first place. When you read this book, you will want to strangle or slap Dully's stepmother upside the head. She went to see quite a few doctors, and the majority of them said, the problem isn't with Howard, it's with her. Of course she didn't take kindly to that answer and when searching for a doctor who would accept her line of thinking. In reading the memoir, Dully doesn't do anything deserving of a lobotomy - perhaps, he may have been hard to handle, but he was only child growing up. Dully himself says he's never understood why he was given the procedure and more than forty years later, when he turned fifty-four - he went to go find out why. You seriously won't be able to put this book down as Dully takes you back to his childhood and that life changing event. I highly recommend this.

POMPEII・HERCULANEUM: PAST AND PRESENT by A. de Franciscis – A few years ago I went to Rome for my aunt’s wedding. And as there is no telling when I would be able to visit again, I spent a full week there. One place I was determined to go no matter what was Pompeii. I was an army brat who was born in France and lived in Greece and I can barely recall our family trip to Italy but for some reason Pompeii stands out in my mind. I cannot tell what you what my feelings were standing in the city that was buried for centuries. Just standing in the middle of the amphitheatre and contemplating that this was a city long before the time of Christ makes you wonder in awe. I bought this book on impulse, along with a couple of others, and only now have I got around to reading them. If I did a little more research for my trip, I would have made the effort to go to Herculaneum as well. I cannot wait to visit here again.

RAINBOW'S END: AN AFRICAN JOURNEY by Lauren St. John - What do we as Americans know about Rhodesia? Not much I imagine. Some of you may even wonder where it is and might be puzzled when you can't find it on the most current atlas. That's because Rhodesia is the former name of Zimbabwe and this is Lauren St. John's story of growing on a game farm in Rhodesia during the countries fight for independence. Not old enough to understand the politics of her country, she admits to enjoying actually War against what the Rhodesian's called "terrorists". She says everyday was an adventure and that the War was an abstract idea. Their family didn't think of the danger involved. They were more concerned about being bitten by the various snakes that frequented their farm. Rainbow's End is the name of the farm where St. John grows up with a menagerie of animals including a lot of dogs, a few horse, a couple of ostriches, and even a giraffe. It didn't seem to bother them that previous tenants were murdered by the so called "terrorists". It isn't until Zimbabwe becomes an independent nation that her eyes are open to how the rest of the world perceived Rhodesia. She couldn't understand how every African seemed to know the name Robert Mugabe and has a crisis of her own when she discovers that it wasn't the Africans who were "terrorists". It was her and families like hers, and the government itself. We may be familiar with South Africa and apartheid, but it appears that Rhodesia's all white government was just as racist as it's southern neighbor. Unfortunately for the people of Zimbabwe, their hero seems to have strayed from the path of economic success to become one of the world's poorest and most corrupt nations (but that's the story of another book.) The ousted Rhodesians are probably laughing with their buddies saying, "we told you so!". My dream trip to Victoria Falls will most likely be postponed indefinitely or until the nation gets a better leader.

OISHINBO A LA CARTE by Tetsu Kariya – Sometimes I find myself needing a break from regular fiction and non-fiction and I entertain myself with a graphic novel. Oishinbo is a comic about the world of cooking and food culture. How can I as a self-proclaimed foodie not indulge in a comic like this. This particular comic as been serialized in “Big Comic Spirits” continuously since 1983 and the writer and artist has won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1987. Unfortunately for the English version, the comic is split into a bunch of shorter stories, thus the a la carte in the title. The two characters you do need to remember though are the protagonist – Yamaoka Shiro, a journalist for the Todai News and is placed in charge of the newspapers special feature called “The Ultimate Menu”. And Kaibara Yuzan – a prominent artist and is also founder and director of the exclusive “Gourmet Club”. He also happens to be Shiro’s father and ultimate rival. The English series will all be featured in the a la carte format with the next volume will focus on good drink. Bon Appetit!

ROME: MONUMENTS: PAST AND PRESENT by R. A. Staccioli – One of my other impulse buys when I was in Italy. Aside from making a day trip to Pompeii, I had planned to check out all the major sites that were featured in Audrey Hepburn’s “Roman Holiday” – the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Bocca de la Verite. I also wanted to revisit the places that I had been to when I was a wee tot. My family was in Italy a week or so before me so the day I came to Rome, my parents and siblings were in Venice. So on my free day I ventured to the Basilica de San Pietro and rubbed the feet of the statue of St. Peter, I went to the Catacombs at either Saint Sebastian or St. Callistus (I forget which one.) Although I took a lot of pictures, I bought this book to read a little bit about the history of all the buildings – from the Colisseum and the Forum Romanum to the Pantheon. Aside from Pompeii, one other site that left me speechless was the painting by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel – Beautiful!!

DINNER WITH MUGABE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF A FREEDOM FIGHTER WHO BECAME A TYRANT by Heidi Holland – I still haven’t given up my dream of seeing Victoria Falls one day and for those of you who do not know where it’s located, it is on the Zambezi River which forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. And now that we all know Zimbabwe was the former Rhodesia, I just had to read this book where the author managed to gain audience with the man who the Western media has been portraying as the 21st century Hitler. But reading this book, one comes away with the feeling that Robert Mugabe cannot be solely responsible for the tragedy of Zimbabwe that currently has the highest rate of inflation and unemployment. The country that was once hailed as the “Jewel of Africa” with a idealistic politician, who unfortunately succumbs to the cliché of “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” A man who places all the blame on his country’s troubles upon its former colonizers – Britain, as well as the White Rhodesians who ran a racist government in the same vein as Apartheid South Africa. The man refuses to take any responsibility himself for his corrupt government and actually condoned the violence against the White Rhodesian farmers who owned most of the land, albeit, land that was stolen from the Africans. A man who let his own government troop – the North Korean trained Fifth Brigade to carry out an operation called Gukurahundi which translates to “the sweeping away of rubbish” in Shona. In this context the “rubbish” being people who opposed Mugabe and his government. The operation was carried out in an area of the country called Matebeleland. Although Rhodesia’s former president – Ian Smith died “an unrepentant racist” according to Mugabe, his current policy is no better and is just as racist as his predecessor. What a travesty. And although I said Mugabe shouldn’t solely be blamed for what’s happened to his country, I think he is at least 75 to 80% responsible. Perhaps I will visit Victoria Falls by way of Zambia.

THE BLACK LIZARD AND BEAST IN THE SHADOWS by Edogawa Ranpo – The father of Japanese mystery. These are two classic stories from the golden age of Japanese mystery writing. “The Black Lizard” is about a master criminal who happens to be a woman and has voracious appetite for beautiful things who finds herself up against her biggest foe to date, a detective named Akechi Kogoro. “The Beast in the Shadows” is about a mystery writer who vows to protect a married woman he secretly loves, until he becomes the detective and finds answers to a mystery that leaves him a bit disturbed. Unfortunately for the stories, I don’t know if it was the era in which it was written or if there was something lost in the translation, I found the writing style not to my liking and the plot twists were just a little too far-fetched to be believable. Still entertaining though.

And so ends another month of the tomes I have chosen. Of course if I spent as much time writing as I do reading, perhaps the dream of having a book published wouldn't be a dream anymore. But I love reading as much as I love writing so what can I say. I'm currently reading "The Lost Throne" by Chris Kuzneski but I won't tell you about it until next month. The Japanese book I'm reading? It's called "Tsuki Ichi" by the popular duo of Puffy (you might know them as AmiYumi). Sit back, relax, and curl up with a good book.

Happy Reading!!

The Railway Museum / 鉄道博物館

A few weeks ago when Mikako and I planned on going to the Railway Museum, we mistakenly went to Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture which is not where the Railway Museum is located. This time, we unmistakenly went to Omiya in Saitama Prefecture to check it out. What is it about guys and things that move? I don't know but I seem to be one of those guys that loves museums featuring planes, trains, and automobiles.

この間鉄道博物館に行こうとしたら、間違えて、茨城県のつくばまで行っちゃいました。つくばにあるのはつくば万博の科学館。今回はちゃんと埼玉県の大宮市に行って、間違えなく鉄道博物館に行かれました。何で男たちは乗り物に興味持つんだろ？知りませんが、僕もそうゆう男です。飛行機、鉄道、車の博物館は大好き。

Display of locomotive wheels at the entrance.

入口に展示されてる車輪。

The D-51 Locomotive series / 鉄道マニアの憧れD-51

Maite 39 11 / マイテ (1930)


Maite 39 11 Interior / マイテのインテリア

Kumoha 40074 / クモハ ４００７４ (1936)

Interior with character

インテリア良いね。

Time-slip journey.

タイムスリップした感じ。

Time slip journey continues.


タイムスリップ旅つづく







DD13 1 (1958)


C57 135 (1940)


EF66 11 (1968)

ED75 775 (1975)


Remufu 10000 / レムフ １００００ (1966)


21-25 / ０系新幹線 (1964)




222-35 / ２００系新幹線 (1980)

Bottom of the Shinkansen / 新幹線の下

Kumoha 484-61 / クモハ ４８４‐６１ (1968)

Kumoha 101 / クモハ １０１ (1957)










Kuha 181 / クハ１８１ (1965)

Snack cart from the mid-60s /　６０年代の車内売店

9856 SL (1938)

968 (1904)

7101 (1880)


Carriage moved by man-power / 人車




Taisho Era Carriage / 大正時代の車内

150 SL (1871)


Imperial Carriage / 明治天皇専用の日本初の御料車 (1876)


The Imperial Carriage / 明治天皇専用御料車 (1891)

Bus used in areas without trains / 電車がない地域に使われたバス

Georama Room

The Shinkansen and Shuttle Lines

Cute miniature trains

Free mini shuttle to the north gallery

Mini shuttle modeled after the Hayate Super Express to Hachinohe

I hope you enjoyed the tour of the Railway Museum.

鉄道博物館を堪能していかがでしたか？

[Edomae Gatten Sushi] / 「江戸前がってん寿司」

Edomae Gatten Sushi

江戸前がってん寿司

As we unmistakenly went to Saitaima Prefecture where the Railway Museum is located, we decided to have lunch there as well. Mikako was in the mood for some sushi, so we were looking for a kaiten sushi shop. Instead we came upon this restaurant that served a sushi set menu for 1000yen which included miso soup and 19 pieces of sushi. We were served chu toro, squid, maguro, salmon, egg, and shrimps just to name a few. We also ordered some tempura as well.

今回は間違えなく鉄道博物館がある埼玉県大宮市に行ってきました。博物館行く前に昼食。美香子が寿司の気分だったので、回転寿司の店を探してみました。回転寿司の店はみつからなかったが、寿司セットがある店を発見。その名も「江戸前がってん寿司」。一人半前の寿司セットを注文。サイドで海老の天ぷらも注文。値段は思ったほど安くて、寿司と天ぷらもとっても美味しかった。寿司のネタは旬の物も出るとゆう事で、車海老、しらすの寿司を食べました。他にたまご、カツオ、まぐろ、鮭、いか、えんがわ、海老、ネギトロ巻きなど、全部で１９カンでした。

Sushi Set with Tempura / 寿司セットと海老の天ぷら

Today's sushi plate / 今日の寿司ネタ

Tempura / 天ぷら

Miso Soup / 味噌汁

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

In Search of Cha-jang Myun / 韓国風のジャージャー麺探し

My wife Mikako and my mother are currently hooked on all things Korean - dramas, music, actors and actresses, and the food - which got me to thinking, what was the first Korean dish I ever ate. The answer takes me back to high school. My half-Korean friend Rob introduced me to the world of Korean cuisine by taking me to small restaurant and ordering for me. The only thing I could remember was that it was a noodle dish with some kind of black bean sauce. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to eat it again. As I didn't know what the Korean term was, I once again relied on my friend Rob to educate me. He said it was dish called cha-jang myun and said it was originally a Chinese dish, but that the Koreans like to make things there own. Cha-jang myun? Ja ja-men? Oh, I know this dish. But Rob is right. The Korean style is much different than the Chinese or Japanese version. So we went to Tokyo's Korea town checking out all the different Korean restaurants. But we couldn't find a place that served cha-jang myun. It dawned on Mikako that perhaps we were taking the wrong approach in looking for cha-jang myun at a regular Korean restaurant. Perhaps we should look for some noodle restaurants when right across the street from us, Mikako should discover a sign showing a cha-jang myun shop. It was called [Tebaku Han Ten]. Our search was over!!

妻の美香子と自分のお母さんが今でも韓流ブームにはまってます。ドラマから音楽、俳優、女優ともちろん韓国料理。自分もいつ韓国料理が好きになったかなと思い、いつ初めて食べたんだろうと考えたら、高校時代が思い浮かぶ。僕の親友が韓国のハフである日、小さな韓国料理店を連れてくれた。友達が注文してくれたので、料理名が思い出せなくて、ただ麺の上に黒豆のソースがのってるを覚えてた。それでまた友達のロブに連絡をとって、あの時食べた物は韓国語で何を聞いたらージャージャー麺だよ。ジャージャー麺？あの中華料理の？ロブがそれも教えてくれた。もともと中華料理なんですが、韓国人は結構自分用でするの好きって。って事は韓国風のジャージャー麺ってことですね。その話をしたらなんだか韓国風のジャージャー麺が食べたくなった。それで東京の韓国町新大久保に行きました。でも中々ジャージャー麺がメニューにのってる店が見つからない。美香子が韓国料理店じゃなく、麺の店を探したほうが良いと言った時、目の前にジャージャー麺専門店とゆう看板を発見。店のなまえは「テバク飯店」。やっとみつかたぞう、韓国風ジャージャー麺！

We also ordered some gyoza to go along with our cha-jang men.

サイトオーダーに焼き餃子と水餃子も注文しました。

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

In Memoriam: Mocha Hoyt-Cardenas / 妹の愛犬「モカ」との別れ

It saddens me to inform my readers that my sister's beloved child - Mocha, has sadly passed away. Mocha was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer and although surgery was performed, the cancer had spread to far. After much thought, my sister made the difficult decision of having Mocha put to sleep to spare her any continued suffering.

悲しみのお知らせでございます。妹が長年飼っていた愛犬が先日亡くなりました。癌が発覚して手術も行いましたが、残念な結果、癌が体中に広がり、助かる可能性はございませんでした。妹がいろいろ考えた上で、モカの安楽死を選択しました。妹にとって、モカは家族の一人であり、悲しいお別れとなりました。

Book Break / 本の紹介

It's an erotic photography book and probably every guy's fantasy. Tommy (the photographer) takes pictures of the models in the same pose - one clothed, the other of what we can only imagine what the models are wearing underneath and he blends the pictures to create the fantasy. Just check out the front cover of the book. The title is [Mousatsu Gold]. Mousatsu blending the kanji characters of mousou (妄想) and satsuei (撮影). Mousou meaning to imagine and satsuei meaning to photograph. The cover girl this time around is popular idol Aki Hoshino.

ちょっとエロスの写真集、でも綺麗。写真家はTommy。タイトルは「妄撮・Gold」。妄想の「妄」と撮影の「撮」を合体したタイトル。本の表紙を見ての通り服の下は何を着てるのを妄想してるような取り方。今回の表紙のモデルはほしのあき。他にファッション誌のモデルも参加してます。日本で結構話題になってる本の第二弾。

Zat's Burger / ザッツバーガー

As we spent all day at the shopping mall on our day off with our friends, where are we going to have lunch? We're at a mall, which means there's a food court. One burger shop caught my eye - Zat's Burger - home of the Sasebo Burger and the birth of Japan's burger culture. Of course I had to go there. I was going to order the regular Sasebo burger but my friend went and ordered the Sasebo Burger jumbo. I was taken in by the spur of the moment and ordered the jumbo as well. Oh my...that's one huge burger!!

この間はずーと川崎のショッピングモールに居たので、ランチはどうするのか？ここはモールだよ。フードコートはあるじゃないか。気になったバーガー屋を発見。店の名前は「ザッツ」。名物の佐世保バーガーがメニューにある。日本のバーガー文化はこの佐世保バーガーから始まった。通常の佐世保バーガーを頼むつもりだったが、友達が佐世保ジャンボをオーダーしたら、僕ものりにのってジャンボーを注文しました。うわ～でっかい！

Jumbo Sasebo Burger / ジャンボ佐世保バーガー

Burgers on deck

Toasted buns

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

Ultraman Base Shop / ウルトラマンベースショップ

The other day, our friends invited us to go with them to the Lazona shopping mall in Kawasaki. They were taking their 3yr old son to the Ultraman Base shop where he could meet Ultraman King. Afterwards, a short trip to Costco.

昨日、友達が私たちを誘って、川崎にあるショッピングモール「ラゾーナ川崎プラザ」。目的は、三歳の息子の為にウルトラマンベースでウルトラマンキングと会う。そのおとは日本のコストコ。

Ultraman King / ウルトラマンキング

Rock Star Drink / ロックスター飲料

So if I drink this, will I become a rock star?

これを飲んだらロックスターになるのかい？

Steakhouse [Bun] / ステーキハウス 「ブン」

As promised, this is the Steak House in Daitabashi where we had a steak lunch set for less than a thousand yen. The lunch set comes with soup and salad and a large portion of rice. You can choose a 120g or 130g steak and a choice of three sauces - Bun's special sauce, oroshi ponzu, or a garlic sauce.

約束通り、代田橋で千円以下のステーキランチを食べた店。セットはサラダ・スープと大盛りのライス付。１２０ｇか１３０ｇのハラミステーキを選べます。ソースも三種類から選べます‐ブン特製ソース、おろしぽんず、かガーリック。

Ｓｔｅａｋ　／　ハラミステーキ

Salad & Soup / サラダとスープ

Rice / ご飯

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

A Walk to Daitabashi and Back / 代田橋までの散歩

For today's walk, we just headed out the door and walked along the main road in front of our apartment. We walked all the way to Suginami Ward (we live in Setagaya Ward), took a short walk around the little Okinawa Town, had a steak lunch in an area called Daitabashi, then headed back home.

今日の散歩はうちの前に道を杉並区まで歩いた。杉並区の和泉明店街、そこにあるのは沖縄タウン。昼間だったのであんまり店がやってなかった。ま、別に沖縄料理食べたいとゆわけでもないし。ランチは代田橋で千円以下のステーキハウス。あとは家に帰るだけ。

Another neighborhood temple, or is it a shrine? / またもお寺です、神社だったかな？

I love temples and shrines / お寺と神社大好きなので

The road in front of our apartment / 環七通り

Hachiman Jinja / 八幡神社

Hachiman Jinja / 八幡神社

Panda Mural / 可愛いパンダたち

Entrance to Izumimei Ten Gai / 和泉明店街の入口

The less than thousand yen steak house will be the next post.

次回のネタで代田橋にあるステーキハウス紹介します。

Mexican Restaurant & Bar [La Fiesta] / メキシカンレストラン＆バー 「ラ・フィエスタ」

Oh yes, this is where we had lunch in Naka Meguro. It's the Cantina La Fiesta. I ordered the Albondigus de Pollo (chicken meatballs topped with a yogurt sauce) while Mikaka had the Enchilada de Salmon (salmon enchilada). I also told Mikako she just had to try the Jallapenos Rellenos (jalapeno poppers) - I love them. They're fried jalapenos stuffed with cheese for those of you who are not familiar with this dish.

中目黒でランチを食べたメキシカン料理店「ラ・フィエスタ」。僕が注文したのはチキンボールのシチューヨーグルトソース（サラダ・メキシカンライス付）。美香子が頼んだのはサーモンとベーコンのトマトクリームエンチラーダ（サラダ・メキシカンライス付）。あとどうしても美香子に食べさせたいものがあって、それも注文した。それはハラペーニョ・レジェーノス （５本の揚げたハラペーニョのチーズ詰）。

Albondigus de Pollo / チキンボールのシチューヨーグルトソース

Salmon Enchilada / サーモンエンチラーダ

Jalepeno Poppers / ハラペーニョ・レジェーノス

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

Curry House [Indeira] / カレーハウス 「いんでいら」

When we came back from Ibaraki Prefecture the other week, it was just around dinner time. Mikako said she wanted to eat something really, really spicy. Since we were in Shibuya, I remembered the curry shop [Indeira]. They serve some curry that will set your mouth on fire and that's where we went to eat.

この前茨城県から帰ったら、ちょうど夕飯の時間でした。美香子がなぜか超辛い物が食べたいと言い出して、僕渋谷で良く食べに行ったカレー屋を思い出して、その店のメニューに口から火が出る様なカレーがあった。

We both ordered chicken curry. I had Kashmiri style curry (which is quite spicy) while Mikako had the Bengal style (which is even spicier than the Kashmiri one). But they taste so great.

私たちはチキンカレーを注文しました。僕はカシミール風（これも火吹きな様な辛さ）、美香子はベンガル風（これは超激辛ですね）。でもそれが美味しのさ。

Kashimiri style chicken curry / カシミール風チキンカレー

Bengal style chicken curry / ベンガル風チキンカレー

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

A Walk around Daikanyama / 代官山の散歩

To be honest, our walk started from home to Naka Meguro where we had lunch, then continued on to Daikanyama and Shibuya, to Sangenjaya and back home. We left our apartment at 11:00am and didn't return until 5:00pm. Yep, a six hour walk (with a 30 minute break for lunch). But Daikanyama became the main focus of our walk.

本当と言えば、散歩はうちのアパートのから中目黒 （中目でランチ）、その後、代官山を歩き回って、つづいて渋谷、三軒茶屋、でうちに帰った。朝十一時に出掛けて、帰ったのは夕方五時。昼食を含めて、六時間も歩いた！でも代官山が中心になった感じ。

Meguro River (cherry blossoms not yet in bloom) / 目黒川 （桜がまだ咲いてない）


Saigoyama Park / 西郷山公園

We discovered the Egyptian embassy in Daikanyama.

代官山でエジプトの大使館を発見。

Another point of interest - Sarugakuzuka

新たな発見 ‐ 猿楽塚 （さるがくづか）

Grafitti in Shibuya / 渋谷のグラフィティ

Underpass at Dogenzakaue / 道玄坂上の地下通路

Interesting architecture / 面白い建物

Ultra Cider / ウルトラ サイダー

Here's another collection my brother would be jealous of - The Ultra Cider series - Ultra as in Ultraman!

また自分の兄貴が羨ましがる物を紹介します‐ウルトラ・サイダーしりーず。ウルトラマンシリーズのウルトラです！

Ultraman / ウルトラマン

Ultra 7 / ウルトラセブン




Return of Ultraman / 帰ってきたウルトラマン

Ultraman Zoffy / ウルトラマン ゾフィー

Ultraman Moebius / ウルトラマン メビウス

Ultraman Tiga / ウルトラマン ティガ

Misadventure in Walking in Tsukuba / つくばで散歩？

On another day off Mikako suggested going to the Railway Museum (she knows I've been wanting to go there for a long time). So I called my friend who recently went there, unfortunately I got an answering message. But hey, I have a computer at home. I checked the net, made sure that the museum was open and off we went. We headed to Akihabara and hopped on the Tsukuba Express to Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture. The museum should be right across from the station. I figured there would be signs but there were no signs posted anywhere. So, I went to the information counter and asked which way to the Railway Museum. The workers there looked at me like I was an idiot foreigner and said, "Do you mean the one in Saitama?" Saitaima? Oh no! Tsukuba is the site for the Tsukuba Expo Center. The Railway Museum is in Omiya - in Saitama Prefecture in the opposite direction. There is no steam engine on display there, but there is a rocket on display. It was too late to head to Omiya so we decided that we would walk around Tsukuba and check out the Expo Center. But first, it was time for lunch. There wasn't much choice so we settled for pork cutlets at Saboten. Then we walked to the Expo Center. Guess what? It was closed!! We then walked around the park (there really wasn't anything to see.) It was too late to go to Tsukuba Mountain. So we decided to head home. It's as if we went to Ibaraki Prefecture just to eat some pork cutlets. We could have done that at home as there is a Saboten shop near our apartment. Oh well, an adventure is an adventure! I still have the Railway Museum to look forward to (if I don't go to the wrong town!)

また別の休日に美香子が鉄道博物館でも行くかと提案しました。僕はずーと前から行きたかったのを美香子が知ってた。つい最近友達が行ったので、一番早い行き方を聞こうと思って電話した。でも留守電だった。家にパソコンがあった！鉄道博物館を検索し、今日は休館じゃないかを確認、そのまま出発。駅のすぐ近くと分かって、早速秋葉原に行ってつくばエクスプレスに乗った。つくばに着くとサインがあると信じ、でも無い。案内所に行って聞いてみました。働いてるネーさんが僕を変な目で見て、”鉄道博物館？さいたまの？”さいたま？あっ！さいたま！つくばにあるのはエクスポセンターの科学館だ。鉄道博物館は埼玉県の大宮にあるわ！！だから鉄道はどこにも展示されてないな。展示されてるのは大きなロケット。今から大宮に行くのも無駄だし、決心して、今日はつくばを散歩する！その前にランチを食べる。選べるレストランも少ない。決めたのはとんかつ屋の「さぼてん」。食べ終わったら、科学館に行く事にした。。。でも今日は休館だった！仕方ないから公園内をちょっと歩き回った。な～んもね～。筑波山に行くのも時間がなさそうだし、もう３時半過ぎてたので。そのまま家に帰った。結局茨城県で「さぼてん」のとんかつを食べに行っただけになった感じ。ま、冒険は冒険なので。今度こそ鉄道博物館に行くぞう！

Pork Cutlet from [Saboten] / 「さぼてん」のロースカツ

Kitakata Ramen [BANNAI] / 喜多方ラーメン 「坂内」

The ramen shop we went to is the one in the background. The shop on the left is an udon and soba shop.

私たちが行ったラーメン屋は後ろのほうにある建物。右側はうどんとそばの店。

As promised, this post features the ramen shop we ate at in Omori. The name of the shop is [Bannai] featuring the ramen of Kitakata - a town in Fukushima Prefecture. It's located right near the entrance to the train station. I ordered the Chashu-men and Mikako ordered the Negi Chashu-men. My oh my, the amount of chashu you get with your ramen will not disappoint the carnivore in you. It covers the entire bowl so you can't even seen the noodles. The soup is pork based but not as heavy as you would imagine.

約束通り、今回のネタは大森で食べたラーメンの店。 行ったのは喜多方ラーメン「坂内（ばんない）」。店は大森駅のすぐ隣。喜多方は福島県にある町。名物ラーメンはチャーシュウー麺。チャーシューの量は凄すぎ。麺が見えないくらい凄いです。肉好きにはたまらないでしょう。スープは豚骨なんですが、驚くのが、スープは透明で味はあっさり。

Chashu-men / チャーシュー麺

Negi Chashu-men / ねぎチャーシュウー麺

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

A Walk around Omori / 大森の散歩

On a recent day off, we hopped on a local bus, got off at the last stop and walked around that area. The bus took us to place called Omori in Ota Ward. It was the start of another adventure in walking.

この間の休日に、路線バスに乗って、終点まで行って、その周辺に歩き回った。たどり着いた所は大田区の大森。さ、また冒険の始まりだ。

The first point of interest we came upon was Tenso Jinja near Omori Station on the Keihin Tohoku Line.

大森で最初に面白そうな所を発見したのは京浜東北線、大森駅の近くの天祖神社。

Entrance to Tenso Jinja / 天祖神社の入口

Tenso Jinja / 天祖神社

Walking down a different set of stairs, I discovered these plaques displayed along the wall. It featured the people and history of Omori.

別の階段に降りたら、壁に大森にかんする歴史と人物の飾りを発見。

We then had lunch at a neighborhood ramen shop (which I will save for another post) before continuing on with our exploration of Omori.

ランチは喜多方らーめん「坂内（ばんない）」で食べました（それはまた次回のネタで）。その後、冒険散歩のつづき。

We then discovered a small park where a steam locomotive was on display.

次発見したのは、小さな公園でSLが展示されてるところ。

As we continued walking, we discovered another shrine in a quiet location. It was called Kumano Jinja.

歩きつづいたら、静かな場所に熊野神社を発見しました。

Kumano Jinja / 熊野神社

And another shrine - Kasuga Jinja.

でまた神社‐春日神社

Kasuga Jinja / 春日神社

On our way back to the bus station, we decided to treat ourselves to a little snack of tai-yaki - delicious.

帰りのバスに行く前に、一休みでタイ焼きを食べた。

Tai-yaki / タイ焼き

And lastly, a bonus picture of an interesting display I saw on a building. It seems our walk pretty much was tour of shrines.

最後におまけの写真。ビルの飾りで面白いと思った。結局今回の散歩は神社巡りになった感じ。

Until next time...

また今度。。。

Short Walk after Lunch / 食後の散歩

After eating lunch at [Watashinchi], we took a short walk around the neighborhood.

「わたしんち」でランチを食べた後にまた散歩しました。

Setagaya Park / 世田谷公園

The fountain at Setagaya Park

世田谷公園の噴水

Living Cafe & Bar [WATASHINCHI] / リビングカフェ＆バー「わたしんち」

Another day off and an adventure in walking. For lunch, we discovered this cute little cafe in a residential area. The lunch sets come with soup and salad and a dessert as well. My curry also came with an onsen tamago (poached egg) which you can add to your curry or eat it separately. All for less than a 1000yen. I ordered the chicken curry lunch while Mikako ordered the hamburger steak plate.

また休日に近所散歩で新しい発見。住宅街にこうゆう可愛いカフェが見つかりました。ランチセットは千円以下でスープ、サラダ、とデザート付。カレーセットに温泉たまごも付いてます。僕はチキンカレーセットを注文、美香子はハンバーグセット。

Chicken Curry / チキンカレー

This curry reminded me of the way my mother used to make it, with potatoes and carrots.

このカレーはお袋の味を思い出す。昔様にじゃが芋と人参も入ってます。

Poached egg which I elected to top my curry with.

温泉たまご。僕はカレーにかけました。

Hamburger Steak / ハンバーグ


Salad / サラダ

Soup / スープ

Vanilla Ice Cream / バニラアイス

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

Tribute to Jason from "Friday the 13th" / 「１３日の金曜日」のジェイソンのトリビュート

It's Jason Mikako!!

殺人鬼ジェイソン・美香子だ！

I survived! (and yes, I did have Mikako's permission to post this pic!). It's a tribute to Jason and the new "Friday the 13th" movie (even though we both hate horror films!)

生き残ったよ。（もちろん美香子の許可を貰って、この写真をアップしました）。新しい「１３日の金曜日」のジェイソンのトリビュートと思えば良い（私たちホラー映画大嫌いなんですが！）

Japanese Microbrew Tour - Tottori Prefecture / 日本地ビールツアー ‐ 鳥取県

One final blurb about Shindaiji-Temple. I had to buy some Kitaro beer from Tottori Prefecture (hometown of Shigeru Mizuki) and bought two bottles each of a stout, a pale ale, and a weizen.

深大寺の最後のネタ。「ゲゲゲの鬼太郎」グッズのお土産屋があったので、水木しげるの出身地の鳥取県の地ビール、鬼太郎ビールを買いました。鬼太郎ビールは全部で三種類‐ヴァイツェン、ペールエール、とスタウト。二本づつ買いました。

Stout / スタウト

Weizen / ヴァイツェン



Pale Ale / ペールエール


And a bonus picture of mitarashi and black sesame dango.

おまけの写真のみたらしと黒ごま団子

And one more, just because I like the picture.

もう一つのあまけ写真、可愛いから。

A Walk around Chofu and Jindaiji Temple (Part 2) / 調布と深大寺の散歩 （パート２）

Can you spot the human spirit? I say, it kind of looks like me! Some of you may remember a similar photo but that was before I became an avid blogger. In the previous blog, I managed to look up the names of the pictured characters. I'm going to pass on doing so this time around. As promised, I will be featuring Shigeru Mizuki's Yokai Gallery in this post.

人間らしきの妖怪発見しましたか、なんだか、僕に似てない？僕のブログを読んでる人もこの似た様な写真も覚えてるかも知りませんが、前に撮った時はまだブログが始まってない頃でした。前回も妖怪の名前も全部調べましたが、気になる人は昔のポストを探してみて下さい。今回は深大寺にある水木しげるの妖怪ギャラリーを紹介します。

Shigeru Mizuki's Yokai Gallery (check out the geta on the roof)

水木しげるの妖怪ギャラリー （屋根に下駄を見て！）

Hanging out with Nezumi Otoko / ねずみ男の一緒


And with Kitaro as well / 鬼太郎も一緒

Jindaiji Soba Shop "Tamon" / 深大寺そば屋 「多聞」

On my previous post, I received mail from my mother who said she remembers taking my sister to Jindaiji Temple when she was either six or twelve, and remembers that the soba (buckwheat noodles) there was quite delicious. You wouldn't believe the amount of soba shops there are around the temple. We chose "Tamon" as it was recommended to us by one of our friends. I ordered Shindaiji Soba while Mikako ordered Tempura Soba. We also shared a dish of miso oden. I also couldn't resist trying the microbrew - Jindaiji beer.

前回のポストで自分のお母さんからコメントが届いた。妹がまだ子供の頃に、お母さんが深大寺に連れて行ってあげたことを思い出したっと言ってました。深大寺そばが美味しかったとゆう記憶もあった。本当に深大寺の周りはそば屋の数は非常に多い。 私たちの友達がおすすめしたそば屋 「多聞」に行きました。僕はもちろん深大寺そばを頼みました。美香子はあったかい天ぷらさばを。二人で味噌おでんも注文しました。僕は最近日本の地ビールに興味を持って、深大寺ビールがあったので、一本頼みました。

Jindaiji Soba / 深大寺そば

Tempura Soba / 天ぷらそば

Miso Oden / 味噌おでん

Jindaiji Beer / 深大寺ビール

I will feature the Yokai Gallery on the next post.

次回のネタは妖怪ギャラリー

A Walk around Chofu and Jindaiji Temple (Part 1) / 調布と深大寺の散歩 （パート１）

On our day off, we decided to head out to Chofu and Jindaiji Temple. It's an hour long bus ride from our neighborhood to Chofu and another ten minute bus ride from Chofu station to Jindaiji Temple. But our first goal was to find Tenjin Street where you will find characters from Shigeru Mizuki's popular comic and anime "Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro". Unfortunately it took us nearly an hour to find the place because we discovered we were walking around in the wrong area - that's us, no sense of direction.

休日に調布と深大寺に行きました。うちから路線バスで約一時間の距離。調布から深大寺まではまた別のバスに乗って、さらに十分位。でも今回の最初の目的地は天神通り商店街。ここに水木しげるの人気漫画とアニメ、「ゲゲゲの鬼太郎」のキャラクターたちと出会える。一時間歩き回った位でやっと天神通りを見つけた。気づいたら、私たちが反対側の方をずーと探してた。私たちってなんでこんなに方向恩地なんだろ？

Tenjin Street / 天神通り

Kitaro and Medama Oyagi / 鬼太郎と目玉おやじ

Nezumi Otoko / ねずみ男

Neko Musume and Ittanmomen / ねこ娘と一反もめん


Yes, we only went to Tenjin Street so I could take these pictures.

天神通りに行ったのはこのキャラクターの写真を撮るだけ。

I thought this was our bus as it's covered with characters from "Kitaro" but alas, our bus was to be a regular run of the mill one.

このバスで深大寺に行くと思ったら、違いました。普通の路線バスに乗ることに。

It was just around lunch time as we reached Jindaiji Temple. A friend of ours recommended a nearby soba shop called "Tamon". We decided to eat there before heading to the temple (but the soba shop will be featured in a separate post).

深大寺に着いたらちょうど昼食の時間。友達が「多聞」とゆうそば屋おすすめしたので、そこでランチを食べるを決めてた（そば屋はまた別のポストで紹介します）。

Jindaji Temple is also home to Shigeru Mizuki's Kitaro Chaya along with a Yokai Gallery (yokai loosely translated as spirits or demons). In Muzuki's comic, a lot of the scenery was modeled on areas around Chofu. Although we checked out the yokai gallery first, I thought I would share with you all pictures of Jindaiji Temple first.

深大寺に水木しげるの妖怪ギャラリーもあります。そこで漫画の町の風景が調布であったのが分かる。ギャラリーを紹介する前に深大寺の写真を先にアップします。

San-mon (Main Gate) / 山門


San-mon (Main Gate) / 山門

San-mon (Main Gate) / 山門

Hon-do / 本堂


Shaka-do / 釈迦堂

Gansan - daishi-do / 元三大師堂

To be continued...

つづく。。。

Ern's Monthly Visual Victuals (February 2009)

*映画に関するネタは日本語書き込みません

As I mentioned last month, I have decided to a monthly review of the films I've watched instead of writing them randomly. I didn't watch quite as many this month as last month for the simple fact that this is the shortest month of the year and I didn't take advantage of my local DVD rental store's half-price campaign. But still, I think there's enough variety to satisfy any picky film watcher.

THE SHEPHERD: BORDER PATROL (2008) - Oh my, I almost thought I had rented Val Kilmer's "Conspiracy" again. Another one man against a small town plot - but wait, that's not quite right. After watching the French movie "Narco" in which a Jean-Claude Van Damme makes a cameo appearance, I just had to watch an action film starring Van Damme himself! He may be aging as well but at least his action scenes aren't all done in slow motion (a la Steven Seagal)! But the story does use the plot from the first "Lethal Weapon" movie. Ex-military men who fought in Afghanistan are now working in Mexico and controlling the drug trade. Van Damme’s daughter died because of bad drugs and now he’s out to stop the pushers.

7-10 SPLIT (2007) – This is so bad it’s not even funny. It’s one of the those films you would have seen on Showtime or HBO late at night. Struggling actor supports himself by working as a pizza delivery boy. His outlet for stress is to go bowling. There he is scouted by some Bowling Association producer who wants him to join the league to give a boost to a sport that’s virtually ignored. After getting fired from his pizza delivery job, his only option is to become a star as a bowler. Go find yourself the nearest toilet so you can retch at your heart’s desire after watching this low rate flick that doesn’t even deserve to be called a B-movie.

THE HUNTING PARTY (2007) – First you must suspend your belief that a veteran war correspondent and his camera man buddy along with an out of college green journalist wannabe can go out and capture by themselves a dangerous war criminal from the Bosnian/Serb war and then you might be able to enjoy this. Richard Gere plays the veteran prize-winning journalist, who fades from view after he witnesses a incident in a small town in Serbia. His camera man buddy gets a cushy job with some news station and years down the road, the camera man is filming a piece for the anniversary of the ending of the Bosnian/Serb war. Here he meets with his journalist buddy who says he’s got the scoop of a lifetime, and would camera man be interested in working like old times again. Gere happens to have information on where the most wanted war criminal is hiding out and suggests that they go find him. Camera man thinks it would be great to get an interview with him, but has second thoughts as he learns that Gere doesn’t want to interview the man, but wants to capture him and bring him to justice! If only real-life were like this film. Aside from Bin-Laden, the two biggest war criminals from the Bosnian/Serb war are still at large and living a chushy life. One of them has even managed to have two books and a play published as well. When you read stuff like that, you have to wonder what use is the United Nations anyway? What makes this film great though, is that a lot of the crazier events and characters are based on real people. Entertaining.

隠し剣 鬼の爪 (KAKUSHI KEN ONI NO TSUME) International English Title [THE HIDDEN BLADE] (2004) – This stars Masatoshi Nagase and Takako Matsu. It’s a samurai movie but if your expecting sword-fighting action a la Kurosawa films, then you will find this to be a bit of a disappointment. But if you enjoyed “Bushi no Ichibun” (Love and Honor) then you might find this to your liking. Munezo (Nagase) says good-bye to his friend Yaichiro who has taken a post in Edo. Munezo still lives with his mother and sister and also has a housemaid named Kie (Matsu). Mom dies, sister gets married, Kie is married into a merchant family. But Kie is abused by her new family so Munezo rescues her the new family. Although he longs to marry her he knows he cannot as they are from two different castes. Words are said about Munezo being single and still having a housemaid so he sends Kie back to her father’s farm. In the meantime, Yaichiro is dishonored and sent back to his hometown. Although he escapes, the local daimyo orders Munezo to kill him to prove his innocence of not being a part of Yaichiro’s plans. Although Munezo knows that Yaichiro is the better swordsman, Munezo goes to their old teacher who teaches Munezo something new. The movie kind of plods along but the scenery is great. It’s a good thing I didn’t spend rental money on this as it was aired on network television.

RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION or BIOHAZARD 3 (as it’s known in Japan) (2007) – The conclusion of the “Resident Evil” franchise, based on a video game, and made popular by Milla Jovovich. What can I say, I had to see how this series ended. It has everything you would expect – the evil Umbrella Corporation, more zombies than you can shake a stick at, and a few remaining uninfected humans going in search of a sanctuary where the earth is affected by the virus the Umbrella Corporation created.

MR. MAGORIUM’S WONDER EMPORIUM (2007) – Simply put this is “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” wherein the chocolate factory is a magical toy store, Willy Wonka is replaced by Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman), and Charlie is replaced by Molly Maloney (Natalie Portman). And you don’t need to know anything more.

JUNO (2008) – An excellent independent film starring Ellen Page as a senior in high school who gets pregnant. She decides that she will have the baby and searches for what she believes will be caring adoptive parents. But what really makes this film great is the dialogue along with the relationship between her father and stepmother. It’s such a feel good movie and does not try to set an moral standards about abstinence from sex or choosing an abortion. Page’s boyfriend is played by Michael Cera, one of the nerds from “Superbad” – another great teen movie.

銀色のシーズン (GIN IRO NO SEASON) International English Title [THE SILVER SEASON] (2008) – Another Japanese film that was aired on network television. This stars popular Japanese actor Eita and Rena Tanaka. The story centers around Eita who was an Olympic hopeful for the freestyle mogul but retired after taking a big fall in a major tournament. He now works as a nandemo yarira (all around handyman) with two of his buddies in the small ski resort town where he’s from. A young bride-to-be (Tanaka) wants to have her wedding in a chapel made of ice. But when Eita and his buddies fire off some cannons that set off an avalanche so they wouldn’t have to worry about setting one off when they ski down the mountain, unknown to them, the avalanche destroys the ice chapel. When the chapel owners call the brides family to cancel the wedding, they discover that her groom-to-be died in a car accident six months prior. Okay, I didn’t really care about the story. I only watched this because I’m a gib fan of Rena Tanaka.

DETROIT METAL CITY (2008) – OMG, this is such a great flick. Shoichi Negashi dreams of becoming famous in Tokyo by playing folksy, happy, feel good music in a nice trendy café. However, he finds himself as the lead vocal of a death metal group called Detroit Metal City. Though he longs to quit so he can play the music he loves, the boss of his record label refuses to listen and tells him his future lies in being the King of Death Metal. Gene Simmons also makes an appearance in this film as the reigning Death Metal King. There is also a love interest for Negishi who thinks the band Detroit Metal City is one of the worst things around and that Johannes Krauser II is the most evil man alive, not knowing the Krauser is none other than Negishi. Now my only hope is that Hollywood will not create a pathetic remake of this.

I do have some films I'm looking forward to watching - "The Incredible Hulk", "Iron Man", "The Visitor". Actually, the film I'm most looking forward to seeing isn't released until April 25 - Barry Eisler's "Rainfall" which a Japanese production has adapted. I'm also looking forward to watching "Slumdog Millionaire" based on Vikas Swarup's book "Q & A".

Ern's Monthly Page Turners (February 2009)

*本に関するネタは日本語書き込みません

February being such a short month, my literary adventures only feature six titles this month (seven if I include the Japanese language photography book) but that's beside the point. I did manage to read the conclusion of the Lionboy trilogy, a couple of culinary titles, an excellent travelogue, and a couple titles of fiction.

EVERYTHING BUT THE SQUEAL: EATING THE WHOLE HOG IN NORTHERN SPAIN by John Barlow – Last month after reading about the foods of Spain, I discovered this gem on extreme eating. Barlow gives himself a year to eat an entire pig or as the title of the book states, “everything but the squeal”. I’m sure most of my friends when they think of pig, only think of pork chops, ham, and bacon. But for Barlow who lives in Northern Spain in an area called Galicia, the pig is king – and I mean the whole hog. This book is definitely not for the vegetarian at heart (even though Barlow’s wife is one). But Barlow says he can’t think of a life without meat – something I can thoroughly agree with. He even makes himself a list of all the pork items available from a pig – this means it includes offal (the organs – intestines, spleen, pancreas, heart, brains, etc.), pig ears, trotters (which is pig feet), the face, the tail – everything but the squeal! I can say that aside from pork chops, ham, and bacon – I’ve also had pig ears (an Okinawan delicacy) and trotters as well at a Taiwanese restaurant. A great read for the carnivore.

DEAD LINES by Greg Bear – A creepy thriller by one of the masters of science fiction. In this story, a man who had lost his daughter to a serial killer and then loses his wife. He now makes a living working as a fixer for a Hollywood millionaire. The millionaire invests in a new type of mobile phone – something called the Trans. But it seems the Trans has one minor defect – it connects to the dead! Now there are phantoms roaming the earth and there’s an increase in murder and death. The only help Mr. Fix-it is getting is from his murdered child who is giving him hints as to who the murderer was. Exciting stuff.

LIONBOY: THE TRUTH by Zizou Corder – The third and final book in the Lionboy trilogy (at least let us hope so). Charlie Ashanti has been reunited with his parents in Morocco. The Lion Trainer has escaped the lions, and the Corporacy is still trying to recruit (read re-capture) Charlie’s parents so they can control the asthma medicine market. I mentioned the last time the story was similar to John Le Carre’s “The Constant Gardener” but for an even simpler analogy – just watch the “Resident Evil” series. Charlie (actually his parents) are the Alice character, the Corporacy is the Umbrella Corporation and there you have it. Whereas the Umbrella corporation created a deadly virus, the Corporacy created genetically defective cats to spread asthma so they could profit from the sale of the medicine to cure it. They want Charlie’s parents but they have found a cure for asthma. Anyway, if you read the first two books, you will want to read this to find out the final outcome.

TIMELINE by Michael Crichton – Although this was adapted into a film in 2006 I have never seen it. But to put it simply, it’s a time travel version of “Jurassic Park”. Unfortunately, by the time you figure that out, the story is over. But the story preceding the final climax is pretty exciting. The story starts with some man appearing on an Indian reservation and repeating some words over and over again. He dies within a day. In France, a group of archaeologists are working on a medieval site and have made an exciting discovery. However, the company they work for flies them to headquarters to partake in an adventure which relates to the site in France. Their company has discovered a technology where people can literally travel into the past and they are asked to go back to bring back one of their scientist who seems to be stuck in the year 1347. The archaeologists agree but find that life 600 years ago isn’t as simple as some thought it to be and soon find themselves in dire consequences as they search for the scientist and have to fight for the survival as well. It was a fun read. Maybe I’ll check out the movie the next time I find myself at my local DVD rental shop.

THE RED BALLOON by A. Lamorisse – I had to read this as it reminded me of elementary school when I actually saw the film of this story. I didn’t get it when I first saw it. I thought, okay, it’s just some kid following a red balloon. I was just glad that we got to watch a film in class (which I’m sure all of you can relate to) instead of having to study something. Reading it as an adult though, I found it to be most entertaining. It’s a story about courage and friendship. It’s so simple and yet so deep. I love going back to books I read or in this case, saw a film of from elementary school. I’m going to have to buy myself a copy of “The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet” as well. I may to read Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time” as well.

YAK BUTTER BLUES: A TIBETAN TREK OF FAITH by Brandon Wilson - What's a couple to do after completing a journey from London to Cape Town and not end up killing each other in the process? To attempt what no other Western couple has been done before. To walk the 1000 kilometer pilgrimage trail from Lhasa, Tibet to Katmandu, Nepal. This book recounts their odyssey. However every travel agency they went to told them it was impossible or out of the question, or that the Chinese government would never allow it. But those two words – “can’t” and “impossible” were the just the catalyst for Wilson and his wife to make their trip a reality. For a more complete review of this title, please check out the website “Asia by the Book”. You will find a link to the site on this blog.


WORLD FOOD: MEXICO by Bruce Geddes – Yes, there is still more titles in the series. This month, my culinary travels have taken me to Mexico – land of burritos, tacos, enchiladas and tequila!! Also home to the habanero and jalapeno peppers, the land of mole sauce, a cuisine that has Spanish and Caribbean influences as well as incorporating the foods of the indigenous people. This is problem the one cuisine that Japan does not do well. I have yet to find a decent Mexican restaurant in Tokyo and there are no Taco Bells or Taco Times here. Actually, a Mexican restaurant has recently opened in my neighborhood but I have only been there once so I will reserve judgment on it (although I do remember it being delicious). There is one other restaurant called La Jolla located in Hiroo but I haven’t been there in years. Maybe it’s time to take Mikako there. Fans of Mexican food will also enjoy the short interview with Laura Esquivel, author of “Like Water for Chocolate” – another excellent book featuring the traditional Mexican kitchen.

Okay, I did not manage to read the latest installment of the Redwall series and I currently don't have any other titles on my "to read next" list. So, aside from the Redwall book, next month will be a complete surprise.

Happy Reading