Ern in Tokyo: July 2012

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Kirin Ice + Beer / キリンアイスプラスビール

Tokyo summers are hot and humid, so why not cool off with something new that Kirin beer has released - Ice + Beer. On the can, it actually says ale to drink with ice! Ice in a glass of beer? Almost unheard of. Why do I say almost. There was once instance in which I gave in to my impulse because I couldn't stand the taste of warm Beer Lao! Yes, it was in Laos where I first drank a glass a beer with ice (and it was worth it!). So, did I drink this beer with ice as it says. Well, there are directions on the back of this can that tells you how you're supposed to drink it. To humor Kirin, I followed directions!

東京の夏は暑くて湿気も多い。そんな時、キリンが出した新しビール飲んでみてはいかがでしょう。商品名は「Ice + Beer」アイスプラスビール。缶にも書かれてますが、“氷で飲むエールビール”。ビールに氷？まさか！ほぼあり得ないでしょう。なぜ私が“ほぼ”と言ったことに理由がある。実は一回だけ自分が飲んでたビールに氷を入れたことがあるからです。でも本当に必要だった。温いビールラオは最悪！ビールラオ？そう、僕が旅行でラオスに行ったことがあって、仲良くになった現地の人たちと飲みに行って、ビールが温すぎて、氷を出してくれたんですよ。東南アジアの水は心配でしたが、やっぱりビールは冷えて飲むものだ。でも、ここは日本。本当このビールは氷で飲むの？缶の後ろ側に飲みの説明が４個漫画で描かれてるので、そのままにしました。

As my Japanese friends will need to translation, let me just translate the comic in English.

① Chill your beer with ice

② Sexy woman says, "Cool!"

③ Drink beer while sexy woman murmurs, "this scent"

④ Sexy womans says, "It's ale isn't it"

The taste? Actually pretty good. You really don't need to add the ice if it's been chilled in the fridge though.

味？美味しいですよ。でも冷蔵庫で冷えたら、氷は必要ありませんよ。

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Pepsi Salty Watermelon / ペプシ塩スイカ

Hey, it's summer and it looks like Pepsi was due to put out a new limited edition flavor. This time around - salty watermelon. It sounds really awful but a few years ago I had tried a watermelon flavored ramune which wasn't so bad. Also, during my elementary years, my mother would serve watermelon to us kids in the summer and we would top it with salt (I thought it was a natural thing until a lot of my friends said "that's weird"). Then again, I always thought it was weird that my father would top his tomatoes with sugar (but that's another story). Anyway, like the ramune, the salty watermelon flavored pepsi isn't bad. I would say it's good either and I probably won't be buying it again.

夏だ！今年もペプシが限定の味出しました！今回は塩スイカ！ペプシと絶対合わないのいう人んもいるでしょうが、昔ラムネもスイカ味を出した。飲んだらそんなに悪くはなかった。だからこれもいけそうじゃない。子供のころもうちでスイカに塩もかけた記録もあるな。あれは普通と思いましたが、アメリカの友達何人がそれは変と言われた覚えもある。僕が思う変はトマトの砂糖をかけること（僕のお父さんがそういう人！）。ま、一口飲んでみたらやっぱり予想通り、悪くはないが超美味しいとも言えない。ブログネタには面白いけど多分二度と買いませんね。やっぱりスイカは普通に食べたいね。

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Rigoletto Rotisserie & Wine / リゴレットロティサリーアンドワイン

Having lunch at Solamachi. I decided to have a pasta lunch at a place called Rigoletto Rotisserie & Wine. I ordered the quattro pomodori arrabbiata. The set is served with soup and salad.

ソラマチで昼食。選んだ店はイタリアン・スパニッシュの「リゴレットロティサリー」。注文したのは４類のトマトのアラビアータ。セットはスープとサラダ付。

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

A Walk around Solamachi and the Tokyo Sky Tree (Part 2) / ソラマチと東京スカイツリー周辺の散歩 (パート２）

I'm still at Tonya Kokubu where I came upon this interesting display of how sake is made.

まだ問屋国分。酒造りのディスプレイが面白い。

Washing the rice

Steaming process

Adding yeast mash

Preparation

Voila! Sake!!

Wouldn't you just love this display in your own home?

自分の家でこのディスプレイ欲しいよね。

100 different kinds of karinto (popular Japanese snack)

かりんと１００選！

I think I must have spent an easy hour just looking at the products in this store.

多分一時間くらいこの店に居たかも。

Look! It's the Sky Tree (made out of Lego blocks!)

見て！東京スカイツリーだ（レゴブロックで作られたもの）

The Lego Sky Tree was made at a scale of 1: 300 and used approximately 15,000 Lego blocks.

Very cool! / かっこいいね！

Kimono clad lady selling limited edition Sky Tree goods.

スカイツリー限定グッズの販売員。

Near the base of the Sky Tree / スカイツリーの下

Oh yeah, I mentioned there was one particular store I wanted to go to. It's located on the sixth floor of one of the buildings and is called...."The World Beer Museum". It's not really a museum but a beer hall. But they do have one corner that sells beers from around the world as well as many different Japanese craft beers.

そうだ、僕がある店が本当の目的と言いましたね。それはソラマチの６階にある店です。店名は「ワールド・ビール・ミュージアム」！博物館というより、ただのビールホールですけどね。でも売店に世界中のビールを売ってます。もちろん日本地ビールも何種類もあります。

Beer Pyramid / ビールピラミッド

You can actually purchase this beer pyramid for the small sum of \634,000!! No, that is not a typo and would cost you about $65,000USD!! It's a 634 bottle set. Twice a month, the company will send you different beers for an entire year. It rounds out to \1000 (or $12.00USD) a bottle.

上に載ってるビールピラミッドの写真も販売してます。６３４セットだ。値段は￥６３４，０００！一年間毎月２回お届けする６３４本のビールセットです。欲しいね！

Of course I took the time to check out the Tokyo Sky Tree as well.

もちろん東京スカイツリーも見てますよ！

What? Me not go home without buying Tokyo Sky Tree beer?

何？東京スカイツリービールは買うでしょう！

I also couldn't help myself at the next shop I went to either, it was the Studio Ghibli shop. I just love Totoro!

次の店もたまらなかったな。スタジオジブリの店だ。トトロが大好きなの！

Mei! / めいが可愛いね

Huge cat bus / でっかいねこバス

I think I would prefer this over a cuckoo clock.

Cat Bus looking out the window / ねこバスが外を眺めてる

I think I will probably go up the Sky Tree when my friend comes to visit Japan in September. The reservation system will be gone by then. Actually, the reservation system ended today!

今年の９月、アメリカから友達がまた日本に来るので、その時に東京スカイツリーを登ろうと思ってます。その時予約制はもう終わってるでしょう（とわ言え、今日から一般発売が開始してました）。

A Walk around Solamachi and the Tokyo Sky Tree (Part 1) / ソラマチと東京スカイツリー周辺の散歩（パート１）

Before you all ask me where are the pictures taken from the Tokyo Sky Tree, let me set you straight. I didn't go up the tower for two reasons. One, its currently by reservation only and two, it's damn crowded! However, with the opening of Solamachi (the shopping area surrounding the Sky Tree). There was one particular shop on my to go list, but you will find out what that is as continue to read. Its also convenient that I only had to take one train from Sangenjaya with no transfers!

先言っときますが、僕は東京スカイツリーに登ったわけではない。なぜと言えば、この時はまだ予約制ですから。もうひとつの理由はまだ凄い込んでるからです。でもスカイツリーの周り「ソラマチ」という商店街がオーペンしたので、そこが目当てでした。三軒茶屋から一本の電車で行けるのも魅力的。

Oshiage station is now known as Tokyo Sky Tree station as well.

押上駅が東京スカイツリー前にもなってました。

Yup, its a mighty tall tower, but as I said, I'm not going to be going up it today. I will be walking around it.

やっぱりでっかいですね。でも今回は登りませんから。

This is my first stop, the Solamachi Shotengai.

最初の目的地はソラマチ商店街。

Yep, it was quite crowded. But not so crowded that you had no breathing space.

込んでましたが、朝の満員電車程ではない。

Americans wouldn't be surprised by a specialty popcorn shop, but its a pretty new thing for Japan (I think). Of course there are flavor combinations you won't find in the States such as soy sauce / butter or green tea, consomme, and curry as well. But there are some standards like cheese and garlic. Spicy peppers as well.

アメリカ人ならポップコーンの専門店では驚かないだろう、でも日本にとっては新鮮かも知りません。アメリカでみたことない味も結構ありましたね、特に醤油バター、抹茶、カレー、コンソメ等。

What kind of shop do you suppose this is? The pictures below will give you a hint.

これはどういう店でしょう。下記の写真がヒントになってます。

Kabuki goods store? Japanese art? No, these are cookies!! Of course these are display models but this entire store sells cookies with frosting art!

歌舞伎グッズ？日本のアート？違います！これはクッキーです！そうなの、この店はクッキーの専門店。上のものはディスプレイのものですが、クッキーにアイシングアートが乗ってるクッキーの専門店。面白かった。

A very popular sweets shop as you can tell by all the celebrities who have sent flowers for the opening. I'm not going to bother with names, since most of my American readers wouldn't know who they are anyway.

人気のスィーツ店。花に有名人の名前ばっかり。

Okay, this was sent by Nanase Aikawa, one of my favorite Japanese artists.

今でも相川七瀬が好きなの。

This was an interesting shop. [Tonya Kokubu]. It was originally a soy sauce maker. But the business expanded and sold and distributed all sorts of products we now take for granted - Calpis, Yebisu Beer, Ajinomoto, Mitsuya Cider, Kirin Beer, etc. This shop is more like a museum then a shop.

この店は面白かった。「問屋国分」。創業は300年前、最初は醤油を使った店でしたが、会社が成長して、日本の食文化を支えてる会社になった。私たちが食べてる、飲んでるものも国分が関わってますよ。カルピス、キリンビール、あじのもと等。この店は博物館な感じもします。展示されてるものが面白い。