Every day in the US, there is something on the radio, TV or paper about how obese Americans area. Let me tell you, the Japanese are not obese and after two weeks in Japan, I think I know why.
First of all, everyone bikes or takes the subway. Which means you are biking or walking all the time. To get everywhere. The subway is fabulous (see previous post about the vast subway system - http://jpmkadventures.blogspot.com/2007/11/getting-around-tokyo.html), and goes everywhere, so cars aren't really necessary. But it also means you are walking and climbing everywhere.
Second, escalators are a rare thing in the subway system, and elevators are tucked away so that you have to really look to find them. While wandering around Tokyo and Kyoto, we walked and climbed and walked and climbed. To get on the Ginza line from Shibuya station, we had to go down and up and up and down several flights of stairs, just to reach the correct platform.
Third, there is virtually no dairy in the Japanese diet. For breakfast, we would have rice, miso soup, fish, fruit, salad. If we opted for a Western breakfast, we might have cereal with milk or yogurt. For lunch and dinner, we would have rice, sushi, fish, dumplings, vegetables - you get the picture. Everywhere we went, there was no butter on the table, and all sauces were soy-based. Yes, Japan is the land of fabulous sweets and pastries, but they are expensive and viewed as treats for the rare occasion or to give away as presents. I was craving cheese by the time we got home.
Fourth, portions in restaurants (the rest of the world, actually) are reasonable, not small, not large. And even when we were doing multi-course meals, many of the courses were fish, rice or soup.
I actually lost weight during our Japan trip, which just amazed me because I felt like we were eating non-stop. I had a huge breakfast and lunch every day, I had a rice ball with umeboshi (salty plum) or salmon every afternoon around 4pm, and we definitely treated ourselves to snacks and sweets when we were in the depato basement food courts.
So I guess Dr. Phil was right when he said that to lose weight, you need "eat less and exercise more."
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tips for Traveling with a Toddler
At 3, CJ is already quite the traveler, having been to California several times, Japan twice, Mexico, Vancouver and Alaska. So how do we survive the long flights? Here are some of my top tips, in no particular order:
Good luck!
- Bring nutritious food and snacks he likes, since he may not like the airline food, but will certainly eat the chips and pretzels (and that's no good for long travel).
- Bring a sippy cup and then ask the flight attendant to put his juice or milk into it. This prevents spills and he gets to drink out of his favorite Thomas cup, which makes him drink more anyway. I always dilute his juice with water since I don't like him to drink juice straight up AND I don't want him to get too wired on the plane.
- Encourage him to drink a lot of fluid so he doesn't get too dehydrated from the plane ride, and it will keep him comfortable.
- Bring an extra set of clothes.
- Bring two small books, and some small toys. I like to bring a couple of small tubs of play doh, a couple of crayons, and a small train. This way, I have enough variety, but I don't have to lug a toy chest on the plane with me.
- Bring one new toy or activity book. We bought CJ a Thomas mystery coloring book (the kind that works with a magic pen) and it kept him busy for hours.
- Even if your child is toilet-trained, bring wipes because wipes are just useful for cleaning up all kinds of messes.
- Even though CJ is pretty much toilet-trained, I put him in pull-ups since a bathroom may not be available when he needs to go, the seat belt sign is on when he wants to go, etc., and I don't want him to have an accident.
- Bring a portable DVD player and pack 3-4 of his favorite movies. In our case, we bring our PSP (Playstation Portable), where we have loaded a few episodes of Thomas and Little Einsteins. Don't worry about your child being bored with the same movie; you will get bored to tears, but toddlers seem to like repetition.
- On international flights, ask to be seated in the rows with power. During the flight back from Tokyo, CJ was able to watch movies on my laptop, which I kept plugged in. Of course, we had invested ahead of time in plane-friendly power adaptors.
- Get up and walk around a lot. Go to the bathroom frequently, walk up and down the aisles, and visit people you know in other sections of the plane (if appropriate, obviously). Walking around kills time and keeps your circulation moving.
- Dress him in layers that you can easily remove or add on, as the temperature in the plane shifts regularly.
- Bring medicine with you. I brought a big bottle of Tylenol on board and didn't have trouble with the TSA agents (I told them about it and pulled it out of my bag), who saw I was traveling with a toddler. Just in case your child suddenly gets a headachet, fever or sniffles, having the medicine with you will be key.
- Be prepared to tell lots of stories.
- Nap when your child naps.
- I asked the CJ's pediatrician ahead of time if I could give CJ Benadryl to help him sleep. The doctor said that some kids fall asleep with Benadryl, with others get really wired, so he asked me to do a test ahead of time. I never go to do the test, so I didn't bring Benadryl, but it it might be worth trying in the future.
Good luck!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Home
Every adventure has to end, so on Saturday afternoon, November 24, we got on the Narita Express, then boarded planes for the US. CJ wasn't feeling well the night before and I was worried about the long flight, but his breathing was clear and he was a trooper during the 23-hour journey.
No kidding, no matter how we fly, through what airport, non-stop or direct, it takes nearly 24 hours to get to and from Japan. Maybe it's because Tokyo is so far from Narita airport, or international travel always means getting to the airport so much earlier, or the transfers are just getting more miserable, I don't know. All I know is that it took 22 hours to get to our hotel in Shibuya, and 23 hours to get back to our house.
CJ and Maki were sick on Sunday and Monday, but by early Tuesday morning, both were hungry and feeling better. I made it to work on Monday, but the jetlag has been hard on me. My normal routine to overcome jetlag is to get a lot of sunshine, but it's been grey and rainy in Northern VA, so no sun for me. I'm exhausted by 10:00pm, but wide awake by 3:00am, then groggy when I finally stumble out of bed around 9:00am. If past experience is a guide, CJ will bounce back by mid-week, while Maki and I will continue to be jetlagged for another week.
Our long, fabulous trips always make cherish the comforts of home. I like lounging on our couches, it feels good to be in my own bed, and I love having coffee in my kitchen in the mornings. Yep, I've got mountains of e-mail to plow through and tons of deadlines, but oh well, I'm rejuvenated and ready to tackle proposals and projects at work.
I'll continue to post about our Japan trip as inspiration hits, and I'll have to figure out how to add photos and slide shows to this blog. Stay tuned.
No kidding, no matter how we fly, through what airport, non-stop or direct, it takes nearly 24 hours to get to and from Japan. Maybe it's because Tokyo is so far from Narita airport, or international travel always means getting to the airport so much earlier, or the transfers are just getting more miserable, I don't know. All I know is that it took 22 hours to get to our hotel in Shibuya, and 23 hours to get back to our house.
CJ and Maki were sick on Sunday and Monday, but by early Tuesday morning, both were hungry and feeling better. I made it to work on Monday, but the jetlag has been hard on me. My normal routine to overcome jetlag is to get a lot of sunshine, but it's been grey and rainy in Northern VA, so no sun for me. I'm exhausted by 10:00pm, but wide awake by 3:00am, then groggy when I finally stumble out of bed around 9:00am. If past experience is a guide, CJ will bounce back by mid-week, while Maki and I will continue to be jetlagged for another week.
Our long, fabulous trips always make cherish the comforts of home. I like lounging on our couches, it feels good to be in my own bed, and I love having coffee in my kitchen in the mornings. Yep, I've got mountains of e-mail to plow through and tons of deadlines, but oh well, I'm rejuvenated and ready to tackle proposals and projects at work.
I'll continue to post about our Japan trip as inspiration hits, and I'll have to figure out how to add photos and slide shows to this blog. Stay tuned.
Land of Individually Wrapped Things
For a country so strapped for natural resources, Japan sure wastes a lot of paper and plastic. I mean, really, this is the land of individually wrapped food and products!
In the depato, the finest fruits and vegetables are wrapped and sold individually. We're talking about apples, pears, Asian pears, persimmons. After a lunch of prepared food from the depato one day, we were shocked by the amount of paper and plastic we had to throw away.
Cookies and candies are wrapped individually, then encased in a large plastic bag; when purchased, they are put into a larger plastic bag. When I bought charms at a local drugstore, the saleslady put all the charms in a paper bag, then gave me individual paper bags to put the charms in, then put the whole thing in a plastic bag.
At the bookstore, we bought some paperbacks to read on the train (I bought a book of short stories by Haruki Murakami, great stuff, yes, in English), the clerk carefully put a paper cover on each book.
Speaking of wrapping, it's a treat to buy a present for someone at the depato. The saleslady will always ask if the items being purchased are presents. If yes, she will carefully wrap the items individually, ask you to label the items, then put all the items into a large bag. Oh yeah, when we bought cream puffs one day, the puffs were carefully arranged in a box with a mini-ice pack. Really, the care with which items are wrapped and packaged is amazing.
In the depato, the finest fruits and vegetables are wrapped and sold individually. We're talking about apples, pears, Asian pears, persimmons. After a lunch of prepared food from the depato one day, we were shocked by the amount of paper and plastic we had to throw away.
Cookies and candies are wrapped individually, then encased in a large plastic bag; when purchased, they are put into a larger plastic bag. When I bought charms at a local drugstore, the saleslady put all the charms in a paper bag, then gave me individual paper bags to put the charms in, then put the whole thing in a plastic bag.
At the bookstore, we bought some paperbacks to read on the train (I bought a book of short stories by Haruki Murakami, great stuff, yes, in English), the clerk carefully put a paper cover on each book.
Speaking of wrapping, it's a treat to buy a present for someone at the depato. The saleslady will always ask if the items being purchased are presents. If yes, she will carefully wrap the items individually, ask you to label the items, then put all the items into a large bag. Oh yeah, when we bought cream puffs one day, the puffs were carefully arranged in a box with a mini-ice pack. Really, the care with which items are wrapped and packaged is amazing.
Thanksgiving in Tokyo
Thanksgiving Day had us taking the shinkansen (bullet train) back to Tokyo. After a half day of travel, the boys were ready for a drink and the girls a massage, so Sue, Tree and I headed to the reflexology salon next to our hotel in Tokyo and signed up for foot massages. $29 and 30 minutes later, we felt renewed.
For Thanksgiving dinner, we went to a shabu-shabu restaurant in Shibuya. Shabu-shabu is a fancy hot pot meal where huge pots of broth are set out on the table, with a burner. Customers cook their own vegetables, noodles and thinly-cut slices of the best beef. You've heard about Kobe beef? The beef we had that night was of even better quality and practically melted in your mouth. Even the non-red meat eaters in the group had to try some beef. In addition to amazing beef, we also enjoyed the best bonito tuna we've ever tasted. The restaurant specializes in bonito and prepared it several different ways. Our favorite recipe called for the bonito to be lightly seasoned in garlic and soy sauce - unbelievable!
After dinner, Sue proclaimed that it wouldn't be Thanksgiving dinner without dessert. So we ordered green tea and black sesame ice cream. The ice cream was terrific but Sue said she still needed pastry, so the group headed to Shibuya station for cream puffs and chocolate cheesecake. Okay, now Sue was satisfied (and so were the rest of us).
For Thanksgiving dinner, we went to a shabu-shabu restaurant in Shibuya. Shabu-shabu is a fancy hot pot meal where huge pots of broth are set out on the table, with a burner. Customers cook their own vegetables, noodles and thinly-cut slices of the best beef. You've heard about Kobe beef? The beef we had that night was of even better quality and practically melted in your mouth. Even the non-red meat eaters in the group had to try some beef. In addition to amazing beef, we also enjoyed the best bonito tuna we've ever tasted. The restaurant specializes in bonito and prepared it several different ways. Our favorite recipe called for the bonito to be lightly seasoned in garlic and soy sauce - unbelievable!
After dinner, Sue proclaimed that it wouldn't be Thanksgiving dinner without dessert. So we ordered green tea and black sesame ice cream. The ice cream was terrific but Sue said she still needed pastry, so the group headed to Shibuya station for cream puffs and chocolate cheesecake. Okay, now Sue was satisfied (and so were the rest of us).
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Geisha and Maids
What do geisha and maids have in common? In Japan, they are sought after, stared at, and much photographed.
In Akihabara (Electric Town) in Tokyo, or the electronics district, there is a maid phenomenon going on where cafes, restaurants and casinos have women who dress up as maids and call customers "master." We chanced upon a maid casino and saw many maids handing out flyers on the street to restaurants and god know what else. Akihabara is known to cater to those with fetishes and the maids are just the latest way that the otaku (nerds) are indulged. I asked one maid if I could take a picture of her and she emphatically gave me an "X" with her fingers, so I declined to snap a photo.
Here are a couple of maid photos from the Web:
http://www.hdrjapan.com/akihabara-maid-picture/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drguid/2018997380/
http://japanwindow.com/index.php?showimage=341
In the geisha district, geisha sightings are what people live for. Whenever a geisha would pop out of an alley, there would be much twittering and snapping of pictures. I felt sorry for the poor women who were swarmed by paparazzi as they simply tried to get to work. I snapped a couple of photos, then decided it was rude to pop my camera flash right in their faces. Besides, between me, Jonathan, Tree and Kevin, we had enough photos of these beautiful women. So CJ and I just waited at the side of the road as two geisha walked by. I murmured "komnbawa" (good evening) and asked CJ to do the same. The normally harried and passive geisha actually smiled and waved at CJ. It was a nice moment.
In Akihabara (Electric Town) in Tokyo, or the electronics district, there is a maid phenomenon going on where cafes, restaurants and casinos have women who dress up as maids and call customers "master." We chanced upon a maid casino and saw many maids handing out flyers on the street to restaurants and god know what else. Akihabara is known to cater to those with fetishes and the maids are just the latest way that the otaku (nerds) are indulged. I asked one maid if I could take a picture of her and she emphatically gave me an "X" with her fingers, so I declined to snap a photo.
Here are a couple of maid photos from the Web:
http://www.hdrjapan.com/akihabara-maid-picture/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drguid/2018997380/
http://japanwindow.com/index.php?showimage=341
In the geisha district, geisha sightings are what people live for. Whenever a geisha would pop out of an alley, there would be much twittering and snapping of pictures. I felt sorry for the poor women who were swarmed by paparazzi as they simply tried to get to work. I snapped a couple of photos, then decided it was rude to pop my camera flash right in their faces. Besides, between me, Jonathan, Tree and Kevin, we had enough photos of these beautiful women. So CJ and I just waited at the side of the road as two geisha walked by. I murmured "komnbawa" (good evening) and asked CJ to do the same. The normally harried and passive geisha actually smiled and waved at CJ. It was a nice moment.
Food, Glorious Food
We are eating our hearts out in Japan and enjoying every minute. Yesterday, we enjoyed Kyoto style ramen noodles which consisted of egg noodles in a thick miso broth, with vegetables and roasted pork. The broth was very different from the broth in the ramen noodles we had in Tokyo.
Tonight, we ate at Tankumakita, the Kyoto style restaurant at the Righa Royal hotel where we are staying for a few days. Most of us ordered the six- or seven-course meals that included miso soup, tempura, roasted vegetables, sashimi, tofu, crab, roe, and pickles. CJ asked (yes, he asked) for tempura and tuna, so that's what he had (no kidding, his dinner was more than twice more expensive than my dinner). Kevin ordered saba (mackerel) sushi and tuna sashimi. The tuna sashimi we've had over the past couple of days has been most excellent. We were too tired to leave the hotel and the restaurant turned out to be a good choice. We had a private, tatami room and the sake and beer were excellent.
BTW, we were told that the best sake is always enjoyed cold, never hot, that the less expensive sake is heated up to make up for lack of flavor. After hearing that advice at a bar in Tokyo, we've been ordering only cold sake.
At the flea market this morning, we got some yakisoba (Japanese noodles), okono-miyaki (omelette with vegetables) and various red bean paste sweets. The flea market was amazing. There were hundreds of vendors selling everything from used kimono to antique scrolls, roasted mochi, dried chrysanthemums (for eating), chestnuts, ceramics, designer clothing, bags and other accessories. We were in luck to be in town on the one day a month (the 21st) that the flea market is open.
Nearly every day, I have o nigiri, or rice ball. It's not actually a rice ball, but a triangle-shaped rice thingie made with the finest rice, wrapped in seaweed and often including salmon, spicy roe or pickled plum. I love these things and pack one with me everywhere we go.
Tonight, we ate at Tankumakita, the Kyoto style restaurant at the Righa Royal hotel where we are staying for a few days. Most of us ordered the six- or seven-course meals that included miso soup, tempura, roasted vegetables, sashimi, tofu, crab, roe, and pickles. CJ asked (yes, he asked) for tempura and tuna, so that's what he had (no kidding, his dinner was more than twice more expensive than my dinner). Kevin ordered saba (mackerel) sushi and tuna sashimi. The tuna sashimi we've had over the past couple of days has been most excellent. We were too tired to leave the hotel and the restaurant turned out to be a good choice. We had a private, tatami room and the sake and beer were excellent.
BTW, we were told that the best sake is always enjoyed cold, never hot, that the less expensive sake is heated up to make up for lack of flavor. After hearing that advice at a bar in Tokyo, we've been ordering only cold sake.
At the flea market this morning, we got some yakisoba (Japanese noodles), okono-miyaki (omelette with vegetables) and various red bean paste sweets. The flea market was amazing. There were hundreds of vendors selling everything from used kimono to antique scrolls, roasted mochi, dried chrysanthemums (for eating), chestnuts, ceramics, designer clothing, bags and other accessories. We were in luck to be in town on the one day a month (the 21st) that the flea market is open.
Nearly every day, I have o nigiri, or rice ball. It's not actually a rice ball, but a triangle-shaped rice thingie made with the finest rice, wrapped in seaweed and often including salmon, spicy roe or pickled plum. I love these things and pack one with me everywhere we go.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)