Yakushima

A Long Preface

Whenever I go to Japan, I'm more than happy to stay in the same parts of Yokohama during my entire stay. My grandmother and I can talk for days; I can see my cousins at their building whenever; I can meet with Naomi at Sakuragicho after she gets off of work and we can loaf around Isezakicho until the last subway train. Mordecai is not like this, not because he does not get along with these people but because he gets anxious to see new things. In the past, we've traveled in the general area to Atami, Kamakura/Enoshima, his host family's part of Tokyo, and we've both independently been to Hakone, Mt. Fuji, as well as Osaka and Kyoto. For this year's trip, Mordecai suggested that we travel to a completely different region. By a combination of process of elimination and an interest in The Natures, he ended up suggesting a trip to Yakushima. It's a small island off of southern Japan, a part of the Kagoshima prefecture of the island of Kyushu. Yakushima is probably best known for its ancient cedar forest, which served as inspiration for the holy forest in "Princess Mononoke." At first, I was kind of iffy about the trip, mostly out of ignorance. The description "UNESCO World Heritage Site" had, and to some extent still has, little effect on me; that is likely just some unpleasant form of American in me. But my cousins were also on board, and so once I got to Japan, my cousin Mai and I went to a travel agency to see how this trip would work out logistically and financially. It turns out that one must first fly to Kagoshima, then take either a 30 minute plane ride or a 2 hour ferry ride to Yakushima. It also turned out to cost a leg and an arm to embark on this trip, even in a packaged deal. Which is another way of saying, it was cheaper to go to Guam or South Korea than it was to travel within Japan. But I think the price tag is like that for a reason--you can't really "casually" go to Yakushima. You have to be invested in it in many ways. But I'll say it again: I'd go again, even with an unfavorable exchange rate.

Our schedule went like this: leave Tokyo on Thursday, hike in Yakushima on Friday, return to Tokyo on Saturday. Mordecai's main interest was the ancient cedar forest, the highlight of which is the Jomonsugi tree. It's supposed to be anywhere between 2000 and 7000 years old. They say: We don't know for sure because it would have to be cut down to have its trunk properly analyzed. I say: It is not our place to know its precise age, and that's not what is important. Or, I say: A real lady never reveals her age. Anyway, the hike/climb to see the Jomonsugi takes TEN HOURS, round-trip. So basically, we were going to Yakushima to sacrifice a lot of money and energy to pay our respects to a really old tree.

The Wednesday before our trip was the day that Mordo and I went to the Fujiko F. Fujio Museum. After leaving the museum, I realized that I wasn't feeling well--possible stomach issues, possibly aching all over, and possibly a little warm. This was alarming, and I tried to do my best to be really still and to eat simple foods. This was challenging because before returning home, we stopped at a Krispy Kreme ("Pure Banana" and Lemon Cheesecake are the best), and Denny's was the plan for dinner. Both of these institutions are finer in Japan than in the U.S. Plus, I had to hide my illness from my grandmother, as I didn't want to worry her. I could not find a thermometer in her apartment without asking so I never knew my temperature, but I took a slightly too hot shower for slightly too long and ended up feeling like my body was on fire. After not sleeping well or eating that night, I woke up still feeling pretty bad, and almost gave up, telling Mordecai I didn't think I could go. But after saying that out loud, some switch went off in my head, and I said to myself, I'M GOING TO YAKUSHIMA. So I took back my words and told Mordecai, "Nevermind. I'm going!" I thought I could at least opt out of the hike if I had to. I took some Advil and got as much of my stuff together and off we went to Haneda Airport. I was kind of hanging by threads, waiting for Advil to kick in, and Mordo didn't seem to be doing all that much better either. He was physically fine but probably worried that I was going to die trying to get to Yakushima, which is funny because although I was not well, it's not like I was on my deathbed, either. On the way to the airport, he dropped his wallet in the back of a taxi that left us for another appointment via a highway; this isn't so much a problem for identification as it was for the fact that cash is king in Japan and every yen was essential. Miracles happen though, as the driver had given me a receipt and I was able to immediately track him down. We also jointly forgot our best cameras (DSLR, zoom lens for it, Canon G9) and were left with the compact Sony camera and my iPhone (4).

On the way to Yakushima, I never really felt okay and I just kept worrying about whether I was going to be able to hike or not. What was annoying was that I felt somewhere in between barely being able to and not being able to hike at all, but I had no idea which way I would go. The illness was half-assed in this sense; it would've been easier if I had just a little cold or if I was straight up violently ill. But the closer I got to Yakushima, a combination of not getting worse and increasing determination led me to believe that barring some bad turn of events, I would go on the hike.

What's odd is that the first time I felt really fine was on the ten hour hike to Jomonsugi. It's like my body knew an epic trail was starting, and it whipped itself into shape. I survived it all on rice, rice crackers, biscuits for small children, and water. Once I got going on the trail, I was fine, and I was purely focused on the hike. Everyone in Japan calls Jomonsugi a "power spot," as though nature gives off a quasi-mystical and positive effect on people. Some of it is obviously psychological or even superstitious but I definitely felt like I had received some kind of will and energy, which did not originate entirely from within me, to move on and feel better in that humid yet lush environment. It also helps that my cousins are hilarious, especially Mitsutaka. Laughter really helps to heal. The hike itself was the point at which I began a slow but sure start to the recovery of my health. I was able to eat more on Saturday, enjoying the regional foods and desserts, and I was feeling much better on Sunday and on the flight home to Chicago on Monday.

The rest of the story here is filled in with photos. The Sony was totally sufficient, and the iPhone is never bad to have on hand. And in retrospect, though I saw hikers with DLSRs and Canon G9s (or G11s now), I would not recommend bringing a DSLR or even a heavy compact camera to this hike. Your focus is the hike and your guide, and while walking, you rarely have time to even look up, let alone stop and take a still photo! Anyway, here's our trip, including our brief stops in Kagoshima.

The Trip

We flew to Kagoshima from Tokyo, which takes about two hours. I've never flown domestically in recent memory, so I was amazed at how easy it was. No one ever checked my identification to see if I at least claimed to be the person whose name was on the ticket. We didn't even check ourselves in because my cousins did it for us. And Mordo's a foreigner! He had a bottle of water and a pair of scissors in his carry-on, and the security attendant politely asked to observe these items. She smelled the bottle's contents, measured the scissors, asked him not to take it out during the flight, and thanked him for his cooperation. She used honorofic forms for every question and comment. The End. Wow.

When we got to Kagoshima's airport, we had to take a bus to get to the city itself. When we arrived, this was the main street. I guess they don't have a train system like other major cities in Japan? And have a grassy trammy system? The bus looks like it's going to get on the tram rails but that's just a normal bus. 

Then we looked around what is reportedly the most bustling part of Kagoshima. 

I know this makes me seem like an immature city girl, but...this looks like a ghost town stuck in the 1990's, if that.

Kagoshima is known for their pork products (they are called "black pigs," which seem to be of the Berkshire variety), so we were in search for tonkotsu (pig bone broth) ramen. There was no way I was going to venture into a giant bowl of pig grease and noodles so while everyone had delicious ramen, I had rice and seaweed. Mordecai says that the ramen had a bacon flavor that he hadn't had before in tonkotsu ramen.

Before boarding our ferry to Yakushima, we had a nice view of Sakurajima, a little volcano that somehow sublty spews black ash on the surrounding area. I rarely see dirty cars in Japan, but I saw a few in Kagoshima and I guess it's because of the ash flying around everywhere. Our ferry, Toppy, took us to Yakushima in a couple of hours. It was a smooth ride; I got sea legs on the Sea Bass but had no problems with Toppy. We arrived at the Miyanoura port and took a public bus to the Yakushima Green Spa Hotel. Though the hotel is closer to the other port, Anbo, it was interesting to take the bus along the eastern edge of the island. I saw young students in uniforms and wondered what their lives were like on this tiny island. I asked someone at the hotel if there were any fast food restaurants, and she said there's a Mos Burger, but nothing else. Everything else is local, which I guess is just family-owned. Do the kids go to Kagoshima for fun? A 2 hour ferry ride must be a big deal. Kagoshima was uncrowded, but the true ghost town was Yakushima. It was raining a little, but still, there was little evidence of people!

Though there were moths to greet us in our room, I liked our hotel. The highlight may have been the food, which I was able to nibble on here and there. There was of course lots of seafood, and they were into their little shabu-shabu pots that steam vegetables and thin strips of beef. The star of this meal above was the "turtle's feet." Before our server explained what everything was, I thought, Hmm, these things here look like turtle's feet, gross. Then he pointed to them and said, "These are turtle's feet." But then he went on to explain that they are actually a variety of clam. Weird! But they were fun to open (like a nutshell?) and they were tasty.

Early next morning at the hotel, we picked up our breakfast and lunch bento boxes at the front desk, and we met our tour guide, Maeda-san. He drove us to pick up the last member of our hiking group, a middle-aged woman from Hokkaido (!) whose name we never learned. Mitsutaka declared her to be "Nishida," which I think is based off of no real information, but that is who she is to me now. Then we drove to the bus that would take us on a 35-minute trip up and into the island to the entrance of the Jomonsugi trail. The trail is so protected--only designated buses and taxis can go up to the trail entrance, so I imagine that it's easy to keep track of who goes in and out of the trail.

This is what happens when you try to take a picture while hiking. The first part of the trail is along these railroad tracks that were once used to transport cedar logs out of the forest. After about 2 or 2.5 hours, you begin a mountain climb up to the tree. You walk in a single file line, passing down cautions by voice to the person behind you. It was hard to stop and admire the landscapes, but Mordo did at one point to take this shot. A lot of the views of the mountains surrounded by clouds really reminded me of the opening scene of "Princess Mononoke."

There were a few bridges to cross, at least two of which did not have rails.

There are many other famous cedar trees along the way to see Jomonsugi. Below is the "Wilson Stump." I guess the older trees can begin their decline with a hollow trunk at the base, and some trees just fall over. The Wilson Stump is known for the view from inside. If you scoot into one edge of the stump inside and you look up, you should see one giant heart and a small one nearby. I had trouble at first and saw only the small one but backed farther into the edge and sunk lower to see the other giant one. Obviously, this is a hot spot for couples. Here we are in front of the stump.

And here are the hearts.

Mordecai shook his head at the hearts and called them a "gimmick"! Poor Wilson. Later on the way back, we stopped back in and found a couple trying to take a picture of themselves with the hearts in the background. I offered to take their picture, and I think they were pleased with the results, if I say so myself.

The railway tracks are mostly a reminder of how the forest was logged until about 1970, which is I'm guessing when environmental issues started becoming more mainstream and the UNESCO stamp was starting to be sought or acquired. It's kind of scary to think that this forest would be logged as much as possible, but perhaps not all that surprising in the pre-modern era. There was even a small town in this forest, complete with a school, that had to be closed around 1970. But the rails also indicate how the two restrooms on the trail are presently maintained. The first restroom is a "bio toilet," and the second restroom has some sort of plumbing system and is at the end of the rail track trail, before the beginning of the climb to the Jomonsugi. Beyond this bathroom, there is only one designated places to use "mobile toilets" that you can bring with you in the case of an emergency. And as with all garbage, you must bring your waste back with you to the trail entrance! I'm happy to report that the only waste I had to deal with was picking up little candy wrappers that other people had dropped. I don't know what a bio toilet is nor do I know how to use a mobile toilet, and I'm glad I didn't have to find out. My first name means "blessed" and I do not think this is a matter of coincidence. Thank you for the name and destiny, Grandfather Hotoda.

The climb up is hard. There aren't many rails, so you use whatever the forest offers you if you need it--rocks, branches, stumps. I remember the cedar branches and stumps I frequently used to hoist myself up stairs or rocks; they were so smooth and cool to the touch. I know how this sounds, but I felt like the forest was helping me climb to see the Jomonsugi. There were animals along the way, who coexist with the hikers pretty peacefully. We saw many white-tailed deer, a monkey, and a toad. The higher we went up, the mistier it got, as it rained lightly on and off. My cousins and other hikers were all decked out in waterproof "rainwear," or rain coats, rain pants, and a waterproof cover for their backpacks. Some people had hiking poles. Everyone Japanese basically looked like they had just come out of a photoshoot for the Yakushima tour guide magazines. I initially thought, Ooh, these people are super excited! and didn't think they needed all that. But it turns out I'm American in this respect--arrogant and unprepared--as my raincoat is apparently not waterproof; cotton leggings are comfortable but not ideal when they get wet; and my backpack was a fashionable backpack, but not one that could withstand 10 hours of off and on rain, even with an umbrella. Mordecai was in a similar situation, though he had a better raincoat. The one area where we did not mess up was with hiking shoes. I splurged and got these, and they were perfect. Did you know that hiking boots are ugly because they get dirty? I figured it out on this trip. Anyway, if you're going to Yakushima on this trail, don't play around with hiking gear and just get what is recommended.

After 2 or 2.5 hours of climbing, we finally got to the Jomonsugi. Look, a sort-of-smile from Mordo in the picture! That means he's super excited. 

No one informed me that there were Death Stairs right up to the tree! I was breathless when I saw the Jomonsugi because I thought I was going to die after walking up those stairs. But I was very happy to see it, too. Unfortunately, there are no variations of the picture of us in front of the tree where Mitsutaka's face is not covered by his sister's peace sign hand. And I don't know what's floating out of my pocket. Lol. 

Lots of hikers linger here for about ten minutes taking pictures. I saw young women with makeup on, taking pictures with the tree in the background. Makeup! How did it last?! There was also a tour guide who looked like an older, Japanese version of Sam of Wisconsin. Japanese old man Sam took a group photo of us and said to us, "Say, 'Jomonsugeeeeeee!'" to make us smile, instead of saying "Say, 'Cheese!'" (Did my best to keep track of use-mention distinction in case Real Sam is reading, or in case Japanese old man Sam is also an analytic philosopher.) 

There is our tour guide, Maeda-san, on the bottom left, and "Nishida-san," on the right.

Our trip package included this Jomonsugi tour, and Maeda-san was assigned to us through the Yakushima Guide Association. I don't know why he's not on the staff page, but he said he goes on this trail 2 or 3 times in one week. It turned out that he spoke English and knew a lot about various plant species of the forest because he studied biological conservation in England! I really liked hearing him speak English, because I could hear a British accent mixed in with the Japanese accent. He tried to translate various plant and flower names for us; if he didn't know, sometimes I knew the translations but most of the time I relied on my dictionary in my phone. It also turned out that he has a Shiba! He unfortunately had no pictures to share as he had just gotten a new phone, but I shared many pictures of Mitsu with him. He was also the first person I came across in Japan who understood my academic situation: here I am hiking on a remote Japanese island during my summer break when I should be working on my dissertation. He said he studied specific species of bats and mountain lions in graduate school, so I gather he wrote some thesis abroad. I barely can write notes for my dissertation in English; I can't imagine writing anything of that magnitude in a foreign language. If, when, I return to Yakushima, I hope Maeda-san is still there, so he can guide me to the Shiratani-unsuikyo Ravine, that served as the specific source of inspiration for "Princess Mononoke," or the many other places that one can explore on Yakushima. I couldn't bring myself to ask how old he was or whether he was married or lived alone with his Shiba ("Coco," I think its name was), but I wondered what his life was like. While we all had bentos that our hotels prepared for us for lunch, he had three giant rice balls. Did he make them himself? That was a lot of rice.

On the way back from the Jomonsugi, we ate lunch in the rain and we took the same trail down, yielding to hikers still on their way up. I was starting to become the slowest hiker of the group, so I was instructed to walk behind Maeda-san, which would set the pace for the entire group. This is when I realized that we all had been playing Telephone with our feet. I'd copy Maeda-san's light and knowledgeable footwork, and Mordecai would do what I did. If I bastardized Maeda-san's footwork, it would get worse behind me. Once we got back to the railway tracks, we all took turns to be pace-setters, which also provided an opportunity for everyone to talk to Maeda-san. Otherwise, our walk back would have been dead silent and a bit of a Debbie Downer. It was clear we were all exhausted and ready to sit down in a vehicle. When we saw the rail tracks end, it seemed that Mitsutaka was most excited to return to our starting point. It really is tiring, so much that you don't know what to do with yourself. The next morning, Mai could not stand up, and I had to show her how to stretch her calves and hamstrings to be able to function properly, especially to get back to Tokyo!

Before Maeda-san dropped us off at the hotel, he took us to a bridge where we could see the Ambo River flow from the mountains on one side, and head towards the sea on the other side.

Mordecai had been remarking that despite all the rain and humidity in Yakushima, nothing smells stagnant. The mountainous region must help to keep the water constantly moving. What I noticed was that these trees look like broccoli. I also saw these like, super giant hydrangea plant-trees on the way up and down the Jomonsugi trail entrance. It must be easy to grow and maintain flowers and vegetables with all that heat, humidity and water.

(Top row: flying fish sashimi at the hotel; tonkatsu in Kagoshima; me on a really old JAL plane back to Tokyo [those are earphones!]. Bottom row: Kagoshima raspberry, white peach, ramune macarons; Kagohshima's volcanic ash in the rain; shirokuma ice in Kagoshima [sorry for how it's cut off in the picture but I don't feel like fixing it]

On our way back to Tokyo, we went through Kagoshima again, getting tonkatsu (deep-fried breaded pork) for lunch. We also stopped at a mall where we all shared a giant "shirakuma" shaved ice dish the area is known for. It's shaved ice doused with condensed milk, and with random fruits stuck on the sides. I also picked up some macaroons--ramune, white peach, and raspberry flavored--thinking it couldn't be better than the Pierre Hermes ones I had in Shibuya and possibly the Laduree ones I had at Haneda Airport. I WAS WRONG! Kagoshima delivered hard. Those were some of the best macaroons I've had.

On the flight home, the time passed quickly. Mai slept while Mitsutaka, Mordecai and I devised a plan for them to come to Chicago and New York/Long Island later this year, even picking out dates (which I can't remember, lol). We parted ways at Haneda; hopefully the next time we see them is stateside.

In Conclusion
The trip was as epic as this post. Ordinarily, I'm not big on The Natures, but lately I've been getting interested with the dog, the garden, and now with Yakushima's entirely different environment. I'm also amazed that with the right attitude--mostly one of respect--The Natures can heal and energize. Unfortunately, I'm having difficulty thinking of an equivalent place in the U.S.--there's the Grand Canyon, the stuff up northwest like Yellowstone, and there are the Everglades in Florida, but nothing is really mountainous, humid, and rainy like Yakushima. Maybe on the Hawaiian islands? Ooh, I'll go there. I'd love to return to Yakushima. When I told people in Japan that we were going to Yakushima to see the Jomonsugi, they expressed envy. Our seniors, let's call them (e.g., Mai and Mitsutaka's mom, my grandma, my mother) were under the impression that only hikers and the youthful could go to Yakushima, but I read about plenty of other low-key things to do: bus tours to different sites, including watching sea turtles lay their eggs (or was it that the eggs hatch?). Mordecai joked about bringing back an ancient tree branch for Mitsu, and it would be crazy to ever bring Mitsu to any part of Japan, let alone a remote island (to meet Coco?!). But perhaps a human Mitsu or human Carleton would be lots of fun to bring along in the far future. 

Yokohama 2012 x Mordo

Unfortunately, Narita Airport is really far away from Tokyo and Yokohama. The only thing better than taking the Narita Express (NEX) train to either city is to take a plane directly to Haneda Airport in Tokyo if you're flying out of NYC, Boston, or LA :( (Really--why Boston?! Is it the career fair thingie?) I found a pretty good deal on an NEX + Suica combo for foreigners. I find it kind of inviting but simultaneously disinviting: "Please come to Japan and enjoy this heavy discount on the NEX! Ride around Tokyo with this Suica card! But only if you stay for a 14 days (or stay here for good)!" I think the general point is to not alarm foreigners by the original price of the NEX; it really is expensive (about $50, one way). My grandma complained that there was no equivalent "help" for foreigners coming into the United States. Using what felt like insufficient vocabulary, I tried my best to explain to her that under no circumstances, no part of the United States could ever come up with something as extraordinarily beautiful as the NEX, let alone anything as smoothly-run as any of the Japan Railway lines. You either take the CTA Blue Line to or from O'Hare, or the Orange Line to or from Midway, and you pray to the transportation gods that your car doesn't smell like gross body excretionary matter. If it doesn't, consider yourself warmly welcomed by Rahm and the Ghosts of Daleys. When you are surrounded by efficient transportation, especially tailored for the elderly (e.g., the Yokohama bus and subway are free for seniors), I wonder if you can't help but take it for granted. I should have reminded her of the time that she thought that the CTA train was going to derail; we were just underground on the Blue Line! Who the hell wants a discount on that ancient, garbage railway?

I was in Japan for two weeks with my mother. It's interesting, and fun, to live briefly with her again, and especially in Japan. I love Japan even more when I'm there with her, especially when we have nothing pressing to do, lots of good food to eat, and good people to see. The day she left was the day Mordecai arrived, so I dropped her off at the airport and picked him up. The next day, he and I walked around Yokohama's Yamashita Park. My family has a long history with this area in general, and the Hotel New Grand in particular.

We took the Sea Bass (pronounced "Sea Bus"!) to the Yokohama station. You ride in the shaky little boat past Sakuragicho/Minato Mirai, where the Landmark Tower and all those iconic buildings are. I hadn't ridden the Sea Bass for so long, since the early 1990's.

This is an overexposed or washed out (sorry, Daddy) but typical view of Yokohama's most famous landscape: Landmark tower, the Cosmo World ferris wheel/clock, the descending Queen's Towers, the crescent-y Intercontinental Hotel.

This is the usual view, from behind, which I don't think is noticed very often. The flat structure in the foreground is a convention center, I think.

We went to the Fujiko F. Fujio Museum in Kawasaki city; it was my second time in two weeks. Mordecai and I watch Doaremon on Saturday morning, so I insisted that he visit the museum. Which is to say, if you care about Doraemon at all, you should visit the museum, and if you love Doraemon, then you are morally obligated to pay respects to his creator! I'm not sure I can walk past Fujio's timeline anymore though. It notes his death in 1996, and like a gentle whisper, or to comfort the young ones, remarks that he will always be with us. And then, when you think the timeline is over, it marks the year 2112, the birth of Doraemon. I can't and don't want to articulate exactly why, but I almost started bawling each time I saw this part of the timeline. Somehow, I was able to contain myself, but I still desperately needed tissues as I moved on to the next exhibit.

This guy appears in the background of the photo of me and Doraemon. I saw him wandering around by himself, eating a dorayaki (a sweet bean paste filled pastry, Doraemon's favorite snack). I decided he must have been a superfan, so I stalked him a bit with my iPhone that makes no shutter noise when I take pictures. I mean, look at that cross-legged, chill pose! I don't think I could be as confident and cool as him if I went to the museum alone. He deserves another view on this blog. Is he a ghost? A sprite?

This is on the the subway back in Yokohama after the museum. I didn't know it then, but at this moment, a stomach virus or some other sort of illness was creeping over me as I was about to embark on a trip to southern Japan. But more on that later. Anyway, don't I look Japanese with everyone else?! My peoples! Little does everyone know, I can speak, read, and write as well as only an 8th grader, if that.

These are the Yokohama highlights of our trip, at least as remembered by the Sony camera. The rest of the time was spent in Kagoshima and Yakushima with my cousins, which will be chronicled in the next post! I'm getting there!

Jyaa jyaa men

Last week, we hosted HaeSean in our home. Haewon introduced us to Korean-style Chinese food at Peking Mandarin on Lawrence near Kimball. I was super excited about the black bean noodles (jyaa jyaa men, jjajangmyeon), because they're featured in one of the first episodes of "Coffee Prince" (I know, I'm about a decade behind on Korean dramas; I don't believe I will like any actor more than Gong Yoo). They seem to be featured in many Korean dramas. Also, according to my mother, I went to this place and had this dish when I was a small child. I like how it's kind of mild but still flavorful, and I like how the noodles are chewy. They were really good, and you get what seems to me enough to feed a small village. But I hope to be able to make them on my own soon. I was thinking of using this recipe, which then led to the thought that I need to go to H-Mart or Chicago Food Corp., which then led me to wonder if I should learn to be able to read at least food packages in Korean, so then I started looking at this website. Anyway, the seafood noodle soup is supposed to be popular as well. It was spicy, but not enough to keep me away. 

There were also good shrimp dishes, including one that has a fun description: "Sizzling Rice Shrimp: rice crispies make this dish sizzle." The shrimp itself tasted like typical orange chicken, but with shrimp, and I don't know if the rice crispies made the dish "sizzle," but it was certainly festive. The other shrimp dish, "Roasted Spicy Shrimp (Hot)," was a bit more tangy, a little spicier, and tasty. I forgot to take pictures, and there were none leftover.

Mitsu likes to go out in the backyard, but even she knows that this recent heat is just stupid. Here she is on a cooler (80's?) day, with her frisbee from some construction company or other from Mordecai's work.

I've also been trying to dye the lighter part of my hair pink (without any further bleaching), using Special Effect's "Cupcake Pink." If you have white or super blonde hair and want some Nicki Minaj pastel pink, this might be the right dye, but I think I need the "Atomic Pink" dye. I don't really know what kind of pink I'm after, but I was hoping for something more explicit than this. I bought a bottle of "Joyride" as well, which is some shade of purple. That might go in next weekend. In good lighting conditions, my hair looks like it's tinted pink. This is my Angela Chase moment. She had "Crimson Glow"; maybe mine is "Cherry Blossom Glow"?

I still need to get my pictures together from the Yakushima trip. Part of the problem was that we forgot bring the Canon cameras to Yakushima, so pictures are scattered between Mordecai's camera and my iPhone. But thinking back on it, I'm not sure I could've carried even the G9 (or whatever G is at now, maybe G11?) since it's pretty hefty. It was hard to carry anything on a 10 hour hike. Anyway, I still think about Yakushima a lot, and I jotted down notes when we left so I wouldn't forget certain impressions. 

Hot Dogs

Summer is in full effect here! Mitsu has changed her couchwear, from a king-sized super fleece blanket to a Chihuahua-sized, thin, tiger-print blanket. Sometimes we catch her on the couch or floor in this pose, and we say, "Oh look, you fell over." Though here, she looks more twisted.

We grilled hot dogs this evening to inaugurate our new yardwear, also known as outdoor furniture from Target (on sale now!). It goes with the cute little patio Mordecai made last year. Do you like our weeds in the background?

I put the grilled bell pepper on my hot dog. Mordecai had a garnish, or what he called a relish, made of grilled green onions and garlic. 

While we were away in Japan, Mitsu learned the art of begging from her Uncle Oji. Until she learns the art of drooling from him, I'm not complaining. 

Happy summer!

Vegetables!

Last year, my mom and I decided to share a half-share of CSA vegetables + eggs and signed up with M's Organic Farm. We picked up our first batch of vegetables and eggs this past Sunday at the Logan Square farmer's market; here's my share, which is \a quarter of a full share:

Mars red onion (more like green onions), green/red leaf vegetables, Easter egg radishes, oregano, and half a dozen eggs. My mom got the one baby garlic, since I grew and harvested lots of garlic in our backyard. It's not a ton of food, but if we get something like this every week, between this and the backyard production (which is not a whole lot), I think it's just enough to avoid the vegetable section of any grocery store. I still need Fuji apples and bananas, so that'll come from Strack and Van Til. 

My harvest this past Sunday included one successful daikon (I'm not confident about the rest), Detroit red beets (I'm partial to these beets because of the name), bunching green onions, and garlic. There's a lot more garlic than those two bulbs; those are the cleanest of the bunch.

This evening I harvested the rest of the bunching onions. I always imagine green onions more or less raw in miso soup or in the soup for somen or soba noodles, but today I sauteed them and added them to goat cheese omelette. Good choice.

(Image from anpanman.jp)

I cut the tips of the onions off because they're too cumbersome and I think the flavor diminishes up there. They look like Naganegi Man! He's one of a million characters on Anpanman. 

I have more to share from our trip to Yakushima. I've posted on Twitter, Instagram, and my tumblr, but since those KeiPop venues either limit text or are photo-based, the full story will be told here!

All but done

It's that point when it's so close to the end of the semester that my mind is already there. My mind is also already in Japan, where I will be for three weeks of May. It's upsetting to think of being away from Mitsu, but I know she'll be more than fine. She would love Japan so much, but maybe not the ride there or being quarantined or whatever happens to pets when they transition from one country to another. For my trip, I've been thinking about getting an 800MB international data plan for the iPhone since wireless is so scarce. Basically, I'd be handing lots of money to AT&T so that I can check baseball news, tweet, and update my latest Tumblr from Japan, which sounds kind of worth it to me. Long story short of why the new Tumblr exists: Instagram is reserved for preaching the Gospel of Mitsu (especially now that Facebook owns it, and Facebook and I have a complicated relationship), so I don't like to update about myself there. And recently, I was inspired by Beyonce's Tumblr (it's part of her relatively recently revamped website; "Tumblr" must just be a way to pretend like she updates that stuff as any other girl on the Internet does, or it's just to say, You can't have "beyonce.tumblr.com" because it's actually hers) to reveal more of my life and myself (as opposed to some aspect of it, like dog, house, thoughts) in photos. Obviously, I am no Beyonce, but I do like leopard prints; I can take glamorous shots if glamorous=posing for flash photos with Mitsu in my arms; and sometimes I go to cool places. I'd like to share all of this in a speedier-than-via-Blogger sort of way.

I'm also on Pinterest, but I have no idea what's going on there. I don't like to re-blog, so I don't see myself doing much on Pinterest except re-pinning pictures of MLB mascots and other baseball-related things. This is why I may have been perfect for the White Sox Social Media Coordinator job, but for better or for worse, I have to write a dissertation first.

Foux du FaFa

Lately, I've been baking bread and pastries. I've made cinnamon rolls with Emily before, but she handled the dough while I just spread tons of butter, sprinkled tons of cinnamon, and rolled things around. With some inspiration from Haewon, I decided to get a little more involved. First I made Bittman's famous no-knead bread recipe, whereupon I reaffirmed my dislike for Bittman and his what I think are oversimplified recipes. (I also always think back to Phoebe's remarks on Bittman.) The crust was impressive, but the bread itself was so bland that I don't think I'll make it again. I know he updated the recipe, but it offends me that the first recipe caused such a great stir on the Internet six years ago. So then I upgraded to Peter Reinhart's "pain a l'ancienne rustic bread" from his book, Artisan's Bread Every Day. With my first try, I made mini-baguettes and a boule last week. My mom said to me in passing today that it was the best French bread she's ever had and has requested that I make some the day before going to Japan to share with my grandmother. I mention "in passing" because it wasn't like she was gushing about it and overly praising her only child; it seemed like she carefully came to the conclusion over the course of the last week, during which she ate the portion that I gave her to taste.

I also made cassis-filled raspberry macarons last weekend. French macarons continue to be an obsession of mine even though I very rarely buy or make them (I hadn't made them since this one time). They really are difficult because they're so temperamental, but I think I enjoy trying to be sensitive to them. Maybe it's like how I enjoy trying to be sensitive to all of Mitsu's needs and desires, except that I don't get to eat Mitsu. Maybe a better comparison is my attempt to see what my vegetables last summer were sensitive to, though it's weird that I'm more attentive to bread than I am to living plants. Maybe it's that bread, after it's risen, feels kind of fleshy to the touch. That's creepy, but touching dough before it goes into the oven really does give me a slightly maternal feeling that is strange and pleasant at once. Anyway, I might try another batch of macarons soon, this time something involving caramel.

And today, I tried Reinhart's croissant recipe. This is another tedious recipe that calls for lots of careful dough rolling. I supposedly made 81 layers of bread and butter; I lost count after the first three. His recipe calls for about 1.5 sticks of butter; I think it could stand to use a little more butter just because croissants are notorious for their buttery richness, but if you want a manageable amount of butter (either or both in terms of handling and later, eating), then I recommend Reinhart's recipe. My only real complaint is that I imagined more gloss, so I'm going to have to deny his poor egg wash suggestion and lean on Mordecai's (from his youthful days as a Long Island grocery baker), not that these things are all that difficult to figure out. In the future, I'm eager to stuff croissants--with either chocolate, ham and cheese, spinach cream, or my mother's suggestion: red bean paste combined with cream cheese. What the whaaat, Akane?!

With all these sources of inspiration, if I do say so myself, I think I'm doing pretty well for an amateur bread baker. Mitsu seems to agree; I've never seen her pick up anything as quickly as the sound of the bread knife at work and what it promises!

Last Christmas

Found this gem from last Christmas when Mitsu was three months old!

End of 2011

I have not abandoned my blog! It's just more time-consuming to post here than to do anything social from my phone. But I want to record and share a few things that took place since the last post.

Robin Thicke & Luke James @ The Mid (12/12)

Robin Thicke released the album "Love After War" at the beginning of December and went on a mini-tour, stopping by the clubby venue The Mid, here in Chicago. The Mid is completely unmarked in a building adjacent to a fish market, in the vicinity of Oprah's studio. There were some administrative issues that the venue should have taken care of, and there were people getting pretty irate, but it's not worth dwelling on. What made me upset was that they tweeted the time change along with an announcement of the opening act. At first, I was like, really? This man is going to open for Robin Thicke? When it seemed like things were getting going, a young black man appeared alone on stage. I was like, THIS IS NOT @LUKEJAMESLIVE!!! The carelessness of The Mid to tweet some garbage lies angered me greatly. The Mid also had some trashy sound quality at the beginning of Luke James' (@whoisLukeJames) performance, but thankfully, they ameliorated the situation over time. If I can tell the sound is muffled, you've got problems. Anyway, the most important thing is, I don't really listen to a lot of music and especially new music, but I was in love with Luke James' voice from the start, even over technical difficulties. It's just raw talent and, it turns out, elite production. I've since been stalking him online, and managed to score a hard copy of his pre-album/mixtape "#Luke" through Twitter. I love how he uses Twitter and Google culture to introduce himself, even if it'll be an outdated concept soon enough. I don't know what else to say about his music except that it's produced by Danja, a protege-like entity of Timbaland (my musical hero of my late adolescent life), so there's a lot going on in each song musically, if you're into this kind of thing.

At one point, I said aloud to Mordecai, Luke James might be better than Robin Thicke, but Robin Thicke was a riot. He is a character, and may seem too foolish for some, but I'm persuaded that he doesn't just intend good, but actually is good as a person and musically. I know some people might have issues with his style, but when I heard the man belt out Jodeci's "Come and Talk To Me" a capella (however habitual and actually planned this might be based on the ubiquity of YouTube videos of him doing this in many live shows), I thought, this is the kind of voice for which one pays money to hear live. It reminds me of how my grandma differentiates my baked goods by saying "This is something I'd pay money for" and not saying that of other things I make. And then I am reminded of how so many Japanese pop singers, who demand a lot of money for CDs (i.e. beautiful packaging and lyrics with liner notes), live shows, and so on, disappoint me with their weak, flimsy voices that might sound okay in a karaoke booth but not live on Music Station or not even pre-recorded on Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ. Anyway, Robin Thicke and Luke James were both really good. You should check out "Love After War" (first half of the album > second half except for "Full Time Believer," which sounds like a Broadway-ish tune to me and so is a nice and funny change from the "Lost Without You" type filler-ballads) and "#Luke" which is available to stream or somehow download for free here. Don't know why "I Want You" is truncated and fades away, but the full song is available on the YouTubes. You can join me in cyber-stalking him on Tumblr and request an invite to follow his private account on Instagram. I'm so creepy!

Baked Goods

I acquired a jelly roll pan, mostly because Emily has one and also because the label-cover thingie on the pan I got had a pretty picture of a jelly roll that made me want to make them. Emily then said to me, You could make these! and I was like "Oh, maybe..." and then that became a "Yes I can!" My pan is kind of on the smaller side so I decided to make two logs. And then I get to make the French language joke of, I don't know if "Bûche de Noël" is feminine or masculine, so I dunno if it's "un" or "une," so instead of learning which, I say I made deux! I first heard the joke from Alan Schrift except he was talking about ordering croissants in France. The logs were a little more fun to make than to eat, but I thought this recipe came out pretty well. I like how there's chocolate whipped cream inside and mocha buttercream on the outside, and the roll itself reminded me of Japanese castella. I didn't make meringue mushrooms this time; I thought that this would be a rather easy holiday tradition to continue and I could dress it up in the future.

My mom requested that I make a pear tart for our early Christmas dinner, so I made a pear-almond tart from a Maida Heatter recipe. Her tarts are not more fun to make than to eat. I ruined the first crust and brunt my wrist, which made me look like a failed cutter. But I tried again and made a pretty good tart. I think the flavor might be something that one would pay some money for, but I might have to lay out the pears better to really impress my grandma.

And then just last week, I made these cake pop things. I wasn't really into them, but I was gifted a kit. I was looking online for recipes and pictures and such, and I found myself getting more and more absorbed by them. I searched for "Shiba Inu cake pop" and came across this, which seems too involved and not that cute. But then I saw these cake toppers, which are cute, and became inspired to make Shiba cake pops. I don't know how realistic this project is, but if any project involves  preaching the Gospel of Mitsu, I just might try to realize it.

Doodles

Some time ago, I went to a meeting with Mordecai about the Bloomingdale Trail, which his office has been working on. I quietly suggested to him that there be Mitsu-incorporated stop signs, and this was the best I could do to convey my vision. And then a bunch of people started to make comments about the trail as it has been proposed now, and I became angered by the many selfish comments. "I live next to the trail and my wife works at night and sleeps during the day; I don't want all this noise bothering her." "The trail is too narrow for my kids to walk on and for bicyclists to use; why are my tax dollars going towards this?" Seriously? I propose an exchange: these people don't have to have their income taxed as long as they never speak at community meetings again.

Holiday Travels

Photo by Maddi

The rest of the month went towards preparing for the holidays and traveling to New York. Mitsu seems to be just a little too big to travel in the cabins with us, and I don't want to know what happens to animals in cargo or whatever, so we decided to drive. She just sleeps in the car anyway; I've been telling people that she seems to think of the car as giant, mobile crate that humans also get into. We stopped in Youngstown, Ohio, for a break, and then continued on to Lewisburg the next day to see almost everyone of Mordecai's uncle's immediate family (we missed Sarah and Matt), and then we trekked on to Long Island. While we were there, we took Mitsu to the beach to sniff the Long Island Sound (I'm afraid she won't ever get to experience the Pacific Ocean); we went to the city to support the global flagship Uniqlo store and checked out the Highline (sans Mitsu; she would probably have been welcomed in the former location but not the latter); we took Mitsu with us to New Jersey to visit Mordecai's grandfather and aunt; and the next day we picked up Jenni at the airport and later drove her back to Brooklyn. We took Jenni and Mitsu to Harborfields High School, Mariah Carey's alma mater, and then we went to Cow Harbor in Northport so that Mitsu could mark her territory. And then we drove Jenni back to Brooklyn, which was fun when we got off the wrong exit and found ourselves completely surrounded by graves. On our way back home to Chicago, we realized that it is worth ~$30 or whatever to stay at Comfort Inn & Suites over Super 8 Motel, and I reaffirmed my faith in Cracker Barrel's eggs in a basket.

And now, a new year, and next week, a new semester. Introductory logic, anyone?