Beer!

It's getting hotter every day and I feel like having beer as everyone else does.

It is really popular to have beer in a ceramic cup or mug in Japan.

The bubbles from the beer froth get really tiny and very creamy once it's poured in.

I recommend to use unglazed cups!

Amazing Soy Beans

Soy beans are amazing when I think about it.

It tastes so good when you boil them and sprinkle some salt.

You can mix edamame beans with steamed rice and saturate it with soy sauce.

Soy sauce is made out of soy beans.

Miso paste is made out of soy beans.

Tofu is made out of soy beans.

Soy milk is made out of soy beans.

Natto is made out of soy beans.

Wow!

From one kind of plant, you can enjoy a lot of different flavors.

Luffa

Dishcloth gourd, sponge cucumber or luffa is a very common plant in Japan.

They are very strong and can grow anywhere.

You probably have seen a dried one as a body wash sponge.

In Japan, we plant them in elementary school and make the sponges.

We also make facial lotion and it soothes your skin.

Lately in Tokyo, people use them to create a curtain over the windows to make shades, this way they can save energy and cost. What a great idea they've got!

I would love to try that one day when I have a house.

Medicine

My friend seems he is catching a cold. He sounds like he is losing his voice.
Some people know tea with ginger is good for your throat.
What do you do when you feel like you are getting sick?

In Japan, we drink tamago-zake.

Basically it is sake mixed with a raw egg.

It has to be a very fresh egg, of course. The eggs in Japan are freshly laid and people eat them raw all the time.

Here is a recipe. If you ever go visit Japan, you can try this.

1) Warm sake.

2) Put row egg and sugar in a bowl and mix them well.

3) Strain it to make it smooth.

4) Pour sake into egg little by little as stirring it.

5) You can add little ginger or use honey instead of sugar.

What is that?

A lot of people have asked me what they are.

The white looking threads on sushi or sashimi plate.

Some people even asked me if they are edible.

It's called tsuma. They are made out of daikon or Japanese radish.

In Japan, tsuma could be seaweed.

They are edible and good for you. They are used to decorate the plate, but also the radish and seaweed decrease the smell of raw fish and kill the germs!

Sake

Sake is popular here in California.
You find it at any sushi restaurants.

I of course love drinking it, but also love taking a bath in it.
You do not use a whole bottle of sake in the tub.
You can put a half cup of sake and it makes your skin so smooth.
It's best to get the ones with no additives.
It really changes your skin!
Don't worry you won't get drunk bathing in it :)

Tofu Ice Cream

It is getting hot every day and we crave for ice cream :)

I crave for this one ice cream from Kyoto.

When I visited Kyoto, I ran into an amazing tofu ice cream.

I had had tofu ice cream many times and even made one before, but this one was exquisite!

The texture was really smooth and creamy, but light.

You don't feel like you are eating a lot of fat. You feel healthy.

I wish I could obtain the recipe. I would open a store in an instant!

The most unique part of the ice cream is that it does not fall when you put it upside down!!!

How does that work?

I just don't know.

The guy who invented this said it was a secret recipe...

Here's the photo I took of the ice cream I ordered and Tofu ice cream man.

Hydrangia

June is a rainy season in Japan.

It is humid and your feet get soaked wet.

The public transportation gets muggy inside.

The smell of cigarettes becomes stronger in restaurants and cafes.

The only thing makes me smile is hydrangea flowers.

They bloom fully in blue, pink, and purple.

Especially in concrete jungle, they give a peaceful colorful moment.