Meeting good people

After all the bad things that has happened, the few good people that you meet, that is the silver lining I have been looking for.
 

Dinner with Kim, my first ever German どいつ人 end, at the local Sushi bar across Ijiri Station.

It is Kim's first experience with Nigiri sushi (also her first experience with chopsticks), so I ordered us Omakase set おまかせセット 8 pieces. (Kim ate with her hands in the end)

 

It's a really old style sushi bar, see how the sushi is placed directly on the wooden table?

Clear soup to go with.

The chef was so understanding with Kim, who was struggling to finish all the sushi. In the end, he packed the leftover sushi for her to bring home. (sorry Kim! we should have went for Okonomiyaki instead..)

Murasaki Sushi　紫すし

Cake of the day: Apple pie りんごパイ from Fortnum & Mason.

I shall not comment much except that it was very disappointing for a signature product. I guess apple pie is still best served warm.

Breakfast the next morning at Doutor cafe ドトル, which a chain cafe littered all over Japan. I wanted to see how is Doutor like in Japan, since we are supplying them cakes over at the Singapore branch. I am impressed. Doutor in Japan gives off a completely different vibe compared to in Singapore. Maybe Doutor Singapore should relocate to somewhere busier and smaller instead of that stupid Financial Center.

Maccha Latte 抹茶ラテ

Croque Monsieur

Cake(s) of the day from Bleu Fonce Fukuoka.

フルフル Baked Souffle. Plain baked souffle dressed in cake crumb and whipped cream. Simple yet lovely.

Seasonal Mont Blanc モンブラン. Different from their normal Mont Blanc, the colour of this Mont Blanc cream is darker in colour, and tasted exactly like chestnut, which had me totally baffled. Does Japanese creme de marron taste different from French creme de marron? I must find out.

The construction of this particular Mont Blanc is special in that it uses a feuilletine base, which allows you to concentrate more on the Mont Blanc cream itself. Not a bad idea except that it got a bit too sickening in the end. 

After a particularly sick and twisted Japanese movie that the school showed us (every Friday is movie day), I went to an Izakaya with Daniel and Jimmy (both unabashedly American).

Tofu salad 豆腐サラダ.

Stir-fried burdock root ごぼうきんぴら.

Fried chicken 鳥から揚げ.

Pizza ピざ. It puzzles me to no end. Why on earth would an Izakaya have pizza on the menu?

I hereby declare that Americans, it seems, have little or no inhibitions. (translation: they are the craziest people ever.)

I had breakfast with Kim the next morning at a cafe in Shintencho 新天町that she really likes.

BLT. A surprisingly very good one. I would definitely return for the egg and cheese version.

Ueshima Kissaten 上島コーヒー店

Cake of the day: Fruit tart フルツタルと from Hanako Fruit Cafe はなこフルツカフェ.

Told you I'd return. I originally wanted to try the Fruit Cake フルツケーキ but it sold out. Oh well. Fruit tart was quite good, and had all sorts of fruit of it, fruits that you wouldn't even think of, like pomelo.

I went back to school to attend Kim's graduation ceremony.

And went to the ultra-gay (depending how big of a fan of Pokemon you are, it could also be ultra-cool) Pokemon Center at Hakata Station.　ポケモンセンタ　8階

Pikachu I choose you!

Dinner at the Hakata Daruma Ramen 博多だるまラメン, Ramen Street in Hakata Station 博多駅. I was actually craving for gyoza  餃子, and I know I wouldn't be able to finish both ramen and gyoza if I ordered the set. So it's just gyoza for now.

Mentaiko mayonaise gyoza  明太子マヨ餃子 since Fukuoka is famous for its mentaiko.

おいいしかった！

End.

Fukuoka Day 3

 School starts today. At 9am. And I arrived 20 minutes past 9am. I was lost. Scurrying like a mouse for the at least half an hour, running up and down the station exits before the Central Post Office set me right. Hence, I missed my placement test, and went straight into orientation.

School is fun. My classmates are from America, France, Germany, Quebec. My teacher is Japanese but non-rigidly so. We laugh questions to the teacher, the teacher laughs it back. So much that I think my lungs are more tired than my brain after the intensive 4 hours of lesson. 

For example today, we were learning to use: because ~ too much, therefore ~.

Q: _________すぎたから、疲れたんです。

(Because __________ too much, therefore I was tired.)

A: アクスビデオが見すぎたから、疲れたんです。

(Because I watched too much X video, therefore I was tired.)

One of the more colourful answers offered.

And I think the best thing is there is no racial discrimination here, despite it being so predominantly Anglo-Saxon, simply because everyone is here because they like Asia. It was comforting (and a little strange) when my Caucasian classmates go, "Oh my god! You know Chinese? That means you already know Kanji?!" 

After class, I went straight to Mitsukoshi 三越, having already scouted out the place, and bought myself a tea set at Fruit Cafe Hanako フルツカーフぇハナ子.

 A cafe cum patisserie that specialises in fresh fruits in their pastries, meaning they pile and heap mountain of fruits onto their cakes and tarts. This was the first patisserie that caught my eye in this sea of gourmet heaven. It was the abnormal ratio of fruits to pastry base that is so attention-grabbing that I automatically stop to stare at the display fridge because I was trying to figure out if this shop was selling fruits or cakes. It is the strawberry season now.

 Cake set ケーキセート ¥850 gives you a slice of tart or cake and a cup of tea or coffee.

The strawberry tart 苺タルと is nothing fanciful. A plain almond tart base, filled with fresh cream and topped with an exaggerated amount of strawberries. There was more than enough strawberries to go with each mouthful of tart and cream. And for me, it was really satisfying to eat something so simple yet so good in a long time. I would probably go back to have their fruit cake.

 Dinner shopping.

Maki-zushi 巻寿司

 and seaweed salad わかめサラダ.

End.

Fukuoka Day 2

Day 2 was a Sunday, school has not started, which meant I was free to explore Fukuoka at my own leisure.
 

 Like a person who has all the time in the world, I strolled to the neighbourhood bakery called Collin's Bakery on the right of Ijiri Station, in the crisp morning air. Brr, it was 7℃. The bakery was in full gear, churning out all sorts of breads. I could practically taste the bread in the air the moment I stepped into the warm bakery. The cashier had a polite smile on her face, and a slightly harassed look as she was the only one manning the front. The drinks selection was either instant or packaged. I took a sausage bread and a chocolate croissant and a carton of fresh milk, and went up one floor to the sitting area. Ah! So this is the look of a modest bakery in a small suburb.

When I was working, back in Singapore, eating breakfast was a technique, refined over time. It was how fast you can eat without spilling too much in the car while driving to work. Day 2 in Fukuoka, I sat down and chewed on my bread like a connoisseur. And thought to myself, Hmm! This unassuming little bakery actually makes quite a mean chocolate croissant! It makes so much difference when you can savour a bread slowly, while looking out the window and just enjoying the good things in life. I wondered if everyone led a life like this, yes productivity would go down, economy might not be as competitive, but hell, I think we would be a great deal happier.

 

 I spent the rest of the morning exploring the neighbourhood, and, to my delight, discovered a market street where groceries and household materials were sold. There were also a sushi bar, a gyoza shop and a bento stall which were all closed on a Sunday.

 Guess what? Sunday was also Hinamatsuri ひな祭り Day! Happy Girls' Day!

 You know, I haven't had a bath since I reached Fukuoka... It was just too cold! So I thought I might as well take my bath at the onsen house. And coincidentally, the nearest onsen happened to be at Futsukaichi 二日市 (about 5 train stops from Ijiri 井尻), the very same one I visited when I first came to Fukuoka. The entry fee have been increased from ¥200 to ¥300 though. A traditionalist would love this place!

I didn't notice this the last time I was here, but Futsukaichi Onsen 二日市温泉 has a vending machine that sells this particular milk from Daisen Milk Farm 大山まきば, which comes in a glass bottle and a paper cap, and when you drink it, you will finish it all because you know this is the kind of milk that you have been looking for your whole life. Especially after an onsen bath. (For those who have never experienced onsen, just so you know, onsen makes one hungry)　

 The fastest way to Futsukaichi Onsen would be by the local Nishitetsu bus. But you would see alot more things if you walked, which I did, and got lost in the winding alleys for more than half an hour (not that I don't have time to spare) thanks to my superb sense of misdirection..

 Opposite the Onsen, there is a quaint little cafe that serves home-style Japanese food.

 I promised you a cake a day, didn't I? 

Tiramisu, the only cake offered here, plucked right out of a Japanese recipe book by the look and taste of it. It would have been alright if it were called Rarecheese instead, because that is what it exactly is, a smooth, bland rarecheese with a coffee soaked sponge base. It lacked the soul of a Tiramisu, an unabashedly sweet, liquor-soaked, creamy Italian tiramisu. But don't you think the owner put a lot of heart and thought in the plating of this simple cake? Thumbs up to that.

 See? Walking and getting lost helps because I stumbled upon this humble shrine...

 and saw my first Sakura blossom.

 Somei Yoshinozakura   染井吉野桜

End.

Start of A New Chapter

The view from my window is actually a Japanese gravestone. hohoho.

こんいちわみんなさん！元気ですか？　いま福岡にいっていますよ〜！（福岡はすごくさむい！！）　

私はいま学校で日本語おがんばって勉強しょます。 だからときどきにこのスペスに日本語でかけます。ごめんなさい、私の日本語は上手はありませんですが、がんばります。 :D

Hello Everybody. I am glad to be typing in English again. I just arrived in Fukuoka, Japan yesterday. It is ccoooooold in Fukuoka. Around 7℃ in the day. I traveled to my dormitory via public transport, which includes lugging my 21kg luggage up and down the concrete stairs while transiting between train lines. And 2 hours after leaving the airport, I arrived at Hakata Sharey Apartment, in a quiet little suburb called Ijiri いじり.

Now, let me describe my room so you can get a sense of what it is like, what I call capsule-living. Room 228 (my room number), like any other superior rooms (there are 3 classes: regular, superior and deluxe), is very small and clean. In that small rectangular space, they managed to fit in a single bed, a table (for my laptop), and another small working table, an open closet, a small refrigerator and a 3-tier shelving for my personal belongings. On top of that, it has a bathroom attached to it that has an actual bathtub, which I am already looking forward to using. My back door opens to a really narrow balcony that is equipped with racks for me to air my laundry. And my balcony offers the superb view of a Japanese garden, complete with the serene quality of Japanese tombstones. So basically it is a comfortable, cozy place.

I had my first lunch at this little joint outside Ijiri station.

 Katsu-don かつ丼  ¥600

The pork is nothing special, the sauce is average. But when the owner fried the pork cutlet to order and cooked the egg to perfection that it was still wobbly when it made its way to my table, the combination of juicy, crispy pork cutlet and wobbly, semi-soft eggs, all piping hot, is so so good.

I spent the afternoon exploring the food department of Mitsukoshi 三越 at Tenjin 天神.  It never cease to amaze me every time I visit this food heaven. And seeing the variety and quality of the cakes offered here makes me want to rush back into the kitchen to bake. I am inspired. And I have decided. I am going to eat one new cake or pastry everyday, and write about it. I can see you salivating already. :D

Since it is the strawberry season, I bought myself jumbo strawberries ¥630 to munch on while I watch Kuroko no Basket 黒子のバスケ! nom nom nom.

End.