Horse Making Okonomiyaki [iPhone 4S/HD]

Bumped into this horse guy making okonomiyaki at the largest annual festival in my city. The okonomiyaki tasted good.

Horse Making Okonomiyaki [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Aug. 2nd, 2014

Japanese Lucky Rake Fair with Many Stalls at Kawaguchi Shrine

From November to December, many 'lucky rake fairs' are held at shrines around Japan. People visit a fair to get a decorated bamboo rake, which, it is said, has a charm to gather luck. Tori-no-Ichi, that takes place at Otori Shrine in Asakusa, Tokyo in November, is the most well-known rake fair.

There is also a large fair called Okame-Ichi in my city Kawaguchi. It is held at Kawaguchi Shrine, the guardian god of the city, every December 15th. The street, leading you from Kawaguchi Station to the shrine, is lined by 600 food stalls and entertainment stalls, while the precincts of the shrine are dominated by rake stalls. The area bustles with numerous people exploring stalls, buying a rake and worshiping at the shrine on the winter day.

Japanese Lucky Rake Fair with Many Stalls at Kawaguchi Shrine [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Dec. 15th, 2012

Related articles:

Shogun's Procession in Kawaguchi, Saitama
Thirteen Mikoshi Gathered at Shrine Festival, Kawaguchi, Saitama
Goldfish Scooping ~Japanese Festival Stall~
Taiko Bands, or Japanese Drum Bands, at a Festival
Tatara Festival 2012, Kawaguchi, Saitama
Local Bon Odori Festival at Kawaguchi, Saitama
Local Mikoshi Festival at Kawaguchi, Saitama
Tanabata Festival at Local Shopping Street, Kawaguchi, Saitama
Small Festival at Local Shopping Street, Kawaguchi, Saitama
Koinobori ~Japan's Children's Day~

How to Make Gyudon (Beef Bowl) with Raw Egg

Gyudon is a rice bowl dish. Simmered beef is served on top of steamed rice. It is one of the most popular Japanese fast foods. You can see numerous gyudon stores as you walk around a city in Japan. It is also easy to make at home.

[Simple Recipe] How to Make Gyudon (Beef Bowl) with Raw Egg [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S

Ingredients for a large bowl:

350g steamed rice
150g thinly sliced beef
1/2 sliced onion
150ml water
1 1/2 tbsps Japanese sake (or white wine)
2 tbsps soy sauce
1/2 grated ginger
A dash of sugar
A dash of salt
A dash of Hondashi (or other instant dashi) *1 *2
1 Raw egg (optional) *3

Directions:

1. Boil the water in a pot.
2. When the pot starts boiling, add the Hondashi and stir it.
3. Add the onion to it and boil it until soft.
4. When the onion is soft, add the Japanese sake, the sugar, the salt, the soy sauce and the beef.
5. Cover the pot and cook it on medium heat for 10 minutes.
6. Add the ginger and wait for 1 minute.
7. See how it tastes and adjust the taste with sugar and soy sauce.
8. Place the cooked ingredients on the rice in a bowl.
9. Put the beaten egg on it. (optional) *3

*1
Hondashi is one of packaged instant dashi. Other instant dashi like Dashinomoto are also fine. Dashi is a kind of a Japanese cooking stock. It is not very difficult to make dashi by yourself, but I use the instant one this time. This is a simple recipe.

*2
I think many people from other countries overlook dashi when they make Japanese cuisine. Looks like some people make some Japanese cuisine without using dashi, even when it is necessary for the recipe. Then they say "This doesn't taste good!" Come on! Dashi is the keystone of Japanese cuisine. You can't omit it. Go to an Asian market or Amazon and get some. Or make it by yourself. If you can't get any dashi, other stocks could be used for instead. Weiba (a Chinese instant cooking stock) or bouillon cubes... But I have never tried them for gyudon. I am not sure if they work well.

*3
If you live in Japan, I recommend you to put a raw egg on it. It really tastes great. I don't recommend you to do it if you don't live in Japan. Eggs being distributed in Japan are designed to be eaten raw, but in other countries, they are not. You would have a stomach ache. I know that some people think Japanese are immunized with raw eggs. But it is wrong. Even Japanese would have a stomach ache when they eat a raw egg outside of Japan.

Mochitsuki ~How to Make Mochi, or Japanese Rice Cake~

I came across a small festival while strolling around my neighborhood on a sunny Sunday. I found a stall selling freshly-made mochi there.

Mochi are Japanese rice cakes, which are made by pounding boiled glutinous rice into paste. The process of making mochi is called mochitsuki, which is usually (but not always) held as a year-end ceremony. People once enjoyed mochitsuki at their home, although nowadays it is not very common especially in urban areas. I remember, when I was a kid, my relatives used to gather at my grandfather's home and enjoy mochitsuki together every year-end.

Family mochitsuki is becoming a thing of the past, but it is still popular as an act of festivals and events.

Mochitsuki ~How to Make Mochi, or Japanese Rice Cake~ [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Oct. 21st, 2012

Tokyo Sweets Ningyo-Yaki

Ningyo-yaki, which literally means 'baked doll', is one of traditional Tokyo sweets. Those small baked cakes are formed into dolls and have red bean paste inside traditionally, but nowadays you can also find ones filled with chocolate or custard.

This video was taken at a ningyo-yaki shop at Nakamise Street in front of Sensoji Temple, Asakusa. You can watch how the cakes are made and get fresh cakes there.

Tokyo Sweets Ningyo-Yaki [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jul. 9th, 2012

How to Make Umeshu, or Japanese Plum Wine

Ume is an oriental fruit tree similar to western plum and apricot. It blooms from late winter to early spring and bears edible fruits in late spring. Umeshu, or plum wine, is one of the most popular products made from ume fruits. It is a bit sweet and a bit sour light liquor with a clean finish. Many people love its taste. You can get it at a store, or make it by yourself.

It is not so difficult to make umeshu at your home. What you need for ingredients are ume fruits, liquor and sugar. They are all easily available at a supermarket here. Fortunately there is an ume tree in my small garden and I can make umeshu without paying a penny for the fruits. I enjoy homemade umeshu at a reasonable price every year. I have to wait to make it till early summer because my tree is late-blooming and late-bearing, but it is not a big deal.

Why not try some umeshu when you visit Japan, or make it at your home?


I would like to thank my friend Yuki for joining this video as a voice cast. Her clear narration made the video intelligible.

How to Make Umeshu, or Japanese Plum Wine [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S

McDonald's Japan Free Coke Glass Promotion (London Olympic ver.)

McDonald's Japan is now doing a promotion in which you can get a free Coke glass when you buy a Large Value Meal. Sometimes they do this kind of a promotion in not only Japan, but also other countries. However, the design of the glasses are probably different. What you can get now in Japan is London Olympic version.

I don't often go to McDonald's, just go there to drink 100 yen coffee sometimes. But I went there for the glass this time. The promotion succeeded in attracting me at least.

McDonald's Japan Free Coke Glass Promotion (London Olympic ver.) [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jun. 26th, 2012

Grilled Gyudon, or Beef Bowl, at 'Tokyo Chikara Meshi'

Gyudon, or beef bowl, is one of the most popular Japanese fast foods. Several gyudon chains are competing for market share here. You would find cities filled with gyudon shops when you visit Japan.

A brand new gyudon chain, 'Tokyo Chikara Meshi' which literally means 'Tokyo Power Food', is starting to become popular. Gyudon is normally a bowl of rice with simmered beef, but their gyudons are a bit different. They grill beef instead of simmering. They taste good and you can have a new experience with them. Worth trying.

Grilled Gyudon, or Beef Bowl, at 'Tokyo Chikara Meshi' [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jun. 24th, 2012

Tokyo Station City ~Shopping Streets at Tokyo Station~

Large train stations in Japan often have a lot of shops and restaurants inside. Tokyo Station, the terminal of 'Shinkansen' or 'bullet trains', has 120 shops inside ticket gates and 80 outside. They make up a massive shopping and gourmet district named 'Tokyo Station City'. Their main staples are 'bento' or 'lunch boxes' which you can enjoy on a long-distance train. A good bento would make your trip more enjoyable.

You might wander in the city like a huge labyrinth(*) when you go into there without a map. But at least you don't have to worry about starving or freezing to death as long as you have enough Japanese yen. They serve and sell various things you could be in need for while wandering. Of course you can also use them on a train, or after getting off the train.

Tokyo Station City ~Shopping Streets at Tokyo Station~ [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jun. 20th, 2012

*Note: The challenge level of Tokyo Station as a station labyrinth is beginner level. The most challenging station in Tokyo is Shinjuku Station. Here is the video about the station. Check also this!

Tokyo Rush Hour, Shinjuku Station [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Mar. 27th, 2012

Baked Hello Kitty at Diver City Tokyo Plaza

Diver City Tokyo Plaza, a brand new commercial complex which opened this April in Odaiba, Tokyo, houses over 150 shops and a few entertainment facilities. You can get these Hello Kitty shaped baked cakes at 'Hello Kitty Japan' by Sanrio, one of the shops. Too cute to eat? Come on, it would be a waste not to try them. They taste wonderful and are cute!

Baked Hello Kitty at Diver City Tokyo Plaza [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on Jun. 2nd, 2012

Tokyo's Vending Machine Recommends You What to Drink

The cutting edge vending machines with facial recognition in Tokyo recommend you what to drink based on your age, gender or something. It would be a waste not to try it and see what you should drink when you visit a station in the metropolis. But what a machine at Shibuya Station recommended me to drink were... I ended up ignoring its suggestion and buying one with a cool bottle cap.

Tokyo's Vending Machine Recommends You What to Drink [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on May 17th, 2012

Omoide Yokocho, or Piss Alley, Shinjuku, Tokyo

At the foot of the skyscrapers in West Shinjuku, there is a narrow street named Omoide Yokocho, or "Memory Alley", along which tiny restaurants and bars stand side by side. It is also called Shomben Yokocho, which means "Piss Alley".

Many years ago, when the street was serving as a black market after World War 2, there were no bathrooms there. People were forced to piss in the street. The name "Piss Alley" may have originated from this time period, however, times have changed. A lot of reasonable restaurants and bars were built there, also public lavatories.

Nowadays it is a middle-aged men's oasis. They enjoy eating and drinking without having to worry about where to piss.

Omoide Yokocho, or Piss Alley, Shinjuku, Tokyo [iPhone 4S/HD]
- Shot in 1080p full HD with an iPhone 4S on May 14th, 2012