[Taylor]
Over the weekend (is our blog finally up to date now? weird), Julie and I ventured into the woods of Shichinohe to harvest chestnuts with her coworkers. Afterwards we ate cake and drank tea at a secluded retreat located a little further into the heart of the Blue Forest.
We also befriended some frogs.
Pond outside the cabin where we ate cake.
View from Cake Cabin window.
To give you some perspective on the size of the frog, the person holding it is four years old.
More photos here.
[Julie]
Apple season in Aomori inspired me to make 3 apple pies in the past 2 weeks. Here’s a look at my first attempt:
before.....
after!
The second and third attempt didn’t stick around long enough for a photo shoot, as some students at a private English class promptly gobbled them up.
All three pies were baked in a microwave oven with only one heating element above the pie and none below. The first pie crust I made using canola oil, which held together really well, but didn’t have much to offer as far as flavor. I used butter to make the last two, which tasted better, but didn’t really form a crust. The bottom of the pie melded into the apple innards. Please send any pie crust recipes my way!
I tried a new miso fish dish with vegetables. It was supposed to be cooked in a nabe pot, but I was able to use a covered fry pan on low heat to achieve the same effect. Here’s a look:
[Taylor]
Last week Julie found an awesome “recycle shop” in a nearby town. The two of us returned a few days later and explored the vast labyrinth of antiques, forgotten toys, obsolete technology, lacquer bowls and plates, and cheap furniture and appliances. It was an awesome find.
Afterwards we ate dinner at one of our favorite ramen restaurants. It’s located pretty much right in the middle of nowhere in an inconspicuous building. Inside, however, is some of the best ramen we’ve ever had — made from handmade noodles that are probably shipped from Sapporo.
Spicy miso broth.
[Taylor]
On Tuesday Julie and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. Rather than go out to eat, we decided to try some new recipes.
Miso soup with daikon and green beans.
Tofu appetizer with ginger, green onion, bonito flakes, and shiso leaves.
Homemade sushi: Cucumber, scallop, and tuna.
Julie did a much better job of rolling her sushi. My rolls were more like burritos.
We’re also celebrating this weekend by going on a trip. I’m keeping the location a surprise for Julie though so we’ll have to tell you about it when we get back.
[Taylor]
I think we’ve written before that one of the first words we learned upon arriving to Aomori-ken was “hotate” (scallop). On our first drive to Noheji we saw signs for them everywhere and it wasn’t long before we had them in a meal. Since then we’ve had scallops just every way imaginable (raw, pizza, bbq, ramen, etc). Last week we tried hotate ice cream.
How did it taste? Well, it was edible. In fact, if you didn’t know it was infused with scallops you might think it was some sort of exotic caramel flavor. It was sweet with a hint of the ocean in the aftertaste. Good, but not great. I wouldn’t want to try it again although Julie seemed to like it more than me.
Anyway, we’ve been busy but it looks like we’ll have time over the next few days to tell you what we’ve been doing. Look for new posts in the days to come.
[Taylor]
We’re back. Pictures have been uploaded. Posts have been written. Enjoy.
Day 1: Osorezan and Yagen Valley
[Taylor]
On day 2 we set out at the crack of dawn (5:00 AM) to look for the world’s Northern-most monkeys. These are of course the near legendary snow monkeys of Japan. The ones in this region don’t take baths in hot springs though. Those are found exclusively in Nagano Prefecture which is Southwest of Aomori.
We first went to a park named Wakinosawa where we disappointingly saw monkeys living in captivity.
Not so wild.
We left the park and drove to Hotokega-ura (a coastline along Shimokita’s Northern tip). Along the way we found monkeys in a much more natural setting. We had heard about a shortage of food for the monkeys in the mountains so we were happy to see a couple who seemed to be doing alright for themselves.
Eventually we reached Hotokega-ura and it was awesome. Since the coastline gets battered so heavily in winter, the cliffs and surrounding rock structures have eroded into some very interesting shapes.
Last, but certainly not least, we went to the town of Oma. Oma is the Northern tip of the main island of Honshu. Aside from being able to see the Northern island of Hokkaido on a sunny day, Oma is also home to some of the best tuna in the world. As you can imagine, it’s also expensive. We’ve been told that landing a single tuna in Oma and selling it will get you enough money to make a down payment on a house. For lunch we decided to try a sample and see what all the fuss was about.
Julie pointing to our location on a map of Japan in Oma.
Yum
Delicious
Even with such an action packed day, we were able to make it back to Noheji in the afternoon on account of our early start. I’m feeling better. The fever is gone but the cold is far from over. Thankfully we have three more days off before we have to go back to work again. By then I should be fully recovered.
[Taylor]
Inspired by a red snapper soup we had in Busan, Julie and I attempted a new meal tonight. We followed a fairly simple recipe, substituting dashi for clam juice. It turned out well. We served it up with some toasted french bread and blueberry jelly (thanks Curtis and Kenzi!).
[Taylor]
In case you’re just joining us, Julie and I just got back from a trip to Korea with our friends Allie, Taka, and Brandon. We’ve organized our blog posts in a way that we hope is easy to navigate. It’s a lot at once so take your time. We’ll probably wait until the beginning of next week to post a new entry.
Seoul
Food Poisoning and Hostel Hospitality
Busan
Other
More superficial cultural differences
More photos and videos
Older posts from the road with no photos that you may have read already
[Taylor]
Day-to-Day
Our time in Seoul mostly consisted of exploring markets, window shopping in university districts, eating ridiculously good food, and taking pictures. Here are some photos and videos highlighting these activities.
City
Food
On one of our first nights, a friend of one of the people in our group took us to a restaurant that serves fiery grilled chicken cooked at your table.
Side dishes.
Korean BBQ
Airplane food. We obviously didn't eat this in Seoul but I thought we should post it anyway.
|
pacificloons
