Fun in Hachinohe

My husband and I tend to lounge around the apartment on weekends, but we wanted to see the Hachinohe City Museum of Art's Special Exhibit, "Neko" (ねこ, Japanese for "cat") before it ended so we headed out to Hachinohe this weekend.

We started off with lunch at Nagisa Cafe (ナギサカフェ). The aim of the restaurant is to serve food that is good for people's health, so the meals are very wholesome and include a lot of veggies. The restaurant is in an old Japanese house, so the atmosphere is very peaceful and relaxing. The main room with tables was full when we arrived, so we sat in the side room, with the low tables and floor cushions.

 

 

 

We had the "Nagisa Gohan" (なぎさごはん 1100yen: salad, soup, 3 small side dishes, rice, and choice of main dish--we went for the chicken katsu (cutlet) with white sauce) and "Nagisa Curry" (なぎさカレー 1100yen: green curry and rice, soup, salad, and 2 small side dishes). And of course I needed something sweet, so I added a "Sweets Set" (choice of one of the daily desserts, 300yen with a meal instead of the regular price of 500yen) and went for the "Gobou Gateau Chocolat" (ごぼうのガトーショコラ). Everything was delicious and we are definitely planning on going back again the next time we are in Hachinohe.

 

 

After lunch we went to the Hachinohe City Museum of Art. The parking lot was full, so we parked a couple of blocks away at the Sakurano Department Store. The exhibit was just as amazing as we had expected it to be and we ended up buying two photo books: one from the exhibit "ねこ" ("Neko," or "Cats" in English) and another book of cats, "ねこ歩き" ("Neko Aruki," or "Go with cats" in English).

 

 

After the exhibit, we went shopping at the Kaneiri book store (カネイリ) and the Sakurano Department Store　(さくら野百貨店八戸店). It just so happened that there was a Valentine's Day chocolate fair, "Marche du Chocolat!" going on at Sakurano, so naturally I had to check it out. And it was a good thing we went because I found the chocolates with a box design by Aya Kato that I had wanted but couldn't find online.

In fact, I found out that there were multiple box and chocolate designs, so I ended up buying three different boxes--which ended up costing over 7000yen ($75 CAD). @_@ Expensive, but the tins (I opted for the metal tins instead of the regular paper boxes, hence the cost) are gorgeous, and even the paper bag was lovely, so totally worth the price! (I haven't opened the boxes yet so I only have pictures of the boxes, but you can see pictures of the chocolates at the AYAKATO website.)

 

 

Since we spent so much on books and chocolate, we probably had about 5hours worth of free parking, so we decided to walk a bit more around Hachinohe. We stopped by the Hachinohe tourism center, Hachinohe Portal Museum "hacchi" and checked out the free photo exhibit "Gyojin" about Hachinohe fishermen (fishers? fisher people?) by Tatsuki, Masaru on the first floor (田附勝写真展「魚人(ぎょじん)」).

 

 

 

 

After all the walking and shopping, we were rather thirsty, so we stopped at a coffee shop called (Kousai) Coffee Minami (香彩珈琲 みな実 三日町中央店) . My husband ordered the "Handmade Waffle Set" (手作りワッフルセット 540yen: waffle and choice of coffee or tea, hot/iced) while I went for the "Cocoa Float" (ココアフロート 680yen: ice cocoa with ice cream and a waffle on top!).  Yummy!

 

 

 

 

That was the end of our time in Hachinohe, but not the end of our date! On the way back to Towada from Hachinohe, we stopped by a big shopping mall, Shimoda Jusco (Aeon Mall Shimoda). After walking around for a bit, we managed to clear enough space in our stomachs for dinner, so we had pasta at a chain Italian restaurant, Cappricciosa. (Pappardelle with mushrooms and ground meat in a red wine spicy tomato sauce パッパルデッレ キノコと挽き肉、赤ワインのスパイシートマトソース 1220yen, and seafood spaghetti pescatore 漁師風スパゲティ ペスカトーレ 990yen)

 

 

When we got home, we also tried out some sakura (cherry blossom) wine (咲くらのわいん "Sakura no Wine") that we had picked up from Kaldi, an import store in Shimoda  Jusco. Usually when I try to drink wine, just a single sip overwhelms me with the taste of "alcohol!" But the alcohol content in this was actually just 5% (the same as beer) so I was able to have about three sips. Obviously I don't know anything about what makes a good wine, but since I was able to drink more of the sakura wine than I have of almost any other wine, I must say I thought it was pretty good. Plus the packaging/design is really lovely.

 

 

All in all, a lovely day out!


Links:

• Nagisa Cafe (Japanese) http://food-communication.jp/nagisacafe/
• Hachinohe City Museum of Art Special Exhibit Neko (English) http://towada-city.blogspot.jp/2015/01/hachinohe-city-museum-of-art-special.html
• Kaneiri (Bancho Branch) (Japanese) http://www.kaneiri.co.jp/store/bancho.html
•  Sakurano Marche du Chocolat PDF Flyer (Japanese) http://sakurano-dept.jp/dayori/sakurano-ha20150123.pdf
• AYAKATO Hanamahoro Saganoaya 2015 Chocolate (English) http://www.ayakato.net/hanamahoro2015_e.html
• Hachinohe Portal Museum "hacchi"(English) http://hacchi.jp/en/
• Tatsuki Masaru Photography Exhibit "Gyojin" (Japanese) http://hacchi.jp/programs2/gyolabo/2014/12/002516.html
• (Kousai) Coffee Minami (Japanese) http://tabelog.com/aomori/A0203/A020301/2006894/
• Shimoda Jusco (Aeon Mall Shimoda) (Japanese) http://shimoda-aeonmall.com/
• Cappricciosa (Japanese) http://www.capricciosa.com/
• Kaldi: Sakura no Wine (Japanese) http://kaldi.co.jp/kaldinews/newitem/drink/sakura_wine.php

Toilet paper fit for an Emperor

Hanebisho is probably one of the most expensive toilet paper brands in all of Japan.

As you can see, it is 5000yen (~$53 CAD) for 3 rolls, or 10,000yen (~$107) for 8 rolls. If you set up a standing order for 8 rolls every 1-3months (you can choose the frequency at which it comes) the cost drops down to a mere 9000yen  (~$96) per order. (Note, you cannot cancel your standing order until after the 4th delivery, so you'd still be spending at least 36,000yen (~$384) for 32 rolls of toilet paper!)

Breaking this down to a per roll price, that's between 1125-1667yen (~$12~$18CAD) per roll!

What exactly is so special about this toilet paper?

(Loosely translated and summarized from the product website)

Hanebisho

Presented to* the Emperor for five years. 

(*and presumably accepted by him as well)

The ultimate softness
Feels as if your skin is being gently swathed in silk

Created by the most fastidious of fastidious artisans

The ultimate softness and Japanese modern design
Each roll is carefully selected for production

Japanese modern design

Carefully designed to look stylish no matter where the paper is torn.

High quality Tosa washi (Japanese paper from Kochi Prefecture)
Each roll is carefully wrapped in Tosa washi.

Box handcrafted by Kyoto washi artisans
Each box is handmade by Kyoto washi artisans.
The interior of the box is done in silver leaf.

Only 150 rolls are produced each day

Each piece is individually checked for quality so production is highly limited

The secret of Mochizuki Seishi's* toilet paper

(*company name)

The company president has checked the product on his own skin every day for over 10 years! Every day the maker of each roll writes their name and the date on the roll. The president checks these daily.

Production method adjusted daily

The production method is adjusted for temperature and humidity daily. No two days' production methods are the same.

Pancake method
Mochizuki Seishi toilet paper is made the same way as pancakes. Do you know how to make delicious pancakes?  If the heat is too high the bottom will burn and the middle will be dry. Deliciously fluffy pancakes are cooked slowly at the perfect temperature. In the same way, Mochizuki Seishi toilet paper is dried more slowly than usual methods. Careful attention is paid to the temperature. Time is no object in the pursuit of perfect softness.

Water from the clearest stream in Japan, the Niyodo River 
The Niyodo river ranked 1st in the 2010 (Japanese) National River Water Quality Ranking.

Highest quality pulp
The most important ingredient in making toilet paper is pulp.
Our company uses 100% Canadian pulp.  

So there you have it--toilet paper fit for an Emperor. But you don't have to take just the company's word for it. Here is what a satisfied customer has to say about the product:

Decorating the living room! 
I gave my father Hanebisho for a Father's Day present. He thought the wrapping paper and toilet paper itself were so beautiful he put them on display in the living room! He looked very happy.

Kochi City Customer

Source: http://fuwafuwa-roll.com/products/hanebisho.html

Towada Nameko Hunt

Although Towada completely missed the boat with the first batch of "Nameko Snack" (chocolate-flavoured Caramel Corn), it's been no problem finding the latest version--this time a Nameko-shaped chocolate-flavoured snack.It comes in a Nameko-decorated package and includes a Nameko sticker inside.

1st gen. Nameko Snack

2nd gen. Nameko Snack

For the first version, I had to ask my friend in Sendai to get it for me when the Nameko Ichiba pop-up store went to there. (It was in Sendai while I was in Canada, otherwise I would have gone to get it myself.) This time the snacks are all over Towada! Here are the places I've found it so far:

• Towada Aeon: 98yen
• Daiso (at both the location across from Powers U and the one in Towada Aeon): 105yen
• Mini-Stop (Daigaku Dori and across from the Bunka Center): 128yen

Nameko Candy are also available at the Universe grocery store.One bag has a mix of four flavours: strawberry, green apple, orange, and...nameko!! Yes, they actually included a mushroom-flavoured candy. My "game" is that whoever wants a candy has to pick one out of the bag without looking and what they get is what they get. So far I haven't managed to get a nameko-flavoured one, but two of the five other people who have played Nameko Candy "roulette" with me have gotten "lucky". =P

Right now there's also a Nameko Minna no Kuji. You buy a 600yen ticket, draw a card out of a box and open the card to reveal the prize letter. There are 8 different types of items ranked from A to H, with the A prize being the biggest and best and the H prize being the smallest and most ordinary.

The last time (October 2012) there was such a promotion, I got really lucky and scored two of the bigger prizes. (In total I probably tried about 8 times.)

big stuffed toy and smaller prizes

2nd big prize!

This time there aren't a lot of prizes that I'm particularly interested in so I've been trying to resist buying the kuji, but after just one week I caved today and bought two tickets--just to see if I could get another big prize. Guess I used up most of my luck last time since all I got was two G prizes--Nameko figures. At least both of the figures were different ones (you can't tell what's inside when you pick the box).

Kuji tickets seem to be selling really fast. I visited three of the four stores in Towada selling them and some stores have very few prizes left (as of noon today):

• Tsutaya: very limited selection, a few A's, one D, a couple of E's, one F, three Gs and one H.
• WonderGoo: very limited selection, mostly G's and H's with a few D;s, a couple of E's and maybe (?) a couple of F's
• Mini-Stop (Daigaku Dori): quite a lot still there, only missing A and C prizes, I believe

They only went on sale last week, and at this rate I think Tsutaya could be sold out by the end of this (long) weekend! Nice to know I'm not the only Nameko-obsessed person in Towada, I guess?

Gadgets...

I'm usually not one for gadgets (preferring to spend my money on books/manga, DVDs and Uniqlo clothes), but recently my list of desired electric/electronic things has grown fairly large...

1) Electric Nabe (~3000-8000yen)
2) 5.5 cup Zojirushi IH Rice Cooker (~15,000-25,000yen)
3) Canon PowerShot SD1400IS (~$200 CAD +taxes)
4) Kobo eReader (~$150 CAD +taxes)

I suspect that I'll get the electric nabe (just need to figure out what'll give me the best value for my cooking needs/wants) sometime within the next month or two. And as a substitute for a better camera I'll probably get myself an 8GB memory card so at least I don't have to change cards and upload pictures so often.

But I'm actually rather surprised at my own restraint. Usually I don't think too much and just buy things within a short period of deciding that I want them, but with all of events I've had to budget for lately, I guess I've been trying to be more prudent than usual...

Incidentally, here's the list of big (re: somewhat expensive) recent and upcoming events:

1) Oct.: 4-day trip to Kanazawa/Shirawaka-Go/Takayama (totally worth every yen!!)
2) Oct.: Japanese Dance Performance (can you believe just the kimono rental fee is more than 30,000yen?! and with all the other fees, it's costing me nearly 50,000yen--and I'm not even the type who likes being in the spotlight!)
3) Nov.: taiko performance in Saitama (I'm going along as a helper)
4) Nov.: wedding (of a friend from taiko)
5) Dec.-Jan.: trip home
6) Jan.: wedding (back in Toronto)
7) Feb.: Sapporo Yuki Matsuri
8) Apr.-May: trip home (Golden Week!)

So yeah, with all this stuff on my plate, I'm having a hard time justifying buying the gadgets that I want but don't really need... Maybe I just really need to stop cut back on the manga/books/DVDs... Or maybe I need to set up another savings fund--I'll save up all my 100yen coins, and match 50% of what I spend on manga/books/DVDs. Hmm...The 100yen coins might actually be difficult since I need them to pay for school lunch, but the spending matching is definitely doable. Or maybe instead of matching manga/book/DVD purchases, I should match the money I spend on eating out?

(For my travel savings fund, I save 500yen coins and my mileage reimbursement money, and match 50% of what I spend on clothing/shoes/accessories--although recently I haven't been buying much clothing--so it actually accumulates fairly quickly.)

And of course there's still the sad fact that I have practically nothing saved up in terms of real savings and not just savings for spending... @_@;; *sigh* Looking at my financial situation is what always reminds me that I'm still far from being a mature, independent adult...

Continuing bento obsession

Even though my budget is completely out of whack thanks to many recent visits to Uniqlo, I still caved and bought the Ojue 63010 Lunch Box (in white) by METAPHYS. It's a bento box that comes with chopsticks and 3 containers that stack vertically so it can fit nicely into slim bags--like tote bags, messenger bags, briefcases, etc.

I've been wanting it ever since I read about it in a Japan Times Online article last week. With the Chuutairen only a week and a half away--not to mention with some stores on Rakuten offering 10x points on the purchase--I simply couldn't resist.

It should be delivered sometime Saturday morning. ^_^ Now I feel extra motivated to do a good job with the tamagoyaki! =P

A productive holiday

In a rare move, I spent most of my Showa Day holiday out and about (instead of holing up in my apartment).

I started my day at Uniqlo--taking advantage of the Golden Week sales. Thankfully I had received a (belated) birthday card from my parents yesterday, so I actually had money to spend there. =P

The purchase I was most pleased about was the One Piece t-shirt. When it was on sale about two weeks ago, I went to Uniqlo at night so all the One Piece shirts were gone. This morning, I was there at 10:30am and got my One Piece shirt right away. The store opened at 10:00am, I believe, and by 11:30am only about two dozen shirts One Piece shirts were left--and none of the design/colour I had. It's pretty crazy how popular One Piece is...

After spending two hours and pretty much all of my birthday money there, I went to the Towada library. There I picked up some guide books about Iwate (I may be taking a weekend trip down there at the end of May) and Kanazawa/Gifu Prefectures (I *will* be taking a long weekend trip down there in October!!).

Following that I headed to Kanchogai Dori (around the Chuo Community Center parking lot) to watch the taiko group I practice with perform and to help with setting up, etc. Since there were so few members (only 5!) and it was a very informal performance (with not so many spectators since it was cold, wet and windy) I actually got to perform a bit as well!! I only joined in the 3 pieces I've (partially) learned so far, and I made lots of mistakes, but it was fun! I definitely feel more motivated to practice now!

When the performance on Kanchogai Dori finished, we were supposed to move to Chuo Park for a night time performance, but since the sakura haven't bloomed yet, most of the food stalls were closing early, so that was canceled.

I hadn't eaten breakfast, and only had a couple of pieces of fried chicken, 1 rice ball, and 1 oinari-san (seasoned rice stuffed in a fried tofu shell) for lunch, so I was pretty hungry. Since it was a cold day, I decided to head to Padock for some yaki (baked) curry to warm me up. ^__^ It was delicious.

After dinner, I headed to Towada Jusco for ice cream at Baskin Robbins. (Double scoops are 31% off until May 5th!!) Since I was in a shopping kind of mood, I also ended up buying a brown handbag I'd been eyeing for a while, as well as a pair of white wedge heels (sorry, you can't really tell they're wedges from the photo).

All in all I felt like it was quite a productive (if expensive) day for me. ^__^

It did leave me wondering, however, when I turned into such a girl! I mean, for the longest time most of my money went to books, manga, anime and hockey, but I think that so far this year I've spent as much on clothing/accessories as I have on books/manga/DVDs/CDs combined! @_@ I guess I should probably blame it on Uniqlo! =P