A Better Canada

I may no longer reside in Canada, but I am still a Canadian. Although the past nine years have made me less than proud to be a Canadian, my pride as a Canadian was restored this past Federal (National) Election. 


The Harper Government's leadership of Canada has led to the deterioration of Canada's international reputation as well the erosion of democracy, science, environmental protections, care for veterans and much more within Canada. (See a "brief" list of some of the damage wrought by Stephen Harper as Prime Minister of Canada on The Tyee: Harper, Serial Abuser of Power: The Evidence Compiled.) 

Thankfully those disheartening years seem to be past. On October 19th, 2015, the Liberal Party of Canada, under leader Justin Trudeau, won 39.5% of the popular vote which translated into 184/338 seats in parliament to form a majority government. (Detailed election results available on CBC News: Canada Votes.)

Justin Trudea hasn't even been sworn in as Prime Minister yet (so he won't officially become the Prime Minister until November 4th, 2015) but Canada is already better under his leadership.

He has invited all of the provincial premiers to join the delegation--demonstrating a willingness to collaborate with the provinces and to further cooperation between the Federal and Provincial governments. This, of course is in stark contrast with Harper, who couldn't be bothered to attend Council of Canadian Premiers meetings and had a decidedly adversarial relationship with Ontario's Premier, Kathleen Wynne. (The Globe & Mail: Premiers agree to attend Paris climate summit with Trudeau)

He is further working to make the Canadian Government collaborative instead of adversarial by also inviting opposition party members to attend the UN climate summit in Paris--unlike Harper, who shut opposition party members out of important international talks. Sixty percent of voters in the past election did not  vote for the Liberal Party. By including other party leaders in the delegation he is giving all voters a voice and more truly representing Canada. (CTV News: Trudeau invites May, other leaders to join UN climate summit delegation)

And of course the fact that he is bringing such a large delegation to the Paris climate summit demonstrates a willingness to address the climate change issue in the first place--again, completely unlike Harper.

On a completely different note, he has also committed to electoral reform, doing away with the first-past-the-post system that gave his party a majority government in the first place. (Had the election been held using proportional representation, the Liberals would only have achieved a minority government.) By also examining online voting and mandatory voting, Trudeau has also demonstrated a desire to increase voter participation rather than trying to suppress it as Harper did through the (un-)"Fair Elections Act." (The Toronto Star: Electoral reform looms for Canada, Justin Trudeau promises)

Oh, and let's not forget that he specifically created an opportunity for members of the press to ask questions at the National Press Theatre shortly after winning the election--something Harper reportedly hadn't done in about seven years. (The Huffington Post Canada: Trudeau Takes Questions At National Press Gallery Theatre In Departure From Harper)

I'm sure that I will disagree with Trudeau's policy choices, etc. sometime (the TPP and pipelines being foreseeable issues), but in less than a week as Prime Minister-Elect, Justin Trudeau has already started restoring my respect for Canadian democracy and the government and given me hope for the future of the country.

So thank you, Justin Trudeau. And thank you, fellow Canadians for voting (even if you did vote for the Conservative Party). 

B-1 Grand Prix in Towada: Day 1

The B-1 Grand Prix in Towada is a massive 2-day event featuring the local "soul food" of sixty-two different towns/cities across Japan from Hokkaido to Kyushu.(More information about the event at my Towada & Beyond blog.)

Wanting to avoid the predicted crazy hordes of people, my friends and I crafted out a "divide and conquer" strategy that had us split up to cover three different venues to get a total of about 10 different dishes. We started walking to the venue almost an hour before the event was due to start. Even stopping occasionally to take photos and to chat with (former) students, acquaintances, etc. we managed to get in line a good 15-20min before the start of food sales.

It was raining pretty heavily while we were in line, but thankfully it let up by the time things got started at 9:30am. Based on my experience during the 2013 Hokkaido/Tohoku B-1 Grand Prix in Towada where I waited about 2 hours for Kofu Tori Motsuni, I was expecting ridiculously long line-ups. Whether it was due to the rain, or the early hour, or just that I happened to have picked the less popular booths, I don't know what it was, but I was very pleasantly surprised by how short the waits were.

My longest wait (pictured below) was for Komagane Sauce Katsudon. I was waiting in line for about 15-20 minutes until 9:30am, but I only waited about 3-5 minutes from when they started distributing the food.

After the katsudon, I headed to the Tottori Tofu Chikuwa booth. There were maybe 3 or 4 people ahead of me in line, and I probably waited for 1-2 minutes or less. The wait time was just long enough for me to notice the little work of sand art (Tottori is known for having vast sand dunes) seated off to the side.

On my way to the next booth on my list, I stopped to get my picture taken with the Ohotsk Kitami Shio Yakisoba mascot. I had tried the Shio Yakisoba during the previous B-1 event in Towada, so I didn't feel bad about taking a picture with the mascot or even for getting a "Ohotsk Kitami Shio Yakisoba Supporter" sticker stuck onto my t-shirt despite not actually getting any food from them this time around. I liked the mascot and the "personality" of the group so much, I even ended up voting for them (again, this despite not actually getting any shio yakisoba this time round)!

Next on my list was Joushuu Ota Yakisoba. The wait was so short I didn't even think to take out my camera for a photo of the booth!

Less than ten minutes after the start of the event and I was heading for my fourth booth, Minamiuonuma Kirizaidon. They had people dressed up as samurai, so of course I couldn't resist getting my photo taken with them.

My last stop was for Kuji Mamebu Jiru. Since I had tried a mouthful of someone else's bowl last time, plus I had purchased a package of instant (just heat the pack over the stove in a pot of water) mamebu jiru at the grocery store, I hadn't been planning on getting any, but since I had tickets leftover and plenty of time before the others were due to arrive to meet and divy up the food, I went for it. And it was a good thing I did because it ended up being both my favourite food and group! They had a mini sumo dohyo (just big enough for one person) and a guy dressed as a sumo offering "ohimesama dakko" (お姫様抱っこ "princess carry") which was pretty funny and cute! Plus, they had little stations set up within their line where you could try things like sifting through a sandbox for "treasure", etc. to keep you entertained while you waited. Unfortunately I didn't think to take a picture of the little activity booths because there was no line-up and I just went straight for the food. (Of course I voted for them as well!)

A mere 15-20 minutes after the official start of the event, the two of us who were in charge of getting food at the Track & Field Venue had everything and were sitting in the bleachers waiting for the others to arrive.

Out of all the food that we got, only half of it (Kirizaidon, Tofu Chikuwa, Mamebu Jiru) was for me; the rest was for the others in the group. (Clockwise from top left: Minamiuonuma Kirizaidon, Komagane Sauce Katsudon, Joushuu Ota Yakisoba, Tottori Tofu Chikuwa, Kuji Mamebu Jiru, Imabari Yakibuta Tamago-meshi.)

Apart from the three dishes I had picked up for myself, I also had Tsu Gyoza that one of the others had picked up for me from the Baseball Diamond Venue.

I only actually ate the gyoza and mamebu there, though. The rest I transferred into Ziploc containers I had brought with me to take home. The others also packed up at least one or two dishes each to take home. Between four of us we had managed to get about 10 different dishes and finish eating all in about an hour!

After eating we voted for our favourite groups and then wandered around a bit before heading home. So we managed to eat a lot and enjoy the B-1 Grand Prix and still be home by around lunch time. It was great!

Originally I had only planned to go the one day (today), but the experience was so fun and painless (much less crowded and far less waiting than I had expected) that I might actually go back again tomorrow just to people watch and to find out who was voted this year's Gold Grand Prix winner.

2015 Japanese Population Census

The Japanese national population census is taken once every five years in October. The previous one was done in 2010, so this year, 2015, is another census year.

There is a very helpful webpage made by the Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications that provides information in Japanese, English, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, and Korean: http://kokusei2015.stat.go.jp

I recommend looking through the website on your own, but here are some quick, basic facts about the census:

**All residents of Japan (as of October 1st, 2015, including non-Japanese residents) are required by law to fill out and submit a census form.**

This year is the first time the population census can (and is in fact recommended to) be submitted online.

Census Timeline:

• September 10th-12th: Census takers provide households with "A Guide to the Online Census" document and online user ID and password
• September 10th-20th: Period to fill out the census online (using a PC, smartphone, or tablet) using the provided user ID and password
• September 26th-30th: Distribution of paper census documents to households that did not complete the census online
• October 1st-7th: Deadline to submit census forms (either to census takers or by mail, depending on the municipality) 
• February 2016: Preliminary census results scheduled to be released
• October 2016: Detailed census results scheduled to be released

Beware of Fraudulent Census Takers!

• Census takers never ask you for money. They also never ask you for information such as your bank account or credit card numbers.
• Watch out for suspicious persons visiting your home and claiming to be census takers. Also beware of suspicious phone calls, e-mails or other communications. If you encounter this sort of suspicious person or communication, do not provide any information and promptly contact your municipal government to report the incident.
• Census takers wear official "Population Census Taker identification card" with them.
  *In some areas, census taking duties is assigned to building managers, and they carry "Census Taking Authorization Certification" with them.

If you would like an idea as to the type of information required for the census, see my 2010 post about "Filling out the national census form (国勢調査調査票) "

And again, the 2015 Population Census official website address: http://kokusei2015.stat.go.jp

Kusa Mochi Azuki Monaka Ice Cream Sandwich

Monaka is a popular Japanese sweet (和菓子 wagashi) traditionally "made of azuki bean filling sandwiched between two thin crisp wafers made from sticky-rice." 
(Source: TORAYA, "Types of Wagashi")

The azuki paste can also be replaced with ice cream for a delicious Japanese-style ice cream sandwich. Monaka are one of my favourite types of ice cream treats because they are relatively clean to eat and easy to split for sharing (important since my husband and I usually share food).

The standard ice cream monaka has a plain wafer and vanilla ice cream. There are many different brands, but my personal favourite is Lotte's "Monaou." The name combines the words monaka (モナカ) and ou (王=king) and means "Monaka King."

 

 

Recently, however, I discovered a Kusa Mochi Azuki Monaka--intriguing as it combined two traditional Japanese sweets (kusa mochi and monaka) with an ice cream twist.

(Mochi is a type of "rice cake" made by pounding sticky rice until it reaches a chewy, dough-like texture. Kusa mochi (草もち literally: "grass/weed mochi") is mochi made with yomogi (Japanese mugwort) which gives the mochi a distinctive green colour and slightly grassy flavour.)
Opening the package I was surprised to see the smooth texture of the wafers; it made it look much more like a traditional (non-ice-cream) monaka.

Kusa Mochi Azuki Monaka Ice Cream

regular (non-ice-cream) monaka

Biting into the monaka, rather than the slightly grass-like taste of kusa mochi, I was surprised by a faint taste of cinnamon. The exact taste is hard to describe, but I really liked it and would definitely recommend it--in fact I went out and bought another two bars shortly after first trying it.

Nameko's Adventures in Shichinohe

After enjoying cherry blossom viewing in Hirosaki and Towada, Nameko decided to check out the Tennou Azalea Festival (天王つつじまつり) at the Tennou Jinja (Shrine) in Shichinohe on May 3rd.

Of course no trip to Shichinohe would be complete without a visit to Namiki Gelato, so Nameko started off his adventures in Shichinohe with a black sesame and houji-cha double cone!

Since it was a nice day, Nameko went outside to enjoy his gelato. After finishing his cone, he admired some of the many cow statues and tractors on display outside, as well as the lovely field of canola flowers. Some people were even taking (free) tractor rides through the fields.

 

 

 After Namiki, it was onto the main event, the Tennou Azalea Festival!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nameko thoroughly enjoyed his day out in Shichinohe!

Links:
Namiki Gelato (Japanese): http://www.namiki-gelato.com

NOT Cool Japan

This is an article that caught my eye when I happened to look over my husband's shoulder as he was reading the local newspaper, TooNippo (東奥日報) on May 5th, 2015.

It's about American Republican Party Presidential candidates, Dr. Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina.

What caught my eye, though, was not the content of the article, but the title, which basically starts with (reading from right to left): "WOMAN Ms. Fiorino, BLACK PERSON Mr. Carson"

Seriously?!

I am by no means a zealot for political correctness, but I feel like the presentation of the article essentially reduced Ms. Fiorino and Mr. Carson to just the most basic of their physical characteristics.

NOT cool, Japan, not cool.

Nameko's Gudetama x Dohtonbori Cooking Adventures

On Tuesday, April 28, 2015 Nameko went to Dohtonbori, an okonomiyaki* chain restaurant because he heard that it currently has a special Gudetama collaboration campaign going on that allows you to make a dish with a "real" Gudetama. (As mentioned in an earlier post, Gudetama is one of Sanrio's newer characters, a lazy egg!)

 

But before diving into Nameko's adventures, some information about the Gudetama x Dohtonbori Collaboration Campaign!

There are 4 different sets to choose from:

A) Gudetama Tororo Pack Okonomiyaki
    ぐでたまのとろろパックお好み焼き, Gudetama grated nagaimo pack okonomiyaki

B)Gudetama no Scramble Egg Ofuton-nose Monjayaki
     ぐでたまのスクランブルエッグお布団のせもんじゃ焼き, Gudetama scrambled egg monjayaki with a blanket (bacon!) on top

C) Gudetama no Shigarami ga Ooi Kamatama-fuu Yaki-Udon
    ぐでたまのしがらみが多い釜玉風焼きうどん, Gudetama All-Tangled Up Kamatama**-Style Grilled Udon

D) Gudetama no Gyuu-Suji Gohan
    ぐでたまの牛スジごはん, Gudetama Beef Tendon Rice

(Food Terminology
*okonomiyaki = a kind of Japanese pancake/pizza made with a special batter, cabbage, egg, and a variety of different toppings; you often grill it yourself on a hot plate, although some places may make it for you; the name literally means "grilled as you like"
 **kamatama = kamatama udon is a type of udon where a raw egg is added to the hot, cooked udon)
 
Each set is 1200yen (1296yen with tax) and comes with a free Gudetama mini towel (3 different designs; selection is blind and random) and choice of one of: soft drink drink bar; medium-sized stein of beer; or vanilla ice cream. Purchase 2 sets to get a free original Dohtonbori x Gudetama tote bag!

The campaign is on from April 14-June 14, 2015. More details can be found at the Dohtonbori campaign website (Japanese only) here: http://www.dohtonbori.co.jp/gudetama/

And now onto Nameko's adventures!

Since Nameko had to get the tote bag (he's a sucker for advertising and campaigns like this), he ordered two sets, Set A (okonomiyaki) and C (Udon).

He was a little disappointed that both towels turned out to have the same design, but he was consoled by the fact that he got two of his favourite of the three designs. (Always looking on the bright side, is Nameko!)

The okonomiyaki came soon after the towels and tote bag. 

First he greased up the cooking surface and started cooking the mochi.

With the mochi cooking on the grill, he mixed up all of the ingredients in the big white bowl well and then poured it on top of the mochi, making it into a roughly plate-sized circle.

 

He then let it cook for five minutes before flipping (the store conveniently even provides a timer).

After another five minutes, he flipped it again and let it cook for a final five minutes (15min total cooking time). Once it was done cooking, he transferred it to a plate and applied a generous amount of sauce to one side. (If left on the grill, the okonomiyaki would be too hot and the egg might cook, or the sticker used for Gudetama's face might melt.)

 

After the sauce, he poured the tororo (nagaimo yam paste) onto the okonomiyaki, leaving/making a space for the egg to be added on.

He sprinkled on some nori seaweed flakes.

Using the provided spoon, he scooped just the egg yolk from the bowl and gently placed it in the center of the tororo.

Finally, he placed the Gudetama face edible sticker onto the egg yolk to complete the dish!

(Word of caution! Make sure to keep the sticker well away from the grill as it is very delicate and weak against heat. There is a white tab that you are supposed to use to remove the sticker from the backing, but it tore off (probably because the sticker was left a bit too close to the grill) and it was quite difficult to peel the sticker off of the backing without it!)

While the okonomiyaki was cooking, the udon also came, so instead of eating the okonomiyaki right away, Nameko decided to wait and cook the udon first.

The udon was simpler and quicker to cook than the okonomiyaki. First he cooked the mentaiko (spicy cod roe) on the grill, using the spatulas to cut/break it up into small pieces.

 

Once the mentaiko was heated through, he dumped the remaining contents of the big black bowl on top, add the water (in the silver kettle) and mentsuyu noodle sauce (in the little black pitcher), mixed it all up and let cook, stirring occasionally. (Nameko decided to add the water little by little, and added the mentsuyu last.)

 

 

 

 

(Here Nameko was wondering how long it would be until he could eat...)

Once the udon was cooked, he transferred it all back into the big black bowl.

 

Before adding the egg, he had to wait for the noodles to cool (so the egg wouldn't get cooked by the hot noodles), so he decided to dig into the okonomiyaki--and it was farewell Gudetama!

 

 

It looked kind of messy, but was really delicious!

After eating the okonomiyaki, the noodles had cooled to add the yolk to the noodles. And of course Gudetama's face was added at the end.

 

 

 

Sadly this Gudetama, unlike the okonomiyaki, lived a very short life and was mixed into the noodles pretty much right after the above photo was taken.

Since it seemed like a waste to just throw the egg whites out, Nameko threw the egg whites onto the grill to make a fried egg white to add to the udon. Delicious!

And that was the end of Gudetama...

But not the end of Nameko's cooking adventures! Amazingly enough, he was still hungry after the okonomiyaki and udon, so he decided to order another seasonal okonomiyaki: Midori no Gyuu-Suji Kabuki Dama (緑の牛スジ歌舞伎玉, literally, green beef tendon kabuki egg?!). (Cost: 950yen, 1026yen with tax.)

It wasn't just the basil sauce that was green, either; the batter itself was green! The staff member who
brought the okonomiyaki kindly explained that the batter was green because it had matcha in it. Anyway, Nameko had it all mixed up and cooking on the grill in no time.

 

As with the Gudetama okonomiyaki, he let it cook for 5 minutes before flipping it.

 

Let it cook for 5 minutes and then flipped it again.

 Then let it cook for a final five minutes before he added the sauce.

 

 

It was a bit overly salty, but otherwise delicious--both with and without mayonnaise (as recommended by a staff member).

But that wasn't the end of Nameko's gluttony! Since Nameko's owner had celebrated her birthday less than a week before, upon showing proof of her birth date, she was able to receive a free birthday dessert!

All in all a great cooking adventure for Nameko!