Food from Hiroshima and More

I couldn't leave Japan without stopping to get something good to eat. And with the Yurakucho Line being the train I took from Ikebukuro Station to Gokoku-ji, Ginza-itchome Station was not a problem to get to. Once again I bought a few things at TAU Hiroshima.

Walking back through Ikebukuro Station, I had to enjoy the flowers.

Very pretty but that price, and I don't know if customs in the US would allow it.

I actually enjoyed a couple MR. waffles on another day. This Belgian Liege waffle was almond.

And this unusual Belgian Liege waffle was not green tea. It was mung beans and a springtime Japanese vegetable that I do not remember. Nanohana maybe?

I did enjoy on my last day a couple of the treats I bought at the local market, when I went there during the snow day. I found a little Mont Blanc pudding!

This was a nice find since a lot of the food shops were closed due to the virus. I couldn't resist enjoying one of the really big strawberries with it.

Yes someone inspired me to try this. And it was delicious.

I was also really happy to find little fresh tomatoes.

I enjoyed them on a 7-Eleven Caesar salad. They were sweet, acidic and juicy. So good!

Remembering the oysters I ate at TAU Hiroshima last year. What a wonderful meal that was. Canned oysters are not quite the same, but these drenched in Setouchi lemon were really good.

One last izakaya moment, enjoying the oysters with that nice sake that I always get.

Just a few things that made it home with me. I saw this and wanted to try it. Hiroshima Oyster flavored yakisoba. Along with a bottle of Setoda Lemon Ale from Yamaguchi Narutaki Kogen Brewery. This was a really good pairing.

I love how Japanese instant foods have drawing so you know how to prepare it.

Fun feature is this little steam vent grate that you open up after you put hot water in.

Of course always make sure to take out the seasoning packet before putting the water in.

I added a little cabbage. This was actually tasty and made me wish I had bought more. Having this to eat after my long flights home was a really good idea. And those flights are the subject of my next blog post. Because it was definitely different this trip.

Seeking Kaminarimon

Since I was in Asakusa, I decided to get a few more photos for that map. Like the time when I was here before, there were rickshaw. It was good to see there were a lot more female drivers now. 

I believe this reads as "Thunder Gate East Section (or Side)". Which is where I wanted to be. Just thought I would show the misters being used to try to cool things down.

And there is the Thunder Gate. Kaminarimon. And a lot of tourists.

The outer gate of Senso-ji Temple was the reason I came here. Originally commissioned around the year 942. It has been rebuilt a number of times because of the many fires that have happened in Tokyo. This current gate was built in 1960. 

As for my current day visit it's because some of the most popular photos of Kami were taken here.

Plus the fact that Kaminarimon is very impressive. The Nio statues guard the temple grounds. This is the god of thunder, Raijin.

And this is the god of wind, Fujin. The gate is 11.7 meters high, so the Nio statues are not small.

The 3.9 meter high chochin (lantern) hangs in the middle. It reads "Thunder Gate".

The underneath wood dragon carving is of another protector of the temple. Definitely look for it if you ever go here.

The back of the gate holds two more statues. They represent dragon gods. This is Tenryu, the heavenly dragon. They were enshrined here in 1978.

This is Kinryu, the golden dragon. The reason for dragons, besides protecting the area, comes from the story of how Kannon Bosatsu became enshrined here. It's a story that is similar to other shrines. Two fishermen were out fishing when a statue became caught in their nets. It was of the Kannon. At that time, a golden dragon appeared in the water. Thus the golden dragon is believed to be the protector of Senso-ji, and the reason for it's full name, Kinryu-zan Senso-ji. Kinryu is golden dragon.

Looking at the back of the chochin. 

And speaking of tourists...

It's the very popular Nakamise Shopping Street. What I didn't notice at the time are the little komainu roof tiles at the roof peaks. Senso-ji is very well protected.

Since I had been to Senso-ji before, and it was extremely crowded, I went to my right instead of staying on Nakamise. Jumbo melon pan anyone?

Along with very fresh fruit.

Which was really delicious.

I headed back to the station through covered shopping streets. I did stop to appreciate this morning glory. That and the fruit were a nice way to end this day.

Aloha Hawaii

Aloha in Hawaiian means hello and good bye. But before I get to my last day in Hawaii, I want to share a few food things. 

Like this super cute honu green turtle melon bread filled with azuki bean paste. I found him at Nijiya Market and I suspect he originated from Watanabe Bakery. So cute and delicious! He even had a little tail. Stopping in at Nijiya was worth it.

I did find saimin noodles at the convention. Something I noticed about a lot of the food was much of it was salty. Maybe because of the heat it is a way to replace salt in the body?

I know sandwiches aren't that exciting. But I just had to compare Hawaii's version of egg salad with Japan's. I found these in a shop at the first floor of the hotel. They were actually pretty good. Sometimes I go with this for breakfast since it's easier. 

Fresh fruit! Cantaloupe, grapes and pineapple. I may have found this at the Ala Moana Center, a large shopping mall next to the hotel. I spent a little time looking around there. Since most of the restaurants were American chain places, I opted out of that. I finally found a food court that had places that locals recommended. One place had a good Caesar salad that I enjoyed for lunch one day.

 Also in the mall I found Honolulu Cookie Company. Yes I gave into temptation.

The cute pineapple shortbread cookies are not easy to resist. Some have dried fruit in the center. 

My favorites were the chocolate dipped cookies. Such temptation.

I also stopped at LUSH at the mall. Where I discovered they had a number of the Harajuku bath bombs. I bought a couple more including the butterfly.

Just a photo of the moon the night before I left. My room did have a decent view. 

And a pretty sky the next morning as I headed to the airport.

Time for lunch so I stopped at Makai Plantation.

Gave myself a bit of a treat with unagi nigiri which was delicious.

And I indulged in their ahi poké. It was just as good as the first time I ate it. No Blue Hawaiian this time. I was being good.  

And finally on my plane and headed back to the Mainland. One last look at the blues and greens of the Islands. 

 Waikiki Beach and beyond. 

 Diamond Head and beautiful water.

 Remembering I drove all the way along this south coast.

The Koko Crater area. It's so beautiful when you get away from all the concrete buildings and such. 

Aloha Hawaii. 

And back to Portland International Airport and the jellyfish case. 

Before I left I couldn't help but indulge in a couple purchases. 

Seriously, anyone who likes cookies would find it hard to pass this up. 

Along with a bag of Mongoose Kona coffee. This smelled so good. And the taste was wonderful.

So that's the last of my Hawaii blog posts. Thanks for sticking with me if you read all of them. Next up is a return to Tokyo. Because it's difficult for me to stay away.