Sayonaras are sad- Part 2

Here are more pictures from Mie's Deep South Goodbye Party,　where I said goodbye to a lot of great friends!

Allison, Lauren, and I.

Lauren's still around (thank heavens!), but I had to say goodbye to Allison. I remember getting to know her better about a year ago at the JET recontracting conference, and then at the 2006 Sayonara Party. As we were talking and joking, I remember thinking, this girl is really fucking cool. My impression was totally right on, and I'll miss Mie's southernmost "deep south girl". I'm still kind of crossing my fingers that she'll be back!

Emily, Yamamoto, and Kara

Emily has left, but only temporarily. She's coming back to Japan to teach in Shiga. This will give Stan and I a great excuse to visit Shiga, and enjoy Subway and Starbucks with our favorite Georgia Peach.

Me and Jonathan

O, Jonathan! Why'd you have to leave?? Another year in Kii Nagashima may have been just what the doctor ordered!
I'll miss Jonathan a lot. I remember when I first met him two years ago, I thought that he looked too much like a pop star to be my friend. It turns out that his cool LA exterior hid a heart of gold. I'll miss our bitching sessions at the various fine establishments in Kii Nagashima. He's another one who I'm expecting to make his way back to Japan before long!

Me, Katie, and Marisa

Marisa's Japanese is amazing, as is her ability to replicate Japanese anime theme songs at karaoke! I hope she'll be happy back in Chicago!
My dear, dear Katie. I'll miss her so much! Katie is one of the kindest people I have ever met. She's one of those people whom make you feel all warm and fuzzy when you're around them...and the girl was always up for karaoke!! I was so happy that she joined the Habitat for Humanity team this year! I still giggle when I think how Katie would say "Thanks, love" even while passing heavy Philippino bricks!

Melissa and I

O, Spooner (aka Melissa)! She's not leaving, but I like this picture of us. Spooner's neurotic quirks, her willigness to drive 3 hours for a party, and her work ethic in the Philippines have endeared her to me.　She's always welcome to a futon at Stan's house!

Delicious kiwi chuhai

I had never had a "nama" fruit chuhai before. Nama means raw in Japanese, so you get a piece of fruit which you juice into your drink. Wow! It takes chuhais to a while new level! I highly recommend it.

Fumiko and Jonathan. A match made in heaven?!

After dinner we moved the party to a small karaoke snack bar called Fumiko's. Fumiko was an absolutely hilarious host. She sang along a lot and clapped her hands,　and the woman was absolutely IN LOVE with Jonathan! She kept yelling "KAWAII" in her husky, too many chuhais and cigarettes, voice. As soon as she got a chance to hug him,　she wrapped her arms around him and looked like she was in ecstasy.

I got involved with a project called "Blogging by Mail" recently. I sent a package of some of my favorite things to
Rachel, and I received a package of favorite things from Jen!
Thank you so much, Jen! Your package exceeded any expectations I had!


My AMAZING package from Jen


I got delicious teas, flavored sugar and salt, an adorable strawberry stamp (which I will use in my classes),　boston baked beans, scented candles, Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap (I love that stuff!), a Ray Bradbury book, dried lavender, FREEZE DRIED STRAWBERRIES, and more!!!!
It was such a great combination, and her box contained so many things that I am excited about. I had a big smile on my face as soon as I opened it!

Jen's website, , has lots of delicious recipes on it, so I tried one out last week. I made Lemon Blueberry granita. It was my first time eating or making granita, and it was delicious! Mine turned out a bit too sweet, because I couldn't find 100% blueberry juice, but I adjusted it by adding a bit more lemon juice. I highly recommend trying this out. It's so easy!


Lemon Blueberry Granita

If you're interested in checking out Blogging By Mail next year, go to The Happy Sorceress!
Happy blogging!!

Thank you, Vanessa! Another one of your delicious "Vanesscipes" has made my tummy happy as can be!
I decided that it was Stan's turn to cook for me on Friday, and I pointed him in the direction of two great looking recipes: Corn Pudding with Roasted Tomatoes.
The pudding reminded Stan of fresh creamed corn. We both agreed that it was sweet, creamy and delicious. The tomatoes were tart and flavorful. When you put the tomatoes on top of the pudding and ate them together, they were wonderful!!!
We also had sandwiches, but I didn't get a decent picture!




And here's the adorable chef...

Look closely at this picture. There is a small area between the sink and the stove that Stan's thin body is blocking. That sliver of space is the entirety of Stan's counter space! It's just over a foot wide! He lives in an average-sized Japanese house, and has approximately one foot of counter space. How can you cook for one or two people with that much counter space, let alone a whole family! Oh,　how I hate　Japanese kitchens!!!!!

Sayonaras are sad.

It's that time of year in a JETs life, when half their friends move away!
Yuck! Last year I only had one close friend leaving, but now there are so many.
The above picture is from the "Deep South" Sayonara Party, i.e. Mie's Deep South.

There's a typhoon hitting Japan this weekend, which means that all my plans have been cancelled...and I couldn't be happier (about the staying home part)!
There have been evacuations and injuries in Kyushu. While the typhoon will be passing through Mie, it looks like I'm not in any immediate danger.

I have been sitting around with Stan all weekend. And it's a long weekend in Japan, which means that I've got two more days of this heaven left!

We went shopping on Friday night and then did a little supplementary shopping today.
Poor Stan's fridge just can't handle groceries for more than two days. It's pitiful and tiny and we both hate it. Thank God we only have to feed ourselves!


All of you out there with full-sized fridges, count your blessings!

But back to the real story...
I found tortillas at a foreign food store this week, so last night was "Mini Burrito Night"!!!!!!!! Mini burritos may sound like nothing special to you, but I haven't been able to find tortillas in months! They were sooooo good. We were deliriously happy and full!

This morning Stan made me whole wheat, banana-chocolate pancakes. Good man!
For lunch he made me toasted sandwiches. Another good move!
For dinner I made our new favorite comfort food, Kimchi Yakisoba!

In between all this stuffing my face, I have been enjoying citrus white wine spritzers and watching downloaded TV programs! I downloaded the whole second season of "Top Chef", and Stan and I have been having a "Top Chef" marathon! I've also been catching up on "Men in Trees".

I'm looking forward to another heavenly, lazy day tomorrow! I hope your weekend is as great as mine!

I made a killer dinner for Stan and I last week.
I have been trying to spend less time sweating over the stove, because it's been so hot in Japan. So, we had salad and sandwiches. I can't seem to resist torturing myself with that stove, so there was a small amount of broiling involved!

Our sandwiches had basil mayonnaise, which I made with mayo, fresh basil, lemon juice and salt and pepper; fresh mozzarella; some melted Japanese "mix cheese", fresh, sliced tomatoes; sauteed onions; broiled asparagus and broiled red peppers (not shown in photo). These sandwiches were SO good! Stan loved the mayonnaise so much that he wanted to dip bread in it. My mouth is watering just remembering it! I also made one of these sandwiches to take in my bento for the next day. The only slight problem was that the asparagus was hard to bite, so I might cut it into smaller pieces next time!

The sandwich


I decided to get creative with the salad, and use some of the Japanese ingredients that are readily available here. Let me see if I can remember what I put in it...
I used mizuna, some Korean greens (forgot the name), sliced cucumbers, shredded daikon, shredded carrots, a block of fried tofu cut into small pieces, and boiled peanuts. We used Japanese sesame dressing on top. It was an awesome salad! The boiled peanuts were soooo good. I bought some a few days later and just ate them for a snack. Even Stan, who isn't usually crazy about salads, ate a big bowl! Success!

The salad

Tofu kimchi Yakisoba

I made a super yummy dinner for Stan and I tonight!
We had Tofu Kimchi Yakisoba and shredded carrot salad. Yakisoba is Japanese fried noodles. I got the recipes out of "Juugofun de gohan" (Meals in 15 minutes). The original yakisoba recipe called for pork, but I substituted tofu and added in gochujang, because I wanted something spicy! Check it out!


Shredded Carrot Salad (Ninjin sarada)
1 carrot
1 Tbs vegetable or olive oil
1/2 tablespoon of rice vinegar
1 Tsp of Japanese mustard
Sugar, salt, black pepper to taste

Shred the carrots using a slicer. Try to make the pieces 3-4cm long.
Mix the other ingredients into a dressing. Then toss the carrot in the dressing. Voila!

Tofu Kimchi Yakisoba
2 servings of yakisoba style noodles (These usually come precooked in plastic bags.)
1 package of age tofu (fried tofu)
150 grams of bean sprouts
50 grams of nira (garlic chives/Chinese chives/Chinese leeks)
80 grams of cabbage kimchi
1 Tsp of sesame oil
1 Tbs of soy sauce
1 Tbs of olive oil
gochujang to taste

Wash the bean sprouts using a sieve and a bowl of water.
Cut the nira into 4cm pieces. Cut the kimchi into approximately 1~1.5 cm pieces.
Cut the tofu into cubes.
Sautee the tofu and a spoonful of gochujang over medium heat for about 3~5 minutes.
Add the sesame oil, bean sprouts, and kimchi. Sautee ingredients over medium heat for 2~4 minutes. Add the noodles and stir.
Add the nira and sautee for just a couple of minutes more. At any point, add more gochujang for taste. Eat and enjoy!