Tonami Tulip Festival

Today we went to the tonami tulip festival about 45 mins away in Tonami. Tonami is known for Tulips and we got to see it in all it's glory today.

How you know you're lifting in Japan

-Bow before and after lifting when coming into/leaving the main lifting area to/from the hallway to the locker rooms.

-Mirrors are too short, can only see half your body

-Not enough weight on the machines

-A lot more older people

-Towels on every machine and every mat on the ground

-Sign up sheet for treadmills/ellipticals and each has an hour time limit

-What is a super set (doesn't exist over here)

-Lockers - every locker has a spot for a 100 yen coin and you have to put the coin in to be able to lock the locker and get the key out to take with you

-If you get up from your machine to stretch/get a drink, even if you leave your water bottle/towel/workout notebook right next to it, the machine will be taken.

-If you are waiting for a bench/machine you need to basically be on top of the person who is using it to get your turn. I have been waiting for a machine before (from a distance of 5 or so feet, waiting patiently for the person to finish and wipe the machine down, clearly showing my interest in the machine and that I was to be next) when someone barely let the person finish and cut right in front of me. It's not the only time it's happened either.

-There is no such thing as working in. I of course wouldn't be able to ask as I don't have the language skills necessary to be able to ask, but I have never seen a Japanese person do it either.

Mexican food in Japan and more great translations

This weekend we are on the road.  We got lucky and found a Mexican restaurant. The menu of course was in Japanese but there was also some English/Spanish.......or a google translated version of the two. It's always fun to look at the menu and see what you can find.

The mexcan (should be Mexican)

Sum vegetables - is that slang?

Beef Taguitos - should be beef taquitos

Please choose a fabric (should be choose a shell type)

Flower (should be flour)

What is a bucket plane?

This is what a taco looked like - looks like something off a tv show and was good too!

And lastly doesn't this sound good, or at least interesting?

Yakiniku

This is a photo "tour" of our Yakiniku meal that one of the sponsors took us out for 1.5 weeks ago. Thank you again for the meal, it was great.

Yakiniku (pronounce yah-key-knee-koo) is a popular Japanese meal. You go to a restaurant that has a grill built into the center of the table. The wait staff then brings you meat (and veggies if you'd like) to grill by yourself on the grill. And just if you're wondering the meat you get isn't thick pieces like a steak they are cut really thin and cook quite fast (although you can order a thicker cut steak if you want but it isn't the norm). Different Yakiniku places are different in that some charge you per plate of food ordered while others are one price for all-you-can-eat. It's very good!

And so we begin......

When you sit down there are little sauce trays with 3 different sauces in them. 

There was some sort of salt, a lemon sauce, and a beef sauce

For our meal the other night we started out with a little bowl of cooked and cut up beef.

Right after the little bowl of beef they brought out some kimuchi (pronounced kim-chee). It is veggies with a hot/spicy flavorful sauce (sometimes quite spicy, sometimes not too bad. I'm not much of a spicy-liking person but I tend to like this). Somebody said it is a Korean thing, but I have seen it often here in Japan.

Many times at Yakiniku you start out with a plate of beef tounge, cut into thin little pieces (we have had this on a number of occasions and it is not bad. Sometimes it can get a little chewy, but it's alright)

This time after the kimuchi they brought out a big plate of veggies with some chicken and pork to get us started. Except for the first little bowl of cut up beef that we were given all the meat and veggies you get are raw and you cook it to your liking. Whether you like your meat a little red or if you a brown-is-cooking-black-is-done kind of person you can grill it how you want).

Then they brought out the big plate of beef, with different kinds/cuts of beef. This is what we were there for.

While we were eating our beef they brought us out little bowls of rice if we wanted them

Then they brought out a big steak. The steak was pre-cut into thick strips. If you have ever heard of Kobe beef you probably think of super tender, marbled, expensive, melt-your-mouth-beef. That's what this was and it was delicious.

We didn't have it this time at our table (I have tried it in the past and it wasn't that bad, just chewy) but the other table that was  with us ordered a plate of intestines.

After we finished with the meat/veggie/rice/kimuchi they said we could order dessert. We were all too full this time but past desserts have included ice cream, a pineapple sorbet that was served in half of a hallowed out pineapple shell, pieces of cake or a gelatin dessert. 

If you are ever in Japan I would highly recommend that you try Yakiniku. Not only is it great food but it is great experience too. I would say it is very popular with the Japanese people and something very common when going out to eat.

If you get the chance to go, let me know how it is and how you like it.

Thank you again for taking us out, it was great!

Post game gift

I have mentioned it before in one of my posts that the Japanese culture is a gift giving culture. People will sometimes give you gifts after the game. The fans here in Toyama have been especially nice to the girls and we have been very fortunate to have the fans welcome us and be so kind and giving to us this year.

Today was the last game of the regular season and as I was going to get on the bus some of the fans gave me different gifts. I was given some chocolate bars, snack rolls, energy drink and 2 cokes. Thought the cokes were kind of cool as the caps spelled:

Good Ego (english)

We are on the road this weekend so that means another stop at the highway rest stop/restaurant/rest area. And, more great English sayings on the boxes of sweets there.

And two things I don't think we have in the states: some sort of black (maybe sesame?) pudding and pretzels covered in a sugary grape coating.

No....."smoking"

This weekend we are on the road for our last home games of the regular season. We are staying in a hotel and one of the floors here is a "no smoking" floor