Back Home!!

I love Japan. But, honestly . . . there is no place like home. Especially when the entirety of this trip was spent in Tokyo, home to over 9 million people, all of whom braved the heat and decided to frequent the places that we were at. 

Sorry, but I hardly took any photos. In fact, my sistahs took more pictures than me. My Fuji camera, even though is maybe one-third of the weight of my precious Canon which I did lug around with me on previous trips, seemed burdensome and mostly stayed back in the hotel room.

BUT I DID SHOP!!  And as usual I have set aside some omiyage for a lucky winner of my omiyage giveaway. Here are some of the items.

The package on the left is yawarakai (soft) ika (squid). Dried salmon and a couple packages of my mom's favorite kaki mochi (rice crackers) are on the right. Don't worry, my mom got a can all to herself.


This is a bag of miso soup mix . . . a variety of freeze-dried ingredients for you to throw into your home-made miso soup.


When I first saw this dove cookie last year I wasn't impressed, but after our tour guide passed out samples for us to try . . . ho boy . . . I was hooked. I like it a LOT.


I also like this shoyu. This is Kikkoman brand and the type is called Marudaizu Shoyu. To me it's milder yet more flavorful than the shoyu that I'm used to.  Here's an explanation that I found online: 

Unlike other soy sauces, which are made from a combination of whole and defattened soy beans, marudaizu soy sauces are made only with whole soy beans. They have a milder yet more complex flavour than standard koikuchi sauces, and are normally more expensive. These soy sauces are best enjoyed as a condiment for sushi or sashimi.


Of course I had to come back with some dried ume, although I'm trying to cut down on my salt (ahem). I like this one a lot because it's a bit moist.


OMG, this rayu is da bomb. "Rayu" is a chili oil and "kikurage" is that kinda crunchy cloud ear mushroom thing. Put it on your rice or, if you're trying to cut down on your rice, then put it on your tofu. Either way, after taking a bite, you'll look up to heaven and say "thank you".  Hahahaha!!


Remember this from back in the day? Each of the three colors represents a different flavor . . . although they tasted the same to me. The seller let me sample each and told me what the flavors were, but sorry, I forget. 


Okay, you noticed . . . Lee Kum Kee . . . not exactly made in Japan. But it's kochujang paste . . . in a tube. How convenient, right?  


We visited a Hokkaido antenna shop where I got this melon chew candy. I have no idea why these regional shops are called "antenna" shops, but I like how they carry goods from specific regions.


Of course I had to include a prize from a gachapon machine for you. 


There are more small-kine items in the giveaway box, but if you want to see them, you gotta win!

To enter, just leave a comment here or email me at JalnaA@aol.com.  I'll announce the winner in a week, next Sunday October 21. 

Good luck!!