Cross Border_at home at Ryokan » Kanazawa

Lennon – my hide out

e-bantou — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:31:15 +0000

YEBISU draft beer - one of the best Japanese beer

Today's Tsukidashi - welcome small dish

Today's special - stir-fried summer vegetables

Fried Nankotsu - Deep-fried Chicken Cartilage

The most delicious Lennon dish - Mr. Master

- Extracted article from last year-

My hide-out in Kanazawa

It is a little tiny place on narrow side street of Higasiyama Teahouse area.
People usually don’t realize it because it dose not show big sign.
Even if people realize it, they would surely hesitate to enter it.
It has some kind of atmosphere to prevent people from entering.
But once you enter the inside, you feel cozy and relax and stay there longer than you expect.
It is really an unusual place.
I drink beer there – the best beer in Kanazawa.
I eat special egg called “Dashimaki”-the best “Dashimaki” in Kanazawa.

I sometimes have Tohfu dish called “Yudohfu”-the best of best.
Fish is always very fresh.
Tempura is very good.
Everything is very fine and comes with LOVE!
I don’t tell you the name of place.
That’s because it is my hide-out!

Kanazawa is known worldwide! Our city is mentioned in a new German game.

e-bantou — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:30:17 +0000

One of the most prominent gathering of game authors in the world was held in Göttingen, Germany recently. Amongst more than 160 new games presented here one board game chose Kanazawa as venue for an “expat adventure”.

Visitors and game authors expressed their high appreciation for the idea and the clear design of this game. The test-players were keen to find out more about Kanazawa, the venue of one of the adventures in the game.

The author Mr. Bastian Broer explains the game

It mentions several worldwide famous big cities such as New York, London and Paris etc.. Kanazawa was nominated one of them! Other nominated Japanese cities were Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima. That’s all.

We asked the author of the game, Mr. Bastian Broer why he chose Kanazawa in his new game.

Visitors enjoy the new game

KANAZAWA is mentioned in Newly invented German Game, EXPAT-ADVENTURE

Here is what Mr. Broer replies “I was invited to visit Kanazawa last summer. Kanazawa left so many wonderful impressions on me, that I can only recommend this surprisingly charming Japanese city to everyone visiting Japan. It is in the reminiscence of the wonderful times full of enjoyment in Kanazawa, that I deliberately mention Kanazawa in the game.

I’d be really delighted, if a German expat-family living in Japan will pay a visit to Kanazawa due to having first known this lovely city through my game.”

Visit Kanazawa!

e-bantou — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:06:33 +0000

Kanazawa city landscape and culture, such as Noh, Japanese sweets, Garden and more.

Recommended night snack or meal in Katamachi area

admin2 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:23:05 +0000

According to Kikunoya Ryokan in Kanazawa, there is a unique place called “Yaho”.
“Yaho” is not a name of anything, but people just call that Japanese light meal bar “Yaho”.

That’s because the master of that bar only speaks “Yaho”.
“Yaho” itself doesn’t mean anything.
No matter what words you speak to him, he only says “Yaho”.
“Yaho” is the only word people say there.
Incredible, right?

So if you are a foreigner and don’t speak any Japanese just go there and say “Yaho”.

“Yaho” mainly serves “ochazuke” which is a simple but traditional Japanese dish made by pouring green tea, dashi, or hot water over cooked rice roughly.

“Yaho” opens around 10pm.

*******************************

Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kanazawa

e-bantou — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:14:27 +0000

The reason why I went to Tokyo this time was to see my time honored friend from Canada for the first time in 7 years and his wife in 19 years and their two daughters totally for the first time.
Anyway after having a good and crazy time in Tokyo, I took a Johestsu Shinkansen from Tokyo station to Echigoyuzawa where I changed it to Hakutaka express train. It took exactly 4 hours from Tokyo to Kanazawa and it cost 12,710 yen.
I personally prefer the train to the overnight bus.

Highway Bus from Kanazawa to Tokyo

e-bantou — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:12:36 +0000

I went to Tokyo last Friday by JR Highway bus.
It was an overnight bus and totally full of passengers.
It costs only 7000 something yen, almost a half price of train or airplane.
Is it comfortable?
I am sorry I don’t think so.
My bus departed at 10pm at Kanazawa Station and arrived at Tokyo Station at 6:30 and there I met my long long time Chinese brother (friend).
Then we went to Sauna in Ginza together.
We took a nice hot bath and refreshed and relaxed on a couch and of course had couple of nice beer and had a nice talk for few hours.
It costs only 2000 yen and you can stay there as long as you want.
People usually take a nap for few hours there. Anyway that’s how my Tokyo journey started this time.

Asanogawa River

e-bantou — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:09:33 +0000

I live near the Asanogawa river. It is also called Woman’s river.
I sometimes go there just for a walk and sit down for a while.
My favorite spot is between the Asanogawa Oohashi bridge and the Umenohashi bridge.
You can hear the sound of stream and watch the traditional old houses.
You feel surely calm down there.
Last Summer I used to go there almost every evening with some books and beer and foods.

Sunday English Club in Kanazawa

e-bantou — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:13:41 +0000

I have some students who want to learn English from me. I used to teach it at my place privately, but I thought it is much more efficient if I do it in a small group. Students themselves help each other and stimulate each other and I think that’s the way they learn English more quickly and enjoyable.

I have such an English club meeting at least once a week irregularly at my office in Minami-cho. Yesterday 70 something years old woman joined our English meeting for the first time. Her English was good, actually better than most of our members. One of the young members said impressively after the meeting that she made his motivation for learning English higher. That’s really something what I aimed.

Now I am planning to have a bigger meeting or party for both Sunday English Meeting members and the foreigners in Kanazawa. In doing so, I guess both of them can learn a lot more and stimulate each other in a positive way.

If you are interested in such an occasion, please let me know by simply sending e-mail to me relief@crossxborder.com.

Ishiguro, the Kappou (culinary art)

e-bantou — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:07:50 +0000

Ishiguro is my #2 hide-out that I wrote here couple of days ago.
I went there again for lunch just now.
I did not speak even single word there as usual as I wrote here.
Today’s only one kind lunch box was grilled flatfish and boiled eggplant with some beef and some vinegared sea foods.
It comes of course with rice and miso soup.
Miso soup is a simple stuff and everywhere you can have but you can really tell the level of restaurant from it.
The master of Ishiguro has a serious strict face always.
His wife is very sweet and tender and polite which makes their customers very relax.
Ishiguro is a very unusual restaurant, because very few people know it in spite of their high level culinary art.
Even if I google it with many possible key words, it hardly shows up anything.
I am sure they don’t want to be famous or popular.
But they are very famous and popular in me and I am proud of it.

“TAKOYAKI” Octopus Dumpling in Kanazawa

e-bantou — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 00:05:57 +0000

I am not that crazy about “Takoyaki”, octopus dumpling, but most of Japanese people love it so that you can find a “Takoyaki” shop quite a few in town.
The “Takoyaki” shop I like most is called “Gindako” in the basement of M’ZA department store in Musashi area.
I sometimes buy “Takoyaki” there and bring it back to my place and eat it with hot green tea or cold beer. It costs about 500 yen for one plate that has about 10 dumplings.
One thing you have to be careful when you buy “Takoyaki” is that they might ask you many questions such as if you want mayonnaise or hot spicy source or green laver and so on. Sometimes it is annoying me!