annown: September 2010

Bizenyaki pottery (for mom!)

備前焼

I am paying one of my all too few visits to Australia this Christmas to visit my parents. Having had a few heated moments with mom on the phone in the past couple of months (over the topic of gay marriage!), I had it in my mind to bring some kind of peace offering, but left it for later.

Then two days later, all of a sudden, while doing web research for an article on ceramics, I found myself on the website of bizenyaki-so.com ("Bizenyaki Warehouse") and my eye was immediately captured by a Bizenyaki vase of breathtaking elegance and the classic rich autumnal colors of bizenyaki ware.

Bizen is the former name of Japan's Okayama prefecture, and bizenyaki (yaki meaning "firing") comes from the village of Imbe in Okayama. The clay there is high in iron content making it unreceptive to glazing, and giving it the rusty colors visible here.

This particular vase is from the Konishi Touko （小西陶古) kiln, the second piece I have bought from this kiln. It is 24cm high, and came meticulously and very securely packed in a custom-made wooden box, the lid firmly tied down with an ingenious knot that I am unable to retie the same way.

Like almost any product of traditional techniques in Japan, bizenyaki is not particularly cheap, this item having set me back 31,000 yen. However, there are some things that the eye demands that the hand reach for, and situations where elegant gifts miraculously eliminate friction.

Few companies selling high quality traditional products in Japan are willing to deal directly with overseas customers, mainly because of the language barrier. GoodsFromJapan offers a reasonably priced goods purchase proxy service for those living outside Japan who wish to make purchases in Japan. GoodsFromJapan has years of experience and hundreds of satisfied customers. Don't hesitate to use its services if, like me, you see something Japanese that just has to be had.

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Rausu Shiretoko Peninsula

羅臼

The small village of Rausu on the south eastern side of the Shiretoko Peninsula has a population of just over 6,000 people and is much quieter than Utoro on the opposite side of the peninsula. Rausu's Konbumachi is famous for konbu, a thick kind of seaweed used in Japanese cooking.

There are a few onsen hotels and a number of smaller minshuku (traditional inns) in Rausu, which also has a campsite.

There are whale watching tours in season departing from the town's fishing port and it's possible to hike to Rausu-dake - a challenging climb.

Tour boats leave from Utoro port to sail up and down the Shiretoko Peninsula.

It is 30km to Utoro on the other coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula through the Shiretoko Pass on the Shiretoko Odan Road when it is open for traffic in the summer months. There are buses all year to Kushiro (3 hours, 30 minutes). Rausu is around 70 km northeast from Nakashibetsu Airport, which has flights to Haneda and Chitose.

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Sherry and Red Wine, Tomato Soup

Yesterday my husband and I decided to enjoy the "cold" weather that Texas has been enjoying by cooking our traditional winter menu... tomato soup and sandwiches! It was sooo good, but to tell you the truth it needs to get colder for it! It is super easy to make serves 4 - 6 people, it takes around an hour to make...

Ingredients

8 large tomatoes
salt and pepper
Olive Oil
12 - 15 thyme stalks
10 - 12 garlic cloves
1 shallot
1 medium red onion
1 tbs of chopped oregano
1 tbs of chopped basil
1/2 cups of chicken stock
1 shot of sherry
1 shot of red wine
1/2 small can of tomato paste

Preparation

Pre heat the oven 350 degrees.
Cut the tomatoes and garlic cloves in big chunks, place them in a large sauce pan, drizzle with salt, pepper and olive oil. Also sprinkle the chopped herbs and mix, bake for 30 minutes.

In a separate medium frying pan chop the red onion and shallot, drizzle olive oil and saute for around 4 minutes, add a little bit of chopped thyme for flavor... when the onions are lightly brown remove from the heat and wait for the tomatoes to come out of the oven.

Add some of the chicken broth and the tomatoes in the big pan and stir while keeping it over medium heat. Let it simmer and add some more chicken broth, until the tomatoes star falling apart, add the sherry, wine and tomato paste, let it reduce for 20 minutes.

Place the mix in the blender and puree... serve hot in a bowl, with garlic croutons.

Comune Karlson Tea Party

Go to the Comune blog to see pics from the show. Click here.

John showing his love to Nelson.

Utoro Hokkaido

ウトロ (宇登呂)

Utoro is the main tourist town and fishing port giving access to Shiretoko National Park on the western coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula.

The town offers some good restaurants right next to the harbor, known for their very fresh seafood including salmon roe, Hokkaido crabs and local sea urchins. There are plenty of traditional minshuku and ryokan in town, many of them with onsen.

The Oronkoiwa Rock behind the harbor gives a good view of the town (see above) and can easily be climbed. There is also a ski slope further in the mountains behind Utoro.

Tour boats leave from Utoro port to sail up and down the Shiretoko Peninsula.

Utoro is connected by bus with JR Shiretoko Shari Station (50 minutes) along National Highway 334 and Memanbetsu Airport (2 hours, 20 minutes). It is 30km to Rausu on the east coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula through the Shiretoko Pass on the Shiretoko Odan Road when it is open for traffic in the summer months.

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Odakyu Department Store Shinjuku Tokyo

小田急百貨店　新宿

The Odakyu Department Store in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward is the most imposing sight on the western side of Shinjuku Station, with its 14 stories and sporting a soaring tower-like feature in attractive adobe-colored gradations. It is part of the Odakyu group which runs the railway that goes as far west as the north of the Izu peninsula, and whose Shinjuku station is inside the same complex. The group also operates Odakyu Department Stores in Tokyo's Tamachi and Fujisawa.

Odakyu Shinjuku has 14 floors above ground and two below, all but five of them stocking merchandise. Most of the department store is for women, but there are international boutiques on the first (ground) floor, restaurants on the 12th, 13th, and 14th floors, a men’s department on the 7th floor, a department for “babies, kids and teens” (the “teens” bit being largely wishful thinking!) on the 9th floor, books, stationery and fine art on the 10th floor, and – best till last – food galore on the B2 floor.

The shopping is, as the above suggests, matronly, but matronly is fine when it comes to food. The food floor of the Odakyu Department Store is no match for that of the Isetan Department Store on the east side of Shinjuku Station for elegance and spaciousness, but Odakyu is worth it as an example of milling, old-fashioned market-style cacophony.

The B1 floor is the Shinjuku station underpass, but is also a hive of commercial activity with small shops here and there, and retailers and craftsmen often selling their wares in hired spaces.

Odakyu Department Store was established in 1962 on the site of what is now its annex, HALC. HALC is dominated by the electronic and home appliance megastore, Bic Camera. B2, B1, 1F and 2F of the Odakyu Department Store have walkways to the HALC annex.

There can often be seen a mendicant monk begging for alms at one of the entrances of Odakyu. There is sometimes a Japanese right-wing truck parked out front haranguing shoppers.

The space in front of Odakyu is a large open bus station. Right across from the entrance to Odakyu you can see the shiny, tapered space-age Shinjuku Mode Gakuen tower.

Odakyu Department Store is open from 10am to 8.30pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 8pm on Sundays and public holidays.

The 13th and 14th restaurant floors are open from 11am to 10.30pm, and the 12th restaurant floor from 11am to 10pm.

The store is closed on January 1.

1-1-3 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-8001. Tel. 03-3342-1111
Google Map

Read the full guide to Shinjuku shopping.

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Comune/The Speed Merchant Kicker Pedal

The Speed Merchant collaborated with Comune to deliver the signature piece for the 2nd Annual Karlson Tea Party in Costa Mesa. Only six were made and given to a select few.

Product pics by Mark Kawakami. The Speed Merchant

Nagoya Friends @ WINC Aichi THIS SUNDAY! 10/3

Nagoya Friends 95th party in Nagoya!

Date: Sunday October 3rd, 2010
Time: 18:30 - 22:00 3.5 hours!!!
Drinks will be served between 6:30pm-9:00pm.
Place: WINC AICHI Building 5F　〒450-0002
4　Cho-me　4-38 Meieki Nakamura-ku Nagoya (very close to Nagoya Station)
Fee: First 30 foreigners ￥2,000 ￥2,500 RESERVED ￥3,000 AT THE DOOR
Dress code: Anything (Casual, etc)
Reservations: Not necessary but recommended and appreciated. Just show up to the party!

There will be free food along with free drinks (beers, wine, cocktail drinks and juices).
Our party is not a dinner party, but we will have light food & snacks.
Quantities are limited, so please come early! Please free to come alone or bring your friends.
EVERYBODY is welcome to join regardless of nationality/gender. Reservation is greatly appreciated.
About 125-150+ people are expected to attend. Approximately 55% female and 45% male, 70% Japanese and 30% non-Japanese.
Pictures from previous Nagoya Friends Parties.

Map & Directions

Contact: 080-3648-1666(Japanese) 080-5469-6317(English)

Get off at Nagoya Station [Exit #5 or #6]

WINC AICHI

〒450-0002
4　Cho-me　4-38 Meieki Nakamura-ku Nagoya (very close to Nagoya Station)

Train Directions

- From Nagoya Station 2 minutes by foot

Nagoya Station

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Pan Seared Halibut with mushroom broth and Lemon Risotto

This was our dinner a few nights back, it was to die for!

Ingredients

1 pound of halibut, cut into 2 fillets

Salt and pepper
Olive Oil
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
1 box of dried porcini mushrooms
4 tbs of unsalted butter
3/4 of a cup of risotto rice
4 cups of free range chicken broth
1 medium white onion
1 lemon, juice and 1 teaspoon of the zest
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream

Preparation

With a paper napkin pad dry the halibut fillets, sprinkle salt and pepper making sure you cover the whole fillet and drizzle olive oil over them, set aside, you can prep the fish a couple of hours in advance and leave them in the refrigerator.

Boil 1/2 cup of water and put the dehydrated mushrooms to soak in a covered container for at least 15 minutes, until the water turns brown and the mushrooms are soft, set aside.

30 minutes before cooking the fish add a couple of table spoons of the mushroom infusion on top of the halibut fillets.

In a medium size frying pan add the butter, chopped the garlic clove and the shallot into little squares and saute them over medium heat. When the shallots are clear add the halibut fillets with the meat side facing the pan and brown that side, should take around 4 - 5 minutes, turn them when you can see the meat getting a light brown coloration. Flip the fillets and add half of the broth into the frying pan, keep cooking for another 5 minutes. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees, in a small baking sheet put the cooked fillets cover them with the remaining mushroom broth and bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Meanwhile use the same frying pan with the remaining shallots and garlic to saute the mushrooms; dice them, season them with salt and pepper, and add another 2 tbs of butter (4 - 5 minutes).

Remove the halibut fillets from the oven and let them sit for a couple of minutes so the juices would settle, they are ready to be served, use the mushrooms and shallots to create a nice topping for the fish.

Chop the onion in small cubes, in a medium size sauce pan using medium heat put some olive oil and the chopped onion and cook for 4 minutes approximately, until the onions turn clear. Add the risotto rice and mix, add 1 cup of chicken broth, lower the heat to medium.

Stir occasionally, not letting the rice get stuck in the bottom of the pan, you will notice the chicken broth gets absorbed by the rice, keep adding some more broth and keep stirring for approximately 15 - 20 minutes, adding broth whenever the rice seems to be drying up. The rice should puff up, when you notice there is a tiny white dot in the middle of the rice grains add the whipping cream and cook for another 5 minutes. Take off the heat, add the lemon juice and zest and stir.

Note: You don't have to use all the chicken broth. Also keep in mind that the risotto rice keeps cooking after being taken off the heat, so you want to take it out when it has a little crisp when you bite it.