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Beautiful Places Healthy Food Healthy Living

Food blog or Yoga blog?

Late in the day in Hiroo … above Meiji-ya:) Morning time rush is over and so are some of the pastries sold out but the mainstay are still abundant.

Is this a food blog or a yoga blog?  How about whatever gives you joy or a practice that gives you greater capacity to feel gratitude. Silly, but I am almost in tears whenever I feel joy and let me tell you, good bakeries and cafes bring me to tear up, hahaha. Like, I am soooo lucky to be here to experience this most delicious delectable paradise on earth …

I heard a TV segment talking about the rice consumption over the years have been eroding in Japan.  Apparently, in the most recent year,  rice consumption have been surpassed by bread consumption (don’t know how you measure that … oranges vs apples, are they not?) much to the alarm of rice farmers’ association (and the program went on to talk about strategies they are adopting to counter this trend) … it’s no wonder… bakeries here are top notch.  What makes Japan and their food scene so special really is their people who really take it upon themselves and work at their craft making whatever it is that they decided to devote their entire lives to.  When it comes to cooking and baking, they really take it to diligent study and mastery while staying creative to deal with the constant competition in this big city full of bakeries.  Just look up bakeries in Tokyo – you will find a recommendation or two…

Categories
Beautiful Places Beautiful Rituals

Tsukiji street fair

Happened to walk by a big crowd forming with lots of kids with cotton candy and other delectable looking street foods … summer is in the air.

Masks on sale … 

Takoyaki stand

floating toys for toddlers

Taiko drumming – too crowded to see …

Mikoshi – a portable shrine that men carry in the march/dance throughout the district – here it rests for tomorrow’s parade with all the offerings.

Sumida River

Categories
Beautiful Places Healthy Food

Tsukiji, Tokyo

Anthony Bourdain would approve – Vegetarian ? no.  Pescatarian ? Yes. Vegan? No, sorry – I love sushi too much – I now never eat them in the US – it’s just not good unless it’s prohibitively expensive so I pass  – sorry, but here – OMG, it’s excellent & reasonable – after all, it’s our soul food.  Yet, I do vegan cleansing on seasonal basis – at transition from one season to next, I will go on 10- 30 days (have gone one full year once and that did not work well for me), completely vegetarian – then vegan (progression) diet – then progressively return to primarily Pescatarian diet.  Change of seasons is an important tuneup time for our system.

Actually above sampler from Haneda Airport – but ingredients from Tsukiji. Not bad. 3 out of 5 stars?

Here’s Tsukiji market alley … a wider alley than some even narrower:) Stalls mostly for tourists as professional chefs are all done; auctions take place 3am or earlier.

Special Medicinal Herb soba noodles – hand made during this “Yomogi” herb season only. Another Japanese soul food to be sure – soba. This is 5 out of 5 – al dente perfection –  love.

Dessert of Matcha ice cream, roll cake and fruits from Sakura, International House, Tokyo. Every plate was a piece of art work. 

Thought about Anthony B. at a bookstore stall in Tsukiji known for all Foods, Restaurants & Cooking related books.  Chef’s paradise to be sure. A lot of tourists milling about in this world famous fish market. Maybe 11am-ish and that’s after-hours here when peak business takes place 3 am.