Whey Protein in Japan

Want to buy some whey protein for maximum macho muscle madness? Or some other reason? As with so many things, AccessJ has got you covered.


The cheapest place to buy your stuff is Amazon.co.jp. There you can find 3kg of flavoured protein powder for just over 7,000yen. That's almost 5,000yen less than the same product in Xebio. It's also one of the lowest calorie choices on the market (if that is something you care about).

You can get chocolate flavour, and milk flavour.

Of course, if you have some criteria other than price and calorie content, there are choices for you, too. Here are a couple, or you can just run your own search on Amazon.

Savas Whey Protein, which is just over 8,000yen for 2.5kg.
Savas Weight Down, which is a low-cal soy protein alternative at about 4,000yen for 1.2kg
Kentai 100% Whey, which is a muscle-building higher-calorie choice (400kcal per 100g) and around 5,000yen per kg.
Big-in-Japan brand DNS has numerous 100% whey flavours at about 10,000yen per 3kg.

Don't forget your shaker bottle!

More

• AccessJ is not trying to get you to buy this protein to make money. I buy a bag of this stuff (cheapest) every month or so. It's perfect.

Brewing Your Own Beer in Japan

Japanese beer is very expensive in bars. Sure, you can buy cans for 200yen, but if you want to save some money (or are infuriated over the difference from the prices of your home country) then why not brew it yourself?

Got the space? And the patience? Check out below.



Brewing beer in Japan is legal if the alcohol content is 1% or below, but the government has as-good-as admitted they don't really care and couldn't police it if they did - indeed, even huge chain department store Tokyo Hands sells brewing equipment*. And the good news is, if you brew over 60,000litres a year you can apply for a brewer's licence!

Beer in Japan is a great website which we have linked to before. In researching this article I came across their guide to home brewing, which is far better than anything I could have written.

So, for more information on where to buy supplies, go straight to BeerinJapan.com's guide.

One of the major distributors of homebrew equipment in Japan is Black Rock, and they have a guide on exactly how to work your beer making machine here. Black Rock recommend leaving your beer for as long as possible, but checking the taste for satisfaction at 3 weeks, 3 months and 6 months (the latter presumably being a good guideline for how long it should take).

Most online shops are listed on BeerinJapan, but here's a couple I found anyway: A shop on Rakuten, and this site.


*This doesn't mean we back your brewing enterprise.

Buying Scuba Diving Equipment in Japan

As with several other things and previous posts (vitamins, clothes etc), the cheapest way to buy scuba gear in Japan is to not actually buy it here at all. Rather, import it.

I have just bought loads of equipment, and hunted out the cheapest international deal to do so. Here are my findings.

The cheapest site on the internet appears to be www.leisurepro.com

Postage is incredibly expensive to Japan, mainly because they use FedEx Express which only takes 48 hours. I ordered 2 full sets of gear and paid 177USD postage. If you contact them privately, you may be able to negotiate a cheaper shipping option. You will also be charged an import tax if the value of the items is marked on the box and the content is not (water sports equipment should technically not be taxed). Again, you might be able to get around that if you email privately, but I was only charged 3,200yen on a 140,000yen order.

Regardless, even with postage and customs the prices can't be beaten in Japan.

One tip, though - if you are ordering several items, then your best bet could be to use their "Create Your Own Package" feature. The set packages can be very cheap, but prices fluctuate almost daily. One day the Mares #2 package will be 671USD, the next day 911USD. The jumps are that big. So, either make your own or keep an eye on your favourite package over time.


More

• Although you can take air tanks on aircraft, they need to be prepped for inspection (not sure how that would work in this scenario, but it's probably not an issue if they're new), and you may find it easier just to rent or buy in Japan.
• It's also worth checking LeisurePro's "used" section, which seems to mostly consist of ex-display models with big discounts.

International Supermarkets and Other Home Comforts

I have written before about getting your Japan fix in the UK. But what about getting your home comforts whilst in Japan?

I have learned to live with (and sometimes love) the Japanese alternative of most things: teabags, chocolate, shampoo etc.

But there are certain English (and presumably other nationality) products which are just better than the Japanese counterpart! Mainly toothpaste, deodorant, HobNobs and face-wash. I know there are some sites out there bent on convincing would-be ex-pats into thinking that the toothpaste and deodorant problem is just a rumour... well it's not! I have not found a single brand of toothpaste which doesn't make me gag (my students use a toothpaste in a fetching gray shade...yuck), and the deodorant is like sprinkling flavoured water on yourself.

To get these home comforts, and a few other luxuries (e.g. a good, spicy curry paste) we have mainly been relying on few and far between home visits, friends and family on holiday or other ex-pats willing to bring back things when they are on a trip back.

There are however many international supermarkets in Japan; stocking everything from English biscuits to American root beer, a range of international liquor, not to mention the hundreds of things you didn't even know you missed!

Beware: Japanese toothpaste

This informative website, exploring all the delicious things Japan has to offer also features a list of international supermarkets in the Tokyo area and beyond.

Another way to get these home comforts is by ordering online.

However this can prove difficult, if not impossible for some food items. The meat guy stocks some of the things you might be craving, such as couscous and specialities like pumpkin pie to meet your thanksgiving needs (and proper size and shape steaks).

The flying pig, and yoyomarket, also stock imported food including frozen and chilled goods,  as well as electrical items, books, and personal items, as does The Deli, which will also order in an extensive selection of American produce.

Finally, you can find shops outside of Japan who deliver here. This is slightly more difficult as there are, of course, customs regulations preventing the import of certain items (cheese for example, and certain medications). I have used Direct chemist in the past to purchase toiletries and vitamins (which can be incredibly expensive in Japan), and as noted in a previous article, Health Span UK and Nature's Best also ship vitamins and minerals.

If you can recommend anywhere else to buy food and toiletries online (and which deliver to Japan) please let us know in the comment box below.

Peach out.

I say Po-tay-to... Endless Varieties of Potatoes in Japan

In language school, I learned one word for "potato" in Japanese: ジャガイモ (jagaimo). Turns out, real life isn't as simple as language school would have you believe. In Japanese supermarkets, I've rarely seen the vegetable actually labeled with the word I learned as a student, and the varieties popular in Japan look just different enough from the ones I'm used to at home that at first I had to ask someone in the shop: "Do you have any... ジャガイモ?"

So, what are potatoes called in supermarkets? What varieties are popular here? And what are the differences between them? Read on to find out!


I imagine this situation to be akin to an ESL learner proudly knowing the word "apple" only to walk into a shop and find labels like "Granny Smith" and "Red Delicious." They both look like apples, but what's the difference between them?

Well, if you pick up something that looks like a potato, your curry dinner will probably turn out all right. But, the two most popular varieties of potatoes sold in Japan have different properties that suits each of them to different dishes. Those varieties are called だんしゃくいも (男爵芋, danshakuimo) and メークイン (meekuin). Abroad, they're known as "Irish Cobbler" and "May Queen," respectively.

だんしゃく(いも) are the little round potatoes that usually come in bags of 7 or 8. They're the most common variety in Japan, and if your supermarket only sells one, it's probably this. These potatoes are considered best suited for dishes like potato salad or mashed potatoes. They have an earthy smell and a rustic, potato-ey taste, especially right after harvest. (When you make curry with fresh だんしゃく, it smells heavily of potatoes.) They're popular with farmers because they mature quickly and can be stored for long periods with little degradation in quality. On the other hand, they're tiny things and a pain to use if your dish requires peeled potatoes. Once peeled, they must be used quickly or they discolor. Also, when they sprout, the sprouts run deep inside the potato, making them harder to remove.

メークイン potatoes, on the other hand, are a larger, egg-shaped variety that may look more familiar to readers. Because of their larger size, they're often sold in packs of 3 or 4. These potatoes don't break up as easily as だんしゃく when they're boiled, and thus they're considered better for curries and stews. They have a sweet taste, and their larger size makes them easier to peel. Sprouts are also very shallow and easy to remove. Storing them increases their sweetness, but they spoil, especially if exposed to direct sunlight, more quickly than だんしゃく.

By the way, another label you are very likely to encounter in the supermarket is ばれいしょ (bareisho), usually in hiragana, but it also has kanji: 馬鈴薯. This word is not a variety of potato: It's just another word for potato coming from the dialect of Hokkaido. It's kind of like saying "spud" in US English. Because だんしゃく are often the only variety of potato sold at a small shop (under a sign reading ばれいしょ), it's easy to mistake this word as a variety name for those little round guys.

Finally, although we've introduced the two most popular varieties of potatoes here, they aren't the only types sold in Japan. If you're interested in learning more, here's a list of other potato varieties in Japan. The site is in Japanese only, but its data is arranged in handy columns, including characteristics or cooking suggestions for each type on the right.

Get Cheap ZMA Suppliments in Japan

If you're health-conscious or a fitness enthusiast, then you probably know what ZMA is. If not, here's a blurb from elsewhere:

ZMA is a scientifically designed anabolic vitamin and mineral formula. It specifically contains Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate, Magnesium Aspartate, and vitamin B-6. It is an all-natural product that has been theorized to significantly increase anabolic hormone levels and muscular strength in trained athletes. 

In fact, ZMA is thought to be one of the only natural and completely safe methods of supplementation to significantly increase testosterone and growth hormones. ZMA has also been known to increase muscle mass, strength, power, and even enhance sleep quality.

The following is an article about how to very cheaply (and completely safely) make your own ZMA in Japan.

For my purposes, ZMA promotes deep, restful sleep, and recharges and strengthens my muscles after difficult workouts. It genuinely makes a difference, especially noticeable with quality of sleep. Not only will your sleep be incredibly deep (without any drowsy side-effects), but it will also be littered with bizarre dreams throughout. Don't ask me why, but it's kind of cool (see lucid dreams).

Anyway, in Japan, as in most countries, ZMA is very expensive. You can still buy it, of course.

However, if you know the composition of ZMA tablets, which is very simple, you can buy the component parts much, much more cheaply.

ZMA is composed of Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin B6 in the following approximate amounts:

• 30mg zinc


• 450mg magnesium


• 12mg B6

The cheapest way to buy these elements from Japan is actually to import them. I've found UK nutrition store Health Span UK to be the cheapest so far. Postage to Japan is only 4GBP/520円 per order (any size).

I recommend you order a year's supply:

• 360 15mg zinc tablets (7.95GBP) x2


• 90 375mg magnesium tablets (6.45GBP) x4


• 360 50mg B6 tablets (7.95GBP) x1

If you would prefer to have the exact dosages (not necessarily that important), then you can order from Nature's Best, who will charge an extra 25% of your order for postage:

• 360 15mg zinc tablets (8.50GBP) x2


• 150 150mg magnesium tablets (11.50GBP) x8


• 180 50mg B6 tablets (8.60GBP) x2

1GBP = about 130-140円

I'm sure there are American/Canadian/Rest of World sites that also offer cheap vitamins. If you track down any good deals, let us know in the comments.

AccessJ is not affiliated with any companies in this article.

Get Your Japan Grocery Fix in the UK

So you lived in Japan, or you went on holiday to Japan, and you fell in love with some of the delicious foods and drinks.

But now you're home (in the UK)... and you just can't quench your craving for dried octopus suckers, or have a burning thirst for the sickly sweet Royal Milk Tea.

Well look no further. The Japan Centre, based in central London, has an online shopping service as well as a Physical Store (in Real Life).


While we all know about sites like J-List, where you can order all manner of snacks and tat, the Japan Centre seems more focused on practical goods (though you can still get your treats) like tofu and alcohol.

Their online store features foods such as Japanese curry roux, senbei, and even those little koala biscuits they sell in 7/11 as well as chilled items (Kimuchi and natto included). You can also buy in bulk if you are really craving Asahi Superdry or desperate for 20kg of white miso...

There's also a wide range of non-food produce: kitchenware, rice cookers, magazines and books in both Japanese and English and a variety of gifts and omiyage. Don't forget their Japanese learning resources.

Happily the site also has a wide range of recipes - from takoyaki to meals and snacks using natto.

Japan Centre links in this article do not generate any revenue for AccessJ, so click away knowing we're not using you!

High Quality Kettlebells Now Available

For those of you who practice the macho art of kettlebell lifting, I have some wonderful news.

A friend of mine over at Japan Kettlebell Club has just received a shipment of custom-made, pro-grade kettlebells in the Tokyo area. He can ship all across Japan for a couple of thousand yen.

He has weights ranging from 8kg up to 32kg. Stocks are limited, so get in on it now.

Go to his Gaijin Kettlebell blog here.

Distance Running in Japan

If you're an avid runner and like to compete in marathons, 10ks etc, then I have a useful tip for you.

Runnet.jp is a database and registration site covering all of Japan. You can register for events of all lengths - 5k, 10k, half marathon, full marathon, ultra marathon and more.

It's all in Japanese, so here's a guide to help you through using it.

Guide

• Near the bottom of the Runnet page you will find this icon:

新規会員登録 
登録無料、自分専用ダイアリー

This is the link to sign up. It's free.

• Scroll down to the bottom of the signup page and click the red button.
• On the next page, check the option marked 利用規約に同意する
• Next, enter your email address in both of the boxes and click the red button.
• Click the next red button and you will be emailed an activation link.
• Go to your inbox and click it.  
• You have 30 minutes to do this. After that, you will have to re-apply.

So, on to part two. Here you have to put in your full details - address, name, etc. It all has to be done in Japanese, which can be a bit of a headache.

The best way I can think of (if you don't understand enough Japanese) is to have a version of the page open in Google Translate, and one in the original Japanese (the translated version often doesn't work properly when you try to submit it). Cross referrence to fill out the form.

Possible errors:

• Password needs to contain numbers
• The furigana (ふりがな) version of your name (in the boxes under where you first write your name) has to be written in Katakana.

Searching for races
It helps if you know the kanji for the prefecture in which you're searching, better still the city. If not, you'll have to look it up.

Once logged in, click on the option with the magnifying glass at the top of the page.

Now a box will appear with another magnifying glass at the top.

Submit, and you will be presented with a list of events, presuming they exist. You can view this page in Google Translate if it's easier. Clicking an event will take you to some more information, along with an エントリー (entry) button:

Click this and you'll find a list of entry prices. Click エントリー　again here and you will need to enter some details (varies per race/type but usually past/expected times, t-shirt size etc).

After sucessfully completing that, you'll be sent to the payment page. You can pay by card or convenience store. The site charges between 100 and 200 yen commission per entry.

Click next, then the submit button at the foot of the confirmation page. You've done it all right when you see this message:

In short, it's a challenge to get through, but it's worth it.

Kettlebells and KB Training in Japan

For those of you versed in the intense world of kettlebell training, moving to Japan may prove slightly taxing if you want to continue your training at a high level. More details follow:


High quality kettlebells ARE available, but you're going to pay top dollar for them. If that's what you want, then this Japanese guy sell imported Dragondoor bells. Prices are not totally unreasonable, but expect to pay around 35,000yen for a pair of 24kg bells.

Other than that, you can contact IKFF Japan's Mark Atkinson. Mark has been at the forefront of Asian KB training for a while now, and is a friendly, helpful guy. He sometimes has pro-series bells made to sell to those interested, and at a lower price than his Japanese competition above. I just bought two 28kg bells from him for 30,000yen. Mark's "gaijinkettlebell" blog resides here. The legendary Steve Cotter also posted a short video interview with Mark on Facebook.

There is a small Crossfit presence in Japan. I know of one in Tokyo (Chakara Crossfit). I contacted them just recently and discovered that they now have a wide selection of KBs which they use regularly. Well worth checking out if you're in the area.

Buying Cheaper Kettlebells in Japan
A good solution to no kettlebells is, surprisingly, Amazon.co.jp. Searching for ケトルベル there will throw up several pages of products, including some frankly hilarious-looking DVDs. I bought 2 of the silver (ALEX) 20kg bells, and one of the 32kg ones. I can honest say that the quality is pretty bad. The handles are rough like dumbells, and even thinner. With a tough file I was able to make them usable.

AccessJ's Pick:
A much better budget solution is the sports store Xebio, who you can shop with online here. Xebio stock a limited range of weighted KBs. They aren't superb quality, but the handles are a good size and the overall feeling is fantastic for the price. Maximum weight is 25kg, of which I bought two for under 10,000yen, although the price seems to have gone up a bit now (about 13,000).

Japanese Fruit Picking Seasons

Japan is famous for all kinds of delicious fruits. Different areas boast some great local varieties. For example, some cities of Nagano prefecture have world-famous apples (Iida city, especially, where local school-children groom the trees which line a beautiful street in town).

Picking seasons for 18 popular fruits below:


So proud are such places that there will be many signs for picking times, where you can pay a flat fee for a set amount of time in which to manically pick as much fruit as possible.

Here are the peak dates for all the fruits I could find information on. They're approximate, and will vary somewhat up and down the country. Happy picking.


Spring/Summer
Cherries (cherii): June
Peaches (momo): June-August
Melon (meron): June-September
Nectarine (nekutarin): July-August
Plums (ume): July-August
Watermelon (suica): July-August
Prunes (sumomo): August-September
Grapes (budou): August-September
Apples (ringo): September-December
Pears (nashi): September-October

Figs (Ichijiku): September-October

Autumn/Winter
Persimmons (kaki): October-November
Satsuma (Mikan): October-December
Yuzu: November-February
Sudachi: November-February
Kumquat (kinkan): November-February
Strawberries (ichigo): January-May
Kiwi (kiui): January-March

More

• There seems to be a "fruit line" in virtually every prefecture - a region or road along which you can see and pick a huge variety of fruits. There one in Ibaraki (which may never be popular again thanks to the nuclear incident), and various websites like rurubu, Sunnypages and pickyourown which will list some farms for you.
• Also, a place in Kazu will let you volunteer to work on the farm. All you need to do is bear the music on their homepage!

Running Tokyo Marathon 2011 part 2

Well, 2011 marathon is over now. I ran it (yesterday, in fact), so here's a walk-through of the race-day process for those of you looking for detailed information in the coming years. Unless the world ends in 2012.

You may also be interested in part one of this guide, which goes over the application procedure and offers some details of the course.

First of all, you'll want to have a look at the 2011 race guide pdf. It should still be on the Tokyo Marathon site here. It has various figures on how many people finish in what times, cut-off times, average weather conditions etc.

Bib collection
You will have to go to Tokyo Big Site on the Thursday, Friday or Saturday before the race to collect your bib, race t-shirt, maps etc. The process only takes a few minutes, but you're then forced to walk around the Marathon Expo, which is one giant shop/advertisement rammed full of people. They do have some cool things there, like professional gait assessment and expert tips on your running form.

Race day details
The guide tells you to get there at 7:30, even though the race doesn't start until 9:10. Do this. Some people (including me) found themselves in a queue for the toilet which almost made them miss the baggage check-in. And be sensible and plan your route to Shinjuku with extra time for full trains/mistakes.

• The baggage check-in is for clothes for you to change into after the race (closes at 8:30am). It's very well organised, and you shouldn't have to queue long to use it, although you may face a little walk to find your truck (truck number is on your bib). When I finished the guy took one look at my ID number and immediately produced my stuff.
  
• Getting to your position on the starting block will take a while if you're anywhere but the back. It took me about 20 minutes to get from baggage check to block G, and that was after the rush.
  
• Predictably, you'll be delayed crossing the starting line by the mass of people. I crossed at almost 11 minutes after kickoff (this is subtracted from your finish time).
  
• Members of the public will be very friendly, wanting to high-five everyone, offering sweets and snacks, ice etc.
  
• At the end, you will first walk through a corridor of excited staff who will give you a sports drink and free towel, then have your timing tag cut off your shoe, then swap the tag for your medal, then get presented with a bag of free things - water, leaflets etc. - then march through another line and get some muscle spray, SoyJoy meal bar, fruit etc (probably varies with sponsors) before collecting your baggage and changing in a huge hall (women get a room). Then you'll be let into the family area and follow a frustratingly slow group of people on a mammoth march to the trains, which is easily one of the most agonising and soul-destroying experiences known to man. Be smart and work out some kind of alternate route / call a taxi. And check which of the three nearby stations is the one for you. If someone can give you a lift/carry you you will feel like you owe them your life.
  

First timer advice

• The crush will slow you quite a bit at the start. Try not to be tempted into weaving in and out at this stage, as it just costs energy.
• Throughout the race you get free water and energy fluids. If you haven't tried the energy stuff before, don't do so on race day - it may go straight through you, give you cramps or cause the diarrhea.
• Also, don't eat the bananas, bread or sweets offered unless you know you can handle them during long runs. Your best bet is to take along something you know works for you.
• If you need the toilet and it isn't urgent, keep an eye out for the queue lengths. I waited until 15km to go, despite a pressing need, when I spotted a queue of only four or five people. I've heard of people waiting 10+ minutes.
• Don't forget plasters on those nipples, anti-chaffing stuff on your privates, bum crack, etc.

More

There are various events going on along the route, which can be enjoyed by spectators and runners (although rather quickly for the later). This year they had taiko drummers, dancers, a brass band, and several other things including loud speakers playing YMCA. The whole procession of runners spontaneously did the dance. I liked that. Details of all these things will be on the map you get at registration.

Running Tokyo Marathon part 1

Well, it's too late to apply for this year's marathon. Entries have been closed, invitations issued and now reserves called.

But for those of you reading this blog in The Mystical Land of The Future, here is a collection of necessary information for applying and running.

You might be interested to read the .pdf of the 2011 Tokyo Marathon race guide here.

Application

First of all, the run is held in late February every year (27th for 2011). The application period is usually the month of August, with applicants being informed of their place/lack of in mid-October. Applicants have a month to pay the registration fee (12,000yen this year if you do it in English, 10,000 in Japanese) before their place is offered to reserve applicants.

Last year, almost 275,000 people applied, and only 32,000 ran. So you need some good luck to get on this one.

You do not need to have previously run a marathon to get on this one.

The Tokyo Marathon website will guide you through the application process when it's open. It's very simple, and in English. It asks a lot of questions about your experience level etc. I heard mixed opinions as to whether or not your answers make a difference to you chances (like if you are assigned to a group which makes up a certain percentage of racing individuals), though it may well be the case. I have also heard that there is a quota of gaijin runners to be accepted, but it's unclear if that makes your odds better or worse.

The Course

The 26 mile and 385 yard course starts at Tokyo Metropolitan Government building, driving straight through Shijuku and up to Iidabashi, turning South at the Imperial Palace to take a detour through Shinagawa, passing through Ginza and Nihonbashi on it's way up to and back down from Asakusa before regaining it's straight-line towards Tokyo Big Sight, where excited people wait to wrap you in tin-foil.

A course-map is available as a .pdf at the Marathon website. Here's the 2011 one, though it never changes, and here is one on mapmyrun.com which is much more detailed as it uses google maps.

You have a 7-hour limit to complete the race.

Topography

Virtually entirely flat. So flat that the course map on mapmyrun.com doesn't even register any inclines. The Tokyo Marathon race guide .pdf offers this graphic (click to enlarge):

As you can see, it looks like a good chance for a PB for both 10k and the full marathon.

You can also watch a sped-up video of the whole course here.

The 10k race

For the up-and-coming/weaker runners, you can also opt to do the 10km race on the same day at the same time. You even get to run with the big boys until it finishes at Hibiya Park, just after the Imperial Palace. Entry is 6,000 yen. There's a 1 hour 40 minute limit on this race.

Wheelchair race

A (very) limited number of wheelchair applicants can also race. In 2010 only just over 20 people got to do this (out of 50-something applicants).


Others

Judging by the 2010 race, there are also similarly limited spaces for visually impaired and mentally impaired runners, as well as "transplant runners" on the 10k race only. Total numbers of successful applicants in these fields total just over 200.

Well, good luck if you decide to enter, and even better luck if you get to race. I'll be doing it in 2011 and will be sure to post a results entry about it. Until then I'll be pounding pavements in the mountains.

がんばってます！

Japanese Cooking Measurements

A cup is a cup, right?

Well, it is, as long as you stay in the same country. Even though the word "cup" remains constant across a number of countries and is a constant go-to word in the kitchen, the actual volume it refers to differs by country.

Let's clear this up with the help of some internationally recognized measurements:

In Japan, 1カップ (ichi kappu) in a recipe calls for 200 ml of material.
This is the measurement you'll find on measuring cups bought at grocery stores and 100 yen stores.

In comparison, "one cup" in the U.S. means about 237 ml.
And in the U.K., "one cup" (or a "breakfast cup") means 285 ml.
Keep this in mind as you translate recipes across borders.

And just to make things a little more complicated, Japanese rice cookers use a measurement completely separate from this, but it still gets regularly translated into English as "cups of rice."
Rice in Japan is portioned according to a traditional system called the 尺貫法 (shakkan hou). The unit suitable for use in the kitchen is called the 合 (gou), and it equates to 180 ml. This is why measuring cups in Japan have separate markings for rice and other ingredients.

Before coming into contact with the West, Japan commonly used the 合 in applications outside of rice. The volumeter from this time period was usually made of wood and had a square shape. Today, that same instrument survives in the sake industry, and if you drink Japanese sake at an upscale establishment, it will often be served in a wooden 合 "box" rather than a glass.

Fortunately, larger quantities in Japan tend to be clearly measured according to the metric system, and other common instruments in recipes, like 大さじ (oosaji) and 小さじ (kosaji) are equivalent to their Western tablespoon and teaspoon counterparts. (It sure beats the crap out of silly quarts and fluid ounces.)

But, if you find yourself unsure about a conversion, I highly recommend the site Wolfram Alpha. It is useful because you can pop in a number from a recipe (like "3.6 fluid ounces") and have it converted to another system of measurement without having to do any multiplication yourself. It also supports traditional units from around the world (including the 合). But, I wasn't able to get that pesky 200 ml "Japanese cup" to appear.

Weird School Lunches

A couple months ago, "school lunch" was all the rage on Japanese TV. A guy named Hideo Makuuchi published a book called "Weird School Lunches," which featured terrible food combinations served up to elementary and junior high school students in different parts of Japan. (School lunch in Japan is mandatory in most public schools; kids cannot choose what they eat or bring their own lunch from home.)

O, dashing prince!

You can check out all the odd combinations with glossy, full-color photos in the book on Amazon; a smattering of the funny ones are listed here:

• White Bread + Rice Cakes
• Brown Sugar Bread and Miso Soup
• Toast with Jam and Vinegared Pork
• Steamed Strawberry Bread and Kitsune Udon
• Curry Tofu Stirfry and Chocolate Deep-Fried Bread
• Curry Udon and an American Hotdog
• Yakisoba and a Donut

To be fair, when interviewed, the nutrition experts at offending school districts defended their position, saying they are required by the national government to provide a certain number of calories and amount of vitamins and minerals in each lunch. But, Japanese kids are (in my opinion) some of the pickiest eaters in the world. So, the nutrition experts continued, its necessary to choose high calorie foods kids are willing to eat and pair them with a smattering of other stuff to meet the vitamin requirements.

Unfortunately, if they had spent any time at an actual school, they'd know that half of the students trade food during lunch hour so they only have to eat what they like. Vegetables and fruit are all too often pawned off to the one kid in the corner "who'll eat anything." Like rising generations in most other first-world countries, Japanese kids are losing self-discipline fast. And teachers are in no rush to stop the trend; lawsuits against teachers are on the rise, too, for actions as simple as verbally reprimanding a misbehaving student.

School Lunch in Japan

This "5 random school lunches" entry will show you exactly what we get fed at school in a typical week, but for now let's have a look at how lunchtime works.

In my school, the children of my weekly host class come and collect me and my (weird) food from the teacher's room. Then we go to their class and I sit around for ages while they serve each other. Then we say いただきます (itadakimasu) and eat in about 5 minutes, then sit around waiting for the end-of-eating chime. This is usually 5+ minutes of loneliness.

It has become even less fun than it sounds.

Don't get me wrong, I love my kids. But if they ever work up the courage to speak to me it's just to ask what my favourite colour is, how tall I am and if I have a girlfriend. I've taught them for 18 months, they know this stuff already.

Talking Japanese to them just makes them laugh... :(

When the bell rings we say our いただきました (itadakimashita), "wash" our plates and bowls with 100ml of water and a pair of chopsticks and then go our separate ways. Then everyone except me brushes their teeth. I don't brush mine directly after eating because dentists say it's bad for your teeth.

Milky rice-fed anecdote rant:

• Lunch comes with 200ml of milk. I don't drink it because I have an allergy, but it took several months for that to be accepted by my school. They said they couldn't cancel my order without a doctor's note. I couldn't get one for various reasons; mostly being almost as far away from my doctor as is physically possible. In the end I appealed to the Board of Education who told them to stop being so stupid and not order me it.
  It may sound petty, but that saves me about 12,000yen a year. Plus I don't drink it for God's sake. I'm not sure why they made such a big deal about it, but it seems that being just like everyone else is a very important part of school life. On that subject, let me recommend an excellent book: Becoming Japanese: The World of the Pre-School Child by Joy Hendry. Check out our recommended book page for more info.
• And another thing. I try to keep to a pretty strict diet, not to mention that a mountain of rice midday makes me very sleepy. I started to give away most or all of my rice (and bread) every day to hungry looking students. Then one day a teacher complained about me! The same day the Head Of Teachers came to have serious words with me about being in Japan and having to do things the Japanese way. Apparenly that extends to overeating at lunchtime. "I'm on a diet," I said, to which he responded "The government told us that eating rice at lunchtime will not make us fat." WHAT??

Two of my friends here have gone as far as to actually take their own lunch to school, though this is definitely frowned upon and is not recommended. Nevertheless, at my school there's a gaijin student (born here) who brings her own lunch every day. I get the strong impression that she's a bit segregated for various things like that which she does differently. More so, perhaps, than for her skin tone. Her parents seem like very smart people, but for some reason they've made this massive error in judgement which is only enforcing the very Japanese idea that "foreign" people and Japanese people are completely different.

Anyway, that's the end of the rant and hopefully you've learned something about working in a school in Japan.

PS: On some occasions (like sports day or something) when there is no school lunch, the teachers order bento boxes and eat in the staff room. They suck.

5 Random School Lunches From Japan

When I first got here I thought lunch was great - plentiful, reasonably tasty and a new experience. 18 months later I dread the whole experience.

I recently explained why eating with my students kind of sucks sometimes, but now I want to talk about the food itself.

I'd like to point out, before any enraged Japanophiles get on my case, that although I openly dislike a lot of Japanese school lunches so do the Japanese.

Without further ado, here are the five lunches I was presented with last week:

1. Monday
   
   
   • Rice,
   • Prawn and dough fried thing (satsumaage)
     
   • Salad of carrot, cucumber, caggabe and tofu strips with a peanut dressing,
   • Miso soup with potato, two types of tofu, daikon and carrot.
     
   Calories: 789
   Review: Everything was fine except for the soup, which tasted awful and was a chore to eat. 2/5
   
   
   
2. Tuesday
   
   
   • One packet of softmen noodles,
   • Fried fish with lemon sauce,
     
   • Hijiki (seaweed), carrot, cabbage,
     
   • Miso ramen soup with pork, carrot, daikon and onion.
   Calories: 726
   Review: Pretty good! 4/5
   
   
   
3. Wednesday
   
   
   • Rice with yukari. Not sure what that is but it turned it purple and tasted similar to umeboshi (pickled plums),
     
   • Tomato omelette,
   • Fried sweet potato slithers, cucumber and lettuce,
     
   • Sumashi soup with wakame, mushrooms, reformed fish and indeterminate bits of vegetable.
   Calories: 734
   Review: Cold and miserable. 2/5
   
   
   
4. Thursday
   
   
   • A bread roll,
   • A cold hamburger with ketchup,
   • Seasame sprinkled pickled cabbage and cucumber,
   • A particularly flavourless soup containing boiled potatoes, carrots and daikon, with bizarrely thin pieces of hotdog sausage at the bottom.
   Calories: 820
   Review: Slimey yet satisfying burger, but the soup was dreadful. 3/5
   
   
   
5. Friday
   
   
   • Rice,
   • Some kind of tempura fish with tempura sauce,
   • Nori, beansprouts, carrot and celery salad,
   • What can only be called "stick soup". This is very common, and aside from the sticks (actually root shavings) contains tofu, carrots, daikon, small bits of funny looking chicken and spring onions. The proper name for this style is Kenchin soup.
     
   Calories: 742
   Review: Greasy, bitter, full of twigs. 2/5
   
   

Note that these are usually presented with a 200ml bottle of milk (included in the calorie counts). I have an allergy.

A previous post went into some detail as to why Japanese schools make such high calorie and bizarre meal choices, but actually this week was fairly tame. No pregnant fish, whale or awful soy-burgers. When I do get something like that I'll be sure to post it here.

UPDATE:

As promised, here are pregnant fish (komochi shisamo) in all their glory. Inside is literally full of eggs, and you eat them whole. Luckily their bones are made out of tissue paper so don't destroy your mouth. Despite their looks, they don't actually taste that bad, despite the ash-esque aftertaste.


Lunch Mats.

You may have noticed that each day I had a different coloured mat under my food. Lunch mats are big business in Japan. All the kids have a different one for approximately every day of their lives, and all the big shops have huge racks of them. All the big (and not so big) anime series are reprezentin', and I even found a Thomas the Tank Engine one.

I only have five different mats though, and I often feel a bit underdressed. Obviously it's time to invest in some more to retain some macho pride.

Your lunch stories in the comments box please!

Being an ALT series: 

Part #1: Teaching English in Japan 

Part #2: Your Role

Part #3: A Typical Day

Part #4: Planning Classes 

Part #5: Getting Drunk on Duty (the Enkai) 

Part #6: 4 Japanese Teachers You May Have to Work With

Part #7: Physical Resources

Part #8: Making Activities


  

Rice Cooker Buttons

One of Japan's little cooking miracles--if you like rice--is the rice cooker. It's a fire-and-forget solution to the staple food of Asia: No more waiting for water to boil on the stovetop. No more setting timers to make sure your rice doesn't under- or over-cook. No more burnt rice stuck to the bottom of the pot or trails of white rice-residue to scrub off the side of your pot and off of your range.

If you live in Japan, you probably already have a rice cooker. And maybe the person you inherited the cooker from already told you which button to push to "make it go." But, have you ever wondered what those other three buttons on the cooker do? Today we'll learn how to use your rice cooker, and along the way, you might find out there's more functionality, even in little budget cookers, than you thought:

Although the cooker I chose to display here may not look like yours, chances are the buttons are the same. Rice cookers really only have about 4 or 5 basic buttons. (Although rice connoisseurs always have the options of more functions and greater price.)

So, what to these all do?

1. 炊飯 (suihan): The genesis of the word 炊飯器 (suihan ki), or "Rice Cooker." Everyone seems to remember that word, but this shorter and very similar word gets left in the dark. It just means "cook rice." Once you have measured your ingredients, sealed the lid, and are happy with your settings, you push this button to make it happen. In most designs, it's a red button with a red light.
2. 保温 (ho'on): This button means "hold temperature." It is the mode that automatically engages when the rice is finished cooking. It keeps the rice hot if there is any leftover in the pot. In most designs, it has a yellow light. If the 保温 button is engaged, and you push it again, it turns the 保温 function back off. That's what 取消 (torikeshi), seen in this particular picture, means: "cancel" or "turn off."
3. メニュー (menu): Plenty of foreigners can easily read this button. But many don't know what it does. Well, in this picture, see all those little words written around the LCD display? (In this picture: the little words framing the clock digits "18:31.") Those are different cook settings for your rice cooker. And this is where different brands and grades of rice cookers really start to differ. Some of the most common settings are:
1. 白米 (hakumai): This is the default setting and the one most people cook with. It's for the normal white rice you buy in a bag at a Japanese supermarket and rinse once or twice before cooking. The rice takes about 30 or 40 minutes to cook and turns out fluffy and sticky, just how Japanese people like it.
2. 早炊き (haya daki), or on some models, 倍速 (baisoku): This is the "fast cook" setting. You can use it to make rice in about 20 or 25 minutes. The tradeoff is that the rice turns out a little harder than the default setting. (But, you may prefer harder rice, shocked as some Japanese may be to hear it.)
3. 無洗米 (musenmai): This setting is for pre-washed rice, which is sold at grocery stores. The cook cycle is slightly different to better fluff this type of rice. (But, it's actually similar enough to the default that you can use that instead.)
4. 炊き込み (takikomi): This setting is for rice mixed with other ingredients. Actually, if you are getting sick of plain white rice, I'd recommend checking out some takikomi gohan recipes. There are hundreds of recipes online, or it is easy to make your own: Just experiment with mincing vegetables like carrots and onions, then adding them to the rice cooker along with some soy sauce or other flavoring. (If your cooker doesn't have a 炊き込み button, here's a big secret the premium rice cooker manufacturers don't want to let out: You can just cook on the default 白米 setting.)
5. お粥 / おかゆ (okayu): This is like rice porridge and is the Japanese equivalent to "chicken soup;" sick Japanese kids at home from school get a bowl of this for lunch. Be careful: The water-to-rice ratio is different for making okayu; it should be marked out on the teflon coated pot that goes inside your cooker. A cooker that can normally handle 3 "cups" of rice can usually only fit one or two of okayu.
6. 玄米 (genmai): This is the Japanese word for unbleached Japanese rice. Genmai takes extra time to cook, so this setting is actually necessary to make a good bowl of genmai. You can also use this setting for wild rice or Western brown rices.
4. 予約 (yoyaku): This is for scheduling rice to cook in the future. You can wash a cup of rice and put it in the cooker, then set the timer so the rice is done when you wake up in the morning or get home from work. Make sure that the clock on your cooker is set to the right time. If you don't have plus or minus buttons like the cooker in this picture, then one of the other buttons will temporarily act as a clock control when you are in 予約 mode.

Some other tips to keep in mind when dealing with Japanese rice cookers are that rice in Japan is measured using a traditional unit system: One "cup" of rice in a rice cooker is actually 一合 (ichi gou), which is equivalent to about 180ml of dry rice. It is not the same as 一カップ (ichi kappu), "One cup." Learn more about Japanese cooking measurements here.

Also, a fair number of Japanese enthusiasts experiment with cooking things other than rice inside modern rice cookers. For example, it is perfectly possible to make (thick) pancakes and birthday cakes within a rice cooker using the proper recipe.