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!

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• 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.


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• 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.