curry potato salad

so yesterday I wanted to make some curry, but since it's summer, I wanted something more refreshing than a big plate of hot steaming curry and rice. so I thought i'd make a "cold curry"... if you will. it has all the basic ingredients of a japanese curry but in potato salad form!
how do you make a fantastic vegan potato salad that is also extremely healthy? one could go the easy route by adding a ton of vegan mayonnaise but an even better way is to use lemon juice. it goes extremely well with the potatoes and I have to say it gives the salad a light, tangy taste--way better for the hot summer months than heavy, oily mayo dressing. this is something non-vegans will love too, maybe more than traditional potato salad.

curry potato salad
3 potatoes, cubed
1 carrot, cut into the same size as potato
1/4 white onion... diced
(you could also add some green peas!)

boil these in water with 2 pinches of sea salt. when the potatoes are cooked through, drain the water and transfer to a bowl to cool.


add:
a splash or two of vegetable oil
about a teaspoon of curry powder
2-3 pinches of black salt
2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice

mix until incorporated, but not so far as to make mashed potatoes. (we'll save curried mashed potatoes for this winter.)
cool well, and enjoy!
I had this in my bento on monday, along with a rice ball and homemade agar jelly (not pictured)!

the other compartments contain a block of deep-fried tofu, and:

mizuna no o-hitashi (blanched Japanese arugula)
boil a large pot of water, and blanch the greens (almost anything can be used, such as spinach).
try not to mix it around, but keep the stems and leaves straight.
then take it out and wring out the water.
cut into sections of 4-5 cm, arrange nicely in individual dishes (so that the stems and leaves are straight) and top with about 1~1.5 tsp of Japanese soy sauce (such as Kikkoman) and ground sesame.
one serving is about the same size as what I have shown in my bento box.

cycling across Japan's Kii peninsula in 1 day

so when I moved to Nagoya, i wanted to keep it light. I only brought my two backpacks and sent 2 medium-sized boxes of stuff when I moved.
So naturally I had to leave a lot of stuff behind in Wakayama, at the Egawas. (just temporarily)
That included my beloved road bike!
But to tell the truth, I actually kind of left it there on purpose.
My plan was to cycle across Kii, Japan's largest peninsula, during Golden Week... and go home to Nagoya by the power of my own two legs.
Sounds reasonable, right? well... it meant that on my first day I had to cycle across three whole prefectures, from coast to coast. Wakayama, Nara, and Mie! I would also have to leave before 5 am (I actually left at about 4:37). Could I have done it in three days and stayed in Nara on the first night... yep. but after my 150 km ride to and from Koyasan I was looking for a bigger challenge.
From seeing Japanese towns, you may think Japan is quite flat. But actually Japan is mostly mountains, especially the inland areas. and I knew Nara is a basin, so I would have a range of mountains to go up when entering Nara and another exiting!

Day 1

in Kinokawa city, Wakayama

the road from Arida to Kainan is relatively easy, but I thought I would also have a hard time getting from Kainan to Hashimoto in Wakayama prefecture. There are a lot of mountains around there.  actually, however, I found a road, Route 424 I think, following a river. It went through Kinokawa city. Quite a lovely ride through there, and I got to Hashimoto around 8 am, long before all the shops opened. Speaking of stores... thank the gods for convenience stores, with their long hours and immaculate bathrooms. I love Lawson.
My next stop from Hashimoto was Gojo, in Nara prefecture. In Gojo there's a temple called Tenporin-ji so I stopped by there and got a kewl sticker. The man selling omamori at the temple also gave me some snacks, a grab bag of offerings. so I stopped there to munch on potato chips and my home made rice balls. yum.

this is in Nabari city.

From Gojo I went to Sakurai. I got a bit confused about the route a couple of times but no major mixups. Nothing much to see around that area... there was a bit of construction here and there so it wasn't too pleasant. After Sakurai I headed to Nabari, which is the first town I would enter in Mie, passing through Uda. Between Sakurai and Nabari there are a lot of trees and mountains but the road wasn't so steep. It was just pleasant. and I was also getting excited because this was the last half of my ride!

In Iga city.
my bike is somewhere in this picture.
try to find it. (hint: it's on the bridge)

this is a river in Iga city

this is a cherry tree in Iga... and the blossoms still haven't fallen?! what is this, Hokkaido?

just before starting up the mountain road.
hey that's a sweet bike, I wonder whose it is :D

Iga was the last city before I got to Tsu, my destination. Going through Iga was my biggest challenge. Normally I think I could've ridden it without stopping, but at this point (130, 150 km?) with no 30 minute lunch break I was kind of worn thin. so I stopped for about 10 minutes to rest and then continued to the top of the mountain. at this point it was maybe 3 or 4 pm! When I got to the tunnel at the top, I was ecstatic! Needless to say I had never done something like this before. Then I saw the sign that said "Tsu" and enjoyed the beautiful views and a leisurely cruise down the mountain... (okay, I actually yelled Yatta! all the way down going top speed!)

just entered Tsu city, at the top of a mountain!

oh hi guys I'm in Mie

I got to Tsu, the town area, around 6 pm. I was actually going to stay in Hisai, which is closer to where I was coming from than central/downtown Tsu. But when I got there I decided to go a bit further and go right to the ocean, before checking in to the hotel. after all, what's a coast-to-coast ride if you don't go right to the coast?

my love.

after that I went back to the hotel and immediately took a bath in their Onsen, a hot spring public bath. that is the best feeling ever.
Everyone should have the chance to go on a super long bike ride and then relax in an onsen after. It's one of my favourite pastimes!

Here's a map of the route I took. I also took some video and photo footage with my gopro so I will be uploading that to Youtube soon.

View Larger Map

[Edit 2012-06-22] here is the video I put off editing for so long. hope you enjoy it. the video is of wakayama to mie (day 1) only.

[End edit]

Day 2

From Tsu, Mie prefecture to Nagoya, Aichi prefecture it's only about 70 km. I planned my trip like this on purpose, so I would have an easy ride on the second day. But actually I found the first day more enjoyable because I got to go through so many mountains and see all the pretty trees. From Tsu to Nagoya I had to take the highway, and despite being a stat holiday it seemed like every trucker in the Tokai region was going the same way. So there was a lot of traffic! But what the heck could they be bringing from Tsu city, the one place in Japan with no special exports and nothing interesting to its name whatsoever?

All those trucks made me kind of nervous so I tried riding on the shoulder, or on the sidewalk (yes you can ride on the sidewalk in Japan!), but that was really bumpy and not fun at all. so near Yokka-ichi city I stopped to take a rest once and happened to see these two guys fixing their bikes in a parking lot. I went over and asked for directions and it turned out they were going the same way! so we decided to ride together. They had actually ridden from Kyoto that day! One of the guys, Eiji was riding to Tokyo over 4 days. I want to do that someday :D but maybe I'll stick to shorter rides for now!

me and Eiji in Nagoya

spring outings part 1

So, I know it's kind of late to be posting this, especially since I'm no longer living in Wakayama... but whatever! 

Spring is a great time in Japan. it's no longer cruelly cold, but the unrelenting sun and hot / humid temperatures of summer have not set in. also you can see many trees blooming with cherry blossoms, but there is only a full week or so of them in full bloom before they all fall to the wind.

My first blossom sighting was at Kimiidera on March 3rd

On March 4th I cycled out to Nara prefecture 

which was about 100 km ride both ways,

I didn't really go there to do anything, but there was a sort of fox shrine.

cute :)

Late in February I started to get really sad

because the weather was starting to get warmer

and I didn't feel like the winter had been satisfactory

so on March 10th I up and left to Niigata for a weekend!

Niigata is a long ways north from wakayama, in the Hokuriku region.

it's also north of nagano.

I went skiing at Ishiuchi Maruyama and Gala ski resort.
it rained a bit Sunday morning, but quickly turned to snow and then snowed nonstop for 26 hours.
on monday, my second day skiing, I ducked a rope and ended up in the woods between two mountains.

I was out there for a long time, maybe 4 or 5 hours. oops. but check out this sweet picture I got.

it was really amazing to be out in the snow trekking around after such a long time away. eventually I made my way to the bottom of the mountain, and took a gondola up to midstation again!

here's me after the gondola ride!

a beautiful view. there is amazing skiing in japan other than nagano and hokkaido!

The town, Minami Uonuma, reminded me of Vernon or someplace like that.
it's kind of out of the way--but still easy to get to, as I only had to take one train from the bus depot.

I did another bike ride on March 18th... this one was about 70km, I think.

 I went up to Sennan in Osaka prefecture, then got lost for a bit 

and somehow managed to get back to Wakayama by a winding road. 

After these pictures were taken it started raining heavily. 

and then it would stop and start sometimes.

the last half hour or so of my ride I was really fighting the wind and rain. 

and when I got home, I found out an inclement weather warning had been issued for that day. oops!

What tree is this?

I kind of liked this scene... the cherry tree in the middle of a dead field was striking!

on the 24th I had another crazy ride. I rode about 70 km to koyasan mountain. in total my trip was 130 km, I think. Koyasan is a historical town famous for buddhist temples, and it's one of Wakayama's popular tourist sights, and also a world heritage site so I knew I had to see it before I left Wakayama. 

Being in the middle of nowhere, and so high up in the mountains it's a bit hard to get to though.
I wrote a separate entry here!

On March 25th (the day after my 130 km trip to Koyasan... what was I thinking?!) I decided to do a bit more exploring around Wakayama city. I guess there are quite a few spots that I haven't seen yet. 

first I went to Wakaura and ended up in the southwestern tip of Wakayama city, which has a small mountain and is hard to get to. I found a pleasant garden called Bandoko Teien where I ate my lunch :)

Later I went to Marina city, a tourist trap on the border of Wakayama and Kainan.

A view of Wakaura.

a view of part of bandoko Teien. (the peninsula, not the islands)

a view from Bandoko Teien.

A view from Bandoko Teien.

Bandoko Teien.

A view from Bandoko Teien

Flowers near Bandoko Teien

Near Wakaura and Bandoko Teien 

Wild sakura trees at Wakaura

At Wakaura

a view of Marina city (not an actual city)

two rides to Koyasan

A Bike Trip to Koyasan

I wrote this article for a job application as an online journalist/translator, I didn't get the job but why not post it!

If there’s one thing every foreigner praises Japan for, without fail, it would be the speed, the  efficiency - of transportation, customer service, and almost anything that requires a plan or schedule. Personally, I’ve had nothing but good experiences in this aspect of Japan.

In Kimino town on the way to Koya

On the other hand, sometimes it’s more than worth your while to go slow, and sort of meander about, without a set plan or strict schedule to adhere to. You never know who you will meet or what interesting things you will see; plus, it’s always refreshing to stop and smell the roses (or in my case on March 24th, take a picture of the cherry blossoms).

On Sunday, I set out on my road bicycle like I always do: with the intention of going somewhere interesting and getting my weekly adrenaline fix. Little did I know I would be in for a big adrenaline rush, and a great adventure.

In Kimino town on the way to Koya

Kimino town on the way to Koya

I started out from my home in Wakayama city, and headed east on a familiar road leading to the countryside. I had always thought about riding to Mount Koyasan, one of Wakayama’s famous tourist destinations, but when I left that day, it was already noon. Could I make it nearly 50 kilometres to the ancient valley town, 800 metres up in the mountains? Nevertheless, I decided to ride along any road that looked nice. Soon I ended up in Kimino town, south of Wakayama and Koya. Even though it is inland, trees in bloom were already dotting the hills. I came to a crossroads; one way leading to Koya, and the other leading back to Wakayama. Well, since I had come this far, why not go for it? So I continued on my way to the mysterious mountain town.

Finally, after a long ride through Kimino’s beautiful wilderness, I came to another crossroads. The road to Koya was a steep grade. Well, I guess this is it, I thought. I stopped to get a bottle of tea at the first vending machine I’d seen in nearly two hours, and met a friendly old man. He asked me in Japanese, in the strongest country accent I’ve ever heard, “Are ya goin’ to Koya, then? On that thing? Yer a real trucker, aren’cha!” Yes! I was going to do it (hopefully). 

the sign says:
"altitude 634 metres:
this point is the same height as Tokyo SkyTree
[the tallest tower in the world]
Danger of forest fire
Koyasan, 1200 year anniversary"
Koyasan mountain is about 800 metres high!

So, I geared down, and started my ascent. Every few seconds I wondered when I would reach the top. One of my triumphant moments was when I came to a commemorative sign that said “634 metres: The same height as Tokyo Sky Tree.” Wait--I rode my bike as high as the Tokyo Sky Tree? Now, that was something to be excited about. As a nature lover, I was also in awe of the fact that even Japan’s tallest tower could be dwarfed by the power of the everlasting earth. It may seem obvious on paper, but sometimes you have to be in the thick of it to understand.

A few more grueling minutes, and I was finally in Koya town! I cruised down an easy hill and was greeted by an enormous orange gate. However... there was only one problem. Since I left home at noon, and took the long, scenic route, it was now five in the evening! I hardly had the chance to set foot in one temple before they started to close for the day.

part of the famous temple in Koya

Since it was about to get dark, I decided to go straight home, the way I came, twisting and turning down that mountain road. But somewhere, I took a wrong turn and ended up on another winding mountain road, this time in Kudoyama town. Having never heard of Kudoyama, I wasn’t quite sure what prefecture I was in, but since I was essentially in the woods with no one else around, I decided to press on. Eventually I came to Hashimoto (still in Wakayama prefecture--phew!), found a quaint little restaurant, and had a satisfying meal of green pea rice and natto (among other things). Luckily, from Hashimoto, I was able to get on the highway for a speedy return home (sparing enough time to go to bathe in the local hot spring)!

When I think about it, I could have easily ridden along the straight, smooth highway that goes from Wakayama to Hashimoto, and gone to Koyasan from there. It certainly would have been quicker, and I would have been able to see the temple, and get another Traffic Safety sticker for my bike, to boot! What’s done is done, however--and I feel that not only I accomplished something fantastic that day, I also felt refreshed and relaxed by my ride through the country (even though I had to climb over 634 metres on my bicycle). With that in mind, everyone should be able to enjoy what Japan has to offer at their own pace, at least once in a while! 

 Again

So obviously I wasn't satisfied with my trip to Koya, since I didn't even get to see the town properly. So on April 4th I went again. This time I managed to leave at 10:00... I still should have gone earlier though! oh well. By that time, I was staying at the Egawas in Aridagawa, so first I biked up to Kainan city, then through Kimino and Katsuragi towns, and finally arriving at Koyasan. Kimino is a tough ride going east, because it's long and narrow, and there is a slight incline all the way. and at the end there is an 800 metre mountain to ride up. I got to Koyasan around 3 or 4 pm, I think. 

I stayed until around 5 and then left by a road that looked like it hadn't seen a car in months. there was also a rest stop/"picnic area" that was completely deserted and looked abandoned, as the water in the washroom didn't work! It was also a very steep road. luckily I was going down but I actually got off and walked my bike part of the way to save my brakes. 

so to go home I went through Shimizu, which is the easternmost (inland) part of Aridagawa. it's very countryside. it's hard to get cell reception in some places and there is no train that goes out there. I think there might be a bus of some sort. Luckily the road home was mostly downhill, an easy grade.

wild sakura trees in Kimino

wild sakura trees in Kimino

this is where I stopped for lunch, by a river

I don't think you can see them, but the wind was blowing the petals everywhere, it looked like it was snowing!

at Kongobuji Temple in Koya

At Kongobuji Temple in Koya

at Kongobuji Temple in Koya

another temple that had a cute statue

me at Kongobuji Temple, pretending to be a first grader

on the road home... nothing, nothing and more nothing for as far as the eye can see!