I've got to lose some weight

While I don't quite look like this guy, I'm no Greek Adonis either.

I could easily stand to lose 10kg.

Why am I like this? Honestly, I love my DrPepper, McDonalds and Gusto drink bar. Too much fat, oil & sugar!

The biggest culprit is McDonalds. I often go to McDonalds before I go to my university classes as it is the only place I can be sure to get a seat, be able to understand the menu and get to my classes on time.

This should no longer be an excuse for me.

From now on I will try to improve my Kanji reading ability and I will take additional interest in preparing sandwiches for myself when I do not have access to a microwave. I think I should also buy a set of scales, just to track my actual results.

Maybe a little exercise wouldn't hurt, just a little.

What do you think? Any advice?

MaboTofu Katsudon

And... I haven't written anything about Katsuya for a while, so here's something new.



MaboTofu KatsuDon, Chilli Tofu on top of fried pork on top of rice.



Usually the chilli is pretty week in Mabo Tofu, this stuff was the real deal. It was pretty spicy and I thoroughly endured & enjoyed it.



The selection of accessories at Katsuya. I love their Goma Dressing for the cabbage, I hate how they still use wooden chopsticks. I forgot my My Hashi when I went here on Monday.



Ahh, mugi tea, barley tea. This tea that Katsuya serves is actually really good, I always make sure I have 3-4 cups while I am there.

Have you ever been to Katsuya? Or do you have any Katsu experiences you'd like to share?

Who do I blog for?

Do I blog about Japan for myself? Not really, I mostly blog for 3 groups of people.

1. People who have visited or want to visit Japan.
2. My Japanese students who are interested in my opinions about Japan.
3. Other Japan bloggers.

Group one, the fans of Japan.
These people love Japan but aren't able to live here. For some crazy reason, they want to be me, living in Japan and experiencing what I experience on a daily basis. What is boring, usual and normal for me in Japan appears to hold some kind of fascination for them.

A fascination I am happy to feed.

Group two, my students.
I've developed a bit of a following amongst the students at my school and my university classes. It always makes me happy when I walk into a classroom and a student asks me about something I've written about on my blog in the past few weeks.

Usually it's questions about why I feel that way about Japan or why I find something interesting.

After all, my ideas and opinions are..... foreign.... to them.

Group three, other Japan bloggers.
I guess it's a pretty odd community of expats who are living in Japan for our own personal reasons and there seems to be a pretty large community of people who write about life in Japan.

I must admit that I am more of a blog writer than a blog reader and I apologise to everyone who hasn't recieved enough comment love from me.

How about you? Seriously, why do you read this blog?

Hiday Ramen

It's been a while since I last wrote about Hiday Ramen, so here's something for you Ramen Lovers out there.

Here's my lunch from Sunday, Large size Miso Ramen with small Fried Rice & Fried Dumplings.
Omori Miso Ramen, han Cha-Han & Gyoza. ￥810

Lovely noodles, notice how I am using plastic chopsticks not wooden? I love places that use these.

And the soup....
Pretty good, not the best I've had but not the worst either.

And the Gyoza...
These aren't anything special, but they taste ok and fill you up.

And the condiments....
Notice the drawer for the chopsticks. This design saves space compared to the standing cup that used to hold the wooden chopsticks, also you can bet that the company is saving money on storage of wooden chopsticks, disposal of wooden chopsticks and the purchasing of wooden chopsticks.

And the "Service Coupon" for a free boiled egg or upgrade to a large size the next time I stop by.

I like how I have two months to use this coupon, so it will always have a home in my wallet.

How about you? Does this make you hungry? miss Japan? jealous? Tell me!

Cigarette Smoke

Yesterday I went back to Gusto for lunch with my son. He wanted another toy from the Gatcha-Gatcha, I wanted another King Burger.

Yum!

When we got home at 12:40 there was time to wash our hands, brush our teeth, give the baby a kiss (from both of us) and go have an afternoon nap. And it was in bed when I noticed the stench of cigarette smoke on both of us.

Yuck!

That seems to be life in Japan, even though you sit in the non-smoking section you can't avoid getting the stuff on you (and in your lungs). Every time I go to a family restaurant or internet cafe, I always sit in the non-smoking section and come out stinking of the stuff.

Have you noticed this?

Winter Is Coming

I know it is only October, but I can feel the change all around me.

Now I can't leave the apartment without a jacket, and I know the need to add mittens & a scarf is not far behind.

Things get COLD here in Japan.

I really hope that there is a lot of snow this winter, last year was very disappointing and I wasn't able to go outside and have much fun in the snow with my eldest son. Fingers crossed that winter 09/10 is better.

Gusto King Burger

In other Japanese Burger related news, Gusto Japan has released a new item on their menu, something I've never seen before.

The Gusto King Burger.

For ￥599 + tax you get a really nice burger with chips. There's a nice amount of salad, no tomato (yay) and it is bigger than a quarter pounder.

It actually tastes fresh.

For someone who has been eating McDonalds for a very long time in Japan, with their bland burgers, this made a really nice change.

I've made a plans with my son to go back again this Friday for another one.

How about you? Do you have any Japanese burger recommendations?