Spring Trip to Osaka and Kobe

I recently went to Osaka to get some official papers from the consulate there.  I made a little trip out of it.  Here are my redacted logs (names and personal information removed):

Wedding Stuff

There’s so much wedding stuff to do!  Since Miu and I decided on having a wedding I’ve learned about a lot of it.  Just like in America, the wedding industry in Japan is huge!

Costs for ceremonies range from 5000 to 50000 dollars easily, and as I’m sure anyone who has looked into whats possible with weddings knows, the sky is the limit.

So far as I can tell we’re planning a ceremony something along the following lines:

I’m racist

Hopefully you’ll humor me long enough for me to explain the title, which I think is an important statement.

I liked the rain

Saturday I went for a walk in the rain.

I wore a pair of fast drying shorts, a comfortable t-shirt, a hoodie, a rain jacket, and my new sneakers.  I had a big umbrella and a baseball cap to shield my glasses from spray.

Cooking by Flavor Memory

So… My mom used to make this hot dish called German Potato salad.

Tonight I wanted to eat that, but I’d never made it before.  What did I do about that?  I remembered the flavor, the ingredients, realized I could probably approximate it, and went to work, without checking anything online, my favorite reference sites are all blacked out for SOPA protests anyway.

Description of my Japanese Office

I’m going to try to give a neutral descriptive analysis of my Japanese office because I think it might provide useful insight into a culture many westerners are unfamiliar with.  I should preface this with the fact that my own work experience is limited and I have not worked in a business office or government office other than the one I’m describing.

2011 Lunar Eclipse from Kochi, Japan

Last night my girlfriend and I went to the river to watch the lunar eclipse. The conditions were rather fantastic.  It was happening between 9-11 pm on a Saturday night.  The sky was cloudless, and it was only about 7-9 degrees Celsius out.

An American Beer Aficionado’s Guide to Japanese Beer

I decided it was time to write up my official guide to beer in Japan as best as I know it.  I’m still exploring the beer of Japan and craft beers are becoming more and more popular, so be on the lookout here for more information in the future.

Best Curry I’ve ever Made

I just had a taste of some curry I whipped up for my more or less Paleo diet.  Holy carp and mackerel… that’s extraordinarily amazingly good.  Here’s what I did:

1 med-large onion diced
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 fresh tomatoes
probably… 200 grams of thinly sliced 1 inch x 1 inch cuts of chicken thigh
1 quarter of a japanese pumpkin
about 20-24 fingers of okra
2 frozen cubes of chicken broth
salt
4 bay leaves
curry spices
I diced the onion and sauteed it in the chicken broth.  Then threw the diced tomatoes in a separate big cooking pot.  Sliced the okra into thin pieces and added to the pot. Cubed the pumpkin (skin on) and added to the pot.  Then I added enough water and turned that on and covered with a lid to boil.  Next I cut the fresh tomatoes into 8ths and added to the sauteeing onions.  I added 2 bay leaves to both the pot and the pan.  Added the chicken to the onions as well, and let that cook until a good portion of the water boiled out.  The next time I checked the pot it had already started sticking to the bottom so I killed the heat, mixed the two together.  They were a nice gooey but still textured mix, just what you want for curry.  I think it’s important that there’s not too much water left.  Then I added the curry spice until it tasted right, mixing it all up.

I added salt when I felt like it.  Probably 3-4 times.

Uber success, I recommend it.

What do I want to do?

Right now I’m pretty happy with my employment setup.  The pay is good, the job is bearable with fun parts as well as irritating parts, as I can only assume most jobs have.  But it is limited to an absolute maximum of five years, two of which I have already filled.  I definitely have another year here before I’m forced to move on to other things, but I’ve been thinking lately about what I might do, and what I might like to do when the day comes for my contract to end.