I found the highly-rated and FREE(!) app "i-Translate" to be invaluable! Derek splashed out and got the voice-recognition version for .99 cents but we never used it. In theory, it seemed very handy, but in reality it felt a bit awkward...
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand you...could you please speak slowly and clearly into my phone? Oh wait, you don't speak a word of English. Never mind."
We could have used the voice-recognition to translate English to Japanese, but we were always in noisy places. I used my free, non-voice recognition version to request annoying things like "no oil," "dressing on the side" and "no horse sashimi." But that's just me.
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| iTranslate...Best app ever! Dozens of languages and so easy to use! |
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| Just one example of iTranslate's glory |
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By the way, this post is abridged (a blessing in disguise perhaps?) because - as you can tell at the bottom - Blogger (the site that hosts my blog) is, as always, making this post appear like a 4-year old formatted it. When I decide to let Blogger back into my life and waste more of my time fixing its formatting problems, I'll come back and share some of Japan's healthiest grab-n-go food (bento heaven!), some very interesting packaged snacks (think: squid!) plus some very cool sweets (green tea Kit Kats, anyone?) FYI-This is why I blog once in a Supermoon.
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Q: (I have to ask it up here because I can't type at the bottom of the page do to the Blogger formatting "Issues")...Do you like Japanese food? Sashimi (raw fish/other)? Have you been to Japan and have an interesting food story? Or other Asian countries?
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Photos tell the story as per usual...
I figured that I could successfully make an exception to my "No-Breakfast" rule and indulge in the über-healthy Japanese version. I figured wrong. I paid the price in the form of inexplicable, constant, all-day-hunger. So I stopped the breakfasting after two days. The breakfasts, however, are nothing short of amazing. And more reminiscent of what Westerners consider dinner.
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| It looks like a lot of food (and it is), but the portions of each item are tiny |
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| Most restaurants provide bins for your bags (keeping them off the floor) |
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| A smattering of deliciousness: tofu, fish, egg, rice, picked vegetables (remember, this is a Japanese breakfast) |
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| Love the small attentions to detail like this fishcake 'flower' atop the tofu. |
Then there's lunch or dinner:
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| This place is actually NOT a sit-down establishment at all- there are no seats. |
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| My dining companion and I (and anyone else) stand at the countertop and slurp our soup |
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| I asked for an egg in my soup and the proprietor gave it to me: raw. I put on my big-girl/body-builder pants and sucked it down and I'm not gonna lie: I loved the raw yolk. |
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| A bit rough on the outside, but don't let that fool you...the food in this bustling place was amazing |
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| ...we love locals-only places |
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| Businessmen on a very quick but delicious lunch-break (tea was the beverage of choice at lunch but make no mistake, the booze is flowing - along with much laughter - with these guys at dinner time) |
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| We often opted for sashimi - prices for this in Japan right now aren't out-of-control. I'd say they are cheaper than what you'd find in New York or San Francisco |
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| Another joint that was unassuming from the outside, but the food was great. |
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| What's not to love about this bowl of soupy-noodly-proteiny goodness? |
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| Time to take chances |
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| And see what comes (yes, that's a fish head) |
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| It's very common to see a 'sampling' of foods outside the restaurants |
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