Makuhari Dokidoki Flea Market

I can't remember how it started, but during this year's Golden Week, one of my best buddies and I decided that we wanted check out the annual Makuhari Dokidoki Flea Market.

We drove as we had our usual obligatory trip to Costco afterwards - so we gave ourselves an extra time to get there at opening time, in case we ran into the epic traffic jams that apparently form around around Makuhari Messe because of this event.

Tickets available at the door for 600 yen!

In fact, there was no traffic whatsoever. We arrived 30 minutes ahead of schedule, so we stopped by one of the ticket booths located right at the escalators leading from the parking lot to the Messe and purchased tickets for ourselves and our lovely kohai who would be joining us later on.

...but then, we got absorbed into the human traffic jam waiting at the walkway leading into the Messe.

Sea of people waiting to get into the flea market.

They didn't let us in until exactly 10am...but then it was shopping showdown time!!

For the record, there were two more halls of the same size...so much flea market to be had! (taken around 10am)

I hadn't been to a flea market in ages, but I don't think any of us were prepared for how hard core this flea market was.

After a bit of scouting, we decided to fill our stomachs before really tackling the shopping:

International food corner! There were also rows of booths with foods from different areas of Japan.

Toppogi from the Korean place!

The flea market in full swing.

A couple hours later, the crowd had really gathered (no worries - we'd done a fair share of shopping too!). This photo is of the same area pictured 3 photos above...crazy!

The flea market was split up into different areas - for example, an area dedicated to luxury brands, and another dedicated to vendors selling out of the back of their car. My favorite area was by far the "artist's alley" of the flea market.

"This pug sticker is cute...but so is this one! う〜ん迷う"

Matcha green tea and rich chocolate gelatos!

Finally, we were shopped out - so we concluded on a sweet note with some delicious gelatos! Mmm.

And my personal haul from the flea market:

"What a haul, what a haul!" - does anyone know what anime that's from?

(front left) 3 postcards from an artist - 200 yen apiece (I think?)
(front right) 2 mini stickers from an artist - 150 yen apiece (and I got one for free!)
(bottom) Bright red kimono under robe - 1000 yen
(top) Sculptures (owl in a tree, and person? holding an onigiri) 800 yen apiece

ALICE.

By far my greatest discovery of the day - this gigantic stuff Alice doll! I'd seen a bunch of merchandise from this series a couple years ago - all sorts of Disney characters were considerably "simplified" (and I have a thing for characters with dot eyes).

I was so excited when I found Alice that I immediately ran over to the sellers and asked them how much - they looked at me like I was crazy (I guess they weren't expecting to sell it?) and said "er...100 yen?"

SCORE. :)

Romantic pigs and other fun with food (and drink).

Today I'd like to present a jumble of photos representing my food adventures in Chiba. Without further ado:

Entry #1: "Romantic pig lab" roast ham. Okay, so I made up a translation for the "koisuru" part on my own. This brand name floored me when I first saw it. A colleague in a different department gave this to me as thanks for helping out with some translation work. The meat was incredibly high quality, and apparently really expensive too (somewhere around $1.50-2.00 per slice of ham?). Apparently it's still an up-and-coming brand, but there may come a day when you spot it in the store!

Entry #2: Onion ice cream. I kid you not. Shirako, a little town on the eastern coast of Chiba, is a huge producer of onions...so in typical Japanese branding fashion, I suppose they decided to make this outrageously flavored ice cream. It did not betray...it tasted like sour cream and onion flavoring mixed with vanilla ice cream. Not for the weak of heart.

Entry #3: Soy sauce-flavored cider. The "BO-SO TV" logo signifies that it was created for the local variety show of the same name. A friend gave me a heads-up about it, and then I found it being sold at the convenience store at my work. Not too bad, not that great either - I suppose it tasted like a weak caramel-flavored soda?

Entry #4: Hijiki ice cream. Previously shown in the post here, this is hijiki (brownish-blackish colored seaweed) flavored ice cream. I love hijiki and I love ice cream, but we just weren't meant to be...

Perhaps the oddest combination I've encountered aside from onion...and natto (although that was of course in the neighboring prefecture of Ibaraki).

Entry #5: Sweet potato ice cream. Certainly not as strange as the previous entries, I thought sweet potato was a unique flavor for ice cream nonetheless. Good stuff. Apparently Chiba is the largest national producer of sweet potato in Japan - it produces even more thank Kagoshima, the present-day Satsuma region (and sweet potato in Japanese is satsumaimo)!

Entry #6: Bamboo shoot wine. Although it sounds crazy, it tastes just as it appears - like good ol' white wine! Or perhaps I am not enough of a wine connoisseur to tell the difference? This was again in exchange for some translation work - brought back from the Chiba's little mountain town of Otaki.

Entry #7: I hail from the world's capital of hamburgers...but that did not prepare me for this monster - a 6 full-size burger menace. You can experience "leaning tower of burgers" (my personal pet name for this) at Village Vanguard in Chiba City, previously reviewed here.

Entry #8: Sky Anpan. Anpan is Japanese sweet bread, most commonly filled with red bean paste. This product was developed by Narita (home to the international airport of the same name) - I believe it's mainly sold at stores within the city itself. I have yet to actually find it at the airport, but I bought this particular one at the Lawson convenience store near my work. This anpan is filled with sweet potato paste (again with Chiba sweet potatoes!)...and was quite tasty.

Entry #9: Tasty local products. Last but not least...these examples are tamest of the entire post, but I just wanted to remind myself of all the yummy snacks I got at work - usually complements of visitors, or colleagues who brought something back from business trips around the prefecture. Inside the white paper bag is biwa - or a fruit named loquat that I didn't even know existed until I moved to Japan. It tastes like nothing else I've had - but generally it has very low-key sweetness with perhaps a texture a bit firmer than a peach? And pictured in the cup to the upper left is none other than Chiba-grown peanuts! They were covered with some sort of sweet coating - can't remember anything but that they were delicious, because they were gone in no time.

What do you think? Have you run into any interesting foods in Chiba before?

Gone to foodie heaven.

Back in Makuhari Messe! I was here for the Tokyo Game Show in 2011, as well as a private tour.

A couple of weeks ago, I got to go to FOODEX JAPAN 2013, the biggest international food and beverage exhibition in Asia. Held annually since 1976, the exhibition is renowned amongst food industry professionals a fantastic opportunity for business expansion. Over 7,300 exhibitors from 70 different countries and 75,000 visitors participated came this year.

Unfortunately, this event isn't open to the general public...but I was allowed to go for work. :3

FOODEX was spread out over the entire 54,000 square meters of the International Exhibition Hall.

To say the event was HUGE is still an understatement. We spent a good two hours here, and still probably only saw - or rushed through - one fifth of everything this event had to offer.

Just a peek into the venue.

So much delicious food and drink to be had!

Since I couldn't really take photos inside, I collected pamphlets and flyers of all the food I'd seen (and perhaps also sampled?!). I didn't actually get to try that tomato makgeolli, but I did have a giant serving of Dippin' Dots (honey cotton candy flavor? I don't think we have that back home!), chocolate wafers, fresh beef and pork, picked veggies, dried fruit, fresh juice...the list goes on and on.

Makes me seriously want to consider a career in the food industry.

World Sushi Cup Japan 2013!

But there was still our other target for the day - the World Sushi Cup!

Organized by the prefecture and other related organizations, the World Sushi Cup Japan 2013 comprised of two events: the individual competition on March 6, and the restaurant competition on March 7-8.

Chefs competing in World Sushi Cup Japan 2013

We attended the Original Sushi Restaurant Competition. Top sushi restaurants from Belgium, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, Singapore, the U.S., Sweden, and Uruguay selected by the All Japan Sushi Association (AJSA) competed on sushi cooking techniques, creativity, and flavor at this event. Each of the chefs from these restaurants have outstanding careers, such as possessing a Michelin-star rating or having won famous sushi competitions abroad.  

The restaurant competition was held over 2 days, with 2 rounds each day. Participants compete by creating 4 original sushi (one for each round) using fresh Japanese ingredients provided by the organizer. Contestants were also allowed to use their own ingredients.

Sushi from our session! The two photos in the middle were made by the winning chefs:
(center left) Sweden, (center right) Belgium

 The U.S. competitor smoked red sea bream fish from Chiba for a more traditional taste, while the representative from Uruguay went for a Western take on sushi by topping it with avocado and cream sauces. Many of the participants chose to combine Chiba’s ingredients with flavors from their home countries, such as the Ukrainian restaurant which accented their sushi with soba (buckwheat) seeds from Ukraine to symbolize the friendship between their country and Japan.

Boxes for tasters to put their votes in for the tastiest sushi

After tasting all of the sushi for that session, attendees were given 3 slips of paper – one for each of the following qualities: deliciousness, appearance/cooking technique, and originality. It was certainly difficult to decide which sushi was the “best.” The winner was chosen by a panel of judges and the votes of attendees.

And the winner is...SAIKO!

We chose the final session so that we would be able to attend the awards ceremony directly afterwards! The winner was the representative from Sweden, a restaurant called "SAIKO" (literally, "the best"). And their sushi was indeed saiko - they made a nigiri sushi toped with salmon - and on top of that a minced, fried fish ball rolled in gold flakes, almonds, and a homemade mayonnaise using fresh Chiba eggs. Nomnom! Apparently their theme was fusing traditional sushi with Scandinavian flavors, which I thought was really cool. They certainly had gotten my vote :)

Check out the special edition Kewpie doll - sushi chef style!

As my coworkers called it, this trip was "おいしい仕事” - which would literally translate as "tasty work," but would probably be better translated as "appealing work" and usually refers to fun and/or chill work. Tasty work or not, we are always very serious about our jobs...but this day, we got to go home with very (overly?) full tummies. Mission success!

Kicking off the summer in Kamogawa!

Eerie weather at Maebara Beach in Kamogawa.

Despite the ominous weather last weekend, June 2-3 found me at Sea Festa 2012 in Kamogawa! When I lived in Kamogawa, this was one of my favorite events - pure fun at the beach. On a random side note, Maebara Beach was also one of my favorite places to stroll in the evenings!

Sea Festa is an annual event (although it was cancelled last year because of all the earthquake stuff), always held on the first weekend of June.

Selling stuff while talking up people passing by!

As in previous years, I donned my Hawaiian shirt along with the others to help sell stuff at the Kamogawa International Relations Association (KIRA)'s booth. This year, we were selling Johnsonville sausages and Miller/Budweiser beer (Wisconsin stuff because of Kamogawa's sister city is Manitowoc in Wisconsin).

I always loved coming here because I could meet so many friends as they pass by, but even more so this year because I was able to see/talk with a lot of people that I haven't really been able to talk to since moving away from Kamogawa. Thanks for letting me help out, KIRA!

Lots of booths stretching all along the shore.

Our booth was located somewhere along this path. This area is called the Seaside Shopping Mall (渚のショッピングモール), which is mostly booths from organizations around the city, like Kamogawa Sea World, the Kamogawa branch of the Chiba Lotte Marines fan club, etc.!

Homemade and organic...Kamogawa moo moo gelato! Cute.

Wandering around during a break, I came across this place! Apparently their ice creams and gelatos are available at the local michi-no-eki and what not. They had all sorts of flavors...vanilla, strawberry, blueberry, etc...

Hijiki ice cream!

But of course, I can't settle for a normal flavor! Yes, you read correctly. I got hijiki ice cream, that brown-ish black seaweed-like thing. The ice cream looks like a browner version of kurogoma (black sesame seed) ice cream. I love hijiki, and...while doubtful, I was hoping for a salt + sweet magic combination, and I figured it would be a good conversation topic! Despite this place constantly being packed with customers, apparently I was the first person to buy the hijiki ice cream haha!

It certainly has made for fun conversations, but...sadly, it wasn't for me (it reminded me of that seaweed chocolate I once got from Korea...). It did make for really good conversation, and when I forced it on other people they actually kinda liked it (seriously)!! So if you're feeling curious, you gotta try it for yourself!

Everyone enjoying good food, drink, entertainment, and best of all, good company!

Wander up a little ways to the area called Fisharina Kamogawa (nearby are the docks where yachts and fishing boats are anchored), and you'll find the main venue of Sea Festa!

This area is surrounded by booths mainly run by major organizations like the local board of commerce, tourism association, etc. or are Hawaiian-themed (a major part of Sea Festa, since Kamogawa is supposed to be Japan's Hawaii...)

Koooffee Truck!

 Totally random, but the coffee here is AMAZING. I'd always seen this truck parked along the main road that leads into Kamogawa, but never actually seen them in business. We'd had an early start that day, and with no breakfast, I was desperate for something to wake me up. I don't pretend to know coffee, but the coffee here was mindblowing. I must hunt them down again...

Local girls performing the satomai, or traditional folk dance!

Kamogawa Hula Festival!

The main stage can also be found in this area! Both days, there was non-stop entertainment here! Particularly, one of Sea Festa's highlights is the Kamogawa Hula Festival. Basically, hula groups from all over the country come to Kamogawa to perform here - it might not be Hawaii, but it is a pretty gorgeous beach <3. In recent years, it's estimated that 1,000 hula dancers perform each year. The Kamogawa Hula Festival is so popular that they get more applications than there are slots to perform, so participants are selected by lottery!

Fan + cookies.

On my way home, a friend working at the Lagrange: Flower of Rin-ne (輪廻のラグランジェ) booth stopped me and gave me some goods as omiyage! Often referred to as "Ragurin," this is an anime that takes place in Kamogawa. (I've mentioned it in a previous post here.) They were selling Sea Festa limited edition goods to promote the show, which is entering it's second season in July.

For kicks, what the cookies look like. They have the main characters printed on them...and are actually quite tasty!

I have watched the first episode, but nothing more. Honestly, there is a lot of fan service, which makes it just a little awkward to watch. Still, like I've said before, it's really cool to see places I used to actually chill out in an anime!

Ragurin poster.

I also got some of the posters. You can kinda tell the scenery here is the same as the scenery in the first photo of a past post (taken from the Uomizuka Viewing Point in Kamogawa).

Anyway, I've gotten really off topic, but after being away for almost a full year now, I still love Kamogawa - or more importantly, my friends there! I love Kamogawa all year around, but as a resort city, summer is definitely it's best season. Can't wait to go play again soon!

Hijiki chicken burger?!

What's this?! The package reads that this burger can only be purchased at this store.

Yes...a hijiki chicken burger!

I have this obsession for 限定 or "limited edition" stuff, particularly when it comes to foods. And Japan has this everywhere! Season-limited foods, region-limited foods, you name it. When I came upon this bad boy, I just knew I had to try it.

See the black things poking out of the top of the lettuce? There's your hijiki :)

This burger can only purchased at the Lotteria inside Ichihara Service Area (市原SA(下り)), located along the Tateyama Expressway headed south towards Kisarazu/Tateyama/Kamogawa, etc. It was pretty good - I had it when my parents were visiting, and I think my dad enjoyed it so much he actually ate most of it.

Next time you've got plans to head down to southern Chiba by car, don't forget to save space in your stomach for the hijiki chicken burger!

One Week in Chiba: Part 5 ~Chiba Sake Festa 2011 + Makuhari~

And so I return to the chronicle of my parents' visit to Chiba!

On their fifth day here, we had a kicked off our day at a favorite of mine - an organic buffet-style restaurant in Makuhari (Chiba City)!

My second plate! I also got 十穀米ご飯 (jukkokumai gohan, or ten-grain rice) to go with it.

Everything here is fresh and organic, and so you can each as much as you want without feeling guilty! They've got everything from Japanese (including sushi!) to Western foods, a ton of desserts, and even lots of fun drinks! They had regular stuff like coffee and tea, but I really enjoyed the mango vinegar drink.

The place is called "Nanoha" and is located just a 3-4 minute walk from JR Kaihin-Makuhari Station, towards Carrefour Makuhari (now AEON Makuhari)! Lunch is only 1,600 yen per person, which is a total steal...I greatly recommend this place to anyone who's feeling hungry but wants to eat healthy :D

Afterwards, we explored Mitsui Outlet Park Makuhari as we digested lunch. I had no idea that they opened a new building - or has it always been there?? The building with Cecil McBee and other younger people-geared stores.

Anyway...our next stop and the highlight of our day was the Chiba Sake Festa 2011, being held at the conference halls of one of the nearby hotels.

The obligatory photo of the event sign. I think the lady performing is a popular singer, but I have no idea who she is?

Famous sake breweries in Chiba, divided up according to region.

Okay okay, I'll admit I am not a particularly huge sake person. I love my 梅酒 (umeshu, "plum wine"), but up until this event I'd never had more than a sip of nihonshu. Better yet, I had no idea whether or not my parents would like it either. I've only seen my dad have a beer or a glass of wine here and there, and my mother swears that she is allergic to alcohol. But still, I figured this would be pretty cool just to wander around, since it fit perfectly into my parents' visit!

My dad's a total trooper. The three of us had no idea what to do, being our first sake-tasting event, but after 2 seconds watching other people, my dad marched up to the nearest table and demanded (without actually speaking) for a taste of whatever the lady was pouring.

Apparently it had too much kick for his taste tho...:D

Two-thirds of the room were dedicated to sake, but the other one-third was dedicated to local Chiba gourmet, particular snacks and other food that go well with sake!

Some of the food things we tried:

My mum enjoying a sample of yuzu (Japanese citron) miso.

CHIBA ICHI. My dad bought jerky from here and said it was really good, so I'll have to hunt some down at some point!

寿萬亀 (Jumangame), a famous sake made by a brewery in Kamogawa.

While most of the sake samples were free, they had a special corner for the good stuff, where you had to pay for a sample - but the portions were much more generous. My dad and I (my mum was already quite tipsy from everything else we'd had) tried two different kinds, both from 亀田酒造 (Kameda Shuzo), a famous brewery in Kamogawa. Some of their stuff is so high-quality that their sake is offered up during at Harajuku's Meiji Jingu ceremonies.

The Jumangame booth!

The Jumangame had a very nice, smooth flavor. My dad was so satisfied with it that he bought some to take home with him!

My mom got really excited with this place, which not only sold sake, but also sweets using this brewery's sake! We bought some of their umeshu jelly, which was super delicious...though my mom was super disappointed that we couldn't try their roll cake because they were sold out.

While my mom and I were off buying stuff, all of a sudden my Dad got caught up in a conversation with the guy to his left! When I found them, I got confused because I thought my dad somehow ran into an acquaintance...but I think this guy, who turned out to be staff, was just really happy to run into a foreigner??? When he found out I work at the Prefectural Offices, he flagged down these two ladies  from the Chiba Prefecture Tourism Division (who I've had lunch with before!).

Free souvenirs...including a Chiba Sake choko, or sake cup.

After the three of us had gotten quite tipsy, we knew it was time to go home!! We were able to make it home (and into bed) safely...I won't forget some old guy that they had to get three guys to usher out of the hall because he was so drunk.

Anyway, this was a great event!! I had a great time, so I definitely will go the next time I find any similar ones~.