Gourmet trip in Minamiboso.

Inside the restaurant area of Hina no Sato.

Recently I had the chance to make some progress on one of my ongoing missions....hunting down deliciousness in Chiba, particularly down south!

First stop -  Michi-no-Eki "Hina no Sato" (道の駅 鄙の里) in Minamiboso! I've gone to almost all of the Michi-no-Eki in the Awa region of Chiba...I'm working on eventually going to all of them! As I mentioned in a previous post, Michi-no-Eki are kind of like rest areas, but better!

Miyoshi's dairy products are hardcore!!

Hina no Sato sells products mainly from Miyoshi, the area of Minamiboso that it's located in. Miyoshi is really big on dairy products...still need to try that yogurt liquor they had!

(Okay I am cheating and leaving the photo small on purpose because it's a bit blurry...sorry my lovely models!)

Our first target...Hina no Sato's soft serve! They change the flavor every month...this month's flavor was strawberry yogurt! Mmm...the weather's getting warmer = ice cream season! Can't wait to find out what the flavor for May is.

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Our other target...BINGO BURGER! I love Japanese food, but every once in awhile there's just this urge to take a huge bite into a good burger, y'know?

Juicy meatiness!

Okay, we went for the burgers right after the soft serve, so I chickened out and got a Bingo Jr...but that's just more reason to go back another day and get a real Bingo burger! I was a little surprised that the burger bun was actually bread, but it goes really well! The hamburger patty is seriously amazing...and it comes with dessert haha.

Tucked away near Tateyama Station.

That evening, we went for a nice, relaxed dinner at CoCoTTE, a simple and comfy restaurant in Tateyama. They had a lovely, light course meal that I shall leave you with for this post (they have a larger course if you're feeling hungrier though!)...many more restaurants to dominate in the near future!

Appetizer: some sort of spicy soup, lovely spring roll, salmon, and I think some kind of meat?

You can choose fish or meat for your main...I got the fish, which was fried madai and something else...yum!!

My companions got the meat, which also looked fantastic.

Dessert...you get to choose THREE! I got creme brulee, yuzu sherbet, and almond mousse ice cream. All of it was delicious, but the almond mousse was particularly a really nice surprise!

Drummin' it up at the Narita Taiko Festival.

Hordes of people came to see the festival.

This year, I was absolutely determined to go see the Narita Taiko Festival (成田太鼓祭)! With about 55 teams (wadaiko, drum, and Japanese dance) that come to perform here each year, this event is said to be one of Japan's greatest taiko festival - and more importantly, who doesn't like taiko??
 
The Narita Taiko Festival is usually held on a weekend in April. I had originally planned to go Saturday, but then the forecast called for rain...which makes it difficult to take decent photos, no? So I went on Sunday instead. I think everyone else figured the same thing - or the crowd for this event is just always incredible. On second thought, I think it's both.

All for one, one for all!

Everyone was crammed into what is normally a gigantic open space (it only feels this cramped during the festival!) particularly for the Sengan Hana Daiko (千願華太鼓) performance, which is held at 10am both mornings of the festival...except if it rains, and this portion of the program is cancelled. Which is what happened this year.

I am really really glad I got to see it though! I can't explain well enough how amazing and intense it is...imagine about 700 drum players performing all at once! Surprisingly it is not deafeningly loud (because it is wadaiko, or Japanese drums???) but the drumbeats vibrating throughout the whole plaza is one awesome experience.

Since words don't do very well, here is a short clip I filmed:


Sadly the audio is pretty horrible on my recording, so here is a much much better quality clip of the Sengan Hana Daiko on youtube:

Yes, it's early, but if you actually want to be able to see the performance, you should plan to get there waaaaaaaaay before 10am. We got there maybe 15 minutes before everything started, and there were easily 5-6 people in front of us in every direction. No matter how much you try and shift, it was impossible to see...so the only glimpses I actually got of the performance were through my camera, when I stuck it in the air to take photos.

Long awaited MOCHI WAFFLE!

We took a break in between all the excitement to hunt this baby down. Yes - it is a waffle, but entirely made of mochi! I wonder if they stick the mochi into a waffle maker??? It was simple and PERFECT. You can choose from "Western-style (洋風)" or "Japanese-style (和風)." The Japanese-style has red bean paste, kinako, and kuromitsu on it, and looked delicious! I got the western style (pictured above), which has maple and chocolate syrup on it...it sounds weird, but it was pure genius.

The cafe - it's near the entrance to Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. The inside is super cute too...I would love to come back.

Navigating the sea of people along Omotesando Street.

After refueling, it was time to wander Omotesando Street, which connects Narita Station and Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. There are a bunch of individual stages set up directly along this street, and after the Sengan Hana Daiko in the morning, each of the taiko teams take turns performing at these stages throughout the day. Not to mention, the historic feel of this area is lovely, and you can find a lot of fun shops to buy stuff in and/or eat at.

OMG this guy! He kept taking giant leaps into the air as he slammed a baseball bat-sized taiko stick onto the drum. WIN.

As we strolled around, we managed to come across one of the teams we were hoping to see perform individually - a group called 和 (wa)-jin.

Once again, words can't describe how EPIC their performance is, so here's a video:



And also, recording of much better quality from the previous day (once again not mine, found on youtube):

Choshi Hane-daiko drummers!

I will end this post with a group from our very own Chiba - the Choshi Hane-daiko (銚子はね太鼓)! I don't know too much about it yet - but it is a traditional style of wadaiko from Choshi, the most eastern tip of Chiba Prefecture (aka CHI-BA+KUN's ear?).

One dude leaps up after being pinned down.

 The really cool thing about Choshi Hane-daiko is how one guy will pin down the other guy and both of them will continue drumming like nothing's happened. As my friend put it, it's got this whole "I am man" masculine tone to it. It must hurt to be knocked to the ground like that though?

Here is my not-so-good recording:



I couldn't find any recordings of the Choshi Hane-daiko from this year, so here's one from last year:

In conclusion - taiko is epic! There are a couple of other highlight events I didn't get to see this year (the taiko performances by fire at night on the first day, and the taiko parade throughout the streets on the second day) - hopefully I will get to see them next year?

Sakura Season.

Cherry blossom has totally come and gone for this year here in Chiba....Did you get to enjoy the flowers? I was able to - twice! While it's not much, I just wanted to share some photos I took when I went hanami (cherry blossom viewing) with some of my coworkers a couple weeks ago.

Lots of other people enjoying the cherry blossoms on a gorgeous day in Chiba!

We went to Inohana Park (亥鼻公園), which is a little less than a 10 minute walk from my work. There were tons of people wandering around, so I guess everyone else had similar ideas too.

This is Chiba Castle (千葉城), which can also be found in the park! I've never gone inside - actually this was my first time seeing it up close...but I hope to come back to wander again at some point!

We found ourselves a nice spot to settle into. The weather was just right, so it was really tempting not to just roll over and take a nap (except for that we all had to get back to work, so it wasn't actually possible...reality can be so hars

We all ordered obento to eat in the park! I ordered a mini portion one - never want to eat too much for lunch, lest it puts me to sleep in the afternoon. :)

Food vendors line the park paths just for cherry blossom season.

Okay, not the greatest shot...but you can see a glimpse of where I work behind the flowers!!

April has been a pretty hectic month - I will be relieved to have it over with! Just one more week until Golden Week...Hope everyone else is have a good April so far!

Grand Opening of MOP Kisarazu!

Mitsui Outlet Park = MOP. For some reason I just think that's super adorable!!

Curious about all the hype, yesterday I went to check out the grand opening of the shiny new outlets in Kisarazu, right near the Chiba-side entrance of the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line.

To be honest, I was a little skeptical about this place. I love shopping, and I love shopping even more so in Japan....but I feel like it's always really hard to find clothes for prices that I'd ever actually call a bargain. I am happy to say that I was quite wrong!!

Things that I really love about MOP Kisarazu so far:

Look out for the bright orange balloons (with banners hanging from them that say "三井アウトレットパーク木更津") when you get off the highway!

The first thing I love about MOP Kisarazu: it is so close! I was coming from Chiba City, and my friends came from the southern outer edges of Chiba Prefecture...but it totally only took us about 40 minutes! It also only takes about 40 minutes to an hour (depending on where you're coming from) by highway buses departing from Shinjuku, Yokohama, Kawasaki.

It also looks like they've expanded and cleaned up the local roads and they had a TON of parking, so we didn't have to wait long at all to get into the outlets!

Another thing I love about MOP Kisarazu: Shop selection!!! They had a lovely balance of Japanese brands and non-Japanese stuff! For example: ok they have the Nike outlet store here. Okay, they have it at Makuhari too - and for that matter, I can get stuff for much cheaper from the Nike outlet back home in the  US. On the other hand, what I *can't* get in the US:

Store hopping for Japanese fashion brands!!

I have always loved the designs at these three brands: Apuweiser-riche, E hyphen world gallery, and earth music & ecology...so I was really really excited to see them here! They also had Design Tshirts graniph and tsumori chisato, some other stores I really love. Since the prices here were actually reasonable, I don't think I can ever shop at regular retail price again!

This guy looked SO confused when he popped out of the store just in time to stare into my photo.

Another long time love...Vivienne Westwood! This is just another thing I definitely cannot buy back home in the US.

Wappa Chaya at the food court.

After a good shopping spree, it was time to refuel at the Food Court! They had a fantastic variety of popular restaurants from all over Japan, as well as local specialties from the southern Chiba area!

Seafood fresh from the Boso!

As we were getting ready in the morning to head out to the outlets, they showed this on the news...how could we NOT get it! The sashimi was so fresh it just seemed to melt away in my mouth. I really do miss the fresh seafood I could get for cheap when I lived near the coast...

We also made some new friends at the food court:

Also located in the food court is the Chiba Tourist Information Center, aka the チーバくんプラザ!

...where we met the always adorable CHI-BA+KUN!

Nokotta-kun, from Kisarazu!

He is holding beach combing stuff, which is a really popular activity in Kisarazu from now until the end of the summer. Hopefully we will get to go this year!

Perhaps our greatest discovery of the day: P-man!!!

This super cute and creepy mascot is P-man (Pマン)! He is supposed to be a delicious peanut born and raised in Chiba - that goes great as a snack or a side dish for beer! Apparently he pops up from time to time here at this souvenir shop selling Chiba-made foods, etc. here in the food court too....perhaps you'll meet him too!

@ the Mother Farm Cafe

After our meal, we decided to brave the long line at the Mother Farm Cafe. Although I have yet to go, Mother Farm is a tourist attraction where you can go play with cows, sheep, etc., have barbecues, go strawberry or blueberry picking...they've extended their business to run these cafes! I only know of two now...the one here, at MOP Kisarazu, and the other one at the Lalaport Tokyo Bay shopping mall, but their soft serve is absolutely amazing. Since I am a sucker for limited edition things, I couldn't resist getting this "Boso Strawberry" parfait soft serve. It had vanilla soft serve topped with a mass of strawberries, with yogurt and chocolate crispies underneath, all in a giant waffle cone - and it was perfection. Apparently this is only available here at MOP Kisarazu, so come and get it!

MOP Kisarazu at night.

With our stomachs full and hands full of shopping bags, it was finally time to call it a night! I think we spent a good 5-6 hours at the outlets. It was interesting to see how much the crowds had cleared out in the evening...perhaps because most of the people we saw there that day were families with younger children? So if you are trying to avoid the crowds, it might be a good idea to avoid coming here during the day and try coming in the evenings instead.

MOP Kisarazu...I hope to be seeing you again sometime soon!

Mitsui Outlet Park Kisarazu website:
http://www.31op.com/kisarazu/index.html

Experiencing an earthquake with an intensity of 7.

Our guide welcomes us to the Western Chiba Prefectural Disaster Prevention Center.

I recently had a chance to visit the Western Chiba Prefectural Disaster Prevention Center (千葉県西部防災センター) in Matsudo.

Just as the name describes, it's a public facility designed to raise awareness about how to keep yourself and those around you safe in case of an emergency. It might not sound very interesting at first, but it's actually super interactive and really, really cool.

It's a bit difficult to describe, so I'll let the photos (albeit pretty blurry ones here and there) do the the explaining!

Earthquake car.

After watching a short video introducing the center, our guide led us upstairs to where are the awesome interactive stuff is. Right off the bat, we were going for what I wanted to try out the most - the earthquake car.

I've tried the portable version of this before - basically like a U-haul truck that has had it's wagon section cut open to resemble a plain, empty room. Here's an example (I rode an even older, plainer version though).

This took the earthquake simulation to a whole different level. They have recreated a living room (minus things that are actually in danger of falling down and seriously hurting someone) on a platform - think of those spaceship rides at the amusement park? Except that unlike this one is designed to realistically recreate the same kind of shaking you would experience in an actual earthquake.

Earthquake car/machine from the outside, as well as a description of the variety of strengths the machine can recreate.

This machine can simulate earthquakes with a intensity (震度) range of 0-7. Our guide had us try an intensity of upper 5 (震度5強) - the intensity experienced in many parts of Chiba on 3.11, followed up by an intensity of 7 (震度7) - which is the maximum, and was recorded intensity for hardest hit areas the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

In all seriousness, I was terrified enough during the intensity of 5 simulation - it reminded me way too much of 3.11, something I never want to experience again. But 7...was far too intense. Even though I knew it was a simulation, I am pretty sure I was screaming because it was so terrifying. I guess it might be good to experience as a simulation, and just hope that you - or anyone else - will ever have to experience for real??

Braving the typhoon simulation!

The numbers on the wall are the wind speed and rainfall - pictured here is the maximum, with a wind speed of 30m/sec and rainfall of 30mm/hour. Don't worry though - at least they have full rain gear for you to change into before challenging this simulation!

Practicing CPR.

If you take the extended 90 minute tour (compared to the 60 minute tour), you can also learn basic CPR techniques and how to operate an AED.

Staying calm while reporting a fire.

Next, there was this neat activity, which checks to make sure you can report a fire or call for an ambulance as quickly and calmly as possible. Follow the prompts and read the dialogue displayed on screen within the allotted time. Our "leader" passed with flying colors!

Also not pictured here because there was no way for me to get a decent photo, but our guide took us through a dark, smoke-filled hallway to have us learn how to protect ourselves from smoke during a fire and escape as quickly as possible.

Putting out that fire.

Our last hands-on activity, and perhaps the biggest stress reliever of the day...putting out a fire with a fire extinguisher! Mind you, the extinguishers actually only had water in them, but it was a lot of fun nonetheless.

Final stop before the end of the tour.

But before we were done, the tour ends here - a room filled with these smaller closet rooms! It's actually a simulation to test how much information you've actually retained over the course of the tour. You watch a movie, and choose either red or blue during a timed prompt to guide the main character's course of action.

Not-so-random sign.

I took this photo because I wanted to note the 備蓄倉庫 - according to the introductory video they show you at the beginning of the tour, they store tons of emergency rations and supplies in the warehouse here. I wish we could have seen it, but I think it's off-limits to the public. D:

Presents to take home from the tour - multilingual pamphlets from the Center, as well as an emergency whistle and alarm from Kamogawa International Relations Association, the event organizer.

Presents to take home from the tour - multilingual pamphlets from the Center, as well as an emergency whistle and alarm from Kamogawa International Relations Association, the event organizer. Particularly, I'd never thought about needing a whistle in an emergency, but I learned that it's a pretty common thing to have ready here in Japan, in case you are trapped over fallen furniture, etc. in an earthquake and are calling for help. This is opposed to screaming, which 1) may use up limited oxygen and 2) cause you to inhale smoke/dust/rubble.


A few other notes about the Center - I am pretty sure you actually have to take the guided tour in order to look around, as most of the interactive stuff are like rides at an amusement park and need to be operated by staff. There are displays too, but why settle for that when you can do all the fun hands-on stuff?

Another cool thing - admission to the Western Chiba Prefectural Disaster Prevention Center is totally free! Tours are only available in Japanese - but you have a decent handle on Japanese, you can get the gist of things and figure out the rest through the hands-on activities.

I drove to the Western Chiba Prefectural Disaster Prevention Center by car from Chiba, and it was a nice 1 hour drive. The center has free parking for visitors. If going by public transportation, you'll need to take the bus from either JR Matsudo Station (bus bound for Ichikawa Station) or from JR Ichikawa Station (bus bound for Matsudo Station or Matsudo Shako). Either way, get off the bus at Matsudo Nichu. You can also walk, but it's a 25 minute hike from JR Matsudo Station.

List of things to prepare and have on hand at home in case of an emergency.

Anyway, visiting the center was a great experience, and reminded me of a lot of things I needed to reconsider at home and other places I spend a lot of time at. Generally, you are the one most responsible for protecting yourself. Just taking a little time to make back-up plans and take precautions in case of an emergency could make all the difference, so why wait until tomorrow when you could have done it today?