How close can e-commerce come to a real shop?

 The other day, I decided to buy a pair of shoes for A/W. I usually go to the city to shop but I was in the mood to buy them on the Internet this time. In Japan, as far as I know, there are two websites for purchasing shoes. One is Javari.jp and the other is LOCONDO. Both offer almost the same service so I chose Javari.jp.

 Javari.jp started its business specializing in shoes and bags in 2010 by Amazon.jp. It seems like just an ordinary online shopping site but what is epoch-making about it is they don't charge shipping fee and they accept returning of goods regardless of the reasons within 365 days (except for some goods) under specific conditions such as the tag hasn't been removed or the shoes haven't been worn outside, which means "return them in the same condition as they were delivered." Moreover you don't even have to pay return shipping fee!! So it's like this; you order some pairs of shoes like different colors or size, or similar shoes, then you try them on (inside your house!!) and you buy shoes that you want and return the others. How convenient is that!

 Buying stuff online is sometimes very difficult since you cannot actually see it until it is actually delivered. And in Japan, it is almost impossible to return it unless there are damages. So what Javari.jp does is quite new. They brought the concept of "try-on" to e-commerce. 

 I checked some chukka boots on their website and I selected three pairs of shoes; two with the same styles but with different sizes and one with a different style. I ordered them before 4pm so they were delivered the following day!! That's so fast!! The box was this big.

and inside...

I also took a picture of the shoes in a box so if I return them, I wouldn't get any trouble packing them back again. LOL. (because they said "pack them the same way as you received it")

I bought 26cm and 26.5cm of this pair...

and 26cm of this.

 Unfortunately, all of them were too big for me even though I usually wear 26cm shoes. So I returned them. Bye Bye. The way to return was easy too. You can use the postal service from Javari.jp and they will come to collect the goods at your preferred time. Or you can bring them to a convenience store just like I did.

 After sending them back, I ordered two pairs of shoes again. This time I chose the 25cm and 25.5cm shoes. As expected, they were delivered the following day. (Even if it was Sunday) Then I decided to buy '25.5cm size' pair. Although the other pair was more my favorite, 25cm was a little too small. And I used the pick up service by the post office. I chose the pick up time online and gave it to the post man the next day. I also got an email from Javari.jp that said my return goods were accepted and they would be refunded.

 So after all I only bought one pair of shoes out of five and the others were returned. I felt a bit bad because I just ordered and tried them on. I really wasn't so serious buying them. I was just curious how I looked If I wore them. Also, I wanted to compare them. But that doesn't mean I will never buy shoes at a real shop but it might get often that I choose to buy them online (like after I check similar shoes at a real shop!!)

 I regret to say that there's no overseas shipping service. But I think Amazon.com has it. I don't know if they accept returning goods from abroad though. I'm thinking about getting shoes (again!) via Amazon.com next time so I'm a bit worried. It's better I'll try them on at a shop before I order.


Javari.jp: http://www.javari.jp/
LOCONDO: http://www.locondo.jp/

and there's Javari.co.uk which has international delivery.
Javari.co.uk: http://www.javari.co.uk/ 

health nut

 Yes, that's me. I don't know since when I became so health conscious. I always remind myself "You are what you eat". But I try not to go too far with it because I know too much "healthy" is also not healthy and some impurities are necessary (which reads "I can't deny fastfood") 
 Around 5 years ago, the word "superfood" was heard from the media and I became curious about it. According to the media, superfoods are foods with high nutrients that are expected to have good health benefits. So what kind of foods can be "superfoods?" I checked some; any kind of berries, avocados, pomegranates, nuts, oats, broccolis, spinaches, soy beans, seaweeds, honey, cacaos etc. And even oranges and tomatoes are in too. It seems most of dark green vegetables and fruits are likely to be superfoods. I've tried avocados, oats, nuts, soy milk, fermented soy beans (which is "natto"), honey (especially, manuka honey), 80% cacao, and even kimchi. And now I'm into açai and barley leaf juice.

　Açai (sometimes people say açai berry because of its appearance but it's not a kind of berry at all!!)  is a fruit found in the Amazon and is often called "miracle fruit" or "natural supplement" because of its vast nutrients. Especially the amount of polyphenol contained in it is around 18 times than blueberries. Polyphenol of açai is mostly anthocyanin; a red  pigment known for antioxidant effects, which is good for eyestrain, liver function and anti-aging. Moreover açai has essential fatty acids like omega3 and omega9. I could only find açai products in certain cafes until I found I could buy a pack of  Sambazon's frozen açai pulp at Costco. 

And since I started buying it there, I make a smoothie with it everyday. When I make a smoothie, I also add powder barley leaf juice. I always felt I eat less vegetables than the optimum amount I was supposed to eat, which is 350g a day based on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan. 

This green juice tastes terrible if you mix it with water or milk (it tastes much better though) so i decided to mix it up with açai. Barley leaves are rich in iron (20 times than prunes), vitamin K, potassium and of course fiber. Fresh barley leaves also have SOD; superoxide dismutase, which is believed to have anti-cancer qualities.

 I make a smoothie with soymilk, açai, powder green juice and protein for breakfast. You might think I don't get full but I actually do. So it also might be good to lose weight.
 Just in case; those people who get dialysis or have circulatory disease should be careful for taking too much vitamin K or Potassium so ask your doctor before you have those kinds of smoothies.

 This is my smoothie. It looks ew but the taste is not so bad. It's a bit too sweet though. Sambazon has unsweetened frozen pulp so I just hope Costco will have it too. Oh and you might wonder if it really brings any health benefit. For me, I think so.

 Açai and barley leaves juice. what will come to me next? I give an eye to coconuts and moringa. Coconut water is a big trend in the US now. A lot of celebrities such as Madonna, Lady Gaga and Rihanna drink it when they jog or work out. What is so special about coconut water? coconut water, which is the clear liquid inside a young coconut shell (this is different from coconut milk which is produced by extracting the coconut meat), contains rich minerals and potassium and is often  more preferred than sports drink like Gatorade because coconut water has more electrolyte, which promotes proper rehydration. In addition, it has no fat, low calories and 100% natural. I can even drink it instead of water!

 And moringa. This plant is normally seen in tropical or subtropic regions and has other names like "tree for life", "miracle herb", or "malunggay in filipino." It is said that moringa is the only plant that has all the essential amino-acids that human beings need and also GABA and other minerals are contained. Not only are the most parts of moringa edible but also you can produce oil from moringa seeds. The oil from moringa seeds can be used for cooking, cosmetics, machine-oil and potentially biofuel. The leaves are the most nutritious part with rich vitamin A, which even WHO expects to help the children in the poor countries from malnutrition. And interestingly, moringa seed powder has the potential power that can clean up the water by absorbing the pollutants. It sounds much like earth-saving plant, right?

 I'm quite interested in both of them but it's hard to find them here in Japan and even if I can, it's much expensive. Hmmmmmmmmmm, smells business?
 Anyways, I'll stick with açai and barley leaves now. And I'll check how I can import those stuff.


Sambazon's açai : http://www.sambazon.com/

The breakfast queen of NY is coming to Japan

 It's been 4 years since Bills aka "The Best Breakfast in the World" opened in Japan; its first restaurant outside Australia. I haven't tried the well-known scrambled eggs or ricotta hotcakes yet. When the restaurant first opened, tons of people went crazy about it. It's kind of funny people had to wait for hours and when they finally got seats and were ready for the breakfast, it was already afternoon. I hope it's not like that now if I happen to go there. I'm a bit tired of hearing about "the best breakfast in the world" thing because there are already 4 branches in Japan, which are all located in Tokyo and Yokohama. I feel it has less rarity than before. But I admit I'm still eager to try it.

 And it's been 2 years since Eggs 'n Things aka "The Must Go Restaurant in Hawaii" came to Japan. It was 2010 when I went to Hawaii with a friend of mine and had pancakes with super tall whipped cream. (BTW, what is the difference between hotcakes and pancakes? It's the same, right?) And these are the pancakes...

 It was...yeah it was quite sweet but I liked it especially when I ate it with an omelet with salted potatoes, you know, sweet and salty are always a good combination. I also liked sour blueberries, which refreshed my tongue.

 Exactly right after I came back from Hawaii, I heard the restaurant coming to Japan. I was partly happy and partly disappointed. I felt happy because I could eat it again in Japan and I felt disappointed because I could no longer say I exclusively tried it in HAWAII. Despite nagging that there's no point to travel and eat at famous restaurants abroad because most of them have branches in Japan today, I went straight to Eggs 'n things when I went to Tokyo. Of course, it was good. But it's better to go there in summer so at least you could recall how hot it was in Hawaii. Oh and I forgot to add...it's the must go restaurant in Hawaii...FOR JAPANESE! Because you will see few other nationalities in there!! maybe only the staff there?

 And finally...I got this news a couple of days ago. Sarabeth's aka "The Breakfast Queen of NY" will open its first branch in Japan. The restaurant is famous for brunch meals. The brunch there is quite simple; eggs with bread that you can choose from several kinds of muffins, scorn, croissant, or toast. You can also enjoy pancakes, french toasts and waffles. Sarabeth's is also known for supervising the movie "It's complicated" starring Meryl Streep. I remember I woke up early and walked to the restaurant alone when I traveled to NY. I felt like "OMG, I'm like a new yorker!!" HAHAHA, I was young. I think I looked weird back then. Anyway, the dish was really good but what I loved more is their other specialty; preserves. It's quite sad that I didn't take any picture of it (or maybe I did but I don't know where they are.) Their brunch was served with confiture and the confiture was just amazing. I think I had orange-apricot marmalade.

Orange-Apricot Marmalade $10

 The balance between sweetness and bitterness was perfect. I did like it so much that I brought two jars to Canada with me where I was staying at that time.

 And It's coming to Tokyo this November...I don't think the location is very Sarabeth's-like and I can easily imagine the restaurant would be packed with so many people. Let's wait and see...

 So now if I feel like having the world's best, then I can go to Bills. If I feel like Hawaiian, there's  Eggs 'n Things and I feel like some posh NY style, then there's nowhere but Sarabeth's!! What's next?? and When is Jamba Juice's turn??

More information

Bills:http://www.bills.com.au/

Eggs 'n Things:http://www.eggsnthings.com/

Sarabeth's:http://www.sarabeth.com/

Chicken wings

 When I was in the Philippines, I was able to try BonChon Chicken for the first time. There is no BonChon in Japan yet. I like the skin of their chicken wings, which is very crispy and has a soy garlic taste. It seems that BonChon Chicken is the best chicken ever. BonChon started in Busan, South Korea, then opened the first branch in New Jersey, US. Their chicken is fried twice so the skin becomes crunchier and less greasy.

 However, I highly recommend one restaurant that serves, in my opinion, tastier chicken. "Yama-chan of the world" was established in Nagoya, the middle part of Japan. Nagoya is famous for chicken wings and this restaurant (or you can say Japanese style bar) is the most popular chicken-wing restaurant.  Their chicken wings are made spicy not by chili pepper but by black pepper.

 A friend of mine and I went to a branch in Kyoto at 6:15 but it was already full of reservation. Only seats at the counter were available. We didn't have choice so we sat there. You can see staff woking so hard.

 It costs 400 yen for 5 wings. This is 5 wings but my friend and I already ate 20 wings. Hehehehe.

 I must say that these chicken wings are perfect with beer!! We drank three pitchers of beer. That was too much, though!!

 One thing that made me a bit scared there was that the restaurant had special menus which were cooked with ingredients from Tohoku region(northeast Japan). Hmmm, of course they use uncontaminated ingredients but still we have to be conscious about food to keep away from radiation, right?

Miranda Kerr on Japanese Lipton advertisement

 I've never seen Miranda Kerr sing/act like this! but She's super cute.

 Also, check out this making video.

How to spend rainy days.

 Do you know that Japan has a rainy season? Most people say that there are four seasons in Japan but it's actually five. Between Spring and Summer, we have a short rainy season. It's not like the one in Southeast Asia where it rains in short periods in one day. A rain front stays over Japan and causes raining all day for a few days. Then there are a couple of sunny/cloudy days then back to rain days. The temperature hovers between 20℃ to 30℃, and it's humid. This lasts for a month so this one month is the most depressing month for Japanese.
 It really made me not feel like going out so I was thinking of what I could do insted of going out.

 Watching American TV drama is one of the options since I love watching American TV drama. ( I rarely watch Japanese one, nor British one except for Torchwood) My line-up recently is Glee, Bones, Gossip Girl and sometimes Law and Order. I'm curious about New Girl. My sister told me it was good so I'll try watching it.

 Did you know Jess from New Girl and Dr.Brennan from Bones are real sisters? I didn't know!! Zooey and Emily Deschanel.

Zooey Deschanel (Jess) from New Girl

Emily Deschanel (Dr.Brennan) from Bones

 Yeah, they are sisters. 

 I also want to watch something a bit more mature. Has anyone watched Mad Men? Is that interesting?? 

see a dentist

 In Japan, not so many people undergo orthodontics. One of the reasons is that it costs a lot, approximately 1,000,000 yen. So only people who medically need it or people with enough budget and those who are very particular about how their teeth look go to an orthodontist. That is the reason why lots of Japanese have bad set of teeth.
 Anyways, I've seen an orthodontist since 3 years ago and I came back to check up today. here is a waiting area. Bright and clean.

 And this is the front desk. You can pay by cash, credit card or e-cash. I've never paid by e-cash here but I know it's so useful!! You don't need to bring cash with you to pay but instead you can use a card or your cellphone.

 It's been 8 months since the last time I saw the dentist because I was in the Philippines. My dentist was introduced by another dentist in the clinic where my sisters work. Yeah, my sisters work at the same place. Crazy? I think so, too. Hahahaha. I like my dentist because I can get a treatment in a private cubicle so no one can see me. This is maybe because I'm an orthodontic patient. When I got my wisdom tooth extracted, I was led to an regular place with three dental chairs. And there is a VIP room, which I've been to once. Very nice place.
 I noticed that my two upper front teeth moved forward but he told me they were okay. Hmmm, but I don't like it!! Hope they won't move anymore. Then I got my teeth cleaned and left there.


 I was told to came after six months but I think I should see him earlier for maintenance. I really care about my teeth and I'm confident about them. Are you confident about your teeth?

The golden age of the Pharaohs

 It's Father's day today. What did you do for your fathers? I didn't do anything special for my dad but my parents and I went to the museum. We've been wanting to see this exhibition since it was announced to come to Japan.

 The exhibition is about Egypt, mainly Tutankhamun. They display treasures that were found at the tomb of Tutankhamun and other remains. It was a great opportunity to see those treasures because not many people have the chance to go to Egypt, where this exhibit is originally held. Maybe I can go there someday but not anytime soon, so going to the exhibition is like cherry-picking the good points of traveling.

 When we arrived at the museum, we were glad to see that there were not so many people, even when it's a weekend. We then proceeded to purchase tickets. Ticket price on weekends costs 2800 yen. Expensive! But I can understand since these treasures are incredibly invaluable. We entered the museum and we were given numbered tickets that indicated we can enter the museum at 1:20. It was 12:30 in my watch so we decided to have lunch first.
 After lunch, we headed to the museum again and saw a lot of people waiting in line! We also had to wait for another 20mins until we could finally get inside. The inside of the museum was so packed that I couldn't reach the showpieces easily. The way they are displayed were not right. The rooms weren't big enough so we couldn't walk smoothly. However, the showpieces were extremely amazing and gorgeous! I have no clue how the ancient egyptian made those stuff!! Engraving was pretty much fine and precise.

 Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside (even using a phone!) so I got some photos of the treasures I saw at the museum.

 The coffin of Tjuya. This golden coffin was insanely beautiful. I think Tjuya is King Tut's grandma.

 Canopic coffinette of King Tut. His innards were placed  in this small coffin when he died. This was also superb. You can also see an engraving of a man with wings inside the coffinette.

 This necklace and the dagger were found inside the tomb. They are made of gold.

  Scarab is a holy insect in ancient Egypt, which is a symbol of reincarnation and re surrection.

 It took us 30mins to look around. Actually, I was looking forward to the mask of King Tut but it wasn't there. Is it in the museum in Egypt or in England??

The museum is next to Kaiyukan, an aquarium in Osaka. I didn't visit there today but this is good place too.

dad's birthday

 Last Sunday was my dad's birthday but my relatives and I went out for dinner that day. Besides, my sisters had something to do and couldn't join us so we postponed my dad's celebration to today. Nowadays, we celebrate simply with some pieces of cake; no hearty food, no whole cake, no song. Sounds sad? Not really.

 This morning, my mom and I drove to the city to buy cakes (or rather say she drove. LOL) but we dropped by an electronic center first. My mom had been thinking about buying a new washing machine since the one we had started making scary noise. At the center, we checked some washing machines and both agreed to purchase Panasonic, which has silent-operation and eco-washing features. Luckily, we had accumulated cash vouchers which can be used in the center so we didn't have to pay anything at all! hahaha!! I love it.
 Then, I checked the new MacBook Pro with Retina display, which is released two days ago. It was really impressive but I was more attracted to iMac. Apple hasn't updated their iMac models but it is definitely a better replacement for our living room computer, which is pathetically slow and outdated. Also, we bought a LAN cable for the internet there and left for a department store next to the center.

 We headed straight to the confectionery are and looked around pastry shops. I found a beautiful display at a pastry. I really wanted to show it here though the sales clerk said no when I asked if I could take a pic. That's so Japanese. I understand but what could I do with it? Right? I won't copy the design right. Anyway, we bought cakes at another store and went home.
 As soon as we got home, I replaced the old cable with the new one that I bought at the center to make the internet faster. The speed was 20Mbps before and it became 13Mbps after I exchanged. Huh? I bought the better cable and it got slower!! I changed some setting but it was too complicated for me!! Finally, I set it back to 20Mbps again after all but I expected it would become over 50Mbps...why why why? give up!!

 And these are the cakes we bought!! Blueberry tart, Cherry tart, chocolate cake and Macha & sweet red bean cake from PATISSERIE TOOTH TOOTH. Which do you like??

I chose this.

Happy 60th Birthday, Daddy.

toothpaste? no, it's mint chocolate!!

 I'm crazy about chocolates and who isn't? I actually have one friend who doesn't like chocolate at all. Hahaha I can't understand!! Anyways, I went to a convenience store the other day and I found lots of mint chocolates. Mint chocolate is my all-time favorite but many people don't like it and usually say it tastes like toothpaste!! I certainly don't agree!! Chocolate and mint are perfect combination!!
 I was overwhelming seeing mint chocolates on store shelves thinking what I should buy, while I was a bit surprised that mint chocolates were in vogue. There are so many products available such as mint chocolate drink, ice cream, bread and cake.

 I compiled some mint choco products I've seen.
 I've only tried the right Andes though I think the one on the left is better.

  I saw this Glico's Pocky in a convenience store. It's for a limited period only. I haven't tried it yet. I'll try it someday.

 Baskin Robbins's mint chocolate is the one I always order. This mint chocolate is the best of the best so far. I've never tried any better mint chocolate ice cream than Baskin Robbins.

 This is also for a limited period from GODIVA. Dark truffes with mint chocolate chip...must be sooooooo yummy!! They say it's good for a casual gift. Anyone?

   And this is what I bought, simple mint chocolate, Morinaga DARS. I like this because I can taste more of the mint, since it has tiny mint capsules covered in a thin layer of chocolate.

 More mint chocolate are going on sale as summer approches. I can't wait!!

cupcake wars

 What do you come up with first when you hear "cupcake?" If you ask me, it'll be Magnolia Bakery from Sex and the City. I didn't watch all seasons but somehow I know it's a Carry Bradshaw's favorite shop. When I went to NY for the first time, I passed by this famous bakery and saw heaps of people waiting in a long line.
 To be honest, I'm not that into cupcakes because of the frosting. It's a little too sweet for me. Though, I like the style: pastel colors, toppings...it can be so creative!

 I found this tv programme named "cupcake wars." In this show, 4 talented bakers battle it out in making cupcakes based on a certain theme. Every episode has three rounds, and in each round, one baker will get eliminated.

 The first round was that they had to bake one cupcake including 6 ingredients namely, pumpkin, oats, molasses, apricots, currants and kale. Kale is a killer. I have completely no idea how to bake a cupcake with it. I mean, I can make a dessert using the other ingredients, but kale? It's a green vegetable, right? So how?? I even can't imagine how the cupcakes which the bakers made taste like.
 The second and the third round, they also need to make a presentation. They have to make three cupcakes inspired by Spiderman's enemies. I'm not a big fan of spiderman so I didn't know which is which but I know Green goblin. And here's the Green Goblin inspired key lime cupcake that one of the contestants baked. Looks yummy, doesn't it? As for the rest of the cupcakes, I honestly do not the character from which they were based. Perhaps you could help me figure out?

 You can see more cakes from this baker here. 

 Watching this show made me feel like baking something. Hmmm, what should I bake? I like baking Italian hard cookies called biscotti but I'll try something new this time.

Steteco: classic long trunks

 In fashion industry, the stream of trend is fast as if someone said it's "in" today but it'll be "out" tomorrow. However, there's always revival. Steteco, which used to be for your dads, is now accepted by young generation.
 What is steteco? Steteco is an undergarment, or should I say "midgarment", if there's such a term. Midgarment basically because it is meant to be worn under your pants but above your inner underwear. Steteco is made from "crape cotton," which has ruffled texture that effectively absorbs sweat and cools your body. It also prevents the pants from getting sticky because of sweat. So it's perfect for summer's hot and humid weather like in Japan.
 As I mentioned before, it used to be outdated and the color was only white or beige. Then a couple years ago, it returned to the market with more sophisticated styles.

 This is the one I have. Very colorful.

 It can be a roomwear or pajama as well. I sometimes go to a supermarket or a convenience store wearing this.  

 Uniqlo also opened "steteco bar" in Ginza, Tokyo where you can get an advice. They offer 4 types or style with over 80 cute color designs, which is about ten times compared to the last year, in 10 countries. I checked the US site but there are just a few so I think they will update soon. 

UNIQLO:http://www.uniqlo.com/

 Let's beat the heat and get through the summer with steteco!!

beef carnival

 A couple of days ago, we heard the news that the Korean BBQ restaurant, which my family and relatives often used to go, would be closed today so we decided to be one of their last guests. So my mom's older brother and sister, her younger brother's family and my family gathered at the restaurant. It's been years since the last time my family had dinner there as we had found another restaurant to go.

 Anyway, the fiesta started. The first dish was sliced tongue, just like as we always do. Beef tongue is one of my favorite parts of the beef. I was kinda sad though some were a bit too salty and were not at all. Inconsistent seasoning: minus1point. Fortunately, I had sliced leeks and lemon.

 Then the next was rumen. Have you tried it? It tastes light and chunky but usually marinated with garlic so you can imagine the taste, right? It's surprising cows have four stomachs, isn't it!! And all of them are edible!! We also had intestines. It was slimy and had the unique taste. I don't know how I can define this taste.

 We also enjoyed cheek part and loin part. Then I ordered a hot stone-bowl rice a.k.a pibimpap as my last dish. I forgot to take a photo before mixing. It was so steaming hot that I was able to hear the sound of rice being fried. The amount of rice was disappointingly less and there wasn't a spinach in the bowl, though it was okay after all since I had been already stuffed.

 However, I thought they could've done something more for their clients and set aside their earnings considering it was their last day.

 Anyway, we gave bouquets to the owner then we left the restaurant. Congratulations for their over 10 years of good food and happy memories.

plaid world

 After seeing the dawn, I let myself call it a day. Somehow, I didn't get sleepy until that time in spite of having just 4hours of sleep. I got up at 9am because my mom and sister planned to go shopping with me today.

 The first store we went to wasn't open yet. So we decided to have lunch at a restaurant in the same building first. The restaurant, or rather say the cafe had a very simple style and I was drawn by its vintage interiors. There were a couple of set meals but we all chose curry soup with clams and rice.

 The taste of curry was not so savory but good enough with rice. I couldn't taste the clams much though. You can't see it in the photo but there were some sliced eggplants which were fried so the curry had no bitter taste. Furthermore, what I liked the most was the table cloth. The color combination of blue, yellow, purple was cute but not too feminine. Sometimes many vivid colors lose the appetite of the diners but this made my lunch more enjoyable.
 After having our light lunch, we headed to the store we were supposed to go. The store had the same stuff the cafe used such as lamps, aprons, and of course tableware.

 Here are other table cloths...

 You can also find small clutch cases...checkered pattern again!! I don't know why but I'm so crazy about tartan!!

 I found lots of vintage/vintage-like stuff here but some of them were a bit pricey... I don't think some of the items' prices were justifiable, huhuhu. But if you are like me, I'm sure you would stay this store for ever. You'll never get bored!!

Nama fever

 When Japanese says "nama" for food, it means raw, fresh or soft. Nama chocolate is a good example. It means ganache which contains fresh cream. Ever since nama chocolate came to the market, lots of "nama" products have been released like nama caramel, nama pudding, nama donuts etc. There is also nama beer which means draft beer.

 It was maybe last year I saw one nama product named "nama ramune." Ramune is basically a lemonade but Japanese couldn't pronounce it properly so they came up with the word "ramune." Then a snack company made a tablet which tastes like lemonade and named it "ramune" as well. So what is nama ramune then? I've been so curious but never got a chance to eat it. What I know about it is that it is totally a new texture. I heard it's gummy and melts in your mouth...so I bought it and tried it on my way back home.

This is the product.

 When I tossed it into my mouth, I found it not good actually. Precisely, it tasted too sweet and its texture was like a gelatine which is soaked for 10mins or something. It was definitely new...but in a bad way for me.  The package says it'll have a different texture if it's frozen so I put it in a freezer. I took it out after dinner and ate it again. Hmmm, yeah it was different but still not so good. Hahahaha. I won't buy it again!!
 I still prefer the tablet ramune, which not only tastes good but also is good for health. Actually the nama ramune has the same ingredient; glucose. It is said glucose helps to boost proper brain function unlike sucrose. It also helps in alleviating hunger, tiredness and hangover as it is a major source of energy for the body. Moreover, it's low in calorie so it is also good for diet.

 Here is the original ramune I used to eat when I worked in the office.

 it's been around since 1973. It's sometimes better to stick with the oldies.

day first

 I didn't have anything to do today. I woke up at 5:30 first because my dad came to the living room ( yeah, I sleep there...) then went to my parents' bedroom to sleep again.

 It's a bit chilly in the morning and at night here in Japan. During daytime, they say it's hot, though it's still cool for me. I mean, comparing to the Philippines it's still a comfortable weather.

 I felt I had to do something productive. I got tired of staying at home doing nothing or just watching tv. So I went to a drug store and an electronics center by car. It's been 6 months since the last time I drove a car. I felt a bit nervous but thank god, I still know how to drive! Hahahaha!! I need a little practice in parking though! 

 I bought batteries for our cordless phone and a cable for blue-ray recorder. Yeah, my mom had bought the recorder while I was in the Philippines!! Unfortunately, that recorder sucks since it can't record satellite broadcasting which my family usually watches ( like FOX and AXN). So what is this useless recorder for? Just record regular broadcasting? I told my mom about it and she promised she would buy a new recorder!! hahaha then when?? anyway, I connected the recorder to the tv. I'll see how good blue-ray movie is.

 while my mom was cooking dinner, I drove to the station to pick up my sister. I dropped by a supermarket to buy some stuff I was asked then I found this.

 yes, Jack'n Jill cream-o.

It's really funny seeing something I used to see back in the Philippines. It's roughly 40 pesos. I already can't remember how much it is in the Philippines. Around 20 pesos maybe? That's twice the price!! As you know, everything is expensive in Japan.

 As soon as I got home, I had dinner with my family then we ate mangoes for dessert. Then somehow I craved for something salty so I munched boy bawang and chugged Nestea calamansi flavor. Yema is always the one I eat before going to bed. Obviously, I still haven't gotten over from the Philippines on the first day in Japan.