What I Loved About Japan This Week

That it is only 3 weeks today until my beautiful mama comes to visit!

Because, what is this? And, more importantly, how did Jesse eat it?

The exact reason I will not be picking up Japanese written language any time soon.

This new rug from Japanese Ikea, for being lovely under my feet, and for miraculously getting delivered to our home and not somewhere else entirely in Tokyo due to my Japanese. (And the Swedish Meatballs.)

And clearly individually sticker-ed eggs with Frozen characters. Yes, it worked. I bought them.

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Japanese Curiosities: Lost (But Never Found)

The other day I was walking along the river in our lovely home, Higashikurume. (How un-Tokyo does it look! It still surprises me.)

As I was passing a fence, I came across these: a little set of keys sitting on a post. Which reminded me of something I find a little curious about Japan:

If you ever lose something here, you 100% had better remember where you lost it, because as a rule one does not hand in anything they find - they leave it so that you can go back and get it.

This is great, of course, unless you are me.

(It is also only great if you remember exactly where your keys fell out of your pocket.)

(Other Japanese curiosities I've noticed, if you're interested: Why don't people wear helmets on bikes? And, more seriously - why must we all use 1 ply toilet paper?)

Are there any curiosities you've come across while travelling or in your own country?

Blueberry Cherry Meringue Pie (Or, I Don't Have Any Lemons Lemon Meringue Pie)

So, Jesse started his new job, and well, I’ve been wanting to make something with blueberries, and I used a tin of cherries a while ago and have had that glorious leftover syrup biding its time in the fridge.

We had cause for celebration. It was time.

Let's be honest, this is basically a 'I-don’t-have-any-lemons-what-do-I-have-lemon-meringue-pie'. Or on Instagram - #didnthaveanylemons #dessertsmenlike.

And also, because I am exceedingly anti-pastry, for all the time and effort it demands (fancy cold butter, and freezing, and rolling, and ugh), this is a I-have-biscuits-honey-and-butter-always-in-my-cupboard pie crust.

FYI - This was way out of my league. I found out: filling is NOT easy to make - sieved twice, ended up in blender. Sugar syrup for meringue, also NOT easy to make - burnt on the stove, proceeded to go hard in three bowls and jam the whisk on the electric beater and send sugar spirals all across the sink, stove, bench and my dress.)

But we made it. Literally.

Blueberry Cherry Meringue Pie (Or I-Don't-Have-Any-Lemons-Lemon-Meringue-Pie) Recipe

What you'll need:

For the Pie Crust:

1 1/2 cups biscuit crumbs (crush biscuits in a bag with a rolling pin, or blend/food process)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup honey

For the Pie Filling:

2 cups milk (split into x2 1 cups)
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup flour
50g butter
4 egg yolks
Handful of blueberries (or any other fruit)

For the Meringue:

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup (or vinegar, or a teaspoon of cream of tartar)
4 egg whites
Tinned cherries syrup (or any other tinned fruit syrup you might have lying around - peaches? apricots? pineapple? fruit syrup you have made/bought?)

How to whip it all together:

Pie Crust:

Grease 20cm pie dish or spring form cake pan. Melt butter and honey, add to biscuits and stir well. Tip into pie dish and press down firmly into a crust. Put in the fridge.

Pie Filling:

Pour 1 cup milk into a bowl and sift in the flour. Whisk until completely combined (or blend if you want save time and eliminate lumps quickly - note: ELIMINATE LUMPS, do whatever it takes). Pour the other 1 cup milk and sugar into a saucepan on a medium heat, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Whisking RAPIDLY, add the milk/flour mix, and whisk to combine (if you have an emergency, blend it). Add the butter and whisk till combined.

Take your pie dish from the fridge and place it near you. Add the egg yolks to your mixture on the stove and whisk continuously until cooked and thickened (about 2-3 minutes). Pour into the pie dish. Refrigerate for 1 hour+.

Pull your pie out of the fridge and check set (filling should be soft to touch, but not runny - so that you can place blueberries on top without them sinking all the way in). Lightly place your blueberries (or other fruit) so that it sits on top of the pie filling.

Meringue:

Whisk egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form.

Boil sugar, water and corn syrup, letting it bubble for a minute or two. Pull off the heat but keep warm (if it cools it will harden). Reduce mixer speed to low speed, pour sugar syrup into the egg whites (away from beaters). Increase speed to high and beat for another 3 or 4 minutes, until egg whites are glossy.

Drizzle some fruit syrup in, and fold through well until you have coloured swirls you are happy with. Spoon the meringue over the pie filling and grill under a hot broiler for 30-60 seconds, or until golden (not too much longer than 1 minute, to avoid pie filling softening).

+ Note: Make the meringue around when you are ready to serve for best effect.

Embarrassing Moments In Japan: No.1

One of my finer moments. Why I felt the need to lean at that precise angle is not entirely clear to me. Embarrassing since 1995.

Turns out, embarrassing moments - not too hard to come by. Shall we blame my lack of understanding of Japanese culture and language? (Let's hope so, although the evidence above does suggest it may be inherent.)

Some moments have involved people, the public, a.k.a. level of embarrassment = high. And other times (less unfortunately), have been more personal events, just me and me, just for reliving in my mind, and when I'm ready, for sharing.

Fond lesson I recently learned: earthquakes are disorientating, it pays to know what to do before you are in one, and one should always assume that feeling the ground move is an earthquake, not a train.

In case you may not have guessed, I did not research how to recognise earthquakes, nor what to do in the case of them, prior to coming to Japan.

Hence, I am in the bathroom, and my husband is yelling at me to get in a door, and I proceed to roll onto the floor in the foetal position.

Naturally.

Memories. And obviously by disorientating, I mean really disorientating. (Or pregnant. We haven't really figured out what was going on inside my head at that time.)

More embarrassing stories involving bidets drenching me before interviews, and accidentally opening all the windows in a restaurant, will no doubt find their way here soon.

My Local 'Pan Ya San' (Or Bakery, As They Are Fondly Referred To In English)

Where do I even start?

I am sure every new mum secretly can't wait for the excuse for a daily walk to get a coffee.

I could be wrong. Let's be real. It's on my radar.

Enter MAJOR dilemma: Higashikurume, my neighbourhood, has no such community service.

I am exaggerating, of course it has coffee. The lovely Tully's, almost like a sister to Starbucks, is a 20 minute walk from my home. However, and confession time it appears, it involves taking a lift to get to, and my pathetic heart falters at the thought of being stuck in an enclosed lift that has jammed due to an earthquake in 36 degree heat and 95% humidity. Hopefully I will be able to ditch the pram and carry the baby soon so that stairs become an option.

P.S. A pram/stroller is cutely called a 'baby car' in Japan. Just in case you were looking for an adorable fact.

Anyway, all that is to say, my local Pan Ya San (bakery, or literally 'bread shop'), My Heartful Bread, is down river, with the ultimate in service, half-pear danishes, creamy lemon buns, and early opening hours - quite possibly the deal-sealing factor (and something that is surprisingly hard to come by in Japan).

Do I need to be eating delicious baked goods every day? Look, probably not. But right now, I am happy to say that the daily stroll with new bub in pram and a treat for me, well, it's looking good people.

What about you? Do you have any daily routines you look forward to, or traditions to spoil yourself?

What I Loved About Japan This Week

Seeing my beautiful cousin! Australian family - my heart feels so full.

Taking this munchkin to the zoo.

A little celebratory maternity dress. And the rain, so that I can wear said new dress.

Insanely healthy Japanese food, i.e. this happens daily. Fish, rice and kimchi (pickles). (Although, who am I trying to kid that I am even remotely healthy - waffle pudding, chocolate mousse, ice cream...)

And more not so healthy food. A WATERMELON icy pole (I love this country!) with crunchy chocolate 'seeds'.

We're heading into Omotesando on Saturday and church on Sunday - Jesse is heading up band for the first time! Other than that we plan on relaxing with movies and homemade caramel popcorn. I hope you have a lovely weekend!

What have you got planned? Going anywhere new? Or some old favourites?

A Little Announcement: We're Having A Baby Girl

So, the doctor told us yesterday, we couldn't keep it a secret - we're having a little girl!

At first I wanted to wait to tell, but we decided that having many friends and family living overseas, well, it's just a good excuse to get the party started.

See you soon!

(Photo via Amy & Ivor)

Leftover Waffles: 'Bread And Butter' Pudding With Chocolate Chips And Toasted Marshmallows

Waffles have always seemed kind of intimidating to me. But our new place in Tokyo came fully furnished, with a waffle press! (That is how they should have advertised it to us, "fully furnished with a waffle press.")

So when I saw a recipe for "Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Stuffed Waffles Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches" on Half Baked Harvest (also known as an unbelievable source of inspiration to mankind in the kitchen)... well, we obviously made them.

And then we had leftovers - the batter made A LOT. I thought, sometimes you can buy pre-made waffles at the supermarket too, so then I was super excited - after dinner dessert waiting to happen!

Leftover Waffles: 'Bread And Butter' Pudding With Chocolate Chips And Toasted Marshmallows

What you need:

Leftover waffles, or store bought ones
Store bought custard, or make your own
Chocolate
Marshmallows
Anything else you like the thought of

How to whip it all together:

Preheat oven to 180C (or 350F). Grease something you can put in the oven, which will snuggly hold your quantity of ingredients. Tear up your waffles and lay in pan, stuff chocolate chips around, and pour custard in, till it's about half covering your ingredients. Tear some marshmallows and scatter on top. Warm until your marshmallows have toasted. (About 10-30 minutes, depending on your quantity of ingredients.)

Our Pregnancy Announcement Video: 'Kirrily Is Pregnant'

When we found out we were pregnant, it was a huge surprise for our family and friends. As you can see.

This is such a treasured memory of mine now. And I love that one day we will be able to show the little one.

(P.S. So tempted to make a video of the reactions we didn't include - my grandmother was classic, and some of our friends were like, "Shivers.")

(P.P.S. I've also heard of pregnant women doing this to their partners, as a way of telling them and recording their reaction, à la selfie. Cruel...but awesome right!)

Find A Decent Coffee: The Cream Of The Crop Coffee

I literally have good coffee coming out of my ears. I am tempted to say: myth busted, decent coffee is EVERYWHERE in Tokyo.

Anyway, meet this little corner of a cafe, tucked into my all time favourite department store, Shibuya Hikarie.

Did I mention they make coffee ice cream from their own coffee! Isn't that the most brilliant idea?

The Cream Of The Crop Coffee
Shibuya Hikarie, Tokyo

Coffee: Like I said, good. Sweet, actually. And creamy.

Value: On the more expensive side, ¥450-¥580. I think we are paying for location here: on the ground floor of a gorgeous department store directly off from Shibuya Station.

Atmosphere and service: Nice, quick, plenty of seating. I love high ceilings and tall windows for people watching.

My two cents: I am super keen to try their coffee ice cream next time!

Found: Magnolia Bakery In Tokyo

Blink and you'll miss it - a tiny pop-up in the middle of Shibuya Hikarie department store - Magnolia Bakery, courtesy of New York.

I'm not a huge fan of waiting an hour for a cupcake, as I've heard is possible at the original store in New York. But for a line-less wait, a banana pudding sample, and can't-go-wrong vanilla and chocolate cupcakes for sale... well, I pounced. (They also had ice cream sandwiches - is that normal?)

Iconic international stores and eateries, brought to you without the wait. Yet another reason to visit Tokyo, Japan.

(Note: a line-less wait does NOT exist for all iconic eats in Japan, i.e. pancake parlours and popcorn specialty stores. When I feel like waiting forever, I will eventually check one of these places out. Also, the stand-alone Magnolia Bakery store is in Omotesando, and no doubt has slightly longer lines, but still likely less than the New York one.)

What I Loved About Japan This Week #Grateful

Because a Crêperie lit up in lights in the middle of a nothing-else tunnel is the norm in Tokyo.

I want. To go.

Stay tuned.

Well, duh. Japanese baby clothes with deers on them. 

My church. a.k.a. my family.

Because a guy can still buy a gal flowers anywhere in the world. Husband love.

A little sale at a little store called MUJI, and their perfect packaging. (I mean, these are curtains people. But of course they bundle them up with string.)

And frozen blueberries. Because oh, the possibilities!

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

(Photo of C3 Church Tokyo courtesy of Go Mattie Matsui.)