Visited the local farmers market Hocchi Ichiba in Karuizawa. 🚙
So many unique, rare and fresh veggies that I have never seen and tasted! 😆
I finally understand that Karuizawa area is famous for veggie foods (including French cuisine by Japanese chefs!👩🏻🍳 👨🍳)
Good food research!
After visiting Suwa city, we moved to Karuizawa city by car. It took almost 2 hours so we enjoyed the scenery from the car. On the way to the hotel in Karuizawa, we visited amazing shop & restaurant called Jinen-ya! They serves macrobiotic food, gluten-free food, vegetarian food, organic food and Japanese style vegan food! 😋 Highly recommend if you are interested in discovering more Japanese food !!!
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We went to the Suwa-city, Yamanashi prefecture the other day and had amazing soba noddles at one of the famous town of Soba in Japan.
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The YUCa lantern at the local shrine🏮⛩
I donated some money to the local shrine since my family visit often when we going for a walk.
As a return, they created special lantern with my name on it. COOL!
This time, I would like to introduce one of my favorite ramen shop in Tokyo. The name of this shop is Ramen Hide (らあめん英).
My family and I used to live in Kyodo area, which is a western side of Tokyo and it takes about 20-30 minutes from Shinjuku by train. This is where YUCa’s Japanese Cooking has started. It sounds similar to Kyoto but no. KYODO!
They offer Kyushu-style tonkotsu ramen (pork bone broth ramen). I know most tonkotsu ramen lovers like its very thick broth. I am one of them but I cannot drink all the soup every time…so I always feel guilty. But the broth of this shop is more on the lite side and has well-balanced…so I can drink most of it! I also like their noodles are straight, thin and firm which is perfect for the soup’s consistency.
My family visited and invited our friends to this ramen shop many times (even we cannot count!). One of the reason is that the owner and staffs of this shop are so friendly and easy to chat with. And of course, the flavor of their ramen is excellent! (Oh, if you visit lunch time, they might give you soft-serve ice cream at the end!)
The location is a bit far from center of Tokyo but their ramen is worth tasting it! Please try it out! Read More
When I go to Tokyo station, I try to visit Ramen street and eat Ramen in the basement floor. This time, I chose the GYOKU.
I ordered their featured menu, Tokusei-Torori-soba (1,080JPY). This is niboshi flavor ramen and niboshi means dried sardine in Japanese.
After simmering niboshi for long time and filtering umami flavor, they add chicken paitan soup to thicken the flavor. What is more, they also add fresh bonito flakes which is shred in the shop as for a topping. Their thinly shred bonito flakes makes fresh aroma and as well as amazing flavor. Highly recommend!
Tanabata decoration in the classroom!🎋
Legend has it that Vega and Altair, who are separated by the Milky Way, are allowed to meet only once a year on the night of Tanabata or July 7th. It is said that if you write your wish on a tanzaku (a strip of paper) and hang it on a bamboo grass, your wish will be granted.
My son brought special bamboo grass with Tanzaku and it seems that my son wishes to be like a mom =me ?!
Tonjiru is a comforting and hearty Japanese soup made primarily with pork and miso broth, filled with a variety of vegetables. The word “Ton” means pork, and “Shiru” (or “Jiru”) means soup, making it a pork-based soup.
Unlike traditional miso soup, which typically contains only a few ingredients, tonjiru is packed with vegetables, making it filling and nutritious. Common ingredients include carrots, onions, potatoes, and konjac, along with pork and miso paste for a rich, savory flavor.
Tonjiru is often considered a nostalgic and comforting dish in Japan, reminding people of gatherings and events. It’s a versatile dish, and if you’re not able to eat pork, you can easily substitute it with chicken or skip the meat altogether for a flavorful vegetable-based soup.
Personal memory :
Tonjiru reminds me of my youthful days. I remember that I used to eat this dish outside with everyone at various events. And the most unforgettable memory was when my family visited our grandparents’ house in the country side of Fukushima, we cooked Tonjiru with cousins and relatives and eat outside together! After eating, we all had fresh water melon from their field and played fireworks at night. It was so much fun and one of the precious memories for me! Yes, Tonjiru is definitely special dish for me forever!
Recipe :
– Tonjiru
Good news, everyone!!!
YUCa’s Japanese Cooking received a TripAdvisor’s certificate of excellence 2019!!! This is the 4th time to receive this amazing certificate.
Some of you might know this story already from my first cookbook that we launched in April but I only ran one class a month at the beginning. Then, thanks to the word of mouth, more guests contacted and joined my class little by little. And my class was chosen the No.1 cooking class in Japan 2018 by international travelers . It all happened from your reviews on TripAdvisor.
Thank you for your kind, uplifting and warm reviews, everyone! I strongly believe the power of “Word of mouth”. ✨
YUCa’s Japanese Cooking will pursue our mission “Connect Japan and overseas countries through the Japanese foods and lifestyle” to and continue giving more values to YOU!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!
xoxo,
YUCa
P.S. Special thanks to my family♡
After Biwa (loquat), it’s time to enjoy plum!
I put rock sugar and frozen plum in a glass bottle to make a plum syrup. You can also make plum flavor juice with using this syrup!
This is fun annual event for my family. If you want to know the recipe, please check here!
This recipe is super easy and delicious.
