KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken ケンタッキーフライドチキン) Biscuit With Maple Syrup

Hi everyone who want to go or is going to Japan,

I'm sure that most of you know KFC fried chicken chain ,because KFC is the most famous fried chicken chain in the world. I don't know there is a KFC chain store in all places where you are from, though.
Actually, I really have one dish that I want you to know and eat it at KFC in Japan when you visit Japan. So let me show you it below.

I guess that there are a few KFC country original menus in each country, and the dish that I recommend you to eat is "KFC biscuit". This is an american style biscuit. It is crispy outside and soft inside, and looks like English scone. Pour maple syrup on it and enjoy it!! 

KFC Biscuit

In the matter of fact, KFC in the United Stats of America have biscuit on their standard side menu. You can see it on the KFC web site below: 
https://www.kfc.com/menu/sides/biscuits
However, I think that KFC in EUROPE countries or other Asia countries don't have the biscuit. So I want you to enjoy it when you visit Japan and go to KFC store in Japan. Originally, it is from the United State, but Most of Japanese must like KFC fried chicken and the biscuit!!

Enjoy your trip in Japan! And see you in the next article of the blog!! 
"The ordinary for Japanese" must work to spice up your trip!

Popular All-You-Can-Eat Shabu-shabu Restaurant Chain "Shabu-shabu Onyasai (しゃぶしゃぶ 温野菜)"

Hi everyone who want to go or is going to Japan,

I guess that most of you think of trying Shabu-shabu if you visit to Japan. At this time, I would love to introduce one of  All-You-Can-Eat Shabu-shabu restaurant chain, and I think that the restaurant chain is the most popular in all-you-can-eat Shabu-shabu chain in Japan.

Storefront sign

One of the restaurant chain (in Matsumoto city, Nagano)

The Shabu-shabu restaurant chain's name is "Shabu-shabu Onyasai (しゃぶしゃぶ 温野菜)". There are 379 restaurants of the chain all over Japan, so you can try it easily. I think that prices are reasonable, and the restaurant chain provides some all-you-can-eat menus for making you satisfied: such as regular, special and premium. Then, I guess that it is the greatest point of the restaurant chain: Lots of different kinds of vegetables come with All of all-you-can-eat menu!! That is awesome, right?? Moreover, you can choose 2 types of soup from 6 types of soup. You can see all of details of them on the following web site: 
https://www.onyasai.com/images/pdf/2018sw_menu.pdf 
Let me show you some items of the menus below.

First, it is about meats. the restaurant chain provides some kinds of beef and pork, and one kind of chicken. You can  have "Kuroge Wagyu (黒毛和牛)" in addition to other regular beef, pork and chicken when you order premium all-you-ca-eat meal, and have special pork "Tsuyahime Buta (つや姫豚)" from Hokkaido on top of other regular beef, pork and chicken (Kuroge Wagyu is not included) when you order special all-you-can-eat meal.

Secondly, I guess that it is important for you. it is type of soup. My favorite soup is "Shisentobanjan no Umakara Hinabe Dashi" and "Yuuki Daizu no Tounyu Dashi". I love spicy food, and Shisentobanjan Dashi is made with chili pepper and makes meets spicy. Yuuki Daizu soup is made with soy bean and make meat rich.  

Finally, I'm introduce some of vegetables, rice and noodle meal. You can have over 20 kinds of vegetables, like bean sprouts, leeks, sweet onion, some types of mushroom and special potato. You must get healthy!! Then you can take Japanese rice, Japanese curry and ramen noodle. You can eat them with Shabu-shabu or put them into Dashi soup, boil them and eat them up.

How was the description? Do you want to go to "Shabu-shabu Onyasai"? I hope you find out your favorite meat, vegetables and soup.   

Anyway, you must enjoy having Shabu-shabu and like "Shabu-shabu Onyasai"

Enjoy your trip in Japan! And see you in the next article of the blog!! 
"The ordinary for Japanese" must work to spice up your trip!

The Most Famous and Popular Japanese Chinese Restaurant Chain "Gyoza no Ohsho 「餃子の王将」"

Hi everyone who want to go or is going to Japan, 

The theme of an article at this time is the most famous and popular Japanese Chinese restaurant chain "Gyoza no Ohsho 「餃子の王将」". 
Actually, most of Japanese love Japanese Chinese foods, and there are plenty of Japanese Chinese restaurants in Japan; To be honest, I have never seen not good Japanese Chinese restaurants before in Japan, and I'm positive that "Gyoza no Ohsho" is the most famous Japanese Chinese restaurant in the category. There are 736 restaurants in Japan (No restaurant in Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata, Fukushima, Shimane, Miyazaki, Kagoshima and Okinawa prefecture, unfortunately), and this huge number of restaurants reflects the population and famousness of "Gyoza no Ohsho". Moreover, The price of dishes is reasonable. 
By the way, Do you know why I'm saying "Japanese Chinese", not just "Chinese"? It is because the category of dishes are not the same as ones in China. Those dishes are cooked to be more suitable for taste Japanese have. In addition to that, there are some original dishes of Japanese Chinese food. Then, you can have those original foods at a "Gyoza no Ohsho" restaurant in Japan.

Let me show you some main dishes at the restaurant. First of all, It is a Gyoza (dumpling). This is pan fried dumpling. I guess that original Chinese dumpling would be steamed or boiled, but pan-fried dumpling is the most popular in Japan. people have it with some flavours of sauce such as Japanese soy sauce, vinegar and chili oil, or vinegar and white pepper.

Soy sauce, Vinegar and Chili oil

Vinegar and White pepper

Secondly, It is Cha-han "炒飯" (fried rice). I guess that fried rice is popular in China, and Japanese also love fried rice.

Then next, It is Tenshin-han "天津飯". It is like Fu Rong Xie (fried crab meat and egg white) on top of rice with sticky sauce (salt-based, sweet and sour-based or say sauce and dashi-based). Unfortunately, I guess that real crab meat is not used for the dish. Anyway, The dish is awesome, too!! 

Finally, It is Tori no Karaage "鶏の唐揚げ"(fried chiken). This is boneless fried chicken marinated the original sauce that the company made. So you can enjoy eating it without any condiment. Or you can ask a staff to have mayonnaise or salt and pepper for it. Please take care of not burning your tongue by meat juice when you bite into it.  

There are many more great dishes at "Gyozan no Osho". If you want to know them, you can go to the restaurant web site below: https://www.ohsho.co.jp/english/

I understand that you guys want to have like Sushi, Tempra or Sukiyaki, but they are foods that Japanese love indeed. So you must get good experience in Japan through it!

Enjoy your trip in Japan! And see you in the next article of the blog!! 
"The ordinary for Japanese" must work to spice up your trip!

Popular Daifuku Ice Cream "Yukimi Daifuku (雪見だいふく)"

Hi everyone who want to go or is going to Japan, 

In winter in Japan, What do you want to eat?? Ramen? Oden? Nabe (hot pot dishes)? Don't you want to eat something cold in winter? As a matter of fact, Most of Japanese like eating ice cream in a warm room with Kotatsu in winter. Generally, Rich taste ice cream ("ice cream" or "ice milk" is more popular in winter. (You can find out the Japanese ice cream and sorbet category on the article in this blog.), and today, I want you to know popular "Daifuku" ice cream. I guess "Daifuku" is what we called the Japanese food, and the ice cream used to be originally sold in just winter season.

A Sunken Kotatsu with

Daifuku Ice Cream

The "Daifuku" ice cream is "Yukimi Daifuku" which is categorized into "Ice Milk". It looks like a Japanese daifuku mochi. Rich tasted ice cream is covered with Gyuhi (Gyuhi is one of the materials of Japanese confectionery and a kind of rice cake made by kneading). It is absolutely compatible with coffee and tea without sugar.  

Original Yukimi Daifuku

I have just one thing you must note before eating the ice cream: Don't  hurry to put it into your mouth. You must wait to soften it up because it must be frozen hard. Ice cream in Gyuhi must be frozen hard, and Gyuhi also must be frozen hard. If you could wait a few minutes, Gyuhi is soft enough and stretchy, and ice cream is also soft: You must enjoy it so much!

Then, there are some different flavours coming up in each winter. The following 2 flavours are new ones in this winter: Hojicha and Kinako flavour. If you are going to Japan in this winter, you may want to try them! (in a warm room with Kotatsu, of course!) 

Hojicha Flavour

Kinako Flavour

So, I guess you must feel so cold in winter in Japan, but I want you to just enjoy your trip. Walking around outside and take a break with Kotatsu inside must be great for you!!

Enjoy your trip in Japan! And see you in the next article of the blog!! 
"The ordinary for Japanese" must work to spice up your trip!

Appeal of Nagano Prefecture

Hi everyone who wants to go or is going to Japan, 

Today, I want to introduce apple of Nagano to you. I lived in Nagano for almost 10 years. I have felt that Nagano has lots of great things (places, foods and others) for tourists, but it is not as much popular and famous as other prefectures. So I want you to discover apple of Nagano though this article and have some good feelings to Nagano.

Nagano is located at high altitudes in the centre of Japan, west of Tokyo, the north of Nagoya. It is surrounded by high mountains, not faced to any sea. You can enjoy viewing beautiful landscape, climbing a mountain in summer and doing skiing or snowboarding in winter. 

"Kami Ko-chi" in Matsumoto City

The Southern Japanese Alps

Ski and Snowboard in a snowy mountain

Then, as one of the most famous sightseeing place, there is a beautiful Japanese castle "Matsumoto Castle" in Matsumoto city, which is located in the centre of Nagano. The Matsumoto castle's keep is designated as a national treasure.  

And, there are two inn towns in the Edo era in south of Nagano prefecture. They are called "Narai-jyuku" (in Japanese "奈良井宿") and "Tsumago-jyuku" (in Japanese "妻籠宿". Narai-jyuku is located in Shiojiri city, and Tsumago-jyuku is located in Kiso-gun. You can enjoy the ambience of old Japanese town. In addition, there is great looking wooden bridge near Narai-jyuku, which is called "Kiso-no o-hashi". It is not an old historic piece of architecture, but you can enjoy good atmosphere with the bridge. 

Narai-jyuku "奈良井宿"

Kiso-no o-hashi "木曽の大橋" near Narai-jyuku

Tsumago-jyuku "妻籠宿"

Finally, I'm talking about food in Nagano. Nagano has lots of great foods. First, I'm starting off Japanese traditional noodle "Soba". There are many soba restaurants in Nagano. Then, have you ever seen a soba field? It is very moved! There are white flowers as far as the eye can reach. The season that you can see it would be in summer. 

Soba

Soba Field in Summer 

And, Wasabi, which is Japanese horseradish, is one of specialty of Nagano. Wasabi need pure water kept the temperature constant, and there are some place to fulfill the demands in Azumino city or others, Nagano prefecture. So you can enjoy eating fresh wasabi with tasty soba.    

Nagano is famous for delicious fruits. It's because there is big difference in temperature between daytime and night-time, especially in spring and autumn, and the different in temperature make fruits sweet. Let me tell you 3 of Nagano fruits that I want you to try during Nagano trip. 

Grape: In August until the end of October in season (according to type of grape and area). There are a verity of grapes: Taste, size and colour are different. My favorite grape is "Kyoho" (巨峰). It's very fleshy and good sweet. Also, some farmers produce grape for wine and have a winery. So you can enjoy have a taste of many types of wine of Nagano at a winery.  

Kyoho "巨峰"

Apple: In the end of August until the middle of December (according to type of apple and area). There are a verity of apple: Taste and colour are different. My favorite apple is Sanfuji (サンふじ). The type of apple has honey-core. so it's very tasty, sweet and good crisp. The Sanfuji with honey-core's season is from the middle of November until the end of December.

Sanfuji "サンふじ" with Honey-core

Water melon: In the middle of July until the end of Aug. There is a special water melon in hata, Matsumoto. It's called "Shimoppara Suika" (下原スイカ). The water melon is very tasty, sweet and good crisp. You can get the water melon in a just particular place in Matsumoto city. If you come to Matsumoto in summer, I really recommend to you that you try it. you shouldn't miss it!!

How was appeal of Nagano prefecture? Do you want to go to Nagano? Actually, I love Nagano nature, historical architectures and foods. Especially, I love above 3 of fruits in Nagano. They are really amazing and impressive. When you come to Nagano, you can enjoy eating soba and tasty seasonal fruits, seeing beautiful landscape and architecture. Moreover, there are lots of tempting things, such as hot spring, temple, special fried chicken and other, in Nagano. If you want to ask me about good place to visit in Nagano, please feel free to do that.    

Enjoy your trip in Japan! And see you in the next article of the blog!! 
"The ordinary for Japanese" must work to spice up your trip!