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Sweet Treats in Candy Alley, Kawagoe, Japan

There are loads of cool and interesting districts to visit that are just a (relatively) short train journey from central Tokyo. Kawagoe is one such place for a day trip. It is just half an hour to one hour’s train ride away, depending on where in Tokyo you are staying, in Saitama prefecture. You can get there directly from Shinjuku on the Seibu line. It’s known as Little Edo because of its old warehouses and merchant homes, called Kurazukuri.

It has a charming old world feel, albeit with lots of shops for tourists, and there are loads of foodie attractions and restaurants to look out for; charcoal boiled eel in a sweet soy sauce is a speciality here, as are sweet potato dishes.

One of the attractions in Kawagoe is Kashiya Yokocho – Candy Alley – a street chock full of traditional Japanese shops offering sweet temptations.

This emporium had a giant penguin minding the store.

The Kawagoe tourism website has a brief history of the alley:

It is said that the beginning of this Kashiya Yokocho was in the early Meiji Period when Suzuki Tozaemon started to make candy in this prospering town in front of Yojuin Temple. In 1923, after Tokyo was damaged in the Great Kanto Earthquake, this area became the main producer and supplier of candy. There were more than 70 shops in the early Showa Period but due to the war and changes in lifestyle the number has decreased.

If you don’t have a sweet tooth, no problem. There are plenty of savoury snacks on offer as well. Takosen is takoyaki (deep fried octopus balls) sandwiched between prawn crackers.

The name combines tako (octopus) with senbei (cracker) and advertises itself as junk food. It is seriously good.

Sweet potatoes are particularly popular, in fact Kawagoe is known colloquially as the city of sweet potatoes. Once considered a staple after the war, when food was scarce, the city still makes multiple products from these tasty tubers.

And if you’re given a photo opportunity to pose as a sweet potato you have to take it, don’t you?

Imo senbei snacks are thinly sliced, dried sweet potato crackers sprinkled sparsely and randomly with black sesame seeds.

The curious thing about these is that you would expect them to be either sweet or slightly salty and they are neither. They are not bland, but rely on the natural sweetness of the sweet potato and have just a hint of sesame for additional flavour. They have a lovely crunchy texture and are great to eat as an accompaniment to a cool beer.

They are also very thin and lightweight – so they are ideal for slipping into your suitcase as an omiyage (a souvenir/gift) for your friends. Or you could just keep them and scoff them yourself when you get home!

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Noodle Review: Nong Shim Kimchi Ramyun Noodle Soup

Brand: Nong Shim
Flavour: Kimchi Ramyun Noodle Soup
Type: Instant
No. Of sachets: 2 – Dried Vegetables and soup sachet in red packet
Weight: 120g
Country: Korea

 Kimchi Ramyun

You may, or may not, know about a particular instant sachet of foodie fun, the Nong Shim Kimchi Noodle Soup set. But, fellow ramentics, the difference lies with the name, for the product on offer here is Nong Shim Kimchi Ramyun Noodle Soup. Note the six extra letters, but weight-watchers might also notice six extra calories giving a total of 426cal. But does the taste produce extra flavour even though the net weight of the product is the same and the net weight gain on you is different?

The soup sachet is distinctly different in appearance and description to its companion ramen: the green sachet on the Nong Shim Kimchi Noodle, marked with a yellow font declaring kimchi, was notably Kimchi Ramyun Noodle Soupdifferent to the extravagant red sachet which incorporates those extra words and a different font-to-background colour to emphasise its provocative declaration of ramyun flavour enhancement over the traditional option.

Well, the kimchi taste is still there and has a highly satisfactory flavour essential for a soup based kimchi noodle. The issue with many kimchi ramen lies with the flavouring which, when well implemented, is just what you want but there’s something manufacturers sometimes don’t get quite right with the texture of the noodles. Also, instant versions of products often have trouble properly realising the dried vegetables, particularly cabbage, which are essential in providing that kimchi familiarity. Here the vegetables rehydrate beautifully and even become crunchy. The soupiness is notably soupy when the correct amount of water is used. The real difference with the Nong Shim Kimchi Ramyun Noodle Soup is a distinctly pleasant, almost smoky, taste compared with the Nong Shim Kimchi Noodle Soup, which makes for a delightful subtle surprise. Even if there are those additional calories. 

For reviews of other varieties of Nong Shim noodles you can follow this link.

Recipe How to Make Kimchi
How to make your own kimchi
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Mashu noodles in Japan
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Visiting the Yokohama Ramen Museum
More reviews of Nong Shim noodles
Link to all ramen reviews
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Hokkaido’s Red Crowned Crane ‘Eggs’

Hokkaido’s red crowned cranes reside on Japan’s northern – and second largest – island, are so famous that they feature on the country’s banknotes and as the logo for Japan Airlines. Half of the world’s population of these distinctive and beautiful birds, amongst the rarest cranes in the world, reside on the eastern part of the island. The cranes mate for life and are known for their ‘dancing’ together as part of their courtship ritual. Many red crowned cranes are migratory but the ones that reside in Hokkaido are resident all year round.

It isn’t always possible to see wild cranes – wildlife being wildlife can be somewhat elusive – but the Akan International Crane Sanctuary is located close to the town of Kushiro and offers the opportunity to see these marvellous birds up close. It can be enjoyed as part of a day trip visiting the beautiful countryside surrounding the town.

Kushiro is the last stop on the line. If you’re using your JR Pass and travelling from Sapporo, the train has a logo at the front that is highly appropriate.

Red crowned crane Hokkaido train

The sanctuary has information about its work which is mostly in Japanese but, like a lot of Japanese information, it uses plenty of graphics as well.

Akan International Crane Sanctuary

The cranes almost became extinct during the 20th century and remain on the endangered list. The centre acts as a feeding location for wild cranes and also has a number of captive cranes which are held in as natural an environment as possible making it possible to see the cranes all year round.

Hokkaido Red crowned cranes

If you want to see them dancing in the snow you need to visit in winter but be prepared for loads of tourists with very expensive cameras who are all vying to snap that elusive shot of the crane couples’ fascinating dances.

The birds are able to breed. It was rather lovely to see one of the newest arrivals.

Red crowned crane Hokkaido

Hokkaido Red Crowned Cranes Souvenirs

And what point is there in a visit to a local tourist attraction to see Hokkaido red crowned cranes without indulging in some edible souvenirs? Made from local ingredients, you can buy ‘crane egg’ omiyage (souvenir gift), which come in presentation box.

Hokkaido Red crowned crane souvenir

Each cake is individually wrapped with a crane logo and, on opening up each wrapper the eggs don’t look as though they survived the journey home! However, any cracks in the shell caused by a slight crushing in our rucksacks as they endured a 24 hour journey home just added to their charm.

The egg’s shell is chocolate which coats hollow cake, and a soft smooth bean paste moulded into a sphere represents the yolk. The flavours are very subtle and not over-sweet. Our only complaint would be that they are much smaller than actual crane eggs and vanish in just three bites.

red crowned crane egg
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Eating mashu noodles in Hokkaido, Japan
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Cheesy Snacks on a Kyiv Walking Tour, Ukraine

Kyiv is a great city for a walking tour. Its size is such that it is possible to see many of the sites on foot but it also has a great public transportation system. The metro, like many underground subways constructed during the Soviet era, has beautifully ornate stations.

Arsenelna is the deepest underground station in the world. At 105m below ground level it has two escalators and it takes over 5 minutes to get to the surface from the platform.

A 10-15 minute walk from this station conveniently takes you to Pechersk Lavra, the oldest and most important church complex in Ukraine, originally founded as a cave complex in the 11th century. There are a number of churches and museums across an extensive site. You can visit the caves located below and explore the catacombs.

Also located in the complex, and totally unrelated to the religious buildings, are a number of museums connected with Ukrainian cultural history. Additionally, there is the remarkable micro-miniatures of Mykola Syadristy museum. The exhibition comprises a large number of micro artworks, so teeny that you have to view them through a magnifying glass.

Leaving Pechersk Lavra the walk then took us through the nearby Holodomor Memorial Park commemorating the famine which killed millions of Ukrainians at the hands of the Soviet Government in 1932-33 and is now considered to be a genocide.

Just across Poshtova Square is the Kyiv river port complex on the bank of the Dnieper river. The passenger terminal has typically Soviet architecture and the central turret is meant to represent the tower of a steamboat. This is a historic part of the city that also has a large number of shops and restaurants in the area. There’s also a funicular that will take you up the hillside to give a great view of the city and river.

Continuing the walk, heading northwards, there is a lot of interesting street art to enjoy…

…before climbing the hill to the churches of St Andrew and St Mark.

And on to St Sophia’s Cathedral with its beautiful bell tower.

The Golden Gate, a reconstruction, was the main gate of Kyiv’s 11th century fortifications. It was named, apparently, for the Golden Gate of Constantinople. This isn’t The Great Gate of Kyiv, made famous by Mussorgsky as the 10th and final movement of his Pictures at an Exhibition suite; that piece of music actually celebrates The Bogatyr Gates.

Gotta know when you are walking past the former KGB offices.

And finally, Independence Square, located on Khreshchatyk Street, the main street in Kyiv. This square is where Ukrainians have gathered for various rallies and political events over the years and is named for the Ukrainian Declaration of Independence in 1991 when the Soviet Union disbanded.

There was so much to see that the tour took around nine hours, including a generous stop for lunch, but mid-walk snacking seemed to be a very necessary part of the tour, so we popped into a supermarket beforehand. It’s always fun to explore shops that local people use for their everyday groceries to discover a plethora of new foodie offerings – whether they are staples or something more unusual. This particular shop offered a range of products including packets of dried cheese, which were not only intriguing but seemed to be ideal snacking material.

What was interesting was that these were not typically Ukrainian but cheeses that originated from other countries. Of course we purchased extra packs to bring home as souvenirs.

The Gouda looks like holey popcorn. Gouda is a very hard cheese, originally from Holland. This dried cheese retains its mature flavour but isn’t as crunchy as you would expect from its appearanace.

Mozzarella seems to be entirely the wrong sort of cheese to dehydrate. From Italy, it is best known for adorning pizzas because it melts in the most delightfully gooey, stringy way. The dried version looks a lot like the Gouda – holey and slightly crunchy. But the flavour is much more mellow. It’s tasty enough but somehow feels wrong!

Sulguni is a cheese from Georgia. Like Mozzarella, it’s a soft cheese, made in using a similar process and has similarly melty qualities but with more flavour than Mozzarella, which can sometimes taste a little bland. While the other dried cheeses were eminently scoffable, this one was in a whole different class. The pieces look like the sort of woodchips you would put on your garden to suppress weeds and as soon as you open the packet the smokey aroma assaults your nostrils. They are quite chewy and the taste doesn’t disappoint either – this is the one that would last an entire nine hour walking tour of Kiev as you would only need to eat a couple of pieces per hour. Smokey, salty and unbelievably intense, the flavour lingers for a very long time.

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Noodle Review: Nong Shim Kimchi Noodle Soup

Brand: Nong Shim
Flavour: Kimchi Noodle Soup
Type: Instant
No. Of sachets: 2 – Dried Vegetables and soup sachet in green packet
Weight: 120g
Country: Korea
Comments: 420cal

 Kimchi Noodle
Nong Shim Kimchi Noodle Soup

The taste that promises warm familiarity and joy – that of kimchi, the fermented cabbage dish that is the national food of Korea, coupled with the noodles you seek and in a luscious soup. Basic goodness is hopefully assured. Conveniently this instant noodle brand, from self-proclaimed No.1 Brand Nong Shim, seeks to please with thoughtful ergonomic design of the product. Unless supplied with a vessel for consumption (such as the cup noodle or the incorrectly monikered pot noodle alongside other ramen that use other containers) the shape of your instant ramen can have geometrical implications.

For many brands the convenience in bulk packing results in square or rectangular dried noodle shaped portions which clearly makes the packaging and distribution much easier. For the end user, however, attempts at placing your rectangular dried noodles into a round bowl is not as intrinsically easy as having your ramen delivered in circular form – one that precisely fits the most appropriate eating vessel. And indeed Nong Shim Kimchi Noodle Soup noodles are conveniently round and hence ideal for your bowl.

But what of the taste? The supplied dried vegetables come in a standard sachet and are complemented by the pale red broth from the powder in the green sachet. Once the noodles are cooked they are generally of modest length (although some small mini-noodles tried escaping the chopsticks but this was inevitable given the dried noodle injury that occurs in transportation from factory to seller to you to bowl) that have good texture and consistency.

The broth is pleasant and distinctly kimchi flavoured, a great thing given that this is kimchi flavoured noodles. There is a decent hit of heat but those whose palette doesn’t favour spicy food can simply add to the already rather liquid recommended 550ml of boiling water without any harm to product or flavour, even giving you a touch more broth to the soup in the recipe. The final product is reliable and comforting. Just don’t expect any surprises.

Link to all ramen reviews
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