http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/ "KYOTOKYOTO.JP" is the best informational website when traveling to Kyoto. Blogs of Foreigners living in Kyoto. ja http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/144648550.html Feelin the nostalgia for the 80's 90's. Too bad for me! I wasn't lucky enough to have an older sibling who knew better. I was a bored latch-key kid in suburbia. I used to ice-skate to some synth pop jams a la Depeche Mode every weekend .. Everydayness NN COOL J 2010-03-26T00:26:15+09:00




I want a big crazy dance party!!! MJ, Madonna, Prince, Guns N Roses, Nirvana, TLC, En Vogue, Janet, Salt N Peppa, Jodeci, BBD. Call it pop, call it cheesy, call it bad music! Who wants to dance? ]]> http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/143395728.html Bammer NN COOL J 2010-03-11T23:06:49+09:00 ]]> http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/143255645.html It was a wet, gloomy December. Hung over and hungry, we walked in the rain to Risei. The café is not so much surrounded by as it is composed of Korean antiques.　The earthen walls have this ability to suck in all the hustle and noise f.. Places NN COOL J 2010-03-10T15:52:42+09:00












It was a wet, gloomy December. Hung over and hungry, we walked in the rain to Risei. The café is not so much surrounded by as it is composed of Korean antiques.　The earthen walls have this ability to suck in all the hustle and noise from the outside.　You can hear the bubbling of a kettle on the gas stove, the ticking of old clocks, the muted sounds of cooking. It’s like stepping into another dimension.

There are only 3 things on the menu for lunch: bibimbap, nangmyun noodles, or soup. All of it centers around a generous amount of organic vegetables grown in Miyama, Kyoto. All of it is delicious, but my fav. is the bibimbap set that comes with soup and pickles and later tea or coffee.

Risei is about 100 meteres East on a little side street south of Imadegawa. Open Wednesday to Sunday 11am to 6pm.
]]> http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/142902062.html Another rad person. Sure enough. Obsessed with Michael Jackson.It is reassuring to know that in the beginning, noone ever really knows what they're doing. Where The Wild Things Are - Casey Storm Everydayness NN COOL J 2010-03-06T15:58:32+09:00
It is reassuring to know that in the beginning, noone ever really knows what they're doing.

]]> http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/141237608.html That's what I found out this weekend. Maybe a few more peeps if you really don't mind sitting real close and if noone decides to lay down and go to sleep because said person has eaten and drank too much too fast ehem.Yep I had a good ol p.. Everydayness NN COOL J 2010-02-15T23:19:43+09:00
Yep I had a good ol potluck. No dance party or twister or cartwheel contests but lots of good home-made food and convo. My lovely guests were responsible for appetizer, a meat dish, rice/bread, and sides. I was in charge of soup & dessert.

Yeah. You wanna bring an easy homemade dessert to your next potluck? You should make some baked apples.
Here is a recipe:

Jona Gold apples
softened unsalted butter
sugar
cinnamon
nutmeg
vanilla extract
chopped pecans or nut of choice

*Pre-heat the oven
1. Core the apples with an apple corer (crucial tool)
2. Cream the butter with sugar and spices & vanilla
3. Mix in the nuts
4. Stuff the core
5. Put it in a casserole with apple juice on the bottom. Cover with foil.
6. Bake at 175 C for 30 minutes . Check & baste with the juices.
7. Bake another 20 minutes or until desired softness.

If you wanna get all fancy, you can take all the juices on the bottom add more sugar and reduce it to make a sauce.

Oh man. Everyone will love you especially if you bring vanilla ice-cream.

]]> http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/139338806.html We all have these days Sublime - Burritos with lyrics Everydayness NN COOL J 2010-01-25T19:56:00+09:00




]]> http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/138690537.html I've caught myself on more than one occasion this season going, F-F-F! F this cold! Like stomping the ground wanting to scream and throw something. For reals- super juvenile styles!So I put on THIS surfy punky monstrosity!It makes me feel l.. Rad NN COOL J 2010-01-18T19:28:31+09:00
So I put on THIS surfy punky monstrosity!














It makes me feel like I'm giving this cold weather the middle finger.

The B-52's! They got style, they got fun party lyrics, they got beehives, growling, shouting girl vocals, mean bass-lines, funky guitars and organ. This band totally and completely does not suck ass.


]]> http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/138513881.html When I open up a convenience store some day, this'll be a combo. You'll get pb toast with a side of banana slices. The combo #4. Along with other combos like french fries with a hot-fudge sundae; and hot apple pie with a slice of chedda.. Rad NN COOL J 2010-01-17T03:56:49+09:00

When I open up a convenience store some day, this'll be a combo. You'll get pb toast with a side of banana slices. The combo #4. Along with other combos like french fries with a hot-fudge sundae; and hot apple pie with a slice of cheddar.

Anyone reading this while in the US, show a sister some love. Get me a fresh batch of real peanut butter straight out the grinder. Extra credit points for another batch of almondbeezie. ]]> http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/138286247.html Everyone say Bana-na-na-na.Bana Nah Nah Nah - The Banana Rap Song Rad NN COOL J 2010-01-14T14:52:22+09:00
]]> http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/137940770.html They say it's good having friends in high places, but I say it's good having friends in different places. You can might be lucky enough to crash at their place and get the insider's scoop on the city. Lonely Planet is good for starters bu.. Places NN COOL J 2010-01-10T23:48:23+09:00



























They say it's good having friends in high places, but I say it's good having friends in different places. You can might be lucky enough to crash at their place and get the insider's scoop on the city. Lonely Planet is good for starters but one gets a funny feeling that everyone is doing the same thing. Surely, there must be more to this place than this!

So big warm thank you to my good pal from way back when for showing me around Seoul. Heated floors, mind-blowing noodles, glasses shopping, tea drinking, and night-time sit-ups.

The plane ride is a mere 2 hours from KIX and tickets are decent. ]]> http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/137230808.html I had my ipod on shuffle when this gem-of-an-ultimate-party-jam-bass-in-your facial-disgracial came rolling through my new Bose ear buds. Holy crap. Reminding me thatI gotta stay fly-y-y-y2010 'til I di-i-i-i-e.Happy New Year ya'll! Rad NN COOL J 2010-01-02T21:25:35+09:00
I had my ipod on shuffle when this gem-of-an-ultimate-party-jam-bass-in-your facial-disgracial came rolling through my new Bose ear buds. Holy crap.

Reminding me that
I gotta stay fly-y-y-y
2010 'til I di-i-i-i-e.

Happy New Year ya'll! ]]> http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/136204406.html Even in the dead of winter, this one's gonna be a scorcha.The Rude Pressures 20th Anniversary SpecialFeaturing all kinds of wonderful acts and Djs!The Dreamlets will be opening , and dear friends in Kyoto Kojima-san of Black Ark Records and.. Events NN COOL J 2009-12-21T17:16:44+09:00
The Rude Pressures 20th Anniversary Special
Featuring all kinds of wonderful acts and Djs!

The Dreamlets will be opening , and dear friends in Kyoto Kojima-san of Black Ark Records and Inoken of Caribou no Utagoe will be selecting some tunes.

It's happening on Saturday, January 9th 2010, at Club Quattro in Nagoya.

People get ready. Put on your skanking shoes.

]]> http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/136202508.html Outside the 45rpm store was a hand-written sign that read, 4545 Omatsuri (festival)...I wonder if that means they've started their sale...Ooo look at this! I tried on a big fluffy coat and it was love at first wear.Oh no, but I want this to.. Places NN COOL J 2009-12-21T16:46:15+09:00


Outside the 45rpm store was a hand-written sign that read, 4545 Omatsuri (festival)...

I wonder if that means they've started their sale...
Ooo look at this! I tried on a big fluffy coat and it was love at first wear.
Oh no, but I want this too and this and this and this!!!
Desires are endless!

Turns out the omatsuri was a mochi-making party. Out in the little back yard, the staff were pounding away and rolling the gooey mass into little balls.
I was served warm tea and a piece with kinAko (soybean powder) dusted on top. Yummy! Thank you!

45rpm's clothes have a worn, warm look and feel to them. Attention is payed to material and process.
You can read more about the production process here, and also go in and have a look for yourself.

The store is located in a beautiful two-story building on the south side of Sanjo between Takakura and Sakaimachi. Upstairs is the Hernri Cuir shop. Two peas in a pod.



]]> http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/135218736.html Fa la la la la la la la laWhat is nabe? It’s a big giant pot you put broth inside and heat up on a burner on a table. Then you throw your choice of vegetables and meat in it. Then you grab a bunch of friends and sit around the table and pok.. Everydayness NN COOL J 2009-12-10T11:15:32+09:00
What is nabe?
It’s a big giant pot you put broth inside and heat up on a burner on a table. Then you throw your choice of vegetables and meat in it. Then you grab a bunch of friends and sit around the table and poke your chopsticks in there and grab what you want.
It’s healthy, cheap, delicious, and a gateway to merriment. For the grand finale you can put some noodles or some rice in it.

On this goodbye party evening at the KAZE office, we had a vegetarian-freindly soymilk nabe which transformed into a cheesy risotto.
The combinations are endless.

]]> http://nncj-kyoto.seesaa.net/article/134692306.html Tofukuji is a one of the "Five Great Zen Temples in Kyoto" The sanmon (main gate) is the oldest in Japan. It's so enormous and perfectly joined together it really is breathtaking. This one is a National Treasure for sure. When you go int.. Places NN COOL J 2009-12-04T16:33:13+09:00
Tofukuji is a one of the "Five Great Zen Temples in Kyoto" The sanmon (main gate) is the oldest in Japan. It's so enormous and perfectly joined together it really is breathtaking. This one is a National Treasure for sure.
When you go into the main hall, you can see four gardens that surround each side. My fav. is the pixellated one that was designed in the 30's by landscape artist Mirei Shigemori. For something from dacades ago, it still looks so futuristic and modern.

The blazing momiji (maple leaves) are a big draw so like any seasonal attraction here, it gets crowded. Shoot for a weekday.



You will see plenty of this action everywhere. It's like a hall of mirrors.

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