Shabuyou Date Night

The other night, Peter and I went out on a hot date to the adult session of stake conference.  Just kidding.  Well, not about about the stake conference, but about the hot part.  That actually came later . . . at the shabu shabu restaurant, Shabuyou, we went to!  (Get your mind out of the gutter!)  Shabu shabu is also sometimes known as "hot pot."  It's where you have a pot of boiling soup and you throw veggies and very thinly sliced pieces of meat into it to cook.  The cooking (of the meat especially) goes very quickly, in fact the name shabu shabu is said to mimic the sound of dipping your meat into the broth back and forth, and then, just like that, it's cooked!

GPS Coordinates:

35.722736, 139.373468

Dohton Bori - Okonomiyaki Restaurant

This last weekend we went out for okonomiyaki (which is like a vegetable and meat pancake) here in Fussa.  We've made okonomiyaki at home in the past--it's super easy!  But, we had never gone out to an okonomiyaki restaurant before.  It was delicious and fun, although I don't think we'll be doing it with young kids again any time soon!  Or, at the very least, without a squirmy almost toddler in tow.  Bennett tried too hard too often to touch the burning hot griddle in the center of our table!

Aside from keeping Bennett from burning his chubby little hands, it was a fun experience.  After choosing what type of okonomiyaki you'd like, they serve it to you in a bowl like this:

Once you get your bowl of ingredients, you stir it up really well, being sure to combine the egg so that it all sticks together and then just plop it on the griddle!  Pretty easy and very delicious!  We also ordered some gyoza and yakisoba for the kids.  They ate everything, but both kids seemed to like the okonomiyaki the best!  I love being here and exposing my kids to new foods--and it's even better when they surprise by liking it!

Dohton Bori is in Fussa, just a couple minutes from the base.

GPS Coordinates: 35.738075, 139.332645

Viking Tabehoudai

Back in November, for Peter's and my 6th anniversary we went to a really classy restaurant . . . the Viking Tabehoudai.  Which, in English, is an all-you-can-eat restaurant!  See, classy, right???  Ha ha, not at all, but it was so good and such a fun night!

Peter has such fond memories of being a missionary and going with other missionaries and stuffing their faces at tabehoudais, and he's been wanting to find a good one since we moved here.  Then, I actually kept hearing about Viking and that is was indeed good food and worth the experience.  So . . . when our anniversary rolled around and we didn't have any plans for dinner, I suggested that we try Viking out.  And, it did not disappoint!

It definitely wasn't the fanciest anniversary dinner we've ever had, but it was a lot of fun and THEY HAD A COTTON CANDY MACHINE.  I mean, what could be better????

GPS Coordinates:

35.812549, 139.377166

Bali Trip: Tegalalang Rice Terrace

After visiting the Uluwatu Temple, our driver drove us up north of Ubud to eat lunch at Boni Bali and to see the Tegalalang Rice Terrace.  This was definitely the highlight of the trip for me.  I just couldn't get used to the beauty, design, and complexity of the terraced rice fields!  I was in complete awe the entire time we were there.

We drove through many towns along the way, which was just as fun as actually reaching our destinations.  It was fascinating to see the villages, all of their temples, and many people working out in the rice fields.  And one guy even let Peter hold his baskets and wear his hat!

After driving through the villages, we arrived at Boni Bali Restaurant, a cute cafe at the top of the hills, overlooking the rice terraces.  The food was delicious; both Peter and I had traditional Balinese food and the kids ate crepes and rice!  It was perfect!  Then, after lunch, we were able to walk down through the rice fields.  It was incredible!

Hamazushi

Before we ever moved to Japan, Peter and I always loved going out to eat.  Combine that with our love for Japanese food, and now actually being in Japan and exploring our new city, and it's trouble.  We eat out way too often!

One of our favorite family spots that we've discovered since being here is Hamazushi.  It's a conveyer belt sushi restaurant!  AND! It's only ¥100 per plate (which was usually two pieces of sushi).  Some items, like karage, or different types of noodles were ¥200/plate, but still totally cheap.  We ended up getting a ton of food for a great price.

The sushi isn't the best sushi I've ever had, but it's definitely good.  That, plus the entertainment and novelty factors of being able to choose our food as it rolled by, made it an instant winner in our book. The kids ate really well too.  Will likes shrimp sushi, both kids love rice and noodles, and we can usually get them to eat karage or little pieces of beef that were served on different items.  In other words, there were plenty of things that my kids would eat, unlike a lot of sushi restaurants that are limited to only sushi.

I LOVE sushi, however, there are still a few things that even I won't try . . . 

Full squid served on some rice with mayo like it's no big deal?!  And don't worry, I've seen these same type of squid sold at the grocery store and they were about 10 times the size!  

There are several Hamazushi restaurants around, but the closest one to base is really easy to get to.  Just turn right out the east gate and drive until you see it on your left (it's right before the Moritown Mall and close to the Akishima train station).  

GPS Coordinates: 

35.714904, 139.365382

Kickin' it in SLC: Discovery Gateway and Koko Kitchen

This week we've been in Salt Lake City visiting with family for the holidays. It's been a whirlwind of family parties and Christmas festivities! It's always fun for Peter and me to come back and do some of the things we love and miss (like eating at Cafe Rio!). And today, we spent the day doing a couple of those things, one of which was one of my favorite things to do with kids when we lived here and the other is eating at one of our favorite SLC restaurants. So . . . I decided to highlight the day with a Kickin' it in SLC post!

When we lived here, we had an annual membership to Discovery Gateway Children's Museum, which is the best deal ever. This is one of the better children's museums that I have ever visited. With two floors of interactive play, it's easy to spend hours exploring and playing!

And since you'll already be downtown, then why not go get the most authentic Japanese food that you can get outside of Japan?! Seriously. Koko Kitchen is the best. My husband, having served an LDS mission in Japan, and growing up eating his mom and grandma's delicious food, is always in search of good, authentic Japanese restaurants, and we found it in Koko Kitchen! (Sorry I didn't take any photos, but be sure to click through on the yelp link pictures!)

What are some of your favorite things to do in Salt Lake? We also love visiting Hogle Zoo, The Living Planet Aquarium, hiking up Ensign Peak or Adam's Canyon (both kid-doable!), biking up Emigration Canyon (not so kid-doable) or along the Legacy Parkway Trail (great for strollers and bike trailers), and shopping at City Creek Center or at Gateway Mall and playing in their fountain in the summer. 

Family Weekend in Corpus Christi

Last weekend we went to Corpus Christi for some beach time. We went with some of our very best friends here in San Antonio, which was extra fun for Will because it meant he had buddies to play with at the hotel and beach!

It was a short trip; we drove down on Friday afternoon and stayed till Saturday afternoon, but we made sure to pack in the fun! We ate dinner in downtown Corpus at Executive Surf Club (I recommend the fish 'n chips!!!) and then we went back to our hotel where Will got to stay up late swimming in their pool. 

Saturday morning we packed up and headed over to South Padre Island to spend the day at the beach! These beaches are so unique--you can drive your car right onto the sand! (You can pick up a permit to do so at any local gas station.) Although it looked pretty ghetto, it sure beat lugging all our stuff from the car to beach! We also rented a tent/cabana thing for some shade for the day and we were set!

I love this picture of Will and Clara; it depicts our day of splashing around perfectly!

Will went boogie boarding for the first time! Here's his epic ride:

By the end of the day, we were all pretty tuckered out!

Kickin' it in SA: SAMA Playdate

Welcome to our new series, Kickin' it in SA, where I will spotlight different spots and things to do in San Antonio (and in the future, wherever the Air Force takes us!). We love exploring our city and trying to make the most of wherever we are living.

For this week's Kickin' It, Will, Clara, and I met up with some friends (Melissa of @half_pints) at the San Antonio Museum of Art for their weekly Playdate. Today's Playdate (free with regular admission, half off for military, and kids under 12 are free!) was called Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! Perfect for our "B" of our ABC's of Summer as well!

The activities were cute and perfect for toddlers. We started out by matching the same color bugs to the colors they had laid out on a mat. Then we moved on to color bug coloring pages with Crayola Oil Pastels; I haven't used those since art class in elementary school! And I didn't realize how much I have missed them!!! lol. Seriously though. Those things are awesome.

After coloring, the docents (interns? fun and cute girls??) talked to the kids about bugs, specifically rollie pollies, and had some in a small container to show the kids. Then they took us all on a small scavenger hunt to find the scarab beetle on a piece of art. And Will found the beetle on the head of a mummy!

After the scavenger hunt was the kids' favorite part of the Playdate. They each were given a pipe cleaner with a beetle looking bead and then allowed to make their own bracelets with additional beads. Super cute.

Overall, a fun day! The SAMA Playdates were worth the trip! I'm glad we went and explored the museum. This was such a fun activity for kids, because, whereas this museum isn't necessarily kid-friendly, or anywhere I'd take toddlers usually, this activity opened the museum up for us. We explored for a few minutes after the playdate, but once it was apparent that our kids were getting a little too wound up for such delicate spaces, we headed out.

apparently Will  lost a leg in this picture!

From the museum, we drove over to The Cove which has great food--they're famous for their fish tacos and were featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives! But the real bonus for families is their playground in the back for kiddies to play on while they wait for their food.

image via

So . . . if you're in San Antonio this summer, make sure to check out SAMA's Playdates and grab a bite at the Cove! And, now I'll send you off with a little art installation that was on a wall outside of the SAMA. Words to live by :)