Silak's JST Series: Introduction to Silak's Japan Survival Tips

Hello Everyone!!!

I have been thinking of some things to post and I really wanted to share how I am learning to survive in Japan. Yes, I may have a little bit of Nihongo under my belt but not nearly enough to understand everything that goes on around me.

And so I came up with this!!!

Silak's JST (Japan Survival Tips) series

This will be basically short posts on practical tips and tricks I've picked up along the way. I will be sharing stuff that I learned and am still doing that makes my life so much easier.

This will be anything and everything under the sun from post rescheduling, inquiries, groceries, and many, many more!

And, good news to the introverts out there like me that want to minimize their human contact as much as possible, these, are going to help you a lot! (As much as possible I do most of my stuff online and I only call if, and when I really need to.)

I will try to make the posts as educational as possible with as many picture illustrations as I can.

So as for now, this is all the free time I have, I will keep you guys posted, and please share the word so we can help as many people as we can!

So as our introductory, inaugural post, let's get to our first survival tip

Silak's JST #1: Japan Wi-Fi Auto-Connect

I recently went home to the Philippines for a long-awaited summer vacation. Needless to say, with the little money I saved up for a mini splurge, this homecoming was a success and I successfully gained 3 kgs due to the amount of eating I did while I was there.

On my trip back, as I was fighting back the tears (I guess leaving home is never really easy no matter how many times you do it) I couldn't help but overhear a nice couple (I will be assuming and assume that they are newlyweds as the wedding rings look fairly new) discussing their roaming plans. When we got on board I thought they were frequent fliers to Japan so I didn't really talk their ears off with tips, but for the internet connectivity thing, I knew how hard it is not being connected.

Where art thou, oh Wi-Fi

And so I gave them the tip I used to survive the initial days in Japan when I didn't have a mobile wifi device yet. When traveling to Japan, try to download this app (for android users) before leaving the free wifi areas of the airport.

It's called Japan Wi-Fi auto-connect and I have provided links here:

Website 
Google Play
Apple App store

Basically, what this does is connect you to available wifi spots (including those that are sometimes locked or requiring logins under the NTT Docomo network) It's a cheaper alternative to getting the rental hotspots from the airport, and if you will be staying longer like us, a means to an end till you can get your own phone plan.

And, it's easy!

Simply install and register! The app will automatically connect you to wifi hotspots all over Japan. 

If you prefer being in control of when you connect rather than automatically connecting to hotspots, you can instead download the sister app, Japan Connected-free Wi-Fi instead.

Website 
Google Play
Apple App store

Both apps are powered by the NTT Broadband Platform and the only difference is the first one connects you automatically once a hotspot is available, and the other one you will have to manually connect.

Although, the downside is, when there are no wifi spots available, you will not be able to connect to the internet and the next thing to do is to look for a convenience store. Most likely, they will always have wifi. But not to worry! The company is adding more wifi spots with time.

This is the first tip I can share and this is usable by all, tourists and first-timers alike! Feel free to share and if you have questions or tips you might want to share, feel free to comment below or message me on Facebook or Instagram so we can all make our Japan stay more fun!

Ja ne~

Parsley Pesto- Made by Hand using Parsley

Nothing like comfort food on a rainy day.

I made this using parsley instead of basil. And surprisingly, it came out heavenly either way!

Ingredients:
250 g linguine or any kind of pasta
1 can tuna in brine
1 small onion chopped
50 g curly parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
2 dashes of McCormick Italian seasoning
1 tbsp Parmesan cheese (powdered or shavings)
1 tsp crushed peanuts (pine nuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds may be substituted)
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp vinegar
6 cloves of garlic

Process:
1. Mince the parsley and garlic.
2. Combine all ingredients in a mortar and grind with the pestle in a circular manner.
3. Keep grinding until the consistency is thick and pasty.

4. Taste occasionally to check the saltiness.
5. Boil water for pasta according to package instructions, add salt to the water to make it taste like seawater.
6. Saute garlic and onions in olive oil, add tuna.
7. Add pesto, high heat, then toss the pasta.
8. Remove from heat and serve.

Gyoza Madness! - Making Gyoza Dumplings from Scratch

Back when we were kids, there was a time when Japanese animation broke through the Philippine airwaves. For me personally, it started with Sailormoon and for the boys, I think it was Slam Dunk or Ghost Fighter... Well anyway, that was the start.

Then bit by bit, Philippine channels were swamped with anime, lots and lots of it. And with the animania going on, so did the fanaticism to anything Japanese. Japanese restaurants have been thriving all the while but gained more attention from kids wanting to try that "sushi" thing they see on one or more shows they are absolutely crazy about at the time.

And I was no exception. I became so obsessed with Japanese food that I drove my mom and dad near crazy to have our Sunday dinner in a Japanese restaurant. Those were my first experiences in eating Japanese food. Now, as most people know, Japanese food is known for some of their raw dishes and of course having to eat them with wasabi on the side. (Though I read somewhere that true blue connoisseurs say that eating sushi should only be with a soy sauce dip minus wasabi. This is because chefs usually include a considerable amount of wasabi in sushi between the rice and the fish slice)

By the way, the folding technique applied for this particular batch is called the pea-pod. Most of the usual gyoza you see in the market/restaurant is made with the pleated crescent technique. (Click here for the pleated crescent technique tutorial)

The obsession nearly doubled while I was in the first trimester of my pregnancy. I was almost crying every lunchtime simply because I was hungry and I wanted to eat but I felt like throwing up the moment food landed on my tongue. The only exception was California maki or any Japanese dish with sushi rice. I pored over pages on the internet about sushi and sushi rice, how to make them, and just simply obsessing.

Then one day in October 2010, I stumbled upon a gyoza recipe on the internet. Now, aside from sushi, sashimi, and maki, another big-time favorite I had was gyoza. Basically, gyoza is a Japanese dumpling with a subtle gingery taste. Of course, as I always do with recipes, I take them apart and substitute ingredients to similar ones that can be readily found in our kitchen. So let me share my own version of this Japanese favorite and supply some sources you can use to make that dumpling look like an authentic and professionally made gyoza as if ordered from a Japanese restaurant.


Ingredients:

6 big leaves of napa cabbage (aka pechay Baguio in the Philippines)
2 tsp of finely chopped/grated ginger
4-5 cloves of finely minced garlic
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp rock salt (for iodized salt, use 1/2 tsp)
250 g ground pork or beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp light soy sauce (if using regular soy sauce, use 1 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp sugar

250 g of packed dumpling wrapper (the round ones) from the supermarket.
and an additional 1 tbsp of sesame oil for pan-frying.

Dipping sauce
2:1 mixture of soy sauce and vinegar (or according to taste. Dipping sauce should taste like a balance of sour and salty)
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vinegar (cane, red wine, rice wine vinegar will do beautifully. As much as possible, do not use white vinegar)

Procedure:

1. Cut off the white stalk of the napa cabbage and just use the green frilly part. Chop finely and rub with salt. Let stand for 10 minutes, then squeeze off excess moisture with a cheesecloth.
2. Combine ingredients in a bowl, using your hands to thoroughly mix the flavors together.
3. Wrap approximately 2/3-1 tbsp of filling using the pleated crescent dumpling method. For an instructional video click here.
4. Heat a skillet (preferably nonstick especially if you're a bit new to cooking) and add 1 tbsp of sesame oil. Reduce to medium heat.
5. Position as many dumplings (with the pleats up, without any parts touching) as you can in the skillet. Pan-fry the dumplings until the bottom part is seared beautifully to a golden brown.
6. Add 1/2 cup of water, cover the skillet and reduce heat to almost a bare simmer.
7. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the wrappers have turned translucent.
8. Remove from heat and serve immediately. 

*in case they stick to the bottom of the pan, add a little water as you turn off the heat, cover for 1-2 minutes.

This is more of a Filipino version of gyoza as the ingredients I stated here are readily available anywhere in the Philippines.

Itadakimasu!