Non-Japanese stuff sought / found

[Taiko666]

Just a light-hearted thread about unimportant non-Japanese stuff I looked for and eventually found when I first came to Japan, and stuff for which I still keep an eye peeled.

Any additions to the list or comments?

(Light-hearted! Please no flame about not immersing myself in Japanese culture etc...)

Not found:
Branston pickle or similar
Tin opener (rotary style, not knife-style)
- ok, not so vital... but hasn't tin-opener technology reached Japan yet??
Swede (rutabaga)
Different varieties of potato
Fresh beetroot
Dry roasted peanuts (not honey roasted)
Big bloomer loaf covered in sesame seeds
Moisturiser without the consistency of used engine oil
Non-Japanese drums
- highly specific whinge about closed market to foreign drums (esp Premier of England :-)
PC software / appliance instructions in any language other than Japanese

Found:
Heinz Baked Beanz
- now complemented by Tesco Beans at the various Tesco Express shops all over Tokyo. Yay.
- British biscuits can also be obtained there
Marmite (NOT VEGEMITE!!!)
British TV (via my UK-based Slingbox)
- don't watch much TV but it's comforting to watch UK TV from time to time
Meat substitutes ((Japanese!) - not as diverse as in the UK, but very tasty)
Real Ale (Yona Yona (Japanese!))
Non-rubbery mushrooms

[Goldiegirl]

Are you looking for stuff in Japan. And these are the thing you have and haven't found? Sorry my birthday salute of beer has gotten to my head (along with my cold meds!) No rutabaga! One of my favorite veggies, boiled, mashed and dripping with butter and salt! Hey, have you ever found brussel sprouts. I just asked my husband tonight if they had them in Japan. He said he never saw them.

[Taiko666]

Are you looking for stuff in Japan. And these are the thing you have and haven't found?

Exactly!
Sorry my birthday salute of beer has gotten to my head (along with my cold meds!)

Happy belated birthday!

No rutabaga! One of my favorite veggies, boiled, mashed and dripping with butter and salt!

You're tormenting me.

Hey, have you ever found brussel sprouts. I just asked my husband tonight if they had them in Japan. He said he never saw them.

Yep! But only once, last Christmas at a Queens Isetan shop. As you might expect, instead of coming in a huge bag for 50c, you get 8 wrapped up in cellophane for about 2 dollars...

[Goldiegirl]

Isetan....love that store...hate the prices. I'm happy to hear they do have brussel sprouts, but 8, that's not even 1 serving! Sorry you can't get rutabagas. They really are great; people have no idea what they are missing. I use them in stew and soup and now in Japanese curry, but really they are best on their own! I'd send you some if I could.

As for the list I found USA made marshmallows. Campfire brand. I am a marshmallow addict. I know, I know, most people shudder at the thought of snacking on them, but I love 'em. They are fat free, loaded with sugar, but that's what keeps me sweet!

[masaegu]

Hey, have you ever found brussel sprouts. I just asked my husband tonight if they had them in Japan. He said he never saw them.

LOL Brussels sprouts are EVERYWHERE in Japan.

[Taiko666]

LOL Brussels sprouts are EVERYWHERE in Japan.

Not in my experience... could you eleborate?

[Mars Man]

Now tin openers ( can openers-USA) are here in the rotary style, but a person might have to look around a little for them. Paprika peppers are very common now, but when I first came here, no way.

One thing that I can hardly find at all, are socks that are actually designed and labeled as being up to size 29. 25-28 size is the top of the line, it seems. Shoes at that size are uncommon enough too.

I moved this here, thinking that since we are talking about what Japan does or does not have (regardless of how easily found it may or may not be) it is an 'All Things Japanese' discussion.

Now, what else are we missing or enjoying here in Japan that basically came from somewhere else?

[masaegu]

Not in my experience... could you eleborate?


Certainly. I've been living in Japan for nearly 50 years and I've been eating Brussels sprouts for as long as I can remember. Of course I have because Brussels sprouts have been in this country since 1868!

It may be the vast difference in the veggie's names that may have caused you trouble in finding it here in Japan. In Japanese it's called '芽キャベツ'. You
wouldn't get 818,000 search results with that word if Brussels sprouts were not available in Japan, would you?

Another reason may be the fact that Brussels sprouts are a highly temperature-sensitive vegetable and in Japan are only available for about three months out of the year (roughly Nov. thru Feb.). Go to any good-size supermarket or a produce store to get them. Don't ever say to a clerk you want 'Buryusseruzu supurautsu', or he'll pretend he didn't see you. Say you are looking for 'Mekyabetsu'.

[Goldiegirl]

Well as for brussel sprouts, I can't believe they are that common. My in-laws who are farmers haven't ever had them and didn't know what they were. My husband never had them until he came to the USA. Maybe it just depends on where you live. I can get them year 'round fresh or frozen. I never saw them in Japan, granted my time there was limited.

[epigene]

I agree with masaegu-san that Brussel sprouts are common. They're available at every supermarket (there are at least 5) in my neighborhood. It was a staple when packing my kids' bento boxes when they were in junior high and high school.

To this day, there are some people in the older generation who stay away from vegetables that they were not familiar with in their childhood. Probably that's the reason why your in-laws didn't know? Maybe also because you called it "Brussel sprouts" and not by its Japanese name "me-kyabetsu" (which literally means bud cabbage in Japanese)? :clueless:

[Goldiegirl]

Very true epigene. I only wrote what I did because it was my personal observation. I haven't seen brussel sprouts in any store that I have been in. Perhaps as was written they are more seasonal. I think in the USA we have more access to fresh veggies year round because of the nature (size) of our country. I did describe them as little cabbages and everyone just looked at me oddly. Anyway, I am happy to hear that I should be able to find them. I love them. :)

[bakaKanadajin]

Things I couldn't get in Japan:

- Brunswick sardines
- a WHOLE stalk of Broccoli, not one that's been whittled down to half the normal size
- echinacea (herbal immune support)
- reasonably priced instant oatmeal
- a good selection of dried fruits, seeds, nuts, preserves and sundries
- Ketchup flavoured potato chips

Things that I found that were hard to track down or ridiculously overpriced
- good cigars
- Canadian beer
- organics
- good quality peanut butter
- maple syrup
- peameal bacon
- whole grain dark breads
- blue berries

Kaldi Coffee also carries a wide selection of Western foodstuffs. There's one in ShimoKitazawa, some Odakyu Ox grocery stores have them inside I think. They're all over really. There's also a small Western food store in Yoyogi Uehara. All these locations are along the Odakyu line, as that was where I lived. Kanagawa/Tokyo.

[Mikawa Ossan]

Not found:[/B]
Branston pickle or similar
Tin opener (rotary style, not knife-style)
- ok, not so vital... but hasn't tin-opener technology reached Japan yet??
Swede (rutabaga)
Different varieties of potato
Fresh beetroot
Dry roasted peanuts (not honey roasted)
Big bloomer loaf covered in sesame seeds
Moisturiser without the consistency of used engine oil
Non-Japanese drums
- highly specific whinge about closed market to foreign drums (esp Premier of England :-)
PC software / appliance instructions in any language other than Japanese

About the tin opener...have you tried going to the local large home center? I bought one several years ago at one called Kahma and had no trouble finding it at all. (Of course, I rarely ever use the darn thing.)

Potatoes: What exactly do you mean? I never knew there were so many different types of potatoes until I moved here to Japan! (In America it seems like they're all russert potatoes.)

Moisturiser: Have you ever tried this one?
http://www.shiseido.co.jp/products/s0104pdt/view/pdt00002.asp?TOP=1&SHOHIN_C=89191&P=pdt00001%2Easp&W=&B=&K=&R=580A&S=1&KEI=&TYPE=&BUI=&C1=1&C2=2&C3=3&D=0

Non-Japanese drums: Try going to a large store that sells electric guitars. I'm pretty sure you'll find them there.

My own list....
I love black olives, and they're hard to find here, although I do know of at least a couple of places to go and get them.

Um...I'll try to think of some others, but I really can't think of anything offhand.:blush:

[Dogen Z]

You should be able to find most of what you're looking for at one of the stores listed here:

http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyominifeaturestories/299/tokyominifeaturestoriesinc.htm

It's a good list to have if you're staying here during the holidays.:-)

Recommend going to Hiroo (on the Hibiya Line) first. You'll be able to check out both National Azabu and Meidiya without getting on the train again.

[Taiko666]

About the tin opener...

Thanks... I looked around for ages, and eventually brought one over from the UK. My g/friend had never seen one before.

Potatoes: What exactly do you mean? I never knew there were so many different types of potatoes until I moved here to Japan! (In America it seems like they're all russert potatoes.)

I miss huge, red desiree spuds, creamy King Edwards, and half a dozen other varieties whose names I forget. In 1Kg bags for 200yen. The only spuds I've found have been not much larger than golf balls and quite stringy in texture, costing 300yen for 4. Of course, there are some nice sweet-potatoes and suchlike in Japan...

If I were to attempt to grow UK varieties in my back garden in Japan, would that be contravening some laws?

Non-Japanese drums: Try going to a large store that sells electric guitars. I'm pretty sure you'll find them there.

I've tried several large shops that sell drums :-) Apart from the occasional high-end DW snare drum (which I snapped up) you're usually limited to Pearl, Tama & Yahama.


My own list....
I love black olives, and they're hard to find here, although I do know of at least a couple of places to go and get them.


They're pretty easy to find in jars in most supermarkets I think.

[Taiko666]

You should be able to find most of what you're looking for at one of the stores listed here:
http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyominifeaturestories/299/tokyominifeaturestoriesinc.htm


Thanks... I've explored all those shops, that's where I get my Heinz Beanz, HP Sauce, Amy Veggie Pies and other items vital for survival. No Branston Pickle though.

Just remembered something else: orange squash and other fruit cordials... I've only seen those in the UK. I'm not talking straight fruit juice, but the stuff you add to water to get a fruity beverage...

[maushan3]

I definitely miss my tortillas and tacos from back home. Good thing I found reasonably-priced avocadoes, so now I can eat my chips with guacamole as I used to back home.


Moisturiser: Have you ever tried this one?
http://www.shiseido.co.jp/products/s0104pdt/view/pdt00002.asp?TOP=1&SHOHIN_C=89191&P=pdt00001%2Easp&W=&B=&K=&R=580A&S=1&KEI=&TYPE=&BUI=&C1=1&C2=2&C3=3&D=0

...or just go to any department store. Beauty products galore in Japan. Go anywhere, to the mall, to the pharamacy and you can find any kind. Just ask the store clerk or something. They actually have a whole section of beauty and skin products catering to men only, when in America is relatively rare.

Mauricio

[Taiko666]

Say you are looking for 'Mekyabetsu'.
Thanks! I'll give that a try. Any good news on swedes (rutabaga) ? :-)

[Dogen Z]

Thanks! I'll give that a try. Any good news on swedes (rutabaga) ? :-)

I was in Kinokuniya in Aoyama today and noticed that rutabas spelled in katakana were on sale 98 yen/100 g.

BTW, it shouldn't be too hard to find beets. I ran across some at a local green grocer last winter and made some great borscht. :-) Gotta do that again!

[Tollen]

Just remembered something else: orange squash and other fruit cordials... I've only seen those in the UK. I'm not talking straight fruit juice, but the stuff you add to water to get a fruity beverage...

:( no way, cant live without cordial! is it jsut none-existent in japan or just very rare?
oh and how difficult is it to get english books over there? as in fiction like novels etc?
oh and does anywhere sell guinness? im assuming there's english-owned bars in places like elsewhere? dont know if i'l be able to last without my weekly guinness fix

[undrentide]

:( no way, cant live without corial! is it jsut none-existent in japan or just very rare?
oh and how difficult is it to get english books over there? as in fiction like novels etc?
oh and does anywhere sell guinness? im assuming there's english-owned bars in places like elsewhere? dont know if i'l be able to last without my weekly guinness fix

I do love elderflower cordial but a bottle (imported from UK) costs a fortune! :(
You can find them at some shops handling imported herbal goods (easiest to find is the basement floor of Shinjuku Isetan), but it is usually something around JPY2,000-3,000.
http://www.herbcordial.jp/item.html