Relocated to Copenhagen...

So, it's been almost a year since we packed up our belongings into 28 boxes and shipped them from Hokkaido Japan to COPENHAGEN DENMARK!  We lived almost 4 years of our lives in the Northern island of Hokkaido, Japan.  And what an amazing experience and opportunity that was, the lessons we have learnt, the things we have seen and of course the wonderful people we have met on this journey.

But we now find ourselves in Copenhagen.  I am working at Noma, and Kim has something big that will start this coming Summer.  We are loving life in Europe, but we have been so very busy getting settled in and of course with work.  We have not forgotten about the blog, and just now uploading and getting on top of our photo situation so posts will sporadically appear again...  There is still so much when we look through the photos, Australia, Japan, Denmark and a few places in between.  The posts will be completely random, and of course may not reflect our current location.  There is just so much we have seen and eaten in the last 12 months.

This is the little place we are calling home.  It's right in the middle of the city, has floor to ceiling windows a great big living area, courtyard and pokey little kitchen that we have been enjoying the abundance of European produce in (oh my, did somebody say cheese!? bread!? small-goods ? ....  how we missed you in Japan!).  It really is a small world, as this constant journey we are on brings us yet again to the other side of the globe.

Putting down a Hāngi at the Brick

Last night the community was treated to a traditional style Maori hangi at the Brick. People trickled in all afternoon, inspecting the coals and pile of mud in anticipation.

Games of frisbee and cricket were played on the street and many beers were drunk. Until there was movement ... shovels ... and the unveiling began.

This was my first experience of a Hangi ... I wasn't too sure what to expect as they were shoveling away the dirt, but then came sheets of cloth ...

Followed by layers of heshen sacks.

Then wire baskets were removed from the steaming pit. The top one containing potatoes and cabbage. As the next baskets were being removed, it was as if they were holding little treasures. Each one clearly containing something different, but everything was wrapped in Fuku leaves, which are a type of wild plant that has a stem like rhubarb and giant lilly like leaves.

The first basket to be attacked contained the potatoes and cabbage.

I did manage to take a plate and chopsticks from the pile, but somehow completely failed to get any salad at all ... must have consciously been saving more room for meat!

Oh, the meat. Whole chickens with stuffing, roast lamb with rosemary and roast pork with pumpkin, cinnamon, thyme & sugar.

Lucky I saved all that room with no salad, as the first plate disappeared in a flash, and seconds ... then thirds, soon followed.

The roast chicken was so moist, steamed under the earth with so much natural flavor. The pork and pumpkin combo just perfect. The roast lamb, ahhhh, reminds me of home. The potatoes, would have like to have some sour cream and chives to slather on top, they were just lacking any character - possibly due to the fact they are last seasons harvest ... We are eagerly awaiting delicious new season Kutchan potatoes. But the cabbage, oh ... my ... goodness. This humble little vegetable was the standout amongst the crowd for the whole night. The core was removed and filled with butter and Mae Ploy Thai Green Curry Paste. The cabbage was meltingly tender, oh-so-buttery and with a nice hint of spice. Genius!

When Waza - Niseko's resident Kiwi - is on point, he has some moments of sheer genius. Take his bagels for instance .... don't even get me started on the Jalapeno popper bagels.

Let's hope we can convince Waza to make this a regular thing during Summer.

the Brick

Open Tuesday nights in Summer for darts and burgers

Open late Winter, serving kebabs, burgers and 500yen drinks

& sporadically throughout the year for random dance parties and Hangi

Winter natives

Just a few picture of ostrichs in their native snow enviroment.







The famer says they love it. From the way they were pelting around it looked like it didn't bother them. Was quite funny to watch though.

Hana Yoshi

This is a little something we wrote for Powderlife magazine over winter (cause we really weren't busy enough already, lol)

SUSHI – when it’s good, it’s very, very good. And lucky for us, we're off to long-time Niseko Town favourite, Hanayoshi, which is one the best around.

With a warm welcome and a quick switch of menus for those of us yet to grasp reading Japanese, we’re good to go.

We start off with a couple of tuna nigiri, a grapefruit chu-hai (shochu and fresh grapefruit juice over ice), and a warm sake with a fugu (puffer fish) tail infusing in the cup (a winter special only). The sushi meets our expectations. Generous and super-fresh! The fugu sake is interesting. Not at all fishy and definitely worth a try.





Next up, grilled sea eel nigiri, and lightly glazed and vinegar-marinated mackerel, each continuing the fresh-and-delicious tone.



We follow this with Hanayoshi’s renowned seafood salad – their signature dish. It’s a spectacular salad of fresh greens and seafood (tuna, scallop, octopus and squid) piled high with crispy fried potato rings and hidden treasures of salmon roe throughout. It looks good and tastes even better.



We move on to a silky soft round of braised diakon topped with a succulent layer of monkfish liver pate. The daikon is braised expertly to remove the sometimes bitter bite of the radish, and the monkfish liver lives up to its foie-gras-from-the-sea reputation.



To follow, we order a couple of otoro nigiri – otoro being the fattiest and most highly prized part of the tuna belly. The fish is pure heaven. We finish these off in time for the grilled Chilean sea bass marinated in miso. It's a dish of Japanese origin made famous by celebrity chefs, such as Nobu. The delicate fish flavour is teased out by the caramelised miso, and garnished by a pickled ginger spear.



Just as we finish off tonight’s delicacies, we are both greeted with a warm cup of green tea. A perfect ending to a wonderful night.

It’s no wonder Hanayoshi is known around town as the place to go for great sushi at great prices – just don’t forget the rest of the menu is just as good.


Hanayoshi: 80-2 Hondori Niseko-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido.
Open: 5pm-11pm, last order 10.30pm, Closed Mondays
Tel: 0136-44-3444.

Are you going to drink that??

Seems it is the festive season round here ... Following close on the heels of pork and lanterns is the festival of beer (oh joy!). This happens smack bang in the middle of Sapporo and goes on for three weeks. All down Odori park huge beer gardens are set up by all the major players on Japans inebriation circuit as well as a bunch of the guys who usually prefer quality over quantity.

We made plans to meet up with a few friends in the center of the beerdom and headed off for a much needed civilization day in the city before hand. After some city wandering we found ourselves at the beginning of Odori so decided what better time than the present to have a few drinks. Wandering down the park we head past the gardens of the beers we can enjoy any day and grabbed a seat in the German section, we started off with a Franziskaner's weiss and a Spaten fest bier



Of course we couldn't have a beer garden without beer drinking snacking, so with table and beer secured we picked up a German sausage plate as well as a curry sausage an kicked back in the afternoon sun. Sweet.



Just as we finished the first round, we were joined by the Gyu+ crew We picked up a HB Munchen Dunkel and a Hallerndorfer Rauchbier which is a smoked beer, and got down to chewing the fat with the guys.



After we polished off these beers, and maybe a couple of pretzels we took a mosey on down to the Otaru beer spot, passing a group of sumo on the way (our first sumo sighting in Japan). Although we would have been glad to drink any of Otaru's range we were more interested in the other creatively named micro brewed beers from Rouge brewery on offer. With one Dead guy ale, a Brutal bitter, Shakespeare stout and an Otaru Pilsner with strawberry syrup in our hands it was time for a little more talk and don't forget the snacks, this time grilled squid and beef with mustard.





As the light was fading we now made our way to the Kirin tent where the night time action really kicks off, fueled by towers - 6 liters of towering beer, scouring the garden it seems that there is no seats left so we grab a spot on the grass....for about two seconds before a group leaving gives us their table. A tower is procured and the drinking begins.



It's a long way to the bottom and just when we had thought we had finished we realised we had just drunk until the beer level was out of sight, but there was still a liter in the plastic tower housing, once this was done the foolishness really set in.





Fuzzy logic brought Hisashi to the realization that if we had missed the unseen liter there were many liters awaiting a fellow in the know. This genius thought in his head he headed off into the throng of festivalers helpfully clearing the empty towers two or three at a time and stopping by our now hysterical table to empty the stash.



Ten more liters later we decided to head into town for a few more drinks and salsa of course. A quick stop in Tanuki koji at a bar that all I can remember is the roof was a foot shorter than I was, and we were suddenly in Suskino in a salsa bar, Hisashi promply passed out and the rest of us enjoyed salsa lessons from the owner for a few hours before wandering out onto the street for late late night ramen Kyushu style.





This means thin noodles and that's about all anyone remembers from that night. Good times.

Nebuta Matsuri, Aomori

It seems like so long ago where a group of 8 of us packed up into D & A's car and drove down to Hakkodate ... it was here we boarded a ferry bound for Aomori. Aomori is just at the top of Japan's mainland, and each year holds Japan's largest lantern festival, the Nebuta Matsuri.

We arrive at Aomori pier and make our way over to the said camp site. There are about 300 bikes parked on the grass, everything from scooters to Triumphs and Harley's. We stake a nice little spot of grass and proceed to set up our tents. The chief bikie comes over just to check on us ... he mainly wants to warn us that if we decide to stay there, it's going to be noisy as they will be partying well into the night. No problem here, we'll just join in.



After we are all set up, and freshened up, it's into town we go. We are lucky enough to see the procession of bikes making their way in, so just stop for a while to admire. But then once we make it to the main part of town, some snacks are in order. First up, apple pie. Aomori is famous for apples, garlic and beef, and this apple pie shoes why. Sweet apple still with a little bite encased in a delicious, warm, buttery pastry. We also try the pumpkin variety.



Then a delicious little cup of Korean pancake. It's a crisp batter with all bits of spring onion and splashed with a vinegar like sauce. Yum !!



And perhaps one of the greatest festival foods, ever, meat on a stick! We first try a bacon kushi;

followed by a gyu steak kushi. Chunks of delicious tender Aomori beef nicely salted and grilled, with a blush pink centre.

It's not long until the taiko drums and lanterns start ... the whole main part of town is blocked off for the parade, which lasts for about 3 hours, and goes every night for a whole week. The drumming is hypnotizing, and plays for the opening 15 minutes before the procession of floats start rolling down the streets.



and the lanterns, wow, the lanterns. They barely scrape under the traffic lights, and span the entire width of the main streets. The intricate detail and amazing colour makes for an out-of-this-world display.




After all the festivities we are ready for some food !! and beer ...



as well as a few fresh grapefruit chu-hi's.



First thing to hit the table, torched miso. A smear of top quality local miso is on a wooden spoon, which get's torched right before our eyes...



There was a beautiful tofu salad,

as well as a local apple salad, with a sweet apple dressing, sausages, pork with tofu, hormone and many more. We finish off with a little tub of complimentary apple jelly. Yum!

A fun day was had by all !!



We awake ready for another day of matsuri madness. First some wandering around the town, stumbling across things like little Japancakes filled with cabbage, pork, octopus, tonkatsu sauce and egg. mmmm



We head off to the other side of town, to hunt out this little food street. It's like early afternoon tapa's ... along with loads of rice wine that was poured from a hollowed out piece of bamboo,



We enjoyed fried onions, kari kari cheese-u and a deliciously aromatic saute of mushroom, sausage and garlic.



Then it's back on the road, where Kim stubles across a sausage-pop. Yup, a coil of sausage on a stick that looks like a giant candy pop. mmmmm



While I feast away on a cup of ice-cream with warm caramel sauce.



Before the lanterns and taiko drumming starts again, we make a quick stop for a caffeine fix. Kim goes for an espresso,



while I try a delicious spice tea. Like a chai, but packed with even more spice, in a warm, creamy milk. With the caffeine kicking in, we're ready to soldier on .... we find that observing the lanterns in all their beauty for the second time around (and not being to worried about getting photos, as we did that last night) we really appretiated and enjoyed it so much more! Taking in all the detail and beauty of each lantern. There was a lot more dancing on our part this time around, which meant bells were getting thrown at us from all directions ... a sae da a sae da a sae da sa da sa da ............





All pumped and full of energy, we make a quick stop at McDonalds, and all stock up on a Japanese version of the McGang Bang. A cheeseburger with a piece of black pepper shaka shaka chicken. A mighty combo, we're now ready to board our midnigh ferry and start the 7 hour journey back to Hirafu.



Incredible weekend, we hope to be back next year !!