I brought a full suitcase of souveniers and American snacks to share with Seika and her family. Some standout items were hot Giardiniera and dill pickles, Trader Joes bags, a Sun Day Red golf polo, fruit leather, Bourbon and American whisky, and Arnold Palmers. I brought them all to Seika, and she helped organize who should get what. My suitcase was very heavy.

Here is Takuro trying on his Sun Day Red polo. He is very excited!

Seika likes pickles and spicy foods, so I brought her Giardiniera as well. She really liked it, and it paired really nicely with a lot of Japanese foods. Here she is eating it with 焼きそば (Yakisoba, stir-fried noodles).

During my visit, Seika and I made some American foods together. We enjoy cooking and baking when we are together! We made some of the boxed mac and cheese and ate it with hot dogs in a typical American fashion. I described cookouts and potlucks and how there are so many different types of macaroni and cheese.

We also made soft pretzels. I might not be the best cook (I’m working on it), but I have that “can do” American attitude of “we can totally make that.” It was late at night and I was ambitious on the recipe. We didn’t want to let the dough rest, so we found a “quick” soft pretzel recipe that resulted in a more bread-like consistency. It was still good, but now we know the most important parts of a good homemade soft pretzel is the resting of the dough and also the boiling of the dough in a baking soda bath. I got confused, so we soaked it in baking soda dissolved water, but not boiling. The boiling was apparently very important. Oops! We learned for next time. 

Here’s a close up picture of our attempted pretzels.

We also made sugar cookies. We were aiming for the store-bought soft sugar cookie with the icing, but with ingredients that were “close enough,” we ended up with a slightly softer yet very delicious buttery sugar cookie with buttercream icing. It looked amazing and tasted amazing. We almost got the cooking temperature perfect by the last batch. There’s still a bit of recipe testing.

On the last breakfast in Japan, Seika and I made American style grilled cheese. I got flat melting cheese from the store that tasted pretty close to American cheese, and sandwich style bread. I taught Seika the importance of creating a puddle of butter in the pan to get that diner-style crispy texture on the bread compared to spreading the butter on the bread. We even served our grilled cheeses with pickles, although these were western style pickles bought in Japan so they were a bit sweeter than the typical dill pickle. I told Seika about the Sonic grilled cheese and how the pickle juice would get a little on the bread, and how it is actually good, so she tried it that way too, and it worked out well.

I have even encouraged Seika to try to make Giardiniera too. There are recipes online, and it looks simple enough!

I brought back a lot of souveniers and my suitcase is still very heavy but now with Japanese goods. Some standout items are skincare, ramen bowls, Japanese knives, and a lot of snacks and treats! On my last night, Akiko, brought me to the store to fill my cart with any items that I wanted. She walked me to each section and then would suggest items that I should perhaps get. We got bubble bath bombs, face masks, chips, ふりかけ (furikake) seasoning, ほうじ茶 (hōjicha, roasted tea), and of course my favorite laundry detergent. I always pack more clothing than I need, but laundry was done every day. I Iove the smell of the detergent, and I associate it with my happy times in Japan. Since scent holds such a strong memory, I wanted to bring some back! Every item we put an item in the grocery cart, I would say to Akiko, “甘えちゃおうかな” (Amae chaou ka na, Is it okay?/Should I be spoiled?) and she would smile and laugh back. At first, I feared I was was saying it too much, but it fit the mood perfectly, and she was egging me on! She was happy to treat me, and I was definitely being spoiled.

I am not able to leave Japan with everything. Sometimes, I can buy the souvenir, but sometimes it is a recipe or a concept. So I also left with some idea souvenirs.

• Doing a small load of laundry every night
• レモンスカッシュ – lemon squash – a Japanese lemonade soda-like drink
• Washing your hands with a hand wipe before meals
• Having more thoughtful and curated moments and being more かわいい (Kawaī, cute)
• Finishing the food on your plate
• Drying your hands with a small towel that you carry rather than using paper towels in the bathroom
• Going to a second location for desert after a meal – like from a コンビニ (konbini, convenience store) or having a dessert at home