Around Japan

Leafy House, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

I found this house while walking on a trail near the Tama River. I love that it is covered in green leaves. Hmmmm.........this takes the term "green roof" to a whole new level- this is actually a "green house" It fits in so nice with it's natural surroundings.

Around Japan

Harjuku Girl Dress, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

Here is a picture of a Harajuku Girl dress that I found while shopping in Harajuku. The Harajuku style is like that of a doll, this one happens to be Goth Style. On Sundays Harajuku is filled with girls wearing these outfits in various colors and styles hanging out with their friends and sometimes holding signs offering free hugs:) These outfits are very, very expensive. They even have used clothing stores in Harajuku for these dresses.

Japanese House Adventures

The Japanese house can prove to be a bit of a challenge, actually I would have to say more than a bit. In addition to having neighbors who really cannot converse with you (and it they can- a lot of the times they are nervous and stay away from you) The appliances can be a little different too. Although they kind of look the same and work the same (for the most part) they are very much smaller. Here is a picture of our little Japanese dishwasher that sit on the top of the one counter in the house, to make this more manageable I even went out and bought new dishes that would actually fit it in, thank goodness for 100 yen stores:) It may be small but it is definatluy worth the valuable counter space it takes up even if you have to run it 5 times to finish what would be done in 1 time in an American dishwasher:)

Around Japan

Some random pictures from Japan:) Ueno, Kamakura Shrine, Fake Onigiri from the kitchen district in Tokyo

Super Easy & Yummy Crockpot Soup Recipe

This soup is soooooo good a and easy to make. It makes a large batch in the crockpot and can be frozen in small amounts for an even easier dinner:)

Sorry- this is the wrong picture but it looks almost just like this:)

Pizza Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

I Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (I like Classico)
1 bag mixed frozen vegetables (medium size bag, carrots, green beans, corn)
1 can Kidney beans - rinsed
1 can olives - drained and rinsed
2 cans chopped tomatoes
sliced pepperoni
about 2 jars of water (you will need to see how much room you have after filling crock pot with ingredients)
a little garlic, italian seasoning and pepper

Cook on low for about 5-6 hours, I've even cooked it all day and it still turns out great. Soup will be very, very, very hot. Enjoy with Cheesy Garlic Bread