Water purifier: Panasonic TK-CJ11-W

You can get this water filter on Amazon for less than 4000 yen. We chose this one because the cartridge lasts an entire year (a replacement cartridge costs about 4000 yen). And we were spending between 2000-3000 yen a month on bottled water, so this made sense.

The water tastes amazing and I love it. You can get all the specs here  (Japanese).

Dieting: Konyaku jelly and Black vinegar

I'm trying to shed a few kilograms and a friend suggested konyaku jelly. Konyaku is one of my favorite foods, I regularly put it in rice or serve it up with shiitake. Little did I know it is also a candy!

Konyaku is made from vegetable fibers and water, so it is known as a diet food that will flush out your system. It was pulled from production a few years back because a number of people died from choking on the candy. However, it's back, and my friend said it is perfectly safe (just don't freeze it). Sales of konyaku jelly are prohibited in the US. It sells for about 100 yen (in individual servings, like the one above, or in a gel pack) and can be found in most grocery stores and drug stores.

The other little secret is black vinegar, which can be drank straight, mixed with club soda (my favorite), or purchased with flavorings added. It's also about 100 yen a drink box and can be found in most supermarkets. It is touted to burn fat, which I like!

Home-style Japanese Cooking (Tonyu nabe, Takikomi Gohan, Butajiro, Kitsune Udon, Dashi)

Now that it is too cold and snowy to want to go anywhere, here are some of the "staple" recipes in my house:

Tonyu nabe
Ingredients:
1 package of Goma Tonyu base
1 small container of soy milk
chopped hakusai, shiitake (do yourself a favor, and don't wash them), carrot, daikon, abura age
chicken or pork
diced scallion as a topping

Method:
bring base and soy milk to a boil. Add other ingredients. Wait till cooked. Serve with rice and tsukemono


Takikomi Gohan

A general recipe can be found here: http://www.japanesecooking101.com/takikomi-gohan/

Butajiro

This is also delicious without the meat. A general recipe can be found here: http://japanese-kitchen.net/butajiru-tonjiru-recipe/

Kitsune Udon

Here is a good general recipe: http://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/kitsune-udon/

Homemade dashi

Ingredients:
1 cup dried Iriko (also called niboshi)
5 cups water
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup utsukuchi shoyu (light soy sauce)
splash of regular shoyu

Method:
soak iriko in water for at least a half hour
put soaked water and iriko in a pot, bring to a boil for 10 minutes
strain out iriko
add mirin, utsukuchi shoyu, and simmer for 10 minutes
add regular shoyu

Pax Naturon Kitchen Sponge

I find myself doing a lot of dishes when living in Japan. With no dishwasher, and a lot of home cooking, I suppose it is a natural result. But I still hate doing dishes.

I usually just pick up kitchen sponges from the dollar store, but they get so dingy so quickly, I decided to check out cosme's highly rated sponge. It costs about 150 yen.

I have to say, it was much much better than the dollar store sponges. The gajillion tiny little holes hold the dish soap allowing the sponge to suds up really well. It made doing the dishes a little better!

Keeping fit: Grocery stores (Yaoichi, Fresco, Misugiya, Kaldi Coffee Farm, Mediya)

I am a sucker for fresh beautiful foods, and, at times, enjoy cooking them for myself. My Japanese neighbor suggested I buy my fruits and vegetables at Yaoichi (八百一), where there is a beautiful selection of produce. The prices are a bit higher than other grocery stores, but the quality is unparalleled. I've often opted for the cheaper Fresco produce, only to get it home and find that there is something so terribly wrong with it, it is inedible (avocados rotten on the inside, unshucked corn hiding shrivelled kernels, etc.)

I also found that the selection of seafood and yogurt at Yaoichi is much better than at other markets. For instance, on a wild hunt for Hokkaido uni for a dinner party, I only found two places that had uni: a fishmonger in Nishiki market and Yaoichi. Yaoichi's uni was cheaper, and to the naked eye, much fresher.

That said, according to my neighbor, it is much more economical to buy your fish and meat from Fresco. I'm not big on animal flesh, so I can't bear out this claim, but it does seem that there is big turnover in the fish department at my local Fresco. This is also where I buy the majority of my dry goods and staples.

However, for the sake of convenience, I often find myself shopping in the underground mall attached to the Kyoto City Hall subway stop: Zest Oike. Here you can find a supermarket (Misugiya) with a small but decent selection of fresh and dry goods, as well as a spirits corner. Across the way is the Kaldi coffee farm, where I buy my coffee and can find good prices on import groceries (as well as WAY overpriced imports), like canned diced Italian tomatoes for 98 yen a can and cava or rose for 1000 yen!!! Kaldi has a coffee point card. Ask for one, as I was not offered one with my first purchase.

Of course there is also Mediya for import groceries and higher end wines and liquors.

By far the best place to buy liquor is Yamaya. The selection is bonkers and the prices are the best I've seen in the city. There is bicycle parking out front!