Garden State Walker < New Jersey Diary >

NY Cup Cake Shop

2008-05-02T23:48:00.001-07:00

This is the most famous NY cupcake shop, the Magnolia Bakery. I hesitated about what to choose because there were a lot of cute cupcakes. The shop staff were very friendly and it was fun to shop there.

C.O. Bigelow

2008-05-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

C.O. Bigelow is the oldest apothecary in the US. This store was established in 1838 and the building has not been changed so you will feel the history of NY. It's worth visiting this store.

Marc by Marc Jacobs shop

2008-05-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

This is the NY contemporary designer Marc Jacobs' shop. Every time I go there, the shop is full of people.

Corner Bistro

2008-05-02T22:33:00.001-07:00

The Corner Bistro is NYs No.1 hamburger shop. The hamburger meat was so fresh. This shop is always crowded with tourists and locals so you'd better go there before lunch time.

Tiles

2008-05-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

These tiles were at a corner in Greenwich Village. I thought that someone was selling handmade tiles but they weren't. They were written messages of wishes for peace after 9.11.

Murray's bagles

2008-05-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

Murray's bagels is the best bagel shop. I've already tried other famous bagel shops in Manhattan but this was the best. They never toast their bagels. The bagel was chewy but was not hard. That was just how I like it. The shop is in Greenwich Village and crowded with locals.

Maggiano's Little Italy

2008-04-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

This is our favorite Italian restaurant, Maggiano's Little Italy, in New Jersey. All the plates are big portions so this restaurant is good for a party of over 4 people, I think. This Bombalina Platter was a tasty appetizer.

Sacred Chow at Greenwich Village

2008-04-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

I'm not a vegetarian but am interested in vegetarian restaurants. My friend and I had a small lunch at the Sacred Chow in Greenwich Village. Looking at the restaurant from outside, the inside was dark and seemed closed, but taking seats near the window, the place was very cozy and the staff was very natural and friendly, so we felt relaxed. I had a pumpkin soup which was the soup of the day and a cookie. It was good and also the portion was enough for our quick lunch.

"Ripley's Believe or Not" at Times Square

2008-04-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

Today I was with kids who are sons and daughters of my friends because this week is a spring vacation for them. We went to the museum; The world's most unusual museum, "Ripley's Believe it or Not" at Times Square. Maybe all the attractions are fun for kids, but for me there was something that I could not accept about their concept.

We saw pictures of a person with too much long hair and a person with an enormous foot, etc. Also there were interactive exhibits such as a black hall, ancient instruments... those were fun. However some of them were pictures of Siamese twins and there were replicas of old instruments of torture.

I felt like the place was a freak show... Also many gods which are worshipped in Asia were exhibited like odd things... I know this museum is for entertainment, but I think this is not suitable for Times Square where a lot of people visit from all over the world.

Zaber's

2008-04-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

I tried " Cheese ---(I forgot the name...)" at Zaber's cafe. This seemed like traditional fare from Zaber's. There is sweetened cheese inside which is not too sweet, which goes well with a side dip; fresh cream cheese and apple sauce! Also everything is fresh there!

Veniero's

2008-04-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

I went to Veniero's today which I've wanted to visit for some time. Veniero's is a pasticceria in Manhattan established in 1894. I took out some cakes because there were no lights inside the shop and restaurant because something was under construction there. The cheesecake was so delicious as they say!

Brooklyn 4 - Brooklyn Botanical Garden

2008-04-19T23:01:00.000-07:00

New Yorkers also enjoy Hanami.

There is a Japanese garden and Japanese cherry trees in Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Brooklyn 3 - Coney Iland -

2008-04-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

This is Astroland on Coney Iland. This roller coaster called "Cyclone" in the back of this picture is the oldest roller coaster in the world which opened in 1927.

This is Nathan's where there is a Hot Dog Eating Contest every year.

Brooklyn 2 - Brighton Beach

2008-04-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

This is Brighton Beach where there is a big Russian community. As you can see on these pictures, there are a lot of Russian letters on signs on the streets. Surprisingly, hearing people, all of them were speaking Russian! We wanted to try piroshki and found a meat shop which had piroshki in front of the store. The piroshki was so good!

People on the boardwalk were speaking Russian!

The stairs to Brighton Beach station. The sign of the station's name was still the old one. It hasn't changed for 100 years??

Piroshki was sold at this butcher's shop.

Brooklyn 1

2008-04-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

We went to Brooklyn by car crossing Goethals Bridge from New Jersey to Staten Island and Verrazano Narrows Bridge to Brooklyn.

Magnolia

2008-04-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

This is a part of Central Park. Central Park is huge! There are lots of places where I haven't visited. This entrance is beautiful and romantic.

This is not cherry blossom. This is magnolia. Sometimes I see big magnolia trees here. I've never seen this size of magnolia in Japan.

Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue

2008-04-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to visit all the the museums on Manhattan's Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue. I have already visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art over 5 times but I've only visited the Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art out of the rest of them. Today I visited El museo del Barrio and the Museum of the City of New York. To go there, I take the "6" train and get off at 103 St station which is almost the entrance of East Harlem. When I came out of the subway, It was a different area from other areas. It was Harlem, which I've been to once before. El Museo del Barrio is the museum that specializes in representing Caribbean and Latin American art. There was an exhibition of "ARTE ≠ VIDA: ACTIONS BY ARTISTS OF THE AMERICAS, 1960-2000." The art was very unique and also I felt they were giving voice to the political problems of Latin America. As for the Museum of the City of New York, I think everybody will enjoy the place. We can see a short video of New York City's history. Also we can see New York Interiors which are interiors of gorgeous houses in New York from the late 17th through the early 20th centuries.

E・A・T

2008-04-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

I had a lunch at E.A.T. on the upper east side of Manhattan. The restaurant is famous for bread. I had a Sandwich Plate and coffee. All the ingredients were fresh and I especially liked the coffee very much. They have a bakery next to the restaurant. I wanted to buy some bread but I didn't have time to buy any, so I want to go there again soon.

Musicians in the Subway

2008-04-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

In the subway in Manhattan, especially at 42 Street-Times Square station, we can see a lot of musicians playing different kinds of music.

Port Authority Bus Terminal

2008-04-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is the Port Authority Bus Terminal where the buses from New Jersey arrive after crossing the Hudson river through the Holland Tunnel.

Bus stop

2008-04-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

This is the bus stop near my apartment in NJ. I take a bus to Manhattan from this stop. It takes 40 minutes by express bus to go there.

Cherry Blossom in NJ

2008-04-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

There are cherry trees in New Jersey.
We went to Branch Brook Park in Newark to see cherry blossom.

Drive-thru cherry blossom viewing???

There were a lot of Asians there. It was like spring in Japan!

Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T15:00:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day In the US, they celebrate Valentine's Day between not only boyfriend and girlfriend but also family and friends. Today I saw a gentlemen buying a bunch of flowers and I also received telephone calls and messages of "Happy Valentine's Day" from my friends. I felt so happy!

Spring Street Natural Reataurant & Bar

2008-02-14T03:15:00.000-08:00

I had a late lunch at Spring Street Natural Restaurant & Bar, which is an organic restaurant, at the corner of Spring St. and Lafayette St. in SOHO, Manhattan, as it's name describes. Most of their dishes are made of organic ingredients and they also offer vegetarian and vegan dishes. The restaurant has a large airy room and the atmosphere was good. I ordered a hot appletizer and creamy vegetable soup, and the Fritatta of the day. The hot appletizer was good and relieved my tired body. The Fritatta portion was big but the dishes didn't have much taste, so I had to add salt and pepper. The waiter was very friendly but rushed me a little bit and I could not be there for a long time. However I had a good lunch time looking at people coming and going in the Soho area from the restaurant's window.

Bryant Park

2008-02-14T01:41:00.000-08:00

At Bryant Park, we can have Wichcraft's sandwiches and coffee. It was a fine day today after 5 days of rainy and snowy days. How great it was having coffee sitting in Bryant Park in the sunshine!

So Kong Dong Restaurant (Soft Tofu Restaurant)

2008-02-10T06:48:00.000-08:00

I had lunch at a well-known Korean restaurant, the Soft Tofu Restaurant, at Fort Lee, NJ. Last time we went there for dinner, there was a long waiting line-up outside the restaurant and we gave up. So this time we went there before noon, avoiding the lunch rush. The restaurant was full of Asian, Korean and maybe Japanese and I even felt Asian energy. Their main dish is Korean Soft Tofu Soup (Sun Du Bu Chigae). I could choose from non-spicy, not so spicy, medium spicy to hot or very spicy. I chose not so spicy Oyster Tofu Soup (Oyster Chigae). Even if it was "not so spicy", it was spicy enough for me and the soup was bubbling and so nice and the soft tofu was so silky. it was only USD8.00 including their free appetizer which was fresh and good. I liked to have Chigae at "HAM BAT" in Manhattan, however I think the Soft Tofu Restaurant is better than that. It's worth going across the George Washington Bridge to have Chigae here.

Whole Foods Market's Eco Bag

2008-02-10T02:48:00.000-08:00

Whole Foods Market offers a wide selection of reusable bags for sale. Their design and material are varied and change frequently. I think the canvas Eco bag sold fast. Even if I find a canvas Eco bag at one Whole Foods Market, It's possible that I cannot find the same bag at another Whole Foods Market. On the right of this picture is something called a "Better Bag" which costs 99 cents. This is made from recycled plastic bottles. I think the market really makes us reuse bags. Usually we buy a lot at supermarkets at one time so only one Eco bag doesn't help us. However this Better Bag is very cheap and we can stock a lot of our shopping in it. If we use any Eco bag at this market, they give us 5 cents.

I'm back

2008-02-08T23:21:00.000-08:00

I was in my country from the Christmas season until yesterday because I had to help in my parents' house. It has been one and a half months away from New Jersey, but it's still winter and it snowed yesterday and it was minus 12 degrees Celsius today. When I'm in the US, I become a meat-eater, yielding to the temptation of hamburger and tacos. In addition, it's always warm inside our apartment and in the corridor and also I don't do any particular exercises, so inevitably I gain weight. However when I'm back in Japan, I eat Japanese food loaded with fish and vegetables every day. Also I exercise my body because it's almost the same temperature inside the house as outside when the heater isn't turned on. Also I was walking over 30 minutes everyday. I feel that I re-fleshed my body during my stay in Japan. It was thought-provoking. In the US, I become unhealthy unless I try to choose what I eat. So I want to make a choice of food thinking about a healthy life.

The vegetables in American supermarkets are not juicy and I don't feel like eating them much. However if I choose organic vegetables, they are fresh, juicy and safe but their cost is high. In Japan, I didn't care about organic food. However the difference between organic food and non-organic food is very big here. I was checking out about "Organic" and noticed that buying organic food is helping organic farmers and contributing to the protection of the environment and the earth and I am happy about it. My husband's assignment in the US extended to one year instead of a half-year but it seems to be shorter now. We might be here about 2 or 3 months more but I would like to try to be closer to LOHAS as much as I can.

Bergen Community College's ESL

2007-12-11T13:43:00.000-08:00

I have taken ESL classes at two schools since September; one is at Montclair State University and the other is at Bergen County Community Action Partnership. Montclair's ESL just finished yesterday and BCCAP's ESL is almost finished. I have to find an ESL school where I'm going to study next year. Since I have to go back to my country once from the end of year to the beginning of February, it's very complicated to find the next school for me to start studying from February, right after I come back here. Some people recommended ESL at Bergen Community College. I didn't know this college's ESL class is near my apartment. The main location of BCC is in Paramus, NJ. I was checking the HP before but I didn't find a short term ESL course there. However, they have an ESL course at another location, in downtown Hackensack, which is a 20 minute walk from my apartment. I went there to find out about next year's ESL in November but they said that they would have it only in December, so I went there again today. They have a class in the morning, afternoon and night. The afternoon class is free of charge if you have a social security number. Fortunately they had the registration test today and I could take it. The test goes on for 3 days until Thursday. Also we had an orientation from a teacher. She gave the orientation using a big projector. It seemed a well organized ESL program.

Inviting friends with Japanese food

2007-12-09T21:13:00.000-08:00

We invited some ESL class mates to our apartment. They were from Brazil and Peru. I have been thinking about the menu for 2 weeks since we invited them because they have only tried sushi rolls once and don't know any other Japanese food. Finally I decided on the following menu: Temarizushi ( Fatty tuna & Salmon ), Tonziru, Kaisou & Tofu Salad, Yakitori, Yakinasu, Yakisoba, Snacks and Sake.

Before I make a decision, I had been trying to make sushi rolls with Makisu but I couldn't roll it well, so my Japanese friend adviced me to make Temarizushi. I could make Temarizushi easily and it looks very pretty without any effort. They were trying to pick up sushi rolls with chopsticks. A Brazilian friend came with her son who is 13 years old and he is curious about another country's culture. He was trying to pick up everything with chopsticks. I don't know if they liked Tonziru (Pork Miso Soup) . Yes, they said that it was good but I think they felt Konnyaku and Gobo were very strange food and I don't know how they felt about the taste of bonito soup (Katsuo Dashi) and soybean paste (Miso). Regarding Tofu Salad, I think they were not interested in vegetables. They ate just a little bit and didn't talk about Seaweed & Tofu. Also nobody tried eggplant (Yakinasu). I love this dish but guess that they didn't feel like having it because of the color or my lack of explanation. Anyway I think that they aren't interested in vegetables. The boy seemed to like Yakisoba & Yakitori. I can say that they liked Japanese snacks and sake very much, specially liking "Lotte Chocopai".

Also they had Taiyaki and Green Tea. A Brazilian friend who tried Momijimanju said that she had been thinking that the Anko (bean paste) was sweet potato. A Peruvian friend hesitated to have Taiyaki because of it's shape. She thought it contained fish inside... I felt it was not so easy to serve Japanese food to foreign people who don't know much about Japanese food. Also I have to know how to explain about the dishes in English. Anyway, that was a very good experience for me.

Also a Peruvian friend brought Peruvian food, Papa a la Huancaina, which was very good. I love the dish. It was the first time I tried a homemade one. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the dishes because I was trying to serve dishes right after cooking and was very worried about whether they could eat our food. Anyway they are Latinas so they talked a lot!

Hackensack Supermarket

2007-12-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

I call this supermarket Latino Supermarket. This supermarket is a 20 minute walk from my apartment. My Japanese friend and I asked Sra. E to teach us how to make Colombian "Empanada" so today Sra. E and I went to the supermarket to buy ingredients for that. I think that we can buy almost all kinds of food from Latin America here.

Today's Times Square

2007-12-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

2007-12-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

This is the famous Rockefeller Center's Christmas tree and ice skate rink. If I have a chance, I will visit there at night to see the tree lit.

The Nearest Bagel Shop

2007-11-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

From the top, clock wise direction ; Garlic, Everything, Poppy Seed, Blueberry Bagel
I knew a bagel shop near my apartment from their advertisement in our post. It was on Passaic Street where I pass through frequently by car. However I didn't notice it until I saw the advertisement because the shop was so small. Today I tried it. Since I went there in the morning, the bagels were hot! They were not so chewy but elastic and moist!

Colombia Bakery

2007-11-29T19:32:00.000-08:00

My Colombian classmate, Sra. E and I, always go to Colombian bakery to take a coffee and "Pan de Bono" during our 15 minute break from ESL class. Pan de Bono is a typical Colombian bakery item made with yucca flour, cornmeal and cheese. This is simple bread and makes me feel like eating it again.

(This picture was taken in October)

Colombia Bakery

on Main street, Hackensack, NJ

American Gangster

2007-11-27T19:17:00.000-08:00

I went to see the movie "American Gangster". Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe star in the film. This movie is based on a true story. This is about an African-American gangster, Frank Lucas(Denzel Washington), who establishes himself as the number one importer of heroin in 1970s Harlem, Manhattan. You can feel NYC and the world of gangsters in the 1970s. It's worth seeing it.

Black Friday at Macy's

2007-11-23T20:02:00.000-08:00

Macy's at Garden State Plaza opened at 7:00 am. A lot of people were waiting in front of Macy's' entrance before the opening. When the store opened, the crowd cheered! Macy's had special discounted items called Morning Specials. Otherwise there wasn't a big difference from usual one day sales. I guess that things will be discounted day by day after Thanksgiving until Christmas.

Regarding Best Buy, it was crazy. Some people were waiting from 3:00 pm on Thanksgiving Day even though the store opened at 6:00 am on the next day.

Black Friday!

2007-11-23T16:52:00.000-08:00

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November so Black Friday was today, November 23rd. Retaillers are closed on Thanksgiving so Black Friday is the first shopping day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday is not an official holiday, but many employers give the day off the same as Thanksgiving Day. Many retailers open very early on Black Friday at 4 or 5 pm! We checked that Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in NY started at midnight and has a big discount, so we left home 11 pm and drove in order to get there at midnight. On our way to the outlet place, we were getting into some heavy traffic. We thought that it was caused by cars which were going home for Thanksgiving. However, every car was going in the same direction as ours. They were all going to the outlet!!! When we arrived near the highway exit to Woodbury Common, it was 00:30 am. We could see from the highway that their parking lots were full and a lot of cars were stuck in traffic before the highway exit. We thought that we might have to wait in the car until dawn to enter the outlet and even though we could enter the outlet, we would not be able to buy anything in the crowd. Then we gave up and made a U-turn to go home. Returning home, we saw a long, long traffic jam over 10 miles!!!

Thanksgiving Day

2007-11-22T18:53:00.000-08:00

The fourth Thursday of November is Thanksgiving. There is a special holiday for Americans. Families get together on the day and have a big dinner. They eat turkey, corn, stuffing, beans, sweet potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce. Traditional desserts are apple pie and pumpkin pie...

I recommend Boston Market for Thanksgiving dinner. My American friend invited me to Boston

Market for Thanksgiving dinner 2 years ago, then I knew that we can get almost all the food for Thanksgiving there. It's a very simple and easy way to have dinner there. Above all the food is very good!

Boston Market is a chain of American fast-food restaurants specializing in rotisserie chicken, turkey, meatloaf and roasted sirloin. Also they have a variety of side dishes. Also, we can buy their chilled food at supermarkets. I always have chilled food in the refrigerator.

Nori at Bloomfield, NJ

2007-11-20T14:05:00.000-08:00

New Jersey has a good sushi restaurant. We had lunch at Nori in Bloomfield, NJ. We ordered a roll combo and chirashi. They were served beautifully and the fish was fresh. The Shari (sushi rice) was especially very good! It's rare. The working staff seemed to be Korean. The interior was a mix of Japanese and Korean. However the food was really Japanese.

Snow

2007-11-19T13:46:00.000-08:00

When I woke up, it was snowing! It slightly snowed yesterday but it snowed strongly in this morning.

Macy's

2007-11-17T21:26:00.000-08:00

Macy's had one of their biggest one day sales in a year. Macy's has a one day sale on each holiday. Today's sale seems a big sale before Thanksgiving. It opened at 8:00 am! We woke up earlier than usual and went there at 8:10 am. Surprisingly, there were already a lot of cars in the parking lot and people coming into Macy's one after another.

Polo Ralph Lauren

2007-11-07T22:15:00.000-08:00

This is the show window of Polo Ralph Lauren's flagship shop on Madison Ave. in Manhattan. "Polo Ralph Lauren" is written in Japanese Katakana letters. Japanese words were also written on sweaters. I don't feel this cool though...

Knitty City in Manhattan

2007-11-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

I found the knitting shop, Knitty City, in Manhattan. Since my friend knits, I stopped by there. As you can see from this picture, there were a lot of people in the shop. Knitting in NYC seems alive and well.

Krispy Kreme at Penn Station

2007-11-06T22:16:00.000-08:00

There are two Krispy Kreme in Manhattan. This is one of them at Penn Station. There is no waiting line like Krispy Kreme in Japan...

Statue of Liberty

2007-11-05T13:42:00.000-08:00

Today I went to see her.

Sarabeth's At the Whitney

2007-11-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

There is Sarabeth's restaurant at Whitney museum in Manhattan. Sarabeth's is famous for Sarabeth's fruit jam. It's location is in the basement of the Museum and also we have to go there through the museum's entrance and down the stairs. So it's not easy to find the restaurant. It's great spot to take a lunch. Even in the basement, the sailing is high and we can see the sky through glass wall. Their food never let you dawn.

The Village Halloween Parade

2007-10-31T21:31:00.001-07:00

This is the video of the Halloween Parade in the West Village of Manhattan. The Parade started at 7 pm. I arrived there at 6 pm but there were already a lot of people on both sides of the parade route. I was fourth in line from the street so I could only see the big floats. However, since I started to go back to the station earlier than the other people, I could see a lot of people with Halloween costumes going to the parade or to a party. It was really fun to see them closely.

↓After the parade

Wetzel's Pretzels!

2007-10-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

I love Wetzel's Pretzels. Every time I go to Garden State Plaza I eat the pretzels at this store.

They bake pretzels at the store so we can eat fresh baked ones. I tried other pretzel shops in the mall, but Wetzel's Pretzels are the best. I always see this woman making pretzels with gusto. The above picture is a cinnamon pretzel with cream.

Neighborhood's Halloween decorations

2007-10-24T19:58:00.000-07:00

I took a picture of my neighborhood's Halloween decorations. Some of them are really scary.

Presentation

2007-10-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　↑IFC Center (Movie theater at West Village)

Each student has to do 20-30 minutes presentation about something related to the United States. I talked about the American health care organization, HMO. I found the movie theater which was still playing Michel Moore's latest documentary movie about HMO ”Sicko” and I could see it even at the beginning of October. The movie had been playing at most theaters in the United States since June until August. I made a presentation based on this movie. I had just heard before that the medical costs in the US are very high. I didn't know the US doesn't have universal health care like Japan and other developing countries. 50 million people are living without health insurance and 250 million people have it. 18,000 Americans die every year simply because they are not insured. Also, I knew from this movie how the American HMO system constantly betrays the insured 250 million American people. HMOs are kind of private insurance companies, so they maximise profits and minimise expenses. They are always trying to refuse to pay insurance coverage for whatever reason. Then, many Americans go bankrupt or die for not being able to pay the medical costs. If you are not insured, the average medical cost is USD7,000. Ambulances cost over USD600. An operation for appendicitis costs USD20,000. After my presentation, we had a discussion time. One student who has been living for 6 years in the US told us that she doesn't have health insurance and she had to pay USD7,000 for her operation for heart disease. Hearing this, I discovered how high American medical costs are and it's very difficult to pay them without insurance coverage. The other day, in the Manhattan subway, I saw a person who was writing a denial letter for insurance coverage on the form with the letter head of CIGNA, which is one of the biggest HMOs. It seemed the movie was a real story.

Friendly's at Route 46

2007-10-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

I like Friendly's. I feel the interior and menu are really traditional style American. Also, the food is good and the waitresses are speedy. Friendly's was opened as Friendly's Ice Cream shop in 1935 and has a lot of restaurants in the US. It's like a prototype of a Family restaurant. However, it's suprising to imagine Americans have been eating hamburgers and there have been these types of restaurant since before the World War II.

Hank's Franks in Lodi, NJ

2007-10-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

We found a good hot dog stand on route 46, NJ. As we said that this was the first time we had visited the stand, the man, maybe he is the owner, kindly explained to us about the toppings for hot dogs. We can choose the toppings; mustard, cheese, hot chilli, hot onions, sour onions, fresh onions, sweet sauce, etc. We ordered hot chilli, hot onions and cheese. They use sausage and rolls. I think this was the first time I had Sabrett's sausage and rolls. The sausage was juicy and light and the roll was soft. The toppings were very good. The hot chilli was especially good! I felt this stand represented America. Checking this stand through Internet, I knew that the stand was established in 1959 and is still run by the same family!

Hank's Franks
210 US Highway 46 E, Lodi, NJ
(973) 473-8589

ESL of BCCAP

2007-10-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

The ESL class of BCCAP started today. It's a beginner's class as I wrote on Oct. 6th. The students were 12, 8 from central and south America, one from Iran, one from China and two from Japan including me. The woman next to me was from Colombia. I was wondering when to tell them I understand some Spanish. Fortunately, the teacher asked me what languages I speak so I confessed that I studied Spanish before. Some people turned to me but they seemed not to be surprised. Then I talked to the woman next to me in Spanish and she started talking in Spanish. I sometimes feel that Spanish speakers don't have any special reaction when they know I know some words of Spanish.It's like American people. The common thing between them is people who speak popular languages. Otherwise I had an enjoyable time in the class because of my Spanish even though it is very poor. Since the woman next to me,Sra . E, has far sight, I could help her a lot and talk with her in Spanish and English. Then she took an Ecuadorian girl and me home by car. I think I could be a friend of Sra. E and the girl. They are nice and frank. My Spanish used to not be so useful as today.

ESL of Bergen County Community Action Partnership (BCCAP)

2007-10-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

I took BCCAP's ESL test on August 17th and have been waiting for their letter to inform me of the class schedule. The letter finally arrived last Friday, October 6th. Looking at the letter, my level is 2&3, Monday and Wednesday morning. Otherwise I have already started to study at another ESL school on the same schedule, so I had to change the schedule and telephone them. They said that they can't change the day class to a night class because they have already more than 30 people in the night class. Normally the maximum is 25 people. So I asked them if I could change to a lower class on Tuesday and Thursday morning. They said the lower one is beginner's level and it would be awful for me because it start with "How are you?" Otherwise I didn't have any option and thought that I will learn something from the class even it is for beginners and decided to study in the beginner's class.

Brooklyn Walking ブルックリンを散歩

2007-09-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

I went to Brooklyn and took a walk today. This was my first time to visit Blooklyn. I got off the sabway at Jay Street Borough Hall station. Walking up to the ground, I was surprised at a lot of people coming and going around the station. I didn't know how urban Brooklyn was . The place was the center of downtown Brooklyn. Since I went there only with a simple walking guide which I printed from an internet web site, I couldn't tell where I was exactly. Fortunately, I found a Barns&Noble Book Store and found a nice guide book called "NFT (Not For Tourist Guide)". I think this is good for tourists too. This shows each map of the neighborhoods and detailed information, for example landmarks which are good for finding sightseeing spots, bagel stores, supermarkets, restaurants and even farmer's market information.

Blooklyn Heights Promenade

Blooklyn Heights

I walked to the Dumbo area to visit the Empire Fulton-Ferry State Park. Otherwise checking in more detail after my trip I found that the place where I went was a different park which doesn't have a name... From this park I could see Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge but from the Empire Fulton-Ferry State Park only one bridge can be seen because the park is between Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge...

Then I went to Brooklyn Heights Promenade from where I could see the East side of Manhattan beyond the East River. Then I walked downtown to Fulton Street. I saw many more black people and I felt Brooklyn's atmosphere was a little bit easygoing.

Fulton Street Market, downtown Brooklyn

Super Japanese Guide in The Metropolitan Museum メットの達人

2007-09-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

I tried to go to The Metropolitan Museum of Art(The MET) on the Upper East Side in Manhattan alone. To go to the Museum, I got on an express bus near my apartment to the Port Authority at 42cnd St in Manhattan, and got on the E line uptown bound and transferred to no.6 line uptown bound at Lexington Av/53rd St and got off at 77th St. It took about 1 hour. Then I walked to the Museum in about 10 minutes. I joined a Japanese guided tour from 11:15 am. They offer this tour 3 times a week at 11:15 am for free. The Japanese guided tour in the museum was the first challenge for me. It was really good for my understanding of the key points of each representative work of art in the MET. After the tour, I took a light lunch and watched the special Rembrandt exhibit.

Then I walked around the MET. When I was thinking of going home because the MET is too big to look at everything in a day, one boy whom I watched on the Japanese tour asked me very slowly in Japanese " Are you Japanese?(Nihon jin de su ka?)" Then he showed me the magazine in Japanese. Looking at the magazine, he himself was in the magazine SOTOKOTO. The article was over 5 pages and the title was 'Voluntary life special feature'. It said his name was EndoYuki and he has been a unofficial voluntary Japanese guide of the MET for over 10 years!!! He came to NY in 1996 with his mother when he was 10 years old. He was born with a rare chromosome disorder that left him disabled and makes it hard for him to speak clearly, etc. He pointed out the article with Tiffany's gorgeous silver trophy, " Do you want to see this?" Yes, I asked him to take me there.

He started to walk quickly and took me to the place, waking through the art spaces where I had never gone. Everywhere he guided me was interesting places I had never entered in the MET, even when I have visited the MET 3 times up to now, so I didn't know the places even existed. The places are open to the public but the MET is such a big and complicated museum it's hard to find places. Though they are like hidden spaces, he could go so smoothly and fast. We also took a hidden elevator, which is like a part of an art room but is really an elevator. Tiffany's arts space was so interesting and I could see the founder of Tiffanys, Charles Luis Tiffany's son, Luis Comfort Tiffany's stained glass art etc.

Then he guided me to a rooftop terrace where I could see Central Park and the Upper East Side. Furthermore he also took me to the castle in Central Park, 'Belvedere Castle'. Then he let me know how to get to the Port Authority from there and took me to the subway station. Unexpectedly I had a very enjoyable and exciting time. He showed me a lot of things I've never seen but also showed me vitality and courage. Here in the US, I often hesitate to speak to strangers. Otherwise, he is trying it everyday in the MET and NY city, and this is not Japan but a foreign country. Because of his character, all the staff at the MET are his friends. Each staff member gives him a high five and says something in a familiar way. I received power from him. I'd like to emulate his action.
Thank you again, Yuki!

These are articles about Yuki.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
SOTOKOTO

ESL offered by University - the first day

2007-09-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

Today is the first class of Mont Clair University's ESL(English as a second language) class. Since the location is very near my husband's company, we decided to study there 2 hours 2 times a week in the morning. Starting the class, there were 18 students in one class, such a big class! Each student introduced themselves. Almost all of the students are Au-pair girls from 20 to 24 years old, who are from Europe and Latin America. There were only 3 Asian students, one Japanese woman who has 2 children, my husband and I. Our age is much higher than the girls. The girls can speak English fast. I didn't know about Au-pairs until I met them. Au-pair is French and describes a young person living in a host family's house in a foreign country, helping the family with childcare. I think au-pair is the way to live in a foreign country, which has an element of homestay and working holiday. They have free time to study at school when the host family's children are at school. The host family offers a car, room, insurance and feeds them 2 meals a day. It seems their work is not so hard. Otherwise one girl said that she is in a Jewish host family's house and doesn't have Internet nor a car and furthermore the host family has Shabbat(ANSOKUBI). I don't know any detailed situation about au-pairs yet. I'll interview them if I have chance.

Chipotle

2007-09-17T19:27:00.000-07:00

Where's taco shell? →→→→→→→→This is the one of 3 pieces!

Chipotle's crispy tacos are the best tacos I have had in the US so far. As you see on this picture, the amount of ingredients is so large! The order system is like a Subway. We choose a taco shell and the ingredients. The topping, guacamole, is so fresh and good!
Chipotle is a fast food chain of Mexican food, which is all over the US. You can also find a lot in Manhattan. The design of the inside of the restaurant is stylish and modern using metals and seemingly there is nothing about Tacos, but there are Mayan and Aztec cement decorations on the walls. I found a fun site. We can find the recipes of Chipotle's food.
http://www.chipotlefan.com/

Niagara Falls & Toronto

2007-09-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

We visited Niagara Falls, taking my husband's summer vacation. It was a 3 day trip from September 13th to 15th. Normally Americans go to Niagara Falls by car, but we heard that Niagara Falls on the Canadian side is more dynamic than the American side and we also wanted to visit other place along the way, so we flew to Toronto and rented a car and visited Niagara Falls and Toronto City. To Toronto from Newark, it took only 1h 40 minutes. The first day in Canada, We drove the highway about 1 hour from Pearson International Airport to Niagara Falls. On arriving at the Falls, we saw the big Falls from a wide-angle viewpoint and felt the mist from the Falls. Hearing the sound which was made from the falling water, I felt refreshed! It was a fine day and the temperature was about 20 degrees. When I felt the mist of the Falls, I felt cooler. We tried the attraction, "Behind the Falls". We walked through the tunnel that is made behind the Falls. On the way through the tunnel, there were holes to see behind the Falls and we could go very near the Falls. We felt the strong spray and got wet even wearing the plastic ponchos which the attraction gave us.

To go to Toronto City from Niagara Falls, I drove a car! It was the first time driving in a foreign country. In the US., I haven't driven because the details of my car insurance are not sure yet. This time, I was sure that the rental car's insurance covered my family, so I tried. The Canadian highway and roads were very wide, so I could even drive left handed.

The second day, we walked around Toronto City. The roads are very wide and each building is very big, so we got tired going to every sightseeing place. We visited the CN Tower and walked around the Financial & Theatre District and the Harbour front area. Here, we could see almost all things from the US., American fashion brand stores and American large scale retail stores, for example Sears, Best Buy, Staples, Whole Foods Market, Seven Eleven etc. Also American TV series can be seen. On the other hand, we also found many different things; English pronunciation, the attitude of the people etc. It was difficult to hear what Canadians were saying and I thought they were not friendly like Americans. (I'm not meaning anything bad.) The most impressive thing was that the food was more delicious than the US. Breads were good and vegetables were fresher.

The last day we drove around Toronto City and visited St. Lawrence Market. They sell fresh meat, fish, breads and prepared foods. We had a bacon sandwich for breakfast which is advertised as traditional canadian food. It was simple and delicious. Near the market there was a farmer's market and street stores. It was good to walk around there. After that, we visited Casa Loma ,had lunch in Chinatown and went to the Airport to return to the US.

↑Newark Airport's huge parking!

Blue Note Jazz Club

2007-09-09T20:45:00.001-07:00

My American friend invited me to her friend's guitarist, Vinnie Zummo's show, at the Blue Note Jazz Club NY. The show was so cool and his wife who is a singer sang very nicely. There are some Blue Note clubs in Japan too. NY is the original one. I felt a difference between the original one and the one in Tokyo where I've been before. NY's Blue Note is smaller and cozy. We can go relax. I think that the Japanese one aims for a high-class image.

On my way to Blue Note, I watched a parade in the street from Port Authority to Greenwich village. There were many people in wheel chairs and people wearing fire department T-shirts. It seemed that they were victims and family members of the victims of September 11th.

Joe's American Bar & Grill

2007-09-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

We had dinner at Joe's American Bar & Grill with my husband's co-workers celebrating 1 month in the US. This restaurant serves American food as it's name suggests. We often didn't choose American food restaurants except for fast food, but this restaurant was rated as good on another person's blog so we tried it.

I ordered "Fillet Mignon" which was good! The beef was not so hard as other American steaks and the sauce was good for me. I ate all the meat which was 10oz(280g). I changed the baked potato to french fries.

Food Court

2007-09-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Sarku Japan

Chiken Teriyaki

Sarku Japan Sushi Bar

I was at Garden State Plaza Mall during the daytime today. I had lunch at a food court. I had Chicken teriyaki from Sarku Japan. It was the most popular. The other delis were not crowded but only Sarku Japan had a line. The chicken was soft and the taste of the teriyaki sauce was good. Of course the portion was too big for me as you can see in this picture. The deli, Sarku Japan, also has a Sushi Bar. Here in the US, we can find this kind of sushi bar at every food court. Otherwise workers of sushi bars are always Korean.. The sushi cooks are waring white uniform and making sushi and sushi rolls without saying a word like Japanese sushi cook. I guess this is one of their performance...

By the way, I hear Spanish much more than English at the mall. Everybody speaks Spanish, clients, fast food workers and department store clerks. I think the person who works at hospitality needs to speak Spanish and also there are a lot of second or third generation Spanish speakers. I also saw on TV that the Mayor of Newark was speaking fluent Spanish and I thought that the leaders need to speak Spanish. I can't tell what percentage of Spanish speakers are around here.

Orange County Choppers / オレンジカウンティーチョッパーズ

2007-09-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

We went to Orange County to visit the Orange County Choppers'(OCC) showroom. It took about 1 hour from Bergen County where we live. We often enjoyed their TV program on the Discovery Channel in Japan. I'm not interested in motorbikes, but the conversation of each member of the factory on TV is really fun. In the showroom we saw some unique motorbikes which they had made. Otherwise we did not meet any OCC members. Maybe they are somewhere in Orange County but there is no information about the factory's exact address.

Short Trip to Manhattan 2 - Eco Bag

2007-09-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

We visited the Whole foods Market which was opened this year on the Lower Eastside where we lived 2 years ago. I had been waiting for the opening because the market was advertised as "Coming soon," but it had never opened during our stay. I can't understand that "soon" means 2 years!?? On the second floor of the new Whole Foods Market, there is a cafe space and the clothing department which sells clothes made from organic cotton. I was looking for their green Whole Foods' Eco bag as I couldn't find one in the market in New Jersey, but it wasn't there. Otherwise I found another design. It was the big size and had two type of handles. It seemed very useful. I thought that it would cover Japanese long leeks and Japanese radishes. Also it had the logo " NEW YORK CITY" and " MADE IN THE USA ". Hearing from the cashier, the regular green bag was out of stock as it sold out this summer and they are producing more now. Also he mentioned the long line in July caused by Anya Hindmarch's I'm Not A Plastic Bag caused by . ( The bag was sold at another Whole Foods Market in Manhattan on July) I took the newly designed Whole Foods' Eco bag but he put the bag into their plastic bag for me...

Short trip to Manhattan / マンハッタンに行ってきました

2007-09-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

↑Skyscrapers of Manhattan seen from the New Jersey side

August 31st to September 3rd is Labor Day holidays here so Manhattan was very crowded with tourists. To go to Manhattan from New Jersey, we can use a car or take a bus across the George Washington Bridge or pass through the Lincoln tunnel or the Holland tunnel, or take a train or ferry. We used a ferry, the NJ Waterway, as it was a very fine day. We parked our car at Port Imperial on the New Jersey side and took the ferry. It took about only 10 minutes to cross the Hudson River. The view was completely beautiful!

Ugly Betty / アグリーベティーもう一つの人気ドラマ

2007-08-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite TV dramas is "Ugly Betty" which is broadcast at 8 o'clock on Thursday on ABC.
In the first episode, the main character comes on with a Mexican poncho on which is printed GUADALAJARA. I love this scene! The short scene from Spanish TV drama (Telenovela) which frequently appears in the stories is very funny! Now the first season's re-run started last week and its DVD went on sale on Aug 21st with the second season starting from Sep 27th! In Japan, the first season will be on NHK BS2 from Oct. 1st. Don't miss it!!! !No se la pierda!

The first season earned a "Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series" and "Best performance By an Actress in a Television Series". The main character, Betty, had been dreaming of getting a job in the publishing world, but could not get it because of her looks. However, the owner of the publisher of the first class fashion magazine,"Mode," hired Betty as an assistant to his son Daniel, who is a playboy and the chief editor. In the world that gives importance only to appearances, Betty helped Daniel with her smartness and sincerity, and fought against the people who wanted to take over the company's management.

In fact this TV series is based on the popular Colombian telenovela "Yo Soy Betty La Fea". ( In Japan, it was on cable TV.) The producer is also from telenovela. Betty is second generation Mexican/American. Soon after she knows that her father is an illegal immigrant and serious problems occur. The theme is people caught in a uniform sense of beauty, superficial relationships and material wealth and prejudice and sexism based on race and class etc... This is the first time ever for the Mexican immigrant to be the main character on American TV series.

Yes, This really is a comedy. We can enjoy these stories!

Heroes / 日本人が出ています

2007-08-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

I heard that HEROES is the most popular TV series now and I checked it out yesterday. It is broadcast at 9 o'clock on Monday on NBC. Even if I don't understand English very well I can enjoy it, because there are many scenes with Hiro Nakamura , the Japanese actor Masi Oka, who talk in Japanese.
Today the DVD of season 1 has been on sale here. This seems to be starting in Japan in October and Masi Oka visited Japan yesterday. I think a lot of Japanese are waiting for the start.

Whole Foods Market / オーガニックスーパー

2007-08-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

I went to a Whole Foods Market in Ridewood , NJ. I thought this market was only in Manhattan, but it's not so. I found some in NJ and got happy to know it. Whole Foods Market was founded in 1980 as one small store in Austin, Texas. It is now the world's leading retailer of natural and organic foods, with 199 stores in North America and the United Kingdom. The atmosphere of the market is just like Kinokuniya, full of posh people. Because of Ridgewood's good character, the number of posh people goes up. We can find fresh and beautiful displayed vegetables, bakery, hams, cheese and prepared foods which are good with wine and beer. Also they have supplements as a line of Whole Body. Among them, their private brand, "365 organic items everyday value" is my favorite. Even with being an organic product, the price is very reasonable.

On the left is a Whole Foods brand organic chocolate soy milk 946ml(@USD1.49) and rice drink.They have a lot of line ups for soy milk and rice drinks. I've never tried rice milk and bought it, but it is sold in Japan. On the right is a "365 everyday value" brand cranberry&peach juice measuring 1.89L(@USD2.99).

I wanted a Whole Food's green Eco bag, but it was out of stock. So I got this cooler back.
←Cute!

Krause's / いちごチョコ

2007-08-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Krause's is a shop for home made chocolates. There are many kinds of chocolate. The most famous one is a chocolate-covered fresh strawberry. This was so fresh and juicy! The sourness of the strawberry goes with the milk chocolate. I think this was the first sweet to wet my appetite in the U.S.

Target / 何でも売ってます

2007-08-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

I go to Target at least 2 times a week. Target is a discount store of the second level in the United States following Wal-Mart. In New Jersey I go to Target more than Wal-Mart. We can find almost all daily goods, kitchenware, clothes, toys, cosmetics etc. except groceries at a good price.
I checked Billy's Boot Camp dvd today. It was USD29.99 including Billy Band!!! I bought it in Japan for JPY9700. Watching TV shopping, Billy's TAE BO is now on sale! The exercise members of the DVD are almost the same as Billy's Boot Camp. They do exercises using TAE BO AMPED instead of Billy Band. The price is USD39.95 against the original price of USD150.00. Will the next craze be TAE BO???

ESL Registration

2007-08-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Today, I went to Johnson Public Library in Hackensack City to apply for ESL(English as a second language) class. In the United States, many public libraries offer ESL classes for immigrants. The courses seems to be 2 or 3 times in a year. Otherwise, this library said that it would not offer the class from September this year and it will be only from January of next year. The reason why they don't have class seems to depend on the library's financial standing. They introduced me to Bergen County Community Center that also offers an ESL class. This Center was very close to the library, so I went straight there. One black woman attended me very kindly. She said "there is an ESL class 2 times a week for a total of 10 weeks from October, there are day and night courses, the levels are 3, beginner, intermediate and advanced and also these are free." She said "there will be an application and level check at 1 o'clock tomorrow. Otherwise SSN or tax payment certificate holders have priority so there is a possibility not to be able to take the class." I don't have SSN yet and just applied for SSN on 14th and will be waiting for about 2 months. I informed her of my situation and visa status and she instructed me to bring my passport and a regular mail showing my address. I don't have any mail because I came here just last week. It is only the SSN application receipt that certifies my address so I will try to bring it tomorrow.

Enormous Shopping Mall 2/ 日本未上陸ブランド

2007-08-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'm out of touch with fashion, but hearing some brands are popular in Japan but don't have shops yet in Japan, I checked out 3 brands in the picture here. After checking I found many people, irrespective of age or sex, who are wearing Hollistar.

Abercrombie & Fitch

RUEHL No.925

HOLLISTER Co.

Enormous Shopping Mall / 買物天国です

2007-08-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

I found an enormous shopping mall, Garden State Plaza Mall, in Bergen county. I was surprised that they have almost all the brands which are in Manhattan. There are 369 stores in total, including dining. It is so comfortable to do shopping there as each shop has a large space and a good atmosphere. I thought that this is much better than Manhattan to do shopping. Furthermore, we don't have to pay any sales tax for clothes in New Jersey. The sales tax in New York for clothes is 8.25%(In case you buy less thanUSD110.00, the tax is 0%), so shopping in New Jersey is much more reasonable.

LOST / LOSTです

2007-08-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

We can't go anywhere without a car in New Jersey as expatriate employees have to drive a car to go to the office. My husband's co-worker, Mr. H, was assigned to work here and this is his first visit to the United States. Furthermore he hadn't driven for years in Japan, what we call a paper driver. But he had the courage to start to drive himself from the second day here. This morning he telephoned my husband to tell him that he went back to his apartment and wanted to take the day off today. That's because he got lost on the way from the office to his apartment yesterday and he was driving around NJ and NY all night. Hearing his story, he went to Brooklyn. he didn't know where he was driving. When he was at a loss at a Seven-Eleven somewhere one kind American talked to him and led his car with his own car part of the way to his apartment!!! What a nice story, isn't it? He had another episode when he was lost and went to a gas station, where one old man bought him a road map and explained where he was. Mr. H was happy to meet kind Americans but got tired... Soon after he bought a car navigation system. This is a heartwarming story, but funny... Otherwise, I also have to drive here in the not too distant future, so there is no time to laugh at the others...

Japanese Super Market Mitsuwa / 日本食材の殿堂

2007-08-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

I went straight to Mitsuwa. Mitsuwa is the biggest supermarket in NY and NJ. It was renovated and the external appearance of the building was better than 2 years ago. We can find most Japanese foods and daily necessaries there. Futhermore, there is a food court, Ramen Santoka and a Sanseido book store and many kinds of Japanese free papers are very useful. Inside the store it's very clean and the displays of groceries are as beautiful as a supermarket in Japan. But the prices are higher than Japan and other American supermarkets, so we buy things that we can only find here. Today, we bought Natto and Japanese Rice and Tamakimai that was delicious when we came here last time. The rice sold here is Japanese rice made in the US. It is delicious when you eat it as soon as you boil it, but later it becomes hard (BOSOBOSO). I think it is because it's not sticky rice.(←I don't know how to describe the character of Japanese rice)

Starting life / やっと生活が始まります

2007-08-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

My husband's company made contact with the management company of our room and asked them to bring the spare key. Finally, life in the U.S. has started!
On both sides of the lightly-trafficked street, there are trees and a walkway that is good for jogging, and it is lined with apartments of almost the same scale. Our apartment is one of them. Our room is on the 18th floor. The view from the living space is good; we can see distant mountains and the roofs of houses between green trees. 2 years ago, we lived in Manhattan for several months, but it was impossible to see a distant view and greens from the apartment because of many buildings. I was surprised with the difference of the environment between New Jersey and Manhattan as it only takes 30 minuets by car.

Arrival Newark / 事件です〜

2007-08-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

We arrived at Newark and received MISO without any problem. At the airport, 2 co-workers picked us up by car. There, we found a big problem, {we didn't have a key to our apartment!} the co-workers believed that we had already received the key from the former person in charge who had already gone back to Japan, but we hadn't. Of cause we had believed the key had been at New Jersey office. We couldn't reach the former person in charge nor find in office. We lent a car and stayed at Holiday In at the first day in the United States.

Departure Narita / 味噌持って行きたいんです

2007-08-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

It was hard to escape from Japan with my husband leaving our newly-built detached house. We finally arrived at Narita. Only one thing we had to do was board an airplane. But! The security check didn't allow us to pass through smoothly. I knew that pet bottles were prohibited as carry-on baggage. Otherwise, I didn't know cosmetics and toothpaste etc. were regulated. All liquids over 100ml are prohibited as carry-on baggage. liquids less than 100ml are allowed if you put them in a plastic bag of less than 20cmx20cm. This rule has been in effect since March, 2007 for all international airlines.
So I put my face lotion and milky lotion etc. in my checked baggage in haste. Furthermore, I had MISO and NUKAMISO in my carry-on baggage. These also went into my checked baggage. I thought these were not liquids but they were. Is that obvious??? But these were the most important things for me. They were valuables... I've never found MISO better than the home made miso of my parent's house. I was worried about it until we arrived at Newark.

Garden State Walker < New Jersey Diary >

NY Cup Cake Shop

C.O. Bigelow

Marc by Marc Jacobs shop

Corner Bistro

Tiles

Murray's bagles

Maggiano's Little Italy

Sacred Chow at Greenwich Village

"Ripley's Believe or Not" at Times Square

Zaber's

Veniero's

Brooklyn 4 - Brooklyn Botanical Garden

Brooklyn 3 - Coney Iland -

Brooklyn 2 - Brighton Beach

Brooklyn 1

Magnolia

Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue

E・A・T

Musicians in the Subway

Port Authority Bus Terminal

Bus stop

Cherry Blossom in NJ

Valentine's Day

Spring Street Natural Reataurant & Bar

Bryant Park

So Kong Dong Restaurant (Soft Tofu Restaurant)

Whole Foods Market's Eco Bag

I'm back

Bergen Community College's ESL

Inviting friends with Japanese food

Hackensack Supermarket

Today's Times Square

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The Nearest Bagel Shop

Colombia Bakery

American Gangster

Black Friday at Macy's

Black Friday!

Thanksgiving Day

Nori at Bloomfield, NJ

Snow

Macy's

Polo Ralph Lauren

Knitty City in Manhattan

Krispy Kreme at Penn Station

Statue of Liberty

Sarabeth's At the Whitney

The Village Halloween Parade

Wetzel's Pretzels!

Neighborhood's Halloween decorations

Presentation

Friendly's at Route 46

Hank's Franks in Lodi, NJ

ESL of BCCAP

ESL of Bergen County Community Action Partnership (BCCAP)

Brooklyn Walking ブルックリンを散歩

Super Japanese Guide in The Metropolitan Museum メットの達人

ESL offered by University - the first day

Chipotle

Niagara Falls & Toronto

Blue Note Jazz Club

Joe's American Bar & Grill

Food Court

Orange County Choppers / オレンジカウンティーチョッパーズ

Short Trip to Manhattan 2 - Eco Bag

Short trip to Manhattan / マンハッタンに行ってきました

Ugly Betty / アグリーベティー もう一つの人気ドラマ

Heroes / 日本人が出ています

Whole Foods Market / オーガニックスーパー

Krause's / いちごチョコ

Target / 何でも売ってます

ESL Registration

Enormous Shopping Mall 2/ 日本未上陸ブランド

Enormous Shopping Mall / 買物天国です

LOST / LOSTです

Japanese Super Market Mitsuwa / 日本食材の殿堂

Starting life / やっと生活が始まります

Arrival Newark / 事件です〜

Departure Narita / 味噌持って行きたいんです

Ugly Betty / アグリーベティーもう一つの人気ドラマ