It has grown on me!: 02/2024

Thursday, February 29, 2024

How to Make Japanese Potato Salad

Have you ever tried Japanese potato salad (ポテトサラダ, ポテサラ)? As I mentioned in my previous entry, Most Popular Japanese Foods (Top 41 - 50), Japanese potato salad is one of the most popular Japanese foods. It's usually served as side dishes, and it is also perfect for sandwich filling.

I've been really into this Japanese potato salad recipe recently. I watched this Japanese YouTube video and learned that adding Parmesan cheese and chicken flavor bouillon make the potato salad to the next level. I didn't add bacon nor sugar, but it tasted so good! Today, I'm going to share how to make Japanese potato salad with you. I think that once you try this recipe, you will be into this salad forever. 😋

Ingredients (8 Servings)

1/2 Onion (Thinly Sliced with Using A Slicer)

1 Cucumber (Thinly Sliced with Using A Slicer)

1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

4 Potatoes (Chopped)

1 Tablespoon of Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Teaspoons of Chicken Flavor Bouillon

3 Tablespoons of Japanese Mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon of Mustard

Black Peppers

1. Slice onion and cucumber with using a slicer. Sprinkle salt over them, and mix them. Let it sit for over 10 minutes.

2. Put potatoes in a microwave-safe container, and cover it with plastic wrap. Microwave the potato on high power for 6 minutes. Then, use a toothpick, chopstick or fork to check if the potatoes are fully cooked. (Insert a toothpick into the center of the potato. If it goes in easily and comes out hot, the potatoes are done. If not, microwave them another minute, and check it again.)

Cover the container with plastic wrap again. Place a hand towel over the container to keep it nice and hot for 10 minutes. This allows the potatoes to continue cooking with the remaining heat.

3. Mash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher.

4. Add grated Parmesan cheese and chicken flavor bouillon. Mix them thoroughly.

5. Wrap cucumbers and onions with paper towel. Then, squeeze it tightly in order to remove excess water.

6. Add cucumbers and onions to mushed potatoes.

7. Add mayonnaise and mustard. Sprinkle grated black peppers. Mix them thoroughly.

8. Serve and enjoy!

These are also my entries you might like.

■How to Cook Best Chicken Teriyaki

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■Don Quijote (Donki) Haul - What He Got in Japan

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My entries related to cooking can be seen here.

My entries related to my favorite recipes can be seen here.

My entries related to foods my husband cooked can be seen here.

My entries related to Japanese noodles can be seen here.

My entries related to Japan Haul can be seen here.

My entries related to Best Japanese Beauty Products can be seen here.

My entries related to Japan can be seen here.

★You can find my recipe entries through my Pinterest.

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Review : Hilton Tokyo Executive Lounge - Evening Cocktail

Hilton Tokyo Executive Lounge - Evening Cocktail

As I mentioned in my previous entry, Hotel Room Tour and Review - Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku, Tokyo Japan, my husband and I visited Tokyo in 2022 and stayed in Hilton Tokyo Shinjuku. We visited the Executive Lounge located on the 37th floor during Evening Cocktail hours. If you stay in Executive room or Suite room, or if you have Hilton Honors Diamond Status, you can access to the Executive Lounge and enjoy complimentary foods and drinks during evening cocktail hours.

■Executive Lounge Hours （7 a.m. through 9 p.m.）

・Breakfast 7 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

・Evening Cocktail 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Executive Lounge (37th Floor)

During evening cocktail hours, we went to the Executive Lounge. However, it was very crowded. I believe this was likely due to it being a busy Saturday. We were escorted to a seat at the very back of the lounge, and it appeared that all areas were already occupied. The staff informed us that there was a one-hour time limit during busy periods.

During evening cocktail hours, there were soup dumplings, pizza, salads and etc. We had a little bit of everything.

There were some kinds of soup we could choose from.

We had minestrone soup and Chinese egg and seaweed soup.

We also liked these pieces of chocolate cake.

We don't drink alcohol but there were many kinds of alcohol drinks you can choose from.

We were really satisfied with their meals, but I didn't like that it was extremely crowded. Due to a one-hour time limit during busy periods, it was not a place where we could relax and fully enjoy the food and atmosphere.

Next time, I will write about Hilton Tokyo fitness gym.

These are my entries related to Hilton Tokyo.

■Hotel Room Tour and Review - Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku, Tokyo Japan

■Review : Hilton Tokyo Executive Lounge - Evening Cocktail

■Review : Hilton Tokyo Fitness Center - Three Fitness Rooms

■Review : Hilton Tokyo Breakfast Buffet - Marble Lounge

These are my entries related to Conrad Tokyo.

■Hotel Room Tour and Review - Conrad Tokyo in Japan

■Review : Conrad Tokyo Executive Lounge - Afternoon Tea & Evening Cocktails

■Review : Conrad Tokyo Fitness Center - Luxury Fitness Gym

■Review : Conrad Tokyo Breakfast Buffet - Cerise

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     My entries related to Best Japanese Beauty Products can be seen here.

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     You can find my beauty entries by categories from here.

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Hotel Room Tour and Review - Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku, Tokyo Japan

Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku, Tokyo

As I mentioned in my previous entries, my husband and I visited Japan in 2022. We stayed at Sunshine City Prince Hotel, Conrad Tokyo, Hilton Tokyo and Hilton Fukuoka this time.

After checking out Conrad Tokyo, we took a taxi and headed toward Hilton Tokyo. We told the taxi driver to take us to Hilton Tokyo, and the driver asked us which Hilton Tokyo hotel we would like to go. In Tokyo, there are three Hilton Tokyo hotels, Hilton Tokyo Shinjuku, Hilton Tokyo Odaiba and Hilton Tokyo Bay. In addition to these, there is also Hilton Tokyo Narita Airport in Chiba, but it's not in Tokyo. By the way, Tokyo Narita Airport is actually located in Chiba, which is a prefecture next to Tokyo.

Hilton Tokyo Shinjuku

6 Chome-6-2 Nishishinjuku,

Shinjuku City, Tokyo

Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku, Tokyo

The entrance of the Hilton Hotel was beautifully illuminated and people walking along the street were also taking the photos of the hotel.

Hilton Tokyo Shinjuku Lobby (1st Floor)

At the Hilton Tokyo, we checked in at the lobby located on the first floor.

We had reserved the most affordable room, but since my husband was a Hilton Honors Diamond member, he could receive an upgrade based on the hotel’s room availability. This time, we were upgraded to a Premium King room, which is a two-level upgrade. The room above the Premium room is the Executive room, but it seems the Executive room doesn’t have a bathtub, so I consider myself lucky with the Premium room.

Some of the Perks of Hilton Honors Diamond Status
・A complimentary continental breakfast for you and up to one guest registered to the same room each day of your stay (This hotel's breakfast costs 4,200 yen per person, so our 8,400-yen meals were free. )
・Executive Floor Lounge Access (You can enjoy complimentary drinks and light meals there.)
・Space-available upgrade to a preferred room
・1,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points per stay
・Premium Wi-Fi

Premium King Room (28㎡ to 35㎡ / 301 sq ft to 376 sq ft)

Premium King Room

The room was spacious enough for us. The window had shoji (障子), traditional Japanese sliding windows which consist of wood frames filled in with paper.

There were two complimentary bottles of water on the mini fridge.

There were some instant coffee and tea bags.

The top drawer had coffee cups and bottle opener.

The bottom drawer had kettle and ice bucket.

There were only two portions of coffee creamer in the fridge somehow.

There were two pairs of disposable slippers in the closet, and the bottom left drawer had two yukata, which is a type of light cotton kimono. You can wear this yukata to sleep.

The bathroom was also nice and clean.

Crabtree & Evelyn

There were Crabtree & Evelyn shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, and facial soap bar.

Crabtree & Evelyn

There were bath towels and hair dryer in the vanity shelf. I used my own hair dryer, my favorite Panasonic Nanoe hair dryer I purchased in Tokyo, instead of this one the hotel supplied.

I really loved the Japanese bathtub, which is deeper than a regular American style bathtub. When I visit Japan, I always enjoy taking a hot bath every night just like I used to do when I lived in Japan. It relieves your tired body, and it really makes you relax.

The shower had sufficient water pressure.

The view from the room window was ordinary. After staying on the high floor of Conrad Tokyo, it felt even more ordinary. Unfortunately, there was no welcome gift at Hilton Tokyo.

Next time, I will write about Hilton Tokyo Executive Lounge.

These are my entries related to Hilton Tokyo.

■Hotel Room Tour and Review - Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku, Tokyo Japan

■Review : Hilton Tokyo Executive Lounge - Evening Cocktail

■Review : Hilton Tokyo Fitness Center - Three Fitness Rooms

■Review : Hilton Tokyo Breakfast Buffet - Marble Lounge

These are my entries related to Conrad Tokyo.

■Hotel Room Tour and Review - Conrad Tokyo in Japan

■Review : Conrad Tokyo Executive Lounge - Afternoon Tea & Evening Cocktails

■Review : Conrad Tokyo Fitness Center - Luxury Fitness Gym

■Review : Conrad Tokyo Breakfast Buffet - Cerise

These are also my entries you might like.

♥Tsukiji Tamasushi - Sushi Lunch in Ikebukuro, Tokyo

♥Nakau, Affordable Japanese Beef Bowl Restaurant

♥Breakfast Meal at Sukiya, Beef Bowl Restaurant, - What I Ate in Ikebukuro, Tokyo

♥Hotel Room Tour and Review - Sunshine City Prince Hotel - Ikebukuro, Tokyo

♥My Shopping List for Japanese Beauty Products - What I Want to Get in Japan

Thursday, February 8, 2024

Healthy Walking Habits I Made Last Year

Peters Canyon in Orange, CA

One of the things I achieved in 2023 was that to have weekend walking habit.

My husband and I have been trying to go hiking every weekends since last year. At the first, the reasons why we wanted go hiking were these.

Three Reasons Why We Wanted to Go Hiking

1. To Exercise More

Hiking is great form of aerobic exercise. It gets your heart pumping and help to improve your cardiovascular system. It also good way to built stronger muscles and bones.

➡Results: We also incorporated a daily 30-minute workout routine, including squats and sit-ups. At the start of 2023, after a hike, I still experienced intense muscle soreness. However, by maintaining my daily workouts and weekend hiking, I’ve gradually noticed that I’ve developed a toned body. Moreover, I no longer experience sore muscles after most hikes. Consistent hiking seems to have adapted my muscles to the activity.

Naples Canals Loop in Long Beach, CA

2. To Have More Positive Mind

Hiking is a good for your mental health because it boost serotonin and endorphin that can help to have positive impact on mental health. Being outside boosts serotonin, and exercise boosts endorphins. Hiking makes us happier.

➡Results: We’ve noticed that hiking soothes and clears the mind. Even when we were too busy on weekends, we made sure to do at least one hour of hiking. We were surprised by how much better it made us feel and how it helped keep our minds sharper. We’ve learned how important it is to walk outside for improving mental health. Typically, we go hiking on Saturday mornings, and in addition to that, we’ve also started walking around our neighborhood for one hour on Sunday mornings.

Black Star Canyon Falls Trail in Silverado, CA

3. To Earn Points

There are many fitness apps to track your healthy activities. The more I exercise, the more points I can earn from Evidation app. (This is my referral link for Evidation app.)

➡Results: I earned $50 in total on Evidation app in 2023. It's not a lot of money but it is good enough to stay motivated to exercise. My husband has been participating in research study on Evidation app and earned hundreds of dollars.

Salt Creek to Dana Point, CA

Billy Goat Trail in Foothill Ranch, CA

Indeed, we explored many hiking areas every weekend in 2023. Surprisingly, we hadn’t realized that there were so many trails in Southern California.

Red Rock Canyon in Foothill Ranch, CA

Yosemite National Park in CA

We also went to Yosemite National Park and thoroughly enjoyed hiking amidst its stunning views. If we hadn't made hiking a weekend habit, we probably wouldn’t have appreciated it as much. We’re eager to explore more National Parks for hiking in the future.

Yosemite National Park in CA

One of the things we were surprised by during our weekend hiking habit was how much we enjoyed the sweaty exercise. I think it's because of the release of endorphins. We truly relished ascending steep trails and climbing stairs.

Hillcrest Park in Fullerton, CA

At my workplace, I eventually decided to walk up the stairs instead of taking an elevator. My coworker asked me why I stopped using the elevator. I told her that I wanted to improve my physical health and it's only 50 stairs I need to climb up to the workplace.

Treasure Island Park in Laguna Beach, CA

While hiking, we talked to each other a lot and took some photos. I used to think that time goes by so fast, but now I feel that time doesn’t fly fast when you create a lot of new memories.