Day: June 15, 2023

Food in Day 7: Ending the Game Jam

We finished the game jam! Despite our very incomplete results, I am very proud of the amount of work we were able to complete in our limited time along with the language barrier. After a short recess, we went around and looked at everyone’s games, took a picture together, then headed back to the hotel. Vincent, Maddy, Brody, and I went back to UNIQLO to get a couple of more things before we went to the hotel again to rest up after a long couple of days.

For breakfast, I was given the special sandwich of the day once again. Honestly, I don’t remember what was in it, and I also don’t remember if I even ate it. What I do remember is that I was running late yet again, so I didn’t get to eat much before we had to go, so there is a pretty high chance I didn’t get to have a bite. However, I did get to enjoy yet another croissant, a fried egg, and some strips of chicken. The egg was a little too cold in my opinion, but everything else was great. I also had apple juice yet again. For some reason, apple juice is just better in Japan, so why not have it as many times as I can?

For lunch. we were given a choice between omurice and different types of lunchboxes. Because Toshi was unable to get the ingredients of the omurice to make sure I don’t die in Japan, I picked up the fish packed bento. It included rice, backed fish, some fresh veggies, some cooked veggies, pickled veggies, some kind of savory pancake, pasta salad, and a sui mai. Everything that I could eat was delicious, but the bones in the fish took me a bit off guard. Luckily, I didn’t ingest any, or else I could’ve died in a way Toshi was not accounting for.

For dinner, our small group that went to UNIQLO stopped at a restaurant in the same mall the UNIQLO was in, Aeon Mall, and had some ramen. The ramen there was delicious. I was a big fan of the combination of toppings on top of the ramen. The soft-boiled eggs, bamboo shoots, chives, and pork all went well with the salty but savory broth.

After dinner, it was time to say goodbye to Kyoto and return to Tokyo and visit Akihabara!

Food While Traveling Back to the U.S.

June 3rd: the day we say goodbye. After saying one last goodbye to the remaining students in Japan in the hotel lobby, Maddy and I braved the train system together with our heavy bags and heavier hearts. Luckily, our two head working together helped us get to the airport without too much struggle (ignoring how laborious lugging our bags around was). We were also able to get through immigration, security, and on our plane without any issues.

However, Maddy only had about an hour and a half layover, and I had about two, proving to be an issue when we got to immigration in the U.S. Thankfully, we had just enough time to get to our respective gates before boarding started, but the anxiety while waiting in the long, snake-like line was overwhelming. Now we know in case we ever travel outside of the country by plane ever again: if you have a layover in the United States, make sure it’s at least three hours long. Although we made it on our planes, we were both cutting it real close, and I would much rather have way too much time to spend in an airport than cut it that close ever again.

I made it back to Rochester with all of my bags, got picked up by my friend, took a pit stop at Chipotle, and then went home.

This was my last meal in Japan. I decided to get tempura on rice at the airport. It came with egg tempura, shrimp tempura, and various vegetable tempuras. It was super yummy! I kinda of scarfed it down to make sure Maddy would have enough time to eat before the flight, so it’s hard to say more than that, but I thought it was really good.

On the plane, I got some pasta with a piece of bread, red bean mochi, and vegetables. I really like the pasta. It was very flavorful, and I liked not being allergic to something that I eat on the plane. I could not eat the vegetables because there were peas included. The bread was bread. Bread is always solid; a safe choice. The red bean mochi was really good, but the texture made me feel nauseous since Iw as already feeling lightly nauseous because I get motion sickness, so I did not finish the mochi. However, I know if I were on solid lad, I would have greatly enjoyed it.

For a mid-flight snack, I was given a ham and cheese sandwich with some snacks. I pocketed the snacks for later, but the ham and cheese sandwich was… a ham and cheese sandwich. Not much to say about it. Just a plain ham and cheese sandwich. I would’ve preferred it with mayo, but I was thankful to be getting any food in the first place.

For breakfast, I was given an omelet with a sausage and a piece of potato. The omelet was okay. It was cold by the time they got to me, so it felt kind of gross to eat. The sausage was better tasting cold. The potato thing was worse. This was probably the sketchiest plane meal I had on this trip, but once again, I was just thankful to not be allergic to it at all.

That marks the end of the trip! It was honestly such an amazing experience, and I am very grateful to have been able to go. Now, I’ve been back in the U.S. for a few days, and the jet lag coming back to the U.S. is way worse than it was when going to Japan. Take that warning as you will.

Food in Day 12: Unreal Fest and CyberConnect

We started the day out by braving the rain and making the walk over to Unreal Fest. It was super cool to see all of the projects being made using Unreal Engine. It makes it feel like the possibilities are endless. Seeing that inspired me to keep working hard on my own projects so that one day I may be able to create something like the things that were being shown off there. After that, we went and got a tour of CyberConnect2, the game studio behind the development of the Naruto fighting games, .hack series, and Fuga: Melodies of Steel. After that, Jasmine, Jessica, Megan, Brody, Maddy, Vincent, and I trekked through the rain for a delicious last dinner and ice cream. After that, a few of us had a late-night meeting, I finished packing, and then head to bed.

In terms of the stars of the show, sadly, I had to skip out on breakfast because I did not wake up in time to grab breakfast before going to Unreal Fest. So for lunch, I got oil noodles again, but with a raw egg to mix into my rice this time. Maddy and I had already come to this place before in Shibuya, so we knew this was good. I decided to try a different flavor this time, but I forgot what that flavor was called. Again, this was delicious. I also appreciated that they gave us broth this time. I assume they did this because it was rainy outside. Great service, and I appreciated being able to order form a terminal that included English translations.

For dinner after CyberConnect2, Jasmine, Jessica, Megan, Brody, Maddy, Vincent, and I had dinner together. Jasmine and I shared some garlic bread with pesto as an appetizer. It was toasted just enough to have a bit of a crunch, and the garlic and pesto paired well together. It was the perfect way to lead up to the steal that I got that came with rice and baked vegetables. The steak was super flavorful and juicy, and the sauce only made it better. The whole dinner was just delicious.

For dessert, I got a Sumiko Gruashi-themed ice cream from Baskin Robbins, which was a fruity-flavored ice cream. I really like it, and I enjoyed the character being a little chocolate that you could eat. For second dessert (to help me stay awake during my meeting), I had a coffee jelly from 7-11. It was also really good and super cheap.

Tomorrow, Maddy and I need to brave the subway system together once more to the airport. Leaving will be very bittersweet.

Food in Day 11: Gundam, Museum, and teamLabs

Today, we went to see the life-sized Gundam in Odaiba, Tokyo. We also had lunch in the Diver City Tokyo Plaza and looked around the mall before heading to the Miraikan Museum of Science and Innovation. There were many cool exhibits there, including a jarring robot controlled by A.I, pieces about how humans should evolve to live in sustainable prosperity, a scale model of a living quarters in the International Space Station, and an interactive game to promote medicine. After that, we went to teamLabs Tokyo and went through all of the art exhibits that make use of your eyes, ears, and touch for a complete experience.

McDonald’s again? Yes, McDonald’s again! This time, I got a sausage McGriddle with a hashbrown and a caramel latte. I’ve never had a McGriddle in the U.S. so I cannot really compare the two, but I thoroughly enjoyed the one I had here. It was a good mix of sweet and savory, and the hashbrown helped to tame the strong flavor of the McGriddle. The caramel latte was also super good. 10/10 breakfast. I would definitely go to McDonald’s in Japan again because (spoiler alert), I never got the chance to go back after this breakfast.

For lunch in Odaiba, I had this noodle dish native to China. Why am I having a Chinese dish when I could get a Japanese dish in Japan? Honestly, I think the better question to be asking is, “Why have you eaten McDonald’s so many times in Japan?”. So obviously, although I do appreciate all of the authentic Japanese food I’ve had here, I also enjoy trying other food while I’m here. For all I know, the Chinese food they have in Japan is better than the Chinese food in America. And boy, if this noodle dish is any indicator of how much better Chinese food is in Japan, then it is way better. It was hearty and savory and mellow and just good. It was yummy. I would go back to Odaiba again just to have these noodles again.

For dinner, Brody and I found this cafe connected to a few soccer fields. Side note, I think this idea is brilliant. Imagine how much money you would make from soccer moms who want to grab a good dinner together as a group and gossip as they watch their children. I think it’s an incredibly smart idea, and if that already exists in the U.S., then I’m upset that I didn’t get to witness that as someone who played soccer for six years. Anyways, this meal was super good. Chicken, rice, and raw egg. Where can you go wrong with that?

I was super excited to go to Unreal Fest the next day as well as go to CyberConnect2!

Food in Day 10: Downtown Tokyo, Harajuku, and Shibuya

The first thing we did after having breakfast was go to the Tokyo Imperial Palace. We walked around, observing the architecture, gardens, and koi fish before we went to Harajuku to visit the Meiji Shrine and have a lunch break. After that, the class split up, and Brody, Vincent, Maddy, and I went back to Shibuya. We visited a record shop before Maddy and I split off to look around in Shibuya 109 before we reconvened, had dinner, and went back to the hotel for yet another late-night meeting.

Guess what I got for breakfast?

Wow! You got it! I got McDonald’s again! This time around, I got the red pepper Shaka Shaka chicken with fries and an iced latte. The seasoning that came with the Shaka Shaka chicken was super good. It was just a tad spicy, and it was very flavorful. I put a little bit of the seasoning on my fries as well because it was so good. The latte was also good because it was less bitter and not hot coffee.

In Harajuku, we found this unique Pink Panther food court that had a stage for performances. During performances, photos and videos were not allowed, but because we went to eat in between performances, I was able to take pictures. I got a tornado potato and a Korean hot dog with cheese on the top and a hot dog on the bottom. I was not a big fan of the potato tornado. It was incredibly messy to eat, and it was mildly sweet when I was expecting a salty potato treat. Thankfully, the Korean corn dog was incredibly good, and I would highly recommend anyone who likes corn dogs to try it out. It was major upgrade from just a regular American corn dog. This may even ruin them for you as it did with me.

In Shibuya, after a lot of walking to find somewhere to eat, we finally out this barbeque place. Honestly, it was not the best considering the price. It was very tasty, but I’ve had the same amount of tasty but with more food for a lesser price on this trip, so I didn’t see it as worth the price. Vincent may fight me about that though.

Afterwards, we rushed back to have our meeting and get as much sleep as we could before our long trip to Odaiba tomorrow.

Food in Day 6: The Game Jam

Today was the official first day of the game jam! I was put in charge of designing and creating the art for the UI. For the concept behind our game, we decided to go with Belle’s idea, which was to create a game based off of moving to a foreign country and opening a bakery. The point is to get better and better at determining the orders of the customers, who are giving you their orders in their native language. This is pretty much the only thing we did today.

For food, I started out the day with the provided sandwich of the day, which was a fried chicken sandwich. Although I am unsure of all of the ingredients in the sandwich, it was good! I also picked out another croissant because I enjoyed all the other ones I’ve had so much, some penne pasta with ham and zucchini, and fried salmon. All of the food was super good, but I had to rush a bit because I went to breakfast late. I did have a cup of apple juice which was refreshing paired with all the fried foods I was eating and a cappuccino to help me power through the rest of the game jam.

For lunch, we were given a variety of rice balls and other snacks. I honestly forgot which rice balls I had chosen to eat, but I do remember that one of them had a very strong fishy taste, so I was unable to finish it. I do remember picking out an egg folded into an omelet, and it was sweeter than any egg I had ever had before. While the sweetness bothers my fellow RIT teammates, I quite liked the subtly sweet egg.

For dinner, we were given these bento boxes filled with an assortment of food. Included was rice, shrimp tempura, pickled veggies, salad, cooked veggies, fried chicken, a piece of waffle, and a hamburg steak. I enjoyed almost every aspect of this meal that I was able to eat. However, I did not like the hamburg steak. To me, it tasted like an unseasoned meatball with gravy on top. Everything else (except for the salad and pickled vegetables because I could not eat them) were delicious and a good source of fuel to help me power through the last hour or two that we had of the game jam for that day.

The next day marked our last day of the game jam and our last full day in Kyoto. Although I was excited to see how completed our project would be, it was a little bittersweet as I was not quite ready to say goodbye to the beautiful scenery in Kyoto.

Food in Day 5: Free Day and Meeting KCG

Today was our free day! A small group of us decided to go to TOEI Kyoto Studio Park to see the life-sized Eva-01 attraction. After that, Brody, Vincent, and I went to UNIQLO and did some shopping before we headed out to KCG to meet the students we would be having the game jam with. I was on team 3 with Bella and Liam from RIT and Naoki, Tamura, and Ryuki from KCG.

In terms of the important stuff, for breakfast, we had finally graduated from the boxed lunches and were free to pick out our own food! They gave us our sandwich of the day, which seemed to be prosciutto with onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and mustard. Sadly, I was not a fan of the sandwich, but that is because I am not a fan of mustard. I also had bok choy, a croissant, sausage, carrots, and fried fish. All of the things I had hand-picked for myself were delicious. I also had a latte to give me a jump start to the day.

For lunch at TOEI Studio Park, I ordered a meal off of the special Evangelion menu. The meal was based off of the character Mari Illustrious Makinami, and all of the other meals on that special menu were based off of different characters. It was some kind of soup along with a variety of pickled and steamed vegetables. Sadly, I had a rough time eating some of the vegetables due to my allergies, but the soup was nice and relaxing to have as a break from a day of walking.

For dinner, I had pizza and snack provided by KCG at the welcome event. I picked out seafood pizza, cheese pizza, chicken nuggets, potato sticks, and a bowl of a variety of snacky items. The seafood pizza was better than I was expecting. I have had seafood pizza in the U.S, and I remember it being too salty to enjoy. This pizza, however, was not too salty. It was actually quite good. The cheese pizza was cheese pizza: always a good and safe choice. The chicken nuggets were chicken nuggets: always a good and safe choice. By the time I got around to the potato sticks, they were cold, so I did not particularly enjoy them that much. This may be because they were sitting out for a bit before I ate them, but they were reminiscent of slightly soggy hashbrowns. However, the snacks were in fact snacking, so overall, it was a good way to end the day.

It was nice getting to know my teammates better before the game jam started! tomorrow would be the start of the game jam, so I headed to bed early(-ish) to be prepared for all the brain power I’d be using the next day.