Tim Tam

Last Saturday was Valentine’s Day and I treated myself to my very own shinkansen, and I tried to mimic its natural habitat. For a short while. Ahem.

In general, I stick to the cheaper options, however. And a few years ago, I have discovered Tim Tam, chocolate cookies, pardon: biscuits from Australia.

They are two rectangular biscuits with chocolate cream in between and covered in more chocolate (double and even triple coats are available). As a side note, I just found out that in Australia, there is a “National Tim Tam Day”, conveniently just after Valentine’s Day on February 16.

They were created in 1964 and are still made by Arnotts exclusively in Australia. According to wikipedia, at their Sydney bakery, the production line turns out about 3,000 Tim Tams per minute and uses 20 tonnes of cream filling and 27 tons of chocolate coating each work day. Sounds like heaven.

I liked them from the beginning, but I never thought that they were that special. And then I discovered the Tim Tam Slam.

This is a special way of eating the cookies that involves coffee (traditional) or milk tea (my choice) or probably anything else as long as it’s hot. So, first, bite off two diagonal corners of your Tim Tam. Then use the Tim Tam as a straw with which to suck the beverage. When the biscuit is all soggy, you’re allowed to eat it. In fact, you have to slam it – eat it in a single bite – before it falls apart.

And you know what: This tastes absolutely fabulous! The melted chocolate and the soft cookies are heated just enough to create a veritable taste explosion and go perfectly with the hot tea. It got so far that now, I cannot imagine eating Tim Tams in any other way.

Great. As if my chocolate addiction needed an upgrade…

Cold Spell

It’s that time of the year when it’s freezing in Kyoto, literally. After it snowed all day last Sunday, we’ve had temperatures around and just below zero since then.

Monday night at around 2 in the morning, the temperature must have dropped considerably, because that’s when my alarm clock stopped. When I woke up, there was a beautiful white gleam coming from the outside, and the room temperature was exactly zero degrees.

Pumpkin stays as close as possible to me, during the day he sleeps in his kitty bed in the living room which is equipped with a heating pad. Right now, he sleeps in his bed in my office, and he will come upstairs with me later to snuggle next to me just in case.

Even though I don’t like the cold, I love the snow, but by now, everything has melted again, thanks to the rain we had all day. For the next two weeks, the temperatures are forecast to rise again, up to 17 degrees this Sunday. I’m sure the people running and watching the Kyoto Marathon will appreciate this.

Anyway, on Monday last week, I went to Yoshida Shrine for their setsubun festival. We went around noon for lunch at the food stalls – I desperately wanted karaage fried chicken and ichigo daifuku and of course, there were baby castera as well. We all ate too much. It was glorious.

Yoshida shrine has the largest setsubun festival in Kyoto, and they always have a large lottery with goods from local companies. Prizes vary: sake and food items, household items like glassware, cutlery, electrical appliances like heaters or rice cookers… The main prize was a (small) car.

My friends and I all bought a ticket, and we jokingly agreed to “share” – I wouldn’t know what to do with a car anyway, but the bicycle on the other hand… Sadly, none of us won anything, not even a pack of pickles. Maybe we all should’ve bought more tickets?

The Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Love Poems

Having lived in 6 countries, there’s one thing I’ve learned: people aren’t that different, really. Our emotions are the same, just the expressions thereof are determined by culture, upbringing, sex… And the fun thing is that these human emotions haven’t changed much in the last, say 1000 years.

Case in point: Japanese love poems from the Heian period.

The Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, compiled in 1235 by Fujiwara-no-Teika, is a collection of 100 poems by 100 Japanese poets who lived from the Asuka period (7th century) to the Heian period (late 12th century). Most of them were aristocrats (the only Japanese who could read and write at the time), but even though their lives are so vastly different from ours, their emotional poetry still strikes a chord.

Read my new take on the Hyakunin Isshu over on Yamato (it’s a free post): https://yamatomagazine.substack.com/p/love-poems-for-eternity-the-ogura-hyakunin-isshu, an old one from this blog is here.

Foreigner Tax

Japanese currency

The yen has been quite weak for several years now, causing two things: price hikes in Japan and a huge influx of foreign visitors – a record of 42.7 million visitors in 2025. For them, the Japanese prices seem cheap, and they spent a total of 9.5 trillion yen in the country last year. Not bad at all!

I have heard that some places have raised their prices for foreigners, claiming extra costs in translating menus or hiring staff that can speak English. The only place I have come across this is the KYOCERA Museum in Kyoto, where Kyoto residents get a discount in their “Collection Gallery” exhibition. I feel this is a bit different from raising prices just for foreigners, also the discount is 210 yen.

However, through WUIK, I’ve come across a more egregious case, where an event has a surcharge for foreigners: with ticket prices for Japanese starting at 10,000 yen already, everybody else pays 15,000 yen.

And on their website, they rather nonchalantly mention:

Local discounts are applied to Japanese, so the ticket prices are different. Thank you for your understanding.

“Local discounts”? In other words: the tax subsidies for the event are so hefty that foreigners pay 50% more? It also appears that they check ID upon entering, which does make me wonder if they would accept my residence card if I buy the cheaper tickets.

In any case, I find this all very unpleasant, both from my perspective as a foreign resident in Japan, but also from a business point of view. Usually, in my listings on What’s up in Kyoto, I include ticket prices, but in this case, I left this information out. I really don’t want to be blamed if and when people find out that Japanese pay so much less for the same experience.

So Different, So… Otrovert?

On New Year’s Eve, a friend of mine sent me one of his rare emails, in which he told me essentially that I wasn’t an introvert at all. Translating and paraphrasing a little, he stated:

No introvert starts a new life in a foreign country, and approaches strange cultures with complete openness.

Then he proceeded to introduce a new concept, that of an “otrovert”. I did some research, and according to wikipedia:

An otrovert is someone who feels like an eternal outsider in groups, even when they are friendly and socially capable.

The Otherness Institute (founded by the researcher who coined the term) lists traits of otroverts as

  • non-belonging
  • difficulties with group or communal norms
  • free thinking
  • intense need for privacy

Hmm. Some of the traits listed (intense need for independence, internally rebellious but confrontation-averse, abhors noisy/crowded places, does not like attention) definitely fit. And interestingly, I never had a problem with public speaking or leading a group (teaching at uni or now guiding the tours), as the website suggests.

I also have no problem talking to a single person. In fact, at my concerts, I’m trying to say hi to one new person every time and take it from there. At the same time, I feel intensely awkward when I have to approach a whole group. The self-introductory “hi, I’m the new one” is the start to my worst nightmares.

So, could there be something to this? Maybe – that’s what an otrovert would say. 😉 I took the test on the website above, and I score 230/280 on the otrovert scale.

You can read more about being an otrovert on the website above. There is also the book “The Gift of Not Belonging” by Rami Kaminski who coined the term otrovert. I haven’t read it yet, so I can’t say anything about it. While most of the ratings are positive, some people say that the book lacks scientific rigour and is based on (the author’s) personal anecdotes. One person even says that this is not a new concept, just the Myers-Briggs INTJ in a new guise.

To me, it sounds definitely interesting and I will investigate further.

Visiting Hideyoshi

It’s cold in Kyoto – apparently we’re in the middle of gokkan, the extreme midwinter season. Well, it certainly feels this way.

Nevertheless, my friend from Tokyo visited me last Friday, and together we braced against the cold and went on a special tour inspired by Hideyoshi. Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) was the second of the three great unifiers of Japan, and even though his family ultimately did not retain power, many of his reforms were taken over by the following Tokugawa Shoguns and considerably shaped the Edo period.

Hideyoshi himself spent enormous sums on restoring Kyoto to its glory after most of it was destroyed in the Onin Wars of a century earlier and/or in the Sengoku period that ended with his unifying the country. It is therefore quite easy to find Hideyoshi’s legacy in Kyoto. My friend and I, however, went all the way to find his tomb.

After his death in 1589, Hideyoshi was interred according to his wishes on top of Amidagamine mountain, and below, a huge shrine was built in order to worship him. Once the Tokugawa’s power was cemented in 1615, however, the shrine was destroyed and only the tomb remained. Some 300 years later, both shrine and tomb were restored, and they can be visited.

And that’s what we did; we first went to the shrine and afterwards, all the way up the mountain to see Hideyoshi. More than 200 steps lead to his impressive tomb, and even though the day was rather cool and we walked quite slowly, it was exhausting. The tomb itself is from 1898, a huge five-tier pagoda-type stone monument which, interestingly, bears no inscriptions at all. Only in front, a little altar where people left money, sake, and other offerings, showed the Toyotomi family crest.

It is said that Hideyoshi wanted to be buried there so he could see Kyoto forevermore. This may have been the case in his day, but now the trees are too high to see anything from his tomb directly. On the northern side, however, is a clearing that allows a peek over the city, including a truly special viewpoint over Kiyomizudera Temple.

My friend asked the one important question: Was the temple there in the 16th century? Yes, kinda. It was founded in 782, but burned down during the Onin Wars. Only the third Tokugawa Shogun rebuilt the main hall, so the temple as you can see it here dates back to roughly the 1650s.

It seems that many Kyoto people don’t know where Hideyoshi is buried. This may change, however, since the 2026 NHK Taiga drama is called “Toyotomi Kyodai – Brothers in Arms” and tells the story of Hideyoshi and his younger brother Hidenaga. Maybe something to watch?

The Kamogawa Food Detectives

Hisashi Kashiwai

Nagare Kamogawa and his daughter Koishi run a detective agency of a special flavour: From their inconspicuous little restaurant, they track down lost recipes for their clients. Together with the food, they also offer their clients insights into the memories that made the dish so unforgettable in the first place.

This is not so much of a novel, but rather a collection of six loosely connected stories, all centered around a single dish, a single memory. They run the gamut from the funny to the deeply moving, and show how much of our memories are connected to tastes, as well as sights and sounds.

Foodies may want to try and recreate the dishes – from Japanese beef stew and mackerel sushi to Neapolitan spaghetti – and those familiar with Kyoto will enjoy following the Kamogawas on their way through Kyoto’s neighborhoods.

Hisashi Kashiwai was born in 1952 in Kyoto and worked as a dentist. Kyoto city and its neighborhoods features prominently in his writing.

Whether you’re a foodie or a lover of Kyoto, or just somebody who likes escapist little stories, this one’s for you – and available on amazon.

Shopping Spree

Sorry for not posting; despite my best intentions, I was a bit under the weather right after the holidays and now have to play catch up pretty much everywhere. And that although the weather was, so far, rather balmy for the season with 15 degrees and more during the day!

Those days are over, however, today there were even warnings of heavy snowfall in Kyoto until Sunday. And, looking out of the window, it is indeed snowing right now! I hope there will be lots of snow tomorrow morning! Pumpkin is snuggling up to me already, I guess he’ll be sleeping underneath the covers tonight.

The other day, I went out for a little shopping spree. There are two second hand shops nearby that I find hard to resist, and I’m glad they are not directly on my usual way to town.

Anyway, the other day I dropped by both of them. Result: A gorgeous red winter coat in 60% wool that fits me perfectly. And they had sales, so I got it for 50% off, in other words: 500 yen.

At the other store, I found a treat for Pumpkin: A nice and sturdy cat carrier in plastic, in a somewhat ugly brown color, but hey, it’s not meant for decoration. It needed a bit of cleaning, but otherwise, it’s in perfect condition. Price: 1000 yen.

I was so happy about my purchases that I decided to do get some groceries as well. And I dropped 4000 yen on a bag of rice… To be fair, those five kilos will last me several months, but it still hurts. That’s double the price from 2 years ago, and we’re even talking a special offer here!

Oh well, can’t be helped. I’m glad I lost so much weight over the last couple of years, surely that will help with my grocery bill in the long run. Right?

Haru Urara, the Racehorse that Never Won

Haru Urara is probably the most famous of all Japanese racehorses, even though, or rather: because she never won a single race.

Starting out promising with a pedigree full of winners, she lost all of the 113 races of her lifetime. However, her unwavering spirit – perfectly in line with the Japanese ganbatte attitude – made her a household name, saved an entire racetrack, and inspired films, books, and manga.

Read about her life in this free article over on Yamato Magazine: https://yamatomagazine.substack.com/p/haru-urara-japans-most-inspiring-loser

I’ve written about her on this blog before, but now there is so much more information available about her life after retirement, so the article justified an update.

I’m Back!

Happy 2026 again!

I had some wonderful days off, perfectly bookended by two BATI-HOLIC concerts on December 27 and January 5. Last year’s concert was especially exciting. Their 2-man show with the Shamisenists – a group with two tsugaru shamisen and one drummer – was practically perfect, even though I was the only one dancing. Not that this is something that needs to be captured on camera. Or shared with a wide audience…

https://x.com/Iris_Reinbacher/status/2008567925167587443

Monday’s concert was a blast too (as you can see above, I’m still dancing), even though the first band was not quite so good. The highlight here was that I could get a BATI-HOLIC T-shirt for more than 80% off since the band is moving to a new practice space and wants to reduce the baggage they have to carry. Also: I fit into an S-size now. Also also: I’m still eyeing some of those half-priced tenugui…

Other than this, the days were very quiet, and comparatively warm for the season. I even took some strolls up my mountain and explored the wider neighborhood.

As for new holiday traditions, I tried toshikoshi soba on New Year’s Eve for the first time. This is a Japanese-style buckwheat noodle soup that is traditionally eaten late at night, when all the preparations for New Year are done. And today, I had a bowl of nanakusa gayu. I tried this dish before, and I have to admit that this time a) I did stoop so low as to just buy a pack of dried herbs and b) it did taste nicer than what I cooked up myself all these years ago. So much for my cooking skills. Ahem.

And now: back to work for realz.