My husband returned last night from his annual 10 day trip to Japan. I usually send him with a list of things I miss and would like to have here in the states. He usually brings back everything I ask for plus a few surprises. His return is like a second Christmas morning. The living room is spread with all of his luggage and interestingly wrapped packages for us to open and enjoy. Here is a photo of some of my favorite things he brought back.
I have a weakness for Japanese pottery. Every trip one of us makes involves bringing back some delicate, fragile item in our carry-on luggage. I love celadon and my husband found this lovely appetizer plate. The chocolate on the plate is Royce milk chocolate. It is an excellent Japanese chocolate; rich ganache squares dusted with cocoa powder. The tiny plastic spatula is included with the box to assist in removing the delicate squares. I love creamy sesame salad dressing. I make my own, but I like to have the big liter bottles on hand for when I am making large quantities of salad. My husband found real wasabi paste (my precious!) near Tsukiji fish market. We like Hi-Chew candies, and these peach flavored ones are particularly good. My husband also discovered pineapple gum. It is a great flavor. Lastly, each trip also includes an excursion to the paper district in Tokyo called Asakusabashi. We get all our wrapping paper and gift bags there. Those blue bags are made of cloth and are reusable.
Judy's Culinaria 