Since I started my in vitro cycle, and subsequently after I found out I was pregnant, I had been advised not to take any medications, including over-the-counter drugs like Excedrin or Alleve. Unfortunately, I am prone to tension headaches and occasionally get a particularly bad migraine. On Saturday afternoon, I felt a tension headache coming on. Knowing that I would not be able to to turn to drugs as a remedy, I decided to try stretching.

I bought the book, Instant Relief: Tell Me Where it Hurts and I’ll Tell You What to Do months ago, but it’s been sitting on my shelf, collecting dust. The premise of this book is that by stretching the proper muscles, you can effectively reduce or eliminate your pain. I thought it was worth a try, so I dusted off the book and began doing the stretches recommended for tight neck and shoulder muscles.

After about 10 minutes, I felt significantly better, and avoided a tension headache that could have kept me from dinner with friends.

Perhaps I should keep that book on my nightstand and practice the stretches daily. If it can keep my muscles loose, maybe I can avoid migraines altogether. That would be wonderful.

Yotteko-Ya Kyoto Ramen
McCully Shopping Center
1960 Kapiolani Blvd. #214, Honolulu, HI 96826
Phone: 808.946.2900

Yotteko-Ya is one of those cozy establishments that I would have never discovered, if not for the recommendation from a friend. The word-of-mouth phenomenon can absolutely make or break your business in Hawaii. Fortunately for Yotteko-Ya, only good things can be said about the service, the ambiance and the delectable fare at this quaint Japanese restaurant located on the second floor of the McCully Shopping Center.

Paitan Ramen
Paitan based soup. Topped with 2 slices of homemade chashu

The claim to fame of this ramen shop is its homemade soup. According to their menu:

Eat Yotteko-Ya’s Ramen and look younger!

Our homemade soup is simmer for over 10 hours with the choicest pork, the freshest chickens and 10 different vegetables and spices. This meticulous process produces a uniquely thick collagen rich stock that will actually help prevent aging of skin and joins.

So, please enjoy our soup to the last drop and look younger!

Yasai Ramen
Shoyu-based soup. Topped with vegetables and 1 slice of homemade chashu

I don’t know if consuming that bowl of ramen made me look any younger, but it sure tastes good. Dare I say, the best in Hawaii? The soup stock is definitely hearty and tasty, reminiscent of the richest, most decadent bowl of ramen I’ve consumed at Jangara Ramen in Harajuku, Japan. Ramen of this quality is hard to come by in Hawaii, since it takes hours to make broth this thick and delicious. The noodles were excellent — and you can order them “local style” or Japan style. According to our server, the local style yields softer noodles.

Ebi Mayonnaise

Check out their ala carte menu for some side dishes to complement your steaming bowl of ramen. I highly recommend the Ebi Mayonnaise. Next time we hit Yotteko-Ya, we’ll make our way down the ala carte menu. Perhaps sampling the Ebi Chili Sauce or the Karaage chicken.

If you’re not in the mood for ramen, you can order something from the gohan (rice) menu with their array of different rice dishes including yakibuta chahan (fried rice with chashu and vegetables), curry chahan, garlic chahan, chashu chahan, or kim-chee chahan for those craving something a little spicier.

Speaking of spicy, you can also kick your ramen up a notch by ordering your soup with Yotteko-Ya’s homemade red pepper and sesame oil mix. And, if you’re really famished, order a large-sized portion of noodles for just a dollar more. I think I’ll do that on my next visit.

It’s so good, it’s gone!

Do you have a favorite ramen shop? If so, share yours!

[tags]Yotteko-Ya, ramen, Japanese cuisine, food, Honolulu, Hawaii, McCully Shopping Center[/tags]

I’ve created a new blog at DaScoops.com, geared to providing the “inside scoops” on fun things to do in Hawaii. I plan to post image-intense entries about my culinary adventures, sights I visit, as well as announcements about upcoming events. One of the primary reasons for the site is to develop my photography and writing skills while building a guide about what makes Hawaii a great place to live and visit.

Still, as small as we always say Hawaii is, I couldn’t possibly cover it all by myself. I’m always looking for others to partner with me in this effort, so if you’d like to contribute to DaScoops.com, please drop me a line and I’ll set you up with a username and password.

Check it out, I’ve already posted a few entries and there’s also a heads up on two great events scheduled for this Sunday. It’s a small start, but it’s a start.

Japan has always fascinated me; its history, culture, cuisine, sights and sounds. For me, there is a familiarity, yet an ever-present mystique about the country. I had the opportunity to visit Japan twice, in May 2003, and again in February 2005. However, such short, touristy 2-week jaunts could never yield such a revelatory look into Japan, as author Karin Muller has provided in her travelogue, Japanland: A Year in Search of Wa. She writes with such candor and honesty, engaging in activities, meeting people, and experiencing things that most of us could only dream of. If you have even a remote interest in Japan, I highly recommend this book. Muller’s engaging storytelling and enchanting writing style whisks you through her adventures in Japan like a speeding Shinkansen. A definite must-read for any Japanophile or anyone wishing to experience Japan vicariously.

From Publishers Weekly (as published on Amazon.com’s website)
Having previously traversed the Ho Chi Minh trail and the Inca path, Muller retains an engaging freshness as she goes about “prying open the doors to traditional Japan.” She observes some well-known traditional communities (geishas, samurai), some less familiar (taiko drummers, pachinko parlors) and some more recent (the criminal yakuza, the gay community). A keen listener, Muller lets an ensemble of voices speak, among them a swordmaker and a crab fisherman. She’s also a participatory learner, taking on tasks like harvesting rice. The diverse activities and excursions to far-flung places make this a fine travel memoir, but it’s the backbone of Muller’s voyage that gives her book resonance and richness. The deterioration of her relationship with her host family is a looming presence; even as it collapses, Muller acquires an intimate sense of customary values from the urbane Genji Tanaka and his conservative wife, Yukiko. Muller’s search for the traditional, culminating in her participation in a 900-mile trek to 88 sacred Buddhist temples, also shapes the narrative. Muller went to Japan to find wa: a quality of dedication, inner strength and spiritual peace. Her memoir isn’t an account of achieving those goals, but it is an engrossing, rewarding record of her travel toward them.

Arnold was kind enough to make a special trip to the public library to borrow some books for me to read while I’m recuperating at home for the month. He seems to have his finger on the pulse of my interests, as his selection of books have utterly held me in thrall since I delved into their pages on Monday.

To be honest, reading is a pasttime I thoroughly enjoy, but generally have little time to indulge. Having nothing but time and no place to go certainly creates a rare and precious opportunity for me to lose myself for hours, traveling vicariously to faraway lands and learning more about things that interest me.

I blasted through Snakeskin Shamisen by Naomi Hirahara in little more than a day.

From Publishers Weekly (as published on Amazon.com’s website)
In youth-obsessed Los Angeles, maturity and reticence work in favor of the 70ish gardener Mas Arai, Hirahara’s reluctant hero, as he gets drawn into his highly enjoyable third mystery (after 2005’s Gasa-Gasa Girl). Mas leaves a party held for a friend at a Hawaiian restaurant early, but when the guest of honor turns up dead, Mas has to return to the restaurant to answer questions about anything suspicious he might have observed. A broken shamisen (a stringed instrument similar to a banjo) found at the crime scene, he realizes, indicates that the seeds of the murder were sown in Okinawa during WWII. As a Hiroshima survivor, Mas has his misgivings about examining the past too closely, but his strong sense of right and wrong propels him toward a just resolution. Hirahara’s sharp ear for dialogue and keen sense of place mark this as a superior read, but it’s her intimate view of the Japanese-American community and her wry portrait of the endearing Mas, with his fondness for gambling and Spam, that really make this series stand out. (May)

The familiarity of situations, foods, phrases, and of course, the Okinawan culture appeal to me, making this a fun, quick read. The only thing that peeved me somewhat was how the author chose to phonetically illustrate the Japanese accent of the main character with dialog such as:

“Itsu orai, Tug. I take care. I see youzu later.”

Youzu, Izu, itsu… for some reason makes my hair stand on end.

To her credit, however, the author does a fabulous job weaving some common Japanese words and phrases into the storyline and cleverly explaining their meaning without interrupting the flow of the story to define them. The plot itself is also quite intriguing and also gives readers a glimpse into a bit of Japanese-American history, the ravages of the Battle of Okinawa as well as the bomb in Hiroshima. If you can get past the “youzu, izu, itsu”, then I recommend the book for a nice diversion for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Kyoto Ohsho is one of the newest additions to Ala Moana Shopping Center’s Ho’okipa Terrace. The restaurant offers a new twist on an old idea: all-you-can eat buffet with selections served on single-portion dishes. The benefit is two-fold: 1) the food is always fresh because it hasn’t been sitting under a warmer for hours, 2) everything is separate and isn’t prone to getting piled all over each other on your plate. (Okay, so #2 is mostly a personal preference since I am highly opposed to allowing my food to co-mingle.) But I digress. Since dishes are presented separately and are made as needed, I believe it enhances the experience and makes the food appear less like a sloppy all-you-can-eat buffet and more like a sit-down restaurant. An immediate difference is noted: fried items such as the tempura and gyoza are fresh, warm and crispy — not cold, oily and soggy.

The ambience in the dining area is nice with a very open feeling. We noticed that there was a glass DJ box in the middle of the restaurant and large speakers perched above our heads, which appeared as though the restaurant must turn into a club after hours. I didn’t see any signage to indicate whether this was already the case or if it is something planned for the future.

Tempura

Nishime

Tonkatsu

Assorted Sushi
Sushi is not presented on single-serving plates, so you can take as many or as few pieces as you wish.

Saba

Gyoza
I heard that the gyoza is one of Kyoto Ohsho’s specialities —
and with good reason! It’s good stuff, but too many pieces
for one person. It’s a good idea to share with a friend so
you can partake in the other delicious offerings available.

Poke

Egg

Chocolate Dipped Goodies
What could be more fun than a chocolate fountain?
They offered fresh strawberries, bananas and marshmallows
for your dipping pleasure

Haupia Cake
One of the sweet temptations offered at the dessert bar

Kyoto Ohsho
Ho’okipa Terrace, Ala Moana Shopping Center
1450 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96814
Phone: (808) 955-9517

Hours:
Lunch: 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 5:30 - 10:00 p.m.
Be aware of the 60 minute time limit for lunch and 90 minute limit for dinner.

Prices:
Lunch, $19.80 adults, $16.50 senior citizens (60+), $14.50 children
Dinner, $39.80 adults, $32 senior citizens (60+), $20 children