Japan on a rainy day

Even the storm drains have artistic covers

Kyoto Japan, a simple tea bowl

Kyoto, Japan  2016

Japan is well known for hand made items that are simple yet beautiful.   Walking the streets of each town vs taking a tour bus allows me to stop and see both local stores and small treasure troves of local life.

I stopped at the doorway of a small, dark store that sold tea bowls, tea pots and other ceramic items.

I met the owner of the shop who was just as happy to sell me a small, inexpensive tea bowl as one of the tea posts priced at over $600!    We could not talk with each other because I do not speak Japanese, but a smile goes a long way.

Simple displays highlight each piece for style or color.

My single bowl was very carefully wrapped.  The owner knew I was a traveler and took extra care to wrap the bowl in bubble wrap.       I found the tatami platform he worked at (after removing his shoes)  so Japanese!

Just down the street was another ceramic shop.     This shop featured tables of items by price.  An interesting alternative approach.

NY Cheese cake beware there is competiton

The Uncle Testu location in Sydney, Australia

Who is Uncle Tetsu?   

I thought Italian cheese cake was the historic best

Walking in Sydney, Australian I found a crowd outside of a restaurant or was it a store?    The line was similar to a group waiting to enter a club or a major sale in a high end store.   All ages and all sizes.   

They are lining up for the opportunity to purchase ONE cheesecake.

I had to do some research to find out WHY this cheesecake was so popular

$17.99 for a smallish cheese cake.  Not too expensive but how does ONE person eat an entire cheesecake?    There were  no alternatives to purchase a slice or 1/2.

The space is not that large to produce hundreds of cakes but there is a well trained army of workers, each with an assigned task:  from cutting butter into slabs,mixing batter or pouring into pans.

History of Uncle Tetsu Cheese Cake  I have found online since I could not speak with any of the employees here, they were all behind glass!   see http://uncletetsu-ca.com/our-story/

"Helping in his parents 'sweets business' since the age of 5, Tetsu worked in the food industry for decades.   Among other restaurants and bakeries  Uncle Tetsu created cheesecake in Hakata.  The article notes that Tetsu started to use an Australian cheese to bake his cakes."    Perhaps this is why the line in Sydney was so long!

"The cakes are described as super soft, rich and flavorful". 

Their web site lists location in Toronto so I may have another opportunity to try one...

Have you had this Japanese cheesecake?