Enjoying Mt Takao Foothill

Shops & Dining Options on Mt Takao

Senbei - Mt. Takao

Setelah capek hiking sepanjang gunung Takao (http://www.foodgrapher.com/2014/04/views-around-mt-takao-japan.html), wisatawan bisa berlama-lama menikmati toko dan restauran yang menjamur di kaki gunungnya. Beda dengan di Indonesia yang sekeliling tempat turis biasanya hanya menjual barang suvenir yang mirip-mirip, di sini variasinya lumayan bagus.

 After spending the day hiking on the mountain, which you can see here : http://www.foodgrapher.com/2014/04/views-around-mt-takao-japan.html, visitors can enjoy window shopping around the foothill. Unlike the typical tourists shops that just sells the same thing on every shops, this place have a decent variations of souvenirs and snacks to buy.

Mt Takao - Hello Kitty Popcorn Machine

Begitu turun dari kursi gantung, suasana sekitar terasa ala kadar, sedikit unik mengingat Jepang biasanya sangat rapi dan modern hingga ke detail terkecil. Kali ini suasananya malah mirip dengan gunung di Cina.


Once descending from the hanging chair, I encounter the lackluster building and surroundings of the Mt Takao foothill. An unusual divergence from the usually tidy and modern Japan. This place kinda reminds me of the bare facilities I usually encounter in China.

Souvenirs and Key Chain - Mt Takao

Candy - Mt Takao

Begitu keluar gedung, ternyata suasananya menarik, tidak seperti halte kereta gantungnya yang agak kaypan, di bagian luar kaki gunung Takao terdapat banyak pedagang menjajakan barang yang menarik dan lucu. Kalau di negara lain biasanya penjaja barang suvenir keberatan kalau barang dagangannya difoto, di sini penjulanya malah sangat ramah, walau hanya foto-foto kadang ditawari untuk mencicipi snack yang dijajakan.


That image of barebone facility didn't last long though, once outside, I see a neat little shops selling all kind of souvenirs and snacks. The items were interesting, and the sellers were very friendly.
While some shops in other country usually objects to people taking photo of their wares, here they were extremely kind and welcoming.

Mt Takao - Pickled Vegetable

Mt Takao - Pickled Vegetable

Mt Takao Mochi Seller

Mt Takao - Mochi

Mt Takao - Raisin

Mt Takao - Sweet Snack

Manju

Momiji Manju

Saya memutuskan untuk membeli snack satu ini, tampilannya menarik dengan foto chestnut di luarnya. Setelah agak lama berusaha membaca tulisan hiragana di depan, ternyata namanya adalah Momiji Manju. Momiji ini ternyata merujuk pada daun pohon mapple yang tertera di kotaknya.
 

 I decided to try this snack box with an image of chestnut outside. I didn't really notice what it were, after reading slowly the hiragana character, it turns out to be Momiji Manju.
The Momiji referes to the shape of the mapple leaf which the Manju was shaped after.

Manju

Sedangkan Manju (まんじゅう) di sini, adalah nama dari kue jepang yang populer di Jepang. Ada banyak variasi adonan, mulai dari memakai tepung terigu, tepung beras, gandum. Sedangkan untuk isinya menggunakan kacang merah, kacang azuki, dan diberi gula


Manjū (饅頭, まんじゅう) is a popular traditional Japanese confection. Manju are usually made with flour, rice powder and buckwheat, while the filling are made of Red Bean Paste or anko, and boiled azuki beans sweetened with sugar. The making process is also interesting to watch, after boiled, the dough then kneaded to form the various shapes.

Momiji Manju - Mt Takao

Mt Takao - Small River

Senbei (煎餅)

Senbei (煎餅)adalah snack populer di jepang yang dibuat dari beras, biasanya dipanggang di atas arang. Saat pemanggangan, diberikan saus penambah rasa yang biasanya berupa campuran kecap asin dan mirin. Setelah matang dimakan dengan pembungkus nori / rumput laut. 

Senbei (煎餅) is the popular Japanese cracker, made from rice. They are prepared by baking or grilling, over hot charcoal. While being grilled a flavoring sauces are usually applied / brushed on top of the senbei, the sauce usually consists of Soy Sauce and Mirin.
After cooked, the Senbei are wrapped in Nori, usually accompanied by tea.

Udon Restaurant & Udon Making Process

Udon Restaurant - Mt Takao

Udon Dough - Mt Takao

Resto satu ini cukup menarik perhatian pengunjung, karena di dalamnya terdapat proses pembuatan mie udon. Mulai dari awal berupa adonan besar udon, yang dibuat di dalam mangkok besar, lalu adonan dipipihkan dan di potong-potong dalam bentuk mie.

Tempatnya cukup ramai, hingga beberapa orang mengantri di luar. Berhubung sebelumnya sudah banyak makan kue, jadi sudah kenyang dan akhirnya tidak ikut mencicipi. Tapi saya sempat memfoto cara pembuatan udonnya.


There's an Udon making process in one of their restaurant, it's quite interesting to watch, and very crowded too, which means it suppose to be quite tasty. Now I regret not tasting it, though at the time I wasn't hungry because having had so many snacks on the road and also on the stalls around.

The udon making process was quite elaborate, from starting with a big dough, rolling it to thin strips, than cutting it to small noodle ribbons.

Udon Making - Mt Takao

Udon Making - Mt Takao

Udon Making - Mt Takao

Dango

Mt Takao - Dango

Dango (団子) : Dango adalah satu lagi snack jepang yang sangat populer, berupa adonan manis yang dibuat dengan mochiko atau tepung beras, mirip dengan mochi. Biasanya disajikan dengan teh, karena cukup nyereti, kalau tidak didampingi teh bakal kehausan. Dango ini dinikmati sepanjang musim, dengan variasi berbeda untuk tiap musim.


Dango (団子) : Dango is another popular japanese snack, it's a sweet dumpling made with mochiko / rice flour, and having the same consistency with mochi. It's served with green tea, and popular on all seasons. Each season usually have their own specific dango. 

Mt Takao - Dango

Mt Takao - Dango

Mt Takao - Tea After Dango

Tengu Temple

Mt Takao - Tengu Temple

Saat menunggu teman-teman lain selesai hiking, saya sempat melihat ritual yang diadakan di kuil Tengu di sini. Menarik juga melihat prosesinya, sempat saya merekam sedikit video saat pendetanya menabuh gendang untuk memberi pemberkatan.


While waiting for my friends finishing their hiking, I saw a ritual in the local tengu temple, near the bus parking lot. The procession used a lot of props and it's very stimulating, I had the chance to record a video of the priest pounding the drum.