Today we picked up our Alien Registration Cards at the local Shinjuku-ku ward office where we live. This may not seem like much, but in Japan in means a lot. Primarily for us it means we can open bank accounts (joint accounts don’t seem to be possible) and we no longer have to carry our passports. We did go to the post office today to open a bank account. We got the form to open an account and will work on it later. Yes, you can bank at the post offices here as a resident.
We also found a couple of Japanese paste/sauces that are vegan and tasty. One is called “ゆずこしょう–yuzokoshyo” and is made from this citrus fruit called yuzo (柚子), hot peppers and salt. The other is a miso dip called 金暫時みそ–きんざんじみそ–kinsanzo miso. We only tasted them but they should go very well with vegetables and rice.
That’s it for now.
David
I think 柚子 are pomelo, the fruit I ate lots of when living in Guangzhou (sort of a very large, mild-tasting grapefruit). I never heard of the paste/sauce, but it sounds yummy!
They sell this citrus fruit in the supermarkets here. They look more like a yellow or green orange. I’ll take a picture of them. I think they are sometimes called “Japanese citron” in English.
OK, I just found some info on google.
Yuzu
The yuzu [YOO-zoo] is a Japanese citrus fruit (Citrus junos (Rutaceae)) which about the size of a tangerine and is quite sour. Most commonly the rind is used to flavor various dishes such as vegetables, fish or noodles. The Yuzu is difficult to find in the U.S. You can obtain bottled juice or dry, powdered yuzu. Occasionally you may find fresh fruit but it is quite rare in the U.S.
Yuzu paste – Yuzu paste is highly salted and also contains chile so it has a delightfully pungent flavor and a nice little kick. It is a traditional accompaniment to sushi. Also can be added to noodle dishes or soups.
ユズ（柚子）
Citrus junos
German post offices offer banking too. I think it might be new within the last 20 years though.