Japan Centre London quick shopping

Since the coach will depart at 17:10/17:15, I had got to be quick.

There was a queue for the soft white bun with sweet red bean paste.
OK, I skipped that this time then.

I  went to the freezer/fridge to get natto.
There are products of 3 brandnames.
 I chose the orangy coloured one.
The ingredients seem slightly better.
A pack of 4.

Then I quickly walked to the back and
grabbed a few items including
Shichi-mi tōgarashi powder.

An avocado sushi pack from the food court area.

I didn't even have time to look for the Japanese free paper/magazine for local Japanese.

Queued &  paid.
Wrapped the natto well as I had  a long way to go.

Forgotten to take photograph of the natto.

But same as the one I bought last time.

There are the Santander bikes for rent outside Japan House.
But I am not sure there is dock for them near Tottenham Court Road or not.
So I skipped that.

Found my way with Google map back to Tottenham Court Road on foot. 
Walked through part of China Town.

No time to shop for the other stuff I need.
(This time I just very quickly grabbed
1 soft sweet flat sphere form of snack 
with peanut, desicated coconut  花生糯米糍from a bakery.)

Walked passed famous Foyle Book Shop.
(see the map in previous blog entry)

Arrived in time.
Enjoyed my sushi on coach.

The coach started the return journey at 17:25. Traffic jam.

Sun set photo taken during the loo stop.

I got off the coach at 20:34.

Thanks for the day, dear God.

  : ) 


 Part 1
http://sn-uk.blogspot.com/2018/09/japan-house-london-visit-part1.html
 Part 2
http://sn-uk.blogspot.com/2018/09/japan-house-london-visit-part-2.html
 Part 3

http://sn-uk.blogspot.com/2018/09/japan-house-london-visit-part-3.html

fusion Japanese natto English ginger oat biscuit

On the 1st day of the Lunar New Year,
 I went to London
with my pre-teenage niece.
We walked through China Town,
visited National Gallery,
shopping & had our meal
at Japan Centre.

I love 納豆 Japanese natto.
 Especially
non-GMO organic mini version original
with たれ & からし
the special soy sauce
& yellow mustard.

But I rarely have rice.

Solution:
ginger oat biscuit!

First
 whisk the natto
 till there is lots of fine-thread-like thingie,
Then,
add the 2 packs of seasoning.
Mix well.
 Straight on top of a piece of ginger oat biscuit.
Voila!

Actually
I can just enjoy the natto on its own.
This version
 is for
people who
try it for the first time,
or
fancy a snack
with something crunchy.😋

Will try upload photo again later.

Trip London 201711 E

Next, China Town. It's dark already.
So the place is getting busy with visitors.
These two were taken earlier behind the National Gallery.

 China Town is near Leicester Square.

(but I learnt not to believe the estimated timing listed in any map
which must have been done by
a very tall strong youngster who know all the short cuts?)
 
Originally I was looking for something so
I got inside SeeWoo mini supermarket.
(It is not too convenient go to the hyper big one in Croydon.)
So crowded.
I couldn't find the two items I was looking for.
Squeezed in another also crowded snack shop.
I saw moon cakes in HK brand names but printed in Simplified Chinese.
偽もの Nisemono!
Yuck.
A number of shops in China town bear the same names of famous shops
 or restaurants in HK are totally unrelated pretenders.

Be very careful  ! ! ! ! !

This time, the bread in bakery shops did not tickle my fancy either.

I picked up free Chinese newsapaper from the boxes.
(sadly, most are pro-Beijing, except the Epoch Times.)

Time to head back to Japan Centre .
Good that they have vegan choices.
This time I resisted the urge to eat sashimi.
The shop is busy. Long queue.
As time is running out,
I only quickly grabbed a pack of avocado sushi
and a pack-of -4 non-GMO mini natto.
(Pity that they do not stock organic version)

Just in time to get back on coach by 17:25.

The coach went past this theatre showing The Phantom of the Opera.

21th century version of the old British red double-decker.
More see-through at the back
but people can no longer hop on there. 😆
It got a curved door now.

While the coach inched through the traffic jam to get out of London,
I enjoyed the pack of sushi.

A long day.

Coach trip is easier. It picked me up and dropped me off near my place.
No need to have the 4 extra legs to and from the rail stations.

In case you missed the earlier part of this day trip:

http://sn-uk.blogspot.com/2017/11/trip-london-201711a.html

http://sn-uk.blogspot.com/2017/11/trip-london-201711-b.html

http://sn-uk.blogspot.com/2017/11/trip-london-201711-c-national-gallery.html

http://sn-uk.blogspot.com/2017/11/trip-london-201711-d.html

Trip London 201711A

I fancied a day out in London.
(This is part A of what happened.)

I chose a lazy way: join a coach tour; day-return trip.

Slightly rainy.
Got on the coach by 08:30.
Lucky that someone did not turn up so I can just put my handbag on the seat next to me.

Midway break for 15 minutes en route stopping by a supermarket in Tunbridge Well.

That is a church in Tunbridge Well.
As it rained, taking picture through the coach window did not work out this time.

(about 20 photos on this page, might take a little while loading)

Rain stopped while in London. 
So a few photo through the coach window glass. 

 London Eye. The coach drive said it has 32 pods/capsules.

 You know who is that?
Ha, I am not talking about the policemen on beats... on bikes?

 Yeah! Sir W.Churchill. (statue) Two time prime-minister of Great Britain.

 er.... what's the name of it.

Horses on road. They were preparing for some ceremony I think.

Familiar?  Admiralty Arch.  The old Roman numbers said 1910.
(commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother, Queen Victoria)(the financial status of the British government might have something to do with selling it to a private property developer to make it into hotel, apartments and private club.)

Since 1993 my days as a art and design student,
I like figures with wings.
Eros on the top of the fountain at Piccadilly Circus included.
I have not taken photo from this angle though.

The coach dropped off on Haymarket before noon. 

So I went to eat something in Japan Centre on Panton Street.

food I bought inside Japan Centre

2 pieces of tempura, 1 stick of tofu,
For tempura I chose sweet potato and pumpkin. 

and... 

1 steamed soft bun with sweet red bean paste.  

There are many many sushi and sashimi and desserts inside Japan Centre.

After eating,
 I walked towards Leicester Sqaure,
 via the back side of the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery.

I strolled around the temporary Christmas market in Leicester Square. 

Interesting. 

( panorama view x 2 )

They put Christmas lights on the tree in Leicester Square.

 A stall selling chocolate-coated snacks.

 Stalls selling seasonal decorations.

 I like the stainless steel rotating decoration. But so expensive.

 Personally I am not attracted to wood bark craft items/decorations.

 Cute light decorations.

Hm... roast chestnuts are attractive.
But only if they change their uniforms and show the price tag properly.

Do they know their black pointed hats reminded people of witches?

As it is cold, I went inside National Gallery. 

(the photos and details in part B, part C, ...  next few blog entries)

http://sn-uk.blogspot.com/2017/11/trip-london-201711-b.html

http://sn-uk.blogspot.com/2017/11/trip-london-201711-c-national-gallery.html

http://sn-uk.blogspot.com/2017/11/trip-london-201711-d.html

http://sn-uk.blogspot.com/2017/11/trip-london-201711-e.html

Trip London 201709 B

After the short detour of the Westminster Cathedral(London),
time to head to SW1.

After finding the bus stop and hopped on a bus...
I found a good seat on the upper deck.

Another type of sight-seeing, slower-pace.

(over 20 photos below. Might take sometime loading.)

Big Ben under renovation

 Big Ben under renovation , with Parliament.

 Nelson Column Trafalgar Square. And National Gallery.

 Trafalgar Square fountains.

I got off the bus around Trafalgar Square.
Then I walked through China Town ( some snack along my way there).

China Town, London. Typical view.

Chinese call this thing   "pai lou"牌樓 /  牌坊"pai fong" / "pai fang"
Where as the Japanese equivalent is 鳥居 "torii".

(A closer look. I do not like the other side.)


Then, my main aim of the day trip...
I went to 💗 Japan Centre on  Panton Street ...

Shopping done in 😍Japan Centre (supermarket with food court)

Happy to see lots of Japanese food items.
Even natto - Japanese fermented soy bean.
(although frozen version)

It has a mini food court with hot food and also cold-food refrigerators,
with lots of  sushi, bento, desserts, etc.

My shopping...

(non-GMO)Natto,  dried seaweed salad, miso suru soup paste, Chilli sesame oil,
etc.

A plant-based nigiri 握り(formed with hands) sushi寿司 pack.  Avocado.
(This version is with white rice. They also have brown rice sushi)

Then, I walked past the Charing Cross Library.
Charing Cross Road. A400.
It used to have many books in Traditional Chinese text.
Now most books are in the inferior Simplified Chinese.
The language in classification signs also changed.
So, it was penetrated by PRC people. They are everywhere. 
  :(


Got on bus a bit further up, for Victoria Station.

St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church　viewed from the upper deck of a bus.

closer.

Trafalgar Square. Post Code: WC2.  Nelson's Column.
The views from the upper deck -- different from walking on the ground level.

 The bus number 24 goes by Whitehall.(A3212)

 Only on the upper deck can you see the cyclists in London from this angle.

?? No horse guard? Oops. Out of office hour already?

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey


Back to Victoria Station, while waiting for the train,
I went to window shopping a little in the shops inside the station.

I chose the correct coaches/compartment and get a seat.
On train,
I enjoyed my seasoned mini natto I bought from Japan Centre,
 and a piece of bread I bought in China Town.

HINT: be careful about trains.
Often, first 4 coaches and rear 4 coaches
parted along the way and go to very different destinations.
-- Listen to announcement carefully.
-- Choose the correct coach before sitting down.
-- Try not to fall asleep.