Kate finally arrived at about 6pm tonight! After many delays due to the typhoon she is finally here! I am so happy to see her – I have really missed my little sister and can’t wait to show her around my favourite place in the world!
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
Kate is here!!!
15th July
Kate finally arrived at about 6pm tonight! After many delays due to the typhoon she is finally here! I am so happy to see her – I have really missed my little sister and can’t wait to show her around my favourite place in the world!
Kate finally arrived at about 6pm tonight! After many delays due to the typhoon she is finally here! I am so happy to see her – I have really missed my little sister and can’t wait to show her around my favourite place in the world!
A beach in a bar!
14th July
Well I think this can be added to the list “only in Japan”!! On Saturday night we went to a beach party – the timing was excellent as a typhoon was due to hit Himeji that night also! So it was lucky that our “beach” party was at our local bar Coast! Yes they bought the beach to the bar! We dressed in beach wear and donned lei’s and put flowers in our hair and headed to the bar. When we arrived we left our shoes outside as inside the ground was covered with sand! It was a fantastic night and I was amazed to see the indoor beach especially when the bar owner decided there wasn’t any water at the beach so she turned the hose on us, inside!
The ground view in Coast!
Jodi and I.
Mac and I.
One of the bartenders who dressed up as Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Karaoke Coast style!
Well I think this can be added to the list “only in Japan”!! On Saturday night we went to a beach party – the timing was excellent as a typhoon was due to hit Himeji that night also! So it was lucky that our “beach” party was at our local bar Coast! Yes they bought the beach to the bar! We dressed in beach wear and donned lei’s and put flowers in our hair and headed to the bar. When we arrived we left our shoes outside as inside the ground was covered with sand! It was a fantastic night and I was amazed to see the indoor beach especially when the bar owner decided there wasn’t any water at the beach so she turned the hose on us, inside!
The ground view in Coast!
Jodi and I.
Mac and I.
One of the bartenders who dressed up as Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Karaoke Coast style!
Simon, Catriona and Mark = fun!!!
11th July
I haven’t had any visitors for a little while so I was excited that Simon and Catriona were doing a round the world trip and would be stopping in Himeji for 2 nights! Mark also joined them and it was great to see him too! We had a lot of fun and it was so good to see them if only for a short time.
I haven’t had any visitors for a little while so I was excited that Simon and Catriona were doing a round the world trip and would be stopping in Himeji for 2 nights! Mark also joined them and it was great to see him too! We had a lot of fun and it was so good to see them if only for a short time.
Thursday, 12 July 2007
Summer Festival
8th July
On Sunday Tina, Steve, Jodi and I went to a summer festival at Yashiro-Ohtoshi Shrine. It is only 5 minutes from our house and it is so tucked away that I didn’t even know it was there!
There was a huge Chinowa (ring of thatched grass) that you had to walk through and go to the left, go through and go to the right before going through again and heading straight to the shrine to give money to the gods, ring the bell, clap your hands, close your eyes and pray.
The Chinowa
Me walking through it.
We were then given a mini-chinowa that you hang in your house for good luck and health for the next 6 months. (There is another festival for the following 6 months.)
There was a religious service that involved a priest who spoke and then he dipped bamboo branches into hot water and shook it on us. This was a form of blessing. We all then followed the priest to walk through the Chinowa again. Before our last turn through it we were given a branch to also hang in our house for good luck.
There were games for children at the shrine and the people there were keen for us to have a go too! There was a toy balloon game which involved using a hook with a paper string to pick up the string attached to a balloon floating in water. The trick is to do it before the paper disintegrates!
There was another game which I didn't do as it involved using a paper spoon to fish out goldfish! You have to see how many you can get before the spoon disintegrates! Poor fish!
It was a good way to spend a Sunday morning and I think that the local people enjoyed seeing foreigners interested in their festival.
On Sunday Tina, Steve, Jodi and I went to a summer festival at Yashiro-Ohtoshi Shrine. It is only 5 minutes from our house and it is so tucked away that I didn’t even know it was there!
There was a huge Chinowa (ring of thatched grass) that you had to walk through and go to the left, go through and go to the right before going through again and heading straight to the shrine to give money to the gods, ring the bell, clap your hands, close your eyes and pray.
The Chinowa
Me walking through it.
We were then given a mini-chinowa that you hang in your house for good luck and health for the next 6 months. (There is another festival for the following 6 months.)
There was a religious service that involved a priest who spoke and then he dipped bamboo branches into hot water and shook it on us. This was a form of blessing. We all then followed the priest to walk through the Chinowa again. Before our last turn through it we were given a branch to also hang in our house for good luck.
There were games for children at the shrine and the people there were keen for us to have a go too! There was a toy balloon game which involved using a hook with a paper string to pick up the string attached to a balloon floating in water. The trick is to do it before the paper disintegrates!
There was another game which I didn't do as it involved using a paper spoon to fish out goldfish! You have to see how many you can get before the spoon disintegrates! Poor fish!
It was a good way to spend a Sunday morning and I think that the local people enjoyed seeing foreigners interested in their festival.
Awaji-Shima and somehow also Shikoku!
7th July
On Saturday Marie, Tina, Steve and I decided to go for a day trip close to Himeji. I talked to my teacher at school and he gave me directions to get to Awaji-Shima. Awaji-Shima is a large island connected to Akashi (30mins from Himeji) by the worlds largest suspension bridge.
The bridge.
We caught a bus over the bridge and then had to travel about an hour to get to where we were headed, Fukura. We wanted to go to Fukura as from there we could go on a boat in the channel between Awaji-shima and Shikoku (another island) to see the whirlpools which occur when the tide changes. Well the next thing you know we are thinking we are close to Fukura but the bus doesn’t stop! He just keeps going as we didn’t ring the bell but it wasn’t a bus that you would ring the bell! Anyway we are then on another bridge heading towards Shikoku!
The bridge we weren’t meant to go over!
From the bridge we can see the whirlpools so we get off at Naruto only to discover we have missed the morning tide and the afternoon one will be too late! So we have about two and a half hours until the next bus comes - we have lunch and wander around.
The beach.
We then catch the next bus back to Fukura where we relax and go in a foot onsen on the marina! It even had its own whirlpool – so we did see them! The day definitely didn’t go as planned but we had fun and at least we know what to do for next time!
The foot onsen.
The whirlpool (in the foot onsen)!
On Saturday Marie, Tina, Steve and I decided to go for a day trip close to Himeji. I talked to my teacher at school and he gave me directions to get to Awaji-Shima. Awaji-Shima is a large island connected to Akashi (30mins from Himeji) by the worlds largest suspension bridge.
The bridge.
We caught a bus over the bridge and then had to travel about an hour to get to where we were headed, Fukura. We wanted to go to Fukura as from there we could go on a boat in the channel between Awaji-shima and Shikoku (another island) to see the whirlpools which occur when the tide changes. Well the next thing you know we are thinking we are close to Fukura but the bus doesn’t stop! He just keeps going as we didn’t ring the bell but it wasn’t a bus that you would ring the bell! Anyway we are then on another bridge heading towards Shikoku!
The bridge we weren’t meant to go over!
From the bridge we can see the whirlpools so we get off at Naruto only to discover we have missed the morning tide and the afternoon one will be too late! So we have about two and a half hours until the next bus comes - we have lunch and wander around.
The beach.
We then catch the next bus back to Fukura where we relax and go in a foot onsen on the marina! It even had its own whirlpool – so we did see them! The day definitely didn’t go as planned but we had fun and at least we know what to do for next time!
The foot onsen.
The whirlpool (in the foot onsen)!
Tuesday, 3 July 2007
Food!! Glorious Food!! June
June 2007
This wonderful banana daiquiri was from the Moo bar right on the beach on Shiraishi Island. It tasted so good and was easily forgotten that I was drinking a cocktail at lunch time!
Yum BBQ on Shiraishi Island. The whole fish were really good!
Buffet style finger food at the Egret beer garden and of course Asahi beer!
Delicious Chinese lunch in Osaka.
Coke in a bag! I think it is to save rubbish but they put coke and ice in a bag!
There are a lot of different drinks in Japan and this is the newest one! It is made by Pepsi but is ice cucumber flavour. I tried it and it tastes like nothing really – could be refreshing but I didn’t really like it!
I love takoyaki and Marie had these takoyaki with a difference – they were sweet and filled with icecream! They look like the real thing though!
This was part of my dinner at the yukata matsuri. A yum chicken skewer and beer! Festivals always have the best food!
We went to an Okonomiyaki restaurant when the festival was on. I am with Aika and Marie. The okonomiyaki is cooked and then kept warm on the hotplate so you can just cut off what you want to eat.
This ice cream sundae is out of control! You often see these displays outside restaurants which makes ordering very easy! However we have started to notice crazy sundaes! Marie and I spotted this one. The cup on the left is normal size so you can see how big it is! (about 70cm tall!) The price is also out of control – 7900 Yen (about $79!) Not sure who would order it let alone be able to eat it all in one sitting!
Steve was a being a big kid when he ordered this one! He nicknamed it “snuff puff”!!
Temaki zushi – hand rolled sushi which I made with Yoko’s help!
Everywhere you look in Japan there are vending machines which are really convenient! In winter you can even get hot coffee, tea or cocoa in a can – it’s the best invention. I love this vending machine though – it has Himeji castle on it and it’s across the road from the castle!
This wonderful banana daiquiri was from the Moo bar right on the beach on Shiraishi Island. It tasted so good and was easily forgotten that I was drinking a cocktail at lunch time!
Yum BBQ on Shiraishi Island. The whole fish were really good!
Buffet style finger food at the Egret beer garden and of course Asahi beer!
Delicious Chinese lunch in Osaka.
Coke in a bag! I think it is to save rubbish but they put coke and ice in a bag!
There are a lot of different drinks in Japan and this is the newest one! It is made by Pepsi but is ice cucumber flavour. I tried it and it tastes like nothing really – could be refreshing but I didn’t really like it!
I love takoyaki and Marie had these takoyaki with a difference – they were sweet and filled with icecream! They look like the real thing though!
This was part of my dinner at the yukata matsuri. A yum chicken skewer and beer! Festivals always have the best food!
We went to an Okonomiyaki restaurant when the festival was on. I am with Aika and Marie. The okonomiyaki is cooked and then kept warm on the hotplate so you can just cut off what you want to eat.
This ice cream sundae is out of control! You often see these displays outside restaurants which makes ordering very easy! However we have started to notice crazy sundaes! Marie and I spotted this one. The cup on the left is normal size so you can see how big it is! (about 70cm tall!) The price is also out of control – 7900 Yen (about $79!) Not sure who would order it let alone be able to eat it all in one sitting!
Steve was a being a big kid when he ordered this one! He nicknamed it “snuff puff”!!
Temaki zushi – hand rolled sushi which I made with Yoko’s help!
Everywhere you look in Japan there are vending machines which are really convenient! In winter you can even get hot coffee, tea or cocoa in a can – it’s the best invention. I love this vending machine though – it has Himeji castle on it and it’s across the road from the castle!
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Cooking Lessons!
26th and 29th June
This week Tina, Marie and I were lucky enough to have 2 cooking lessons! The first was a takoyaki (octopus ball) and okonomiyaki (savoury pancake) party. Yoko, Hiromi and Fumio came to Tina's apartment and made takoyaki and okonomiyaki for us and since there was nothing for us to do we watched and learned! I think takoyaki and okonomiyaki are some of my favourite Japanese foods and these tasted delicious!
Yoko, Hiromi and Fumio at work in the kitchen!
The ingredients -
My favourite - octopus!
The takoyaki cooking.
The okonomiyaki cooking.
Hiromi and Fumio.
Takoyaki the finished product - delicious!
Okonomiyaki - yum!
Tiramisu - I made this for dessert.
Everyone very full after dinner!
Our second cooking lesson was with Yoko and we had asked if she could teach us how to make sushi properly. Yoko taught us how to make temaki zushi (hand rolled sushi) and tamago yaki (egg) to go in the sushi and also niigiri (rice topped with raw seafood). First she took us shopping so we would know where to find all the ingredients. Temaki zushi is the best idea as you make a plate up of various ingredients and then everyone is free to put whatever they like on it to make their own rolls. It is a great idea for a party.
The ingredients.
The different fillings to go in the temaki zushi roll - cucumber, tuna and mayonaise, crab (well seafood extender!), tamago yaki, ham, pickled radish and lettuce. We also had gyoza which are Japanese dumplings.
Sashimi, seafood and octopus!
Adding sushi vinegar to the rice.
Tina fanning the rice.
Rolling the temaki zushi.
My finished temaki zushi - yum!
We had a great time learning how to cook Japanese food and have booked Yoko for a few more lessons!
This week Tina, Marie and I were lucky enough to have 2 cooking lessons! The first was a takoyaki (octopus ball) and okonomiyaki (savoury pancake) party. Yoko, Hiromi and Fumio came to Tina's apartment and made takoyaki and okonomiyaki for us and since there was nothing for us to do we watched and learned! I think takoyaki and okonomiyaki are some of my favourite Japanese foods and these tasted delicious!
Yoko, Hiromi and Fumio at work in the kitchen!
The ingredients -
My favourite - octopus!
The takoyaki cooking.
The okonomiyaki cooking.
Hiromi and Fumio.
Takoyaki the finished product - delicious!
Okonomiyaki - yum!
Tiramisu - I made this for dessert.
Everyone very full after dinner!
Our second cooking lesson was with Yoko and we had asked if she could teach us how to make sushi properly. Yoko taught us how to make temaki zushi (hand rolled sushi) and tamago yaki (egg) to go in the sushi and also niigiri (rice topped with raw seafood). First she took us shopping so we would know where to find all the ingredients. Temaki zushi is the best idea as you make a plate up of various ingredients and then everyone is free to put whatever they like on it to make their own rolls. It is a great idea for a party.
The ingredients.
The different fillings to go in the temaki zushi roll - cucumber, tuna and mayonaise, crab (well seafood extender!), tamago yaki, ham, pickled radish and lettuce. We also had gyoza which are Japanese dumplings.
Sashimi, seafood and octopus!
Adding sushi vinegar to the rice.
Tina fanning the rice.
Rolling the temaki zushi.
My finished temaki zushi - yum!
We had a great time learning how to cook Japanese food and have booked Yoko for a few more lessons!
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