Budget Trouble

Happy ume!

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 10:36:00 +0000

I totally forgot that this was the Easter weekend. Probably because there's no Easter here and nobody cares. I don't either, to be honest. But still, it's nice to know what's going on in the big, wide (or is it wild? sometimes while reading the news I do wonder) world.

It's been awfully cold this winter (yeah, "this" because it feels like it's still here) and our electric bill seems to confirm that. Though, supposedly, according to fancy meteorological (or however you spell it) records, last winter had been actually colder. Go figure. All I know is that this time last year stuff was already blooming, and this year - nada. Hey, it's all due to radiation, contamination, nukular bullshitfication, donchaknowit? Or at least that's what the fear-mongers would like you to believe.

Anyway, we went out looking for sakura today and found only ume. Still pretty, but boring.

Oh well, if you don't have what you like, you gotta like what you have.

So what else is new? I had pneumonia and had to be hospitalized. And yes, Dokkyo Medical Center still sucks and still employs mostly incompetent nincompoops who graduated from Dokkyo Medical School (simply because they wouldn't be able to find jobs anywhere else).

One school year ended and a new one has just began. I'm still gainfully employed and still love my job.

The cats are well. My husband is still my husband.

Same old, same old...

And this concludes my "I'm back in the world of the blogging" post. I'll try to be more diligent about writing regularly. Or at least more or less regularly.

My Palau overview

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 01:49:00 +0000

The very fancy and expensive sunblock I brought with me from Japan didn't do a very good job. I got burned. Badly. I ended up running to a local drugstore with imported American stuff and buying a cheap replacement. That seemed a bit more effective.

My plan for Palau was such:

day 1 - rest and look around
day 2 - trip to Rock Islands and Jellyfish lake, snorkel (with a lovely Japanese company - Impac)

day 3 - intro dive with Sam's Tours.

That one didn't work out. Let's just say that Sam's Tours is not a company I can recommend for novice divers. To put it mildly, they're idiots, who wasted my time.

So instead of diving, I rented a car and went to the aquarium and museums and tried local foods and then drove up to Palau Beach Bungalows. The plan was to stay there until Sunday.

That didn't work out either. Let's just say, the place was crawling with bugs and the beach was a garbage dump. I stayed there for one night only and left as soon as I finished breakfast.

day 4 - the plan was to tour the island, and I did just that. I went all the way up north to see stone monoliths, I saw the new capitol building, I saw jungle, and generally despaired at a very shoddy signage (or lack thereof) of major tourist points.
In the evening I returned to Koror and checked into the motel I was staying at previously - DW Motel.

day 5 - snorkeling tour with Impac, this time we snorkeled at major diving points (such as Big Drop Off) and then had lunch at Carp Island Resort. Carp Island Resort is the kind of place I want to stay at if I ever come back to Palau (unlikely).

day 6 - an airplane tour of the islands. Expensive ($140 dollars for 30 minutes), but totally worth it.

day 7 - that is now and right now it's raining like crazy. Not sure what I'll do now. Probably drive up to Palau Pacific Resort and sit on their beach.

My flight leaves at 3AM. Luckily, thanks to my air tour yesterday, I have a coupon for the very fancy VIP lounge at the airport. So at least my waiting time should be more or less pleasant - there's free wi-fi there.

More detailed info coming up soon!

Landed

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:36:00 +0000

The flight to Seoul was uneventful and boring. Noteworthy for only one thing – I got to drink my first Diet Coke in over a year. I didn’t even ask for one, because I was certain they wouldn’t have it. But they did.

During that short flight I drank three of them. The ladies in blue silk blouses looked at me with something resembling contempt, but were far too professional to be openly disgusted when each and every time when asked “tea or coffee”, I always answered “ Diet Coke”.

I’m not too fond of the airport in Seoul. Not sure why… Probably due to a combination of factors. The transit area lacks a decent bookshop, there’s no place to buy nice postcards (and I don’t mean the crappy artsy kind), and the shop assistants are of the pushy kind. Or maybe to them I simply looked too poor and pedestrian to be checking out the goods at Givenchys and Marc Jacobses of the duty-free world. Who knows?

The flight to Koror was packed, but the charm of being the only gaijin on board resulted in a quick shuffle, which left me with three seats all to myself. I drank more Diet Coke, ate whatever it was they were serving and went to sleep.

And then it was time to land. 29 degrees Celsius and rainy. The joys of being in the tropics.
Another joy (or not, depending on where you stand) of the tropics is a totally different sense of time. That became very apparent to everyone waiting in line to passport control.

Three lines, three bored faces, three sets of arms moving so slowly that any slower and they’d be going backwards. And who cares that there’s a planeload of tired, sleepy people waiting to the processed? Certainly not the Palau customs officers.

The fat lady that I had the misfortune to be served by, was the slowest of them all. She didn’t give a crap about anything and was doing her own thing. Slowly. Very slowly. Return and onward tickets were checked very carefully, dates of departure entered into the system. The officials seemed to be unable to comprehend the novel idea that they were dealing with one Korean package tour, of mostly retirees, all arriving and departing according to the same schedule. The passport stampers dutifully checked e-tickets of every. single. member. in. that. group.

After a couple of centuries, it was my turn. The fat lady seemed disappointed that I had my e-ticket ready. She seemed disappointed that I spoke English and filled out my immigration form correctly. Having absolutely nothing to be pissed about, she finally stamped my passport and I was free to go.

The DW Motel guy was waiting for me in the arrival area. We collected two more lost (and very dumb, so dumb they made stool samples seem intelligent) Koreans* and off we went.

My room was less filthy than I expected it with just as filthy as I expected it bathroom. But I couldn’t care less. There was a bed (albeit a very uncomfortable one), the sheets were clean, I didn’t spot any bedbugs, the AC was working. I was going to sleep.

* They couldn’t find their own names on a list of people consisting of exactly three entries (of which one was my name).

Please 2012, no funny stuff, OK?

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:19:00 +0000

After everything that happened last year (yes, 2011 is "last year" now), I didn't think it could possibly get any worse.
But at least in our household, 2012 started in a way that made me want to roll it up, pack it up and ask for refund. That kind of year I really don't need. And don't want.

As soon as we came home from Rinnoji and wanted to upload photos, Mr T's computer has crashed. As in "RIP" crashed. So instead of going to bed and getting ready for my flight in a few short hours, like a dutiful wife that I am, I stayed up, placed an order for a new laptop and started to process the photos myself. Sadly, while doing that, Firefox went tits up.

Then, the bus for the airport was late. Not by much, but by enough to force Mr to admit that if it came to that, he'd have to drive me to the airport. Or, as he said "you could just stay home". True, I could. But I didn't. The bus eventually showed up.

I had an upset stomach, had to run to the toilet every five minutes and was seriously considering going back home. It was not a fun ride to the airport, trust me.

Once at the airport, the ground shook. Not by much, but by enough to prompt Mr to call me and see if everything was OK. Apparently, the earthquake was strong enough to knock down our standing mirror. The mirror broke and the pieces scratched our almost brand new floor.

And how does that ancient superstition go? That a broken mirror brings seven years of bad luck or somesuch? What about a mirror that breaks on New Year's Day? No, wait! Don't tell me. I don't want to know.

Even though Korean Air sent me a message asking me to be at the airport earlier than the usual 2 hours, the airport was rather empty.

There were New Year's decorations here and there.

And a couple of foreigners standing in front of this display, debated loudly its intended purpose:

to be continued...

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:53:00 +0000

Even though I have to get on the bus to Narita at 10AM, we still decided to go to Rinnoji last night for our first temple (and shrine) visit of the year. We wrapped ourselves in layers upon layers of clothing, stuffed our pockets with heating pads and off we went.

We started with the ceremonies at Rinnoji, and then planned to see the Toshogu illumination, which was going on from 1 to 3AM. But after seeing the mad line of people waiting to get inside Toshogu, we moved on to Futaara instead.

This is what we saw at Rinnoji:

This was my first time observing Buddhist New Year's ceremonies and it was quite interesting. I'll add photos when I can, which unfortunately is not right now.

Right now I'm jumping in the shower and then packing like a mad woman. I'm going to Palau for a week. Yay me!

PS. A few more photos here:

Prayers before the ceremony.

After the prayers, a bit of ritual archery:

And after a few more sacred procedures, it's time to light the fire:

Butterflies, toucans and blue poppies

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:11:00 +0000

My Christmas day began miserably. At night I had an asthma attack and then wheezed and suffered until the early hours of the morning. At 5AM I finally had enough and got up. And then my nose started to bleed. All that because the air was so bloody dry and we hadn't bought a humidifier yet. We bought one today, but it doesn't seem to work properly and I'll return to the store as soon as I'm done typing up this post.

Mister Trouble felt sorry for me and to ease my suffering decided to take me to Kachoyukan in Moka city. Kachoyukan is located at Igashira Park and it's a butterfly park of sorts. And because the only way to keep butterflies alive in the midst of winter is to house them in a warm and humid place, my dear husband thought it would be just perfect for my tired lungs and dry nose.

And let me tell you, it was. It was so humid that water occasionally dripped on our heads, and the temperature was pleasantly warm.

And the butterflies? They were there. Supposedly 4 different kinds, but we mainly saw this one:

But, to be honest, we didn't go there for my nose, or even for the butterflies.
We went there to see the strangest Christmas tree of all.

What at first glance looks like a perfectly ordinary christmas tree, upon closer inspection turns out to be a tree decorated with butterfly pupae, or chrysalises, or whatever those thingies are called.

Weird? You could say that.

My plan was to park myself in front of that tree and wait until a butterfly emerges from one of those things. Alas, after a couple of hours I had to give up. I was thirsty and hungry and I had to pee.

Later I read that after emerging from the chrysalis, the butterfly will sit on the empty shell and wait until its wings harden. Just like here:

Exciting stuff, isn't it?

Other than butterflies, there was also a bird section:

And a flower section showing flora at high elevations. I immediately noticed the Himalayan blue poppy, because it's the national flower of Bhutan. Don't ask me how I know such utterly useless trivia, because, frankly, I have no idea.

And now, if you excuse me, I have suitcases to drag out of storage and clothes to sort through.
Only 6 more days and I'm off to Palau. Yay!

Happy Birthday Mr Emperor

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:24:00 +0000

Happy birthday to you!

Today His Imperial Majesty celebrates his 78th birthday. By Japanese standards that's small potatoes, nothing special. He's only 78. Mr T's grandma is 93. Or maybe 94. Sorry, I've lost count. But she's just a grandma, and Akihito is the Emperor of Japan, and there's one serious difference here. And I'm not talking about their age.

The Imperial Birthday is an official public holiday in Japan and that means that instead of getting up at 5:30AM, today I could sleep until 6. Then the cats woke me up anyway. They were hungry and didn't care much for the fact that it was my day off.

But since it was my day off (thank you so much, Your Imperial Majesty!), Mr and I went downtown to do some last minute holiday shopping. No, not really. I was shopping and he was walking around taking photos. And it wasn't holiday shopping, either. I had to use my Kinokuniya points before they expire at the end of the year. So how I ended up with Peach Body Butter from Body Shop is a total mystery to me. I did manage to get a couple of books, too.

But back to Akihito and his birthday.

We've walked on the street leading from City Hall to Parco hundreds of times. We normally park at City Hall, because the municipal lots there are free and open even during weekends and public holidays. And we've passed by the tiny Kotohira shrine tucked between some wholly unremarkable buildings hundreds of times, too. Last January we even peeked inside and took a couple of photos. Nothing special.

So what made us stop by there today? No idea. But we did. We went through the gate and looked around and we spotted this.

Today! Of all the 365 days in a year, we noticed it today. A marvelous coincidence, if you ask me.

Why? This is what it says:

Mageshi-cho (that's the district where the shrine is located)
Anniversary of the birth
Celebrating the birth of Prince
Showa 8, December 23rd

In 1933, to mark the birth of the imperial baby (and back then the imperial family was still very much "godly") Mageshi-cho presented this inscribed fountain to the shrine. And now that baby is no longer a prince, but the Emperor of Japan.

And to mark his birthday, the streets were lined with flags.

I was surprised to see that a significant number of private homes also had flags outside. I guess I wasn't paying much attention in previous years. We used to fly a flag when we lived abroad, but somehow Mr T's national pride is a lot weaker in his homeland. Or simply, he doesn't want to ruin the exterior of our new house with a flag holder that's gotta be either nailed or screwed in. Oh well... No flag for us. I'd probably forget to bring it in before sundown anyway.

So yes, Happy Birthday, Your Imperial Majesty!

We "heart" gyoza

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 07:51:00 +0000

As can be expected, in the self-proclaimed Japanese capital of gtoza, we take our gyoza very seriously. So seriously, that every November we throw a mega dumpling party - Gyoza Matsuri.

This year, of course, was no different. Except perhaps, that unlike in previous years when the weather was quite nice, this weekend it was cloudy, cold, and today - rainy.

Yesterday, however, it didn't rain (it tried though, boy, did it try!) and together with a friend (because Mr T was otherwise occupied), we headed downtown to eat, drink and be merry. Actually, we skipped the drinking part and just focused on eating. And being merry, of course.

This year no video for you, because... Well, because I didn't feel like filming. And besides, if I had been filming, then you would have to wait probably until next November to see the clip, because I'm so slow these days. I still have tons of summer footage that is unedited and clogging up my hard drive. Yes, I've become that lazy.

An hour wait for a serving of gyoza? Yep.

But anyway, it was supposed to be about gyoza, not about me. Though admittedly, I'd rather be talking about me, because I blog so infrequently now, that y'all must be just dying to hear what's new at Casa Trouble. Right? To be honest, nothing's new. So there was nothing to blog about.

Anyway, back to gyoza...

There were many kinds - green, yellowish, steamed, fried, oily, less oily and not oily at all, garlicky, salty and totally tasteless ones.

I actually quite liked this one - the soupy sauce (or was it a saucy soup?) was deliciously sour and tangy. I like sour.

And as always, there were other feeding options as well. Grilled meats, sausages on a stick, fish on a stick, yakisoba (which turned out to be yaki-spaghetti) and other stuff.

We mainly stuck to gyoza and I can proudly say that I consumed 48 pieces, in total. And was able to get up from the flimsy plastic table and walk to the nearest bust stop when it was time to go home. Needless to say, there was no dinner for me last night. I did have ice-cream, though. Because no matter how stuffed you are, there's always room for ice-cream, amirite?

These guys here didn't even bother with a flimsy plastic table.

What else? There was jazz. Because Utsunomiya wants to be famous for jazz. LOL. And LOL again. But in all seriousness, these guys were actually pretty good.

I especially liked their version of "Moon Over Bourbon Street". I liked it so much that suddenly my mouth just popped open and the lyrics came out. Spontaneously and terribly off key. For some very strange reason, this is the only Sting song that I know all the words to. And no, I'm not a vampire fan. Never was, never will be.

And as always, our dear Ichijo boys and girls were on cleaning duty. And seemingly ALL of them wanted to practice their English. What's happening to the junior high crowd these days? I remember them to be all shy and awkward, and here they are, talking to a random gaijin in English.

So yeah, that was our Gyoza Matsuri this year.

Welcome back...

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:06:00 +0000

... she said to herself when after a two-month (and a little bit) break she finally logged into Blogger. Ouch!

Yes, I'm lazy. Yes, I'm THAT lazy...

It was great to take a break, and it feels awkward to be back. But I'm sure I'll get back into the swing of things in no time.

My summer was uneventful. Boring even. Odd to say that, because in reality, I was crazy busy. Doing stuff I didn't want to be doing, hence the "boring" description.

I don't know why I felt (and still feel) so depressed. I have a good job with a decent salary, I have a great husband (who should be nominated for sainthood for putting up with me), I have lovely friends, a big house (yes, we've finally moved in), two of the sweetest cats the world has known... So why am I feeling like such a failure?

The fact that earlier this year I was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure (yes, that's early menopause in normal people speak, but "premature ovarian failure" sounds oh-so-much fancier, doesn't it?) certainly had something to do with it. But that I'm bothered by it is also rather odd, because it's not like we were planning to produce a litter of haafus, or anything. Quite the opposite, in fact. I never wanted to be a mother.

However, turning forty (yep, it did happen - this past July) and suddenly finding out I'm officially an old lady, in more ways than one, was hard. Then came the hormones - patches and tablets, and the mood swings. I've always been a total bitch on the best of days, so it's easy to imagine what my hormone-induced worst days look like. My poor, poor husband...

And speaking of, I've been wondering how Mister Trouble even manages to live with me lately. Yesterday we had an interesting dinner table (yes, we have a dinner table now, well, sort of, more like a counter, really) conversation. He said I'm terrible at housework (true, I despise it) and that I'm a "good cook in my own way" (translation - "I'm just saying that not to hurt your feelings, because if I tell you the truth, you'd go ballistic again and I'd like to have one day of peace this week and not deal with your bullshit"), and that generally, the only thing I'm good at is loading up the washing machine and adding soap and softener. Geez... and that's coming from my loving husband...

Now, to all that I can add a total failure, not only as a housewife, but also in general, as a woman. It's scary what the inability to bleed every month can do to a woman's ego. Ouch again...

Oh, and before I forget... Some of my coworkers and my students' parents (hi guys!!!) also found this blog. It's not like I was hiding it, quite the opposite actually, but somehow I didn't expect certain folks to read it with the help of Google Translate. So yes, I need to be really careful what and how I say on here from now on. LOL! Yeah, like that's gonna happen...

But on a more serious note, apart from all the usual Japan-themed bits and diddles, which of course, will remain, as always, you can expect this blog to be a lot more personal in the future... And if you don't like it, well, that's too bad...

And now, for the usual Japan-themed bits and diddles...

We nicknamed her "Azumi" (yeah, not very original, I know, but that was the first thing that came to our minds); her real last name is Ms. Nozaki. This was the third year we watched her in Moka and she's gotten so much better since the first time we saw her! I'm very impressed!

Yesterday we went to one of our favoritest (yes, I know it's not a real word and I won't be teaching it to your children, don't worry) festivals - Rei Taisai at Nakamura Hachimangu in Moka.

I think last year we gave you a blow-by-blow description of the place and the event, so all I'm going to say is that this year it was pretty much the same.

There was yabusame (traditional horseback archery), daidai kagura (ritual shinto dancing), batto embu taikai (lots of sword waving) and a mikoshi procession (a portable shrine carried by a bunch of guys, some in fundoshi, but most in shorts or tights).

And, of course, I have most of the event on video (except for the mikoshi procession, because it was last and it was hot and I wasn't feeling well so I went to sit in the car with the AC on full blast). But when you will see this video is anybody's guess... As I still haven't gotten around to editing the footage from my trip to Ishinomaki this summer. Yikes!

Show Me Japan is on summer break

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:36:00 +0000

Show Me Japan is going on summer vacation!!!
Show Me Japanは夏休みに入ります！

We would like to thank everyone for participating every week and making this meme a success.
参加してくれる皆さんには心から感謝してます。皆さんのおかげでこんなにうまいこと行ってます。

We will be back with a new issue of Show Me Japan on August 26th, 2011.
次回のShow Me Japanは2011年8月26日になります。

Below is a random selection of photos from last week’s participants.
前回の参加者中からランダムに選んだ写真を以下に紹介します。

As always - click on the photos to be taken to the participants' blogs.
参加者が撮影した写真をクリックすると、参加者のブログへ飛びます。

From Rurousha

From Cocomino

From Lina

From Mullenkedheim

From Japanese Castle Explorer

Have a great summer!!!
夏休み楽しんでね。

Anna and Yoshi
アンナ&ヨシ

Show Me Japan Vol 1 Issue 32

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:50:00 +0000

Welcome to the 32nd edition of Show Me Japan. 第32回 Show Me Japan へようこそ。

You can see previous editions here. 前回の”Show Me Japan” エントリーはここです。

FAQ page in English and Japanese is here. 英語と日本語のFAQはここにありますので、初めて参加される方は目を通して頂けると幸いです。

Below is a random selection of photos from last week’s participants. 前回の参加者中からランダムに選んだ写真を以下に紹介します。

The widget to enter your links is at the end of this post – below the photos. ”Show Me Japan”にエントリーする際のリンクを貼るウィジェットはこの記事の一番下にあります。

As always - click on the photos to be taken to the participants' blogs.
参加者が撮影した写真をクリックすると、参加者のブログへ飛びます。

from Bartman

from David LaSpina

from Rekishi no Tabi

from Spamm From Japan

from Tokyololas

If you participate in Show Me Japan, please be so kind and include a link back to this blog in your post. エントリーしたポスト中で “Show Me Japan”のリンクを貼り忘れてないか確かめて頂けると幸いです。バッジに “Show Me Japan”のリンクを加えて頂ければ至極幸いここ極まれりです。

Thank you for participating and have a wonderful weekend.
それでは参加者の皆さん、よい週末を。

And now it's your turn!!!

Hot fun in the summertime

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:12:00 +0000

Everybody who knows me, knows that I'm a summer matsuri freak. Not sure why... Give me a good mikoshi procession, a night of fireworks, add a chocolate covered banana on a stick, and I'm as happy as can be. See? I'm easy to please. Especially in the summer.

The festivals we normally attend as local events. Some (as the bunch of half-naked guys spinning around in a circle while being doused with water and rolling in the mud) are positively obscure.

Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order...

Miya Matsuri - Utsunomiya city summer fest. It has everything - mikoshis, fundoshis, shaved ice and pretty girls in yukatas.

And most of all - typical matsuri hairstyles:

Moka Summer Festival - the festival that brought me "that close" to being part of a major feature film directed by one of my all-time favorite directors.

But sadly, I had to be satisfied with this:

and this:

That obscure festival in Ichikai - the one with the mud and guys spinning around:

And after all is said and done and you find yourself face-to-face with a soaking wet participant, your face looks more or less like that (hint - those undies are really thin):

Reitaisai at Nakamura Hachimangu - where girls wave really big knives:

And where they ride horses and shoot arrows - a.k.a. yabusame:

The festival before the ritual (nighttime) Mt Nantai climb, and yep, there's them fireworks:

and drunk girls in silly outfits:

This year the summer festival season starts with Miyaichisai this Sunday (July 3rd) and you betcha that my camera batteries are charged and ready!

This is my entry to Loco's Hot Fun in the Summertime 2011 edition!!!

Have a wonderful summer, everyone!!! :-)

Delayed again

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:23:00 +0000

Due to a lot of work and not enough time, this weekend Show Me Japan will be open for entries from Friday evening to Monday evening (Japan time).

I apologize for any inconvenience.

急なヤボ用が入ってしまったため、今週のShow Me Japanは日本時間金曜夕方からエントリーを開始し、月曜午後に締め切ります。
突然の変更ごめんなさい。

Show Me Japan Vol 1 Issue 31

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:03:00 +0000

Welcome to the 31st edition of Show Me Japan. 第31回 Show Me Japan へようこそ。

You can see previous editions here. 前回の”Show Me Japan” エントリーはここです。

FAQ page in English and Japanese is here. 英語と日本語のFAQはここにありますので、初めて参加される方は目を通して頂けると幸いです。

Below is a random selection of photos from last week’s participants. 前回の参加者中からランダムに選んだ写真を以下に紹介します。

The widget to enter your links is at the end of this post – below the photos. ”Show Me Japan”にエントリーする際のリンクを貼るウィジェットはこの記事の一番下にあります。

As always - click on the photos to be taken to the participants' blogs.
参加者が撮影した写真をクリックすると、参加者のブログへ飛びます。

From Anzu

From As I See Japan... From L.A.

From Seoul Man in Tokyo

From Lina

From Loco in Yokohama.

Thank you for participating and have a wonderful weekend.
それでは参加者の皆さん、よい週末を。

And now it's your turn!!!

Show Me Japan Participants

1. lina
2. TSOJ
3. misadventures with miso
4. Jon (Toshogu)
5. loco
6. kirsten
7. Mullenkedheim
8. Rekishi no Tabi

9. Haikugirl
10. bartman
11. Kyushudan
12. David
13. cocomino
14. sixmats
15. David LaSpina
16. Laura (tokyololas)

17. Jay Dee in Japan
18. Spam From Japan
19. kirsten
20. Spam From Japan
21. Fernando Ramos
22. LifeyouTV

Trip to Aizu Wakamatsu in Fukushima - part 2

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 11:43:00 +0000

Yes, better late than never. Part 1 of our Aizu Wakamatsu trip report is here.

During Golden Week we decided to visit the Aizu castle for the second time. Why? To see the cherries in full bloom. The weather was nice in Tochigi and the forecast said it was going to be nice in Fukushima as well. It wasn't. The sky was dark and gray and it looked like it was about to start raining any minute.

But that didn't matter one bit to the people who were busy hanami'ing around the castle.

I know there are foreigners living in Aizu Wakamatsu, but that day I saw only one gaijin there and he was just leaving. Therefore, yours truly was a very popular girl that day. Random people thanked me for coming to Fukushima, asked for photos with me, invited me to have drinks with them. If I had known it was going to be like that, I would have put on some makeup or something. But no, my face was paint-free and my hair was greasy, messy and unwashed (my dislike of washing my hair is legendary, "you and Kurt Cobain" as my husband usually says).

Maybe I should do what this girl did? Just a thought:

Anyway, where were we? Ah yes, Aizu Wakamatsu. I love that town. If not for this soon-to-be-moved-in-brand-new house in Tochigi, I'd pack up and settle in Fukushima in a heartbeat.

Needless to say, I'm a big fan of akabeko (Aizu red cow) and our cats love it, too. We even have an akabeko at home, though it's already missing a tail. The cats say it was delicious.

What's the deal with the red roof? Based on the records from the Edo period, that was the original color of the roof and that's how the castle people want to keep it.

Just when we were about to give up and leave, the sun suddenly came out.

The sky was blue for maybe 5 minutes before it started to rain...

We didn't go inside this time around, we visited the museum during our first visit. The ticket girl was dressed in period costume.

So was the tour guide:

I can't wait to return to Fukushima. For my next trip I'd like to take the third sector train from Kinugawa and stop at different onsen villages along the way. That's my summer vacation plan.

But in the meantime, here's a video of Aizu hanami:

And this is my very own entry for this week's Show Me Japan!

Show Me Japan Vol 1 Issue 30

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:10:00 +0000

Welcome to the 30th edition of Show Me Japan. 第30回 Show Me Japan へようこそ。

You can see previous editions here. 前回の”Show Me Japan” エントリーはここです。

FAQ page in English and Japanese is here. 英語と日本語のFAQはここにありますので、初めて参加される方は目を通して頂けると幸いです。

Below is a random selection of photos from last week’s participants. 前回の参加者中からランダムに選んだ写真を以下に紹介します。

The widget to enter your links is at the end of this post – below the photos. ”Show Me Japan”にエントリーする際のリンクを貼るウィジェットはこの記事の一番下にあります。

As always - click on the photos to be taken to the participants' blogs.
参加者が撮影した写真をクリックすると、参加者のブログへ飛びます。

From Haikugirl

From sixmats

From Kathryn

From Japanese Castle Explorer

From Misadventures With Miso

Thank you for participating and have a wonderful weekend.
それでは参加者の皆さん、よい週末を。

And now it's your turn!!!

Show Me Japan Participants

1. misadventures with miso
2. Jon (Toshogu)
3. jjwalsh
4. Loco
5. Jon Allen
6. Kyushudan
7. Rekishi no Tabi
8. lina

9. TSOJ
10. LifeyouTV
11. Expatria Baby
12. Mullenkedheim
13. Haikugirl
14. Anzu
15. bartman
16. cocomino

17. David LaSpina
18. sixmats
19. Nobu
20. Haikugirl
21. YOUSUKE
22. Jay Dee in Japan
23. Anna
24. Ichigoichielove

Show Me Japan Vol 1 Issue 29

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:41:00 +0000

Welcome to the 29th edition of Show Me Japan. 第29回 Show Me Japan へようこそ。

You can see previous editions here. 前回の”Show Me Japan” エントリーはここです。

FAQ page in English and Japanese is here. 英語と日本語のFAQはここにありますので、初めて参加される方は目を通して頂けると幸いです。

Below is a random selection of photos from last week’s participants. 前回の参加者中からランダムに選んだ写真を以下に紹介します。

The widget to enter your links is at the end of this post – below the photos. ”Show Me Japan”にエントリーする際のリンクを貼るウィジェットはこの記事の一番下にあります。

Click on the image to visit Kirsten's blog.

Click on the image to visit LifeYouTV's blog.

Click on the image to visit Nobu's blog.

Click on the image to visit David's blog.

To visit Three Steps Over Japan's blog, click on the image above...

And now, for a very special cat update:

Untitled from HBB on Vimeo.

From Bad Boy in Japan...

And another one, this time from Birdmini and his friend:

If you participate in Show Me Japan, please be so kind and include a link back to this blog in your post. エントリーしたポスト中で “Show Me Japan”のリンクを貼り忘れてないか確かめて頂けると幸いです。バッジに “Show Me Japan”のリンクを加えて頂ければ至極幸いここ極まれりです。

Thank you for participating and have a wonderful weekend.
それでは参加者の皆さん、よい週末を。

And now it's your turn!!!

Show Me Japan Participants

1. Rekishi no Tabi
2. Kyushudan
3. LifeyouTV
4. YOUSUKE
5. TSOJ
6. Contamination
7. Mullenkedheim
8. We♥Kansai

9. Kathryn
10. bartman
11. misadventures with miso
12. Haikugirl
13. Loco
14. Nobu
15. Rafal
16. Expatria Baby

17. David LaSpina
18. Badboy
19. sixmats
20. Ichigoichielove
21. Jay Dee in Japan
22. Yoshi
23. kirsten
24. Jon

Delay

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:02:00 +0000

Show Me Japan Vol 1 Issue 28

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:08:00 +0000

Welcome to the 28th edition of Show Me Japan. 第28回 Show Me Japan へようこそ。

You can see previous editions here. 前回の”Show Me Japan” エントリーはここです。

FAQ page in English and Japanese is here. 英語と日本語のFAQはここにありますので、初めて参加される方は目を通して頂けると幸いです。

Below is a random selection of photos from last week’s participants. 前回の参加者中からランダムに選んだ写真を以下に紹介します。

The widget to enter your links is at the end of this post – below the photos. ”Show Me Japan”にエントリーする際のリンクを貼るウィジェットはこの記事の一番下にあります。

To see Fernando's flickr awesomeness, click on the photo above.

Because we love cats... To visit Birdmini's blog, click on the photo above.

Mullenkedheim is waiting for you to find out more about his favorite giant trees. Go ahead, click on the photo above, I dare you!

Surviving in Japan has a photo version. What, you didn't know? Click on the you-know-what to be magically taken there.

To see what Ichigoichielove has been up to, click on the... who the hell knows what they are...

Thank you for participating and have a wonderful weekend.
それでは参加者の皆さん、よい週末を。

And now it's your turn!!!

Show Me Japan Participants

1. Loco
2. We♥Kansai
3. Anti-Japan?
4. Contamination
5. misadventures with miso
6. Jon (Toshogu)
7. Rekishi no Tabi
8. YOUSUKE
9. lina
10. Expatria Baby

11. Mullenkedheim
12. sixmats
13. Haikugirl
14. David LaSpina
15. Spooning with a Schoolboy
16. LifeyouTV
17. David
18. Nobu
19. TSOJ
20. cocomino

21. birdmini
22. bartman
23. Jay Dee in Japan
24. Ichigoichielove
25. Spam From Japan
26. Yoshi
27. goodandbadjapan
28. kirsten
29. Rafal
30. Laura (tokyololas)

No tattoos

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:03:00 +0000

Or rather, No! Tatoo, as the sign says.

We had a field trip to the "famous" Tobu Zoo today. I'm not a fan of zoos, so it wasn't a particularly exciting occasion for me. And trust me, that zoo is definitely NOT worth the trip. Bleh...

But the warning sign at the entrance to the Super Pool got me thinking. I understand the no tattoos rule. Or rather, the No! Tatoo rule. But decals? That is just stupid. What if a five year old had a decal on his hand? No entry?

And what about henna wedding designs? No entry? And what about permanently tattooed eyebrows, eye- and lip-lines? No entry?

Yeah, my feelings exactly.

Show Me Japan Vol 1 Issue 27

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Thu, 26 May 2011 15:04:00 +0000

Welcome to the 27th edition of Show Me Japan. 第27回 Show Me Japan へようこそ。

You can see previous editions here. 前回の”Show Me Japan” エントリーはここです。

FAQ page in English and Japanese is here. 英語と日本語のFAQはここにありますので、初めて参加される方は目を通して頂けると幸いです。

Below is a random selection of photos from last week’s participants. 前回の参加者中からランダムに選んだ写真を以下に紹介します。

The widget to enter your links is at the end of this post – below the photos. ”Show Me Japan”にエントリーする際のリンクを貼るウィジェットはこの記事の一番下にあります。

To say "Konnichiwa" to Bartman, take a ride above.

To see more of goofy Mr Samurai and lots of other things, click on the photo above.

Them fish, them fish, gonna swim around... To visit Jdonuts click on them fish.

To see what JayDee has been up to, click on the image above.

To see more of Yousuke fabulous photos, click on the image above.

Thank you for participating and have a wonderful weekend.
それでは参加者の皆さん、よい週末を。

And now it's your turn!!!

Show Me Japan Participants

1. Loco
2. Lina
3. Rekishi no Tabi
4. misadventures with miso
5. Jon (Tornadoes28)
6. Ichigoichielove
7. Spooning with a Schoolboy
8. Punching Rip Slyme
9. Mullenkedheim

10. Haikugirl
11. sixmats
12. JapanDave LaSpina
13. bartman
14. Contamination
15. Fernando Ramos
16. Expatriababy
17. Muza-chan
18. birdmini

19. SurvivingInJapan
20. YOUSUKE
21. Rafal
22. Jay Dee in Japan
23. Lina
24. Jay Dee in Japan
25. Laura

Show Me Japan Vol 1 Issue 26

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Thu, 19 May 2011 15:20:00 +0000

Welcome to the 26th edition of Show Me Japan. 第26回 Show Me Japan へようこそ。

You can see previous editions here. 前回の”Show Me Japan” エントリーはここです。

FAQ page in English and Japanese is here. 英語と日本語のFAQはここにありますので、初めて参加される方は目を通して頂けると幸いです。

Below is a random selection of photos from last week’s participants. 前回の参加者中からランダムに選んだ写真を以下に紹介します。

The widget to enter your links is at the end of this post – below the photos. ”Show Me Japan”にエントリーする際のリンクを貼るウィジェットはこの記事の一番下にあります。

From Alice at Super Happy Awesome, click on the image to visit her blog.

From Ms. Expatriababy, pick up the shoe to be taken to her blog.

From Japan Dave, hit the drum to go over to his blog.

From LifeYouTV - stop monkeying around and check out his blog. Now!

From We Love Kansai. Click on the image above to give Kansai some love.

Thank you for participating and have a wonderful weekend.
それでは参加者の皆さん、よい週末を。

And now it's your turn!!!

Show Me Japan Participants

1. misadventures with miso
2. Haikugirl
3. Jon (Tornadoes28)
4. Momma's Boys
5. Lina
6. David LaSpina
7. Rafal

8. YOUSUKE
9. bartman
10. Rekishi no Tabi
11. Loco
12. sixmats
13. Ichigoichielove
14. Contamination

15. Expatriababy
16. Yoshi
17. Jay Dee in Japan
18. Alice Vyxle
19. Laura (tokyololas)

Inaka udon

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Thu, 19 May 2011 02:46:00 +0000

It's no secret that I'm obsessed with udon. Anytime you ask me what I want to have for dinner, my answer is always the same. Udon. Udon. And udon.

I've never met a bowl of udon I didn't like. Though there were some I wasn't all that crazy about. I admit that. Last year, in Shikoku, in the sanuki udon paradise, I realized that I preferred udon prepared the Tochigi way. Or is it the Kanto way? I wanted my broth to be flavorful and with some oomph. I wanted the noodles to be thick and chewy. I wanted udon with chutzpah and personality. Sadly, sanuki udon has neither. Call me crazy, but that was one of the reasons we didn't move to Kagawa. Sanuki was OK, but would I want to eat it every day? Probably not.

But there is udon I'd gladly eat every day, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's made in an almost dinky, unassuming place along Route 4 in Tochigi. In Shimotsuke city. Who would have thought?

The restaurant is called Inakaya (田舎や, inaka = countryside), and it's a very fitting name. And what do they serve? Inaka udon. Like all highly addictive substances, it takes a bit of time to get used to it. Eating it might be a chore, especially if all you're familiar with is the sanuki variety. But the feeling that overcomes you when you're almost, almost done with your bowl - one of a kind. And I'm not talking about indigestion here. At least not only about indigestion, because if it's your first time at Inaka, you'll get it - guaranteed. No, I'm talking about the sheer sense of accomplishment after licking your bowl clean. I'm talking about a sore jaw from all that chewing. I'm talking about the high that only really awesome and really addictive food (or substances) can give you. THAT's what Inaka udon is all about.

Mister is not a fan of the place, so we don't go there very often. And maybe it's a good thing. Probably I would have weighed 300 lbs by now if we did.

And even though the place looks empty in these photos, you should see it on weekends and during lunch hour - sheer craziness. On weekends be prepared to wait. For a long time.

Inaka's staff is less than efficient. The tables are sort of clean. Smoking is allowed (it's probably the only smoking restaurant that I am willing to enter voluntarily). But the udon... Oh my... Imagine thick strips of homemade dough, sort of maybe perhaps cooked. Hard and chewy and sticking to your ribs. Next to a bowl of "I'm gonna punch you in the gut" broth. Yep, you got it. That's it. That's inaka udon.

And this is how it's made:

Address:
10-5, Sasahara, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, 329-0402, Japan
栃木県下野市笹原１０－５
It's right on Route 4.

Phone: 0285-43-1028

You're welcome!

An evening in Shibuya

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Sun, 15 May 2011 08:02:00 +0000

Every few months I make an appearance in Tokyo, and normally, once I'm there, I don't linger. I get off the train, do my thing, get back on the train and only then I can breathe again. It's no secret that I'm not fond of Tokyo and if I can avoid going there, I'm happy.

I arrived in Ueno, switched to some subway (the one that goes to Shibuya) and got off at Omotesando. I did my thing there and promptly got on the right subway but going in the wrong direction. I switched again to something else and ended up in Akihabara. There, I just followed the sheep leaving the station. The herd crossed the street and went shopping. Me too. I found myself holding a Panasonic GH2 in my hand and seriously considered taking it home with me. Yes, I know, I know... I could probably buy it for much cheaper on-line, but I want it with an English language menu.

Just when the sales guy finally noticed me and I was about to start asking stupid questions, my phone rang. You see, before coming to Tokyo I announced my intent to visit the Big City on Twitter. Two of my Twitter pals announced their intent to meet up. So when my phone rang, I duly answered. It was Masa and Fernando, who were waiting for me by The Dog in Shibuya. I dropped the GH2 and ran for the train. And that's how they saved me from spending a truckload of money that I don't have. Thanks guys!

Once in Shibuya, I got lost (no surprise here, I have zero sense of direction and Mr Trouble can confirm that) and missed the Hachiko Exit completely. After a panicky phone call the guys found me at the West Exit. Or maybe it was the East Exit. Or maybe it was the South Exit. Who knows? I certainly don't.

It was the first time we actually met in person and of course I had to make the worst possible impression by having a Shibuya-induced anxiety attack. What can I say? Despite having lived in one of the most crowded and busy cities in the world, I'll never get used to Tokyo. And that's a fact. I'm a country hick at heart.

We went to Shakey's for all-you-can-eat pizza buffet. It was nice, except that Shakey's doesn't carry Coke Zero - major fail there. We ~~gossiped~~ chatted, ate and had a great time. At least I had a great time, I don't know about the guys. It must have been awkward to hang out with someone old enough to be their mother. LOL!

The walk to and from the station convinced me that I do indeed need an iPhone. I need it for the GPS thingy. Without Masa and Fernando, I'd still be standing and screaming on a street corner somewhere in Shibuya, unable to find my way home. And since I can't have my Mister, or Masa and Fernando, with me every time I'm in Shibuya, I need an iPhone. True, I'm not in Shibuya frequently enough (about three times a year) to justify getting an iPhone, but maybe with that GPS thingy I'd feel more comfortable about visiting the Big City more often.

When I finally got home and my Mister picked me up at the train station, he was suitably impressed that I managed all that all by myself without ending up in Nagano. Or at the very least in Yokohama.

And this is my very own Show Me Japan entry for this week. Also, it's my "long time no see" entry for Black and White Weekend.

Show Me Japan Vol 1 Issue 25

noreply@blogger.com (A and Y Ikeda) — Fri, 13 May 2011 23:24:00 +0000

Welcome to the 25th edition of Show Me Japan. 第25回 Show Me Japan へようこそ。

You can see previous editions here. 前回の”Show Me Japan” エントリーはここです。

FAQ page in English and Japanese is here. 英語と日本語のFAQはここにありますので、初めて参加される方は目を通して頂けると幸いです。

Below is a random selection of photos from last week’s participants. 前回の参加者中からランダムに選んだ写真を以下に紹介します。

The widget to enter your links is at the end of this post – below the photos. ”Show Me Japan”にエントリーする際のリンクを貼るウィジェットはこの記事の一番下にあります。

To say "hi" to Loco, click on the photo above.

To visit Anzu and her wonderful pets, click on the image above.

To visit Cocomino's blog, click on the image above.

To visit Tokyololas, click on the image above.

To see more of Rekishi no tabi's photos, click on the image above.

Thank you for participating and have a wonderful weekend.
それでは参加者の皆さん、よい週末を。

And now it's your turn!!!

Show Me Japan Participants

1. Lina
2. Loco
3. misadventures with miso
4. Seedy Porno Vendor
5. David LaSpina
6. Haikugirl
7. David
8. Tiffany Atkin

9. LifeyouTV
10. Karolina
11. Rafal
12. Muza-chan
13. Alice V
14. We♥Kansai
15. sixmats
16. Jay Dee in Japan

17. kirsten
18. Expatriababy
19. Anna
20. Ichigoichielove
21. Yoshi
22. BiggerInJapan
23. Laura (tokyololas)