Yokohama fun night!

Last night I went to Hard Rock Cafe in Yokohana for my friend's Birthday Party, where they offer the same taste as in U.S.A, like potate skin, nacho etc. It was very tasty, although it it impossible to eat them everyday. When I arrived there, they have already decolated the table with ballons. Cute!

I had been Hard Rock Cafe several times in Roppongi(Tokyo) and Orlando(Florida). But if my memories are collect, I never saw somebody's birthday celebrated. So yesterday
was first time. They made announcement of the birthday by monitars! Cool!

We had many, actually I don't remember ,but anyway many alcohol. Jim beam, Sauza shilver, cran-a-kazi, lemondrop....and more. It is Amrican style of celeblating , isn't it????:)

After that we went to the amusement park called Cosmo world. After having many cocktails, it is more exciting and so fun to take a ride with screaming, but It was so so cold, as if the winter came back.

It was such a wonderful night of fun!!! Happy Birthday!!!

Hana yori dango

Last night I went to see another sakura(cherry blossoms) in special scienic park Rikugien. It is the waka poetry garden created in 1702.Usually they open from 9 to 5. But special season like now they open longer. At the moment a big weeping cherry tree is lighted up. It was so beautiful, and fantastic. I took many pictures as usual.

Then walking around the park, I found Dango shop in the park.. Dango is Japanese sweets which was made by the rice powder, tasted by soy sause, miso, and sweet beans.

We have one saying.
"Hana yori dango."
Hana means "flower"
yori means "than"
dango , you already know.

I have just checked my dictionary.
Similer meaning of
Praises [Fair words] fill not the belly.
Bread is better than the songs of birds.
Better fill a man's belly than his eye

Many people was enjoying their dango.
Me? Of course.

a rip-off ??

One of my friends lives in Dubai now for her work. As she has just came back to Japan for two weeks vacation, I saw her the other day. I like travling so much, but I never been to aroung there. I don't know so much about those countries. Dubai, UAE, a rich country, camel, desert? My knowledge is limit.

I am so curious about other culture, I was so excitied to see her. I heard some interesting stories of living in UAE.Those are about fun, tasty food, friendly people.... I've got one more place which I wanna go.

But she said,when she is shopping , they always ask "Are you Japanese". At that time she always pretend to be another nation. If she says I am japanese, the price gonna be a rip-off. This happens everywhere, especially tourist places, even inside Japan...

Another friend has just been to Fukuoka , Kyushu where is famous for many boothes, stalls called Yatai. In fact it is my hometown. In yatai you can eat noodle ra-men, oden(a japanese pot). Especially winter season, it is nice to eat in Yatai.

When she went to there, she had to pay much more than she guessed. It maight be not ordinary case, I have heard in some place , the prices differ whether the person speaks dialect or not.

As I can speak dialect fortunately, I don't know truth.....

sakura sakura sakura

I feel spring through the Sakura (cherry blossoms) so much !

The cherry blossoms have been brooming day by day. Yeasterday as it was so nice and warm weather, I walked by the river to see Sakura(cherry blossoms.) Not only myself, many people was walking , some peple was eating their lunch under the tree. Really Japanese people love sakura, I think. In my case, when I see the pink color of them, I feel very happy.








I like Japanese-style goods, for exmple something which is used kimono cloth. In my favorite store where I can buy those stuff, I found many sakura patterned dishes, stationaries, and so on.








I found this sakura watch in internet, isn't so cute? I decided to buy it so quickly.










Well, this is one kind of Japanese sweets called Sakura mochi. I made it. Inside is sweet beans paste, outside is a kind of rice colored pink by food red , wrapped by cherry blossoms leaf which is pickeled by salt.

WBC

Wow, we have a great moment, thanks for the victory of WBC(world baseball classic). Since the day before yesterday, the moment they became winner, all television stations have been broadcasting their sprints many times.

As I wrote before , I like watching baseball. I like Ichiro and Munenori Kawasaki -both of them are the player of japanese team at WBC. Really cool, and touching!
Thank you team Japan!!


http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/sports/news/20060322p2a00m0sp007000c.html
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/sports/news/20060322p2a00m0sp005000c.html

Kamakura

Kamakura is well known place as a historical city. The other day I went there for the first time.There is a huge statue of Buddha whose sitting height is 11.39 meter. Even we can go inside its body. It built more than 700 years ago, but the notice board says it was designed not to collapse even earthquake. Great isn't it?

As the season of cherry blossoms has just started, they are selling Sakura(cherry blossom) icecream! How can I discribe the taste of it? It is sweet, but not much, and taste reminds me of the smell of cherry blossoms. Anyway it is ok, yummy.

++kamakura++
http://www.kanagawa-kankou.or.jp/english/spot/kamakura/

St. Patrick's Day in Japan

Ireland is one of my favorite countries, I am interested in their culture. On 17th of March they celebrate St. Patrick's Day all around the country. I have seen St. Patrick's Parade on 2002 ar Dublin. It was very cold ,actually was chilly I and some friends was freezing. But parade was great. Everywhere and everyone was so green! I could see Mick McCarthy -ex manager of Irish natonal football team.

Well, Ireland and Irish culture is getting popular here. Now we have St. Patrick's Day parade in 5 places. I went to 2of them , Yokohama and Tokyo, with wearing my green T-shirts. To my luck, I had a chance to have a great Irish food at the party!!
I had really good time to know their culture more.

doughnuts!!!

Really , really we can eat many kinds of food from the world!
Here is one...doughnutplant from new york.

When it cames to doughnuts, we japanese remember at once "mister doughnut" which is like Dunkin doughnuts has shops only in Japan , but nowdays this new doughnuts shop is getting popular. Now they have ten stores already. bit expensive, but filled with many young women!

http://www.doughnutplant.jp/eng/index.html

Karaoke

Last Sunday I went to Karaoke. Maybe you know karaoke, it is popular word. But do you know it is originally from Japan? "Kara" means empty in Japanese, and connected with the word orchestra, was created the word Karaoke. There are so many place celled Karaoke box where we can sing with own families or friends.

To be honest I think it has passed alredy more than 5 years since I went to Karaoke last time. The song books are much more thicker then before, the macine is more complicated with new fanction. I was surprised that!

strawberry picking

Today I went to strawberry picking. Recently it hadn't been bad wether here, but today it was so beautiful day. As you can see the pictures, the color of strawberry was very red, was very sweet. The taste of fresh-picked strawberries is best!!!

Today is "Hinamatsuri"

Today is "Hinamatsuri" means doll's festival. We say 3rd of march is girls festival. If you have a girl in your family, you would prepare Hina dolls peach blossoms for her. We had one set of dolls in my parents house. I don't remember when we decorated last time.


This is a very big hina dolls set.

[hinamatsuri]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinamatsuri

rare cheeze cake

rare cheeze cake of "shirotae" in tokyo.
It is so simple taste, and looks small, but as it has heavy taste, enough for me. "shirotae" is very famous of this cake. when I went to there (although the store is not big)many people was waiting.

Aquarium

The other day I went to the acuarium. I want to show these pictures, because I took by a camera of my mobile phone. Quite good, aren't they?
Actually it was not so big aquarium, they have dolphine show, I really enjoyed. If I live more close, I would have annual passport.

Sakura

Today Meteorological Office annouced flower forecast of cherry blossams. This year it will be few days earlier than last year. I like to see the full bloom of cherry trees. I think all Japanese like cherry. When they are full of bloom, many people have picnic under the trees.

As I wrote before, here in Japan school year starts April. March is the time of grasuation, April is the time of entrance ceremony of school. Since kids, these most impressive season have been with cherry blossams.

"Sakura" is cherry blossoms in Japanese. The word of Sakura is used in many songs, especially the songs about graduation. I really like the season of Sakura. I feel we are so luckey that we have four seasons which have own characteristic here.

[sakura]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakura