so...

If you are following us on Instagram, you'll know that I was able to view the fireworks for our city last night from our balcony.

Click on the photo to view (a little over a minute long) video.

The whole fireworks show was 40 minutes long.

Because the winds were southerly, I could even smell the smoke from the fireworks!

Anyway, it was nice to be able to view them without having to deal with the crowds.

Today, the winds are krazy strong but still very very humid and warm.

We're expecting some cooler (non-humidity) temps over the next couple of days but after that, the temps are forecast to go up again...eep!

fireworks

This time of year there are many fireworks shows.

Saturday night they had a fireworks show near Odaiba.

Odaiba is a man-made island near Shinagawa, which is near to where we live.

I checked the position of the fireworks show and compared it to where our apartment is.

Luckily we could see the ones that got up higher than the building in this photo from our east balcony.

Tonight is supposed to be the fireworks show for our city.

Hopefully we'll be able to see it from one of our two balconies.

berry tomatoes

I think these berry tomatoes were from Hokkaido.

They kind of looked like scotch bonnet peppers, so I made sure to re-read the sign at the market.

I'm glad we got to try these, they were super sweet.

foodie saturday

Saturday, it was blazing hot and humid.

Satoshi's been studying for a test, so I decided to get out and about.

I don't know how I found out about the lotus flowers at Shinobazu Pond in Ueno, but I decided to check it out.

Click on the photo to view the video.

The southern area of the pond is called "Lotus Pond" and is filled with lotus plants and flowers.

It was amazing to see.

Since I was near the Ueno Zoo, I stopped in to get cooled off and to try panda stamped anpan from Wholesome Bakery.

Last year, the panda at the Ueno Zoo gave birth, so they've been celebrating with all sorts of panda goods.

The anpan was a brioche bread filled with sweet bean paste.

With an iced coffee, it hit the spot.

Then I headed to Ginza.

I wanted to check out the Hiroshima Antenna Shop, boy! was it hard to find.

I did find it eventually...

It was getting close to lunch time so I popped into Oslo Coffee and ordered their croque monsieur.

The sandwich was oozy and delicious.

Again, it was nice to cool off and take a break.

My last stop was Ginza Six, a relatively new building filled with shops and eateries.

I wanted something sweet so I tried Philippe Conticini's citrus parfait.

Super refreshing with all the different citrus used.

It was fun watching them make the parfait right in front of you too.

It's still brutally hot and humid.

Still, it was nice getting out and about.

Wholesome Bakery
1-57 Ueno Park, 3153 Ueno 1F
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.6806.0430
Hours: 6:00-22:30

Oslo Coffee
5-8 Ginza, inside Ginza Core 1F
Chuo, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3289.2264
Hours: 11:00-22:00, closed when Ginza Core is

Philippe Conticini
6-10-1 Ginza, inside Ginza Six B2F
Chuo, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3289.4011
Hours: 10:30-20:30

things I brought back

Click on the photo to see some of the things I brought back from my mom's kitchen.

Sorry the video is kinda shaky and really short.

...an oil screen, oil guard, oshizushi (pressed sushi) mold, long oshizushi mold, grater and tofu drainer.

Can't wait to make ninjin shirishiri with the grater and trying to think of a tofu recipe to use the drainer for...

supermarket finds

Can I share a secret with you?

If you want to know at what stage of the season the fruits or veggies are in Japan, look at where it was grown.

For example you will see most fruit & veggies start from Kyushu (where it is technically warmer) then make its way up all the way to Hokkaido.

Of course, there are some fruits and veggies that are only grown in certain areas of Japan, so this tidbit wouldn't apply.

Anyway, these peaches which were grown in Fukushima Prefecture which means that the peach season is nearing the end.

These blueberries were grown in Nagano, so I think the season is also coming to an end.

We'll try these in the coming days, hopefully they won't disappoint.

UPDATE: the peaches were on the firmer side but sweet and delicious. The blueberries were a little tart but delicious too.

naan taco

I should talk about the humidity and heat more often.

This morning it was 71F/22C and no humidity!

I had to convince Satoshi to bring a light sweater to work.

Changing the subject, apparently, it's been 4 years since MOS burger had their naan taco.

It seemed a little smaller than in the past, but was still delicious.

What did you have for lunch?