Being a history buff, Satoshi was interested in visiting the Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum.
The novel (Saka no Ue no Kumo) was written by Ryotaro Shiba and introduces several characters who were natives of Matsuyama in the Meiji Era and illustrated that with hard work, anything is possible.
Having not read the book or seen the television drama, I walked through the museum and just soaked in the atmosphere and architecture, which by the way was designed by Tadao Ando (a well-known architect from Osaka).
On the property is also Bansuiso, a French-style structure built in 1922 by a descendant of the Lord of the Matsuyama Clan.
Inside, they were holding a tsubaki (camellia) exhibit.
The camellia is the city flower.
I appreciated that their street cars all had wifi access.
One interesting thing we tried were mikan onigiri by Tamaya.
We got one beef and one chicken.
Both were so tasty! the beef and chicken were tender and the combination of sweet, salty was delicious.
I've tried twice to re-create this already, and think I am getting close to posting about it...
As we walked to the birth home of the Akiyama brothers (residents of Matsuyama that were written about in "Saka no Ue no Kumo"), there was a line outside of a sweets shop, Kiri no Mori.
While Satoshi went to check out the brothers house, I stood in line for these...Kiri no Mori daifuku.
The government came up with a "brilliant" way to get the working class to "take a break" every last Friday of the month.
They are calling it "Premium Friday" and it starts today.
Workers are asked to leave at 15:00...
Bummer that this doesn't apply to Satoshi's workplace.
Most people who are part-timers will work less hours which means they will receive less wages.
Most companies are busiest at the end of the month too, closing their books...
Japan also has a "no-zangyo" (no overtime) day weekly on Wednesdays, but if you ask me, a workaholic society will hardly be able to retrain their ways...
Have a nice weekend, I'll continue our recent adventure to Matsuyama on Monday!
We woke early the next morning to maybe check out the sunrise...
Nope...it was all foggy...no deer in sight...yet the tide was out again and it was super peaceful.
In fact, we were wondering if the deer population had dwindled from our previous visit (pre-blog).
The day before there were some deer attacking the maps people were reading, but other than that, they were really low-key and there were not many of them around.
I suspected it was because there were no deer senbei (wafers) being sold like in Nara.
Though the day before, I did see a deer "almost" head-butt a little girl...it was her fault for taunting the deer though...
Blog friend, Rowena, mentioned that this area reminded her of Mont Saint Michel...coincidentally they are sister cities.
It was cool catching glimpses of deer footprints on the sand...
Walking around the area sans tourists was part eery and nice at the same time.
This dude took one look at us and then made his way up the stairs in search of breakfast...
After our own breakfast, we made one more trek to gaze at the torii and then sat down for a decent cup of coffee at Itsuki Coffee.
I was impressed that most shops opened at 9:00 even though there were not a lot of tourists around.
We then said "goodbye" and agreed we would need to return to see the view from Mount Misen.
From Miyajima to Kure it takes about an hour and a half...
Since we had some time, Satoshi wanted to check out the Japan Self Defense Forces Museum as they had a huge submarine on display...
If you look at the picture above, you'll notice the sub is being freshened up...bummer but huge yeah?!
You can sit in the cockpit of the sub...
I, myself would get claustrophobic if I had to work/live in a sub...
Then we headed to Matsuyama by speed ferry.
Luckily we picked up some musubi for the trip (it was 30 minutes to Matsuyama)
Yakisaba (grilled mackerel) and Hiroshima-na (a type of vege similar to chinese cabbage) for Satoshi and fried chicken with a lemon sauce for me...both used ingredients from the Hiroshima area and were a nice snack to tide us over until lunch.
When we arrived in Matsuyama, it was another 50 minutes by bus to Dogo Onsen, one of the oldest hot springs in Japan.
The building was supposedly the inspiration for the bathhouse in "Spirited Away", a Japanese animated movie.
By the time we left our belongings at the hotel and went in search of lunch it was almost 15:00!
We shared this jakko-ten from Tanimoto Kamaboko...a bit too gritty for me, the tempura is made from jakko (tiny sardines) ground into a paste then fried.
This version was also coated with batter and fried again like a croquette.
As we walked in the shopping arcade...Dogonomachiya, a cute cafe caught my eye.
Since it was 15:00-ish, it was "tea time", so we had to wait for seats.
I ordered their fried onion burger...teriyaki sauce smothered the beefy burger.
The fried onion rings were so good and crisp! (that orange on the plate was so sweet!)
Satoshi ordered their fried fish burger which he enjoyed.
We liked the laid back atmosphere and their garden was nice to gaze at too.
We also had ordered coffee with our meals but felt it had been sitting somewhere before they served us...lukewarm...bah!
After lunch, we did a little exploring and came upon this huge yugama (literally hot water pot) which was apparently used before the bathhouses were built.
We also visited Isaniwa Shrine.
Can you believe when Satoshi asked the guy at the tourist information for info on this shrine the guy replied, "it's just a shrine"...it really ticked Satoshi off...
The steps to this shrine are steep and there really aren't any railings (except that chain thingy in the middle) to help you if you are about to fall...
After checking-in, we went to check out the Dogo Onsen baths before dinner..your admission fee determines the level of your "bath experience".
I had actually visited here when I studied in Japan (many moons ago) and was totally disappointed with our "bath experience" this time around.
Maybe because we took the cheapest route, maybe because it was the weekend and "everyone" was visiting...the ratio of bathers totally overloaded the size of the bath...it was so disappointing and not relaxing at all.
Also, unlike most hotel hot spring type baths, you need to bring in your own towels and soap, even pay to use the hair dryers.
From Osaka, it is about an hour and a half to Hiroshima by Shinkansen.
When we arrived it was raining, and actually the day was forecast for rain too.
We visited with a friend, Mihoko at her workplace then went in search of my Grandma's half-sister's grave.
It had been over 10 years since we had visited the grave and were not too sure where it was.
Luckily the woman at the temple was able to help us (Thank you!)
We went a couple of stops back and went to pay our respects at the Hiroshima Peace Park.
It was actually our first time there.
Somber and thought-provoking area...we were too scared to check out the museum though.
We then went by light rail to the Miyajima station which took about 50 minutes, then hopped on a ferry which took us to Miyajima Island (about 10 minutes).
The rain had stopped but the air was super icy.
We stopped into the first place we saw for lunch...Umeyama.
Satoshi and I shared an anago (salt water eel) donburi.
The anago was kind of "fluffy" in texture.
We also shared these fried oysters.
Both were kind of pricey and (to me, because they are not my favorite foods) just so-so.
Did you know that Hatsukaichi, the city where Miyajima is located, is also the birthplace of the kendama?! I didn't.
We had planned to check out Mount Misen, but the ropeway is out of commission until March...so we spent a lot of time just walking around the shopping arcade and surrounding areas....oohing and aahing at the torii.
We visited UNESCO site, Itsukushima Shrine.
Peaceful and beautiful to see (when there aren't a whole group of intermediate schoolers there at the same time...)
This is apparently the size of the base of the huge torii...massive!
When the tide recedes there are two pools called kagami-no-ike (literally mirror pond).
The reflection of the moon in these ponds are often quoted in tanka (31-syllable poetry) & haiku (5-7-5 syllable poetry).
We also climbed up many stairs to check out the 5-story pagoda.
Just before heading back for dinner, the tide was on its way out, so we went down to check out the torii.
I was surprised at how solid the ground was, I thought it would be squishy and that I would probably take a spill somewhere, but I didn't...
So cool (and huge) up close!
Dinner was a hodge podge of different dishes. Stuffed, we walked out to the torii to see it lit up.
My legs were tired from making many round trips to see the torii, but I was glad the rain had stopped and we were able to see the torii up close.
NOTES: this was super easy and tasty. If you use a non-stick pan, you don't need to add any oil.
I didn't coat the meat with flour (wanting to cut some of the carbs out), but realized that I should coat it the next time to keep the meat tender and juicy.
I only made half the amount of meat for the two of us and also cut back the amount of sauce.
There is a tiny bar in Osaka that I've been seeing on social media and it seems by the amount of photos uploaded that their most popular dish is an anchovy potato salad.
Satoshi and I have tried to eat there, but it is always crowded, so we've never been able to get in.
Anyway, since I had some potatoes, I wanted to try to make it.
Of course, since I've not actually tried it, I don't know what it is supposed to taste like...so I made up my own version.
Kat's Anchovy Potato Salad : serves 2 depending on your serving sizes
6 fingerling sized potatoes, peeled and diced
Dressing : adapted from "Everyday Salads" : Masaki Higuchi
2 tablespoons olive oil
anchovy paste about 1 tablespoon
1/2 teaspoon of grated garlic
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
freshly ground pepper
couple dashes of dried dill
1 tablespoon mayo
Mix dressing and set aside
Cook your diced potatoes and when tender, drain
Mash potatoes slightly and cool slightly
When potatoes are warm, add dressing.
Enjoy warm or chilled.
NOTES: this was delicious warm, nice with wine. We also had it the next day, chilled with beer.
I think it would be nice on toasted baguette also.
I am thinking to add some balsamic vinegar in place of the white wine vinegar and/or capers next time.
p.s. Happy Valentine's Day...we celebrated on Saturday with all sorts of sashimi (raw tako with ponzu, aji tataki (minced horse mackerel) & bincho maguro (albacore tuna)), anchovy potato salad & other nibbles.
I used to eat my lunch in front of the tv, but these days have been staying away from the television/internet as most programs only have been talking about US politics...
So now, I listen to Kamasami Kong on the radio. (If you grew up in Hawaii you may know who he is...blast from the past, yeah?!)
After eating, I read magazines or write in my journal...
I recently reconnected with this illustration kit that I had purchased awhile back.
When I got it, I thought it would be easy and fun.
While it is fun, it isn't easy.
You trace the item a couple of times then try your hand at it.
The back side of the paper has blank grids and a blank space at the bottom.
The kit teaches you 1000-something items...I have a (long) ways to go...
