sakura walk

Sunday, Satoshi had something to do, so afterwards we met up near his appointment which was close to Osaka Castle.

I had been here two years ago to see the blossoms with visiting friends, but it had been several years since Satoshi and I had seen the blossoms together in this area.

One of the main reasons we don't come to this area is there are just too many people during this time of year.

The atmosphere is like one big college party, lots of drinking, eating, chatter. Most times you see people sick as dogs from drinking too much, how can that be fun?!

No one really enjoying the blooms, just enjoying the booze.

I also shake my head at those who bring their grills when there are signs specifically saying "no grills".

The peach garden on the grounds were in full bloom too.

Many people who couldn't get a spot under the cherry trees were partying in this area.

From Osaka Castle, we walked to an area called Sakuranomiya.

Sakura trees run along both sides of the Ogawa (big river).

By the time we got to this area, the sun was setting and it was also overcast.

It was still nice to see so many trees in bloom.

Lots of walking and more bonding with nature.

p.s. I've uploaded some videos of the day here, here, here, and a neat water clock in Osaka here.

kibun tenkan

"Kibun tenkan" literally means change of feeling. Most people use this phrase to mean a change of pace. We really needed it over the past couple of days.

The horrifying scenes on the television were and still are unbelievable. We can't believe it is in Japan that everything we are seeing has happened.

We feel helpless not being able to do anything. Watching everything starts to get us down so we need to get out, away from the television, kibun tenkan.

We packed a bento and headed to Suigetsu Park.

Many families were sitting under the trees enjoying the apricot and peach blossoms.

It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm.

Lunch was tamagoyaki (rolled omlette) with shiofuki konbu (seasoned kelp), kinpira, yatsumi-zuke, umeboshi (pickled apricot).

Some temari-style musubi (plain, yukari (ground salted perilla leaves), curry)

For dessert, chocolatiest crinkles and some green tea.

The news on the earthquake has been going non-stop. Hopefully I will get word from my friend soon, most of the phone lines in the area are down I am told.

I hope your week will be a good one, keep the affected areas in your thoughts, I will too.

picnic for one

This past Saturday was a beautiful day, unfortunately, Satoshi had to work. Not wanting to waste a great day, I packed myself a bento and went on a little picnic.

Suigetsu Park's momo and ume (peach and apricot) trees have starting to bloom, but with the weather flip-flopping the way it has been, the trees are taking a long time to reach full bloom.

There were many people at the park, some chatting, some taking photos of the blooms.

Luckily, I found a bench to sit on and have my lunch.

Tamagoyaki (rolled omlette), yatsumi-zuke, ikanago no  kugini, ume boshi (pickled apricot), a mini tomato and some temari-style musubi (bite-sized rice balls).

I also packed some tea and some mochi for dessert.

It wasn't too fun eating alone, the temps were still very cold, but the sun was out and there were some nice blooms, I think in another week or two, the park should be in full bloom.

fruits of summer

A couple of posts ago, I wrote about laundry. An anonymous reader reminded me about the big clips that are needed to hold your futon (comforter), onto the railings of the lanai.

I wanted to show them to you and luckily the big condo across the street had some samples.

When we first came to Japan, I bought a pair of clips for our futon, then when we moved to the apartment we are in now, I realized the clips I had bought would not hold our futon onto the lanai railing, so I needed to buy bigger ones (insert pouty face)

Changing the subject, what fruits have you been enjoying this summer?

To make these muffin style clafoutis, I used a range of different chocolates (65% Guittard Sur Del Lago, 2006 Gran Couva Valrhona, Madagascar by Nakatani & 65% Guittard Ambanja). Bing cherries were quite expensive this year due to the rise in oil prices (they are imported from the US). I don't think Dhanggit pitted the cherries she used, but I did.

The "muffins" were dense and chocolatey. I want to try this recipe again using muffin papers instead of ramekins, if I can't find fresh cherries, I may use dried ones.

The sakuranbo (Japanese cherry) that I bought wasn't sweet at all, kind of disappointing actually. Overall, I think I may prefer the bing cherries over these.

On the other hand, the suika (watermelon) that I've bought has been really sweet--between 11% and 12% sugar content.

These momo (peaches) smell like they will be were delicious. I'm glad they are not wrapping these guys in saran wrap--I like to smell peaches before buying them.

These fruits are probably the best part of Japan summers.

hana shobu

We have a park nearby called Suigetsu Park which we have visited in the Spring and Summer and I have posted about before. Spring showcases the ume and momo (plum and peach )trees. As Spring turns to Summer, you can see the fruits begin to ripen on the trees.

The beginning of Summer also brings the hana shobu, a type of iris.

I love the these fragile flowers.

The beginning of Summer also brings Satoshi's birthday. This year he has to work on his birthday. I bought us some dessert from a shop in our arcade called Mior. I bought a Chocolat for Satoshi and Tiramisu for myself.

Here's the birthday boy, he looks a bit run down since he's been working late and also been going drinking with friends and co-workers.