The dinner party at my colleague’s apartment

My best friend and colleague, Alisa planned an interesting dinner party at her nice apartment.

She is really interested in joining or organizing events, especially food events.

On October 2nd, she invited all colleagues who are working in the Tokyo branch office to her apartment.

At first, she had trouble deciding the dinner menu. She wanted to impress the guests.

I helped her to think about menu.

I thought of having Tsukimi Dango, white rice dumplings which are generally eaten while viewing the moon on Tsukimi, at the party, because the day after party was Tsukimi day.

She also wanted to eat special Sushi, especially that which she had eaten in America.

Furthermore, the party would be held after work on Friday, so we didn’t have enough time to cook the food.

So, we decided to buy some things on the day before the party, and to buy some juice and beer on the day.

Also, I wanted my colleagues to listen to my shamisen music, so I brought my shamisen to the party.

One colleague who is interested in foot massage recently, also suggested by email in advance giving us massages.

The following images are of our party.

The owner of our Tokyo branch office building is an old nori company, so we bought special nori at their shop.

I was in charge of making Tsukimi dango, so Alisa helped me to drink beer.

It was very easy to make Tsukimi dango. Here is the recipe.

Step1: mix the dango powder with water and knead into dough.

Step2:roll the dango dough into small balls.

Step3:throw the balls into boiling water.

Step4:scoop them out when they float to the top and cool them down on a dish.

I also prepared soybean flour, bean paste and a tin of fruit.

The above images are not the correct way to eat Tsukimi Dango, however I just wanted to eat various style of dango, so I made my own version.

The following image is of the correct way to decorate Tsukimi Dango.

The following image is of Origami rabbits. Although I couldn’t buy Japanese pampas grass for Tsukimi, I made these with origami paper.

In advance, Alisa researched some combinations for Sushi on the Internet. I really respect her passion for food.

Some colleagues finished their work on time, and went to the apartment ahead of us.

Other colleagues arrived there gradually.

The following image is of the correct way to making temakisushi. However I couldn’t make it well.

Some colleagues cooked salad and made delicious cocktails, and a Taiwanese colleague brought Taiwanese dumplings.

In the latter half of the party I played the shamisen, and my colleagues praised me.

I think my technique is not so special, however I’m happy that they could know about the shamisen a bit.

Some colleagues wanted to hold my shamisen, so I took photos for them.

The following image is of the scene of massage.

Actually some arguments happen between some colleagues, however their personalities are not bad.

I don’t know when I need to leave my company, however I want to enjoy my life with them until that day.

I decided to take lessons from new shamisen teacher.

Finally I finished my diary about my summer vacation.

I want to write about my decision for starting shamisen lessons with the new teacher from now.

In September, my original shamisen teacher’s teacher asked me whether I could help him to create his website.

I replied that of course, I would help him.

As I had written about my impression of his performance in my previous diary, it was my pleasure to help him.

He also asked me, if I would like to take his lesson. It was no problem.

To tell the truth, I was worried about my original shamisen teacher from whom I have been taking shamisen lessons since 5 years ago.

If I would take my shamisen teacher’s teacher’s lesson, surely my original shamisen teacher would feel uncomfortable.

So I frankly told him about my concern.

He answered that if I would take the same style of lesson from him, it must be rude to my original teacher.

However if I would take a different style of lesson from him, it would be no problem.

Actually he can teach various styles of shamisen lessons to his pupils.

Usually I receive lessons on Japanese folk songs, which style is generally called Minyo.
Minyo have been sung all over Japan for a long time, and the songs’ themes are about work, life and love for families and lovers.

Minyo’s historical background is based on poverty and people’s simple life styles.

Even tough now Minyo are sung on stage, and on TV, they are really based on Japanese people’s simple life style in the past.

My teacher’s teacher also can teach another style of shamisen lesson, which is called Hauta.

Hauta has been sung since the Edo period. The sound of Hauta is more cool than Minyo.

Still now, Hautas are sung by Geisha at high quality restaurants.

If I sing Hauta playing the shamisen and wearing a kimono, I think people would view me as a typical Japanese.

Let me return to the story about my teacher’s teacher.

In the end, I started to receive his Hauta style lesson.

I think Hauta is more difficult than Minyo, because Hauta’s tone is very different from Minyo. However I want to learn it more deeply.

In addition, I also wanted to know about the traditional customs of the shamisen world, so I asked him some questions about them.

He explained to me politely about those customs.

I also told him about my complaints against the traditional customs, which I had had for a long time.

He not only explained about such customs but also told me his opinion.

I was very surprised and could know about his passion for the shamisen.

Further more, luckily I could know about his background as a shamisen player deeply, because I am going to create his website.

Since I was requested to make his website, I sometimes follow him to his activities to take photos.

The purpose is not only to take photos, but also to learn his technique and about his shamisen world.

I think I’m really lucky.

I had believed that he was just a strict teacher, however I noticed my misconception.

I know most of his pupils complain against him secretly.
Most of their complains are about money and his furious temper.

He is not good at explaining his opinion, and his pupils also never ask him about money and the reason for his opinion.

What a shame it is that they can’t communicate deeply.

I want to help my new teacher by creating his website.

For him, the purpose of having his own website is to get more pupils, however, for me, the second purpose is to explain to his pupils about his activities and opinions.

Of course, he told me that he would pay me the cost of making his website, but I also need to pay for his lessons.

Actually my salary is not so high, so it’s my solid decision to learn the shamisen more seriously.

I believe, through studying shamisen, I can learn not only about the shamisen world and playing techniques, but also I can learn many new things.

The following image is of his website.

Summer vacation in 2009 vol.6

On the last day I visited Maebashi city and Kiryu city which are located in Gunma prefecture.

I really didn’t want to go back to Tokyo, because my summer trip was so wonderful.

At first I went to the Gunma prefecture government building which is well known for it’s view from the top of the building.

Unfortunately, the day I visited there, it was cloudy. If it had have been fine, the view would have been better.

Few people visited the observation deck at that time, so I could enjoy it very much.

After I visited the Gunma prefecture government building, I moved to a small amusement park which is well known as the cheapest amusement park in Japan.

The park’s name is Luna Park.

Actually the concept of that park is “to make the customers feel nostalgic with it’s old-fashioned attractions”.

It was a very small park, and to my surprise, the price of most of the attractions were under 50 yen. Especially the price of the attraction in following image was only 10 yen.

These are protected as being the oldest rocking-horses in Japan by government.

It was not the weekend, but still many families enjoyed the park. It made me smile.

Actually my guide book didn’t feature that park in detail, but I think my decision to go there was not bad.

After I visited Luna Park, I went back to Maebashi station, and moved to the next city, Kiryu.

For over a millennium, Kiryu’s principal industry was textile manufacturing, primarily silk.

Although Kiryu is located in a rural area, Kiryu became welthy, so Kiryu has many famous cultural facilities, such as museums and parks.

Although the Kimono culture declined after the Meiji era, other types of industry, for example, Pachinko, and car components, flourished.

I knew Kiryu only by name, because I learned about Japanese history in my childhood.

I rented a bicycle at the station the same as in the other cities.

The above images are of  factories with saw-roofing.

“The saw-roof factories“  are the main symbol of Kiryu, and it was my purpose to see them.

Most of them were built before the 1950’s, however their number is decreasing with the decline of textile manufacturing. So now some of them are used as sightseeing facilities, museums, and cafes.

I saw some old Japanese houses in the streets on my way to Gunma University.

The following image is of one of the buildings of Gunma University, which is protected by the government.

It was buit in 1916, and is still in use.

There I saw some wedding photos. The building is sometimes used as a location for photoshoot.

The above guardroom is also protected by the government. I talked with a friendly guard for several minutes.

Finally my summer trip finished, and I went back to my home in which my husband was waiting for me.

It was only 6 days, however I could meet some nice local people, and could know a little about Gunma and Niigata.

My next trip is to go to Nikko with my husband and with my parents who live in Tokushima, in November.

Summer vacation in 2009 vol.5

On the 5th day, I moved to Minakami, which is well know as an outdoor adventure spot and hot springs.

At first, I thought that I would try bungy jumping in Minakami, however later I gave up to try it because of my budget for this trip.

I bought some local bread for my lunch at Nagaoka station while waiting for my next train to Minakami.

Although every meal is very important for me, this one was not so interesting.

I reached Minakami station before evening.

The atmosphere of Minakami hot spring area was very quiet, because of the day I visited there was after the Bon holiday.

I called my ryokan to ask them to pick me up and take me to their ryokan.

The following images are of my ryokan and room. To tell the truth, my ryokan was very old.

I didn’t ordered dinner from the ryokan, so after a short break, I strolled around that area.

At first I walked along a river bound for Minakami bridge.

The nature was very beautiful. One family wasenjoying fishing at the river side, and other families enjoyed walking like me. To tell the truth, the Minakami area was not so interesting for me, because I just walked around there.

If I had have enjoyed some outdoor sports there, maybe my impression would have changed. If I have time next year, I will try bungy jumping and a trekking tour in Ichinokurasawa.

The following image is of the main street of Minakami hot spring. Only a few people were walking down the street.

I was disappointed. However, I enjoyed talking with the friendly owner of a small souvenir shop.

He suggested how to enjoy trekking in Ichinokurasawa, and he also taught me a recipe of a lily dish.

I bought a pack of dried lilies, to try cooking later. He told me that the local people in that area generally eat lilies.

After talking to him, I went to a small restaurant which he recommended to me.

He also told me that in the main street of Minakami, most of the restaurants open after 8:00pm, because all customers eat dinner at their ryokans, and after dinner they go out to drink.

The following image is of the restaurant and my dinner.

After dinner I leisurely relaxed in the hot spring at my ryokan.

The next day in Minakami was the last day of my summer trip.

Summer vacation in 2009 vol.4

On the 4th day, I went to a small island called Awashima in Niigata prefecture.

In Niigata, Sado island is more famous than Awashima(Awa island).

In addition, on that day when I visited Awashima, there was a big festival, Earth Celebration 2009, being held on Sado.

However I chose Awashima, because I wanted to feel relaxed and avoid crowds.

The following image is my boat ticket to Awashima.

It took about 1 hour to Awashima, so I enjoyed the breeze on the deck.

My first purpose in Awashima was to cycle around the island. The circumference of Awashima is about 23 km, so I thought that cycling would not be difficult.

I rented a bicycle from the town office as soon as I arrived at Awashima, and started cycling.

The scenery on Awashima was really amazing. The sky was blue, and the sea was also blue. I regretted that I didn’t bring my swimwear.

I was very excited, however I soon noticed that the cycling road was very tough for me. Well, it might not be tough only for me but also for everyone who thought they could enjoy cycling.

There were many steep paths, and some of them were very long. I met only 3 people on my cycling journey.

I stopped at some view points.

About 1 and half hours after I had started cycling, I arrived at a small village which was located on the opposite side of the harbor.

At first, I didn’t plan to eat there, however I changed my mind when I saw a small restaurant, Kamome shokudo, whose menu seemed very delicious.

I guessed that the seafood ramen, Iso ramen, was the best dish at that restaurant, because most of the customers ordered the same ramen.

I have to say the taste of that ramen was in my best 3! It was very fresh and the seafood stock had a strong taste. In addition, the pieces of octopus were very big!

On the second half of my way, I met a university student who wanted to be an accountant. He looked very tired, and we took a short rest together at a small rest spot.

At one of the view points, I needed to get off my bicycle and walk to climb a small hill. However just before the top of the hill, many wasps blocked my way, so I gave up to go there.

The atmosphere in Awashima was like being in a movies, and I could feel very relaxed except for the wasps.

The following image is of my Japanese inn.

I could see the sea through the window of my room.

I didn’t have any plan after my cycling, so I strolled around the surrounding area of my Japanese inn till dinner.

By the way, there were over 20 similar Japanese inns in that area. I guessed that the local people who were living in that area, made their living by a running Japanese inn and fishing.

The atmosphere in that area made me wallow in nostalgia.

The distance from the sea to the mountains was very near, and the Japanese inns were built within such a small area.

Behind of the Japanese inns, there were some steep steps, and to my surprise, the old landladies of the Japanese inns go up and down the steep steps every day, carrying heavy items.

The following image shows the view from the top of the steps.

There was a small shrine which is used as a shelter, if a tsunami hit the island.

On a small harbor, children were looking for turban shells. I talked to them for a few minutes. I think that the children who grow up in rural areas, especially on small islands like Awashima, have innocence.

I also tried looking for turban shells, however I couldn’t find any. Nevertheless I knew I couldn’t take them, even if I found them, because tourists don’t have fishing rights.

The dinner on that day was very fresh and delicious. I guess if I ordered same course in Tokyo, it would cost me over 5,000 yen. However the price at my Japanese inn for accommodation and dinner was only about 8,500 yen.

My second purpose in Awashima was to eat the special local food which is called “Wappani“.

Wappani is like miso soup, and is made by putting heated stones into the soup. Fresh seasonal fish is used as the main ingredient of Wappani.

I read some information in my Japanese inn that guests can enjoy Wappani in a public area. That’s why I chose my Japanese inn.

The following images are of cooking Wappani and of my delicious breakfast!

After breakfast the landlady took me to the same harbor which I had arrived at. Since a guy was waiting for the community bus bound for the harbor, the landlady asked him if he would like to ride in her car together.

The guy and I talked for a few minutes, and I could find out that his apartment was in Nakano, which is only 2 stops by train from my place. We promised to meet again in Tokyo. I like such a casual meeting.

I really enjoyed Awashima as much as the other places which I visited on my trip.

Summer vacation in 2009 vol.3

On the third day, I moved to Murakami in Niigata prefecture.

I like traditional areas, so I chose Murakami city.

Actually, I couldn’t find much information on the Internet about Murakami.

I know it’s difficult to find information about rural areas of Japan online, so I bought 2 editions of a famous guide book which featured Gunma and Niigata prefecture and I read them before my trip.

According to the Niigata guide book, Murakami seemed very nice, so I decided to visit Murakami.

Murakami is famous as the northernmost area producing Japanese tea, salmon and also the birth place of the crown princess. It’s also known as one of the “historical castle towns” in Japan.

The following image is my seishun 18 ticket.

When I arrived at Murakami, it was not crowded even near station, because the bon holiday had already finished the day before my visit.

I rented a bicycle at the station, and rode around Murakami city.

It was a bit hot outside, however I enjoyed seeing the old Japanese houses along the streets.

I talked to some local people there. It was a lot of fun for me.

At an old tea shop, which seemed famous, I bought a gift for my shamisen group member.

There I also bought a tea flavored ice cream, which was called “Monaka“in Japanese. It was very delicious!

After a short rest, I dropped by a tourist information center.

There I met a unique person who was a Tuishu craftsman.

Murakami is also famous for a Tuishu(Japanese Lacquerware).

The tourist information center was originally opened by a non-profit organization in Murakami, however unfortunately, that group gave up to administer the center.

The craftsman heard about that, and soon decided to take it over with his friends.

I talked with him for 2 hours about his opinion on how to train pupils, and how to protect such a traditional culture.

His way of thinking was very neutral, and I began to like his personality.

I also talked to him about my opinion on the shamisen world, and he advised me about my situation.

I really enjoyed talking with him and appreciated him, so I decided to buy his handmade chopsticks for my parents as a souvenir.

He also explained to me about the details of the architecture of Murakami’s old houses.

All houses are connected to the neighbouring house.

After talking to him, I rode around again by bicycle, and arrived at the Murakami Museum of History.

When I arrived there, it was only 15 minutes before closing time. However the staff of the facility waited for me to finish seeing the exhibits.

I thought that the people who I met in Murakami were very kind, and that’s why I like rural areas.

On my way back to the station, I found a nice regional meat shop by accident. I was very lucky!

I bought a nice big beef bowl and a beer for my dinner, and enjoyed them in the waiting room of the station.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you another topic.

On that day, a small summer festival was being held all over Murakami.

I saw some Dashis(floats) on some streets.

Unfortunately, a bigger festival would be held on the day after my I visited Murakami, and the most famous festival, which is called “Murakami-taisai” is held in July every year.

I took a taxi to my ryokan. The following images are of the ryokan and my room at the ryokan.

The Senami hot spring is the nearest hot spring areas to Murakami.

When I saw this old style of mirror in my room, I was very surprised!

Usually we only see them in the movies.

Actually, the late owner of my ryokan was a founder of Senami hot spring.

I suddenly wanted to drink alcohol. I ordered a chu-hi.

The taste of the drink was not so interesting, however the situation in which I drunk alone at the ryokan was intersting.

The following images are of my breakfast. It was delicious which goes without saying.