Christmas In The Air

Guinness getting a hug from Santa.

Dad's annual Christmas art.

mosquitos and flower

The elegance of the dainty bloodsucker.

on the bridge

After the Basketball game we decided to walk back to the city. I`m not sure why we made this crazy decision. It was cold and grey and a long walk through the industrial port area. But i did get some nice (actually "interesting" might be a better word) views and pictures of a part of the city i would otherwise not see. We also got to walk across one of Osaka`s larger bridges, though more a functional bridge than a fancy decorative one to look at. Still cool, though.

Crazy Juggler Man

If i could do anything at this moment in time with my life it would be... NOT juggling things in front of cars.




Is the craziest part his actions? his hair? his total lack of footwear? or the fact that my camera tells me he wasn`t just an insane hallucination?

This picture was taken a while ago in Buenos Aires (by me). I was sorting through pictures on my `puter and found these and a ton of other randomness. Stay tuned. =)

Takedao Hiking

The pictures say it all, really. A great but easy hike along an old disused train line that runs through steep valleys and old tunnels. Bring a flashlight, a snack, a camera, and good friends and you`re all set. Thanks to Peter for arranging this hike.

Willy Wonka`s Amazing Waste Disposal Facility

For those of you who may not live here in Kansai, this is not in fact a giant candy factory run by a whimsical and slightly creepy man in a cool hat. This is where they incinerate the tons and tons of garbage produced by the residents of Osaka and surrounding area. Feel the magic!

Baskeh!! (Japanese Basketball League)

Lunchbox and coffee

Anyone feel like a quick break?

Delorian

99 Islands (Kyu-Ju-Ku Shima)

A chain of islands just outside Sasebo town. Well worth the boat tour (only about an hour to 90 minutes on a recreation pirate ship that is beyond kitchy), the island chain actually consists of 208 islands and formations, many of which are only large enough to hold a single tree. The area provides a number sheltered spots for aquatic sports like scuba diving, kayaking, swimming and some of the best pearl farming in Japan. we got a chance to see some of these pearl farms as our big novelty pirate ship slid between the islands with surprising grace and agility. Oohs and Aahs from the tour crowd served as kudos to the captain's helm skills.

The nice looking ship that we didn't take:

The signs to the toilet - how do mermen use the urinal?

The made-to-look-battered-but-actually-spotlessly-clean kitchy pirate ship we took:

I forget the name of this island but it looks like the guardian dog statues outside temples and there is a matching one on the other side of the pass. Every island has a name and a story or legend. I wish i could remember more of them.

One of the pearl farms we passed:

Not the smallest "island" but one of the cutest.

Sasebo Burger

Sasebo is just outside NAgasaki and is most famous for two three things:
1) the "99 Islands" (which i will post about soon)
2) the Americans' oft debated of much loved-hated military presence, and
3) the burgers. Brought by the military and adapted by the locals - first according to what food rations were available in post-war years and then to whatever the maker decided to throw in, really. The typical Sasebo Burger contains a beef patty (although many contain a slice of meat-loaf instead), a fried egg, and lots of fresh tomato, lettuce and onions. Special sauce varies from shop to shop and are carefully guarded secrets. At the Sasebo information office you can get yourslef a "Burger Map" which lists and directs you to all the recognized vendors of burgers in and around the city. We tried to get to as many as possible in the day and a half that we were there. Ambitious, delicious tourism.

Huis Ten Bosch Food

I`m not even going to try to name all the dishes. I doubt i could if i wanted to anyway. There were a lot more courses to each of the two meals (and i took pictures of them all!) but it would take far too long to post all of them. So here is select few. The first few pictures are from the family dinner we had the night before the wedding and the others are from the reception lunch. In every dish the presentation was exquisite and, though in tiny portions, each dish was a tiny bite of bliss.

Dinner (Japanese)

Note the selection of tiny dishes. One is shaped like a persimmon, a symbol of autumn in Japan.


That is not a chestnut, that is a cookie make to look like a chestnut. Mind boggling.


Sashimi (raw fish). I doubt you can tell in this picture but there are little slices of carrot shaped like gingko leaves and maple leaves. These are other signs of autumn here.


Now this dish was one of my favorites. The dish itself is a little hutr and inside is a piece of cooked persimmon on top of about two bites of the most perfectly tender roasted pork, all with a persimmon-miso paste sauce (the chef`s own recipe). Fantastic!


a selection of autumn tastes.


dessert, the components of which i cannot recall.


The post meal beer in a funny glass. German beer, very tasty. The glass is nice to look at but goofy to drink from. I drank lots of European beers while in the Dutch theme park. When in Rome...


Reception Lunch (French)

To the untrained eye this may look like a cappuccino, but no! It is actually a cup of incredibly delicious mushroom soup made from mushrooms that are so expensive it`s just funny.


And this is "hibiscus ice." When i inquired as to what it was actually made from, i was informed "hibiscus." yup. the flower. And it was perfect as a light pallet cleanser between the soup and the main courses.


You`ll note that the steak is shaped like a heart.
It was a wedding, after all. =)


Lovely little dessert...


...filled with fresh raspberry sauce!

The new Mr. and Mrs Sasa

The Wedding was small but gorgeous. The sun was shining, the bride was stunning, the food was heavenly. Congratulations to Kazuki and Azusa!! We started at the chapel, which was beautiful - all white marble and glass with a view of the ocean and fountains that fired water into the air. Then we took an old car ride through the Dutch town to the hotel dock where we boarded a small cruise boat and toured around the canals. The boat ride was lovely and people on the banks and walkways kept bursting out in applause when they saw Azusa in her dress and Kazuki and Azusa complained later that their shoulders hurt from waving so much. Then the boat dropped us at a big white building where we had lunch - the kind of lunch where you have trouble keeping track of which fork to use (pictures to come). Overall it was a really great wedding and very much like a fairy-tale.