We both enjoyed this Italian restaurant. It maybe a good
idea to go eat dinner here.

The restaurant had a nice courtyard - I wanted to eat there
but it was too hot!

I am ready to eat! 

This was one of the best pasta I have ever had. 

It was a beautiful lawn - my father would be very happy
to practice golf here.

People's wishes are written. 

This is huge Kouro! 

I am drawing a shrine lot. 

Look closer, and you will see a rainbow! 

It doesn't look like it but Nishiwaki city is situated in the
very center.

Such a cute doggy at a photo shop we dropped in - forgot
to ask the name, zannen!

I still don't know what this is but worth taking a picture! 

It was a very hot day but was also nice for walking. 

A world map at the very center of Japan! 

A trip to Nishiwaki

Last Saturday I went to Nishiwaki, Hyogo. Nishiwaki city is situated in the very center of Japan and called "Heso (belly button) city" ! It was a very hot day and I needed to wear my obasan hat.
There is a park "Heso Park" and we saw many interesting things. We had a delicious lunch at a very nice restaurant. I had seafood pasta and my friend had mushroom pasta. It was one of the best pasta I have ever had and hoping to go back there again but I dont remember the name of the restaurant, doushiyo! We happened to find a beautiful shrine - I wll let the pictures tell what we enjoyed.

On Sunday I went shopping and bought a very cute yukata. I am really looking forward to wearing this on the 16th of July for fireworks in Hiwasa, Tokushima - hope to post some pictures of it !

I love this country! (＾∀＾)！

Here are some great Japanese inventions. I love my country!!!

great invention 1

great invention 2

great invention 4

great invention 3

great invention 5

great invention 6

This is Yoshimasa where I had a nice dinner with my
family and relatives.

Nice decoration but I enjoyed the beer most ：P.

Neil, cooking a delicious dinner.

Looks yummy and tasted yummy!

Hmm...I think I saw this pillow at someone's birthday
party... (right, B** !?)

　(-_-；) ・・・。

外食デイず！

Two days ago I had dinner at a restaurant with my family and relatives from Shikoku. My relatives were visiting my grandma who is 86 years old. My family is very longevity and my great grandfather lived till 108!!
We went to a restaurant "Yoshimasa " and had nice Japanese cuisine. I happened to see an elementary school classmate - she is working there and treated us very kindly which was really nice.
Yesterday I had dinner at Neil's apartment. We mostly talked about a JET in my town - no need to be mentioned about him in detail... Neil is a very good cook and cooked for me a nice dinner as aways.
Seems like I have been talking about only food lately! I need to find something different and new next week (＾∀＾）！

delicious dinner - soba noodle was the best! 

Fujiwara san who loves beer so much!

Last Wednesday night Fujiwara san invited me for dinner. He is a president of subsidiary owned by MES (Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co.) and has known my father for a long time. When I arrived at a Japanese izakaya restaurant called 'Haisuinojin', Fujiwara san was already there and drinking beer - soon later I joined it. He asked me many questions like how I was doing with my new job. Because he knows a lot about my father and mother, I really enjoy talking and listening to Fujiwara san's story, especially about my parents - how they met, what their date was like... When I got home with lots of omiyage food and stories from Fujiwara san, my parents were home - not knowing I had heard lots of secret stories about them! I just gave them a big smile. They smiled me back! (＾∀＾)=3　haha!

Tamamo castle in Takamatsu at night.

Unique telephone booth in Anan, Tokushima. 

Anan beach - the white building is a hotel where
you can take a wonderful outside bath.

Beautiful view from the hotel.

Asahi, No.1! (＾－＾)/

Last weekend I visited my friend in Tokushima. On friday I jumped into the train immediately after work and arrived in Tokushima at around 22:00. On the way to my friend's house, we stopped the car by the river and sat down on the ground to see fire flies in the forest. It was an amazingly beautiful site and I couldn't stop saying "Sugoi!!". Sometimes there are moments that cannot be captured by pictures and the site of fire flies were one of those moments. Next day we woke up late and drove around beautiful part of Tokushima. Me and my friend first went to the beach and had delicious sudachi flavour ice cream at the station nearby. Then we went to a seaside hotel and took an outside bath which was fantastic! My friend had three glasses of beer and I had one after bath - both got quite drunk. We went to see fire flies again and there were more of them on that night. They looked like sparkling stars in the sky or christmas trees! I will miss beautiful countryside of Takushima after my friend leaves there next month.

外人がうちにやってきた！

Welcome to a traditional Japanese house.


Neil told me that he had never got an invitaion from Japanese family (after having lived here for about a year!) and also mentioned it was his birthday this month. I talked to my mother about it and she said, "Why don't 'we' invite him?". So..., why not? We invited him to my house for dinner - as the first gaijin ever who came to my house! My mother was so excited about his visit and she had planned things like what food to serve, what to talk! I picked him up at around 18:30 and Neil said he was nervous and I guess my parents were nervous too. As soon as we got home, we started eating some Japanese food that my mother cooked, after a 'Kanpai!!' toast. Then after dinner Neil and my father played shogi - traditional Japanese chess. I also played othello with him and ... Well, I guess Neil visited us just to make my family happy. My father is crazy about goldfish and he keeps hundrends of them. He insisted on showing his goldfish off to Neil, so we all went out to see the goldfish - my father looked quite happy and proud. Neil and my family talked for a little while and he left my house at around 23:00. Surprisingly, my father looked very happy and asked me when Neil would come back again. My parents are both looking forward to his visit again.

This is me in NY on Christmas day!