charcole

As everybody knows charcole used to use as a main fuel for a long time. Now in Japan it is also used in various way but in quite different way.

Of course when we barbecue outside, some people use it. And at a Japanese green tea ceremony "charcole" plays a realy inportant part. This charcole is really expencive and the quaillty is really good . It needs many process for only charcole to be able to play as the charcole used at a Japanese green tea ceremony.

Well, I also use charcole in various way at home.

Charcole is said to absorb odors, so I put a piece of charcole in the frige.

Or Charcoleis said to absorb chlorine, so I put some pieces of charcole in the bath tub when I put water in the tub.

Charcole is said to make somthing soft. So when I cook rice I put a piece of charcole in the cooker, and when I boil water for speacial tea I put one in the kettle. In this case I use bamboo charcole.

It is said that we can use charcoal permanetly.BUT We need to rinse it sometimes to take off dust or something. BUT be careful not to use soap. After washingwe need to dry it in the sun. Charcoal is made from wood, so while we use it, it tends to easy to crack because of dryness and weathering.Fresh charcoal has good smell, if you enjoy the smell you should change it often. I change it once every two or three months. Becayse it is troublesome to rinse and dry it in the sun.

Have you experienced such a thing?

Have you experienced that though it looked bad, it turned out to be delicious when you actually tried? Figs. I thought it looked yuck, but I tried a ripe fig and I knew it was tasty. And I’ll tell another experience. Until I came here I haven’t had fish in river like AYU, YAMAME, IYANA, etc, which is called freshwater fish. This area there are many clean rivers near by, though we can’t to walk there it’s too far. We went to a river about 15 years ago. I saw “YANA”; a kind of trap. It was really huge. And I ate AYU grilled by charcoal. It was really delicious. Since then it is one of my seasonable fun to go there and eat fresh AYU, though I never buy the fish at store.
And this time I got this powder of rose hip. Probably I’ve had a tea of rose hip by teabag. I’ve thought it was a kind of herb “leaves”. But this I time I knew they were “hips”. (I knew the mean of “hips” this time.) It looks like Shichimi; a kind of Japanese Chile pepper, or powder of Japanese Umeboshi. Looks not so delicious. I tried. Ice smell, and tastes not so bad. It suits to a table spoon of honey. And according to the direction I ate the rest of powder of hips. The taste was --- so-so. But it is said to be good weaken eyes. I hope it works to get slow to proceed my presbyopia (my eyes are getting weak because of aging).

Last YUZU KOSYOU

Today's OBENTU is "NORIBEN". "NORIBEN" is rice covered with NORI (sea weed, you can see somthing black.)
Between NORI and rice I put dried bonito and YUZU KOSYOU. Do you remember YUZU KOSYOU? Since last fall we keep a jar of YUZU KOSYOU all the time. But it is the last jar of YUZU KOSYOU. Though I buy them from my friend who made them by her self, her stock has all gone. And rain season is coming so she doesn't make them no longer. We use YUZU KOSYOU for many things, NABE (pot food), noodle, spaghetti, rice ball, griled somthing. Thank you YUZU KOSYOU. We are looking forward to see them next fall. The firend said the trees of YUZU have lots of fresh gree leaves.

Mother's Day

It was Mother's Day today. During the last week I let my students make this chop sitck bag with a paper carnation for their mothers. Every student seemed to enjoy the craft. I hope they use it for today's dinner.
Actually I used it for myself for today's dinner, though my family was laughing.
This year unfortunately I got no present. When my daughter left home this morning, she said "I'll buy chocolate for you!". But as my exepctation she forgot. Anyway they expressed their thanks to me. That's enough. Oops, I almost forgot to say. My husanband bougnt beer more than usual to celebrate this day, though it means he was able to drink beer more than usual.

How many times did the weather change, yesterday?

According to the weather report, yesterday it was said to be rainy. And actually it rained from the evening. Anyway it was a terrible weather yesterday.
In the morning it was calm. I watered the plans in the morning. Before the lesson, my student who is a woman and older than I , enjoyed the Clmeatis. When she was about to come home the sky began to get black. And Just as next students came it rained and blew the wind heavily and thundered. So some students were wet, I got them dry by towel.
When the last student's lesson was finished, thunder was stopped, but it drizzled.
My daughter came home by bike, of course she was soaked.
So she soaked her in the hot tab for a while. (so my bathtime was so late.)
But when my husband came, it was calm night again.
He went to TOKYO on a business trip, he did't meet rain , like me. (because I was staying home all day.)

Thunder, it was one of famous things in this area.

Clematis are blomming

Last May I planted this seedlingng of Clematis in my garden recommending it from my friend who is a gardening-addict. And this may it opend big flowers contrary to our expectations. Today the friend is going to come to see them.

Under the Clematis JYUNIHOTOE (I don't know the English name) is also bloming as beautiful undergrowth.

Now our garden is the best beautiful in the year, not so mamy weeds, not so bugs.

After a while a rain season is coming, and the job I dislike is waiting for me -- weeding.

KUROMAI

I got this bag of KUROMAI. It looks like a little bigger black sesame, but it is a kind of rice (we can say glutinous rice. MOCHIGOME). We haven't eaten it. So I cooked it.

According to the instruction, We put two table spoons of KUROMAI into two cups of rice, and cooked.

Surprised! It got purple and sticky rice. Of course it's delicious.

I put it into today's daughter's lunchbox, and we ate for breakfast. And I made one riceball of it. Two cups of rice was gone.

I think we are into this KUROMAI for a while.

The second harvest

Yesterday I reaped MIZUNA again, and made salad with MIZUNA, tomatoes and grapefruit.

Only 15 days has passed since I reaped MIZUNA for the first time. It is growing rapdily. It is really useful plant, isn't it.

BUT compared with MIZUNA which is sold at store, our MIZUNA is a little bit bitter and leafish ; I don't know whether such word is resistered in the dictionary, anyway it is leaf rather than vegetable.

We went to TOKYO

Though Tokyo is my hometown, I've lived in Utsunomiya longer than in Tokyo. And the town of Tokyo has always changed. So the visit of Tokyo was like a sightseeing tour.

I met my elder daughter, and she said that she's seen Tokyo Tower from a window of bus, but she's never entered it.

So we went to Tokyo tower. But this week is "golden week"; consecutive holidays. It was really crowded. We had to wait for more than 2 hourse to enter it. So we gave up, just looked it up from the foot.

Then we went to Roppongi to see a new building which is called Tokyo Midtown, it opend recently. It was also very crowded.

So we dropped by a cafe and talked , talked, talked.

Now she seemed to enjoy the college life. She is dealing with metal this term.
Though I sometimes talked her with phone, I was really glad to talk her directly.

Well, while we were visiting Roppogi, my husband was weeding at his mother's house. He was really dutiful son, wasn't he? (He's never weeded in our garden.)

The former part of the one-week-holiday is finished

I'm fine, enjoying this big holiday, but exhausted. During the former part of this holiday, my mother was staying with us. I took her to lots of places; seeing wisterias in a flower park, appreciateing Ennin exhibition at an art museum, and diging bamboo shots at a bamboo shot farm. We walked walked and walked. So every night we went to a hot spring nearby.

And today my husband was at home, so he cleaned lights and changed the bulbs, repaired window screens, and gardened with me. He did housework with me. I was really happy.

Tomorrow, he is going to golf. I'm going to relax at home with my daughter. And the latter part of this holiday we are going to go to TOKYO to meet my elder daughter and my mother-in-law.

The first photo is a mauve wisterria, and the second photo is bamboo shot rice.

pea rice

Today's OBNETOU's (lunch box) main dish is pea rice. I got fresh coffee beans. I cooked rice with the peas, Komu (kelp), Sake(Japanese alcohol) and a little bit salt.

It looks dericious, and It makes us feel fresh green season of May.

But I covered the rice with scrambled egg, because my daughter doesn't like peas. Usually she eats toast and rice for breakfast. Today I only served toast and salada without saying anything.

So she didn't notice today's main dish.

Probably as soon as she will put the rice with the egg, she must notice there will be some peas. It can't helped. She has to eat. BUT she must chose out all peas and put them in the corner of the lunch box.

Anway I made the first seasonalbe dish. I'm satisfied.

During the golden week, I'm going to make bamboo shoot rice. Bamboo shotts, the members of my familly all like them. We are going to go to cut? pick? some bamboo shoots to the farm nearby.

try to spend holidays frugally

From next week we have one week holidays in a row, it is called golden week. It is reported that many people go abroad , but my family is completely in another world.
Early in April, I was ready for meeting big expenses; college expenses, high school expenses, and allowance to my elder daughter.
And later in April, I have to meet another expenses; property tax, car tax, car safety inspection, and gardening expences.
You may be surprised to hearing gardening expences.
Though we have a small garden it is hedged. This season I ask a gardenr to clip a hedge.
It is too tall to do by my husband.

Well, I feel empty. I try to save money as much as I can (though sometimes I suddely buy something for me), but money fries like an arrow?????. (Do you know some good humor??)

The first half of the golden week, my mother is going to come. So probably she'll treat something -- Thanks mom.
In the middle of it, we stay at home, so try to live frugally, it means I'm going to busy in housechores.
The later half of it, we are going to meet my mother-in-low to Tokyo, and we are also meet our elder daugter. So probably money is also going to fly like an arrow, because since she lived separately, we are too easy with her.

--Big sigh----

Toast Master's club

I attend a meeting of Toast master's club in Utsunomiya. Do you know Toast master's club? It's a kind of speech club. There are only 5 members in the club in Utsunomiya including me.
Yesterday I made a speech for the first time. ( It was the second time that I attened this meeting.) I introduced my self. (Thanks Jan, I did well.)
And every member made a short speech about three topics.
A woman and I were new membes, so these topics were selected.
your personality, your hometown, and how to spend holidays.

What I told was like that
The words my friends mention to discribe me are probably, active and positive, though I think I'm shy and not out going. But I like to look for something intereseting and inspiring. And I also like to tell those intereseting to someone proudly, so the word of "positive" seemes to describe me.
My home town is Tokyo. I was born and grew up in Tokyo. But since I came here more than 20 years passed. And it has been longer to live here than in Tokyo. So I seem to adjust the life in Tochigi more than in Tokyo. Anyway I can say the second hometown is Tochigi.
And the way to spend holidays, when my daughter doesn't go clam school, anyway I can get up lately. Then I clean the rooms, I clean the rooms upstaris once a week. and I try to weed. After the noon, I go out to attend a meeting like this, or go to the library. And usually at evening I go shopping with my husband, mainly to buy alcoholic. I try to spend holidays calmly.

homemade KAKIAGE

Do you remember I planted some seedlings of vegetables. Yesterday I reaped MIZUNA, and I made these KAKIAGE, they are kind of vegetable Tenpura.

My family said "Yummy, Great".

BUT I fried too much KAKIAGE, so they left. I reaped too much, MOTTAINAI (wasteful) , I should have cooked MIZUNA not only one way but also other ways.

Now the roots of MIZUNA are still left, so probably in a few weeks, I will be able to reap MIZUNA again. Reaping is fun, isn't it?

glove theater

Yesterday I went to a nursery school to read English picture books to kis. This time I told a story using this glove. Amon nursery or kindergarten teachters such shows are called "TEBUKURO SHIATA". "Tebukuro" means glove, and "Shiata" means theater.





I got this glove from a nursery teacher, usually she tells a Japanese story. I translated the stroy in English.

The story is like that;

Who love carrots? I loe carrots. (A horse comes.)

Do you like this carrot Mr. Horse? Here you are!

Munch, munch,munch, yummy!

Who loves this big carrot? I love it. (a elephant comes)

Do you like this big carrot Mr. elepaht? Here you are!
Munch, munch, munch, yummy!




The final phrase is


let's eat carrots everyboday and grow up big and strong!

It was fun.

dessert croquette

This is a croquette, I bought these frozen croquettes, and this morning deep fried and put 2 of them into my daughter's lunch box.
Usually in Japan croquetes are made by potato, ground meat and onion. And I sometimes use cirbed beef ubstead if ground meat.
But What are inside of these croquettes? Sweet potatoes and strawberry jam. So they are a little bit sweet, though they are not used suger.
There other two types, apple one and chestnuts one. How do they taste? I'm intereseted in them. and I also intereseted in my daughter's saying after coming home.
Do you like croquettes?

What kinds of medicine do you keep at home?

I make a deal "Toyama no okigusuri". It is tye system of stock of medicien at home. Ever two or three months a sells clerk (I think he or she is not a pharmacist) comes to check wich medicine we used. And we pay as much as we used, though we seldeom use any medicine. And the clerk also check the date of each medicine , if some medicines are over the valid months, they are changed to fresh (sounds strange? how do I describe? new?) ones.
So we can keep verious new medicines irrespective of costs; like medicines for headache, diarrhea, and stomachache, and painkillers, eyelotion, Band-aid, and even compress.

On the other hand these days my husband and I started to take some supplements. I'll show you. We take propolice and homemade yoghurt. My husband takes black vinegar, and I take another vinegar, that is called "moromi-su", and nomi juice. And a few days ago we found this special juice "shikuwasa" juice. It is a kind of orange, but more sour and astringent. It is said to have 100 times citric acid as much as normal orange juice.
I have a question, what kinds of supplements do you usually take?

We are into ---

In the morning, my husband usually drinks coffee, I drink green tea, and my daugher drinks cold milk. My daughter seldom drinks somthing hot. BUT these days she into this maple tea. It is not naple syrup. The smell and taste is maple.
We often have maple, but having maple tea is the first time. Delicious!

And my husband usually eats toast for breakfast. I do , too. And my daughter eats rice and toast, both. How healthy she is! And these days suger toast is one of our favorite types of toast. Once I tryed another maker's suger toast cream, but it was not good. This cuger toast cream by SONTON is really good, if you find it please try it.

Well, other our favorite types of toast are egg toast and fresh cream toast.
What types of toast do you like?

octopus

These are boild octopuses. The other day my husband went to Koube on usiness. Koube is famous for Akashi Tako; you see the sign on the wrapping paper in this photo, even it is written in Japanese. Akashi is a town in Koube, tako is octopus. Yummy!
We sometimes accept some foreigners staying with us because we are resistered as a host family. Probably octopuses one of the most unusual foods for them. For Japanese or us (my husband and me) we don't have a big difference between squids and octopuses, but for foreigners it seemsto have a big difference.
Takoyaki is also famous in Japana as a healthy? snack. It is my daughter's favorite, so when young foreigners come to my house I make sausage-yaki instead of tako-yaki. It is a kind of small unsweetened pancake.

in the middle of spring

Now in my small garden even though it is in the half shade, flowers are in full bloom. And NIRA(leek) that I sowed , has come up. AND of course weeds has appeared.

I decided to try to weed constantly. So this morning before watering I did 15-minute-weeding. My garden is small, and we don't have lots of weeds yet, so 15-mitnie-weeding worked well.

I also platned seedling of strawberries. They put buds. If they have a fruit, I can put them in my daughter's luch box, the red strawgerry will make the OBENTOU look vivid. How many strawberries can I get???