Zao Hot Springs and Sukiyaki

From 5/15 to 5/16, my boyfriend and I've been to Zao in Yamagata prefecture to eat sukiyaki and take an onsen (hot spring bath). Zao is a popular ski area in winter and good hiking base in summer. Since it was off season, the tour was about $80 per person, including round trip flight to Yamagata, one night stay at a hotel, and 2 meals (all-you-can-eat sukiyaki dinner and breakfast). Beyond expectation, we had a really good time ;)

Zao Hot Springs are founded approximately 1900 years ago. The resort area is lined with many hot spring bathhouses. The hot springs are known for their high acidity, so you can't make any soap bubbles! In addition, you don't wanna soak any towel in water because it will be worn to rags! However, the hot springs are very famous for healing both skin conditions and gastrointestinal disorders. Surprisingly, it was true and my scrapes and pimples healed! Also soaking in the hot springs refreshes you physically and mentally ;)

Just a short distance away from the resort area, up on a steep hill, there is a dairottenburo (large outdoor bath)! There, you can enjoy the open air bathing surrounded by nature. Luckily, the hotel sent us there, so we didn't have to walk up the hill!

Early in the evening, we had sukiyaki for dinner. The water in Yamagata is very clean so the food there was delicious. I loved the sansai (wild vegetable) tempura! After dinner, we took a hot spring bath at the hotel. Since the hotel was chartered (there was no other lodger on this day), I sneaked into men's section and enjoyed a relaxing soak in the rottenburo (outdoor bath) with my boyfriend ;)

The next morning, we again took a hot spring before breakfast. I really loved the hot spring there, so I bought some flower of sulfur for my souvenir ;) Before we leave, we enjoyed walking the resort area. We went up a mountain by aerial tramwayhave, tried local food: "Igamochi" (kind of mochi) and "Tamakonjac" (simmered konjac). For the last time, we took a footbath ;)

It was a quick trip, but we really had a relaxing time!

I wish I could go there again.

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Odaiba

From 5/1 to 5/2, my boyfriend and I've been to Odaiba.Odaiba is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo.

After work, we had an early dinner and enjoyed the SPA at SPAZEN TOKYO. What is good about this SPA is both men and women can enjoy the SPA. There is an outdoor jacuzzi with a lovely night view of Odaiba. Of course, swim suit is mandatory ;) Luckily there wasn't any people there, so we had the space all to ourselves! After the jacuzzi, I had thalassotherapy and my boyfriend had head spa for about an hour! What a spendthrift! He-he!!!

We stayed a night at Hotel Nikko Tokyo where the SPA is located.
The next day, we had a breakfast buffet at the hotel. The weather was clear and sunny again, so we had a walk outside. The image on the right is a replica of the Statue of Liberty ;) Then we went shopping. There was Little Hong Kong in the shopping mall. Wow!

The weather was really nice, so we stayed in Odaiba until dinner time. There was an Italian restaurant called Trattoria Marumo in the Seaside Mall where you can eat out on the deck. The night view was fantastic! Their bouillabaisse was great, too! They make you a risotto after the bouillabaisse and that was really delicious ;) There was a young couples aged about 18... How advanced for their age!

It was a quick trip, but we had a good time!
Now I am back to the reality from yesterday... Fight!!!

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My Friend's Wedding

It is cloudy and windy almost daily, but luckily it was sunny with no wind on Saturday, on the day of my friend's wedding! Also by luck, I didn't catch the cold from my boyfriend ;)

She was my college classmate. Her college in Japan has a sister school in the US, which is my college, and she came on exchange when I was sophomore, if I'm right. I am glad that she invited me to her wedding since it was only a short period of time that I studied with her. She held a ceremony at wedding chapel of her college. I don't have her permission, so I will post her picture in the distance ;) Don't you think she's beautiful!?

The wedding banquet was held at a hotel. I had a good talk with my old friends! The wedding meal was gorgeous and delicious. (I forgot to take pics of some dishes since I was lost in conversation. He-he.) The place was full of love and I thought I need to be more thoughtful and attentive to my boyfriend...

However, I was just sorry for a while. When I got home, my boyfriend left all dishes unwashed and left all rubbish on the floor, so I was very mad at him and scolded! Then this morning, he forgot to pack his onigiri and left for work, so I hit the ceiling :( I know I need to be nicer but you know what I mean...

Okay, this is all for today!
Bye bye :)

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SUITE SWEETS JAPAN

On White Day (3/14), my boyfriend and I attended an exhibition called Suite Sweets Japan, where you can find the latest sweets from around the world. It was held at Tokyo dome city from 3/13-3/15, while International Patisserie Grand Prix 2009 (world's top-class pastry chefs' contest) was ongoing.

The exhibition was small in scale, but there were many interesting events on stage. We saw a wedding cake demonstration by chef Tsumagari. He and his disciples built up 6.5feet (2m) high & 132lbs (60kg) heavy wedding cake in about an hour! It was shaky at first so we all were worried, but they made-up! Surprisingly enough, it stopped shaking when it's completed. The chef is a good entertainer! He asked us if there is any couple who wants to cut the wedding cake. I immediately asked my boyfriend but he shook his head... so the other couple whose partner is aggressive got the chance! However, the chef again said we all could have a chance to take picture with the cake, so I immediately ran and lined up. Of course the line was closed soon after having a long line of people waiting! I think I was right that I didn't ask my boyfriend and ran!

The cake was cut and passed out to the first 300 people. I wanted to try it out, but the time they would pass out was after a couple of hours so we gave up. Actually, my boyfriend didn't want to wait... I knew he was hungry for dinner, so we left the exhibition.

For dinner, we had sushi at a department store in Shinjuku. Of course I ate my favorite fish, anago (conger eel)! It was really delicious and was close to the anago that my poor grandpa caught.

The high today is 68F(20C) again! I hope the weather won't drop till Saturday, since I am going to attend my friend's wedding!!!

Tomorrow is a holiday, Vernal Equinox Day! Yay!!! But unfortunately, my boyfriend caught a heavy stomach flu yesterday and it is said that the flu won't be cured for at least 5 days! I need to be careful not to pick up his cold before the wedding. Of course he took a day off today...

Because of this current recession or somehow, there are so many train injury accidents. Many train lines are delayed every morning. Too bad...

Let's do our best!!!
See you next week :)

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My Birthday @ Huis Ten Bosch

Hi! I'm back!!!

From 12/9 to 12/10, my boyfriend and I went to Huis Ten Bosch in Nagasaki prefecture for my birthday. Why we went there is, in June, my fritter with sea bream won the grand prize at asahi beer's contest. The prize for the contest was a pair of train tickets, lunch coupons, and a hot spring tickets in Kyushu. First, I didn't think I could use this prize, but luckily we decided to go there since the plane tickets were real cheap!

Huis Ten Bosch is the world’s finest European style flower resort. In English, Huis Ten Bosch means “House in the forest.” And true to its name this residential-style resort has canals running throughout, is surrounded by greenery, forests, amusements, shops, restaurants, five distinct hotels, a marina and residential area. You could get away from the routine!

There is a tower called "domtoren" with a full view of the luxurious resort! We went up there twice, both daytime and night.






In winter, they don't have many flowers but beautiful illuminations! The town is glittered with lights. Many gorgeous Christmas trees can be found here and there. Lot's of fun!




We had a lunch at a restaurant called Cascade in ANA Hotel JR Huis Ten Bosch. Seated in the atrium, the 3-storey windows allow expansive views of the quaint buildings and glittering canals of Huis Ten Bosch. We enjoyed very healthy prix-fixe menu using local food ingredients.




After the lunch, we had a drawing. I won the last place but my boyfriend won the 2nd prize, which was a pair of dinner tickets in the same hotel. So we had a dinner at a teppanyaki restaurant called Oumurawan. They have two exciting views. The first is the skillful knife technique of the tableside chef as selected beef, fresh seafood and local vegetables are prepared to the order. The second view is the twinkling lights at night. Luckily we could see a beautiful fireworks from the restaurant window.

After dinner, we kicked back and soaked in the hot spring. We had so much fun! Relaxing time with no Internet or people jam!

By the way, they give you a cute bear brooch for birthday people. If you wear it, everybody celebrates you and say "Happy Birthday", which is cool ;)


Today, the high in Tokyo is 59F (15C) and pretty warm. I like this bearable weather! Now I am leaving for the bean contest. Taking a day off again.

See you next week ;)

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Marc Chagall @ Aoyama Unimat Museum

Today (the National Sports Day) was a beautiful autumn day. My boyfriend and I went to see Marc Chagall's paintings at Aoyama Unimat Museum. My mom gave us tickets.

Actually, my boyfriend stayed out all night with his friends and came home at noon :( I didn't expect him going to the museum with me, but he came. And I think that was right, because today was a nice day to take a walk!!! (Too bad I didn't take many pictures...)

Chagall's 25 paintings were exhibited at the museum. Also there were some other Western European paintings : Marie Laurencin, Amadeo Modigliani, Moise Kisling, Leonard Foujita, etc... It has been more than 7 years since I last went to a museum. I thought I wouldn't feel the art of Chagall's work, but was impressive! I really liked his "Bouquet d’Anniversaire". It was too beautiful for words.

After the museum, we went window-shopping, walked to Omotesando. We had a glass of champagne at a cafe at metro. Then we took a train to Akasaka and had a dinner at a Thai restaurant. What was nice was that we came home before 9PM.

Badly, it's gonna rain tomorrow. I'm not that drowsy yet but will go to bed early once in a while!!!

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Hikarin Cafe

Hello! We are having high 90's almost daily!
The heat from the ground is steamy like a sauna and makes me dizzy :(
Because of the heat or not, I was extremely drowsy this morning that I fell back to sleep... Also, I dozed off while standing on the train... I'm okay now though!

Yesterday, the third Monday in July, was Marine Day (a holiday) in Japan!
My boyfriend and I went to Odaiba to go to the "Hikarin Cafe". It is a cafe opened by Nosan Corporation which is famous for their Yodoran (iodine-enriched egg)! I wrote about them often since I won some prizes at their contests every season.
Last week, I again won a prize, "the grand prize", and received lunch for two at their cafe! That's why we went there ;)

The cafe is open from 7/19-8/31, for a limited time only. They have an anti-aging food platter for adults and a well-balanced food platter for kids! Moreover, they have many different kinds of sweets and drinks. They all use healthy ingredients including their eggs!

The cafe was kind of crowded, but we could seat without waiting, which was good! It was a bright white cafe with a lot of cute images of Hikarin, the character of Yodoran, on the windows. There were some of my recipes in their handmade recipe books displayed there! We had a good relaxing time!

Moreover, there are many entertaining places in Odaiba. At the DECKS Tokyo Beach, there is a place called DAIBA 1-CHOME SHOUTENGAI (image on the right) where you can time-trip to Showa era (1950s). Also, there is a SEGA amusement theme park called Tokyo Joypolis.

On this day, there were a lot of people going to Fuji TV's "Odaiba Boukenou Final". I have no idea what that is, but it seems like popular with kids.

If you have a chance to visit Tokyo this summer, Odaiba is a place you want to go ;)

And lastly, you know what!? My bracket broke off again...
No more 3s!!!

Okay, I have another thing to write, but maybe tomorrow.
Good night!

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I Love NY

Hello! I'm back!

Our great time in NY passed by like a flash.
I left for NY on 6/29 and came back to Japan on 7/6.
I can't believe I've been there and now I'm back in Japan... I wish I could go back :(

When we arrived at Newark airport, there was a thunderstorm, but when we got out from the airport, it stopped! Since then till the last day, we didn't need an umbrella. Thanks for the great weather!

In NY, I saw my friends, went to jazz cafe (met a Japanese drummer in the band), traveled around New York with the Hop-on Hop-off buses and the Duck Tour (my boyfriend's request), went to movies (we saw Hancock on the day it was released!), went shopping, had delicious food, etc... I needed more time!

I think I don't have time to write them all in detail, so I will make an album soon! We took a lot of pictures, but don't expect too much. Actually, most pics were worse than I thought! I think I need a good camera, or is it because of my skill...?!

7/7 is Tanabata in Japan. We write wishes on strips of paper called "tanzaku" and hang them on bamboo. I wished to visit NY again, the next year! I didn't write on the "tanzaku" though...

Okay, I gotta go now.
I have a lot to do.
See you again ;)

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