2015-05-05, Nagahama with Takako

Yesterday they woman I met at the ABC Kids' dinner out, Takako, invited me to come to Nagahama (where she lives) and see the tree peonies and whatever else I wanted to see (she has a car!).

She met me at the station and our first stop was the park near the castle to see the wisteria.  They were beautiful, although they didn't seem to smell, but they were located in a circle around a parking lot!  That took a lot away from the beauty.  It was a windy day and the whitecaps, waves and color of the water made the lake look like the ocean.

Takako took me to a few 'michi no eki' which are sort of like highway rest stops (but much better). They usually have simple restaurants - mostly Japanese 'fast food' like udon (noodles in broth), curry rice, maybe some kind of rice bowl, ice cream...  and a souvenier shop, and they often have a local produce/fish market.  It was fun to look at (and buy some) local specialties and especially to have someone to answer my questions!

Unfortunately the 'botan' - tree peony - were mostly gone, they must only last a few days after full bloom, and the regular peonies, of which there were MANY, weren't open yet.  But it was still a pretty shrine to walk around in, and even though it's only a couple of blocks from Takako's house of 20 or so years, she's never gone in!

rhododendrum (although they are called azealas here)

Botan - tree peony (they are bushes though...)

I've never seen a jizo holding a baby before.

After going here and there we decided on a tonkatsu restaurant for lunch.  I was thinking of a fairly cheap meal, but it was a pretty fancy place (and wasn't cheap).  It was very nice and very delicious and it's always so much more fun to eat out with someone else.

Starting from the back with the sauces, left to right - a miso sauce, curry salt, wasabi mayo;
tonkatsu (breaded fried pork) topped with a piece of eggplant and 2 pieces of kabocha squash and on the right tonkatsu topped with grated radish, scallion and ginger.  The piece on the left was meant to be dipped in one of the sauces, the piece on the right in the ponzu (soy sauce and vinegar) sauce.
Rice, pickles, miso soup with something smokey, delicious salad with yuzu.  This was the 'Ladies Lunch' = more vegatables

Takakosan

We drove around some more, saw her (her husband's really - she's afraid of insects) vegatable garden and some other michi no eki, shrines and azealas which are in full bloom now.

A giant Buddha on the road near the lake.

The pics above and below are of the inside of the square that the giant Buddha is standing on.

 The following are from the park around the giant Buddha.

After some cold tea and conversation at her house, Takakosan dropped me off at the station loaded down with some asparagus and green peas from her garden, some special soba (buckwheat noodles) from one of our stops and some sweets.  At one of the stops I also tried some local milk that was delicious.  I will look for it in Hikone but it might only be sold in Nagahama or even only in specialty shops...

Ibuki milk.

You can't tell from this pictures but I rode home as the sunset and the sky was orange.