2016-03-08, Kinomoto

Sorry I haven't written in a while.  I've been sick a couple of times, and I haven't been going out much because of the weather - therefore I didn't have anything to tell/show you.

But spring is on it's way and hopefully I'll be out taking lots of pictures soon.  I'll start off with a Korean lunch I made for one of my adult students.  She also likes Korean dramas and we had planned to watch a Korean movie and have lunch together until I realized that I need English subtitles and she needs Japanese subtitles and so it wouldn't work.  But we had a nice lunch and a little walk.

japchae

spicy sweet chicken

kimchi tofu soup

kimchi a coworker happened to make and share

We had a little more snow....

But it looks like spring is almost here.  That's a beautiful weeping plum.

This past Sunday I went to a little town about 20 or 30 minutes north of here called Kinomoto.  There was a shakuhachi and koto concert being held there in the afternoon so I decided to explore the town before the concert.  On the back of the concert flyer there was a note that said that at 10:40 there would be a 1 hour walking tour of the town.  I rode to the station with aching legs - I haven't been riding around much... and arrived in time for an earlier train.  Along the way I noticed loads of photographers gathered in various towns waiting to take pictures of something... they were aimed at the tracks so I figured it was some kind of special train.  Turns out it was a steam engine.  But those men, seemed like all men, were there a couple of hours before the train was scheduled to come by.  To each his own.

I was happily surprised when I arrived at Kinomoto because there was a local vegetable market inside!  Loads of beautiful and very reasonable produce.  I bought 2 packs of shiitake mushrooms, some red and yellow peppers and something else but I've forgotten what it was...  Actually I was very good.  Outside the station there were a few snack booths set up for the people who were watching the train and then exploring the town.  I bought some mochi and some really yummy nut and seed candy.

Kinomoto is an old town, settled around 1640.  There was a fire and many buildings were rebuilt in 1704.  I think many of them are still standing and I noticed there were a lot of metal poles holding up awnings and parts of roofs.

Then off on the tour gaining some interesting info, figuring out where I wanted to go back to (as always Japanese tours don't give you much time to explore) and how to get around.

Kinomoto Station

See that gigantic statue up on the hill?  I didn't go up there.

An old fashioned mail box.

I think they're trying to raise funds to re-roof one of the buildings.

Very unusual.  Normally there's a dragon or lizard spouting water.  In the past it was believed frogs had good eyesight and this shrine 'specializes' in charms and prayers for better eyesight.

You can buy a frog for $10 and leave it here for improved eyesight.

This is a famous bakery that makes Salad Rolls (see the sign below).

There are a LOT of VERY strange breads in Japan.  This is right up at the top of the list.  It's a soft roll, slightly sweet and long like a sub.  Inside there are pickles and mayonnaise.  Some days I like it, some days I don't.

Signs outside a very old (not used anymore) drug store.

This is the beautiful inside of a sake shop.  Nice displays.

Rice used for the sake.

On the left you can see different types of rice used for sake.  Evidently it's not the same kind of rice we eat.

This is interesting.  When the year's batch of sake is ready this ball of evergreen leaves is put out in front of sake shops letting people know it's ready.  Sake, unlike wine is good the year it's made.  This one has been out for a while so it's brown.

A soy sauce maker.

This shop sells wild boar ramen.  I was tempted but didn't have it.

Nice little bakery established in 1930.  They sell Japanese sweets and a few western cakes.

I wonder if these straw mats are here because of snow.

A lot of people in this town still seem to get milk delivered to their house.

The concert was held in this old bank.

  Afterwards I walked around on my own for a couple of hours, had a light lunch at the concert venue (an old bank) where a few ladies were cooking for the staff and participants and concert goers and tourists off the street.  The menu was a little different than our usual cookies and wine or coffee.

Vegetable rice, inari sushi, miso soup, onion rings (!!!! very unusual and I had to have them! Yum.), cake set, sweet bean soup with mochi (had that too), grilled rice on a stick (that rounded out my strange lunch), yuzu tea, coffee, green tea.

I still had time to kill so I wandered around some more and then I went in to the concert.  The music was good although the acoustics weren't great, but the man who was introducing everything and 'narrating' went on and on between each song.  Telling us about the musicians, the instruments, the composers, the difference between Japanese and western music, etc.  The talks were at least twice as long as the music.  A little too much.

While I was in Kinomoto Cindy was at Costco and she brought me lamb chops, pizza and goat cheese!!!!  I'm in heaven!