Extreme weather.

This has not been the best of weeks, our house sale fell through for the third time this year, I contracted poison ivy and we had an earthquake this morning. Nevertheless, life goes on and as I always say "everything happens for a reason". I have to admit though, I can not think of not one good reason why anybody would get poison ivy. Both my right and left legs look like they are going to fall off just above the ankle...Nice.

Well the typhoon passed us by, not much happened and Martin had to go to work. Despite the lack of extreme wind we did get woken up by an earthquake this morning . I awoke just after 7am to what sounded like a giant stamping his foot on our ceiling - last time this happened I thought it was our incredibily noisy neighbours but they have since moved out so I knew right away it was an earthquake. Anyway, Martin and I dashed under the dining room table for the last of the shakes and swaying. It was pretty quick and nowhere near as violent as the one in June but pretty scary all the same. I guess it's because when they start you never know if it's going to be a big one or not. When it happened in June, I woke up to an almighty roar, which was probably the concrete in the building, looked up towards my neighbours and said "what the hell are they up to now?" In reality, my choice of vocabulary wasn't quite so pleasent. When the room started to shake violently I realised pretty quick that it wasn't the neighbours and a very scantily clad Martin and Therese ran for underneath the dining room table. Despite the fact the building was swaying sideways, up and down Martin and I spent the whole time laughing very heartily that I had mistaken a 6.3 earthquake for our neighbours and were still laughing when the whole thing was over. It's always good to see a bit of humour in the midst of disaster, I think it must be a Northern Irish thing.

Anyway, it's all calm on the weather front and as you can see from the picture above it's a glorious Autumn afternoon in Hiroshima.

Typhoon Watch

September is the peak of typhoon season, and like most other things in Japan the first major typhoon has arrived bang on time. At the minute it is dry with hardly a breath of wind outside, the calm before the storm I guess, but by 9pm tonight it should be quite exciting. We currently have a weather warning for flooding and high winds, so it sounds like it could be quite a big one. One fringe benefit is that I might get tomorrow off work. Of course, I won't be able to go anywhere, but I get a lie in!

We will do a running commentary on the blog charting the progress of Typhoon 13.

A cup of tea, a decent biscuit and a sit down.

In case I haven't mentioned it before it is near impossible to find a decent biscuit in these parts. Proper English tea is hard to find too but that's ok since we packed 500 PG Tips in our shipping container along with 6 packets of chocolate covered HobNobs. We have about 350 tea bags left, the HobNobs lasted about two weeks. I have to say that there are few things better in life than dunking a chocolate HobNob in a hot cup of tea (and few things worse than dunking it in the tea for too long, losing it in the bottom and having to make a fresh cup).

We didn't get up to much today since Martin has four massive blisters on his feet from golf yesterday and I quite liked the idea of doing nothing, so I spent the afternoon baking chocolate chunk cookies, singing along to Snow Patrol and reminiscing about Saturday nights boogying on down at Dundee Student Union.

Although tasty, the cookies are no good for dunking in a hot cup of tea but they are still way better than the McVitie Green Tea Digestives on sale here.

Here's the recipe should you feel inclined to get your pini on.

* WARNING: This recipe makes a lot of cookies, about 30 in fact and my baking tray only took 6 at a time. Fortunately, I have an eager husband who was willing to check on said cookies, take them out of the oven, put more on and do this palava 4 more times.

50g of oats, grind to a fine powder in the blender
225g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
100g butter
75g sugar
75g brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 eggs
250g chocolate chips

Thoroughly combine all the flour, oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.

Cream together the sugars and butter. Add the eggs, lemon juice and vanilla, stirring well after each addition.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until they are fully combined. This requires extreme muscle power but once again willing husband was eager to lend an arm.

Put the dough in the fridge for at least an hour or if you have the patience, overnight is even better. I have no patience and don't even think I waited an hour.

Spoon dessert spoonfuls of the mixture onto an ungreased baking tray. Pat them down slightly and leave plenty of room as they will spread out as they cook.

Cook on 170 degrees for 13 minutes or until they are golden around the edges but still slightly raw in the middle.

Cool the cookies on the tray for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. I couldn't be bothered with all that waiting around and had already sampled one 2 minutes after it came out of the oven.

Enjoy.

Ps. We now have a mountain of cookies on the worktop which will have to be dispatched to work with Martin tomorrow otherwise I will eat them all. This seems to go down well Martin's colleagues who receive such treats on a weekly basis, they too miss a decent biscuit and I wont turn into a big heifer.

Golf in Japan

It's Martin here this time, to tell you about my first golfing adventure in Japan. Needless to say after over a year off the course, I hadn't improved, but I was nowhere near as bad as I thought I might be. In fact, I even managed a par on a par 5, and won closest to the pin on one of the par 3's. Of course, I still managed to lose a few balls, and duff a fair share but it could have been worse. The greens were really, really fast - well at least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

First of all apologies for no pictures, i forgot to take the camera. The golfing experience is all a bit more upmarket than my usual pay & play experiences back home. For a start, when you pull up, a team of helpers unload all the gear from the back of the car, and make sure it is all safely transferred round the back and strapped in to your pre-allocated buggy. Next you go in and check-in, almost a bit like a hotel. You get a numbered wallet with your card, which you use like a hotel key in the clubhouse and around the course for drinks, lunch, the driving range etc

A quick change in the very plush changing room (no changing in the car park here!) and out to meet your buggy. The big thing about these, is that they are automatic and remote control! Press the button and the buggy sets off up the fareway a preset amount, or until you tell it to stop! Buggies are mandatory, as it keeps everyone moving, but even if the weren't with the heat & humidity, they are essential. To keep you hydrated there are little drinks kiosks after the 4th & 13th holes, where everyone stops for a swift beer.

Needless to say the course was immaculately prepared, and the setting was beautiful. It was nestled in the moutains and seemed to have been carved out of a natural forest, absolutely stunning - I promise photos next time.

After the first 9 holes, it was a lunch (a tasty noodle dish) and of course you weren't going to lose your place as you had an allocated tee time for the back nine.

Once the wagers had all been settled in the 19th, it was time for an Onsen to refresh and soothe muscles. All in all, a very pleasant experience - with a price tag, but it was worth it.

Sorry to have bored any golf widows out there, I'm sure Therese will be back with another post about cafes, onsens and muffins soon.

Adventures in a mud hut through a 2ft 6" doorway.

It's Sunday night and Martin and I have returned a tad sun beaten but refreshed from a little jaunt to the old fishing port of Tomonoura on the Inland Sea. Fortunately, Tomonoura is not touted as a "Little Kyoto" in the way that so many tourist destinations in Japan are but fail to be and if you come expecting to see hoards of old samurai houses you'll probably be disappointed. Nevertheless, it is beautifully situated on the Inland Sea and it's lovely just to dander around all the narrow little alleyways and take in the ramshackle nature of the place, look at all the weird fish people sell on their door steps, chat to the locals and catch a glimpse of real, old Japan that you wont see in Kyoto.


Typical street scene in the village, it was a very tight squeeze driving down these streets, especially if you met another car. Fortunately, most people here drive little bento box sized cars and they all have buttons that automatically pull your wing mirrors back.


I love all those little gates and fancy roofs.


Freshly caught shrimp laid out to dry on the street.


Once we were done wondering around we caught the ferry over to Sensuijima Island which cost a grand total of one pound twenty and when we disembarked we thought we should head for an onsen. Well this was going to be no ordinary onsen, for a start we had to wear clothes - oh the horror of it! Martin and I then proceeded to change into our flashy airtex polo shirts and shorts supplied by the onsen (Martin had to search high and low for a pair of shorts big enough and when he reappeared I burst out laughing as they were a tad figure hugging - he claims he still maintained his modesty). Next up, we had to go and lie in the sauna which was not your usual pine clad monstrosity. In fact, this was a mud hut, with a thatched roof, mounds of seaweed on the floor, built on top of a roaring fire and could only accessed by crawling on your hands and knees through a 2ft 6" wooden door- see picture below.


Once inside, we had to lie on our backs on the roasting hot seaweed covered floor with only a rod of bamboo as a pillow and sweat it out before the staff let us out. Now after a few minutes of sweating profusely I began to feel a little claustrophobic so I clambered around in the dark until I found the door and crawled my way out. I emerged covered in black seaweed -face, arms, legs and all, boy must I have looked good.


After the sauna ordeal we got to soak in the cold bath which was rather pleasant as it was built in a nice rock pool overlooking the sea. Except this time we got to wear rather fetching sun visors (I'm sure they bought them in 1985) with floats attached to our necks. We enjoyed floating in the water until we were summoned for another sauna adventure, this time lying on a floor of damp tea leaves. After this was over we were ushered down to the beach where we had to sit in the sea for a while before our final sauna experience.


By now I was getting into the swing of things and quite enjoying it although I have to say I have never sweated so much in my life before. This time we laid on a bed of dried aromatic fruit leaves which was really nice. After this was over we headed for a soak in the hot bath where we enjoyed sipping green tea and looking out towards the sea.


We really enjoyed our fun little adventure and it's always good to try something new- even if they say you should never try anything new in a foreign country!

I know I've been in Japan too long...

It's been almost a year since Martin and I first set foot in Japan and I began to think about how our life has changed and how differently we do things in contrast to this time last year. Here's a few to begin with...

1. I never wear shoes in my apartment or my friends' apartments.
2. When I go to friends' apartments I select my shoes on how easily I can get them on and off.
3. I own a pair of toilet slippers.
4. I prefer to eat noodles with chopsticks.
5. We own chopsticks and actually use them...occasionally.
6. In everyday conversation to English speaking friends I occasionally drop in Japanese vocabulary.
7. When I encourage Martin on the treadmill at the gym, I raise my fist and say "Gambatte Kudasai" with great fervour.
8. I have eaten raw fish, rice and tofu porridge for BREAKFAST and it didn't kill me.
9. I have eaten the poisonous Puffer fish and it didn't kill me either.
10. I buy ridiculously overpriced, individually wrapped carrots, onions and potatoes.
11. I quibble over buying a three sliced loaf of bread or a five sliced loaf of bread.
12. More worrying is that recently I have been thinking that a loaf with eight slices is way too big.
13. I wait patiently for the taxi cab door to swing open and close automatically. Much to the taxi drivers distress in the early days I would always try to open and close them myself.
14. I never, ever cross on the red man and always wait for the green man.
15. I get annoyed with foreign tourists who cross on the red man and eat in public.
16. I smile at every foreigner I see on the street.
17. I assume that every other foreigner I meet can speak English.
18. I ride my little green bicycle everywhere.
19. I even wear short skirts, tight dresses and high heels when I ride my little green bicycle and I do not look out of place.
19b. Unfortunately, I have not yet managed the art of holding an umbrella, texting a mobile message, hanging large shopping bags from the handlebars, carrying a passenger on the back wheel and wearing high heels all at once while riding my bike!
20. When I am thirsty I like iced green tea.
21. I pay an extortionate amount of money to sleep on a straw floor and rest my head on a rice pillow at a Ryokan but I love it.
22. I love onsens even more and don't mind being naked with lots of other Japanese people.
23. At 5'4" I feel tall. (That's the best!)

The Good Life

With only the vaguest of directions, Martin and I headed off into the mountains in search of a pottery we saw advertised in the Jazz cafe at Yuki. Making our way through the twisting, one track roads we eventually found the pottery and its potter in her garden tending the bonsai and wearing a wide brimmed straw hat with lots of glossy black hair flowing from underneath. This was definitley the Japanese equivalent of Felicity Kendal in The Good Life.
We said we had come to see the pottery and she led us inside the most beautiful, traditional Japanese country house. There was a lovely stone entrance hall where we took off our shoes and then stepped up into the shop area which had a traditional clay cooking pit in the middle of the polished wooden floor. From this room, we were led into the main living area with tatami flooring, shoji screens and a veranda opening out onto the garden. The lady gestered for us to take a seat on the veranda, so we duly pulled up a straw cushion and sat down not knowing what to do. She magically reappeared in front of us bestowing a tray of iced green tea and homemade biscotti - pure bliss.


We immediately began to cool down sipping our iced green tea and admiring the view of the garden, the only noises interupting us were the occassional quacking of the ducks (well there would have to ducks wouldn't there?!) and the cutest little dog who wanted to nibble on our biscotti.




After taking as long as possible to finish our tea we browsed the pottery and decided to purchase a pretty little plate and salad bowl.





Yes, that is a real duck in the picture above! We put our shoes back on and headed out to the garden to admire the bonsai and look at the ducks, who had just produced the biggest silver blue duck eggs I have ever seen. I reluctantly said goodbye to this lovely little version of "The Good Life", although I briefly contemplated moving nearby and being just like Margo with Martin as my Jerry.


We drove on to an onsen village where we cooled down and admired the views of the valley from the Japanese baths. On our way back from the onsen we walked along the river and saw some fabulous flora and fauna.



We spotted this really huge butterfly with a wonderfully, intricate pattern on its wings.


We dabbled our feet in the cool river waters and then headed back to the city. It's not a bad life.

Some Random Pictures

On Monday we went to Onomichi which is about an hours drive away. However, it was so hot that the three of us had to abandon ship at 2pm and go home. We were among the few people on the street at time, I think the Japanese had the sense to stay indoors.


This is a one person van. I dread to think how it handles corners.


We drove back along the Inland Sea from Onomichi. It was really scenic and the views were beautiful.


On Wednesday we stumbled upon this cool little cafe in the mountains. I saw a frog on the front step but I was only mildly hysterical as it was really small and almost cute. It was about the size of an M&M and hopping along like it hadn't a care in the world. There was a little river beside the cafe that Julie and Martin dabbled their feet in but I was too afraid of the frogs so I stayed well indoors.


Yes, your eyes are not mistaken, that is a Porshe inside the cafe.

Summer in the city.

I realise that its been a while since I have posted anything on the blog and thought I had better do something about it before you all think it has been abandoned! I blame it on the heat, it really is terribly hot here. Today was 36 degrees but it is the humidity that makes everything much worse. By the time I get anywhere I have evolved into a big sweaty puddle. Really, it is just like living in a sauna and it's not even like you can get a tan, the sun is way too strong for that and there are very few green spaces around. Anyway, enough ranting about the heat.

On Saturday Martin and I decided to escape the metropolis and head for the mountains. It was lovely and green and a little cooler up there too. We sampled a cool little jazz cafe and ate one of the best beef curries I've had in a long time. Generally, the Japanese don't like spicy food so it is a real novelty to taste something with a hint of heat. Here are some pictures, we had a fine carbonara too. This should also prove that Japanese food isn't all about sushi - just like the Irish dont eat stew every night of the week. In fact I am surprised by how few sushi restaurants there are around and the good stuff is really expensive.


Kind of looks like it should be in the Alps or something doesn't it?


...and a tasty morsel it was too.


Martin dishing up the carbonara. This is yet another peculiar custom in Japan. Whenever you order a meal in a restaurant the food will be shared with whoever you are with. So a word a warning, never expect to get a whole plate of food sat in front of you. This is very irksome, especially when you're really hungry or just really greedy and want to eat the whole thing by yourself.

Birthday greetings to Sheena and Stuart. Sheena, if you were here we would take you for a special sushi dinner and then shoe shopping. Stuart, we wish we could go to Ascot with you and drink lots of Pimm's and Champagne - hope it isn't as hot as it was the last time!

Love until next time, Therese,xxx

Martin is a giant. Our trip to Matsue.

We are just back from a wonderful weekend in Matsue, a three hour drive north of Hiroshima and as you can see from the following pictures the hotel we stayed at was rather small. As soon as we stepped out of the elevator it looked like everything had shrank to three quarter size, I felt just like Alice in Wonderland.


Note how small the doors are and the width of the hallway.


What you see is really what we got. When Martin stood in the shower his head hit the ceiling. The entire bathroom was 3.5ft by 5ft.

The bedroom was so small that there was only room for a small double bed squashed up against the wall and no wardrobe. It certainly was compact.

Surprisingly, I actually slept really well and we had a lovely weekend that involved lots of teas, coffee, museums, castles and gardens.


On Saturday we visited the Louis C. Tiffany village near Matsue. The museum has an outstanding collection of Tiffany lamps, stained glass, jewellery and art nouveau furniture. The attention to detail is amazing and they have even recreated a church to showcase the Tiffany inspired windows.




The museum and church are surrounded by English style country gardens, they are really beautiful and I really didn't feel like I was in Japan as I admired all the wonderful flowers and plants.


Afternoon tea in the attached tea room was every bit as good as it looked and they even had Tiptree jam!

On Sunday we drove out to the Adachi gardens, frequently voted the best in Japan, they really are a sight to behold - even if they do look a bit like Telly Tubby Land.



Everything is raked and pruned to perfection and the gardens can only be viewed from inside a glass building. I know that sounds a little odd but I guess that gravel wouldn't look so perfect if there were thousands of tourists tramping on it everyday.

After the gardens we headed off for coffee made by the 2nd best barista in the world (according to the World Barista Championship, 2005). As expected the coffee tasted pretty good but the presentation was even better.


Isn't that so cute?!

Despite the fact that it rained constantly for two days (even our hotel room leaked) we plodded on and took in plenty of sights. Next up was Matsue Castle one of the biggest in Japan and the view from the top was pretty cool - we had to climb five sets of really old rickety stairs which were more like ladders but the risk was worth it.


We rounded off our little sojourn with a coffee made by the brother of the 2nd best barista in the World at a little cafe in Matsue. It was pretty similar and the presentation was just as cute.


One of the things I love about Japan is that there's always a cool cafe lurking somewhere just around the corner!