Green and Deep Breath

I will write my trip for Takamatsu City.

After breakfast I went to Ritsurin Garden. This place was Japanese style garden and very beautiful. I have been to some Japanese gardens in Japan. It is one of my favorite garden. Pine tree (Matsu) 松 is typical Japanese tree. A lot of pine trees planted and there are some ponds and bridges. I walked around in the garden watching green and felt relaxed.   

I could drink green tea and Japanese cakes (Wagashi) 和菓子 at tea house, Kikugetsutei.

View from tatami room.    

The view from tatami room was aesthetic. It was very calm and quite. I forgot time passing. I ate green tea and cake.

green tea and wagashi

Wagashi's shape expresses nature, especially flowers for each seasons. This expresses Kikyo 桔梗. Kikyo is one of typical Japanese flowers. I love wagashi and it was very delicious.
Sitting without nothing, only deep breath... I could relaxed.

I ate Sanuki Udon for lunch after visiting this garden. It was so delicious, too.  
Delicious foods and feeling nature is my pleasure of trip ! There are a lot of places in Japan that I never been to. However, I could know again Japanese beautiful culture and scenery at this trip.
I want to visit many places in Japan. 

Trip for Takamatsu 高松 and Nao shima 直島

I went for a trip in Takamatsu and Naoshima (island) in Kagawa prefecture. Kagawa prefecture is one on Shikoku island 四国. There are four prefectures, Kagawa, Ehime, Tokushima and Kochi in Shikoku.

Kagawa 香川 is famous for Sanuki Udon (noodle). I love Udon and eating Sanuki Udon is on of my aim for this trip. It takes one and a half hour by airplane or four hours and a half by Shinkansen from Tokyo to Takamatsu.

I went to Naoshima to see modern art museums. Art Setouchi is an art project. I heard from my co-worker that it was interesting. And I've never seen to Setouchi (Seto island sea). So I decided this trip.
I went to Naoshima by ferry. There are some art works at the island. I could see an red and dot big pumpkin at the port. Artist of this work is Yayoi Kusama.  Her dot painting is famous.

Big Red dot Pumpkin

And another art work of pumpkin is exhibited in the island. It is yellow dot pumpkin. 

Yellow Dot Pumpkin

Benesse House is some museums and Hotel. This establishments are designed by famous Japanese architect, Tadao Ando. He designed a lot of buildings or establishments. Omotesando Hills in Tokyo is one of his works. I especially like Chichu Art Museum. I could feel harmony of space, light, and quiet for art works and musiam.
Ie project (Art House Project) is interesting. One art work is exhibited in old Japanese style houses.
Naoshima is very small island, however I could relax and feel fusion of nature and art.   

 Benesse Art Site Naoshima  

I will introduce my trip in Takamatsu City next time.                 　

Lupin III (Lupan Sansei) ルパン三世

I saw a movie of Lupin III ルパン三世 on TV yesterday. Lupin III is my favorite Japanese animation series. The movie was so interesting and I thought Lupin III was excellent animation. The story is interesting for even adults.

When I was a child, I saw first TV series again and again on TV. Interesting animations were rebroad casted in my childhood in Japan. Lupin III is one of them. All of contents, the plot, character or story are perfect. And soundtrack was so stylish at that time.  Main characters,Lupin III, Jigen Daisuke, Ishikawa Goemon, Mine Fujiko, Zenigata Keibu (detective) are unique and comical. Lupin III is cool and so gentle for women. Jigen and Goemon are good friends for Lupin. Fujiko is very cute, sexy and cunning. It is interesting that Lupin is always at her mercy. And Zenigata and Lupin's relationship is funny. The model of their relationship is Tom and Jerry, American animated cartoon. (I love Tom and Jerry.)

This year is 40th anniversary.  Lupin III will be interesting even present time. If you have a chance to see it, you can enjoy this animation.                        

Owaraigeinin お笑い芸人 (Japanese Comedian)

Laughing is essential in our life. When I am depressed or can't keep energy, I can relax after laughing.

Rakugo is traditional comedy. It is performance of story telling by one person (rakugoka) who is sitting on the cushion (Zabuton). Manzai (Stand up comedy) or comic skit is popular. A lot of comedians who called "Owarai geinin" appear every day in TV show now. "Owarai" means generic name of performance for comedy like Rakugo or Manzai and "geinin" means comedian in Japanese. A unit of a trio has a name. Geinin originally plays comic skit or manzai, however, appear in various situations. For example, Downtown is well-known unit. Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada is duo. They have a lot of own TV programs as hosts and these programs are very popular. Off coarse one comedian exists and they who are called "pin geinin" have a special own gag. These gags or phrases in there performance get vogue-word "ryukougo" 流行語 every year.

Japanese comedians belong to agencies. There are a lot of agencies. The biggest agency "Yoshimoto Kougyo" employs a lot of popular comedians. Popular geinin are genius for the art of storytelling. They are used in all of genres, TV, TV commercial, drama, quiz show, radio personality, movies or theater. Yoshimoto is an agency in Osaka, west area in Japan . So these comedians are almost from Osaka and they speak a special dialect "Osaka ben". Yoshimoto has some schools for people want to "owaraigeinin" in each area in Japan. Geinin of Yoshimoto play in theater in Osaka and Shinjuku (in Tokyo).

I like to see "Owarai" in TV. When I want to forget sad or bad news and feel negative, I can relax after having a lot of laugh. Laughing is an important prescription in my life.

Kokurikozaka kara コクリコ坂から From Up On Poppy Hill

I saw new Studio Ghibli film "Kokurikozaka kara"  It is beautiful and I felt nostalgic. The period in this film is early '60 . I wasn't born, however, the background and people's life style remind me of nostalgia. 
I have seem Ghibli film on big screen first time. Also pictures and color is so exquisite on the screen. The details of person, light and shadow, nature... all of them are fantastic. The story has no adventure or spectacle. The film describes normal life in early '60, calm and peaceful. Life is not convenient and there is no exciting materials. However, everyone is peaceful. I was touched. I love ending theme, "Sayonara no natsu" さよならの夏.

Today is memorial day of Hiroshima. We live in invisible fear, it is radioactivity. We can't feel and see radioactivity. Materials are abundant in our life, however, are we happy ?  We have to change our future.  

コクリコ坂から 

Hiyashi Chuka 冷やし中華

What do you want to eat in summer ? There is a dish that I want to eat in summer. It is Hiyashi Chuka. It is cold noodle and so popular dish in summer for Japanese. I ate first Hiyashi Chuka this summer. It was so delicious!

Normal toppings are ham or boiled chicken, cucumber, kinshitamago (sliced tamagoyaki) and tomato and so on. I think Hiyashi Chuka is probably original Japanese dish. Sauce is especially tasty. There are two types of sauce, one is sesame taste and another is soy sauce and vinegar taste. I like both taste.  

I like other Japanese cold noodle, Somen or soba, however, Hiyashi Chuka is my favorite menu in summer.             

Good News - Nadeshiko Japan

Rainy season was over earlier than usual year in Tokyo. Hot summer begun. Since Tohoku big earthquake occurred, we have to save electricity. There is difference this summer. We can know forecast for electric consumption in town or on TV news. And we can predict everyday when a lot of electricity is used and we have to save. But it is too hot to use air conditioner. It must be so hard to spend summer for us. I realize again that electricity is necessary for us to live.
Although we have had a lot of problems since big earthquake on 3.11, we can hear good sports news.
Now women’s soccer world cup is held in Germany. Contract with men’s national team, Japanese women national team is not well-known among ordinary people. The games weren’t on air by public broadcasts. However, according to FIFA world ranking, Japanese national team is fourth. It is so strong. We call it “Nadeshiko Japan”. “Samurai Blue” is the nickname of men’s national team. Nadeshiko なでしこ means a name of flower, Dianthus.


"Nadeshiko Japan" defeated German team at quarterfinal last week. We were so grad to hear about news. Next game is semifinal and opponent is Sweden team. If Nadeshiko Japan becomes No1, we will be happy and encouraged.