found the best matcha (and bancha) gelato shop in Kyoto (across from Lawson Fushimi-Inari), run directly by the Uji tea manufacturer, Nishimura Gelato Factory.
mango & premium matcha♡
お茶を製造する宇治の会社の直営ジェラート店に遭遇。とても美味しかった!今までは茶葉やその製品を売るとしても(市内の抹茶デザート店に卸す)B to Bの問屋さんだったのが、初のB to C小売フラッグショップだそうです。耳鼻科に通っていてあまりにおいがせず、味を100%堪能できない今の私でも「美味しい!」と思ったので、完治したらもっと味わえるかな♪
lefthanded2
I met with my friend J from HK (she was my private tutor in Putongha) and had hamo (daggertooth pike conger/conger eel) for the first time this summer. Happy to see her after…several years? We never met, did zoom, nor made phonecall during the corona-restriction days, but did write email often.
We know each other more than (maybe) twelve years, and have many things in common (except that she is a real animal lover but I never lived with dogs or cats), that even my family says we should have been an identical twins in the “previous-life” in Buddhist way of thinking.
But this time, I am so surprised to find out one more thing we share – she was also left handed! We were born in Showa period, when left-handed kids had to train hard and “correct” to become right-handed. And I (thought I) never showed me using left hand in writing or eating. Yet, she said she always knew. I didn’t notice she was same! Happy to share the life of left-handed-then-trained-right-handed life.
went to kobe after…several years? still a very, very charming town!
not just historical buildings (like ijinkan, former foreign district etc.), I like watching showa-period “mansions” (means flats) as I rarely see them in kyoto.
This winter I walked regularly around Kyoto station north, between Horikawa and Karasuma Avenues – means between 2 Honganji Temples. Though it’s really close to the main station, they still have many two-storey houses and traditional shops; I would keep walking for hours. Some writes walking-strolling is good for your brain to re-sort and “throw away” the unneccesary amount of information and thoughs you have, but for me, walking increases interests and information. Through this corona-life, I start feel I need less travelling, not to add too much exciting sceneries to my memories; maybe I shouldn’t visit any more World Heritage!
My favcourite season, autumn has come! this photo is taken recently in Nanzen-ji , the Buddhist Temple (Rinzai sect HQ) in Sakyo, eastern Kyoto.
I went around Sakyo often this autumn, and one of the visit was to my alma mater. The Kyoto Univeristy Alumni club put my article, such an honour, for me:
https://www.facebook.com/KyodaiAlumni (please look at 2022 Nov 11 post – sorry I do not know FB very well and couldn’t paste the exact article. FBあまりよく分かっておらず特定記事へのリンクが貼れずすみません…)
calshirt
wow Cal shirt at Uniqlo shop! when you live in Kansai (or in Japan?) Berkeley is not known, so it was a surprise. if I can ask more, please make all sizes (only other 3 – Yale, Harvard, Cornell have kids’ size), and use Cal-blue and yellow-gold (suppose blue or navy is already used for Yale? do-not-hesitate)…anyway, thanks, I could briefly remember my days at Stern and Wurster Halls.
nara
(1934 JR Nara station building)
I went to Nara after several years; to Nishino-kyo (Tosho-daiji and Yakushiji area) and Yamato-koriyama for the first time. Not crowded, not deserted, nice weather!
About 3 weeks ago, I saw a rainbow after such a long time – I can’t remember the last time. Little happiness over the sky!
Then last Sunday I saw a (supposed to be) rare train – we see less series 5000 these days + it’s the first time to see “reserved” cars for Keihan. Seems big happiness to train lovers around there (it was peaceful, by the way, unlike those news about tori-tetsu fights). It’s nice to see people with peaceful hobbies – doesn’t have to be sociable or beneficial hobby, just enjoyable hobby.
I decided not to go to Fukuoka awards ceremony (sob, sob…) but they sent me the certificate of Gold prize for drawing Dazaifu-Tenmangu Tobiume (plum tree). The plum emblem of the Fukuoka prefecture on top made me smile. Hope to visit there again soon!