On Sunday my family & I went to the Tanabata festival in Ichinomiya. Unfortunately we arrived too late to see the parade featuring Miss Tanabata. I was disappointed about that. But we were in time to see a huge `cosplay` parade, which included some foreigners (but not my friends. Well, not anymore anyway).
After that sight, I really needed a drink, so we walked to Masumida Shrine to have something to eat & drink, & watch some stage performances (school band, singers, traditional dancers, etc). I enjoyed that - it was nice & relaxing. And no coloured wigs.
Did you go to the Tanabata festival this year? Did you see the cosplay parade? Did you enter the cosplay parade?
One of Owen`s favourite books is The Little Red Caboose, so he was excited when we found two black cabooses near Ogaki Station. I`ve also seen the same type of caboose outside Leaf Walk Shopping Centre in Inazawa. I think they look pretty cool - old, tough & practical, but also kind of cute. Just like me! Right? Right? No?
It`s getting hot now, isn`t it? What do you like to eat in hot weather? Shaved ice [kakigori], which many cafes & restaurants serve in summer, is pretty good. Mizumanju (a jelly-like traditional Japanese sweet) is also cool & tasty, & you can get it at most supermarkets. Even better though, is... mizumanju IN shaved ice!
However, there`s only one place I know that sells it...
"Owen, grab your hat - we`re going to Ogaki!"
"Ogaki? Yada..."
"...to eat mizumanju! In shaved ice!!!"
"Iku!"
Of course it tasted great, & from another shop we bought some more mizumanju which we ate in the park by the castle. Finally, we got some to take home too.
On Sunday we had our annual Teragoya kids daycamp in Inuyama. First we prepared the barbeque & food. Then we cooked fried noodles [yaki soba], sausages, & chicken. We also made curry. I thought it was too much food, but the kids were hungry & there wasn`t much left over [nokoteiru].
After that we went hiking & looked for animals. You can see some of them in the photos (click to enlarge). A couple of kids also managed to catch some baby fish & shrimp in the river.
When we got back from hiking, we made marshmallow-chocolate sandwiches:
RECIPE - M.C. Sandwich
1. Put marshmallow on stick
2. Heat over bbq
3. Put between 2 chocolate-coated biscuits & squeeze
4. Eat
5. Say: a) "Mmm - yummy! b) Oh - so sweet! or c) Argh - my diet!
I think everyone had a good time, but maybe the local wildlife was glad when we left.
No Japanese business, product, prefecture, public service or personality is complete without its own character. So Teragoya has been asking students at our schools to submit designs for our own school character, who will be called `Tera`.
Here are some of the designs displayed on our lobby wall at Ichinomiya Teragoya. Can you guess which one is mine? Which one do you like?
(You can click on the photo twice to make it larger)
UPDATE: My design is in comments.
When I caught my loach [dojou] three or four years ago, it was only about 5 cms long. Now it`s about 15 cms. I decided it was finally time to release it.
Good bye & good luck Mr. Loach!
Now I can use his fish tank for breeding more killi fish [medaka].
On Wednesday Japan played Australia in a women`s football friendly (= not a competition or tournament). Japan were much better than Australia and won easily, 3-0. This is Japan`s last game before the Olympics. Australia are not playing in the Olympics, so I`ll definitely support Japan.
Japan`s men`s under-23 Olympic team played New Zealand on Wednesday and were much stronger, but N.Z. scored in the last minute of extra time, so the final score was 1-1. After the game, one of the Japanese players was crying, even though the game was just a friendly. That was pretty funny.
Did you watch any of the Euro 2012 games? As usual I supported England, & as usual I was disappointed. However, I was pleased that Italy beat Germany & made it to the final. I was especially impressed by Italy`s Andreas Pirlo. He had an excellent tournament & was great to watch. He also seems to have a good character & good manners. But he reminds me of the crazy killer in the movie `Silence of the Lambs`.
What do you think?
I`m sick at the moment, and feeling a little blue, so... let`s check out some blues music! This is "Somebody Loan Me a Dime" by Boz Scaggs, from early in his career (1969). Later, around 1976, he changed his music style and his image and that`s when he became really big (=famous) and had several hits. I remember hearing them on the radio when I was a kid.
To be honest, I`m not a big fan of blues music. I didn`t listen to it much when I was growing up in Australia, where it`s less popular than in America. Also, I think it`s hard to get into (=become interested in) blues when you have a steady job, nice accommodation, and a wife who hasn`t left you for another man!
Wikipedia says Boz Scaggs used to be popular in Japan. Have you heard of him?
Winter and early spring are too cold for camping, but if you wait too long, suddenly rainy season arrives and you have to wait another month or two for a clear weather.
Fortunately this year I managed an overnight (= one night) camping trip in Sekigahara before the rains started.
I saw a couple of snakes, a couple of deer, and lots of big, black swallowtail butterflies. I`m afraid I didn`t take any photos of them, but please enjoy this picture of my campsite. Nice spot, isn`t it?
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mokomoko 
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