Today's Cat - 20100501 ― 2010/05/01
He doesn't look happy with his fading tan.
How and When? ― 2010/05/02
This is a torii gate placed at the entrance of a local shrine. As you can see, there are pebbles on the top of the gate.
These are not ‘official’ ornaments of the gate; someone must have attempted to put the pebbles there.
But how and why?
I haven’t tried this ritual myself, but I have seen some boys tried to do so and assumed they were just playing.
Some said that throwing stones onto the gate is considered a trial of one’s luck; If your stone successfully land on the top, your hope will be realised.
But now, it shouldn’t be recommended that way of testing how lucky you are. Most of shrine gates are very old and valuable. If you broke or made any chip in the gate, you would be charged a huge compensation, not to mention being cursed.
Also, you can’t get a stone to throw in the first place as most of roads are asphalted like mirror.
So where did these pebbles come from? Have they been staying on the top of the gate since when there were a plenty of pebbles around here, despite the fact that a big earthquake hit
Summer Delicacy ― 2010/05/03
After long and miserably cold spring, summer has suddenly come to this town.
Today the temperature hit 27 Celsius (lower than 20 Celsius until a few days ago!).
One of pleasures in such high temperature is having this year’s first cup of Kakigori in the open air.
Kakigori is basically shaved or finely grated ice with syrup. Non fat (in theory), but with lots of suger and artificial flavouring and colouring.
I believe kakigori should be eaten or drunken outdoors. Once I tried to shave some ice at home it was just a cup of sweetened shaved ice, without the seductive allure of the outdoor kakigori.
So I went to a neighbouring park, assuming there should be some kakigori stalls waiting for me.
There they were!
A cup (picture above) cost JPY250 (condensed milk on the top is claimed to be a courtesy of the master of the kakigori stall).
The flavour of the syrup couldn’t have more varieties; strawberry (picture above), grape, mango, cola, melon, orange, coffee, green tea…you name it, they’ve got it.
Yes, I know it’s ridiculous to pay this amount of money for just a cup of frozen water while I can get ‘good-for-you’ alternatives to quench my thirst at similar price, such as soymilk ice cream, frozen yogurt, unsweetened green tea....
But I just can’t resist the temptation of the teeth-melting, garish-coloured shaved ice on the street.
Fishermen's Market ― 2010/05/06
A friend of mine told me that this market, about 20km away from the city centre, dealt with the finest kinds at very reasonable price. Once visited, we naturally became a regular there.
Today, there seems to have been a good catch. The cases were filled with the morning catch.
After holding a brief (otherwise someone will take 'our' fish ) conclave, we decided to get 3 day’s supply.
Horse mackerel, JPY650, for sashimi today
Bigfin reef squid, JPY1,000, for sahimi, too. And possibly for stir-fry later on
Red seabreams, JPY 250 for two, for roast
Searobins, JPY 250 for two, for stew
Comparing this prices and how much I spent for the clam-digging the other day, don’t you think it’s much more sensible to get fish here than to fish yourself (I am not pointing at my husband, though)?
However, there should be some points to avoid dissapointment. First of all, you should keep an eye on weather reports when planning a trip here. As fishery can be influenced by weather to a great extent, if there was strong winds or big waves the night before, there will be fewer fish in the cases.
One more tip (sorry for being so patronising); hit the store in the morning, before noon at latest. My friend who told me about this market goes there at half past eight when the market opens in order to get the best. I haven’t been there that early, I usually reach at around 10 or later. But I certainly see empty cases when I went there at around noon.
Chinese Milk Vetch ― 2010/05/07
Long time no see!
When I was a child (the late 1960s and 1970s) of a rural area, Chinese milk vetches were everywhere. They used to be planted in rice fields in order as a kind of fertilizer. But for some reasons that I don’t know, recently they disappeared from the fields. Rice fields tend to be left bare until next batches of rice seedlings are planted.
When I saw them on the way to my weekly shopping, I felt as if I happened to come across my childhood friends smiling at me.
Fukuokan Wheat ― 2010/05/08
A bit of numbers; our self sufficiency of wheat is only 14% while rice is 100%.
Despite this, we have eaten more wheal year by year in forms of noodle, bread, and cakes.
Probably to sort out the gap between the supply and demand, Fukuokan farmers (and the local government) are keen to produce wheat locally. Actually,
The Fukuokan wheat have been used mainly for noodle, there is even a ramen-specialised variety called ‘Ra-mugi’(a compound noun of ramen and mugi, the Japanese equivalent of wheat). And from 2007 wheat that is strong enough for bread making has been produced.
Now we can get locally produced bread flour, though there are not romantic things like water mill that Elizabeth Daviditians would prefer.
Quite roughly speaking, the Fukuokan bread flour is not as strong as its Canadian or American counterpart, but it may (or some kinds of people believe that it) contribute for the local consumption of the locally produced products, and as a result, shortening our food mileage.
Smokers' Oasis ― 2010/05/09
Japan used to be a smokers’ paradise. A packet of cigarettes (20 cigarettes) cost only JPY300, though nicotine and tar content is surprisingly low (The most popular Japanese tabacco has 0.5mg of nicotine and 6mg of tar).
But recently pressure on smokers has been increasingly tightened. As I mentioned before, smoking is now banned in most of public places now, cafés have smoking seats, but you should be frowned upon. Virtually you can’t smoke indoor except for your own house. On top of that, tobacco price is going up by 30% or more from October this year.
In this circumstance, smokers are forced to feel themselves nicotine-addicted subhuman who don’t care about public good and shortening others’ life expectancies (truth, you might say so).
Then, I have found a place to evacuate.
This café is an outlet of a coffee house chain. Unlike other outlets, this has a spacious smoking area completely separate from non-smokers.
One thing I was quite impressed was that the smokers’ lounge offers plenty of space between each table whereas in other smoking-OK cafes you have to be squeezed into little space with other smokers, which makes you feel dizzy even before you light your cigarette.
One more thing; the cafe even offers a small packet of matches, which is extremely rare these days.
If you left your lighter at home, what you can do is either; buy one or beg someone to lend one, which is very awkward.
Also, the customers there were an attraction to me. This café is located in the ground floor of a rather prestigious (by my standard) office building. So eavesdropping the conversations taking place next to me, which were full of business buzzwords, I felt a sense of adultness. I know I was physically more than adult and the oldest in the café, though.
Fight against Dust ― 2010/05/10
I might be behind the current trend talking about hey fever. Now drugstores are fully summery with heaps of sunscreens and antiperspirants.
Apart from floating pollens, which have died down recently, there is another substance that makes my eyes itchy and watery, and my nose blocked: sand storms from East Asian deserts, called Asian dust.
Now I am busy washing cars, windows, and some parts of the body that I don’t usually pay any attention to wash down the unpleasant grits.
I am an absolute beginner to fight against the dust. I haven’t had any reaction to either sand or dust. Like other beginner dust fighters, I rushed into local chemists and supermarkets to get my defence staff against the irritants. To be honest I used to laugh at those product for their absurd naming, so I felt a little embarrased with asking the shopassistant if they stock certain products. ButI couldn't be self-conscious in front of such a powerful enemy.
First of all, I got a bottle of eye-washing liquid
JPY 678 (at a local chemist)
I think this is so far a good find. I don’t know whether the washing solution or washing eyeballs itself has worked, but this has dramatically eased my eye itch that eye drops couldn’t help.
Also, the attached ‘eye-basin’ worked well. It clings around my eye and didn’t let one drop of the solution leak from the edge.
Then, nasal-washing liquid
JPY 798 (at another local chemist)
It seems to take time to get used to the nose-washing system. The mechanism of this is; 1. pour the solution into a nostril, 2. the solution flows into your month after washing the inside of your nose, 3. spit the solution.
I can’t do the second step. The solution stays in the nasal cavity giving me a bit of headache.
But it did clear up the stuffed nose, and I think it was nice to came to know there is an idea of washing one’s nose.
And yoghurt as a snack
Price varied (this one with the cute illustration on the package cost JPY198 for six-80ml tubs)
Someone told me that gut-friendly bacteria in yoghurt will strengthen immune system and would help me get over the symptom.
I haven’t made a verdict about this. I guess it also takes time to see whether yoghurt does its job. It is said that if you wish yoghurt to improve your immune system, you should have it 3 month prior to the target date. So it may be too late…
At the moment I could say that having yoghurt as a replacement of cakes certainly makes your evacuation smoother.
最近のコメント