Hanabi (Fireworks) in Summer - 夏の花火

In Japan, in the summertime, there are firework shows in various locations. As far as I can tell, these take place on riversides or bay areas. The biggest and most famous in Tokyo (and notoriously crowded) display is on the Sumida river. Not being into crowds, I've never been to that one. Last Saturday there was a display scheduled on the very big Tamagawa (Tama river). This river separates Tokyo from Kanagawa. It is a wide and long river with very nice grassy banks on either side. Our friends, Masaaki and Keiko Omori just bought a new condo about 1 1/2 blocks from the riverside there. So they invited us over to have a picnic outside and sit and watch the fireworks show (they kindly staked out a patch of ground for us ahead of time).

We decided to bring Daisy for her first time to go for a visit to someone's home. She enjoyed it alot but was really confused as to why she couldn't run around their home and get into trouble like she can at her own home. All in all, she was pretty good albeit a bit of work for Ken and I.

Here are some pictures from that evening. Ken was holding Daisy while we enjoyed the fireworks show and Daisy was peering over his shoulder at the people behind us. They were all lined up for as far as you could see (in the dark), so when you looked behind, it appeared as if we had an audience watching us. Daisy seemed to wonder why everyone was fixated on us all night.

Why are all those people looking at us?

It was warm but pleasant weather, we got a bit of sprinkles, which was actually quite refreshing, at the end of the evening, thus the spots on the camera lense (you may notice in the pictures below).

From left to right: Kenji, Daisy, Masaaki, Keiko

From left to right: Daisy, Kenji, Masaaki, ME!

Fun at the Dog Park with a new ball - ドッグランでおニューのボールとのひと時

Today Daisy and I went to the dog park nearby our home. I have put up some videos of a few of our previous trips there (can be seen on YouTube, just click on the link in the column on the right side of this webpage, under the heading "My Favorite Web Places", to get fast access to all Princess T's YouTube videos, YouTube member name is ptsrainbow).

It's a really nice little park provided by the city of Ichikawa for residents and their dogs. There are quite a few benches to sit on while your dogs play, and a covered area outside the dog runs with a picnic table near a pond with a little waterfall. The greatest part is it's FREE! We rarely get something for free in Japan.

There are 3 fenced areas, one for puppies, one for smaller dogs and one with the tallest fence, for large dogs. Daisy isn't so big yet (she has hit 15 lbs./7.2 kilos now) but she does best in the big dog area as larger dogs keep her attitude in check. That is, aside from the chihuahuas that scared her into a corner a few weeks ago!

During the week, hardly any one is there, so I bought her a frisbee and a squeeky rubber football (it's orange) to play with when it is just me and her. She had a great time today with the football. She hasn't got the idea of the frisbee figured out yet.

Enjoy the video!

Could Daisy be Underdog's girlfriend? 「デイジーはアンダードッグの恋人になれる？」

Lemon Beagle Miss Daisy Ipo wearing a lei

「レイを身に着けるレモンビーグルのミス・デイジー・イポ」

Disney has a new movie coming out (to be released in August in USA). It's called Underdog. My mother asked me yesterday "is Underdog a lemon Beagle"? Does he look like our "Miss Daisy Ipo" lemon Beagle? So I checked out Disney's website today and sure enough, that doggie looks like a lemon Beagle. His coloring looks alittle darker (a tad more red) than Daisy though it was hard to get a good look from just the trailer.

Daisy watched the movie trailer with me and then wanted to take some pictures with a pretty lei on so that maybe Underdog might take a shine to her. She thinks the relationship with Sweet Polly Purebred won't last and Underdog can find true Beagle love with "Miss Daisy", a real lemon Beagle.

Here she is in some poses in a little photo shoot from this afternoon. Putting on the charm there girl! Daisy says "Underdog, forget about Sweet Polly Purebred! Will you be my forever ku'uipo?"

Do you think she would make a good girlfriend for Underdog?
Don't forget you can click on the photos to enlarge them.......

Underdog, where are you? Care for a little roll in the Dichondra?

Here's my sexiest "Marilyn" pose....Underdog, I'm the girl for you!
I'm young but a dignified and sophisticated lady!

Sushi-den in Toyota City, Nagoya area 「豊田市の美味しいお寿司屋さん」

While in Nagoya for the exhibition at Art Space Sou (see previous post), as always, I stayed at my friend Miki's home (beadmaker Miki). Miki's husband, Mr. Miyano is an artist too. He designs cars for Lexus. They are always great hosts(ess) and we all enjoy going out together in the evenings. They have taken me to some great restaurants in their neighborhood in Toyota City (the city that Toyota Motors built, adjacent to Nagoya).

Myself with Mr. and Mrs. Miyano
「お友達の宮野さんご夫婦とのスリーショット」

One of my favorite places they have taken me, is the sushi restaurant called Sushi-den. The owners there are great, and will try their hardest to make exactly what you like, even for a crazy foreigner like me. They always have some of the best quality fish! This time I was gorging myself on the ono Maguro they had! I also love to drink the sake with dried Fugu (blowfish) fins in it, which is lit on fire before you start to drink it. Mr. Miyano suggests some good drinks, being the connoisseur of adult beverages that he is!

So this time, when I said I wanted to take a picture, the owners of Sushi-den had me get behind the counter for a photo opp. Here are the pics...if you ever get to Toyota-shi, be sure to stop in and tell them the Miyano's friend Terri sent you! Be prepared for a delicious, fun, friendly and relaxing evening.....they really make you feel at home.

Sushi-den
9-8-15 Higashiumetubo
Toyota-shi, Aichi-ken (prefecture)
phone: 0565 36 0806

Gallery Art Space Sou, Opening day - July 2007 Exhibition 「アートスペース創さんでの展覧会初日 2007年7月」

Here are some photos from the opening day/weekend of my showing at the gallery Art Space Sou in Nagoya, Japan. This is my favorite show every year. Gallery owner Etoh-san always makes it fun for all with her cheerful and elegant style and her customers are great. I get to spend some time with my dear friend Miki who is a famous lampwork bead maker in Japan. She also shows her beads at this show every year, along with her friend Naomi, who it is also nice to see at this show every year! Naomi had made some cute beads with fish on them, they are called Amago fishes. I like the necklace with the fish in 3 pieces, head, body and tail. Very creative! (click on the photo below to enlarge).

Opening day was busy this year and the weekend was in full swing with customers waiting to see what was new for this year. The show runs for 8 days this year. It was sad to leave on Sunday afternoon as I had a great time seeing everyone again! Some of my regular customers even spoke to me in english a bit this year...maybe they have been studying! I am already looking forward to next year.

Starting off these photos, is a little movie of the bullet train (Shinkansen) pulling out of Nagoya station. This is an older bullet train, the newer ones look even cooler.

Video of Shinkansen/Bullet Train (click on the play arrow)

Art Space Sou/Front of building
「アートスペース創さんの建物の前面」

Gallery Sign Board
「創さんのサインボード」

Gallery Interior
「ギャラリーの中の様子」

Naomi Kazawa overseeing the customers
Princess T display/table 1
「プリンセスT作品の展示１」

Princess T display/table 2
「プリンセスT作品の展示２」

Beautiful Beads by Miki Miyano

Amago Fish Beads by Naomi Kazawa

Gallery Owner Etoh-san and myself
「創さんオーナーの江藤さんとのツーショット」

Myself with Miki (right) and friend Satomi-san (left)

Coconut POG Chiffon Cake recipe (or Lilikoi-Orange Chiffon Cake with Coconut)

Here is a recipe for the month of June.

Do you know what POG is? If you are from Hawaii you do! It's an 'onolicious' blend/mixture of Passion Fruit, Orange and Guava juices. I have some Passion Fruit juice concentrate (Passion Fruit is called Lilikoi in Hawaiian) that I get from the island of Kauai. This cake recipe was born from a craving for Lilikoi and a way to use the Lilikoi juice I have in a cake.

If you have a chance, you should definitely stop by Aunty Lilikoi's on Kauai, but if you can't go there, they will ship their products to you. They have great honeys and mustards made with Lilikoi too (an award winning mustard). If you want the Lilikoi juice concentrate shipped to you, you will have to phone them (last time I checked, they didn't have that up on the website).

Their web address is www.auntylilikoi.com.

I also wanted to incorporate some Guava into this cake as well. So I found that by using Guava paste slices in this recipe, the end result is like having Guava jelly inside the cake. Guava paste is not easy to find, even in Hawaii. It's a actually eaten mostly in Brazil, Puerto Rico and Cuba (maybe in some other South American countries like Mexico as well). You can usually find it at a Latino/Cuban foods store (or try buying some on Ebay like I do, it stays fresh for 'eons' being that it is like a fruit leather, though I am keeping some extra packages in the freezer since I won't use them for a while).

It's not easy to slice the Guava paste thinly (it's very sticky) and I would imagine that not alot of people who are familiar with Guava paste would think to use it in a cake like this but after a few trials and errors, I think it works out to give a nice 'extra' to this Lilikoi chiffon cake. Normally I don't like recipes that have hard to find ingredients but I think this is worth it.

You could leave out the Guava paste from this recipe if you like, it's not imperative to the cake being a success, but then you'd need to change the name of the cake to Lilikoi-Orange Chiffon Cake with Coconut or some other such title.

So, here is the recipe and some pictures from the last time I baked one. I hope you will enjoy! It's one of my favorite cakes to bake now!

Please note that the photos here are of a cake baked with this following recipe cut in half, so a cake made with with the full recipe will turn out to be thicker/taller than seen in these pictures.

Don't forget you can click on the photos to enlarge them.

Coconut P.O.G. Chiffon Cake
(Coconut, Passion, Orange, Guava)

Ingredients
2 ¼ c. Sifted Cake Flour
1 ½ c. Sugar (preferably Fine/Castor Sugar)
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
½ c. Vegetable Oil
5 Egg Yolks
1 teaspoon Finely Grated Orange or Lemon Peel (zest)
¾ c. Orange Juice and Lilikoi (Passion Fruit) Juice from concentrate (mixed together, in fairly equal amounts)
1 c. Egg Whites (usually this is exactly what will be left over after separating the 5 yolks above)
½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 c. Shredded Coconut (fine)
Guava Paste (sliced into thin pieces) *optional
1/3 c. Shredded Coconut *also optional

Lilikoi Glaze
1/4 c. Powdered Sugar
Mix in Likikoi juice to desired consistency (approximately 2-3 teaspoons)

Preparation
In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and then add the oil, egg yolks, orange (or lemon) peel and the orange and lilikoi juices. Blend all together well and beat until smooth.

In a larger separate bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until very stiff peaks form. Pour first mixture in a thin stream, gently and evenly over the egg whites. Sprinkle the fine shredded coconut on top and then fold all until just blended.

Gently pour or spoon 2/3 of the batter evenly into an ungreased 10 inch tube cake pan. Bake for 3 minutes only to just slightly harden the surface (if you do not harden the surface like this before adding the Guava paste slices, because they are heavy they will sink to the bottom of the pan during baking). Do not bake longer than the 3 minutes.

Tube cake pan with 2/3 of the batter poured in

Remove the cake pan from oven and gently arrange the guava paste slices on top the slightly hardened batter, evenly, or just here and there depending on how much you want to be inside your cake. I personally like alot. Do not press the slices down into the batter (again, the point is to try and keep the guava paste from sinking down to the bottom of the batter while baking). Also, as you place the guava paste slices around, keep them from touching the sides of the cake pan (the guava paste will melt and spread out a little bit during baking and the cake batter will need to contain the guava paste on the edges, otherwise you will have sticky holes of oozing guava on the sides/edges of your cake when it is finished).

Guava paste package and slices

Pour remaining batter evenly over all (gently spread it around to be even if necessary) and return the cake pan to the oven.

Bake at 325 F (160 C) for approximately 55 minutes (check for doneness by inserting a clean butter knife (when it comes out clean, without wet cake batter on it, the cake is done).

Allow to cool completely. Once cooled, loosen sides away from cake pan gently and invert cake onto a platter or cake pedestal and remove from pan.

Finished cake after cooling

Drizzle with Lilikoi glaze (as much or as little as you like) and then immediately sprinkle with some shredded Coconut, then serve.

Cake will keep in refrigerator for several days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Slices of the cake arranged on a plate, after glazing and sprinkling with shredded Coconut.
Oishii!

Tsuke-men in Matsudo 「松戸市の美味しいつけ麺」

Char-siu at Tonikaku　「兎に角」のチャーシューつけ麺

Have you ever tried Tsuke-men? It's Ramen with the noodles separated from the soup (dashi). You drag noodles, alittle bit at a time, into the soup bowl as you eat. The soup is less diluted than the soup in regular Ramen (more intense flavor) so you don't drink or sip the soup (until the end when, if you like, you can ask for some hot water to thin it out). The first time I ever tried it, I couldn't get over the strangeness of the noodles being in a separate bowl. Now though, I prefer Tsuke-men to Ramen. One reason is, the noodles seems to be a bit heavier than the ones used in Ramen (usually, depends on the place). Since my husband loves Ramen and researches alot of Ramen/Tsuke-men restaurants, we go about once a week out to one of our favorite places or to try a new place. I have become a bit of a connoisseur.

In the last 2 weeks we have tried Tsuke-men at 2 different restaurants near Matsudo station in Chiba. Both were quite good! Give them a try if you ever are around Matsudo station.

Tonikaku
This place seats about 8 or so people and looks like a couple is running it. It is very clean inside. The soup (dashi) is light to medium, not fatty. It has a little bit of a spicy after taste, just right. The noodles were good too. Their Char-siu wasn't too fatty (I won't eat the real fatty kind). I look forward to eating there again someday, it was definitely above average and worth the 15 minutes or so wait to be seated. Plus, this place had the best music! Lots of late 70's hits. Got me in a great mood! It was a delicious and fun lunch. They are open 11:30 am to 2:00 pm and 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm every day except Monday (closed on Mondays) and open only for lunch from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm on Sundays, Thursdays and holidays .

UPDATE:
Tonikaku has a new location just 2 streets over from it's
previous location. The address is:
Nemoto 462, 1st floor
Matsudo-City
047-361-4667

Front of Tonikaku, brand new location

Tsuke-men at Tonikaku　「兎に角」のつけ麺

Tomita
This place makes their own noodles and boy are they GOOD! They are thick and like 'al dente' style. Very unusual and very good! The soup had a bit more fat in it than I prefer but it wasn't overwhelming. I wouldn't be able to eat it so often but it's ok for every now and then. The soup's flavor was delicious, I detected a bit of garlic but not sure. The Char-siu was WAY too fatty for me. There is barely any meat on it at all (see the close up photo I took). I gave all my Char-siu to my husband. There was a pretty good size cue and we had to wait around 20 minutes, but the staff was very organized and took our order before we got in so that once we were seated, the food came right away. As I said, I don't know how often I would eat here, because I prefer alittle less fat but those noodles were some of the best I've ever had. They are open everyday except Wednesdays (closed on Wednesday) from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Front of restaurant Tomita　「とみ田」の外観

Tsuke-men at Tomita　「とみ田」のつけ麺

Char-siu at Tomita　「とみ田」のチャーシューつけ麺

Recipe for Lanikai Style Pineapple Gazpacho 「ラニカイスタイルのパナップル・ガズパッチョのレシピー」

I saw this recipe on the internet recently, someone from Hawaii offered it up for us all to try. Would you like to try it with me? I haven't yet, so if you try it, let me know what you think about it!

I love the first picture of the food tray with the Mokuluas in the background (two islands called Moku Nui and Moku Iki). The Mokuluas are my favorite thing to see when I am on Oahu. I sure miss sitting on Lanikai beach when I see this picture.

Adjacent to Lanikai is Kailua Beach (to the left of the Mokuluas) and from there you can see another piece of land that looks like an island off shore. It is actually not an island. It is Mokapu Peninsula, which is where the Marine Corps Base Hawaii is located (so it is closed to civilians).

You can see the Mokapu Peninsula in the background of the photo of me with the red Mazda RX8. We rented that car for one day and then took some pictures down by the sand at Kailua Beach (there is a launching ramp for small boats there).

Have fun with the recipe! Aloha.....

Lanikai Style Pineapple Gazpacho

2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 chopped yellow bell pepper (yellow Paprika)
1 chopped orange or red bell pepper (orange or red Paprika)
½ cup chopped onion (Tama negi)
1 medium chopped cucumber (Japanese Kyuri ok)
2 cans tomato juice, each can 11.5 oz./340 ml (or V8 brand vegetable juice)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger (Shoga)
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1-2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
Juice of one small lime
½ to 1 cup chopped cilantro (Coriander) leaves, according to taste/as you like
¼ cup olive oil

Use a large bowl or similar container for the gazpacho soup.

Cut up the pineapple and chop (just use the soft fruit, do not use the hard core/center).

Next, chop the bell peppers (Paprika), onion, cucumber, and tomatoes, into small pieces (approximately 1/4 inch or so - less than 1cm) and place in the bowl.

Pour 2 cans of V8 juice or tomato juice in the same bowl. Add the chopped garlic and sea salt.

Chop the ginger real small, it is hot when it is raw and in this recipe, it replaces the spicy chiles that are typically used in Spanish style gazpacho. So remember that a little goes a long way.

Add the remaining ingredients and refrigerate a few hours or overnight. The flavors will marinate and become mellow.

Serve this gazpacho soup cold in small bowl and garnish with chopped cilantro.

To make a shrimp cocktail using this Gazpacho, just add some cooked, chilled shrimps and serve in a tall glass. I think I will like it this way best.

Some interesting trivia about Pineapple:

Pineapples contain the enzyme bromelain. Bromelain aids in digestion as it breaks down proteins.

Bromelain is an anti-inflammatory and can help with sprains, strains and muscle injuries as well as swelling, bruising, healing of wounds and minor operations. Some claim it will even help with arthritis.

Pineapple is rich in minerals such as Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium as well as Vitamin C and many amino acids. It is also low in calories.

Pineapple is a natural diuretic.

Pineapples are good for your oral health.

Pineapple juice can be used to tenderize meats.

Choose the only fresh fruit because it has the most healing properties. Unfortunately, most of the bromelain in canned pineapple is destroyed due to the heat used in the canning process.

The most important factor in determining ripeness of a pineapple is smell, let your nose help you decide. Ripe pineapples give off a sweet, fresh tropical smell. Avoid pineapples that give off an unpleasant odor or have any soft spots or areas of dark discoloration. Once home, let the pineapple sit on your counter at room temperature until ready to use.

Daisy Can Sit! 「デイジー、お座り」

Today Daisy learned to sit. She is very food motivated! It took 30 minutes to get a consistent 'sit'. Then she was happily sitting all day for treats and toys. I hope she will remember it tomorrow! I think she is a fast learner for only 13 weeks old. Enjoy the video.

Daisy's New Bed 「デイジーのベッド購入」

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　何見てんんねんっ！？」って感じ....
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　「んっ？何っ何っ？」

Daisy got her first bed yesterday. She knew right away what it was for like she has had it for years. It is a bit tempting to chew on though, but I guess that is just what puppies do. Thankfully, 3 days of rigorous concentrated efforts to stop the hand biting seems to be working. Wow, nothing like puppy teeth! Like putting your hand in the mouth of a shark! We hope by the end of this week our hands and other body parts will be completely safe.

A Lolo (crazy) Puppy 「ビーグルがやって来た！」

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　カメラ目線のデイジー

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　んっ？　虫？！

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　可哀想なウルトラマン.....

Well, we have gone and done it. Ken finally broke down and got me a puppy. You know that old saying, 'be careful what you ask for'? I have had bronchitis this past week (yes again, 3rd time in 5 months) and it's been tough with a new puppy in the house. Maybe we are the ones who are lolo (not the puppy).

She is actually very good for 12 weeks but she is just a puppy and full of energy. She is a "Lemon" colored Beagle, so far, no howling. I hear that is mostly when they are lonely, just incase anyone in addition to my mother wants to let me know they are famous for this. Mom sent us the cutest little puppy travel set already.

Her name is Daisy. First we thought of Ipo (Hawaiian for 'sweetheart') but she didn't seem to respond very well to that. I also thought of Lulu Aina because of her markings, or Makamae a Hawaiian favorite doggie name, but then after a few days she reminded me of a daisy's color (the flower). Also my mom reminded me that my great grandmother Eva Williams had a dog named Daisy. She responds right away when you say 'Daisy!'. The pronunciation in Japan should be ok too. So I think officially her name will be Daisy Ipo.

Enlarge the middle picture and look what pretty blonde eyelashes she has, they're so cute!