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Finally, we finished rice planting the other day.
In Fukui, that day was a hot day with temperature exceeded 30 degrees for the first time this year. Even so, it was one with low humidity and breezy in the afternoon, so I was able to do farm work without getting heatstroke.
I have two cats, which are male and female. I keep the female one “Miiko” indoor completely but the male “Gil” goes in and out of the house freely and he is busy hunting
sparrows, mice, and lately geckoes.
At the rice planting, Gil was prowling around as always.
Then, he came over to me washing boxes of rice plants.
He seemed scared of a moving rice planting machine though, he was hanging around me
and took a short rest in the shade. Probably he felt secure as his family was nearby.
Perhaps because he was outside all the time, he was sleeping deeply when he came home in the late afternoon :)
Gil is creeping along the shade…
He is keeping an eye out for around pricking up his tail in a nearby field
Gil is coming this way. I guess he found a good place to hide.
And he has settled there for the moment.
It seems like he liked the grass. Cats are geniuses with finding cool place.
We use leftover rice plants to plant rice in corners which the rice planting
machine could not plant, or give to neighbors, or plant supplementary.
The rice fields where rice planting is completed.
The rice plants will grow on strong in a week.
Recently, it seems direct seeding has increased.
One day direct seeding may become mainstream.
(H.S)
In your city, are the cherry blossoms usually large or small?
Are there many of them planted there?
Are there streets lined with cherry trees?
As I mentioned in our previous blog that there is a long row of cherry blossoms trees by Asuwa River which flows through Fukui City, and it has about 600 trees and it’s 2.2km long. It also has been designated as one of Japan’s Top 100 Cherry Blossom Viewing Sites.
This year, by Asuwa River there were about 120 lanterns hung on the strings tied between the cherry trees and it lasted almost 400 meters. Each lantern had washi (traditional handmade Japanese paper) with Dokurakugin (reciting poetry for my own pleasure) written on it. About the 390 students from Meirin junior high school and Koyo junior high school in Fukui City wrote those Dokurakugin and put the washi on lantern themselves.
Some of them said that “my own pleasure is to get excited talking about games with my brother when I go home”. And there’s another one said that “my pleasure is to get caught up in reading a book at night and fall asleep.”
There were some terrible people who destroyed some of the precious lanterns. 6 of the lanterns were damaged by some people. It is terrible for anyone to do such a thing. They damaged not only the lanterns but they also greatly damaged the thoughts, time and effort of the people who organized this event and made it happen. The act with no caring and consideration about how it can influence others create nothing good.
The lanterns were fixed the next day, but they were destroyed again.
I went to the izakaya “Kobu” as it was my friend’s recommendation.
“Kobu” has just opened last year in Katamachi, where is the busiest restaurant area in Fukui City.
I opened the door, which was only a store curtain hung and I almost missed it though,
there was a narrow and deep hall way that can be seen at town houses in Kyoto.
The closer space is for the counter seats and there is a Japanese-style room at the back.
The interior is modern Japanese-style.
It is sophisticated but not too exclusive and they give family-like service so I felt comfortable.
As they have a lot of sake and wine, I recommend Kobu to enjoy meals with drinks
and have relaxing time with friends.（H.S)
The entrance (from their Facebook page)
Inside decoration
You can choose your favorite sake cup of these
to drink sake
Sake bottle made of tin. I’ve
heard that the taste would become mellow.
I went to see the guinea pigs in the small zoo in Mt.Asuwa after so long, and I found an expanded space newly built so that you can feed them there. You can feed greens which is in an attached box. They are kept with rabbits but almost only the guinea pigs came close.
They are cute. T.S
When I went to Miyako Island last month, I carried a microbead neck pillow for the first time. Although I have a blow-up pillow, actually that is a bother to use for me.
Of course, if you just let out the air of it, you can fold it compactly, but for women,
when they put air into it, their lipstick put on the blowing part and I guess they
feel uncomfortable with it. So do I and I looked for a microbead neck pillow because it seems like the soft feel is nice to sleep on my way.
And I found someone who bought one
for 324 yen in Daiso (100 yen shop) on the internet. So I went to the nearest Daiso and found one.
MUJI’s neck cushion costs 1,900 yen so I think the Daiso one was a good deal.
It was not that fashionable but I need functionality than how it looks as it is an item for trips.
The pillow can be fastened by a hook but you don’t have to do that while using.
If you fasten it, it might be too tight for your neck ;)
I carry it in a cloth bag.(It is 108 yen in another 100 yen shop Seria)
I was afraid it was too much to carry but it was so light and didn’t bother me.
If you worry about misplacing it, you should attach it with a ring to your bag.
I usually sleep on a plane and the neck pillow is useful as I don’t get a stiff neck when
I use it. When you read, it is good as well. I am sure it’s useful for a train trip.
Besides that, I always carry sunglasses, an eye mask and earplugs.
If you cannot sleep at night because of a noise or something, you should use them.
About sunglasses, even in autumn or winter, when it’s sunny and you drive, they are necessary.
Ultraviolet rays cause damages to your eyes. And wearing sunglasses protects from getting wrinkles around the eyes too.
When you buy sunglasses, you should choose one with
tinted glasses and low ultraviolet transmittance. Dark color lenses weary the eyes, so they are not recommended.
It seems there are many more useful items and I wish all of us to have a pleasant trip using them. (H.S)
A lot of black-tailed gulls were flying over the pike rocks on the Echizen Coast.
The pike rocks are a tiny island which rock pillars were piled up characteristically like
Tojimbo Cliffs. On the top of the rocks, Fudo Myoo is enshrined and you can get there on foot.
At the café Mare, where is located in the slightly south of the pike rocks, if you go the length of a wooden deck which is extended toward the sea, you can see black-tailed gulls sitting on a rock. They look about the size of a pigeon but when I see it flying near, surprisingly it is big. Its wings are over one meter when it spreads ones.
Did you get to see the cherry blossoms this year? How was it in your town?
In Fukui City, the cherry blossoms started being in full bloom from around April 4th for about 10days. The city looks as if it has been decorated beautifully by pink cotton candy and it was amazing.
The row of cherry blossoms trees by Asuwa River which flows through Fukui City has about 600 trees and it’s 2.2km long. According to Fukui Tourism Guide, “Walk along Asuwa River and Enjoy Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom” (http://www.fuku-e.com/010_spot/index.php?id=514) that Asuwa river is listed among “Japan’s Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots”. The trees are large and they look powerful so this pathway is known as one of the largest one in Japan.
There are many visitors enjoying the site every year.
If you have a chance, how about visiting and enjoying the cherry blossoms along Asuwa River.
Although I can’t deny the facts that the multi-tenant buildings can spoil the sight, there are possibilities of fire and/or there might be some security problems, it is interesting for me to watch them. I would like to show you the photographs of the multi-tenant buildings which I took during the daytime in downtown in Fukui City.
Right outside of the old bar on the top floor, there is a side signboard of the building I sometimes go. I didn’t know that there are other interesting bars and restaurants in this building. A room, bar or restaurant for fortune telling is in the building which makes the building mysterious.
This building is very old but the small blackboards in front of the building show they are still in business.
These are not the multi-tenant buildings, they are just old buildings. Above the third floor, it seems no one is there but there are people on the first and second floor. I think I like the scenery that such old buildings like these have been active.
The next day, I went to Atsumama Utaki first.
It is near by the town’s main street and worshipped as a god of learning.
Shinto rituals such as bumper crop festival are held there.
Next, finally I head off to a mysterious(?) spiritual spot where is not generally known.
It is a stone garden of Mr. Sadakichi Shinjo. He already passed away but I’ve heard there is a person who is taking care of the garden.
I arrived, said hello at the door and a woman
came out of the house and gave me a guide map of the garden. Admission is 200 yen.
As I stepped inside the garden, it was like a nature trail rathan than a stone garden and
had an appearance like a jungle. Also, there is a grass space called a circle. You can see
huge stones which Shinjo digged up all alone more than thirty years here and there.
The garden is quite large and there are paths going deep into a forest, so I saw only part of it. Even so, it was a strange place as if I have wandered into another dimension. It
seems some people feel powerful magnetic field energy there but I felt nothing.
I stopped by the door again when I was leaving there, and the woman I met earlier made me hold a coral fossil. And she put her hands above the fossil. After a period of time,
my hands came to feel warm under the fossil. Then, she told me “The fossil energy entered your inside of the body”. I didn’t realize at that time but I didn’t feel sleepy and
tired that day after all. But it wasn’t too nervous to sleep and I could have a good sleep.
After I saw the garden, I went to a museum, a tropical garden and headed off to Kurima
Island in the afternoon. Kurima Island and Miyako Island are connected by Kurima Bridge.
As I crossed the bridge, the beauty of the sea leaves me speechless. In the island,
there are nice cafes and variety goods shops. Of course, there are beautiful beaches.
It is an attractive island. And I found out that Kurima Island was also a power spot
along Ogami Island after I returned to Fukui.
I suppose Miyako Island chose power spots for my trip this time. (H.S)
Mr. Shinjo’s stone garden. There are stones more than 560. He digged up
such many stones all alone. It may be that his faith gives the “power”.
In fact, bougainvaillea’s flowers are the three small white parts and the red parts like petals are flower bract.
Hibiscus with such color is pretty too.
Dragon fruit-flavored soft-service ice cream
There was a goat in Kurima Island. It is female named “Kirari”.
In Okinawa, there is a custom that they eat goats on celebratory occasions
and some people raise goats for the reason. But I think Kirari will keep alive because she is kept to attract tourists.
I bought a plate of Okinawan pottery. Every time I come to Okinawa, I buy one by one.
I always look forward to buying ones.
Okinawan liquor, awamori “Tuyumya” only available in Miyako Island in a Ryukyu glass.
Grilled Miyako beef skewers. It’s very good, of course!
A quiet beach Nagamahama in Kurima Island. (taken on Apr. 15th around 16:30 1'02")
You see people who are snorkeling in the sea.
The beach is known that you can snorkel and see beautiful sunsets.
Few people are there and you can relax just looking into the sea.
