Summer BBQ 2015

This weekend we will be having our annual Summer BBQ at the beautiful Matoba beach in Takehara.

There will be a slight Hawaiian feel to the event this year with ham and pineapple kebabs being served up for lunch. I know for people who are not accustomed to eating pineapple in a savory dish, the prospect can seem a little strange. However, the combination of ham and pineapple really works well, especially when barbecued!

If you have time, please come by and join us!

Scott

　今週の日曜日、竹原の的場ビーチで、恒例のサマーバーベキューをします。
　今年のランチは、ハムとパイナップルのケバブで、ちょっとハワイを感じられますよ。あったかいパイナップルを食べる習慣がない人たちには、ちょっと変に感じるかもしれませんが、ハムとパイナップルの組み合わせは最高なんです！
　もし時間があれば、ぜひ参加してくだいさね！

スコット

Caterpillars, forests, and takoyaki...oh my!

Kyoto and Osaka; Check!

Two weeks ago, I went to Osaka and Kyoto for the first time. It was AMAZING! I instantly fell in love with the liveliness of the city and the enchanted atmosphere of Kyoto. Both are so different, yet very charismatic in their own way. During my travels, I ventured out to Arishiyama to see the majestic bamboo forest. In Osaka, I went to the famous Dotonbori St. where I ate lots and lots of Takoyaki; so good! Even though I had some stressful situations, I still had a great time and cannot wait to go back:)

Visiting Kyoto

Hi everyone,

a few weeks ago I went to Kyoto to see a few of the places I had not been able to go to before. As a huge fan of Japan's temples, this time I visited Byōdō-in in Uji city and Daigoji in Fushimi ward.

As some of you may know, Byōdō-in has been refurbished recently and as such has risen to renewed splendour. The Heian-style architecture is breathtakingly beautiful and of course it attracts huge crowds of tourists. I had to wait in line for about 45 minutes to enter the temple grounds! I also tried some of Uji's famous maccha products, tea and sweets. Delicious!

After Byōdō-in I took the bus down north to see Daigo-ji, which is a World Heritage site and houses the oldest building in all of Kyoto--this impressive five story pagoda was built in 951! I really enjoyed walking around the vast temple grounds and finding small hidden treasures everywhere. The whole area is covered in maple trees, too, so I would love to go back in autumn to see the bright colours. It must be very beautiful.