Travel on Iwate (2)

2nd day of Iwate.

Unfortunately, it was rain.

I stayed at Hiraizumi of Iwate.

There are many historical monuments.

I went to Chuson-ji that is famus temple.

It has been registered as a Wold Heritage Site.

 

There is golden hall called "Konjikido" in this building.

Since taking photographs is forbidden in the building,  see this site. 

Benkei mochi.

This is a kind of rice cake,  is soy sauce taste.

I ate "wanko-soba" as a lunch.

Suika

Suika means watermelon.

Japanese people often eat Suika in the summer.

ramen

I ate vegetable ramen.

Travel on Iwate (1)

7/16 - 7/18/2016, I went to Iwate prefecture by motorcycle.

Iwate prefecture is placed about 500km far from here, Yokohama.

I left Yokohama at 9:00 AM, and I arrived to Iwat at 4:00 PM.

"Genbikei" is a butiful ravine.

This is my motorcycle, Triumph Bonneville.

I ate "Maezawa beef" at dinner.

I was very delicious.

Macao

On 1 to 3 February , I went to Macao for business.

It was my first trip to abroad.

Haneda airport, Japan.

Hong Kong airtport.

We transfered to ferry.

Ferry port in Hong Kong.

Hotel room.

The Hotel is Sheraton Macao Hotel , Cotai Central.

Around the hotel.

in Venetian, Shopping mall.

Night View of Makao.

Hatsumoude 2016

Day of Hanami

Sakura have been blooming from this week.

Sakura is Japanese name of cherry.

There is a lot of cherry in Japan.

Anywhere we can see cherry blossoms in this season.

But  we can enjoy these beautiful flowers only  one week.  

at small river near my home

at a park near my home.

at a street in Kawasaki.

at Kashio river.

There were many people enjoying 'hanami'.

'hanami' is to see flowers.

People is enjoying hanami eating lunch pack or drinking alcohol.

I bought and ate this 'Sakura mochi'.

Sakura mochi is a kind of mochi.

This mochi is wrapped by a leaf of Sakura.

This leaf can be eaten with mochi.

Hatsumoude

I went to shinto shrine for hatsumoude last Sunday.

'hatsumoude' is a Japanese word that means to visit shrine or temple for the first time in a year.

I prayed for the desires of this year there.

This shrine is Iseyamakoutai-jingu in Yokohama.

Before prying, we have to clean hands and mouth at this place.

Because we use hand and mouth for praying.

1) Hold a dipper by your right hand, and dip up water from watering place. Then clean your left hand by water.

2) Hold the dipper by your left hand, clean your right hand.

3) Hold the dipper by right hand again, and ladle water into your left hand. Then wash your mouth by water.

4) Clean your left hand again.

There were many people to pray there.

Here is the manner of praying.

1) Throw coins into the box.

2) Bow 2 times. 

3) Clap 2 times.

4) Pray for your desires.

5) Bow 1 time.

This is most general way of praying, but there is different way for each shrine.

Omamori was sold in the shrine.

Omamori is kind of amulet.

Omamori is in right side of this picture.

The wooden pieces in left side is called ema.

People write the desires on the ema, and tie it on the board.

After that I drew a omikuji.

Omikuji is a piece of paper that a fortune is written on.

 

I got 'daikichi' that means big luck.

On the omikuji, these things were written...

--------------

It is a good luck time when the accumulation of your effort is grown and is becoming a big harvest. It is also the time when something you have done for others comes back for you, and your scene gradually changes to a happy situation.

And also a person who understands and helps you will appear. Let's endeavor to keep and not to lose this chance.

--------------

I hope that this good luck is really in for me in this year.

After the omikuji is read, it is usually tied on a branch.

Ropes were placed there for omikuji.

People tied omikuji to this ropes.

But you have to do this only when you get bad fortune omikuji.

You can bring  back good fortune omikuji.

I bought a goheimochi and ate it.

Goheimochi is a baked mochi.  

It is put on a stick, and flavored with soy sauce miso.

It was very fine day. 

I didn't think it will be heavy snow next day.

A snow day

Since the weather forecast said it will be rain yesterday, I had slept until noon today. When I wake up and open window, there were white world.

Snow!!

I surprised very much.

It is rarely snow in my town.

Of course I couldn't drive car and motorbike, so I went to shopping mall on foot.

A park near to my home.

It was snow and  blowing strong window as well,  so I was hard to walk.

When I came back my home...

neighbors were building snowmen.

They seemed to build many snowmen.

I bought a pair of new shoes for tommorrow at shopping mall.

This shoes have waterproof and nonslip.

Play with friends

I played with my friends on Saturday.

We went to Kawasaki city.

This building is a kind of game center.

I was surprised by this strange gate.

It seemed be closed, and I didn't know where I enter from. 

(This gate automatically opened and sounded.)

Inside the building is designed  to look like the city of Hong Kong.

The first floor and second floor is like this, but upper floors is usual game center.

We went to floor of darts.

There is TV games, coin games, billiards and karaoke  besides darts.

One of my friend is good at darts.

He plays darts almost everyday!

I borrowed his arrows.

After we put a coin into the machine, we selected type of game and started  the game.  At the darts machine we can selected many type of games. Not only automatically calculates score, this machine also provide network game. Even if I play alone, I can play with someone who is in other game center over the network.

Actually, I'm not good at darts, but we enjoyed very much.

So... we forgot the time passing... and we had played for 5 hours.

(My legs were sore.)

After that we went to Italian restaurant.

Very tasty pasta!

We ate enough foods, and drank wine.

But,  somehow we came to want to eat 'gyoza'.

So we went to another restaurant, and we ate ...

40 piece Gyoza and drank beer.

I ate too much.

I have to do diet again.