美味しい日曜日♪

今朝は、Lauriくんがデニッシュ食パンを焼いてくれました☆☆

う～ん♪いいにおい☆☆

表面はサクッと、中はフワッフワでパン屋さんの味！！
素敵な朝ごはんをどうもありがとう♪♪

今日は、日本から帰ってから初めてのウォールクライミングに行きました☆
久しぶりに登れて楽しかった～☆☆
長い間登っていなかったので、筋肉の衰えを感じてしまいましたが、
これからまた通って上達できるよう頑張ります！！

フィンランド、現在紅葉が美しく、景色を見ながらのサイクリングが楽しいョ☆

Yama boys at Mt. Gozaisho

A couple of days before our journey back, I climbed this little fellow. Yumiko planned to spend the day with her friend in Sakae, the main shopping area in Nagoya, so I was alone.

The 1,212 m peak can be reached through at least five different routes, of which Naka-michi pass is said to be the most interesting, both in views and labor. Just a piece of advice for those wishing to take the Naka-michi pass: finding the trailhead can be a little challenging. But all I'm going to say is, enjoy the sense of discovery!

Piggy back stones. Couldn't be more suitable named.

These two hilarious guy from Osaka shouted HELLO in English while climbing so I ran up to them joking, "Aa! Finally someone with whom I speak English!!" As might be expected, that was all they said in English.

Never mind the language, the two fellows, who introduced themselves as Bruce Lee and Mr. Hammer (cool aliases, huh?), turned out to be a merry company. In fact, they were quite different from other Japanese I've met so far. I guess it has some thing to do with Osaka's climate, because everything they did and said was out of the rule book.

As you may see, their clothes are a rather colorful if compared to the standard mountain garments. They called it a yama-boy fashion (yama stands for mountain). I didn't know of such thing, but I guess it's a variation of the so called yama girl fashion.

Exhibiting trendy and sometimes very colorful clothes, yama girl trend has encouraged fashionable young city women to hike mountains and go outdoors - a thought that was previously considered icky due to possible sunburns, stinging insects, stinking sweat etc.

So maybe these cool friends from Osaka prove that there is a group of men who hold a similar icky mind-set of nature, but which can be overcome by wearing cool clothes...

Oita during a typhoon

September 20, a casual drive from Saiki to Oita City. We made it ultimately, but had to stay for another night as all train connections were cancelled. Departing on the the following day, we got to travel along the same lines with the typhoon. Here are some photos from the area.


Water flowing out of a manhole. Usually it's the other way around.

Well watered rice fields alongside the road.

While the residents were away, a new tenant flooded in.

Lower part of a road blocked by water.

Approaching a passage with free of charge car wash.

More flooded road.

Had to make a u-turn here and find an alternative route.

Four Secrets of Matsue City

4. A large steel tank standing on a parking loot; a place where people come to fill their buckets with onsen water later to be used in their own bathtubs. 100 yen fills one bath.

3. Somewhat separate from the city center, an ordinary lake house...

...which after more inspection turns out to be a home bakery.

Warm atmosphere, easygoing service plus a view to the Lake Shinji.

2. Far from the city, a straw-roofed house renovated from the edo period to serve as a cafe.

The wooden materials used in tables and walls are far from those used in monotonous fastfood chains.

Handmade pottery is both used for serving and display.

A lunch for three made from ingredients from the vicinity.

1. Hidden in the heart of Matsue City, is the humble entrance of Hara's House. The doorway gives no hint about the enchanting insides.

...once you get invited in and see a glimpse of the patio dressed up with greenery, the real nature of this enchanting home begins to unfold.

The ambient natural lights in the living room combined with hundreds of intriguing items and books create a mood that doesn't fail to inspire.

Due to its uniqueness, the place has appeared several times in NHK's TV programs. An article of the macha tea on the rocks (below), which greeted us on the first day, was published recently in a lifestyle magazine.

Viewers have been heard calling to NHK about the location of this house, which they mistakenly thought to be a cafe. In fact, it is an ordinary house in Matsue City, to which we had a pleasure to visit.

Holiday inbetween

After a minute the gate 32 will open and we can enter the plane to Japan.

This time it's for holidays; a week of hiking in Nagano, two weeks of railing around meeting people, and a week with family. In other words, no updates expected for a month...

Back again in October!