Night★Ｓａｆａｒｉ -Asa Zoo-

It has been crazy hot weather in Hiroshima this summer.
I guess the weather has been really abnormal in many parts of Japan.

I'm trying not to go outside in the day time and I found some very interesting places to spend my time outside in the night time. Especially I have got a brand new single-lens reflex camera!
So I thought....why not to take cool pictures at night!!

This is a Night★Safari in Hiroshima Asa Zoo.


I went there about 18:00.
Asa zoo is located on the mountain so it was much cooler than day time even if the sun is still out.

Don't they look like tired from hot weather??


The babies want to have some fruits!!
But they can not eat the fruits straight way because it's covered by ice!


Tiger was growling and had piercing eyes!
He was so attractive.


There are some cute illuminated ornaments.

Some animals move around in the night time more than in the day.
It was very interesting to watch these animals at a different times than usual! They were very active and looked hungry, walking around sniffing everything. Jumping from trees and making all kinds of noises.

It really was a fun evening!

Japanese Culture ??

I am a pure Japanese, and live in Japan for 30 years so far.

Even if I'm getting old, sometimes I feel pains without a cause on my back or shoulder, I'm trying to challenge new things and understand chic things.

However hard I tried, in Japan, fashions are coming in and going out as fast as Shinkansen, some oddities are laid off without being digested. Are they cute or attractive ?

Do you know the names of these three guys ?

They are very popular Yuru Chara "flappy mascots of areas". And some of them are often on the news about their copyright, whether it belongs to the author or the organization or its' visual effects.

The right one called Sento-kun "Transfer the Capital Boy" was created for the event of 1300th Anniversary of Nara Heijo-kyo Capital but he got rubbished by opinions both Buddhists and the organization ordered to make a mascot because the author grew two antlers as the symbol of Nara on the head of Sento-kun even though SEnto-kun is originally Buddhist image.

The more people had discussed about Sento-kun the higher he had been known and finally he became a star of Yuru Charas.

On the 20th and 21st August Sento-kun and some Yuru Charas from the other prefecture will show up at the stage. He will show you DANCE!

20th Show start at 15:00

21st Show start at 10:30

@Heijo-kyo Capital Area close to Yamatosaidaiji station by Kintetsu Kyoto Line takes 37 minutes from Kyoto station.

Miura Jun is the founder of Yuru Chara. Why don't you study about Yuru Chara ?

The New Meeting

Hello, everybody.
For the past few weeks, it has been sweltring hot in kyoto.
How are you doing?

There have been a lot of great meetings at Kyoto Hana Hostel this month as well.



One of our guest got a TOTORO stuffed toy!! I got a hamster stuffed toy on my head.


There are always meetings and leavings in a life time, especially at hostels.
After I have started working at J-Hoppers/ Hana Hostel, I have welcomed many guests, and have seen them off at the same time.
A good time pasts so quickly.
Meeting with new guests a great time, but seeing them leaving here is a hard part.
I have never felt that I do not want to meet new people even though there must have a sad moment.
I appreciate every new encounters.


Now, I have had one of the special meeting here recently.
She is our new partner at Kyoto Hana Hostel.






On the right in this picture, her name is Manami.
The girl on the left side is also our partner at J-Hoppers Kyoto. Azusa.
She came here to greet new partner.

Manami likes futsal as you can see what she wears in these pictures.
A uniform of SAMURAI JAPAN!!


She is gaining a job training by YUYA!!



Look!! How spartan education he has!!



uh-oh, he got caught out!!!


Nonono, he is one of the sweetest guy at Kyoto Hana Hostel.

When I see her on a training, it remains me of when I was on a training, and motivates me.
I hope all of us at Hana Hostel can expire each other and become great partners!!

ＳＵＭＭＥＲ

Is everyone enjoying the SUMMER??
I am:)

Went to the beach




at Tsunoshima Island (Yamaguchi Prefecture)


BBQ



at my house


Fireworks festival


Miyajima Island


Although I was born in summer, I don't like
summer that much.
But, I love all the great events which you can
only enjoy in the summer.


Hot days will go on but
please be careful with the heat stroke
and please enjoy the rest of the summer!

Tea party at Cajovna Myoun

When the Obon was about to finish, I organized a tea party with some tea specialist at
My friend's Cozy tea cafe Cajovna Myoun.
http://myoun.digi2.jp/indexen.html

I invited.
My admired sensei from Tsubaki-do
http://blog.tsubakido.com/

my friend from En
http://teaceremonyen.com/eindex.html

and a lovely family from Nara Shinju-an.
http://homepage3.nifty.com/shinjyuan/


When I went to Kyushu with German tea specialists last month,
I had a fortune to meet wonderful tea farmers and people who related to the food industries of Kyushu.

I could join a big Food conference in Kyushu .
A person I met from NHK (Japanese version of BBC) told me about the Maboroshi noTea.
Maboroshi means illusion which represents a very precious thing
He told me that this tea is unreachable expensive but it's worth trying .

It could called coincident or meant be, I ended up has brought to the tea farmers who grow this special tea in Hoshino village , famous tea town for Yame tea.
They treated stranger like me so generously and served me the best tea in Japan.
They won the best prize for" Tea of the year in Japan" last 5years in a row.
I stayed there very shortly and wished to buy one , but no, I could not afford it sadly.
Just before I leave, the lady Tateishi san started putting several tea into the paper bag.
And this is unbelievable, she gave them to me .
Even the Maboroshi no Tea was in the bag.

I left this beautiful village through rice patties with tears on my cheek.
Kyushu, is amazing. people were incredibly kind and generous.

when I came back to Kyoto, I wanted to share this special tea with people who would appreciate the preciousness of this tea.
So then I invited my friends and my tea sensei for the gathering at unique and cozy Czech style cafe newly opened few months ago.

The house is very old Japanese style but the idea comes from the tea cafes in Czech.
One of the owner of this cafe Cristina told me this is beautiful part of the Czech culture.
They serve various kinds of tea from all over the world ( No coffee and alcohol.)
People go there to relax and read ,sometimes having to nap.


We started with small entree a a home made rice porridge(fermented rice) by E-jun(the other owner of this cafe).




















Then we started talking about tea, zen and a lot of things.
When we tried the best tea in Japan from Tateishi san , we lost the words from the scent of it .
It was not a smell of tea only, but something else, the smell more like a flower or fruits,,,
Under the subtle bitterness, we could feel the deep sweetness and flavors. It remained on our tongue and memory for a long time.































Then we had a chazuke for the end.






It's a simple and healthy way of eating rice in Japan.
(put pickles and other things on the rice then pour the hot tea)
E-jun brought the Takuan(pickled radish) and other pickles he made over the last winter in the temple of Gifu.
I brought the miso I made last November.
Our feast tonight was so simple and complete vegetarian.
But we all thought there would not be anything richer than this feast.
Because it is not just food and tea. Joyful time we share and the foods with hearts inside.

Night was getting deeper,
We listened the Shakuhachi he played and have let ourselves flow into the wind of sound.

Kinntaikyou Bridge in Yamaguchi Pref.

A cicada loved me.
Fear not, stay as you are.
A ventriloquist is singing;
On the process to furbish up the voice

Lost and befuddled by your appearance
Not merely beautiful
But also productive and I was intrigued
In your eyes I saw the light

Once I was a painter
Who could walk into the paintings
To converse with what I called ageless truth
The sounds, "the music must never offend the ear"


*Note* The " " part is quoted by W. A. Mozart