Sake Festival

On 8th of October, we went to Sake festival in Saijo. About 40 min. from Hiroshima Sta. by JR Sanyo line. The festival was held on 8th and 9th.

Sake breweries were open for public, so we could go inside the breweries.
We also could taste sake for free and they sell the sake which we can not get in usual.

After that, we went to "Sake Hiroba" where we were really wanted to visit.
At Sake hiroba, they serve about 900 kinds of sake tasting. There is no limit so you can taste sake as much as you want. The place was already full of people and I saw lots of people sleeping on the ground who gave up to taste sake(it was still 2pm).

Even sake is made by rice, good sake tastes like fruit. That is really valuable experience even for us to taste and learn about sake.

I wanted to try 30 but too tough, I tried about 20. I do not remember well at last.

This festival is held in October. If you have interest, come and visit Saijo to enjoy sake next year.

3 minute walk to Kyoto station! A new share house open!

Please let me introduce our new share house named Hachijo Kawaramachi House. It's a "Only For Women" share house that has two single rooms and one share room.

The single room costs 59,000 yen for a month, and the share room costs 39,000 yen for a month. Of course, the rent includes utility bills and Internet connection fee.

Whole interior of the house was renovated in April 2012 so that everywhere is spotless.

Please see the details on www.j-stay.jp

Wedding party with a SURPRISE Present

Hello, everyone! How have you been?

End of last month, my brother and I went to make a Japanese kitchen knife for his wedding SURPRISE present to his fiancee.
The surprise present finally went mainstream this month!

It was a very beautiful day and perfect weather to celebrate two nice people.
After a bridal, we had a wedding party.
At the beginning of the wedding party, before the groom and bride appeared at the floor, there was a explanation about surprise present on slide show.
Everyone at there learned about it, but the bride.
Many attendance involved performances liven up the party.
The party was coming to an end, finally a chairman introduced a story of the surprise present.
We were very excited about that moment!!
My brother gave her a love letter with it.
She was very surprised at first, then started smiling and crying.
It was a very touching moment.

They looked so great together!


OH, people kept telling us that we look the same. Do you think so?


Wish for their full of happiness life!!

☆OSAKA KYOTO KOBE Trip☆

It's getting colder these days and winter is coming up very soon.
Hi there it's Kana here from Hiroshima Hana hostel.

I have been to Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe in early October with Chika from J Hoppers Hiroshima.
Even though we already knew that we did not have enough time to visit those 3 cities within few days but we just gave it try.

1st day we took shinkansen from Hiroshima at 9am and visited Osaka first. We had awesome rare experience which is making Food Samples. Osaka is known as food sample which I did not know.

↑↑↑↑↑(These foods are all sample not real one!)

These is no such a place in Hiroshima so we enjoyed a lot! It cost 2300yen to make one of these but it was great experience so can not be bothered!

(Left: Me / Right:Chika)

After that we were hanging around Osaka and went to Kyoto Hana Hostel to catch up with sopme friends. It was pressure to meet other sister hostel's staff there!

(Kyoto Hana,Hiroshima Hana,Hiroshima J-Hoppers Staff)

2nd day we went to Kobe for Indian festival. I am big fan of butter chicken so my goal was just eat butter chicken that's it. and I did!! i had 2 of them and my stomach was almost exploded.

↑↑↑↑↑(With Indian accessories )

3rd day, we went Kyoto sightseeing . As everybody knows, Kyoto is famous for Green tea and we had the best green tea cake ever at　Nakamura Tokichi Honten.
It's worth visiting here just for tea but cake and ice was super nice too!!

It was only 3days 2nights trip but I had great time and planning on visiting J-Hoppers Takayama next trip!

☆Korean Wedding☆

On the early October, I attended to the wedding of my older cousin.

They made the wedding to Korean style as they are both the second generation of Korean

residents.

How they got to know each other was so Romantic!

She(the bride) picked up his train pass at the tation in Osaka then there was his name card with it. She called the number and that brought to their first meet.

As they talk, they found out that they are both Korean who were born in Japan, and the family structure, their age were so same! More than that the brids' aunt and the husband's grand mother are best friends.

I thought it seems like a fateful encounter!

In the ceremony, they came in with the costumes of ancient Korean King and Princess.
It was expecting and how gorgeous they are!
My cousin (the bride) studied language in Korean and now she has her own Koren language school. I knew she had a big respect to the Korea and its culture so i felt like i saw it in the ceremony.


Women in our family, wore traditional Korean dress"chima-chogori"


It was my first time to wear those. Even though i am not fully Korean(just "mixed") i strongly moved that i have my roots of Korea.



With Grand mother　　　　　　　 kids in "Chima-Chogori"
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 HAPPY WEEDING.....☆☆☆I hope that you share a long and happy life together!




　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Perfect souvenir of Hiroshima!

Do you know KAKI-SHOYU(Oyster Soy Sauce) ?

It is concentrated broth blended with oysters oh Hiroshima, soup stock from Konbu sea weed, Shiitake mushrooms, bonito fish flakes, blended with sweet sake and brewed soy sauce.

You can use for sushi, sashimi, tofu, steak, pasta...etc
The small bottle(150ml) costs only 280yen.
It is a perfect souvenir of Hiroshima!

Hiroshima hana hostel was published in Lonely planet!!

Hi there!!!
We have good news today!!
one of our guest showed me this book 'Lonely Planet Hiking in Japan' this morning
.and told me that Hiroshima hana hostel was published in Lonely planet!!hahaha



We are glad that this time Hiroshima　Hana　Hostel was recognized as a recommended accommodation by lonely planet♪

They recommend 2 hiking courses of Hiroshima on the book.
☆SANDANKYO

http://www.akioota-navi.jp/kanko/sandankyo/index.html

☆MISEN (in Miyajima island）

http://miyajima-ropeway.info/en/index.html

Both of these are light hiking so Anyone can try:)

NAMAFU

Do you know a typical Kyoto food "NAMAFU" ?

It is wheat gluten product (vegetarian/vegan OK) which is sometime mixed with grain of millet, artemisia princeps and sesami.
We roast it and eat with dengaku-miso paste, use as a ingredient of soup and eat as a sweet with black bean jam.
Especially women love it because it is chewy but on good way.

The NAMAFU restaurant is just 3min from Kyoto Hana Hostel!
Their lunch costs from 1000yen.
You must try it!!!　

http://r.tabelog.com/kyoto/A2602/A260201/26009302/