Lunch Time at Kyoto Hana

Hello, everyone.
How have you been up to?

The climate of this year has been crazy!!
It is already middle of September,but still gets over 30℃ in Kyoto!!
I am dying because of the heat.

During cleaning hours, we all get tired because of crazy weather.
One day, to burn off this crazy summer heat, our staff had a lunch together.
Our great cook,Yuya, made pizza dough at home and brought it for Pizza Lunch party.
Each of us brought what we want to put on a pizza.



oooooooooooooops!! She got a hole!!



Ready to put toppings now!!



Even we only had one hour break for a lunch, we enjoyed a little pizza lunch party.

mmmmmm
This is yummy!!



We were staffed by meat pizzas, crazy hot pizzas, and vege pizzas.

We all hope that we will be able to feel the autumn and enjoy fall foliage quite soon.

3 bed Cat Only Dormitory

Excuse me!!! Hello!!! Good morning!!! This is reception!!! Check-out time is 11am. Please check out ASAP!! or we have to charge for extra night...



didnt help...

***This is cat only dormitory, so if you wish to book that beds please contact "cat dormitory reservation division" directly(just walk-in booking accepted). Unfortunately, they do not have email or phone. Something like mewing or purring may help to book.

Anyway, I am sure you saw how Hiroshima is peaceful and comfortable place not just for ppl, but even for cats.

Why dont you visit Hiroshima ?? definitely one of the most peaceful cities in the world.

Hana Hostel Hiroshima
Reception(Hayateru)

One day at a water

Summer is not gone yet even the autumn bell insects started singing .
At most of my days off, I go to the mountains and river to be refreshed ,for my mind and body.

Today, I felt like going out from Kyoto..
Where would be nice.
From a story of my friend ,I knew a waterfall in the west side of Biwa lake .

A biggest lake in Japan,lake Biwa
is located in Shiga prefecture . And it is very close to Kyoto.
If you take the JR train , it takes only 15min from Kyoto station to the closest city of Shiga .
















We changed the train at Yamashina to the JR Kosei line.
The kosei sen(west lake line ) is one of my favorite train line.
It's worth traveling with this train even just for the window view.
On the right hand side, you see the wide open view of Biwa lake and the figure of smooth eastern mountains and islands.
On the left hand side, the wild mountains and golden rice fields are shining.
This train doesn't go so fast, and that make our time so calm and memorable.

The station we got off was so quiet.
There was one sign and nothing else I could rely on to find the direction (beside my natural sense). We took the path behind of the station.
After 20-30min walking up the hill, the climbing path starts.
The temperature changes so ｃlearly from this point.





If you climb little further, there is a small waterfall then a big Female waterfall.
The smooth touch of the current was welcoming me to jump into the water.
Ofcourse, I did not miss to pray to Bishamon god next to the waterfall before the dip.
It's a sacred place.









After the swim, We went up the jungle alike path, rough and steep.





What a magnificent view!
I wonder if the people from old days also saw this view and felt the same as I did.
The waterfall has found long time ago and named by One of the Ashikaga shougun 500years ago.
The nature bring us the sense of awe and that make us to appreciate every moment and everything.




After the view point, we finally reached to the Male waterfall.
This whole water fall consists5 different waterfalls and 75meters high in total length .

Male waterfall was such powerful waterfall ,rough rocks, water rushing down the musculus surface of his body.
In front of this grand waterfall, the feeling of swimming didn't come to me .
The energy I felt was too strong.
so I enjoyed seating at the huge rock and bathed in the cool wind from the waterfall.




When dusk has come, we went down to the lake
The silent fisherman town lost the sense of time .
just sway

I saw a water birds fly over to the eastern mountain.

and I lied on the sand

If the people recall the way of living of those days,,,
it is the time our being was not parting the human from the nature.

There was no word for the nature in ancient time.
Because we were just part of it.

When we would find the real meaning of "losing time"again,
and then, the world would be a different place.

it is just my monologue of the day.




ciao

Blog; incessant utterance

Ephemeral breath shall contain the sweetest illusions of song

Depersonalize! The lacunae still thrones, predetermined sky now reign

Thus my threnody speaks to efface the cumulus visions

Who could ever proclaim

The posterities' questions has been addressed

Humdrum and convoluted explanations will only notify that nobody has a clue.

Fata morgana . . . could I ever approach

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