Thursday, September 30, 2010

Champagne Brunch at the New Sanno / ニュー山王ホテルのシャンパンブランチ

I hope you all enjoyed the tour of Aomori and Hakodate. While my parents and sister are still in Japan, I had one last full day to spend with them. As my birthday was coming up and Mikako's just passed, my parents said to invite a few of my friends for a Champagne brunch at their hotel. It was to be me and Mikako's informal birthday gathering.

青森・函館の旅付き合っていかがだったでしょうか?東京に戻って、最後の休日に僕と美香子の誕生会をホテルで開いてくれた。友達も呼んで良いと言われ、結局家族を含め11人も参加してくれた。ホテルで日曜日はシャンパンブランチがあるの。それは食べ放題で、シャンパンもただです!でも食べ放題には食べすぎに注意ですね。



First serving / 最初に選んだ物


Second servings / 次選んだ物


Getting full / 段々満腹になってきた


A great time was had by all / みんなが満腹で楽しい時間を過ごした

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Aomori ・ Hakodate - Day 6 (Last Day) / 青森・函館 ‐ 六日目 (最終日)

It's our last day in Aomori, and as we still had time before our train was take us back to Tokyo, we stopped at a cute little place called "Stella's Kitchen". It would remind you of "Mrs. Field's Cookies" in the States, but they also serve light lunches here as well.

青森の最終日。電車の出発まで時間があったので、駅の近くにあるクッキーの店でちょっと暇つぶし。店はデパートの二階にあって、店の名前は「Stella's Kitchen」。そのしたにステラおばさんのクッキーと書いてある。
















Gotta love the sugar bowls (at least I think that's what these were)

可愛いでしょう?(砂糖の入れ物だっと思う)








We all ordered the same cookie set (you get to choose two types of cookies from a large assortment, pound cake, and drink included)

私たち同じクッキーセットを注文しました。クッキーを二種類が選べる、あとカステラみたいなスーツと飲み物も付いてる。


Heading back to Tokyo! / 東京に戻る途中!


It looks like Mom and Dad had a great time up north.

両親が初東北と北海道結構楽しめた様子。

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Aomori ・ Hakodate - Day 5 (Participating in the Nebuta Festival) / 青森・函館 五日目 (ねぶた祭りに参加)

Japan Railways (JR) offers a tour where you can participate in the festival in which the festival costume is provided. Here we are dressed up to participate in the Nebuta Festival. We passed on wearing the tabi (footwear) which is difficult to get use to if you're not familiar with them.

JRがねぶた祭り参加ツアーを提供してます。もちろん衣装や衣装着けもしてくれます。ねぶた祭りに参加する準備完了。私たちは衣装来てますが、完全ではない。なぜと言えば足袋だけは避けた。以前足袋をはいってみたが、慣れてないせいで歩きづらいでした。そして、今年は最初から履くつもりはなかった。


My sister / 妹です


Me and my sister / 妹と一緒


The float we will be participating with. As we dance (not dance really but called haneru) and chant "Ra Se Ra! Ra Se Ra! Ra Se Ra Se Ra Se Ra!!"

このねぶたの前ではねる(踊りではないですよ)そして祭りで叫ぶのは“らせら!らせら!らせらせらせら!!”


Other participants / 他の参加者


The festival is about to start / 祭りがそろそろ始まります


One of the dangers of wearing the tabi / 足袋を履く危険


We didn't last the entire two hours of the tour. After walking, dancing, hopping, and chanting for nearly an hour, we got out of the line and treat ourselves to some street food and beer!

祭りの最後まで参加せず、でも一時間以上歩いて、はねて、叫んで、疲れますよ。そして小腹も減るよ。参加してる場所から出て、屋台の料理を食べて、ビールを飲んで、衣装をJR社に返して、家に戻るのみ。


My sister enjoying some street food - yep, those are scallops on a stick!

妹が屋台で買った帆立串を食べてます!


More good looking food stuffs that we checked out but didn't eat.

また美味しいものいっぱい発見、でも食べてなかった。


And even more food stuffs / 全部美味しいそうに見える


Well, I couldn't pass up a burger that one of the food stalls were serving. This is a Deux Cloches (a French restaurant in Aomori) Burger made with Kuraishi Beef.

屋台でバーガーを発見したら、食べるしかない。これは「ドゥ・クロッシュ バーガー」倉石牛使用。ちなみに「ドゥ・クロッシュ」は東青森にあるフランスレストラン。


As a bonus I had to add these pictures from my sister's camera as well - hope you enjoy them.

ボーナスの為に妹のデジカメから撮った写真も載せました‐面白いから載せるべきと思った。


Mom and Dad / うちの両親 ‐ 可愛いね


I love this picture, but I'm sure Mikako didn't really want me to post it and I'm sure my sister won't mind.

この写真も結構面白い。美香子はやがると思うけど妹はノリノリなので、二人のツーショット載せました。



It looks like the Nebuta samurais are about to attack my Mom and Dad!

ねぶたの侍たちが両親襲う様な感じだね。


One of my favorite pictures with my Dad / 超気に入りの写真 (お父さんと一緒)

Friday, September 24, 2010

Aomori ・ Hakodate - Day 5 (ASPAM) / 青森・函館 五日目 (アスパム)

This is me with my family relaxing at my mother-in-law's house in Aomori. The plans for today are to check out the ASPAM building (which is full of Aomori goods, food & souvenirs) in the noon. In the evening, us kids (me, my sister and my wife) will participate in the Nebuta Festival. Mom and Dad will be taking it easy while us kids are dancing the night away.

義理の母の家に家族でリラックスしてます。今日の予定は青森物産が大量に扱ってるビル「アスパム」に行く。夜は両親が家でゆっくりしてる間、私たち(僕、妹と美香子)はねぶた祭りに参加する。


Me and my Dad / お父さんと一緒


Off to ASPAM. I didn't take any pictures inside the building but we sure did nibble on a lot of sample food products. As my mother and sister and wife were taking their time checking out the products, my Dad and I headed up to the second floor where there was a Tsugaru Shamisen performance, a small amusement area, and a tiny Aomori Prefecture museum. Aside from all the Aomori goods you can find inside the building, outside the building in the back is where the Nebuta floats are stored during the day as the festival lasts for nearly a week.

さてアスパムに出発。ビルの中でほとんど写真は撮ってなかったが、いろんな食べ物を試食しました。女性三人はゆっくりお土産を見ながら、僕とお父さんは直ぐ飽きた。それで、お父さんと二人でビルの二階のほうに行って、そこで津軽三味線のパフォーマンスや、アミューズメントギャラリー、青森県の小さな博物館みたいなところなどがある。ビルの中の青森原産の物も良いですが、ビルの裏はねぶた祭りの間、昼間でねぶたを保管してる場所がある。


What is this? It is one very large apple pie! / これは何ですか?超でっかいアップルパイ!


Hanging out with Dad at the amusement area / アミューズメントエリアでお父さんと一緒


After hooking up with Mom and company, we headed to the back of the building to check out the Nebuta floats up close.

お母さんたちのまた合流して、ビルの裏でねぶたを保管してるところに行ってみた。


This probably gives you a better idea of how large these floats are.

ねぶたの前に立つと、どの位大きいか分かります。


Mom and Dad Tourist Photos / 観光客の両親




My favorite float up close / 自分が気に入りのねぶた


Hey Dad, we can't see your face! / おい、お父さん、顔見えないじゃん!


Oh, that's better, you can see my father's face / あっ、お父さんの顔が見える


Me and my sister / 妹と一緒


On our way back home, we had to have a taiyaki, but what makes this different from your standard is the fact that it is filled with curry and scallops!

家に帰る前にたいやき。普通に見えるでしょ。でもこれはほたてカレーたいやきです!


Yep, filled with curry and scallops alright / 確かにほたてカレーだ!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Novelty Drinks Up North / 北海道・東北限定飲み物

Hokkaido Guarana


Well, I wasn't familiar with guarana, but the can looked cute with its picture of the polar on it. Someone said they were surprised Hokkaido had such a drink as guarana is native to Brazil. But as it says on the can, "It is sweet and tasty" and it was.

自分はガラナはなんだか分からなかったけど、缶に描いてる北極熊が可愛いからつい買っちゃいました。あと日本人的で“限定”という言葉に弱い。誰か北海道にガラナの飲み物あるのが珍しいと言ってた、ガラナの原産地はブラジルですから。ま、缶に書いてる「It is sweet and tasty」(訳して“甘くて美味しい)で、その通りでした。


Sohya no Shio (Sohya Salt) Fantastic Cola Blue / 宗谷の塩 シオコーラ


Okay, my sister and I couldn't resist not trying this. For one thing, the cola is blue. Also one of the main ingredients is salt! Salt? Yep, that's what it says - salt from a place called Sohya. That would Sohya Salt (not soy sauce, oops, sorry for the American joke!). And this being a product of Hokkaido, the label has a picture of the Ezo Brown Bear, with a warning label that says "Beware of Bear" as well. It wasn't as salty as I thought it might be, in fact it didn't taste too different from a regular cola. It was pretty good.

僕と妹がこのコーラを気になって仕方なく購入しました。第一、コーラが青!それに気になるのは宗谷の塩入り。(宗谷の塩使用!あっ、やばい、日本語でもオヤジギャグが出た!)。ラベルも素敵でしょう。北海道らしくエゾ熊が描いてる。それにあの「熊出没注意」はなんか変。味がちょっとしょっぱいと思ったら、全然。普通のコーラ味に近い。結構美味しかったよ。



Dracula's Grape Soda


I don't know if this only sold in Hokkaido but I had to try it just because of the name. How can you not try something with the name Dracula on it?

これは北海道限定かどうか分かりませんが、名前が面白いことだけで買っちゃいました。だって、ドラキュラでしょう。ドラキュラの名前が付いた商品は気になるよ。あと関係ないけど、ブドウは感じで「葡萄」ですね、難しい感じだ。


Lamune Sour


I suppose my American readers would wonder what lamune is. In its most easiest description, it would be similar to Sprite or 7-Up. But there's that word Sour on the can as well, and below that "chu-hi". Yes, this drink includes alcohol. Chu-hi would be Shochu mixed with lemon, lime, or in this case, lamune. This is probably available elsewhere as well, since I bought it in Aomori after participating in the Nebuta Festival.

多分アメリカ人の読者はラムネがしらないでしょう。日本人は普通に分かりますから、下記の最初の文章は訳すことは不要でしょう。これも北海道限定ではないと思う。なぜかと言うと青森で買ったんですから、ねぶた祭りに参加したあと。でも東北限定でもないと思う。


Tohoku Summer Festival Beer


As you can see, this is a product of Sapporo Beer. Its just a regular draft beer, but you can only find this in the Tohoku Region as it depicts seven different festivals that are held throughout the summer. For you trivia buffs, the Big 3 are the Nebuta Festival of Aomori, the Kantou Festival of Akita, and the Tanabata Festival of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture.

缶を見れば分かる、これは札幌ビールの製品です。普通の生ビールですけど、缶は東北限定です。缶に描いてるのは東北の夏祭り。もちろん東北三大祭りと言えば。。。言える?答えは「青森のねぶた祭」、「秋田の竿灯まつり」と「仙台の七夕まつり」。でも何で竿灯と七夕まつり、「まつり」はひらがなでねぶの「まつり」は漢字で書く? 謎だね。

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Aomori ・ Hakodate - Day 4 (Nebuta Festival) / 青森・函館 ‐ 四日目 (ねぶた祭り鑑賞)

My father had no problem dealing with the Seikan Tunnel (the tunnel that connects Hokkaido with Honshu built under the ocean) on our way back to Aomori Prefecture. The plan for today is to relax at my mother-in-law's house until the evening when we will go check out the Nebuta Festival. Actually Mom and Dad will be relaxing at the house while us kids were planning on heading to a ramen shop called "Asari" which is currently ranked the No.1 ramen shop in Aomori Prefecture. Unfortunately, "Asari" was closed so we went to another ramen shop called "Aji no Sapporo" which is known for their Miso Curry Milk Ramen (trust me, it tastes a lot better than it sounds and I have written about in a previous post).

青森帰る時にお父さんは青函トネルを通過した時、良かった事に怖がらなかった。今日の予定は義理の母の家にリラックスして、夜にねぶた祭りを鑑賞する事です。美香子のお母さんが良い席を用意してくれたので、今夜も楽しみだ。あと本当の事を言うと昼家でリラックスするのはお父さんとお母さんだけ。私たちは前行かれなかったラーメン屋「あさ利」に行く予定。凄い辛くて美味しいラーメンを提供してる店です。でも運悪くまた今回も店が閉めてた。予定変更でB級グルメで人気になったみそカレー牛乳ラーメンの発祥の店「味の札幌」に行きました(結構前にもここのラーメン屋のネタを書きました)。ラーメンのネーミングが不味そうと思われる方もいるかも知りませんが、食べたらやみつきになりますよ。


Aji no Sapporo / 味の札幌 (通称アジポロ)




Miso Curry Milk Ramen / みそカレー牛乳ラーメン


As my wife does not like or drink milk, she ordered the regular miso ramen / 妻が牛乳を飲まない人なので普通の味噌ラーメンを注文しました


The Nebuta Festival starts at 7:00pm and lasts for a couple of hours. The floats are beautiful and huge and take about a year to prepare. As I mentioned previously, the video clips I took with my camera doesn't seem to be compatible with this blog site.

ねぶた祭りが夜の七時から始まって、二時間位つづきます。見たことない人ならねぶたに圧倒されるに違いない。現在のデジカメで撮った動画が残念ながらこのブログサイトに合わないみたいです。


These are Nebuta Floats / これがねぶたの正体です


If you look closely at the bottom of the float, you will notice that there are a number of men pulling these floats along which should give you an idea of how large these things are.

ねぶたの下を良く見たら、何人もの大人がねぶたを引張ってるのが分かる。これでねぶたはどの位大きいか分かる。














This is not a Nebuta float! It is my mother. She had slightly injured her knee before coming to Japan and was walking with a limp but seemed to have forgotten the pain while watching the Nebuta floats pass by and was made even happier by receiving the bells which the festival participants wear as they represent good luck.

こちらの写真はねぶたではございません。私の母です。日本に来る前にちょっと膝を怪我して、歩きも辛そうだったけど、ねぶた祭り見てる時、痛みが完全に忘れたみたい。さらに祭りの参加者から幸運の鈴を貰いました。みて、お母さんのその笑顔。












Some festival participants / 祭りの参加者


Look, a Tom and Jerry Nebuta Float / あっ、トムとジェリーがねぶたで登場




This was my favorite Nebuta float this year / 僕が今年このねぶたが一番の気に入りでした








And so ended our night of watching the Nebuta Festival. Tomorrow, me, my wife and my sister will be participants!

これでねぶた祭り鑑賞終了。明日、僕と美香子と僕の妹がねぶた祭りに参加します!らせら らせら らせらせらせら!