Flour Paradise.

You may want to think about Wheat Free Diet.

But not today.

We had a big new year's party last night at local Benihana-type steak house.

It's supposed the shef is standing behind the plate but we did everything by ourself.So it was like we reserved whole restaurant including the kitchen.

Because we wanted to do something a regular steak house don't do.

We wanted to make Japanese-type pizza called "Okonomi-yaki."

"Okonomi" means anything you want and "yaki" means grilling or baking.

There's a guy who works at the steat house.When we made a plan to have a big Okonomi-yaki party,we started negotiating to him to use the plate at the steak house because we needed big enough plate for 17 people.

Everybody made own one by ourselves.

The party was so successful! Okonomi-yaki was delicious. The owner of the steak house gave us super delicious beef for free!

We were stuffed. We drunk a lot,laughed a lot...

Just today,let us forget about diet.Let us be in a flour paradise for awhile.

Auspicious!

We visit the Shinto shrine on New Year's Day.
It's called "Hatsumoude". It's the first visit paid on the New Year's holidays to a shrine. People pray for a long life and happiness for the year.

I bought a fortune paper called "Omikuji" after pray. It's frotune written on slips of paper.People buy then at shrines and tie them onto the branches of nearby trees in hopes that a good frtune will come true or that a bad frtune will be kept away.

My result was Best Fortune!
I decided to keep it instead of tying it to the tree.

A New Year.

A Happy New Year!
I wish we all will be filled with a lot of joy,laughs, and love in 2012.

I've got some new year's greeting cards from my friends on New Year's Day.
It's a Japanese custom to send greeting cards on New Year's Day to friends,business acquaintances and customers to wish them a happy. This custom is similar to the Weastern practice of sending Christmas cards.

It's supposed to drop those cards by the end of December but I had no time to do.
I wrote the cards on New Year's Day.

When I saw the cards I've got,those looked same to me because those are printed (typed) even addressing side. It is not interesting. The greeting cards were handwritten long time ago but many people choose to type it these days.

I decided to wrtie the cards by Japanese calligraphy brush,handwriting like old people did. It's been long since I used the brush last time.
It wasn't easy to handle the brush.You need to concentrate your attention on the brush and card.I thought that was like Zen.

My handwritung was not good at all but I felt pretty good.
You know,taking some concentrated time then thnking about friends,then write the cards cafefully.
I guess it is not bad to have this event at least once a year to stay away from busy life just for awhile.

Tuesday's English Club.

It's Tuesday.
Tuesday is my favorite day of the week besides Wednesday(off day) because we have English class at the cafe.We invite a teacher who has experienced as a English teacher for business men at several companies.There are a beginner class and an intermediate class each in the morning and in the evening.

The evening class is started at 6:50 after the cafe is closed.So I can join them to enjoy having conversation.

The cafe is filled with English.I'm quite happy about that!

The teacher was moved in the town with her husband a couple years ago like us.

The English teacher,ancient letter's lecturer,I've met very important people since I had moved in this town.It seems this town gathered them.

I can't wait until next Tuesday. We are gonna have a Party!

An Exam Fetish.

I took History exam yesterday.
I've been taking this exam for 5 years and keep failing,like as a tour guide exam.
Not only I like studying history but there's a benefit to pass this exam. I wouldn't have to take history exam of a tour-guide wxam every year. Exempted.

I studied hard a night before.And it was fun because I learned many facts which I had never known.Then I noticed that there were many many things I haven't even learned.

It was Saturday night.My husband dine out with his friends. I was eager to join them but I knew I was right not to go out.

In fact,a lot of questions were from Saturday night's study!
Well,other questions were difficult.I doubted those were on the textbook.

The examiner gave me a piece of paper.There're correct answers. He had it from the bigging of the exam!Couldn't I have any chance of peeking that paper because I sat in the front row?
Anyway,I looked the answers.I had many correct answers but there were almost same amount of incorrects.. Am I going to be a loser again?

Even so,I like the feeling of satisfaction after the exam. It feels like I'm free after get through some difficulties.That is why I keep .. or can't stop taking exam.

The Bonsai Class.

These are one of the plan for collecting customers;to have English conversation class,Ancient Letter lecture and Bonsai class at the cafe.

We had a bonsai class last night.It's petit-bonsai.
We met a guy who own a bonsai shop a couple of months ago and we offer him to have bonsai class at the cafe.He agreed.It must be a good opportunity to let people know our cafe and bonsai shop.

We had 6 students. Most students have never visited us.

First,you choose your pot. I picked this ocean blue one.

Then choose any small tree you want.
And then,put some soil and put moss.

It needs to be dwarfed and shaped by method of wiring and pruning in order to create aesthetic shapes.

Making something always make me happy.

sexy,cool,beautiful.

There was a international bicycle race in Japan on Oct. 22nd and 23rd.
We closed the cafe both of weekend day and went to see the race. Fortunatelly,the location is not too far from my house.

The first day was the Criterium.The Criterium is a short distance bike race on the street run off across the town. It was nice to see the busy main street was closed.And silence like a calm sea.
Even the race has started,it was oddly quiet because the athletes never screamed or yelled.They just passed through in front of us in a moment with a wind.

The second day was a kind of climbing up road race. It was so exciting.

In a colorful jersey with sun glasses,they look so beautiful and cool. And sexy.

I attended the after party at the evening. I was surprised that the Japanese athletes were tiny except around thigh. And they were so friendly and sweet.