Archive List for February 2016

Like I said, everyone is making me feeling left out and making me missing home so much and making me craving for all the Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) feast!!! with all the pictures posted on FB! 

To be fair, I’m going to post all the wonderful yummy dishes prepared by my parents-in-law when we were back for New Year! 

Lunch upon arrival!
 Spaghetti
Salad

Dinner
 Sukiyaki hotpot
 Octopus sashimi

Breakfast
Miso grilled onigiri
Grilled salmon
Wakame (seaweed) miso soup

Lunch
Yakisoba

Dinner
Oden
Vege soup
Rice

Little-big-boss grandpa the master chef! 

Lunch
Fried rice with loads of vegetables starchy sauce for topping

Look at the little hearts 

Lunch
Soy sauce soup based ramen

Dinner
Sweet and sour sauce on fried pork with vege
Dried radish salad
Japanese cucumber salad
 Octopus sashimi
Karei (marbled sole) cooked in soy sauce
Soup
Rice

Breakfast
Miso grilled onigiri
Tamago-yaki (Japanese fried egg)
Wakame, tofu miso soup

Lunch
Okonomiyaki

New Year breakfast
Mochi with crunched walnuts paste, sweetened soy sauce or red beans paste
Green vege salad
Wakame, nameko, tofu miso soup

Breakfast
Grilled salmon
Vinegar based salad
Vege soup
Rice

Lunch
Soy sauce soup based soumen (wheat noodles) with squid tempura and vege tempura

Last day treat!
 Rare cheese cake 

 

Grandpa actually had been attending cooking school and GRADUATED  not long ago after his retirement (though now back to work out of some circumstances).

 

We had our wonderful feast too the whole week! 
Thank you so much for the hospitality, grandpa and grandma 

 

Anyway,

 

Happy Lunar/Chinese New Year again!! 

Don’t over-eat  haha

 

Hoping  next year we can also join in the celebration!!!! 

 

Since everyone is back home celebrating Chinese New Year,
and posting pictures that is making me feel so left out..

I am going to post my New Year story instead

We celebrated 2016 Happy New Year back at Big-big-boss hometown in Morioka, Iwate.

I was actually expected more snow and to play in the snow!
But too bad that this season “snow” is not visiting enough..

Even ski resorts were not opening coz of the lack of snow..(except in Hokkaido I guess..)

Anyways, Little-big-boss expectation was something else.

The bullet train

He was literally very interested in trains (especially where we have lots of trains travelling experience and trains watching anywhere we go in Japan  that boosted his interest). He even remembers the train names quite well

Seeing him so excited telling stories about trains, and had really been a very good boy (yes, he never nag (as in the spoilt one), never fight back when friends took his toys and so), we can’t resist our own desire to upgrade his toys..train set.. haha← gonna tell this toy’s story later 

So, we’d been telling Little-big-boss that we are going to ride on E5 series Hayabusa (E5系 はやぶさ),the bullet train to grandpa and grandma’s house!

He got so excited! 
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We started our train ride on Nambu Line, then change to Tokaido Line to Tokyo station

And finally Hayabusa, the bullet train
(The white with pink line bullet train is E4 series Max Toki, just happened to be there on the opposite track )

Around 2 hours ride on Hayabusa  and we had our leisure time looking out the window with on and off views of the snow towns and mountains 

The train was fast!
We can see snow covering the town and completely dry after a few minutes in a different town.
Yeah, on and off.
At this time, I really was hoping Morioka (our destination) is going to have more snow!!
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Our wish was half answered, heavy snow one day before we arrived
Seriously, the whole while before that, there were no snow piling at all! Which was rare at this time of the year compared to previous years 
You can see the snow (picture above) is not much at all to cover the ground.. though it was as cold as ever 

The Robot playground nearby! 
As cold as it can be, kid still a kid  *Don’t really care much as long as they get to play (play=move a lot=warm)
Though the mom was freezing to death..

Little-big-boss was so excited arriving at grandpa and grandma’s house that he just kept running around playing  

Big-big-boss even took out his old toys for Little-big-boss!
One generation gap of toys!
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We went for an Onsen trip on the 3rd day
Onsen is my favorite in winter and specially on a snow land 

On grandpa’s treat, we got to stay in this wonderful hotel room

We loved this big window 

Trees and a river just right below 

We changed to Yukata getting ready for our first soak in the onsen  

Can you imagine how lavish it is to be on a hot spa outside in the snow ! 
Best is when it is snowing!
Where snow came falling down and melt on your face! 

Once again, the Yukata~ haha

We had buffet dinner that night 

He was excited seeing grandpa’s bringing sushi to the table and asked for maguro (tuna) 
Yeah, he’d been watching some story about maguro recently and that was why he got all so excited

Brushing teeth ready to sleeeeeeep~

The story behind:
We thought of putting Little-big-boss to sleep first (around 7pm), then Big-bog-boss and I planned to go for another onsen bath before bed..

“PLAN FAILED” 

Obviously at 7pm! was too early..
Little-big-boss sensed it that we were up to something and wouldn’t want to stay with grandpa and grandma in the room next door..
So no other choice but to tag my little cute Little-big-boss along 

“I won” 
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We stayed just for a night here though I wished to stay longer 
So that we could play in their indoor pool too

Even just for a night, it was a great refreshment with grandpa and grandma together 
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Now, we were back home and ready for  Happy New Year celebration  

On New Year’s eve we had a Japanese style feast! お節 

The next morning on New Year 1st day, we went to a nearby temple for our first pray, hatsumoude (初詣) 
And had a little snow-playing-time at the Robot playground again 

Well, this was how we celebrated New Year peacefully at home with family 
Quite a simple one, but a Japanese-style home celebration 
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On the 2nd, we were back in Tokyo.
We were in a rush when heading to the station, too bad didn’t get to take some proper photos with grandpa and grandma..

We were on E2 series Hayate (E2系 はやて) bullet train back to Tokyo  

All excited getting to ride and meet his loved trains lining up at Tokyo station 

E7 series Kagayaki (E7系 かがやき)
Happened to be on the opposite track of our Hayate  
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And guess what  All pampered by grandpa and grandma, he got his most wanted toy (at this moment), Plarail train set from Takara Tomy of E5 series Hayabusa and E6 series Komachi connecting bullet train (プラレール E5系とE6系新幹線連結セット)  

You’d be surprised when you see how his train set has expanded.. ←　Toy story next round 
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Anyhow, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR to all who are celebrating it
May your heart and home overflow with peace, love and joy 
Good luck, good fortune, and good health
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 20151227~20160102
 3years 3months 26days ~ 4 months 0 days
 3歳 3か月 26日~ 4か月0日