Memories of summer, 2025

September is almost over and it has gotten nice and crisp at last after a lingering summer heat.

It’s so great to sleep without the air conditioner on. 

This summer was the hottest and the longest on record with temperatures above 35 degrees C  day after day. 

Hundreds of millions of cloud-troops march out to end the clear sky suddenly.

After downpouring, sun-flowers sway on the wet deck.

During the Apricot Rains, Gangoji Temple creates a profound atmosphere with the serene, earthy scents, 

verdant colors of moss and vegetation, purple bell flowers and stone Buddhist statues.

This area of the roof tiles are since the 8^th century, which made me feel eternity of the temple.

Nara Kingyo Museum is the largest goldfish museum in Japan.  

Gold fish are raised in nearby Yamato-Koriyama City,  one of Japan’s Top 3 goldfish cultivation areas. 

Geothelphusa dehaani, commonly known as Japanese freshwater crab or sawagani is endemic to Japan. 

These small size crabs inhabit clear mountain streams with healthy freshwater ecosystem.

 The Rhinoceros beetle larvae emerged in early-July and lived through summer.

Eating “kakigori” (shaved Ice) or chilled watermelon is one of the ways to cool you down. 

This fruit-parfait-like multi-layered shaved ice made by a chef tasted exquisite with the special syrups and flavor.

Pudding, ice cream, biscuits, seasonal fruits, are artistically arranged on and within the very soft shaved ice.

“国宝Kokuho” (National Treasure) is one of the most engaging films I’ve ever seen.

Coping with swestering deadly heat is challenging, but we could lead a pleasant and memorable summer, 

pacing ourselves with preventative measures and staying indoors in air-conditioned spaces as much as possible.

Linked to Mosaic Monday

Craftmanship and beauty in 和菓子 Japanese confectioneries

"Wagashi" are traditional Japanese confectioneries that are typically enjoyed 

with a cup of green tea.

Among all kinds of wagashi, "namagashi" (meaning "fresh confectionary") 

are artistically and carefully shaped by hand to reflect the nature in season. 

春爛漫, Spring in full bloom

Namagashi is the one served at Tea Ceremony with bitter powdered green tea.

It must be eaten in a day because it is so fresh but perishable.

They contain more than 30 percent water and are made of rice flour,

sweet red, white, or green bean paste filling in general

and sometimes fruit jelly filling.

朧月夜, A hazy moon of spring

Each single ingredient is chosen carefully regarding texture, colors, shapes and so on.

In hot season, transparent kanten/agar is used to create coolnes like the "summer pond."

It is a namagashi served chilled in hot season.

Summer pond

Hydrangea, with iced green tea

Other namagashi; Crane, Peony, Chrythunthemum 

and Unfurling nature of spring, clockwise.

Unfurling nature of spring

Apart from namagashi, there are many more casually eaten wagashi.

Many Japanese people feel like eating Sakura-mochi and/or 

Uguisu/Japanese bush warbler-mochi through February to March

when people can hardly wait for the arrival of spring.

Sakura-mochi is warpped with slightly salted sakura leaf.

Uguisu-mochi is coated with bean flour.

(About Japanese bush warbler and uguisu-mochi, here.)

In Sakura season, various sweets suggestive of Sakura and spring are sold.

Red bean paste wrapped in "gyuhi", kind of soft rice cake,

 is wrapped in pancake-like patty.

Kuri/chestnut is a dlicacy of autumn.

This Kuri manjyu is a bun stuffed with boiled-smashed-chesnut paste,

small pieces of chestnut and white bean jam.

"Daifuku" are made of soft rice cake and sweet white bean paste or other fillings. 

They are covered with a light dusting of katakuri-root starch to keep them from sticking together. 

(Lower right in the mosaic)

Daifuku should be eaten quickly as they become hard if left exposed to air.

Blueberry and tangerine daifukus.

"Monaka" consists of a wafer shell filled with sweet bean paste. 

The wafer shells come in different shapes and sizes from simple, round shells 

to more intricately designed ones.

The monaka below are specialty of an established shop in my hometown, Kobe.

雪月花, snow, moon and flowers, is one of the basic concepts in traditional Japanese aesthetics.

Western sweets, which are mostly made of animal ingredients such as eggs, 

butter, gelatine and milk, are high in fat.

On the other hand, Japanese sweets, of which ingredients are mainly vegetable

products such as rice, wheat, beans, fruits, agar and water, are low in fat

but tend to be high in sugar.

I like both Western and Japanese sweets and eat them with low GI black coffee.

Wagashi taste nice with not only green tea but also black coffee.

Linked to Mosaic Monday

Indigo dyeing and goldfish

Frames of goldfish scoops with indigo-dyed papers as ornaments

Yamato-koriyama City, several minutes train ride from the Nara Park area,

 is a small town with the Koriyama Castle as its center.

Two of the specialties of the town is indigo-dyeing and goldfish cultivation.

The area with a stream running down along the main street used to be 

full of dye houses.

You can try indigo-dyeing at the Konya, the indigo-dyeing studio 

which was renovated from the oldest house in the city.
How about dyeing handkerchief or stole with your own indigo blue?

Yamato-koriyama City is one of the top goldfish-producing cities of Japan.

Goldfish were mainly raised by almost jobless samurai warriors as their sideline business

during the mid-Edo period (18.19C).

The improved species were exhibited at a U.S. trade fair in the early 20th century 
to become a worldly-known industry of Yamato-koriyama.

Goldfish scooping, a popular feature at summer festivals, has become

"Goldfish Scooping World Championship" held every August.

Don't you feel bizarre to watch at the live goldfish dancing in an old TV set?
A public telephone booth is another unique goldfish tank in this town.

Goldfish motif is widely seen around the city.

 Summer heat is still lingering with autumn in the air.
It's great walking up a good sweat.
Perfectly lovely when I indulge myself with some refreshments after the walks.
Chestnut sweets are my favorites this season.

a cake, chestnuts and custard cream wrapped in the crepe
a "manjyu", chestnuts and smashed red beans wrapped in dough of grated yam and rice

Until next time!

Linked to Mosaic Monday

This and that recently

In spite of the saying "Neither heat nor cold lasts beyond the equinox.",
weather has been weird and unstable with windy cold air in the strong sunlight.
 Colors of water, however, have changed for sure.

What do you see in the photo above?

Water lily pads, reflected bare cherry trees, of which blossoms will start blooming in a week,

blue skies, and soft yellow Sanshuu, or Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc.

I heard from my daughter H who had a trip to Miyama-cho, northern part of Kyoto.
Miyama-cho is famous for more than 200 traditional, thatched roof farmhouses
where people still live and work.
(My post of the year 2011 about the hamlet, here.)

H's lodging was one of the old traditional houses.

Her family experienced simple and slow life.

i-Phone photo taken by my son-in-law

H's family monopolized three rooms (totally 50-jyo, or 100 tatami-mats),
a kitchen, and a bathroom.

The old but not dirty, uncluttered house has been well cared for throughout the years.

The dinner was “hot pot dish” of vegetables picked in the neighboring fields and chickens.

Photos sent to me by my daughter

These two dolls made of Japanese papers or straws were created
by my husband's late grandmother.
They became in bad condition after about 40 years.

As they get older, they've come to radiate more and more mysterious aura.

Meticulously-made bouquet

This plant has an attractive soft shine before crumbling away soon.

One day, I tidied the storeroom.
On finding some of the paintings by my son S in his lower grades,
memories came back instantly
though I had been completely forgetting about the paintings.

At the age of 8

In a few years, S's eldest daughter will become the age 

when he painted these paintings.

From seven to nine

About three-week spring break before new academic school year 

is time to be spent with grandchildren.

It's time to be realized their personal growth.

It's an eventful period including graduation of kindergarten and a concert in March,
entrance to elementary school or kindergarten and ballet performance in April.

I am not a minimalist but in some years I’d like to pare down my possessions

until only things that are necessary for their utility or beauty alone are left.

A container made of milk carton and Japanese papers by H

After enough interaction with grandchildren 

or works of cleaning and tidying up,

there's nothing more like a relaxing coffee time with a cake.

My next post will be Sakura (cherry blossoms) in mid-April.

Keep tuned!

A sweet little patissiere

From the show-window

There are four festive occasions in my family in December including one anniversary, two birthdays and Christmas. Looking back, I mostly treated my loved ones to gifts from the kitchen trying various sweets recipes each year before my children grew into adult.  Even when the appearance was not so good made by this clumsy mom, they looked happy with the taste.  In the course of the time, such a spirit has worn out gradually, and these years, I've tried some sweets from various popular confectionery brands.  I have weakness for sweets.

A fun and delicious birthday cake is something kids look forward to on their birthday. Parents feel joy to see the sparkles in their eyes on the prepared birthday cake, but this year the parents of my eldest granddaughter F let her make a birthday cake for herself.

The previous day of her birthday, F challenged making (to be exact decorating) her own birthday cake guided and supported by a pâtissier of the confectionery nearby.

Look at her smile of accomplishment!

(I-phone photos by my son so far)

At 4-year-old in January, F was proud of picking up beans one by one with chop-sticks.

In the mood of her role, a cat of Town Musicians of Bremen in Feb.

Pleased with making some sweets in the shape of "sushi"

Can be imaginative, inventive, and resourceful, when it comes to having fun.

She keeps us entertained.

A nice elder sister, friend, and rival to the younger one.
She got able to cycle without training wheels.

Prefers playing to eating in general,
but enjoy eating with family.

She turned 5 in early December.
Wish her keep sprinkling special flavors in our life.

I'm grateful to her parents for their unconditional love, patience, 

and searching for opportunities to satisfy her curiosity and interest.

This is the priceless only one cake in the world made by F!

I-phone photo by my son

Thank you for all the encouraging, inspiring, stimulating, or pleasant comments 

throughout the year, my dear Friends.
I'll have a break for a while over the years.