There’s no better way to enjoy a hot summer’s day than going to the beach and having fun in the water or just lying back and relaxing in the sandy shores while enjoying the cool sea breeze, listening to the waves lapping the shore, and watching beautiful people pass by.
Continue reading Beating the Summer Heat in Hayama Isshiki Beach
Traveling and exploring outdoors with your child is a perfect tonic for parenting stress. But with the crowded summer destinations, fully-booked hotels, expensive Shinkansen and plane fares, there seems to be nowhere else to go. Instead, we decided to go on a hike on a lesser visited but no less impressive mountain near Tokyo.
Summer in Japan means it is the season of fireworks. Firework festivals are held all over Japan during the summer season as the wind is gentler and the sky is clearer. Attending a hanabi event had been a fundamental part in Japanese culture. Visitors come in their traditional yukata or jinbei and enjoy the fireworks display while having a picnic or buying from the food stalls and participating in the game booths.
The Shibazakura Matsuri or moss phlox festival at Lake Motosuko is one of the most popular event in Japan. About 800,000 five-petaled moss phlox of more than six varieties bloom in the vast field creating a beautiful bright floral carpet under the foot of Mt.Fuji. These shibazakuras grow in white, fluorescent pink, red, rose pink, deep mauve, and pink-and-white candy stripe.
Along the flowers, there are food stalls, Japanese tea, foot bath, and photo souvenir areas available for visitors. Fuji Shibazakura Festival special frame post stamps, post cards and stamps are also sold in the post office.
Video Clip:
Ramen Hunting: I found a cool ramen shop, Bassanova, beside Shindaita station near my lab. It serves a number of fusion dishes including this very interesting tom yum ramen–oh yes, as in the sour and spicy Thai soup dish. The ramen’s tom yum soup was adjusted quite nicely to suit the thin noodles that they used. A pair of fried pork dumplings topped the steaming bowl. Even though it was very spicy, I kept going on with the soup to savor the medley of interesting tastes–the heat of the chillis, the zest of lemon grass and tamarind, the umami of pork broth, etc., etc. Four glasses of cold water later, there was an empty bowl in front of sweaty me. I will come back soon for their green-curry ramen.
Store Info:
Address: 東京都世田谷区羽根木1-4-18 (Setagaya-ku, Hanegi 1-4-18)
Phone: 03-3327-4649
Store Hours: Open 6:00pm-1:30am. Closed Sundays.
Google Maps: Bassanova
