So this is Christmas. And this is the 21st wedding anniversary for Shin and Mei-Shun. Look at his real gift. Just beautiful, isn’t it?
beauty
Tree on the Wall
StandardA hotel in Shinawaga makes a Christmas Tree by green, red and gold lights of windows. Shaky hands created a flame-like image, while a normal shot looks smaller than the real one.
Christmas is Coming
StandardThis lovely piece of work by Kaori-san, illustrator Ms. KOGASHIWA, arrived from Kyoto. A gift to herself, Mei-Shun feels very happy. Shin also likes it, advising her to arrange a covering glass for good quality preservation. You are right. We wish you a Merry Christmas!
Late Autumn
StandardWe have a ginkgo tree in the backyard. A little later than others in parks, it is turning into yellow these days. Fortunately, or unfortunately, “he” has no fruit of serious smell – that makes Mei-Shun happy but a little unhappy. She loves ginkgo nuts so much.
Great Techniques
StandardMei-Shun’s favorite figure skater chose Ballade, Chopin for his short program this year. Quadruple- and other jumps must be the most difficult, while the piano music requires the finest techniques to play perfectly. It is honorable to see them accomplished with tough practice and never-give-up mindset.
Japanese Culture@wkend
StandardNabe-mono, a Japanese cuisine quite similar to stew, is much preferred from late autumn to early spring. We serve ourselves boiled vegetables, meat and fish from a wide-open pot set on a cooking burner in the center of a table.
Botan Nabe by Hata-Kaku, Kyoto must be one of the best experience. Wild boar meat is served like a peony flower, simmered in white miso soup.
Japanese Culture@wkday
StandardWe enjoy much kind of “imported” celebrations today; Halloween and Christmas Day seem to join top three of them. On October 1st, all items celebrated the Autumnal Equinox Day are replaced by Halloween ones. Roppongi, Tokyo must have started this illumination from November 1st, representing the same for Christmas.
Black Out, Blue On
StandardIn the evening, a sudden cacophony of thunder fell, let all lights off. Only cooking fires with which Mei-Shun was preparing dinner left on. Simmering sound and blue gas fire caught our attention until TV voice, microwave alarm, phone recorder, etc. came back to cover them. 5-minute halcyon, old days might be a gift from the nature.
Fashionable Flower
StandardMei-Shun’s husband Shin sometimes brings home a bouquet, in which orange, meaning Mikan in Japanese, often appears followed by blue and white. It seems any color coordination is available for flowers – we human beings would not look as stylish as this arrangement in these three colors, won’t we?
Great Grapes
StandardLast year’s heavy snow destroyed many greenhouses for fruits and vegetables. On the other hand, outdoor trees were powerful enough to survive, allowed Mei-Shun family to enjoy such beautiful products this autumn as well.
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