Shin reserved a hotel in front of 二条城 this time. It is very nice to see such a popular sightseeing point through a window, avoiding crowd. Early in the morning, they enjoyed walking around the garden after breakfast. Another pleasure to stay here is a nice French restaurant “C’EST SYMPA“. They serve really beautiful dishes and wines for amazingly reasonable price, while net shopping is available.
御中元=ochugen, summer gifts are ready. Mei-Shun ordered special packages to 風流堂 as usual, asking a minor change in products. She had wondered why they never post English version for online shopping, emailed on this matter this time. Their reply was in a letter attached to the box for Master Mei-Shu: it seems they keep the job for their smart granddaughter who lived in the U.S. till recently, a WASEDA Univ. student.
So this date has come to Shin and Mei-Shun. They miss a little 茅の輪=Chi-no-Wa and paper doll ceremony at Kiji (=Pheasant) Shrine in Gotanda while never stopped enjoying this sweet delicacy in the morning. After that, he went aboard for Hong Kong on business while she visited Master Mei-Shu. She said that her own instructor passed away at 91 yesterday, meaning that 師範 test for her student could be postponed for a while.
Not meaning those who live there with the nationality, Mei-Shun visited her favorite dian-xin restaurant in Shinbashi today. She and Shin enjoyed a lunch course including appetizer, soup, shrimp dish, beef one, steamed rice ball, fried rice and dessert. She would not like to mention that place, in order to keep it quiet. This is therefore especially for you kind followers.
Seven weeks have passed since Mei-Shun started 8-hour-carbo diet. She experienced an ups and downs last week; ate a bit too much for 3 days, controlled her eating for another 3 days. That is because she sometimes feels difficulty in restraining from sweets, led to a sudden rush toward a pantry in which delicacy of her eye’s choice is stored. She therefore decided to introduce an innovative method; candy-first dessert system.
Today we see 芒種=boshu, the 3rd of summer 二十四節気. “芒” sounds rare for Mei-Shun who searched this Chinese character read nogi. It expresses spikes in chaffs of rice, wheat, etc., which wait for 芒種 to be sown in fields. Not only to prepare for hot and humid season, she asked Shin to have lunch at a restaurant where tasty grilled eels are served.
Dumplings rather than flowers? Not for Mei-Shun and Professor S. They met at 飯田橋 Station at noon, strolled toward an Italian restaurant to enjoy good salads, pizzas and pastas. After lunch, they planned to walk down 神楽坂 slope to reach 小石川後楽園 yet shared an taxi under severe sunlight. Pretty irises and hydrangeas were at the beginning of blossom. This nicely cared garden made them almost forget time.
Mei-Shun met Shin at one of their favorite restaurants in Shinagawa for lunch after hair treatment. Served dishes did not feature seasonal ingredients like 初鰹=hatsu-gatsuo, year’s first bonito while desserts were changed from normal 善哉=zenzai, sweetened red bean soup with rice cake to 餡蜜=anmitsu, agar jelly with fruits, syrup and red bean paste.
Would you see what flower it is? It is broccoli, gave us tasty buds all though March, ending in such a lovely shape. Oh, here comes our garden cat. Hi, honey, thanks for your good job. You look staying among flowers at night these days, Shin told Mei-Shun the other day. Does that mean you decided to play the role of Fuku-chan, who sleeps next to Black Tea rose?
Yes, mom’s ohagi season has come. Mei-Shun would like to visit her, yet Shin’s hay disease shows the worst symptom, prevents them from doing so. And his preference is actually on another making of anko(=sweetened red bean paste) and mochi(=rice cake). Half-beaten rice ball plays the role of filling while anko of coating in ohagi. When they exchange each part, we would have 大福, daifuku, loved by everybody.
meishunkikunoe 