The heat is still strong in Tokyo and from weather forecasts, it appears that it won't let up any time soon. The electric bill last month was double the normal amount. The AC units in my place are literally on all the time. I wonder when Fall will finally come in and relieve these hazy, hot and humid days.
In other news, I am looking forward to meeting my old friend since junior high this Friday. He will be in the Tokyo area for business. I haven't seen this guy in years so I can't wait to catch up. There is also a planned picnic on Tama river this Saturday with friends so my weekend will be action packed.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Road trip to Tottori
Just came back from an exhausting road trip to and from Tottori. During the Obon holiday period, traffic was no joke and there were traffic jams all over the place. I enjoyed my trip back to the Yonago area. Like before, things have changed but for the most part, the city I once lived in still remains the same. Here are the pics!
This is a view of one of the many parking / service areas that I stopped at during the trip. The best thing about taking road trips is stopping at these points to get refreshed, eat some of their specialty foods and in this case, take in the nice view.
Finally in Yonago with my old friend Mount Daisen in the background.
Oh yes, Sushi! Fresh AND cheap sushi. One of the main reasons that motivate myself to go back to Yonago!
Besides Sushi, I love eating tako yaki at Tako hachi. I was relieved to see that this place did not follow the typical restaurant trend in Yonago and was still up and running. I was also glad to see the same worker there I have been accustomed to seeing since I lived there over 7 years ago!
During Obon, many people go back to their hometowns to visit family members who have passed away. Though a bit somber, there are also many traditional activities that take place. For instance, a teenage sumo tourney!! I was surprised to see that the skinny guys did very well.
Also was able to attend a Matsuri. I love Matsuri!!!
Day time street view.
Best part of Matsuri is the food. I pigged out like crazy. Especially the friend chicken. Loved how this stand managed to make a famous fried chicken icon their own.
The name of the matsuri was burned on the hillside. Pretty amazing sight which unfortunately, this picture could not capture.
I was also able to get out of Tottori and went to check out the German theme park in Okayama-ken. I was expecting a lot more when I first heard that this place existed. Unfortunately, the only thing German I found though was the beer and sausages.
This is a view of one of the many parking / service areas that I stopped at during the trip. The best thing about taking road trips is stopping at these points to get refreshed, eat some of their specialty foods and in this case, take in the nice view.
Finally in Yonago with my old friend Mount Daisen in the background.
Oh yes, Sushi! Fresh AND cheap sushi. One of the main reasons that motivate myself to go back to Yonago!
Besides Sushi, I love eating tako yaki at Tako hachi. I was relieved to see that this place did not follow the typical restaurant trend in Yonago and was still up and running. I was also glad to see the same worker there I have been accustomed to seeing since I lived there over 7 years ago!
During Obon, many people go back to their hometowns to visit family members who have passed away. Though a bit somber, there are also many traditional activities that take place. For instance, a teenage sumo tourney!! I was surprised to see that the skinny guys did very well.
Also was able to attend a Matsuri. I love Matsuri!!!
Day time street view.
Best part of Matsuri is the food. I pigged out like crazy. Especially the friend chicken. Loved how this stand managed to make a famous fried chicken icon their own.
The name of the matsuri was burned on the hillside. Pretty amazing sight which unfortunately, this picture could not capture.
I was also able to get out of Tottori and went to check out the German theme park in Okayama-ken. I was expecting a lot more when I first heard that this place existed. Unfortunately, the only thing German I found though was the beer and sausages.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Crazy heat
Man, its been crazy hot here. The AC at my home has been blasting nonstop for the past few weeks. A guy who I play basketball with said he just bought an AC unit and got it installed yesterday. YESTERDAY??? I thought that was insane that he survived this long without AC, especially at night.
Since the start of the heat wave, I basically stopped playing basketball outside. This past weekend though a couple of people convinced me to give it a shot. Man.. I sort of regret I did that now. My game wasn't bad but I only managed to play a few games before I felt myself suffering from heat exhaustion. It was cloudy earlier when I originally agreed, however once we arrived to the court, the bright sun made its debut and burned everything in its way, including my now damaged dark skin.
Not being able to play basketball every week and some convincing by a couple people brought me back to my old basketball team. I played my first game in over half a year with them recently. It was actually pretty good. The system changed a bit and there were not as many people as before. We were running more games than just doing drills which is the way I like it. I am happy so far and I think I will continue to join the practices from now on.
Finally, obon is coming up in almost 2 weeks and I'll be taking some time off and heading west to Tottori. I haven't been there in about a year and am looking forward to it. I would say I can't wait to eat super fresh sushi at reasonable prices, but I had a sushi explosion yesterday at a local kaiten sushi. The only thing I am not looking forward to is the super long drive in potentially bad holiday traffic there...
Since the start of the heat wave, I basically stopped playing basketball outside. This past weekend though a couple of people convinced me to give it a shot. Man.. I sort of regret I did that now. My game wasn't bad but I only managed to play a few games before I felt myself suffering from heat exhaustion. It was cloudy earlier when I originally agreed, however once we arrived to the court, the bright sun made its debut and burned everything in its way, including my now damaged dark skin.
Not being able to play basketball every week and some convincing by a couple people brought me back to my old basketball team. I played my first game in over half a year with them recently. It was actually pretty good. The system changed a bit and there were not as many people as before. We were running more games than just doing drills which is the way I like it. I am happy so far and I think I will continue to join the practices from now on.
Finally, obon is coming up in almost 2 weeks and I'll be taking some time off and heading west to Tottori. I haven't been there in about a year and am looking forward to it. I would say I can't wait to eat super fresh sushi at reasonable prices, but I had a sushi explosion yesterday at a local kaiten sushi. The only thing I am not looking forward to is the super long drive in potentially bad holiday traffic there...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
