和食クリスマス料理

和食クリスマス料理
Originally uploaded by Yukata Me.

A decidedly Japanese looking Christmas lunch that had me quite tuckered out once it was on the table . . . Featured herein this colour picture we have the festive plates and serviettes (napkins, if you are Lane) which were kindly provided by Lane as his Mum sent them to him for some reason best known to her - thus, perhaps, we SHOULD gratefully refer to them as napkins . . anyway. We have the peanut butter and chocolate chip Christmas Tree shaped biscuits that I made the night before, tempura てんぷら (deep-fried battered vegetables) and super healthy looking temaki-zushi 手巻き寿司 (you get a whole of ingredients together with rice and seaweed sheets and then all having fun assembling and eating as you go - makes for tasty sushi as the nori 海苔 (seaweed) doesn't have time to become horribly soggy like it is on long ago premade sushi in Australia.

Yesterday Alex and I went with Risa, a friend from one of my classes and another girl, to Onomichi 尾道 where we had a yummy soba lunch set (despite Onomichi being famous for its ramen) and then chugged across a salt river to visit the set that was used in the filming of the recently made Japanese films about the battleship Yamato. It was a reasonably brief tour which a large crowd . . two highlights - well, one high and one low-light were the exhibtion which had some footage from the filming . . the toilets were the most hideous I have EVER experienced . . Feacal matter remained in the squat toilet from the previous user - demonstrating that contrary to opinion voiced by some, it must be possible to take a dump squating - but more follows as the floor was drenched . . who knows whether in urine or from attempts to wash away urine regardless, I was keen to keep my overlong jeans from soaking up too much of it . . Then, having been so distracted by the state of the toilet I realised that I had forgotten to take the proper maesures to fasten the door when an un suspecting fellow would-be toilet user opened the door on me . . . My most entertaining toileting experience in Japan so far!

Today I did manage to get a couple of hours of study in! I hear you laugh at my satisfaction but if you knew how much of an improvement this is on the past month or more then you would be congratulating me too . . . . I have tried but well . . I really don't know how I will manage to scrape through the rest of term and exams - it has suddenly been brought to my attention that not just two but about four assignments are due this week . . oh dear!

I also got out for a bit of exercise in the pale and ineffectual sun, that was at least better than the no sun and snow we have been experiencing . . The new year appears to have brought with it a fresh breath of weather . . This is sure not to last though as February is reknowned for snow in Hiroshima!! Thus I feel entirely justified in the numerous winter clothing purchases that I made today! Japanese winter is soooo much better than that of summer!