Sanuk Canadian

One of my students recently told me about a new drink, which has become popular at Japanese pubs. Apparently, the sweet taste is a favorite among women. What makes this drink unique is that it uses a well known frozen treat called "gari gari kun". Japanese ice candy: Gari Gari Kun Here is the recipe: 1 gari gari kun (soda flavor) sparkling cider whiskey (optional) This drink seemed really fun, so I went off to the local 7-11 to buy the ingredients and make it myself (minus the alcohol). My soda and glass... ...plus one gari gari kun.... ...and add to the glass. Voila! C'est fin! So how about the taste? Well, it was very sweet! I stirred the gari gari kun around to melt it down. The taste was similar to cream soda in Canada. I think it would taste better with the whiskey. (laugh) I'd like to hear some unusual drinks from my readers. Got any to share..? *** I've been pretty busy lately and have a lot of travel news to share with reade...

...the final installment of a bus trip to Osaka and Nagoya, continues.  My friend wasn't busy, so the next morning, we headed out to a local cafe to enjoy breakfast. In Aichi and Gifu prefectures, cafes are often open in the morning and sell what is called a "morning set". It's a standard breakfast with coffee or tea. We looked over the regular menu, but voted to just eat the normal "morning set". Menu: A traditional "morning set": Unlike Western style breakfasts, in which you can select the foods to eat, morning sets in Japan are finalized -- you get what the restaurant serves. Luckily, these are all my favorite things: yogurt, salad, an egg and toast. There is nothing like enjoying a slow morning over breakfast with a friend. Before saying good bye, we asked the shop lady if she would take our photo.... I then headed to Nagoya station to catch the bus. This time, I rode a double decker bus, sitting up top where I enjoyed ...

....a trip to the Kinki & Chubu regions of Japan continues. This time, we move east. After spending 3 days in Osaka, I jumped on the bus in the morning and began heading east. My elephant joined me on the almost empty bus. My elephant = best travel partner ever! The overcast weather added to the grey atmosphere as we said "good-bye" to Osaka: I passed the 3.5 hour ride by watching videos of Dave Chappelle's stand up routine, and Kylie's Anti-tour on You Tube. As for my elephant, I think he slept. (laugh) We arrived in Nagoya, where I used to live for 8 years. I wanted to visit a good friend of mine here, the super funny and chatty, Miss W. She had a request: to eat 手羽先 [te-ba-sa-ki = chicken wings], a speciality in Nagoya. I took her to the same place we went to last year -- Yama Chan! Our food:  As I don't drink alcohol, I was looking over the menu for something unique to drink that would make me at least, feel giddy. I found my favor...

...a bus trip to Osaka continues.  From Nagoya, the bus traveled another 3 hours before arriving at Osaka. The next morning, I met my friend and we enjoyed some things near Osaka port. First up: the Ferris Wheel! This one is called Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel. View of the Ferris Wheel: We could enjoy great views from inside our glass cabin.... View of the ship dock: View of a bridge: View from the very top (plus a cabin): Cutenekko and her boyfriend, Mr. Elephant ^_^ (laugh) After completing a 360 on the wheel, my friend suggested taking a boat harbor cruise. We chose a ship that is famous to history buffs -- the Santa Maria! My ticket: I love how the ticket makes it seem we will be flying through space!! (laugh)  The ship: The cruise lasted about 40 minutes and passengers could see how Osaka Port is more of an industrial port than Yokohama. Many industries line the coastline in Osaka... One thing that surprised me: next to Univ...

I was invited to visit a friend who lives in Osaka. Most Japanese prefer to travel by shinkansen, the ultra-fast bullet trains. These, however, are quite expensive, often costing over $100 one way. Another option, which has been increasing in popularity recently, is the highway bus. The whole trip (return) cost less than a one-way shinkansen  ticket. I booked two separate legs for my journey: Kanagawa --> Nagoya, Nagoya ---> Osaka. The bus stopped frequently, about every two hours, at a rest stop. Expasa is a popular rest stop (there are numerous Expasa shops in Japan), which usually house Starbucks, ice cream, famous fast food and convenience stores, etc. Expasa: The highlight is using the toilet. Really! Tourists always rave about the all-automatic, completely private, toilet stalls in Japan. So I snuck a photo for my readers....(laugh) About halfway through the journey, we stopped at Hamanako  (Lake Hamanako), in Shizuoka prefecture. The day was perfect, ...

My fishing buddy took a half day off work one Friday and invited me out to try some river fishing. We headed out to a very local spot in Kanagawa for an afternoon of fun. The place was breathtaking! A large waterfall dominated the view, with the river following lazily down the slope.... We experimented in various locations along the river, until my friend figured out the secret to catching the fish. From then on, we enjoy catching ます, [ma-su], trout. ^_^ Waiting for a bite..... Oh! I got a hit! Woo!  Oh no! I lost him.... After catching, and accidentally releasing my first trout of the day, my fishing friend made it up to me--quickly catching another one.  The first catch: My fishing buddy is quite the pro, as we ended up catching six fish . After all that work, we headed back to his mom's place, where she cooked us up a big dinner, including the trout. The fabulous dinner: My butter fried trout, before..... ....and after! ^_^ T'...

Sorry for the delay...here is the second part regarding this free park in Yokohama. The first post is HERE . Down the garden path from the Diplomat's house, is the quaint, green trimmed cottage called "Bluff 18 Kan Ban". The first thing viewers can enjoy is a white marble fountain. The outside of the cottage is trimmed in green; it reminded me of the home from "Anne of Green Gables".  Inside the entrance, stood a model of the house and attached hall, which is used for private parties and wedding ceremonies.  After switching to slippers, I toured the upstairs of the home, which featured some really beautiful rooms. Here is the dining room:  Again, in this house, were more flowers arranged in interesting ways. A sunflower: I preferred this house over the Diplomat's house, due to the antique furniture, fireplaces and light green themed windows everywhere. This sitting room was just waiting for a poker game: As readers know, I love sunrooms...