take a break

The first half of this year ended today. Half a year has passed very quickly but it was full of changes and events for me. I feel the latter half will be much busier so I take a short break now!

 

My short break started with pancakes at Bills pancake restaurant. It was Delicious!!

 

 

Having lunch at this restaurant was the main event on this day. So we didn't have other special plans and just walked around freely.

Shichirigahama Beach

We relaxed at beach.

Say Hi to the Great Buddha!

 

 

During this season, temples with hydrangeas in Kamakura are always very crowded. But when we visited the Hase Kannon Temple before it closed, there weren't many people so we could enjoy viewing hydrangeas and statues.

 

 

Next day, I went to learn oil painting, which I had been dreaming of. When I was very little, I learned oil painting with my brothers. I loved painting but I quarreled with my brothers and stopped the lesson. too bad..... but I started again!

 



 





My sister also learned pastel painting next to me.

Our teacher works at office on weekdays but she teaches and paints after work and on weekend. She was born to be a painter. She can do all kinds of paintings. I'll learn water painting too. Then in the future I want to paint by all mixed painting styles.

Within a few hours, I painted like this. It is not completed yet. I'll come back!

 

 

 

There was a shrine near her studio. We visited there during lunch break.

 

This straw ring is very special on June 30th. We go thorough this ring to purify ourselves before we welcome the latter half of this year.

 

 



Now we are clean and get ready!!

Before that, I just take a short break without thinking of works and relax both physically and mentally.
I'll go to hot spring this week!!

between Sun and Moon

June 21st was the summer solstice and June 23rd is the full moon and Super Moon.
There are a few Super Moon days a year but the tonight's Super Moon approaches to the Earth most closely.

I used to love to see moons but since this year started, I stopped watching moons.
I just didn't want to see them.

On the new moon day, I made wishes.
On the full moon day, I released unnecessary feelings of mine.

I made many wishes. Some came true but some didn't

I saw full moons with various people at various places.
When I see a full moon, those memories come back.

Some were good but some were not.

Moons were very beautiful even after the disasters in Japan in 2011.

I stopped seeing moons not to remember bad memories and wishes which didn't come true.

Except for this, I have no more wishes I want to make come true.
It is because I found all the wishes necessary to me make come true.
If they are necessary, they will come true before I ask.

But last night, the moon was so beautiful. I had some time to see it attentively.

Moon outside, my handmade lamp inside.

On the day between the summer solstice and the full moon, between sun and moon, between the 2 extremes, I felt like being wrapped in Yin and Yang, the positive and negative energies.

In the mystical space, I thought many things had happened in my life since the year 2013 started, maybe a lot more before 2013.
I was in pain rather than in happiness.

However, these days I finally can feel how happy I am.
I thank truly all what had happened in my life because they made me tough and strong.
I love myself and am proud of myself now because I didn't escape from those challenges.

I always tried to find positive aspects although it seemed very difficult to find any in negative situations in front of me.
By using my power of mind and heart, I turned all the negative situations into positive outcomes.

But I was really tired and I was hurt deeply.

So I listened to all the pains of my heart carefully yesterday.
Without any excuses and any persuasions, I just listened, accepted and admitted them.

I admitted I had done really my BEST!!

Then I felt I was reunited and reborn.

Between the extrema energies of sun and moon, I was actually born again.


I just found June 23rd today is May 15th according to the old(lunar) calendar, which is my birthday.

And the perfect full moon time is 8:32 pm.
I was actually born around 8:30 pm.

Tonight's Super Moon is Super Special to me!!!!

Have a Mystical and Magical Super Moon night, everyone!!















 

Tapas Molecular Bar

June has started! The rainy season also started in Japan. Fortunately, so far we have less rainy and more sunny days.

 

In May, I had lots of events including my birthday. It was the Bestest May in my life!

 

One of the great events was I met a wonderful family and traveled together with them. They traveled China and Japan to celebrate their happy events!!

 

Especially May 31st was a very special day for Zach and Coley!! It was their birthday!!

 

 

Happy Birthday!!

 

 

 

They are twins! They were celebrated by Japanese maids @home cafe in Akihabara.

 

 

At night, another celebration at Mandarin Oriental Tokyo!!

 

 

 

 

Tapas Molecular Bar!!

 

They were preparing for their special dinner!!

This bar was very unique!! It was like a science experiment but food was Superb!!

We started with Cherry Bonbon, which I forgot to take a photo because it was sooooo Delicious!!

Stone Potato

 

All looked like stones but only one was a real potato!! Which do you think it was?

 

 

 

Yes! The whitest one!!  Sauce in the tube.

 

Next! He was making "Green Pea Mint" by syringes.

 

 

Green Pea Mint

What were they doing?

They were decorating like painting.

Fromage Blanc, Flower and Butterfly

 

Beautiful!! Don't you think it is just like a painting?

 

 

Spring Landscape

Another beautiful dish! This plate depicted buds coming out from ground.

 

Green Laver, Razor Clam and Yuzu

Frozen green laver was like sherbet. It was unique but delicious.

 

Smoked Egg

One dish represented Breakfast including bacon egg and bread.
This spoon was edible. I ate 2 spoons!!

 

 

 

 

It wasn't on the menu but yummy!!

Baby Pork Hazelnut

 

This pork was unbelievably DELICIOUS!!!!

One bite and chew in my mouth because juice was in it!!

 

Next was "Warm Sizzling Beef".

Have you ever heard beef sizzling?

 

 

Warm Sizzling Beef

 

Yes, our beef was sizzling!!

 

 

 

It was like a cartoon but this ink was edible!

 

 

Not on the menu but soup with bamboo shoot.

Osuimono

Osuimono, Japanese soup. It didn't look like but soup in it.

How to make it was very interesting! I filmed it.  Please watch 2 videos!!

 

 

 

Next was Desserts and Petits Fours.
He was showing us how to eat the first dessert.

 

I think it was "Green Tea Puff". I couldn't take a photo because I had to eat it very quickly.

I'll show you how.

 

 

 

 

We all did what he did. It was fun!!

 

 

Egg

White chocolate outside!

They were making our last dessert.

Japanese Paper, Cherry Blossom, Strawberry Milk and Choco-Banana

Japanese Paper was cotton candy.
Strawberry Milk was on a red plate. We ate a strawberry flavored red stuff like candy while we were sniffing a white paper which smelled like just milk.

Fruits

They were sour fruits but we chewed one interesting stuff then those fruits became sweet!

Funny, Unique but Delicious Dinner!!!

I strongly recommend you should come to Tapas Molecular Bar when you are in Tokyo!!!
This is the TOP Bar in Tokyo!!

From left,
Zach and Coley,  their birthday was on May 31st and they just graduated from college in May.
Kyle, his birthday was on May 23rd.
Lisa and Martin,  their 30th wedding anniversary was on May 22nd.
And me, my birthday was on May 15th.

Happy Happy Awesome Group!!!!!!

Thank you very much, Martin, Lisa, Kyle, Coley and Zach!!

I wish YOU all the Happiness!!!

See you again!!!!!

Love,

Chiaki