Kaori Square Feet

The Tiny Plane To Matsuyama

I got on the tiniest plane ever this summer.

Okay, I exaggerate a little…but not by much. It has definitely been a while since I’ve been on an airplane that has propellers and only one aisle, so I thought I’d write about it. Especially because I got great pictures, too!

Sitting by the boarding gate at Itami Airport, I saw a tiny plane land right outside my gate from the corner of my eye. I thought it was a cargo plane or something and didn’t even give it a thought. But then my flight to Matsuyama Airport was announced and once we passed the gate…we were guided outside.

Well, that doesn’t happen very often.

I’m not a nervous flyer at all but I’d be lying if I said my eyes weren’t glued to the propellers when we lifted off (not that I could do anything if they had stopped). I definitely felt the G’s, which was kind of fun. Also, because the airplane was cruising at a lower altitude, I had a great view of the Seto Inland Sea from above. All in all, I loved it!

Do you prefer larger airplanes? Or enjoy smaller ones?

Boarding our Bombardier DHC8-Q400 airplane!

Going up up up above the city of Osaka.

Onaruto Bridge (大鳴門橋) connects Awaji and Tokushima across the Naruto Straight.

A view of Seto Ohashi Bridge (瀬戸大橋), which goes from Okayama and Kagawa.

I’m almost positive this is the island of Nakajima (中島) near Matsuyama (松山).

We also had a super moon the day before…so pretty!

I love how the clouds look like cotton candy!

Enjoying the beautiful view while simultaneously checking for loose screws (just in case!).

It was too cloudy to see from below but we got a good view of the moon from here!

Isn’t this like an oil painting? Love the colors!

Ta-dah! We landed safely at Matsuyama Airport!

My sister’s airplane from Tokyo landed a little later and we both headed home to Imabari together!

The Rakuten Japan Open in Black and White

Have you ever been to a tennis tournament?

I remember the first time I ever saw a real tennis match was at the Japan Open Tennis Tournament in my third year of college. I only had a vague idea of what the rules were (keep inside the lines?) and knew of only the super famous players (Agassi and the other hairy guy).

But I wasn’t there to just watch though. I was there to work as part of the court management team at the tournament, which was even better! Our crew was responsible for keeping all the matches in all courts running smoothly. And in between delivering extra bananas and running after players to retrieve tournament towels (yes, it happens)…I even got to learn a thing or two about tennis!

So here I was again, another year at what is now Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Tournament. The local favorite, Kei Nishikori, who’s had an amazing year (or so they tell me), played against Canada’s Milos Raonic in the finals. It was a good game (or so they tell me). But like two years ago, Nishikori fought off the pressure and went on to win the tournament, to the delight of the home crowd! Whoop!

Here are some behind-the-scenes photos:

Happy for Kei-kun but even more happy I got to see everyone here again! x

The Halloween Day in Disneyland

Tokyo Disneyland is famous for introducing Halloween to Japan.

Truthfully, Halloween isn’t even in my list of top ten favorite holidays. I’m not sure if it’s because everything is all spooky, or because I’m just not that into costumes, or simply because I don’t like the color orange.

But my high school friends from Kyoto were in town and they wanted to go to Disneyland so I was game, as were my sisters and another high school friend. It was extra fun because my friend has a six-year-old son and there is nothing like experiencing the Disney magic with a real child (you know, not just the inner child in all of us).

It’s been years since I’ve braved Disneyland from the morning (especially on a holiday weekend!), so my sisters and I joined my friends from 3pm with the starlight passport. We did things that we usually wouldn’t do, like watch the Halloween parade or ride some of the smaller rides, and it made the day that much more interesting!

We stayed until the very end and when the park closed, we headed back to the station. My friend’s son, who had been up since 7am, still had enough energy to shout out “Tanoshi-katta! (That was fun!)“

Mission accomplished! 😀

Did you know that Disneyland now has new passport tickets?

How cute is this couple? 😀

No trip to Disney is complete without popcorn! This was the curry flavor…yum!

The Happy Halloween Harvest parade was full of pumpkins, of course!

I now know why people watch parades…it gives them time to sit and rest! Group picture!

H is holding on to our 3D glasses for us…does this make him see 6D?

Getting ready to see Mickey’s PhilharMagic show!

Cinderella’s castle lit up in the night.

The Haunted Mansion was a lot more haunted than usual for Halloween.

We loved the Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters ride!

And laugh, we did!

If you’re into Halloween, you can enjoy the decorations at Disneyland until October 31st!

The Other Typhoon Day in Kobe

I sort of forgot about my blog posts from summer break.

But this typhoon passing through Japan yet again (the wind is howling outside at the moment) reminded me that I still had photos from my trip to Kobe this summer, which was also during a typhoon! A couple of typhoons ago, to be exact.

One thing I love about large railway stations is that they are connected to various buildings and have underground passages that make it easy to get around and enjoy your day without getting drenched. Especially when there is a typhoon passing through. No umbrella can stand against those crazy typhoon winds so I don’t even try.

In Tokyo we have places like Shinjuku station, Tokyo station, and Shibuya station. The city of Kobe has Sannomiya Station. My best friend from high school (who I went to Yakushima with in May!) was in Kobe with her family so we decided to meet up at Sannomiya station that day.

I checked out of my hotel and made my way to the station earlier in the morning because I knew that the typhoon was going to hit around noon. I got to look out the window as the rain and winds got stronger while waiting for my friend, who also got to the station early just in case the trains stopped.

We found a nice cafe and spent the morning chatting away and catching up with each other. Once we start talking, it’s hard to stop us girls! We barely noticed the craziness outside and before we knew it, the rain had stopped. So we took advantage of it and ventured outside to see a little more of Kobe, before I had to head to the airport.

Kobe is such a beautiful city. I love it. And although I was only there for two full days, I got to see my dearest friends and had an amazing time! I am already looking forward to the next time, preferably without a typhoon though! 😀

Here are some photos:

We found a cafe in one of the retail facilities. The risotto lunch set was delicious!

The streets of Kobe after the typhoon.

The flowers survived, as did the lovely flower planter.

Every time we are in Kobe together, we end up just sitting on this couch and talking!

A Jizo for retail prosperity sitting in the corner of a shopping street. Look at that smile!

Too soon it was time to head to the airport. So convenient that we can use Pasmo in Kobe now.

Headed to Itami Airport in Osaka on the Hankyu Kobe Line. So retro, I love it!

CAFE COCONOHA

Mint Kobe 8F, 7-1-1 Kumoi-dori Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo

兵庫県神戸市中央区雲井通7-1-1 ミント神戸8F

TEL: 078 200 4730

OPEN: 11:00am-11:00pm

The Nomikai Season

The end of September is the end of the fiscal half year in Japan.

For me, this has always been another nomikai season due to various company shuffles that occur. I can’t speak for everyone, but my company always says good bye with at least one nomikai. There are times I end up going to several different nomikai’s for the same person, just with a different group of people.

Then at the start of October, the second half of the fiscal year begins.

Yup, you guessed it. We also say hello with a nomikai. But I’m guessing many companies do this because, well, this is Japan. And also, because a lot of the izakaya and bars around town are full during this season.

I had a couple of weeks filled with various gatherings of good byes and hellos. Nomikai is the time when people cross over certain barriers and protocol and interact with people they wouldn’t usually speak to at work. Or they find something to discuss besides the usual work related topics. Or they just pat each other on the back and continue get each other stinkin’ drunk.

I don’t know why but I watch everyone all red in the face and smiling…and it warms my heart. I know, drunk salary men and women are not a pretty sight. But when you’ve been through thick and thin with them and know what kind of worries and troubles they carry, it’s just a nice feeling to know that they have this time to throw their arms around one another and just be merry.

Or maybe the umeshu is getting to me and I’m just being sentimental. x

The Handful of Fall Leaves

I love fall, especially when the leaves start to change colors!

I was especially loving it today on my way to work. I always walk along a river that has miles of cherry trees on both sides. You might think cherry tree leaves just turn brown. Well, they do. But they actually change to different shades of yellow, orange, and red…before quickly turning brown.

So this morning I started picking up the pretty ones…and before I knew it, I had a whole handful (with a few other types of leaves thrown in)!

I was also late for work. (If you saw a crazy woman with a handful of leaves running her butt off this morning in Shinjuku, that would be me.) But it was worth it because these leaves are so pretty!

What do you love about fall? x

The October Link Love

Heigh ho October is here!

How are you all doing? I am in a rut regarding blog posts…but on the other hand I’ve been quite busy with everyday life. Septermber was a blur of fun with high school friends (weddings are reunions these days) and one nomikai after another as another fiscal half-year comes to a close and company shuffles are announced.

But I am ready and excited for October because I am off to Australia at the end of the month! Yay! I haven’t been there since 2003, when I went to Brisbane for a few weeks. This time I am headed to Melbourne to attend my darling friend’s wedding. So so excited. I also get to stop by Singapore on my way back, which is also another country I’ve never been to!

Have you ever been to Melbourne or Singapore? I’d love any suggestions!

It is quite chilly in Tokyo already and I am going to have to dig out my sweaters and knits. But I do think that food always tastes better once we hit fall, something about the cold weather and warm comfort food. Oh, and don’t forget all the nashi (Japanese pear), kyoho (Japanese grapes), and kaki (Japanese persimmon)…my favorite fall fruits! Yum!

I hope you’re all enjoying all this fall deliciousness, too! xx

——————————————————-Link Love——————————————————-

– Starting off this month once again at this tennis tournament.

– This butternut queso looks amazing.

– Surprising facts from these maps.

– #AskLena about feminism.

– David Parkinson’s love letter to Japan. (via)

– Sometimes I pretend I have a fire place with this on my computer screen.

The List of Favorite Books

What are your all-time favorite books?

One of my friends nominated me to make a list of books that I love, have affected or changed me on facebook a few weeks ago. The rules were that you shouldn’t think too hard about it and just write down the top ten books that come to you. So during my lunch break today, I jotted down my top ten books.

I think I was in a nostalgic mood and chose books I’ve been reading for years. These are pretty much my go-to books that I can (and have) read over and over again. I tend to lean toward happy endings and/or witty comical books. Or the one’s that just take me away to a completely different world.

Here is my list:

1. ANNE OF THE ISLAND by Lucy Maude Montgomery

“I do know my own mind,’ protested Anne. ‘The trouble is, my mind changes and then I have to get acquainted with it all over again.”

2. BET ME by Jennifer Crusie

“Statistics show that men are interested in three things: careers, sports, and sex. That’s why they love professional cheerleaders.”
Cal put down his fork “Well, that’s sexist.”
“Yes I know,” she said. “But it’s true isn’t it?”
“What?” Cal tried to find his place in the conversation. “Oh, the sports and sex thing? Not at all. This is the twenty-first century. We’ve learned how to be sensitive.”
“You have?”
“Sure,” Cal said. “Otherwise we wouldn’t get laid.”

3. THE BUDDHA IN THE ATTIC by Julie Otsuka

“On the boat the first thing we did — before deciding who we liked and didn’t like, before telling each other which one of the islands we were from, and why we were leaving, before even bothing to learn each other’s names — was compare photographs of our husbands.”

4. ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY by David Sedaris

“Every day we’re told that we live in the greatest country on earth. And it’s always stated as an undeniable fact: Leos are born between July 23 and August 22, fitted queen-size sheets measure sixty by eighty inches, and America is the greatest country on earth. Having grown up with this in our ears, it’s startling to realize that other countries have nationalistic slogans of their own, none of which are “We’re number two!”

5. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING by William Shakespeare

“A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours.”

6. NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro

“He did a laugh and put his arm round me, though we kept sitting side by side. Then he said: ‘I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it’s just too much. The current’s too strong. They’ve got to let go, drift apart. THat’s how I think it is with us. It’s a shame, Kath, because we’ve loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can’t stay together forever.'”

7. NUMBER THE STARS by Lois Lowry

“Annemarie stood on the balcony of the apartment with her parents and sister, and watched. Up and down the street, and across on the other side, she could see flags and banners in almost every window. She knew that many of those apartments were empty. For nearly two years, now, neighbors had tended the plants and dusted the furniture and polished the candlesticks for the Jews who had fled. Her mother had done so for the Rosens.
“It is what friends do, ” Mama had said.”

8. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

9. THE SECRET GARDEN by Frances Hodgson Burnett

“I am sure there is magic in everything, only we have not sense enough to get hold of it and make it do things for us –like electricity, horses, and steam.”

10. STRANGERS FROM A DIFFERENT SHORE by Ronald Takaki

“And so they entered a new and alien world where they would become a racial minority, seen as different and inferior, and where they would become ‘strangers.'”

Sometimes it’s fun to make a list like this. Although t’s really hard to narrow down your favorite books to ten. My friend has kids and she said she wanted to make a list just out of children’s books because there are so many good ones out there. I completely agree.

As I was looking at everyone else’s book list after posting mine, theirs kept on reminding me of good books! I forgot so many, from John Grisham (I love his books with a twist at the end) to the Harry Potter books (specifically the third one). It’s really impossible to choose. But I guess we should just all be grateful that there are so many good books out there!

Have you read any of the books on my list? What books would be on your top ten list?

The Tunisian Restaurant Cafe Chameau in Kobe

Did you know you can find a tiny piece of Tunisia in Kobe?

One of the things I love about conversation with my friends in Kobe is that our topics are far and wide. It goes from toddlers to Irish law…and in this case, couscous! I happened to mention that I’ve only had it once and didn’t know how to prepare couscous. Apparently V’s sister makes an amazing couscous dish and one thing led to another and we ended up having lunch at Cafe Chameau.

How much do you know about Tunisia?

I personally didn’t know very much about Tunisia, except that they have a soccer team that Japan has played in a past World Cup. So I did a little research (i.e. google) and learned that Tunisia is a North African country that sits snug between Algeria and Libya. Previously part of the French colony, they became independent in 1956. And despite political turmoil at times, their gorgeous beach resorts seem to remain a favorite destination among many Europeans (I can see why!). Obviously, this is like saying Japan is an island and Tokyo is the capital city…but we all have to start somewhere, right?

The friendly Tunisian owner of Cafe Chameau welcomed us into the restaurant. Because my friends are French, that is what they spoke. Later he switched over to English for me and showed me pictures of his daughter who also already speaks Arabic and Japanese. So many languages…I love it.

For lunch, I of course chose the couscous set, which was full of delicious spice and vegetables. So good! Also, perfect dish for a vegetarian (especially if you have a friend like V, who ate the meat for me!). Oh and can I tell you how much I loved the sweet mint tea? Mmm! I’m definitely coming here again next time I’m back in Kobe.

Have you ever tried a Tunisian dish before? What do you think? x

Look for the Tunisia flag and this restaurant sign!

Loved this little corner filled with various Tunisian goods, some of which you can buy.

This is the lentil soup and pita bread with a bit of mechouia, part of the couscous lunch set.

The flavorful couscous dish! It was super filling, too!

Not only is the food delicious, the dish itself is gorgeous as well.

My first time trying the sweet mint tea…I’m still craving it right now!

There are two table seats as well as counter seats…so stop by when you’re in Kobe!

CAFE CHAMEAU

Yale Yamate Bldg 104, 2-13-9 Naka-yamate-dori, Chuo-ku Kobe-shi, Hyogo JAPAN

兵庫県神戸市中央区中山手通2-13-9 エール山手ビル104号

TEL: 078-242-0807

OPEN: 11:30am-10:00pm

CLOSED: Mondays (unless holiday)

The Fun Rainy Day in Kobe

Remember how I was crossing my fingers we’d miss the typhoon?

Well, that didn’t happen. Not that I’m complaining though, I love a good typhoon. And there will always be another high school baseball Koshien tournament. Maybe even my own high school will make it there someday! (You’d think with me attending two high schools, the chances for this would multiply…)

Best of all, the typhoon gave me a chance to just relax indoors with my amazing friends who braved the weather and came out to see me! Nothing beats that!

As often as I get on and off airplanes, it’s rare that someone is waiting for me at the airport. I usually quickly get on a bus or train after I’ve gone through baggage claim. But this time, I got off the flight at Kobe Airport and my lovely friends were there waiting for me! Isn’t that the best surprise?

We’ve mostly gotten together when they’ve been in Tokyo (here, here, and here) so it was fun getting a chance to get together in their beautiful city of Kobe this time. Well, we mostly just talked a lot while walking around or eating. But in all honesty, that’s all I really need when I’m in good company!

Here are some photos: