白山 2014 Mt Haku

2014.06.30

皇大神宮 Kotai Shrine
外宮 one small sign misled us went to a native entry with no car park and stairs, there is another formal entry with car park, big signs and proper entry a bit further up, lots of small shrines inside, mommy ran out of money right afterIMG_7726-0.JPGIMG_7733.JPGIMG_7728.JPG
内宮 free parking is quite far from the shrine, parking next to it cost 500 yen, 300m to walk up with flat stairs, big inside, lots of small ones, mommy saw snake near one of the little garden like area, shrine looks better>IMG_7761.JPG
天岩戸神社 can walk from Naiku straight, pass the pyramid mountain, and very steady downwards, we went to pick up the car and arrived to Amanoiwato Shrine and realised it was hard to turn around except through the Y of mountain road up, went upwards to the pyramid, really steady and tiring, but worth to go. Got view of the pyramid again from the way to Kono Shrine on route 9, Aminoiwato Shrine has god for giving birth as well, and a little shrine on half way of the rock that darling climb up to deposit the coin, I washed my stone with the cool water. Nice pond and water.IMG_7747.JPGIMG_7735.JPGIMG_7743.JPG

籠神社 Kono Shrine, get inside done by nice man, a few small ones and water music. Feel like newly innovated and my stone like this place most.

真名井神社 Manai Shrine, next to Kono shrine, got direction from Kono shrine staff too. Small parking in front. Very quiet, got water from entry, another 安産神社, a small one on the right hand of the main one.
20140726-014412-6252069.jpgMy first tochi mochi from a 道の駅, but very hard IMG_7788.JPG
2014.07.01
白山比咩神社 しらやまひめじんじゃ, Shirayama Hime Shrine, quite big, and we can do the xxx ourself outside the main gate, on the right hand side, with instruction.
Right inside on the left, there was my name stone, by 芭蕉-国の華 🙂 inside is really busy actually, and there was grass door for us to walk around to get in again.
Outside the shrine we had got 栃餅Tochi mochi,( very soft compare with yesterday’s from 道の駅, 笹すしsasa sushi, and other food.
Passed 永平寺 on the way but didn’t get in since there was no free parking, very busy and need to walk quite a lot, and it looks like tourist place already. But got souvenir from 越前和紙 shop and had ごま豆腐ソフトアイス very nice and strong black sesame flavor and taste, except it was too sweet, and got sesame tofu too, flavor was not bad.

2014.07.02
賀茂神社 on the way of driving. Quiet and have big car park on the side, have twelves animal shrines there, and main entry for the main shrine has a wheel for wish, roll for one round and make a wish. Allow to get inside and there was a very old dram. Another 加茂神社 near by but we didn’t visit since there wasn’t enough time.

Revisit 永平寺’s 越前和紙 shop, got lots of souvenirs.

白山平泉寺神社, Hakusan heseiji shrine, very spacious inside, many small gods there too but not as many as before. 三ノ宮神社 was more inside, 5-10min walk, it was for safe birth as well. Made a wish for friend in Korea. We also saw many interesting small native animals and insects, never saw before like dried leaf color frog :).
Had lunch at the newly opened restaurant 街の駅, soba, udon milk, mochi, wine, all very impressive, and we got sechihan for their opening. They also sell freshly picked vegetables. One of まちこさん’s acquaintance 松本さん was there opening store and volunteer for social work, her son is running a small ice cream shop behind the store. Darling got walnuts there.
若宮神社 Wakamiya shrine, was located somewhere further inside the area, we couldn’t get there without 松本さん’s direction. And probably outside people are either don’t know or not allowed to get in. There is a four hundreds years old tree next to the shrine, is the only one survived from a big fire many years ago.

Last stop is the 白山長滝神社 Hakusan Nagataki Shrine, on the way to 飛騨高山 already, just off the street a little bit drive off the highway and free parking outside. This is near the waterfall where 北斎 did his paint too, but too far/tired to walk there (around 15min walk). Quiet place again, there was. Very small bridge, but that was the original bridge that people used to pass through. It’s kind of a mix of shrine and temple, some of the small shrines didn’t have a place for small money. There was water place too, but it taste a bit weird darling said.
白鳥道の駅 is small but lots of fresh vegetable, but garlic was not flavored though smell is strong, and green tea soba only contains 10% soba.

Then we went back home through 東海道路.

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秋の日

Every year different? Or 23rd September +3 days to celebrate end of summer, prepare lots of food for our deceased ones.

おはぎ
Steam mochi rice till soft, one is to fill red bean paste inside and wrap with kinako powder outside, another one is to wrap rice ball with red bean paste outside, make hands wet with water so it doesn’t stick, make it pretty and big ball.

天川村

A day trip with friends to hot spring. It mainly happened around 洞川温泉センター Dorogawa Onsen Center. I guess it’s more like a tourist place now since they are registered as world heritage. The hot spring itself was really normal, 600yen per person, just one inside with spa bubbles, one still water outside with fence and top cover 亭, only can see a little bit trees. Darling said maybe it’s not 100 percent natural. Maybe time has changed, there is only Rinse in Shampoo, body soap and hair dryer. No Onsen milk, no Onsen egg. Even view is not as good as other one on the other side of the mountain.IMG_8857.JPG

The good thing is always coming with food. It’s probably all first time that I have all the food today.
蒲公英(たんぽぽ)アイス 250yen – Dandelion flavor ice cream, but have coffee flavor since they use coffee beans for planting dandelion. Very nice flavor I have to say, with mild coffee feel. Darling’s two friends in the pictures. IMG_8856.JPGIMG_8861.JPG
鮎(あゆ)の塩焼き 850yen – fresh river ayu fish caught yesterday with lots of eggs. A bit salty but I definitely would have it again. Darling said it wasn’t bad at all. IMG_8877.JPGIMG_8881.JPG
いもぼた 100yen – at 天川村小路の駅, a uncle was selling souvenir and an auntie was in charge of kitchen product. It’s a mix of rice and potato pieces, both steamed, separately maybe since rice was soft and potato is not fully melted, roasted with either salt or soy sauce. It’s interesting experience, maybe I could try to make it at home next time 🙂 just not darling’s flavor 🙁IMG_8884.JPG
Went up to the men-only mountain entry, but seems it changed over time, different from what he remembered over maybe 20 years ago.IMG_8866.JPG

On the way back, we passed the oldest shrine of water in Japan where there were to two ponies, for god to ride on on ceremonies. IMG_8893.JPGIMG_8887.JPG

果物 Fruits

2014.02.12
桶柑 (タンカン)Recommended from Inoue san, secretly from box for us, not sure whether it was organic or not. But it was super sweet.

2014.07.25
いちぢく season from late July, house first, Vege shop sell small ones from beginning, quite expensive but very sweet. Wait until they get cheaper and make syrup: whole fig with water, sugar and lemon.

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2013.08.01
ヒムロート(マスカット) very sweet muscat, seedless and only last for a week. But darling only have one or two every time 🙁

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魚 Fish

In general, fresh fish should have peaceful and clear eyes. If the eyes are red, they would be old. If the eyes are swollen, they were not peaceful at the end of their life. And fresher ones meat are more chewy.

2014.02.03
お刺身
島あじ soft and chewy
黒鯛 hard and chewy
たこ fresh and all good

野菜 Vegetable

2014.01.14
やこん – look like sweet potato, brown color, watery sweet, taste like water chestnut, パリパリ white
はやとうり – similar to やこ, but not sweet, パリパリ white, look like white avocado

2014.01.28
かなの子

2014.02.12
紅化粧大根(ベニケショウダイコン)looks like a big carrot, but its actually a daikon =)
四川児菜(しせんあーさい)Chinese vegetable? not sure. Never see it beofore. Cut into half or quarter vertically, stir fry with garlic, salt and chicken stock.

2014.02.19

リーコラ  new friend for good skin, issued for hot pot this time

2014.08.09
We got very big さつまいも from まきちゃん from her hometown 宮崎, purple color and when steam, water turns blue and dark green.I steamed and had it, was very powdery, darling doesn’t like it much. Mom said it usually come very small, but this one was nice.

Spring Street Grocer

This is a few notes about our shopping history in Spring Street Grocer.

2013.10.29
Pasta in plastic bag, $2.9

2013.09.28
Snapper $5.07

2013.09.30
Barramundi $45/kg $5.85

2013.10.08
Cold pressed juice (blood orange) 500ml big bottle $8.5
*Fresh juice, not bitter nor sour at all

2013.10.09
Snapper $38.4/kg * 0.13kg = $4.99

2013.10.13
Whole baby snapper $20/kg * 0.359kg = $7

2013.10.14
Porthouse Steak $32/kg * 0.2kg = $6.4

2013.10.16
Smoked trout $10
Salad mix $3
Tiramisu $6.95 (cheese cake better)

2013.10.20
Elgaar Farm Organic Double Cream 250ml $6.5
Fresh cream 250ml $4.95
Organic Egg *6 $5
Meredith Sheep Yoghurt 500g $4.5

2013.11.18
Snapper Fillet $53.5/kg * 0.12kg = $6.42
NZ King Salmon Fillet $39/kg * 0.138kg = $5.38

2013.11.25
Spec Bacon $26/kg = $3.43
Chipotile Chicken $10.45 (nice, used as pasta sauce)

2013.12.02
Antico Molino Caputo ’00’ Flour $2.75/350g (Italy’s best flour perfect for pasta and pizza)