Today and tomorrow Kuniko will have a big culture event at her school, which means that she’ll be pretty busy.  I’m taking the opportunity to go out with Yoshi for dinner after work today, and then tomorrow after her event Kuniko is bringing some coworkers over for burgers.  We’ll have a busy couple of days.

Yesterday I finished reading Robinson Crusoe.  I read the free Kindle version, and not having anything to compare it to I felt like I had gotten my money’s worth (it was free).  I can’t believe how long I went without reading the story.  The next book is called “The Windup Girl” – a science fiction novel set in a futuristic Thailand.

Today after work I’ll head out for a few drinks with the factory inspectors at tachinomi, for the first time in a long time.  It’ll be nice to spend some time with them and catch up.  I guess they are pretty busy these days, and between work and the summer holiday it has been a long while.  I don’t think it will turn into a wild night, though.  The nice thing about tachinomi is that it is low commitment.

Last night Kuniko cooked some more konnyaku noodles for dinner, this time making them as a ramen dish.  They were really good – the ramen base was made with soy milk and a Chinese broth base, and the ramen had only noodles, carrots and onions, so the whole thing had just about 10 calories.  And it was delicious – good texture on the noodles, and the soup was a good match.  I can’t wait for the next dish.  We’re thinking about trying to make a spicy version during the upcoming cold weather, whenever that happens to arrive.

Yesterday Kuniko took delivery of ten absolutely perfect hamburger buns.  Her professional baker friend took our order, and the results were impressive.  She charged us only 100 yen a bun – a bargain here in Japan.  I can’t wait to try them out this Saturday.  Now I’ve just got to get the patties to live up to the bun.  I’ll make sure to post some pictures this weekend.

It is Tuesday morning, and I just wrapped up a nice three day holiday weekend.  Saturday and Sunday we got plenty of exercise hiking around the area.  Our timing turned out to be quite good, as yesterday the rains started, and continue through today.  Unfortunately because of the rains we were confined to home, and I was getting a little stir-crazy.  The humidity is also high, and the temperature continues to be in the mid-30’s, even in September.  Ick.

Today Kuniko has the day off, and so she’ll be taking care of some errands around town and enjoying one last day of relaxation before heading to work tomorrow.  Lucky girl!

Last Friday night after work we met at a brewpub in Motomachi.  It is called Rokko Beer Diner, and they had about eight beers on tap.  Their beer lineup was pretty good (I liked the Raoho, flavored with smoky hops) and the atmosphere was not bad, just a little small.  I think I’ll go again in the future.

We’re looking at a holiday weekend coming up – three days for most people, and Kuniko has an extra day thrown in there.  A few days ago we decided to celebrate by going to a brewpub after work today.  After my hangover yesterday I wasn’t sure that I wanted to continue with the plan, but now I’m feeling good and ready to check out some local brews.

This weekend we don’t have any plans other than organizing the house and doing some yardwork.  I am hoping that the weather holds up and I can do some hiking, though.

Well, Wednesday night drinking is always a bad idea.  However, I had a great time last night at an Italian restaurant that seemed to be straight out of Las Vegas, and then some karaoke and ramen to finish up the night.  Too much to drink, though.  I’m glad I don’t do this professionally.  More posting tomorrow once I recover!

Yesterday Kuniko went to her baking lesson, and continued to work on the perfect hamburger bun.  I guess it is a little difficult to get the right size and consistency, and her instructor (and friend) has taken this as a challenge.  Last night Kuniko brought home some samples to check out, and I think we have a winner.  We’ve got a party at the end of the month, so Kuniko ordered about a dozen of these monster buns.  I think they’ll be a hit.  We’ve also got a lot of the bread that Kuniko learned how to make, and so today we’ve got to try to finish it up during the day today.  We’re having some for breakfast, and bringing some for lunch, too.

After work tonight I’m joining some current and former students for a dinner party, so I’m sure to get home late and I’ll probably be tired tomorrow morning.  But it’ll be fun to have the party, and I might be able to work on my karaoke skills depending on how it goes.

Strange fellow on the train yesterday.  He was wearing a jacket during this hot, humid weather.  Even stranger, there were exhaust vents in the jacket fitted with electric fans.  On the quiet train to work we could clearly hear the electric fans whining on battery power.  It is hard to believe that the jacket was actually cool inside, but there’s really no way for us to know.  Maybe the guy is an inventor genius.

Last night a huge thunderstorm came rolling through.  We had left our windows open while we slept, and the thunder was nice enough to wake me up so I could close the windows before the rain came.  Last night was the first night we’ve gone without air conditioning.  Mark this on the calendar for next year when I’m wondering when the heat will start to die down.

On Saturday, Kuniko’s parents and sister came over for dinner.  It had been a while since we had seen them, and we had to catch up on our summer holidays as well as receive a bunch of fruits, vegetables and goodies.  We cooked up an Indonesian-style dinner.  Nasi goreng, shrimp harumaki, and I slow cooked a pork roast all day and served it with a peanut, soy and lime sauce.

We had a nice evening hanging out with the family.  Usually we go over to their house by car, which means that one of us doesn’t drink alcohol while we are over there.  Saturday we both could drink and that meant a little bit of a wilder party.  It was fun.

My schedule this week includes a couple of events.  I’ll be going out to dinner with some students (both current and former) on Wednesday, and then on Friday Kuniko and I will go to a (new?) brewpub that serves local beers on tap.  This is a big deal – local beer is just starting to catch on, and there are all kinds of government regulations to make it very difficult for new breweries to start up.  A lot of these regulations were helped along by the big four brewers in Japan.  It’s even illegal to do home brewing in Japan.  Anyway, I’m hoping that the bar is a nice one – it could turn out to be my next hangout.

One of our favorite countries to visit was Germany.  During our short stay in Bavaria we ate some food that we still think about today.  Tonight after work we’ll head to a German restaurant between Kobe and Osaka to try to relive the culinary memories of Munich. It’ll be my first time to the restaurant, but Kuniko has been there before and gave it some good reviews.  Unfortunately they don’t take reservations on the weekend, but apparently Friday night is OK.  We don’t want to go all the way out there and then find that there are no tables available.

Tomorrow Kuniko’s parents are coming over for dinner, so I’m working on a recipe for Indonesian barbecued pork.  I’m envisioning an Asian version of pulled pork – something to go with nasi goreng and maybe some spicy spring rolls.  Some research will be required, but I already have purchased the perfect cut of pork.  Can’t wait!

This morning I don’t have much time to write.  I spent most of the morning setting up the laundry to automatically run while we are at work and be dried and ready by the time we get home.  This feature is one of my favorites – something that is impossible with a separate washer and dryer.  It is nice to come home to clean clothes that just need to be folded.

Last night we had some cold udon noodles for dinner.  It is one of my favorite summer dishes.  No meat, but we used kamaboko and green onions as a topping. Yum!  Tonight I’m thinking about making panini sandwiches again, but it’ll take me all day to figure out what to put inside them. Hmm…

Yesterday on the way to work the old lady who has been asking questions made a statement instead.  As we walked towards each other she pointed at the exposed skin of my arms and said, “You are so white, aren’t you?”

I was at first taken aback, and didn’t really have a response ready.  In the absence of my response, she said that her skin was very dark.  I just smiled and said goodbye, but only later when talking with one of my students did I understand what she was trying to say.  My student said that she was commenting that my skin hadn’t tanned in the sun compared to her.  I guess I understand.  It was an interesting topic for a walk-by discussion.

Other than that, it was a pretty normal day.  One of my students mysteriously didn’t come to class, so I’ll have to get his excuse later on.  Hopefully he didn’t just forget the class.

Over the past few days we’ve had some rainy weather around here.  The clouds are nice because they cool down the temperature a little bit, but all the moisture on the ground and in the air more than makes up for it.  We’ll be sweating for the next month or so.  I’m really looking forward to autumn.

Tonight after work we’re dropping by Costco to pick up some stuff for Kuniko’s class.  I also need to stock up on beer – it seems to go quickly around here with these hot temperatures.  Luckily I can catch a ride with Kuniko on the way home, and enjoy the air conditioning and music in the car on the way back.  It should be a nice evening on the road.

This weekend I spent some time setting up our new universal remote control.  For some strange reason I have had problems finding a good replacement remote control here in Japan, so while we were in the USA this summer I got one from Amazon.  Saturday, I got it all set up.  It was really easy, actually.  The setup was handled by hooking it up to the computer and using a software program.  Much nicer! Previously we had four different remote controls, which was kind of a pain.  Now everything is working through one remote, and we’ve just got to get used to using it.

I think Kuniko has one day this week where she’ll get home early, but other than that it is a standard week.  We are thinking about Mexican food tonight, and then it will be back to simple and healthy the rest of the week.  Friday we’ve got plans to go out at a German restaurant east of Kobe.  It is supposed to be pretty authentic.

Recently I have been exchanging morning greetings with a really nice old lady on my walk to work.  It started weeks ago when she nodded to me and I smiled back, and slowly we have come to say hello to each other.  But the last few days, she has asked me one question.  Since we’re walking in opposite directions there is only time for one question.  Wednesday she asked if my work was nearby, and I replied that it is “a little far”.  Yesterday she asked where I was coming from, and I told her from Akashi.  What will today’s question be?

It is Friday, and I’m very happy about that.  Can’t wait to relax this weekend.  The humidity is still over the top, but once things cool down I’ll be back out on the mountain walking around every weekend.