while the family is away

not dog hair

 

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transition

Family altar

Sisters smiling: last day

Pluto collection, 1930-2012, Vancouver airport

Reunion dinner

Good friends good times

Bella

 

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Last night of Sumo

We are enjoying my last night with Day 9 of sumo.

Day 9 - "Megane"-san at left. Ms. Glasses we call her, she really seems to love sumo!

Day 8 - Okamisan looking proper in a nice stripe pattern. Mom doesn't like the look of the guy in front of her, too much like yakuza.

 

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A couple more from Masa

From the ennichi

Takoyaki, with tiny baby octopuses

Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki

 

Hmmmm, Shiratamako... Little delicious mochi making is in the future.

Shiratamako

 

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Views from Kominatocho

Pictures and video taken from the Hara apartment

Yokohama Bay Bridge in the distance

 

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Who is she, we wonder...

Mom doesn't think the lady is the mother of a sumo wrestler, but rather some kind of business owner or the wife of one. The term she uses is おかみさん, okamisan, meaning landlady or proprietress.

I have noticed during the broadcasts that sometimes during the slowmo replay, they will also show a clip of the reaction of a wrestler's mother or family sitting in the audience. Okamisan has not been featured this way. She often doesn't seem to show much emotion to the matches, sitting quite properly, and occasionally is speaking with someone next to her (not always the same person, to her left). She's seated in the perfect place for us to watch her, especially when the wrestler on her side of the ring wins. Mom laughs, as she sometimes ignores the wrestlers because she is looking for her! There are several other 'regulars' in the audience which we watch and discuss each night. Topics include emotional response, the way they use their fan, wardrobe, etc.

Day 6

 

The outfits worn during the entrance ceremony are called keshō-mawashi, made of silk and costly, they apparently feature different themes or sponsors. Check out this link on mawashi.

Masa sent me this picture he took last night at the ennichi, buying okonomiyaki.

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Friday

Birthday treat #1 from Kigetsudou... warabimochi

(the little clear jelly balls from last week were also warabimochi)

Warabimochi

Warabimochi with kinako

 

Last night, that lady was in a nice looking cream colored kimono (during the Ozeki entrance ceremony)

Day 5

 

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Ichi Roku Ennichi

Last night's visit to Isezakicho 7-chome, the Ichi Roku Ennichi is held here between May and August on days containing 1 (ichi) and 6 (roku). There is a "child rearing jizo" here at a small shrine. Jizo statues are everywhere in Japan, here is a link explaining Jizo.

As usual, here are mostly pictures of food...

The beginning of the festival street

Noriko and me

Okonomiyaki, there were several booths with different styles

Roasted corn

Game by dropping a ball on the Mickey board, prize is 1-3 hotdogs

Ichi Roku Ennichi (dates with 1 & 6)

Inside the Jinja

Drop a coin, ring the bell and pray

Many of these children's games for prizes

Hamburgers

 

A brief video in front of the Jinja

 

I tried two kinds of okonomiyaki and takoyaki. The evening was slightly breezy, so the heat was bearable. It is too bad I will miss the big summer festival, in Yokohama they celebrate O-bon in August.

 

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Mushrooms

So many mushroom choices here! Most cost only ~99 yen ($1) a pack. Mom tells me they have many more choices in winter. She went crazy and bought six today.

Enoki, Eringi, three types of Maitake and Bunashimeji

 

We also stopped at a small local butcher for "chashu", Japanese version of Chinese Roast Pork.

 

I am going to a small local street fair, or Ennichi, tonight. Looking forward to takoyaki!

 

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Wednesday

Yesterday we went to Yamate train station to buy my Narita Express ticket for next week's departure. Unfortunately, Yamate-eki no longer sells advanced reserved tickets, so we took the train one stop over to Ishikawacho. By the time we made the purchase Mom was pretty fatigued by the heat and humidity, and we took the taxi back home. It doesn't take long out there before we're sweating profusely. Good thing there are vending machines everywhere, a sip of a cool drink helps.

Before we left Yamate-eki we stopped in at Mom's #1 favorite bakery, Fouquet's. Here is the link and some pictures from the website. Very very good, especially the dark German style and rye bread.

Fouquet's Boulangerie Yamate

 

Some signage by the bus stop in front of the apartment.

 

Mom guessed that her lady would wear dark grey at the Sumo Basho day 4, she got it right I think...

Day 4

 

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