Kobe Matusri...pics and vids....

Well...as I mentioned in my previous post, I went to the Kobe Matsuri. It was a cool time. It wasn't the "traditional" matsuri many people may think of with folks running around carrying giant shrines and screaming "bonzai." It was more of an international themed festival with a wide variety of acts and show performing.







Here is a video I put together for my Youtube Channel about the Kobe Matsuri.

It was a beautiful and sunny day, but pretty damn hot. After a few hours of checkin stuff out in the sun, I was spent! See the original...

This was my first festival in Japan so Idefinately thought it was very cool. I'll be off to the Himeji Matsuri in a few weekends. Apparently it will be a more "pure" matsuri. It will be much more traditional without all of the corporate sponsorship and "international" flare.

Kobe Matsuri and other things

Again, it's been awhile since I've updated and a great big ol' apology for that. I've just been busy. Getting adjusted to life here in Japan hasn't been as easy as I expected, but things are certainly turning around. There were a few bumps here and there, but no most things are organized.

Golden Week came and went. It was nice to have the time off between school in Canada and work in Japan, but I was really starting to get bored. I've been meeting more people and getting out to do more and more things.

Yesterday Mai and I went to Mt. Rokko. We took a cable car to the top and had lunch at a "Swiss-themed" botanical garden. Swiss-themed you might ask?? Well stop asking! One thing I learned years ago while living in Asia was to stop asking the question; "Why?"

This is me checking out the "Swiss Wonderland" in the middle of Japan!Original here....


Today Mai and I went downtown in Kobe and checked out the Kobe Matsuri. It was the 38th year for the Kobe city festival and I had a great time. It was a sunny day and I had the chance to hear some great music. The traditional drummers from Okinawa were definately the coolest thing for me. I'll post some Kobe Matsuri pictures and video later on.

To everyone in Ottawa...hope everything is great. Looks like summer is around the corner. Wish I was there for Ottawa Race Weekend!!! For everyone in Busan and Seoul....keep rockin!

Golden Week

I realize it`s been awhile since I`ve updated, but I still don`t have internet at home yet.

It` the end of japanese Golden Week and everyone will be forced to go back to work and school tomorrow. it will be my first day at the new job so I`m excited. Yesterday was Children`s Day. I happened to be on the waterfront at Meriken Koen yesterday to see some of the festivities. Check`em out!

Children`s Day in Japan



I was also hiking again a few days ago on Mt. Rokko in Kobe. I came across a little traditional Japanese house in a pretty sweet location.



Once I`m online at home I`ll update more frequently.

I moved to Japan!

Here are my first 3 Vlogs about my move to Japan. I've been here for almost a week.

Vlog20...I'm in Japan


Vlog21 My Sleepy Yet Industrial Japanese Neighborhood


Vlog22 IKEA Madness in Kobe!



Check out my Japan Youtube vids here...

Okonomiyaki....Can I do it????

Tonight was a night of firsts. Well, honestly, only one first. It was the first time I attempted to make Japanese food...all by myself...with no Japanese people in the room...or even the same building. I decided to make one of my all time favorite things to eat, OKONOMIYAKI!!! This was quite risky because I don't want to put myself off anything that I normally enjoy when others prepare it.

So....what is Okonomiyaki???? According to Wikipedia, okonomiyaki is "is a pan-fried Japanese dish cooked with various ingredients. Okonomi means "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki means "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba); thus, the name of this dish means "cook what you like, the way you like". In Japan, okonomiyaki is usually associated with the Kansai or Hiroshima areas. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region."

Why would I make such a dish?? Well, it is a specialty of the Kansai region of Japan and more specifically, Osaka. My better half is from Osaka and she cooks a "mean" okonomiyaki. I've watched her make it and happily consumed it on many an occasion....now was the time to make it. Unfortunately it's not so easy to get all the proper ingrdients in a small Canadian town, but I got most of the things I needed!

Hmmm...the batter, cabbage, eggs, green onions and garlic all waiting to meet "Mr. Pan."

Sizzle my pretties...usually you put thinly sliced beef or pork on top...I figured bacon would do just fine!

Oh No!!!! Will it work out????

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Yes!!! Flipping them was a success. None of the bacon fell off!

All right! Not bad. Things worked out as well as I could manage....noting the lack of proper ingredients, know-how and skill!

Will I try to make okonomiyaki again??? I dunno...maybe I should wait for the experts to do it justice. BUT....it did work out ok...no one died in the process of preparing the meal or consuming it.