Eclectic Lamb

Here is my completed Suruga Bamboo Lattice Vase. I took a class and assembled it myself. I think it is beautiful!

When planning our trip to Japan, it was important to me to take some traditional craft classes. My language partner Mariko found Takumi-shuku (Traditional Hand Crafts Art Center) in Shizuoka. Mariko was kind to make our initial reservations for us by phone. I fine tuned our reservations with the staff via email. We reserved 3 classes each. They offered classes in Suruga bamboo lattice ware, fabric dying, wood working, lacquer, ceramics and plastic models. The center was beautiful and the staff were helpful and friendly. I loved this place! It would make a nice side trip between Kansai and Tokyo (we did it between Nagoya area and Tokyo).

Wednesday July 10

• Shinkansen from Nagoya to Shizuoka
• Taxi to Takumi-Shuku (Traditional Hand Crafts Art Center)
• Takumi-Shuku Handicraft Museum
• Lunch at Hachi & Mitsu
• Bamboo Ichihime Vase class
• Wooden hexagon box with lid class and a shrink plastic flower accessory class (niece took other classes)
• Taxi to Shizuoka Station

Here is my version of historical buildings for textile weaving in Tamanoi. See the photo below.

Buildings – quesadilla made from Swiss and Gyuyere cheeses with flour tortillas, Siding – espresso and water painted with a brush, Windows – cheese with food coloring marker details, Foliage – broccoli

Inspiration photo for my historic fabric buildings quesadilla

We left Maki’s apartment in Osaka and traveled to my language partner Mariko’s home in Aichi prefecture. We have met weekly over video to practice language for nearly five years. For lunch we all went to a traditional café with a former language partner who is friends with Mariko and lives nearby. We stayed one night at her home and spent time with her two sons and young dog. It was a fun time!

Tuesday July 9

• Shinkansen to Nagoya
• Local trains to Tamanoi Station
• Wacafe Sarara
• Seria 100 Yen Store
• Origami and games at Mariko’s home
• Okonomiyaki Dinner
• Walk dog in neighborhood
• Next morning – pizza toast for breakfast

My moss statue from mashed potatoes and green dyed cornflakes is not great but I am pleased with my espresso dyed radish lantern. To understand my inspiration, see the photo below.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Moss Statue – Mashed Potatoes sculpted by hand with crushed corn flakes dyed green, diced carrots

Top Right: Peanuts

Bottom Right: Stone Lantern – Red radish peeled and cut and carved into lantern shaped, attached with spaghetti, brushed on espresso powder mixed with water, spinach leaves

Inspiration photo for my Moss Statue Bento

I am very happy with my Hedgehog cheeseball bento! I was inspired by this cookie recipe.

Container: Wooden box purchased in Kyoto at Bento&co.

Contents: Hedgehog – cream cheese mixed with finely cut shredded cheese formed by hand into a hedgehog shape, melted chocolate, chopped pecans, butter lettuce, green beans, blackberries, honey roasted peanuts

Inspiration photo for my Hedgehog Bento

We checked out of our hotel in Kyoto and took a train to Osaka to meet my language partner Maki. She was kind to meet us on the platform of first train station in Osaka so we did not need to transfer on our own. We stayed with Maki and her cat Kinchun at her apartment for two nights. Before the trip I provided Maki some things we wanted to do in Osaka. Maki planned an itinerary for all of us that included my ideas and added other unique and fun experiences to do together! It was an enjoyable and memorable two days!

Sunday July 7

• Lunch Tonkatsu Restaurant
• Cafe de Pojagi Osaka Korea Town
• Houzenji Moss Statue
• Hedgehog Cafe
• Yakitori Restaurant
• Glico Sign
• Team Lab Botanical Garden

Monday July 8

• Breakfast at Maki’s apartment (on beautiful wooden plates)
• Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge
• Lunch at Restaurant
• Gilcopia Tour and Bisco Experience
• Dinner at Restaurant
• Osaka Bookstore

Today I have a bento inspired by my photos from visiting Lake Biwa (not far from Kyoto). See the photo collage below.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Torii – tomato sauce, lake – mashed potatoes with butterfly pea powder

Top Right: Fish – radish cut with a cookie cutter, food coloring marker details, aquarium rocks – Brazil nuts, slivered almonds

Bottom Right: Blueberries, slivered almonds

Inspiration photo for Lake Biwa Bento

My language partner Yuri and her husband offered to show us around their area of Lake Biwa. I had traveled to Kyoto many times but it was my first time seeing the lake. We had a wonderful time seeing their area of the world and meeting their young family (2 year old son, 6 year old daughter). Besides seeing Lake Biwa and area, other first experiences for me were visiting a tea farm to learn how to pick and make tea with a tea farmer, served lunch by a robot, and spent time at the Lake Biwa Museum (Aquarium).

Saturday July 6

• Train from Kyoto Station to Kusatsu Station
• Tea Farm Tour and Tea made by farmer
• Shirahige Shrine with Torii in Lake
• Lunch at Coco’s Family restaurant
• Michi no Eki
• Lake Biwa Museum (Aquarium)
• Yuri’s house to visit and have dinner
• Train back to Kyoto

Here is my rudimentary food version of Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion). The vision in my mind was much better than it is in reality. I had trouble with the shapes, especially the roof shapes. I had other things going on at the time of making this (my central air conditioning unit died and I was dealing with quotes for replacement – big $$) so I did not spend a lot of time with this creation. Hopefully you can tell what it is supposed to be before seeing the inspiration photo below.

Pavilion: polenta, Bottom of Pavilion: cheddar brushed with espresso powder and water, Roof Pieces: tortilla brushed with espresso powder and water, Background: spinach

Inspiration photo for Kinkakuji Bento

We stayed at the Hotel Granvia Kyoto Station hotel for 4 nights but we only had 2 days to tour the city. We arrived at night and one of the days we toured the Lake Biwa area with my language partner Yuri and her family. I have been to Kyoto many times but we were able to do some things for my first time and several were only my second time seeing them.

Thursday July 4 – AM Arashiyama

• Bamboo Forest
• Kimono Forest
• Sit by Katsura River
• Monkey Park

Thursday July 4 – PM Arashiyama and Kyoto

In the afternoon a language partner, Ayumi who I have known for over 10 years and met in person in 2017 toured with us and showed us her city. We reserved a taxi to take us around for the afternoon. It was the best way to see many sites in a short time and easier with the heat and potential rain (we had almost no rain!). We topped off the day with a delicious pizza dinner with Ayumi’s family at a beautiful restaurant!

• Miffy Bakery (photos here)
• Gionji
• Ryoanji
• Kinkakuji
• Fushimi-Inari
• Kawai-jinja
• En Boca Italian Restaurant

Friday July 5 – Nara and Kyoto

We spent the morning in Nara, the afternoon walking around Kyoto, and in the evening my Niigata friend’s daughter Erisa who lives in Osaka joined us in Kyoto for dinner and shopping.

• Todaiji
• Nara Deer Park
• Wagashi Flower Ice Cream (photos here)
• 3D Latte Art (photos here)
• Ichihime Shrine
• Shosein Garden
• Sir Thomas Lipton Teahouse Kyoto Station (photos here)
• Shopping Aeon Mall
• Kyoto Station Stair Lights

This bento was inspired by the tower at Shibata castle complex in Niigata Prefecture Japan.

Castle: Rice, Roof: tortilla with melted chocolate and Pokey, Windows: tortilla with food coloring, Rock wall under castle: cheese painted with espresso and water, Background: roasted broccoli

Inspiration photo for Castle bento

After landing in Tokyo, my niece and I took the Joetsu Shinkansen (bullet train) to Niigata to begin the first leg of our trip. My long time friends (since I was 19 years old) live in Niigata. My friends kept us on a very busy schedule touring their area, especially since we lost our first day in Japan due to a flight being cancelled. I visit them every time I am in Japan, but I was especially touched by their hospitality and efforts to show me and my niece their beautiful prefecture of Niigata. Our first night they made reservations at their favorite conveyor sushi restaurant. Every 5 plates, customers are eligible to win a prize. It was fun! They even found cheese sushi for me!

If I write details for everything we did in Niigata Prefecture, I will not complete my Japan series in only a few weeks. I will simply list the locations and websites if applicable.

Sunday June 30

• Kiyotsu Gorge – It was gorgeous and wonderful to share it with only a few people.
• Hydrangea Park
• Soba Restaurant
• Ojiya Nishikigoi no Sato
• Their family Cemetery in Ojiya (at my request since it was nearby our other sites and they usually visit when in that area)
• Fireworks Museum
• Stock Busters Discount Store

Monday July 1

We took the 6 am Car Ferry to Sado Island. Friend was kind to drop us off at the Ferry terminal. I rented a taxi to take us around Sado Island for 5 hours as it was my second time to Sado Island and I knew that it would be the most efficient way to spend our time. The time passed quickly. Our driver was kind and escorted us around the beautiful island. We returned to Niigata by the Jet Foil (faster boat). Then we spent some time at a Niigata Summer festival before returning back to my friends home.

• Historic Gold Mine
• Flotation Plant
• Coastline
• Toki Park

I didn’t take any photos of our picnic lunch near the cliffs. It is a special memory.

Tuesday July 2

• Niigata Rice Fields
• Fukushima Lagoon
• Shibata Hospital Observation Floor
• Zoshunkaku Historic Home of Okura Kihachiro
• Suwa Shrine
• Sake Store and Tasting
• Shibata Castle
• Buddhist Store
• Penguin Bakery
• Gosen Hachimangu Shrine

As my long time readers know, I am passionate about creating and eating cute food. Japan is the land of cute food. During my 2024 trip to Japan, my friends and I planned opportunities to try cute food. Here is a sampling of the cute / attractive food I looked at and ate during my 2024 trip to Japan.

The photo above was from Cafe de Pojagi in Korea Town – Osaka. The bear is ice cream, the base is shaved ice with chocolate. It was delicious and a joy to eat!

I wanted to try 3D Latte Art. I found the Saryo-Suisen Cafe in Kyoto that had Green Tea Lattes with 3D art.

I ate this delicious Peach Parfait at Saryo-Suisen Cafe in Kyoto.

My niece ate this Tiramisu Parfait at the Saryo-Suisen Cafe in Kyoto.

My friend in Niigata took us to the Penguin Bakery from Hokkaido with lots of cute shaped bread. The above photo and three below are bread I looked at but did not eat. The penguin bread is the one I tried.

This Penguin was a beautiful, soft, and delicious chocolate bread. From the Penguin Bakery.

In Arashiyama, my niece, friend, and I ate cute Miffy bread along the river from the Miffy Bakery. Mine had red bean jam inside.

I found This is Shizen in Kyoto with beautiful Wagashi flowers on top of ice cream. My niece and I shared it since we had other cute food locations planned that day. I choose Morning Glory. They also has Hydrangea and Rose.

I ate the Bing Cherry parfait on the left. My Niigata friend’s daughter lives in Osaka and met us in Kyoto. She ate the one on the right. At the Sir Thomas Lipton Teahouse at Kyoto Station.

Delicious pudding cake from a cafe near Kappabashi.

Cheese bread from Anderson Bakery Ueno.

Panda cookie from Anderson Bakery Ueno.

Panda shaped cream bread from Anderson Bakery Ueno.

Walnut bread from Anderson Bakery Ueno.

I took this photo in a department store in Osaka. It was a sweet for Tanabata.

This trip to Japan has inspired me to recreate and create new cute and attractive food. I expect to feature inspired creations here in the coming months.