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July 31st. at Jizo Pass. I left at 5:00 am and headed to Nagano with my cat. I got off the highway at the Tomi Interchange around 8:00 and arrived at Jizo Pass in Yunomaru Kougen at 8:40. My cat and I arrived at Ikenoｔaira parking lot around 9:00 am. We had breakfast in my car FJ at 9:30 am.
Ikenotaira Marsh is a highland marsh formed on the remains of the old crater of Mikatamine. Many different types of alpine plants bloom each month.
I climbed alone from the parking lot towards Mt.Miharudake. I had lunch at the top of Mt. Miharudake around 12：00. I circled half the outer rim of Mt.Mikatamine, crossed the marsh and returned to the parking lot. I took lots of photos along the way.
I returned to the parking lot around 3:00 p.m.
Jizo Pass is the border between Nagano and Gunma prefectures. I went down to Kyuu(old) Kazawa Onsen in Tsumagoi Village on the Gunma side.There is the only remaining hot spring inn Kouyoukan in the old Kazawa Onsen area. I took an onsen.
The old Kazawa Onsen area had several inns, but they seem to have almost all been burned down in a fire.
Tonight, I stayed in the public parking lot at Jizo Pass.
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July 30th. a hot sandwich with fried horse mackerel and cheese. I made a hot sandwich with fried horse mackerel and cheese for my breakfast.
I discovered a problem with the Tamron 300mm lens during a field test in Nikko. I could not get the Infinity focusing. So I fixed it by grinding tow parts of the lens.
It was so hot today. Miya-O chan was in the coolest spot on the first floor. She seemed to have been sleeping there. She seems to find the air-conditioned room cold. I also took a nap in the afternoon.
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July 29th. tamagokakegohan. Eating only rice for a long period of time can lead to vitamin deficiencies. I should eat genmai( brown rice) but I don't like it. So I cooked a mixture of rice, sweet corn, edamame and 10 kinds of grains.
For my breakfast, I had tamagokakegohan(rice with raw egg on top), grilled atsuage(fried tofu), carrots and wakame in vinegar, sliced tomato and cucumber salad, granola yogurt, and cafe au lait.
For my lunch, I made a hot sandwich. The filling was a mixture of chopped ham, cabbage, carrots, onions, green peppers, and Parmigiano Reggiano.
For my evening meal, I made spaghetti with clams, leeks, carrots, bell peppers and eggplant.
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July 28th. The light from the window was hitting just Miya-O's eye. I made two servings of sauce yakisoba, one for my breakfast and the other for my ｅｖｅｎｉｎｇ bento. I had it, granola yogurt, and cafe au lait for my breakfast.
I also made hot sandwiches with vegetables and ham for my afternoon lunch,
Ｉ had sauce yakisoba bento, tofu, a salad with sliced tomato and cucumber, and Budweiser.
This morning, I used my automatic electric bread maker to bake a regular loaf of bread. Because I usually make graham bread but I was out of graham flour.
The light from the window was hitting just Miya-O's eye, so I quickly took a picture.
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July 27th. I forgot cats like to get into plastic bags too.For breakfast, I made spicy curry rice, sliced tomato salad, yogurt granola, and cafe au lait.
I had a plastic cover on my favorite bag to keep it from getting soiled by my cat, but the cat got inside it. I forgot cats like to get into plastic bags too.
I had a salad with sliced tomato and boiled ingen, Cucumber in vinegar, hot cheese sandwich with clams rice and cafe au lait for mylunch.
I recently discovered a problem with the MD-NEX hericoid mount adapter during a field test in Nikko. I could not get the Infinity focusing. So I fixed it by grinding it down.
I had a salad with sliced tomato and ｃucumber, a tofu for my evening meal.
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July 26th. hot cheese sandwich with clams rice.I made a hot cheese sandwich with clam rice for my lunch. I sandwiched clam rice between sliced cheeses and baked it in a hot sandwich maker. This is a great way to repurpose leftover rice into a portable meal. I can eat while walking.
Last week, I was given a yellow watermelon. I put it in my fridge. It was cooled down enough to be delicious.
I developed the photos taken in Nikko and uploaded them to Flickr, together with Mio-chan.
I had a salad with sliced tomato and wakame, chicken nuggets, hot cheese sandwich with clams rice for my evening meal.
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July 25th. I arrived at Iwai around 7:00 p.m.I woke up 4:00 a.m. and I went to a public toilet 100m away. On my way back to my car from the public toilet, I came across a mother deer and her calf. They were sitting between the wooden building of the volunteer center and tall trees in the parking lot. The mother deer was worried about me the whole time, but her calf was playing innocently. I brought my camera from my car and took some pictures.
I cooked 2 hot sandwiches for my evening meal bento and my breakfast, and also made a pot of coffee. For lunch, I made baked clam rice wrapped with cheese.
Afterwards, I gave the cat medicine just like I would at home.
It was cloudy but it didn't look like it was going to rain so I walked around Yunoko lake. Of course I took some photos and came back in about 2 hours.
At around 2:00 pm, I had a leisurely lunch on the lake shore.
Then I left around 3:00 pm and went home. I arrived in Iwai around 7:00 p.m. I had hot sandwiches baked from the morning at Yunoko for my evening meal, adding sliced tomatoes, and Budweiser.
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July 24th. Iceland or Ireland.I woke up at 4:00 a.m. The first thing I did was boil some water. I used a Coleman brand gasoline camping stove that I bought 45 years ago.Then I cooked 2 hot sandwiches for my lunch bento and my evening meal, and made a gyudon for my breakfast. All I had to do was boil some water and defrost the frozen gyudon and rice. Also I made a pot of coffee. I made 3 meals at one time in the morning. It is my way in the outdoor.
After the breakfast, I walked around the lakeshore and took a few photos with my cat. A foreign couple said hello to me. They were more interested in my cat me. They cute talked with my cat, what's your name, and more. Because they care two cats in their home, they showed me the photos on ther cellphone. They love cats, and come from Ireland. Probably Ireland. I asked them twice, however I couldn't catch, Iceland or Ireland. They were the couple in the top and far right photo.
I visited Kirikomi-Karikomi lake alone. I started from Yumoto at 11:00. The way was hard up hill. While I was taking a break at Kotoge, a foreign family came up. They were two young girls a young man and Papa and Mama around 50`. A young man asked me to push a shutter button of his cellphone. I answered of course yes. I always make people pose when I'm asked to take a photo. I said," All of you please put your right foot front like this". All members put their right foot front same time quickly. Wow, my English worked. The lady mama has a Flickr account, I gave her my Flickr name card and we spent a few minutes talking about my photos and Flickr.
I later realized they might be German when I walked with them a few minutes. Because they were speaking German to each other. I experienced practical English conversation. Anyway I enjoyed the cool air.
I made porridge with sausage and some vegetables for my evening meal. I went to bed at 8:00 p.m.
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July 23th. I arrived at the Yunoko lake in 2pm. I was going to visit the deep side area of Nikko with my cat. The deep side area means the place higher than Lake Tyuzenji. So I woke up at 4:00 am to get ready, but Miyao-chan hid somewhere on the first floor. I waited until she came out. Finally, she showed up. So our departure was significantly delayed.
My cat and I arrived at the Nikko Guchi parking area in the Nikko highway just after 1:00 pm and had some ice cream to rest.
We arrived at the Yumoto Onsen public parking lot in 2:00 pm. There are 24-hour open public toilets and water supply, and more, there is free Wi-Fi and 100 voltage Electric Supply at the Work Vacation corner in the Visitor Center from 9:00 to 5:00 p.m.
I had hot sandwiches and cafe au lait for my lunch on the shore of Lake Yunoko.
Yunoko lake is small. So I can walk around it in 1 hour usually. However I spent a lots of time taking a few photos. It took more than 2 hours. It started raining on the way back.
Around 6:00 pm, the elementary school kids started a campfire by the Lake shore. Miya-O seemed to be very interested in the children's cheers. It was raining lightly, so I had the evening meal in my FJ.
I was going to stay in the public parking lot of Yumoto Onsen in my FJ with my cat 3 days.
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July 22th. I baked to Graham bread. I made a salad with slices of tomato and cucumbeｒ. I also made hot sandwiches with ham, cabbage, carrots, cheese and onion. I had them with cafe au lait for my breakfast.
I baked to Graham bread using my electric automatic bread baker with my maple syrup recipe.
For my evning meal, I made soup with chicken meatballs, deep-fried tofu, and green onions. I also made somen noodles. I ate them dipped in the soup. I made a salad with wakame, slices of tomato and cucumber.
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July 21th. I modified my FJ. I made two servings of sauce yakisoba with lots of vegetable. I served one on a plate with sliced tomatoes for my breakfast. The rest was packed for the yakisoba bento.
Starting at 7:00 am, I mowed the lawn, which I hadn't done yesterday. I finished by 10 am. It was extremely hot by 10:00am.
The Peak One is a Coleman brand gasoline stove. I bought it 45 years ago. I hadn't used it for more than 10 years, so once again but I tried to run it. I soaked bread in egg liquid, sandwiched anko paste and cream cheese between the pieces, and baked them.It went well. the Peak One also did well.
I modified the back seat and cargo area of my FJ to make it flat. I worked in extreme heat and was very tired.This modification is for sleeping in the car.
I had the yakisoba bento for my evening meal.
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July 20th. I started mowing the lawn. I made a salad with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, tofu, also clam rice, and instant hot and sour soup for my breakfast.
I started mowing the lawn at 7:00 a.m. By 10:00 a.m. it was so hot I stopped, but I was not done yet.
Until now, I have been mowing the lawn with a karibaraiki. But every year, the grass grows and the area expands. It has become very hard work with the lawnmower. Next year, I will have to buy a dedicated lawnmower.
In the morning, I tried to give Miya-O chan her medicine but she hid and I couldn't find her. She showed up in the afternoon and I gave her the medicine.
I walked 6 km around Yasaka Park after sunset.
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July 19th. I made a stew . Starting around 4pm, I walked 6 km around Yasaka Park.
I made a stew from potatoes, eggplants, peppers, onions, carrots and sausages for my evening meal.
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July 18th. Lots of flowers blooming on the kumquat tree. Even though I still had plenty of tomatoes, I was given more. So I cooked a lot of tomatoes and made tomato sauce. I made spaghetti with chicken nuggets, vegetables and the tomato sauce for my breakfast.
There are lots of flowers blooming on the kumquat tree in my garden. If they all turn into fruit, it will be a good harvest.
It got really hot. I went to the city library and read The Tale of Genji in the air-conditioning. I only read the commentary at the end of the book, it`s a quite long book.
I took a 6km walk around Yasaka Park after 5pm. I brought my camera and tripod to take pictures of the lotus flowers.
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July 17th. lots of tomatos. For my breakfast, I had tomato salad, pork stewed in Hatcho miso, clam rice, and cafe au lait.
I had sliced tomatoes and tofu for my lunch.
For my evening meal, I had sliced tomatoes and stewed pork offal.
I have lots of tomatoes so I eat them at every meal.
In the evening, I walked 6km in Yasaka Park. I thought I'd run a little, but it was so hot that I was sweating a lot and out of breath, so it was impossible.
Miya-O seemed to be here almost all day.
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July 16th. Apple pie with baked sweet potato.My wife made our breakfast.
An apple pie with baked sweet potatoes by Tsukub Yakiimo Kaitsuka. We ate the ones we bought the day before yesterday. It was delicious.
My wife was going to Ueda. So I bought her to Shimizu Kouen station.
I started to walk in the evening to Yasaka park, but it started raining as soon as I reached entorance of the park. So I returned home. The total distance was less than 1 km.
I made spaghetti with tomatoes, peppers, onions and clams for my evening meal.
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July 15th. Free vegitables. My wife met her best friend in Moriya City .When my wife comes to Iwai, her tow routines are to go to her favorite beauty salon and meet her best friend.
I got 4 kinds of vegetables free. I was at home with my cat. I tried combining three kinds of vegetables, fried tofu stewed in tomato sauce, and somen noodles for my lunch.
I made the same dish for my evening meal, and had it with my wife.
My younger brother brungs me many free vegetables in summer season, he get them from someone free. That's why I don't buy many vegetables in the summer.
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July 14th. cafe and diner 294 TSUKUSHI. I went to Tsukuba with my wife. We bought a sweet potato alenged apple pay for us at Kaitsuka and also bought some chilled Yakiimo to an acquaintance as a gift for the summer season.
After that, my wife and I planned to go to Casa de Rosa in Chikusei City to have lunch, but unfortunately it was fully booked. So, We went to the cafe and diner 294 TSUKUSHI that we saw on the way. We had Naporitan. I also tried cinnamon-flavored fried bread. The restaurant is run by women who used to make school lunches.
574-8 Miwata, Fukurohata, Shimotsuma City, Ibaraki Prefecture
11:00-19:30
Closed on Wednesdays (next day if Wednesday is a public holiday)
Opening March 15, 2024
Not so bad, but nothing special. Maybe no next time.
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July 13th. May picture diary. My wife went to her favorite hair salon in Iwai.
I had Saturday English class from 10:30.
I was very happy. Mr. Michael corrected my May picture diary. When I got home, I checked the corrections and practiced. There were lots of misspellings and tense errors. It was also difficult to find the right preposition for me. I hope to have fewer corrections next month.
I asked Mr. Michael to check my June diary.
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July 12th. Fan. It is more efficient to use a fan to stir the cold air from the air conditioner. So a few years ago I placed fans in front of the air conditioners in each room.
I haven't used a compact digital camera for the last few years, but I thought I might try using one again since they have their advantages.The biggest advantage is that it is small and lightweight.
My wife came back at 2:00 P.M. So I picked her up to Shimizu Kouen station.
We had Masu(trout) no sushi for our evening meal. Masu no sushi is a local specialty of Toyama Prefecture and is a pressed sushi. We used to eat delicious Masu no sushi. We haven't been able to find this brand lately. She saw it at Omiya Station so she bought. It was still as delicious as ever, but the price has almost doubled. I forgot to take a picture of it.
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July 11th. Chilled hot sandwich. I made a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers for breakfast.
I ate a hot sandwich with Anko paste chilled.
Letting a hot sandwich cool before eating it is a normal thing to do on a really hot day. Yes. It was too hot.
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July 10th. Hot Hot day. It was already so hot at 7am. I could not live without air conditioning in the day. Of course I skipped working outside today.
I soaked bread in a mixture of milk, maple syrup, and eggs, then sandwiched it with Anko paste and baked. Anko paste and egg mixture overflowing from bread were scorched fragrant and delicious.
I baked a tofu at 200°C for 30 minutes and ate it with a little soy sauce for a fragrant and delicious taste.
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July 9th. Hot day. Yesterday, I got a few kinds of vegetables free. So I cooked some dishes in the morning. I made a mayonnaise salad with cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. I made stir-fried eggplant, leeks and pork with chili bean paste. I served it with rice and a fried egg for my breakfast. I tried to make a tokoroten salad with sliced cucumber, wakame seaweed, dipping sauce of vinegar and dashi, and sesame seeds.
I spent all day in an air-conditioned room sorting out receipts and watching YouTube or prime videos the same as yesterday.
Miya-O was lazing around because of the heat. The air-conditioned room was too cold for her, and anywhere else was too hot for her, so she was having trouble finding a place to stay.
It was raining at 7:00 p.m. for a short time, and really small amount. However it was better than nothing. It was little bit cooled down.
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July 8th. Watermelon. It was really hot since 7:00 a.m. I did to skip working outside today. I spent the day in an air-conditioned room sorting out receipts and watching YouTube.
When I was a little boy, in the 1950`s, watermelon was synonymous with summer. However, refrigerators were not widespread in those days, so we hung watermelons in wells to cool them down. There was no running water, so everyone dug their own wells and used them.
Even now, on a hot steamy day, chilled watermelon is delicious.
Miya-O chan was stretching out on the floor to cool.
I made a rice bowl with braised pork, raw egg, chopped green pepper and also made a salad with steamed cabbage and mini tomato for my lunch.
I made a mash potato, chopped green pepper, mini tomato and microwaved fried squid for my evening meal.
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July 7th. The Tale of Genji . I had Anko hot sandwich and cafe au lait for my breakfast. Then I continued mowing the lawn as I did yesterday. I finished the outside work at 10 a.m. It was too hot to work outside. I took a shower and a bit of a nap
An acquaintance of mine gave me some jelly-like Japanese sweets from a long-established Japanese confectionery brand in Ootsu as a mid summer gift. I was so happy. I put it in my fridge right away. I wanted to enjoy it soon.
Latest Taiga Drama(NHK's historical drama) is "Hikaru Kimi he (To You, Shining Light )". It is a story about Murasaki Shikibu related to the Genji Monogatari. I watch it every week. I became interested in the Genji Monogatari, so I borrowed the 2 books from the city library. The Tale of Genji translated into modern Japanese by Jakucho Setouchi, and a commentary on The Pillow Book written by Nozomu Hayashi. There are a total of 11 volumes of Setouchi Jakucho translated books, so I decided to borrow the first two volumes first and then read her commentary at the end of each.
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July 6th. The Uchida pet clinic. I had tamago kake gohan, sliced tomatoes with mayonnaise and sesame dressing, and cafe au lait for my breakfast.
I brought my cat to the Uchida pet clinic. The doctor did a blood test on her, and all the test results were within normal limits. So the next checkup is scheduled for two months. I was doublely happy about this. She's in good health, and I'll have spend less money on checkupe.
For my lunch, I cooked the shredded boiled chicken mixed with the sauce, grilled eggplant and green beans, granola yogurt.
In the afternoon Miya-O was haiding on the first floor for a long time. When I didn't see her in a long time while 2 or 3 hours, I worried that she escaped outside. So I searched for her in my house, many time she stays in a dark quiet cool space like this.
I was mowing the lawn around my house, but stopped around 4:00 P.M. when the thunderclap approached.
For my evening meal, I had boiled chicken mixed with the sauce, sliced tomatoes with mayonnaise and sesame dressing, grilled pepper, and apple.
I made a hot sandwich with Anko paste and cream cheese for a snack.
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July 5th. I had two meals the same menu as yesterday. I made a rice bowl with braised pork, raw egg, chopped green onions and sesame seeds for my breakfast. This was the same as yesterday's breakfast, because I defrosted some braised pork frozen food and I needed to use it up in a short time.
I got a watermelon from my younger brother free yesterday. I chilled it in my fridge until it was cold enough. It was delicious.
I made takikomi gohan using the empty donabe of the Oginoya Kamameshi, with pork ribes miso stew and a few kinds of vegetables for my evening meal. This was the same as yesterday's evening meal, because I defrosted self cooked pork ribes miso stew frozen food and I needed to use it up in a short time.
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July 4th. Mowing the lawn around my house. I made a rice bowl with braised pork, raw egg, chopped green onions and sesame seeds for my breakfast.
I started mowing the lawn around my house at 7 a.m. By 9 a.m. it was unbearably hot. So I was done with outdoor work for today.
I always wear a big straw hat when I work in the sun. I also always carry a plastic bottle of barley tea with me. I work in the sun for 20 minutes, then take a 5 minute break in the shade, and repeat the cycle.
After that, I took a shower and took a half hour of nap time with my cat. Being in the heat, I was very exhausting. My cat was not doing anything but she seems to be losing energy.
I went to my favorite soba restaurant Kimura and had a large serving Seiro soba for my lunch. I didn't take my cat with me today because the car gets very hot while it's parked.
I made a takikomi gohan using the empty donabe of the Oginoya Kamameshi, with pork ribes miso stew and a few kinds of vegetables for my evening meal.
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July 3rd. I sharpened my kitchen knives. I soaked bread in egg liquid and sandwiched Anko paste and cream cheese, then baked.
I sharpened my kitchen knives. Steel is hard to maintain. I have some, but stainless steel is good enough for me. Tomatos were perfect for a test cut.
I put shredded cheese on top of potatoes that I baked in my Dutch oven. Then I baked them in a toaster for 10 minutes. I had it for my lunch.
I went to the air-conditioned city library. I was reading a magazine and fell asleep a bit.
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July 2nd. A drive from Ueda .I took my cat for a drive from Ueda to Iwai. On the way back home, I ate a sandwich I bought at the Kanra Parking Area, and also bought some spicy green peppers and cucumbers. I bought a Oginoya Touge no Kamameshi for my evening meal at the Yokokawa Service Area in the hight way.
I left my home at 4:00 p.m. Miya-O relaxed for a long time at her regular spot in my home.
I made a salad with ingredients that I bought at the Service Area. I had it with Touge no Kamameshi for my evening meal.
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July 1st. Soba restaurant Shiodaya.It was cloudy. I took a walk around the Ueda Castle remains park and more with my wife, and I took some pictures using my Eos M3. Today the lens I used was MINOLTA ROKKOR-PF 1:2 f=45mm No.2306462.
My wife and I ate soba at Shiodaya, a soba restaurant in front of Ueda Station. The soba was delicious. The other things were not so good. It was empty even though it was lunchtime.
I thought It was good that it is open until 6pm, later than other soba restaurants. Maybe I will come again if I want to eat soba in the late afternoon.
