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August 31st: Treasure to Someone ElseFor breakfast, I had a steamed meat bun along with fried eggs and roasted vegetables. Steamed meat buns have a good balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. I always keep the ones I bought at the co-op in my freezer. They thaw perfectly in just one minute in the microwave.
Lunch was grilled vegetables and chicken ramen. It was easy and convenient.
Today, I put some unwanted items up for sale on Yahoo! Auctions. The computer
peripherals I had been looking forward to using after retirement quickly
became outdated.
Even if something is outdated and unwanted to me, I hope it can become a treasure to someone else.
Even if something is outdated and unwanted to me, I hope it can become a treasure to someone else.
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August 30th: Watarigani tomato sauce spaghetti Yesterday, I bought some Watarigani (a pack of pre-processed, frozen blue crabs from Bahrain) at Torisen. So, I made Watarigani tomato sauce spaghetti for breakfast. When it comes to Watarigani tomato sauce spaghetti, the Italian restaurant Linea in Tsukuba is the place to go. They serve an exquisite version there. You can tell that the Watarigani they use is of much higher quality than the one from Torisen.
I made Togakushi soba for lunch to go to have with the tempura I bought at Torisen yesterday. I used dried noodles, but it was very delicious.
I rubbed milk into the thawed chicken breast, added several spices and salt, coated it with tempura batter powder, and pan-fried it. I had this and a nikuman (steamed meat bun) for dinner.
Does Miya-O sleep almost all day?
I put my old laptop up for sale on Yahoo! Auctions.
I tried out my 300mm lens after cleaning off the mold. My wife apparently went to the Ueda fireworks display. She seems to have taken some good photos with her smartphone.
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August 29th: Whole Fish CookingI went to the vet clinic for Miya-O's regular checkup, which she gets every four months. The doctor did a blood test, and the results were the same as before. He prescribed the same medication.
I bought a whole horse mackerel at Torisen. I gutted it, removed the innards, and washed it in saltwater. Then, I added a little lemon juice and salt, wrapped it in aluminum foil, and baked it for dinner. This is the easiest way to cook a whole fish and clean up afterward.
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August 28th: Overhauled and ready to shoot!Asahi Optical Co., Ltd. Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 1:4/300 (No. 6923312)、Picked up this lens on Yahoo! Auctions back in 2019 for just 1,000 yen, but it had been sitting on my shelf collecting dust due to a severe fungus infection.Today, after a complete teardown and cleaning, it’s finally back to life and adapted to my Sony α7R III! The fungus left some etching marks on the coating, but hey, that's just vintage character.The cleaning took about 90 minutes from start to finish. I filmed the whole process and spent another 4 hours editing a video for my YouTube channel.Check out the restoration video on YouTube!https://youtu.be/ZizyJkl-wL0
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August 27th: Lens modification work progressed well.I made a simmered dish with carrots, burdock root, shimeji mushrooms, and soybeans. For breakfast, I also had a Caprese salad, grilled deep-fried tofu, granola yogurt, café au lait, and sweet corn rice topped with natto.
My FJ Cruiser needed a vehicle inspection, so I took it to the Toyota dealer in Mitsukaido. They provided a loaner car, but unlike in the past when they would lend me a car more to my liking, this time it was just a very ordinary one.
It was cloudy and cool. Lens modification work progressed well. The modification of the UV Topcor 1:4 f=135mm No. 13914277 is complete, and it is now ready for photography.
I made a Chicken Ramen topped with grilled pumpkin, zucchini, and cabbage for lunch.
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August 26th: Remounting a Tokyo Kogaku Japan UV Topcor 1:4 f=135mm No.13914277
with AdhesiveAdhesive modifications should only be performed if they do not interfere with future disassembly and maintenance. This is precisely one such case. The small, modified M42 screw mount ring, salvaged from a donor lens, does not obstruct access to the three screws.Since I do not have a Topcor mount adapter, I converted it to an M42 mount.
For breakfast, I made chicken curry topped with roasted vegetables. I used a ready-made curry from Muji. Muji's ready-made curries come in a wide variety of flavors, are delicious, and are reasonably priced at around 350 to 450 yen per serving.
I grilled some vegetables for lunch. I also had Tom Yum Goong noodle. It was instant ramen from Muji, made using the same method as Chicken Ramen.
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August 25th: Cooking practice using a Coleman Peak 1 gasoline stove.I made breakfast around 6 AM as usual. Even the cat was lethargic because of the extreme heat.
This vintage camping stove takes 5 minutes just to get a stable burn, so it's definitely not the first choice for anyone these days. But hey, it's the only stove I've got!I'm keeping this classic Peak 1 in top shape with some occasional cooking practice. The wind forced me inside the garage today, but it turned into a fun session making pork spare rib stew over freshly cooked six-grain rice.
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August 24th: ArgilanI woke up at 4:00 AM and made breakfast as usual.
This morning, I sprayed my lawn with the herbicide Argilan. Its active ingredient, asulam, interferes with the plant's production of vitamin B9 (folic acid), stopping the growth of new shoots and cell division. Japanese lawn grass can break down this component internally, so it doesn't die. However, weeds that cannot break it down slowly wither away. Its toxicity to humans and animals is classified as an "ordinary substance" (the safest category, not classified as poisonous or deleterious), making it highly safe for humans, pets, and the environment.
The funeral service for the former head priest of Amidaji Temple was held at 10:00 AM. I went there and offered incense.
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August 23rd: For BreakfastYesterday, I cooked deep-fried tofu and carrots. I also made steamed pork tenderloin wrapped in cabbage. I had them for breakfast, along with granola yogurt and cucumber sticks harvested from my garden.
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August 22nd: Spacetime OverlapFor breakfast, I had granola yogurt, café au lait, rice cooked with sweet corn, and pork tenderloinwrapped in cabbage and steamed.
I bought a katsudon bento at Iwamoto Bento-ya for lunch.
In the afternoon, I went to the Tsukuba Exchange Center in Hojo, Tsukuba City. It's at the foot of Mt. Hōkyō, very close to Cafe Posten.
I participated in the monthly meeting of the Tsukuba Photo Club.
After that, I went to photograph the Nyoirin Kannon stone statues at the foot of Mt. Hōkyō.
Dinner consisted of vegetable dishes and café au lait.
These three statues of Nyoirin Kannon, located at the foot of Mt. Hokyo, were erected during the Edo period by a local women's faith group. They represent the tradition of "Jyuukyuuya-kou" (十九夜講) or "Nyonin-Kou" (女人講), in which women gathered on the night of the 19th day of the lunar calendar to pray for safe childbirth and their families' health.
The oldest statue is heavily weathered, the second was erected in 1799, and the third in 1838, demonstrating the faith and community bonds passed down through generations. The three stone statues seem to convey the lives of these women across time and space.
Photographed with Canon SUPER-CANOMATIC LENS R 50mm 1:1.8 No.90532
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August 21st: Modification of SUPER-CANOMATIC LENS R 50mm 1:1.8 No.90532I made breakfast using vegetables I bought at the Kokubu Marche. My wife always says that Kokubu Marche is a supermarket directly managed by JA, and its meat and vegetables are both cheap and delicious.
I bought some apples, specifically the Shinano Lip and Shinano Red varieties. Shinano Lip is firm and tart, while Shinano Red is crisp, sweet, and sour, similar to Kogyoku (the Jonathan apple).
I made a simmered dish with carrots, shimeji mushrooms, and fried tofu. For dinner, I also had soba noodles made from dried Togakushi soba.
This Super-Canomatic lens features a fully automatic, high-speed aperture mechanism, with its housing located inside the lens mount. However, this housing is unnecessary when using the lens on a digital camera via a mount adapter. In fact, it interfered with the helicoid mount adapter, preventing it from being mounted. Therefore, it was modified to remove the housing.
Left: Original / Right: Modified
I immediately did a test shoot with the miya-O.
Check out my how-to video!
https://youtu.be/iXffjL4jOX4
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August 20th: Two LensesFor breakfast, I had granola with yogurt, a salad of sliced tomato and cucumber, grilled eggplant, and half an apple.
In the morning, I pruned the rose bushes, and I pulled the new branch into a good position and secured it. I broke out in hives, which appeared where my sweaty clothes rubbed against my skin.
For lunch, I had molokhia salad, stir-fried bell peppers and eggplant with rice, and cold tofu.
For dinner, I made a tuna tataki rice bowl and pumpkin miso soup.
I spent the afternoon in a cool room. As shown in the bottom image, both lenses have been fully disassembled and cleaned, and are now ready to shoot.
Right: Canon FD 135mm F3.5 No. 300771. Purchased in May 2019 for 300 yen. There was dirt and mold on the lens surface, and dust inside the lens barrel.
Left: Canon FL 135mm F2.8 No. 86665. Purchased in April 2022 for around 1,000 yen. The lens surface was hazy.
Both lenses were won on Yahoo! Auctions. Although I started using them right away, today I finally removed all the dirt.
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August 19th: Canon SUPER-CANOMATIC LENS R 50mm 1:1.8 No.78140After breakfast, I bought vegetables and apples at the Kokubu Marche before heading back to Iwai, where I arrived around 1 PM.
I harvested three cucumbers and two eggplants from my garden.
For lunch, I made a pork spare rib stew rice bowl.
Dinner consisted of several vegetable dishes.
This lens is estimated to have been manufactured around 1963. It is an interchangeable lens for the Canon R mount and is also compatible with the FL mount. It is compatible with standard mount adapters. Due to its protruding rear section, it cannot be mounted on a helicoid mount adapter; it requires modification.
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August 18th: Jizo PassToday, I escaped to the Yunomaru Plateau with my cat. I photographed the 100 Kannon statues at Jizo Pass. There are limited safe parking spots along the pass, so I parked in front of the 50th Kannon statue.
From there, I walked up to where the 60th statue is located. I then photographed the statues in order from top to bottom. I couldn't finish all 10 statues from the 60th down to the 51st, and since it was already 5:30 p.m., I returned to Ueda.
For today's shoot, I used the Canon SUPER-CANOMATIC LENS R 50mm 1:1.8 No.78140.
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August 17th: Karasawa FallsUeda is cool in the mornings and evenings, but it gets just as hot during the day as Iwai. So, to protect our cat from the heat, we move to a cooler plateau. Today, we came to Karasawa Falls in the Sugadaira Plateau.
After eating a hamburger at the Diamond Dust Cafe in the Sugadaira Plateau, I spent time at Karasawa Falls until 4 PM. I tried out three different lenses. I filmed people having picnics, rugby players at a training camp, families, and other visitors interacting with the waterfall.
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August 16th: My Wife and I Went to Ueda with Our CatMy wife made breakfast.
At the end of Obon, we have a farewell ceremony called 'Bon-okuri' to send the spirits back to the spirit world. In the afternoon, my wife and I lit a lantern at the family altar in my family home and went to the family grave. We escorted the spirits to the grave.
At 4 p.m., we went to the nursing home where my wife's father is staying. Because there was a limit on the number of visitors, only my wife, her brother, and her nephew went to see him.
After that, I went to Ueda with my wife and our cat. We arrived in Ueda at 7 p.m. We had dinner at a restaurant called "Kusaki Marino." It was reasonably priced and delicious. I'll probably go there again.
My wife showed off the tote bag she made herself. She seems to be enjoying her new sewing machine and wants to make all sorts of things.
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August 15th: Failing CompanyI made sauce yakisoba for breakfast.
My wife went to her favorite hair salon.
My brother-in-law came to pay his respects during Obon.
The threads holding the metal frame and fabric together had broken in several places. Because of this, the umbrella no longer functioned properly. You can't cut corners on such a crucial part; this is where the difference between a thriving company and a failing one becomes apparent.
I repaired the folding umbrella using a needle and thread.
My wife made dinner for us.
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August 14th: During ObonI made breakfast for us.
My wife made a cake using candied apricots and whipped cream to treat the guests who will be visiting during the Bon holiday.
My wife also made me a watermelon-patterned shirt.
During the Obon season, we visit relatives and pay our respects at their family altars. My wife and I visited her parents' home.
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August 13th: Vongole BiancoMy wife made breakfast for us.
At the beginning of Bon, we hold a ceremony called 'Bon-mukae' to welcome our ancestors' spirits back to our homes. My wife and I performed the ritual. We went to my family's grave, lit a lantern there, and brought the flame home with us.
Then, I went to Tsukuba City with my wife. For lunch, we had Ten-seiro (tempura and soba) at our favorite soba restaurant, Kimura.
Afterwards, we shopped at Costco and came home. We also bought some groceries at Torisen.
For dinner, I made spaghetti vongole bianco using clams we bought at Torisen. The generous amount of clams is a testament to its homemade nature.
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August 12th: Sleeping BagA typhoon made landfall and passed nearby, but the rain and wind weren't strong, so there was no need to worry at all.
I bought a Chinese-made Tianshan brand sleeping bag about 50 years ago. I also bought a French-made Simond brand sleeping bag for my wife 40 years ago. Both are still going strong. I hung them out to dry in the sun this afternoon.
My wife returned from Ueda, so I went to Shimizu Park Station to pick her up at 3:40 PM.
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August 11th: MyogaFor breakfast, I had green curry, sliced tomatoes with basil leaves, grilled fried tofu, and a café au lait. I used a ready-made green curry pack I bought at MUJI.
I mowed the lawn yesterday. This morning, I spent time cleaning up the yard. After that, I took a nap.
I harvested a lot of myoga (Japanese ginger).For dinner, I made a tuna tataki rice bowl, chilled tofu with finely chopped myoga, grilled atsuage with basil leaves, and a sliced tomato and cucumber salad.
Myoga is also known as Japanese ginger. While the leaves look exactly the same, it's a different plant from ginger. The buds are eaten before the flowers bloom.
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August 10th: Coleman Peak 1 Gasoline StoveI made a leek omelet and potato and fried tofu soup for breakfast.
My Coleman gasoline stove wasn't working properly, so I disassembled and serviced it. It appeared that the fuel line connection wasn't properly tightened, which had caused the unstable combustion.
Gas burners provide a stable flame immediately after ignition. However, my Coleman Peak 1 gasoline stove requires about 5 minutes of pre-heating before the flame stabilizes. The flame stabilized 5 minutes after ignition. I tried cooking rice, and it turned out well. I used the rice to make rice balls and a pork spare rib stew rice bowl.
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August 9th: OsandonOsandon dates back to the Edo period. It originally referred to young female servants who worked in the kitchen. Today, people use it with a bit of humor or self-pity to say, "I'm stuck doing endless kitchen work."
I usually cook all three meals myself. On hot days, the only thing I remember most is being in the kitchen.
I grilled green peppers, pumpkin, carrots, and zucchini for breakfast. I also made sliced tomatoes with basil leaves. The hot sandwich was made with leftovers from yesterday.
I had Chicken Ramen with a lot of chopped negi for lunch. (I forgot to take a picture.)
For dinner, I had a Chinese-style rice bowl. The ingredients were pre-made frozen products I bought at the co-op. However, I added plenty of chopped shiso leaves.
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August 8th: Grass on SlopeI made a leek omelet, sandwiched it with ham and cheese between two slices of bread, and toasted it. After that, I stood the sandwich upright on the windowsill to dry it out and keep it crisp. So, for breakfast, I had this hot sandwich and a café au lait.
I harvested two eggplants and a cucumber from my vegetable garden.
Last year, I neglected the grass on the slope. Some of the grass withered, and wood sorrel proliferated, leaving it in a terrible state. Since then, I've been diligently taking care of it. It's almost back to being as beautiful as it was before.
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August 7th: ArgilanI made a soup with potatoes, horse mackerel fish balls, and green onions for breakfast.
I sprayed the herbicide this morning from around 7 AM to 9 AM. The humidity was very high.
I used Argilan, a selective herbicide for lawns, for the first time.
Argilan solution contains 37.0% asulam, the active ingredient. Asulam is classified as a "general substance" (not a toxic or harmful substance) and is considered to have low toxicity to humans and pets.
Mechanism of Action
1. Absorption and Translocation
The active ingredient is rapidly absorbed through the leaves and stems of weeds and moves through the plant to the roots, rhizomes, and the points of new shoot emergence. It fundamentally inhibits cell division at the point of emergence. Furthermore, it inhibits the synthesis of folic acid, which is necessary for plant growth. Ultimately, the plant's energy is completely depleted, leading to death.
2. Selectivity
Zoysia grass has a special ability to rapidly break down and detoxify asulam within its body. Therefore, only weeds die due to the cessation of cell division, while the Zoysia grass survives unharmed.
3. Slow-Acting Effect
Weed growth stops immediately after application. Because it is a chemical that inhibits cell division, it does not have an immediate effect. After spraying, the plants will gradually begin to turn yellow in about 7 to 10 days, and will completely wither down to the roots over 2 to 3 weeks (14 to 21 days).
For dinner, I used up some leftovers and added tofu and natto. I baked bread in my bread maker. Since I used delicious local flour, I didn't mix in any graham flour this time, even though I usually add about 20%.The bread turned out so chewy, with an enhanced wheat aroma and natural sweetness.
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August 6th: Aji ShioyakiI made sauce yakisoba and stir-fried eggplant with miso for breakfast.
I spent the morning getting rid of wood sorrel on the lawn. To prevent heatstroke, I worked for 45 minutes and took a 15-minute break, keeping a bottle of barley tea close by.
I took a nap in the afternoon. Working in the sun for even a little while is incredibly draining.
I went to Torisen to buy groceries. With them, I made Aji Shioyaki (grilled horse mackerel with salt and lemon juice) for dinner.
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August 5th: Blueberry JamI made breakfast: ham and eggs, grilled eggplant, and leek and bone marrow soup. I also made jam from about 300g of blueberries I picked in Ueda.
I boiled the blueberries, then crushed them with an immersion blender and strained the mixture. I then added 100g of sugar, 50 ml of white wine, 10g of citric acid, and 30 ml of lemon juice, and simmered it.
The image in the bottom middle shows this jam mixed with yogurt and frozen.
I made Chicken Ramen for lunch.
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August 4th: Return to IwaiMy wife made breakfast.I bought apples, peaches, and vegetables at Kokubu Marche. Next, I took some photos of the Kannon stone statues at Jizo Pass. Then, I headed back to Iwai and arrived a little after 5 PM.
I harvested some huge cucumbers and eggplants from my vegetable garden.
Finally, I went to Torisen to do some grocery shopping.
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August 3rd: Karasawa FallsTo escape the heat, my wife, our cat, and I went to Karasawa Falls on the Sugadaira Plateau.
People kept arriving at the waterfall one after another: student groups on sports training camps, junior high school students, foreigners who seemed to be on vacation, families, and couples. I took photos of them with the waterfall in the background. I like landscape photography that includes people as part of the scenery.
We had lunch at Diamond Dust Cafe on the Sugadaira Plateau. I had a hamburger and a lemonade.
For dinner, my wife made grilled eel rice bowls. Although she used a store-bought pack, she said it tastes even better if you warm up the eel first and then simmer it in the sauce in a frying pan.
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August 2nd: Tsugane-ji Temple and Gosensui Nature ParkIt was a sunny day today. My wife made breakfast.
Today, my wife and I headed to our destination, Gosensui Nature Park. On the way, we happened to pass by Tsugane-ji Temple. From the roadside, we could see that it was decorated with banners and lanterns. Since it was such a magnificent temple, I stopped by, and we walked around the temple grounds.
Tsugane-ji Temple is a venerable Tendai sect temple located in Tateshina-machi, Kita-Saku-gun, Nagano Prefecture. It is said to have been founded in 702 during the Nara period by Gyoki.
Gosensui Nature Park is a beautiful, fee-based nature park located on the slopes of Mount Tateshina in Tateshina Town, Nagano Prefecture, at an altitude of 1,830 meters.
Chestnut tiger butterflies are known as migrating butterflies. During their long journey, they stop to feed on thoroughwort flowers. When we visited, they were engrossed in sipping nectar. They were easy to spot, and I was able to take close-up shots even with a 135mm telephoto lens.
My wife cooked dinner.
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August 1st: Koumi-machi Kougen Museum of ArtThis was my first day in Ueda. My wife made our breakfast, and I also had some pumpkin pudding that she had made.
The sun hit the Boyama parking lot before 10 AM. Therefore, to prevent my cat from getting heatstroke, we had to leave for a cool highland area before then.
Today, we went to the Koumi-machi Kougen Museum of Art. This was our second visit. There's a cafe-restaurant called Hana-Sarasa inside the museum. I had the fluffy omelet rice with a salad for 900 yen on my previous visit, and it was absolutely delicious.
The regular admission fee is 500 yen, but this time I chose the bargain 600 yen ticket that includes museum admission and a drink at the cafe-restaurant. We went to see the exhibition of designer Sotaro Miyagi. Since it was our favorite genre, we spent over two hours there. Then we went to eat the omelet rice. However, the cafe was full, and they had already stopped serving food. I couldn't believe it, especially since it was before 2 o'clock!
We waited 30 minutes to get a table. When the waitress took our order, however, we were able to order both food and drinks. We successfully enjoyed the fluffy and creamy omelet rice. The cafe is run by just the waitress and the chef. That's probably why they forgot to take down the "no food orders" sign at the entrance.
On the way back, we ate ice cream cones at the visitor center attached to the Yachiho Kogen roadside station. I also bought sandals at the Montbell store there. I wanted orange ones, but my wife objected, so I changed my mind and got gray ones instead.
My wife cooked dinner.
