Tenth marriage anniversary

In the previous post I wrote that in this post I will write about Tohoku Rokkonsai Festival that hubby and I attended in Akita City on 30th May. But today I decided to first write about our tenth marriage anniversary celebrations and get back to the post about Tohoku Rokkonsai Festival next time.

13th October was our 10th marriage anniversary day. The anniversary day brought back happy memories of the day when we decided to get married about eleven years ago. However, it also reminded us of the requirement of many legal documents from India and various legal formalities to be completed for an 'international marriage' like ours in Japan. By the time we finished the registration of our marriage at the city hall in Tsukuba City (where I lived at the time) and also at the Embassy of India in Tokyo, hubby and I were really tired of all the legalities. Our reaction after getting married was not of happiness but rather a sense of relief. We were physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted after dealing with all the procedures and legal documents for almost eight months. And therefore we had absolutely no mood or feeling to have a wedding ceremony or even a marriage party with friends or relatives. So this year being our tenth marriage anniversary, we decided to have a small get-together with our Indian friends of Akita prefecture. In fact in the month of October, we had two dinner parties to celebrate our anniversary. One of the dinner parties was given by our friends to us and the other one was hosted by us.

On 4th October, hubby and I took some professional portraits of us at a photo studio in Akita City to mark the special occasion of our tenth marriage anniversary. We wore traditional Japanese formal Kimono that we rented from the photo studio itself. The staff helped us in wearing the Kimono, and also helped with my makeup and hair styling. Hubby looked really very smart and handsome in Montsuki Haori Hakama Kimono. I wore a Tomesode Kimono and the makeup made me look so remarkable and flawless. We really enjoyed posing for the photographs. Both of us are a bit camera conscious and the professional photographer probably had a hard time to make us smile and relax during the photo session. The photographer, being a professional, did his job well. We are really happy that we took the professional portraits this year on our marriage anniversary. The photographs have come out really great and are wonderful for the sake of memories. Below are the photos that hubby took of the portrait photographs bound in hardcover.

Our portrait photographs in Kimono

On 11th October, Indians of Akita prefecture had a dinner party at the Multipurpose Hall of the International House of Akita University located in Akita City. International House provides accommodation to foreign researchers and students, and is located near the university. Since most of the Indians are researchers or students at the university, it was easier to arrange the party there. Hubby and I reached the International House at about 4 pm. All the Indian friends were already present at the Multipurpose Hall. The hall is a common facility having sofa sets, television, and a mini kitchen. We all cooked dinner of Indian food that day. It was fun to chat with everyone and cook food. Also it was really fortunate that one of my researcher friends from my Ph.D days (2.5 decades ago at Pune University in India) was visiting Akita University for about a month. So we chatted a lot that day, and it was nice to talk about the bygone days. Just before having dinner, all the members presented hubby and me with a surprise anniversary cake to celebrate our tenth marriage anniversary. They had ordered a personalized anniversary cake from a local bakery. The decorated cake looked so beautiful. Hubby and I blew the brightly lit candles out, cut the cake, and fed each other a piece of the cake. The cake cutting ceremony was so much fun. I fed hubby a very big piece of the cake and his expression was priceless. In addition, we both bit into a fondant cutout decoration of the cake with our names inscribed on it. This pose was really too funny and everyone had a great laugh. Afterwards hubby and I made sure that everyone also had a piece of the cake. We clicked several photos of the cake cutting ceremony for the sake of memories. Soon afterwards we had dinner. It was so nice to have Indian food cooked by ourselves. We had chicken Biryani, gravy chicken curry, dry chicken curry, Sambar, and pickles. Everything tasted just perfect. Hubby and I had a wonderful evening with the Indian friends of Akita prefecture.

Hubby and I very surprised to see the marriage anniversary cake

Personalized tenth marriage anniversary cake

The decorated cake looked so beautiful

Hubby and I blew out the lit candles

The cake after blowing out the candles

Hubby and I posing while cutting the cake

Hubby feeding me a piece of the cake

I am feeding hubby a big piece of the cake

Too much cake in hubby’s mouth

Melted chocolate from the piece of the cake on hubby’s face

Hubby and I biting into a fondant cutout decoration of the cake with our names inscribed on it

We were really very happy

Posing with a few Indian friends during the get-together

Posing with a few more friends

Everyone busy cooking

I am chatting with my friend from Ph.D days

Dinner ready

We are having dinner

The dinner was delicious

13th October was our marriage anniversary day, which fell on a weekday this year. In the evening while returning home from his office, hubby bought various kinds of sweets from a convenience store located near our home. We had the sweets after dinner. We had a quite anniversary night.

Various kinds of sweets hubby bought on our anniversary day

Hubby had too much dinner and so could not eat the sweets, which led to this priceless expression

Next, hubby and I hosted our tenth marriage anniversary party on 24th October. We organized a dinner party for our Indian friends of Akita prefecture at an Indian restaurant named Lakshmi located in Akita City. The restaurant is small but very clean and serves authentic Indian food cooked by a Nepalese chef and his assistants. We had pre-booked and pre-ordered party menu, and the choices were also pre-ordered. The dinner consisted of several courses with something of every taste available in our pre-ordered menu. We all loved the Indian food very much and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. After the dinner, hubby and I presented Halloween themed candy packets to everyone as thank-you gifts. Also, our friends presented us with two photo frames for which we are very thankful to them. It was a wonderful night.

Hubby and I having dinner with our Indian friends of Akita prefecture at Lakshmi Restaurant

Friend enjoying dinner

We all having dinner

One of the courses of the dinner

Hubby and I very satisfied with the food served

Hubby presenting Halloween themed candy packets to everyone

Our friends presented us with two photo frames

Hubby and I had a very good time in the month of October. Just now I realized that ten years of married life have passed so quickly. Forever seems like a long time but I wouldn’t mind spending it by hubby’s side.

The past month

Although I immensely enjoyed the winter season during my initial stay in Akita prefecture, I got rather unwell during the severe long winter months the past couple of years. We could hardly visit anywhere or go outside much during the winter months this year. But now that it is summer season, I feel good and energetic. So during the weekends, hubby and I often try out various kind of food at different restaurants and watch Hollywood movies in Akita City. In this post, I will chronicle our life for the past month.

On the weekend of June 27th, hubby and I went for shopping at supercenter Amano in Akita City. While shopping for usual things, I came across a cardboard box containing a set of utensils and equipments for noodle making. It is very rare to find such an item, so we bought it immediately. I love making all kind of noodles like Ramen, Udon, and Soba from scratch, so this set is really useful. I have not yet opened the cardboard box but the box has a cute schematic diagram showing all the utensils and equipments inside. There is a dough flattening board called Noshiita, a rolling pin, a kneading bowl called Konebachi, Houcho knife, positioning and cutting tool called Komaita, and a DVD having expert commentary about how to make noodles. I am looking forward to making noodles using these utensils and equipments. At the shop, we found another very unique item, namely cooking chopsticks equipped with thermometer. Such chopsticks are very useful for controlling the temperature of the cooking oil while deep frying. Nowadays I feel that the Tempura I make is much better due to the proper temperature control of the oil. After shopping we had late lunch and then saw a movie at a theater named Toho Cinemas located at Aeon shopping mall in Akita City. We saw the Hollywood movie ‘Cobain: Montage of Heck’, which is a documentary film about the rock band Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain. Hubby is a huge fan of Nirvana band, so he was looking forward to watching the movie. We really enjoyed the movie.

Hubby making strange face while taking a selfie at home just before we left for shopping

Hubby holding the cardboard box containing a set of utensils and equipments for noodle making

A cute schematic diagram showing all the utensils and equipments inside the box: 1) Noshiita, 2) Konebachi, 3) Komaita, 4) rolling pin, 5) Houcho knife, and 6) DVD

Cooking chopsticks equipped with thermometer

Hubby standing in front of one of the entrances of Aeon shopping mall

Hubby standing near the entrance of the theater Toho Cinemas located inside the mall

Hubby eagerly waiting for the movie to begin

On July 4th, we went for lunch at an Indian restaurant named Lakshmi in Akita City. The restaurant serves authentic Indian food cooked by a Nepali chef and his assistants.  Hubby ordered a set menu named ‘A-lunch set’ having chicken curry and Naan bread. I ordered a set menu named ‘Lakshmi Tandoori lunch set’. Hubby and I shared our food so that we could taste both the lunch sets. Chicken curry of ‘A-lunch set’ was delicious and it was fun to eat spicy hot curry. The combination of Naan and chicken curry was perfect. The dishes of ‘Lakshmi Tandoori lunch set’ were served in small bowls on a round steel main tray. On the main tray there was Naan, rice, and a piece of Tandoori chicken. Two types of liquid curries along with yogurt were served in smaller bowls. The taste of the curries was balanced with the right consistency and went fairly well with both rice and Naan. We enjoyed the flavorful and delicious food. After lunch, we went to a public golf practice driving range named Akita Greenhill in Akita City itself. Public driving ranges are very popular in Japan where golf lovers can practice their swing without worrying about the extraordinarily high golf membership fees for usual golf courses. These golf practice ranges are commonly called Uchippanashi which means ‘just hit it’. The driving ranges are big constructions that are wrapped in large green nets and often have two or more floors in order to allow a greater number of players to practice at the same time. Akita Greenhill golf practice range is relatively small in size. Hubby purchased golf balls at a big dispenser machine. He swiped an electronic money card and balls fell out of a slot in the machine, which he collected into a basket placed near the slot. He then put these balls into a small automated dispenser box near the Astroturf mat at the tee station where he practiced his shots. When he switched on a button in the small dispenser box, an arm carrying a ball came out of the box and automatically placed the ball right on the top of the golf tee that was fixed to the Astroturf matting, and then the arm retracted back into the box. After every hit, the arm came out and placed the ball exactly on the top of the tee. Hubby practiced golf shots using clubs like pitching wedge and driver shots. It was fun to watch him practice golf shots and I clicked a few photos of him in action.

Hubby tasting chicken curry

Naan is scalding hot

Lemon is too sour

I am having Lakshmi Tandoori lunch set

Hubby stretching himself before starting practicing golf shots at Akita Greenhill driving range

A few photos of hubby practicing golf shots at the driving range

Tired hubby

Hubby drinking an energy drink and getting ready for the next round of practice

Hubby cleaning and arranging his golf bag after returning home

On July 12th, we went for lunch at a restaurant named Steak Gusto in Akita City. It is a casual family-style restaurant that specializes in beef items. The menu mostly consists of beef dishes like steak and Japanese hamburger steak, though there are a few other dishes like fish, chicken, and shrimp Tempura. Hubby ordered a main dish consisting of a combination of beef steak and hamburger steak. I ordered a main dish consisting of beef steak and shrimp Tempura. The meat was very good and juicy and the sauces were flavorful. Along with the main dish, the restaurant offers an all-you-can eat buffet style salad and side-dish bar that includes fresh salad fare, Japanese curry, freshly baked breads, white rice, soups, and fruits. All-you-can-drink beverages from a self-serve counter are also available at a reasonable additional cost. We ordered beverages too. Along with the main dish, we had a lot of salad, fruits, rice, bread, and cold drinks. We loved the food and overate. The food was really delicious. Afterwards we saw the Hollywood movie ‘Terminator Genisys’ at a theater named Lumiere Akita located in Akita City itself. Since it is a science fiction and action film, hubby enjoyed the movie very much but I dozed off for about 30 minutes or so in the beginning of the movie, so I hardly understood the rest of the movie. Afterwards hubby told me the story. We had a nice relaxed day.

Hubby’s lunch of beef steak and hamburger steak

My lunch of beef steak and shrimp Tempura

Hubby having lunch

I am having lunch

Hubby standing in front of the poster of the movie ‘Terminator Genisys’ inside the theater Lumiere Akita

Hubby driving back home

On July 18th, we had lunch at a food court located on the third floor of Aeon shopping mall in Akita City. After the lunch, we were supposed to see the Hollywood movie ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ at Toho Cinemas theater located inside the mall itself. But hubby ate too much food and dozed off at the table of the food court. By the time he woke up, the movie had already started. It was too funny a situation. So we did some shopping at the mall and returned home.

Some show going on at the center of the mall

Hubby cannot get up as he ate too much food

July 20th is celebrated as Marine Day and is a national holiday in Japan. Hubby and I again went to Aeon shopping mall in Akita City. We had lunch at a Japanese style restaurant named Ohitsu Gohan Shirokujichu located on the first floor of the mall. The restaurant specializes in seafood and fish dishes. I ordered a set menu of Kaisen-don which is a bowl of rice topped with various kinds of seafood Sashimi. Hubby ordered a set menu of Maguro-don which is a bowl of rice topped with Sashimi of tuna fish. We relished the food and it was delicious. For dessert we had chocolate banana parfait. It was a perfect lunch date for us. Since it was Marine Day, we decided to visit Michikawa Beach located about 22 kilometers southwest of the mall. It took us about 30 minutes by our car to reach the beach. Michikawa Beach faces the Sea of Japan and is known for the clean fine white sand. The sandy beach was so serene, beautiful, and peaceful. We enjoyed at the beach and it was so much fun. I entered the sea for the first time in my life and it was so exciting. I will write a separate post about our visit to the beach later on.

Hubby and I inside Aeon shopping mall

My lunch set of Kaisen-don

Hubby’s lunch set of Magruo-don

Hubby having dessert

Hubby standing at Michikawa Beach

I am standing at the beach

The sea water was cold but it was so much fun

On July 26th, we had lunch at a restaurant named Cafe Restaurant Gusto in Akita City. It is a casual family-style restaurant chain and is one of the most popular restaurants in Japan. The restaurant serves western and Japanese style set meals with an emphasis on meat and steak though fish, curry, and pasta are also available. Rice or bread is served in the set menu. Side dishes like salad, soup, and dessert are available on an extra cost. In addition, all-you-can-drink beverages from a self-serve counter are also available at an additional cost. Hubby ordered a set menu of Unagi-don which is a bowl of rice topped with grilled fillets of eel fish. I ordered a set menu of rice and Thailand style chicken Massaman curry. Both our dishes were not on the regular menu but some special food fair was ongoing. We loved the food. After lunch, we again visited Michikawa Beach. I have fallen in love with the sea and the beach. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Hubby’s lunch set of Unagi-don

My lunch set of rice and chicken Massaman curry

Hubby having lunch

I am having lunch

Hubby at Michikawa Beach

Fun time

I am at the beach

Love the sea and the beach

The past month was really nice and fun-filled for us.