My birthday

My birthday was on 19th June. Although hubby and I are not into celebrating birthdays or anniversaries in a grand way, we usually have some simple funny celebrations to create happy memories for us. But this year hubby planned a surprise sightseeing trip to Hokkaido about which I will write later in this post.

Hubby knows about my love of all things in pairs. So he bought several pairs of cute dolls from shopping malls in Akita City over a couple of months. He also bought a few beautiful souvenir dolls during our sightseeing trip to Hokkaido. In fact, now while writing this post I realized that he bought a total of five pairs of dolls, namely, a pair of cute ceramic owls, a pair of tiny ceramic Dairibina dolls, a pair of Dairibina dolls painted on an ornamental ceramic plate, a wonderful pair of wooden carved owls, and an amazing pair of wooden carved Nipopo Kokeshi dolls of an Ainu couple with painted costumes. Hubby presented me all these pairs of dolls on my birthday. I was thrilled to get so many cute pairs of dolls. All the dolls are fascinating and fantastic additions to my curio collection.

A pair of 5-centimeter-tall ceramic owls

A pair of 3-cenitimeter-tall ceramic Dairibina dolls

A pair of Dairibina dolls painted on a 10-centimeter-tall ornamental ceramic plate

A pair of 10-centimeter-tall wooden carved owls

A pair of 12.5-centimeter-tall wooden carved Nipopo Kokeshi dolls of an Ainu couple

Hubby often goes to Thailand for business trips. Every time he returns home, he brings back some presents for me and most of the time they are some sort of jewelry. Hubby had been to Thailand during mid-June and brought back two colorful chunky stone beads necklaces. I was very happy with these additional birthday presents.

I love the blue colored and the brown colored chunky stone beads necklaces that hubby brought back from Thailand

On the weekend two weeks prior to my birthday, hubby and I went to a shopping mall named Aeon Mall in Akita city where we watched a Hollywood movie at a theater named Toho Cinemas. We had almost two hours of free time before the movie started. So hubby took me to one of the watch shops in the mall. I was very surprised that hubby asked the shop staff to show pair wrist watches for couples. Initially I thought that he was just killing time, but he really bought a pair of wrist watches. Hubby chose the design and pattern of the watches and they are really very cute. Afterwards he told me that the pair wrist watches are for celebrating our companionship and togetherness. Thanks hubby for the wonderful present for ourselves. I am thankful that God put the most wonderful husband in the world in my path. I am very happy and thankful for all the joy of having a loving and understanding hubby.

The shop staff packed the pair of wrist watches for couples in a beautiful box

Thanks hubby for the pair of wrist watches

I had been wanting to travel by Hokkaido Shinkansen bullet train ever since it officially started its service in the month of March this year. It is the first Shinkansen bullet train line directly linking Hokkaido and Honshu islands through undersea Seikan tunnel. Therefore for my birthday hubby arranged a sightseeing trip to Hokkaido! On 18th June, we traveled by Hayabusa train service of Hokkaido Shinkansen from Morioka Railway Station in Aomori prefecture to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station in Hokkaido. It was really a wonderful thrilling experience and we loved the travel by the newly introduced bullet train. Later we used two other express trains to reach Asahikawa City where we stayed at a hotel for two nights.

I am standing on a platform of Morioka Railway Station along with two Hayabusa trains of Hokkaido Shinkansen in the background

I am about to enter inside the Shinkansen train

Hubby and I sitting inside an express train while going to Asahikawa City in Hokkaido

Beautiful sea as viewed from the express train

Nighttime illumination of Asahikawa City as viewed from our hotel room

Asahikawa is an interesting city

On the day of my birthday on 19th June, we hired a car and traveled from Asahikawa City to Cape Soya situated in Wakkanai City. Cape Soya is located about 250 kilometers north of Asahikawa and it took us about 4.5 hours of car ride to reach the cape. On our way we saw lush green fields and many cattle farms. There was hardly any traffic and it was so quite and peaceful throughout the way. We reached Cape Soya at about 2 pm. Cape Soya is the northernmost point of Japan and on a clear day Sakhalin Island of Russia can be clearly seen further north. The view of the wide sea (Soya Strait) from the cape was spectacular. Standing with hubby on a stone monument at the northernmost point of Japan on my birthday was absolutely wonderful and so peaceful. I felt a sense of fulfillment and it was a unique experience. We returned to the hotel in Asahikawa City at about 10 pm. We were exhausted but it was such a memorable day!

I am standing in front of a Michinoeki Roadside Station on our way to Cape Soya

Cattle grazing in a farm on our way to the cape

We stopped our car for some time to breathe in the fresh air and appreciate the nature

I am standing at Cape Soya

I am standing with hubby on a stone monument at the northernmost point of Japan at Cape Soya

Two deer grazing on a hilltop at Cape Soya

On 20th June, we visited a farm named Ueno Farm in Asahikawa City. The farm is modeled on an English-style garden where we saw many hardy perennials and unique flowers that are suitable for the climate of Hokkaido. In the evening, we returned to Hakodate City where we stayed at a rather expensive hotel named Hakodate Kokusai Hotel. It is considered to be a luxury hotel and overlooks Hakodate Bay. Our room was big and very comfortable, and we enjoyed the stay. On 21st June, we had an impressive buffet breakfast at the hotel. The one thing I will not forget about this hotel is the fantastic breakfast spread. It had both western and Japanese food and the variety is most memorable. We had various kinds of delicious food items. I loved Kaisendon dish very much. It was the best breakfast I have had in Japan. In fact the breakfast of this hotel is ranked fourth in the 2016 ranking of ‘hotels with delicious breakfasts’ (webpage in Japanese) in entire Japan. The stay and the wonderful breakfast at the luxurious hotel were a present from hubby for my birthday. I am very much thankful to him.

I am standing inside Ueno Farm in Asahikawa City

The farm is based on English-style garden

I am watching some television program inside our room at Hakodate Kokusai Hotel

I am standing at the hotel lobby

Our breakfast at the hotel

I am very happy seeing so much food for breakfast

On 21st June, after breakfast, we went to see Kanemori red brick warehouse buildings in Hakodate City. The warehouse buildings were built in 1909 and have great historical significance in the development of the city. Later in the evening, we traveled by Hokkaido Shinkansen bullet train and returned to our home in Yurihonjo City.

I am standing in front of one of the buildings of Kanemori red brick warehouse

This year my birthday became even more memorable when on returning home, I received a hand-written birthday card from hubby’s two nieces by post. They live in Ichinomiya City and it was really thoughtful of the girls to send a colorful birthday card by post in this era of internet. I am very thankful to the girls. The card is very precious to me and I will keep it safely. Lastly, I am thankful to my relatives as well as all my real and virtual friends who send me birthday wishes and messages on Facebook, WhatsApp, e-mails, and made phone calls.

A colorful birthday card from hubby’s nieces

To summarize, I am very thankful to hubby for presenting me a pair of wrist watches for couples (actually they are for us), two necklaces, and several pairs of cute dolls, as well as for arranging the memorable sightseeing trip to Hokkaido by Hokkaido Shinkansen bullet train and the wonderful stay at a luxury hotel in Hakodate City. What a memorable birthday I had this year. I made many pleasant memories. I will write in details about our travel by Hokkaido Shinkansen bullet train, visit to Cape Soya in Wakkanai City, visit to Ueno Farm in Asahikawa City, our stay and buffet breakfast at Hakodate Kokusai Hotel, and visit to Kanemori red brick warehouse buildings in Hakodate City in several blog posts later on.

Silver Week Holidays 2015

There were many consecutive holidays in the month of September 2015 in Japan. The holidays from September 19 to September 23 have been dubbed as Silver Week Holidays, and refer to the incorporation of a weekend followed by three Japanese public holidays which are Respect for the Aged Day (September 21), Autumnal Equinox Day (September 23), and the day in between these two holidays known as Kokumin no Kyujitsu (citizen’s holiday, September 22). Such unusual silver week holidays will next occur in September 2026. Silver week refers to the second rank after the more famous Golden Week Holidays.

During the Silver Week Holidays of 2015, hubby and I went to our home in Ichinomiya City of Aichi prefecture. We usually use flight for the travel as Akita and Aichi prefectures are very far apart and such long distance travel can be a bit tiring. However, we had decided at the end moment to visit Ichinomiya and could not reserve flight tickets. Therefore we traveled by train and it was so much fun. Although hubby and I went to Ichinomiya by train, we returned to Akita by flight after the holidays. So on the morning of 19th September 2015, we left our home in Yurihonjo City at about 7 am and after about 50 minutes of car ride, we reached Akita Airport where we parked our car at a parking lot for five days. Afterwards we took a bus and reached Akita Railway Station in Akita City. We used Akita Shinkansen Komachi train to travel from Akita to Tokyo. The train started at about 9.30 am and it took us about 4 hours to reach Tokyo Railway Station. The interior of the train was very nice and the journey was comfortable. I enjoyed the outside view of rice fields ready to be harvested. The passing landscapes really appealed to me. We had our breakfast of Ekiben boxed meals that we had purchased earlier at Akita Station. It was really nice to have the delicious meal of rice and octopus while enjoying the outside view from the train. After about an hour of travel, our train made an unscheduled stop at a small railway station in Akita prefecture itself and I was very amazed to see a freight train with black hopper cars used for carrying coal, crushed stone, and cement. I have never seen such trains in Japan and so it was very exciting for me. We were again a bit hungry after another hour or so, and we bought some snacks from a trolley cart that was regularly wheeled around by the train-staff. Such trolley carts selling various food items, snacks, cold drinks, hot coffee, and alcohol are really so convenient for the travelers. We had the snacks and hot coffee in the relaxed atmosphere inside the train. Soon hubby dozed off while I enjoyed the passing views of the fields, villages, towns, cities, and many small railway stations. We reached Tokyo Railway Station at about 1.30 pm. Four hours of Akita Shinkansen Komachi train travel seemed to have passed very fast for me, which I enjoyed thoroughly. Next we travelled up to Nagoya by Tokaido Shinkansen Nozomi train but we had to wait for about two hours at Tokyo Railway Station. Tokyo Station was extremely crowded due to the holidays and we had to literally sit on the floor near the waiting area. It was too funny to see hubby sitting down on the floor and it reminded me of the crowded train travels back in India about two decades ago. We reached Nagoya Railway Station at about 5 pm and took a local train that reached Ichinomiya Railway Station at about 5.30 pm. My father-in-law and his wife were waiting for us at the station and we directly went to a nearby Sushi restaurant and had dinner. We reached our home in Ichinomiya at about 8 pm. Soon afterwards hubby and I went to a public golf practice driving range located in the 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. Hubby purchased golf balls at a dispenser machine and practiced golf shots using clubs like wedges and drivers. It was fun to watch him practice golf shots and I clicked a few photos of him in action. It was almost 11 pm when we returned to our home in Ichinomiya and soon retired to bed.

Hubby standing at the car parking area of Akita Airport where we parked our car for the Silver Week Holidays

Hubby and I inside Akita Shinkansen train

Ekiben breakfast we purchased at Akita Railway Station

Delicious Ekiben of rice and octopus

Hubby having Ekiben for breakfast inside the train

Two black hopper cars of a freight train we saw at a small railway station in Akita prefecture

The hopper cars were very amazing

Hubby having snacks inside Akita Shinkansen train

Hubby having hot coffee

Rice fields ready to be harvested as viewed from inside the train

Hubby sitting on the floor next to a waiting area of crowded Tokyo Railway Station

Hubby having dinner with relatives at a Sushi restaurant in Ichinomiya City

Hubby practicing golf shots at a public driving range in Ichinomiya City

Another photo of hubby practicing golf shots

Yet another photo of hubby practicing his shots

On 20th September 2015, father-in-law, his wife, hubby, and a few other relatives went to play golf at Springfield Golf Club in Tajimi City of Gifu prefecture. They left home at about 6 am. I am not much interested in the sport, so I went with hubby’s sister and her family to a nearby sightseeing spot named Meiji Mura Museum which is an open air museum located in Inuyama City. It was very interesting to spend the entire day at the museum and see many historic architectural buildings. I will write about the visit to Meiji Mura Museum in the next post. After enjoying visiting the museum, we all returned to Ichinomiya home at about 4.30 pm. However, sister-in-law left immediately after dropping off her two daughters who stayed overnight with hubby and I. Hubby had already returned home after playing golf at about 4 pm. Both the nieces were very happy to see their uncle and played some card game for a while. At about 5.30 pm we went to a nearby bookstore and bought a few storybooks and funny toys for the nieces. Afterwards we had dinner at a family restaurant named Gusto. Father-in-law and his wife also accompanied us for dinner. On returning home, both the girls were very excited to see the new toys and storybooks and played with the toys for almost an hour or so. Younger niece was very happy trying to play with a toy named Kendama that I had purchased for her earlier in the day at the museum. It was getting late and at about 9.30 pm I had to almost force the girls to take bath. The girls soaked in the bathtub for quite some time and looked very relaxed afterwards. I dried their hair while they played with their new toys. At about 10.30 pm the girls went to bed and I continued with the household chores. But I kept hearing the girls talk in a hushed tone and when I went to see what the matter was I noted that the girls and their uncle were quietly playing a card game under the light of a table lamp. The girls were trying to be as quite as possible while playing at such an unearthly hour (well for the girls at least). I guess their uncle is too lenient with them. Anyway it was holiday time so I let the girls play for another hour or so. They got very tired by 11.30 pm and retired to bed finally. It was a hectic and fun filled day for all of us.

Meiji Mura Museum in Inuyama City

After returning home from the museum, the nieces playing a card game with their uncle

Nieces and hubby in the front yard of our home

We all having dinner at Gusto Restaurant

On returning home, both the nieces playing with the new toys that their uncle purchased for them

Younger niece practicing Kendama

After bath I am drying the hair of younger niece

Drying older niece’s hair

Girls and their uncle quietly playing a card game under the light of a table lamp

On the morning of 21st September 2015, I made breakfast and fed the girls. Afterwards we drove them to their home. In the afternoon, hubby and I went to see a professional baseball game at Nagoya Dome. I will write about the experience of watching the baseball game in a blog post later on.

Nieces playing with their uncle early in the morning

Hubby posing inside Nagoya Dome where we watched a baseball game

On 22nd September 2015, father-in-law, his wife, and hubby again went to play golf at Springfield Golf Club in Tajimi City. They left home at about 7 am. I stayed at home and relaxed the entire day. Hubby returned at about 4 pm and worked in the tiny garden located at the back of our home. We had started the garden in May 2014 and have occasionally planted many saplings of vegetables and flowers. But we usually do not stay in Ichinomiya, and therefore several plants had dried up, a few had grown too much, and there were a lot of weeds all around. So hubby weeded, pruned, and cleaned the garden for about two hours. However we did not plant any new saplings as the winter season was just approaching and it gets rather cold and snowy during the winter months. At about 6.30 pm, hubby and I visited my late mother-in-law’s grave located near our home in Ichinomiya. Hubby cleaned the gravestone with water, offered flowers, and lit some candles and incense sticks. We offered our prayers and it felt so peaceful. Later we had dinner at a Sushi restaurant located near our home. Father-in-law and his wife also accompanied us for dinner.

Hubby pruning and tending to our mini garden

Hubby working in the mini garden

Hubby posing in front of the tended mini garden

Hubby offering flowers at his late mother’s gravestone

Hubby standing in front of his mother’s gravestone

Having dinner with father-in-law and his wife

On 23rd September 2015, hubby and I returned to Akita. We left our home in Ichinomiya at about 5 am and took a train from Ichinomiya Railway Station to Centrair Airport. Our flight to Akita was at 7.30 am. After about an hour of very turbulent flight we reached Akita Airport and were back to our usual routine. We had a great time during the Silver Week Holidays.

Hubby and I took a train from Ichinomiya Railway Station and are on our way to Centrair Airport

Sunrise seen from the train

Air plane about to take off from Centrair Airport