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.

Parents and friends

As I wrote in the previous post, hubby and I had been to my parents’ home in India during the New Year holidays. My elder brother and his family paid a surprise visit and we had lots of fun. They returned back to their home on 4th January. On the morning of 5th January, my parents, hubby, and I went to a photo studio near parents’ home to have a professional portrait of us taken together. Although hubby and I had been to India a couple of times we did not have any formal photo of us with my parents for keepsake. So this was the first time that we all went to a photo studio together. The professional photographer was good and the session went very well. The photo came out excellent and we were happy with the outcome.

Portrait photograph of hubby and I along with my parents

Next, we had lunch at a restaurant named Shree Krishna Vegetarian Court located near my parents’ home. The restaurant was very clean and they served unique delicious dishes. We had various kinds of vegetable curry dishes, pulav, and biryani. Later my mother and hubby had a dessert named gulab jamun. The quality of the food was great and it was a nice experience.

Shree Krishna Vegetarian Court restaurant

Shree Krishna Vegetarian Court restaurant

Various vegetarian dishes we ordered

My parents having lunch

Parents busy eating

Hubby having lunch

A portion of gulab jamun

Hubby having gulab jamun

In the afternoon, we all went to a famous shopping zone street named Laxmi Road to do shopping. We bought a few presents for our relatives and friends in Japan. We bought pretty dresses for the daughters of hubby’s sister. In addition, hubby presented me a gold ring from a famous jewelry shop named Ashtekar Brothers Jewellers. In fact, hubby wished to buy a platinum ring from Japan for our fifth marriage anniversary. But somehow I feel platinum does not suit my skin tone and I prefer gold jewelry over platinum. So during this trip to India hubby bought a gold band ring for me. It is so cute.

Cute dresses for daughters of hubby’s sister

Gold band ring that hubby presented to me

By the time we finished shopping and returned back home, it was already 7 pm. After a light dinner we all retired for the day.


Next day hubby and I had severe dust allergy due to the shopping at Laxmi Road area for several hours the previous day. My eyelids were swollen and we both had running nose. In the past decade, Pune has become tremendously dusty and the air is severely polluted due to the increased vehicles plying on the roads. Every time hubby visits India, he is shocked by the complete lack of quality control of fuel of vehicles. I hope things will improve in future. Since we were not well, we decided to take rest at home.

In the afternoon my mother presented hubby with an antique brass pot called kolshi. It has been in my mother’s family for almost seventy years and has great sentimental value attached to it. It has been a memorable treasured possession of my mother for several decades. Ma, thank you very much for giving us the precious kolshi. We will take good care of it.

My mother presenting kolshi pot to hubby

Hubby happy after getting kolshi pot

Later in the evening, one of my parents’ friends along with his entire family visited us. The elder daughter of parents’ friend had been my very good friend during my high school days. Although she was two years junior to me, we usually used to spend after school hours together, either playing or watching television programs or simply chatting. Later we went to the same college and university. Last I saw her was way back in 1992. So I was really thrilled to meet her after a gap of 19 years. I met her parents and younger sister after 22 years. We were all excited and talked about various things for a long time.

Myself, my friend, and her sister in 1986

My friend and I in 2011

My friend, myself, and friend’s sister in 2011

On 7th January, hubby and I got up at 5 am and packed our baggage as we were to leave Pune in the afternoon. We hired a taxi to go up to Mumbai. My parents accompanied us and it took about 4.5 hours to reach Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at Mumbai. My parents stayed with hubby and me for about an hour at the waiting lounge of the airport. We ate potato-stuffed paratha that my mother had made and packed in aluminum foil as evening snack. We all felt very sad and emotional while saying our goodbyes. At about 6 pm they returned back to Pune by the same hired taxi.

My parents and I at Mumbai airport

Father and hubby at the airport

Hubby having potato-stuffed paratha

Our return flight to Japan was via Hong Kong, and we still had a few hours before the flight left. At about 9 pm, my friend from college and university days came to meet us at the airport. Thanks to Facebook social network service, we recently got in touch after a gap of 20 years! It was very nice to meet my friend and her husband. There was so much to talk about but unfortunately we could talk only for an hour as it was time for us to enter the departure terminal of the airport. After saying our goodbyes, hubby and I went to the Cathay Pacific check-in counters.

My friend and I along with several other classmates during Masters Degree course in 1989

My friend and I in 2011

My friend, myself, and friend’s husband

My friend’s husband and my hubby

After getting our boarding passes and checking in our baggage we went to a restaurant and had a light dinner. The flight left the airport at about 01.30 am on 8th January and it took about six hours to reach Hong Kong International Airport. We had a stopover of about five hours at Hong Kong. I moved around inside the airport but hubby just dozed off on a chair near the boarding gate of Cathay Pacific flight bound for Narita. Our flight left Hong Kong at about 15.20 pm (local time) and reached Narita International Airport at 20.30 pm. After finishing the immigration procedures, we went a hotel near the airport for an overnight stay. Next afternoon we took a domestic flight to Akita and reached our home at about 3 pm. That day the temperature in Akita was 35 degrees Celsius lower than Mumbai, and hubby and I felt so cold.

Hubby relaxing at the boarding area inside the airport at Hong Kong

Snow in Akita

It was really nice to meet my parents and friends in India. Now we are back to the usual routine in Akita.