Wintery Things

This winter slipped into our system like it happened other years:

Smooth!

Autumn is The Best Season of the Year, great weather and 

all sorts of out-door things are possible until and past Xmas.

And then suddenly IT is here!

One of the signs Year End and Winter are coming is the 

Yearly Rice Beating.

For that event I went back to my old job: 

 the Daycare for the Elderly 

at Kakoh Hospital in Daizafu.

The location now is in a new building,  it's HUGE and 

known as LaLaLa.

It is warm and wonderful to meet up with my old grannies...

 All going strong in their mid 90s!!

Yes, Year End drops grey and more grey days on top of us.

Fu Kyo is loosing out on the daily Sunset Sailing Trips...

....and Princess Wakame..

is always looking for warmer spots.

 Then late December,  an other Yearly Tradition..

...Marina Animal Hospital's Kakki (oyster) Run.

First we chew away 30K of tar-seal with a great mobile AID station following us,

(food, hot tea & coffee and booze!)

...after that, a soak in the Hot-spring of Mamushi 

AND then a feed-up at one of the Oyster tents in Fukuyoshi.

Yes Winter will come soon!

.....one morning we wake up and have 

the first Icing on the Deck....

...to prep ourselves against the coming cold, we eat well:

Natto spaghetti and buri sashimi

 (it's tough to have neighbors that keep on supplying us with freshly caught tuna).

And then it's New Years Day 2014.

Inside Alishan it's cozy and warm...
...esp with Mr Nori on your lap.
Hey Marijke..."No need to dress up for the Day?"

....like the fishermen dress up their boats...?

....Oops almost forgot an other yearly early winter event..

.....Ibusuki Marathon...

This was my 4th entry and by now my legs know the course...AND the stops for the never ending and great food and drink stations.

Run you again Next Year!

 A good laugh at the start...

...and still smiling going over the finish line, 

4 hours and 40 minutes later.

The day after the marathon we drove to Mt Kirishima, as it was host to a very special visitor..

...see Marijke's blog HERE.

  
Also early January we drove down to Kurume to watch the local Fire Festival.

Nope, not fireworks but serious works-on-fire!

 A pleasant day at Izuhara for some more BW.

And Tsuru watching at Izumi (Kagoshima).

Of course for more detailed crane bird pictures...zoeff to Marijke's blog.

 or go: 

HERE

 For Marijke's birthday we stayed the weekend in a small ryokan in Takaonomachi @ Izumi.
(0996-82-0202)

 See here a typical country-style meal.
Wow we aren't used to such amounts anymore.

But it was joyful eating and yummy indeed.

The next day it was Marijke's Birthday and so the inside of Esther had to be flowered.

(hihi, while i was the DD, Marijke had to pick her own flowers at a pit-stop along a country road.....)

And so, to all good and bad comes an end...

Spring is Here!

                                                           

Salute.

Alishan and crew in front of the TV camera (again).

Well, it took some time,

 but click 

HERE 

to see our appearance for Osaka's YTV.

Salute 

Tahhh-TaTaTahhhhh----

The follow-up story.

(see also Out and About part 2)

You might remember: Fu Kyo the Cat stopped in Amami Ohshima, on it's way Down South (may 2012) and that we had to sit out some nasty weather in the Port of Daikuma (not a bad place to do so).

And you do know that my favorite food comes from the sea... But I see it as "a duty" to join Mr. Mitsuda by times for a meal at a "yaki niku" restaurant (meat).

Of course we had no idea where to find a good yaki niku place, so we asked the local fish-tackle shop owner for advice...

and he hooked us up wit his friend the Taxi Driver...

who took us...

...to a restaurant in Naze.....with this Amazing Work of Art on the wall.

After all these years in Japan, i still can't read Kanji but i knew this was something different.

At one stage i asked around WHAT the content was of this writing.

And that started the whole story!

It was produced by the daughter of the restaurant owner.

Now, the company Fu Kyo belongs to, is also involved with

promoting artists...So, phone numbers were exchanged.

Long story short:

Miyuki chan (maker of the art) met up with Kazuya san 

(eldest son of Mr Mitsuda) a few days later in Tokyo and...

"Love was in the Air!"

...resulting in us having to Dress up in our Best!

(one year later).

The first wedding party was held in Fukuoka.

Miyuki chan with her mother.

It was a serious wedding, as you can see.

A few weeks later we flew to Amami Ohshima, 

for the Second Wedding.

 This story-board tells it all.

An Island Style Wedding...

Yes, lots of noise and heaps of action indeed.

My Partners in this story, from R to L: 

The fish-tackle shop Owner, the Taxi Driver, Mr. Mitsuda and Yaki Niku Master.

Dear Kazuya and Miyuki.

Lots of happiness for the future!

from the crew of Alishan.

Salute.

Happy New Year

Out and About part 2

An other Outing was to the hills in Itoshima,

just to the West of Fukuoka City.

...almost looks like being in a rain forest...

There are a few trails leading to the top.
That day i decided to follow the stream towards the waterfall and further.

It's always happy-time to go hiking, 

but it's more fun when you meet fellow hikers.

...so they can take your picture....

...just "follow" the flow....

My shoes weren't 100% waterproof, so had to do a lot of jumping.

 And that's and other great view of Fukuoka City.

Again if you know where to look, you can see Alishan

Vice versa, from Alishan we have a look-out to this mountain point.

....pfff, then you think you'll be all by yourself....

The local high-school had their Field Day!
(obvious, they took an other trail...)

 1,

2,

3.

 Some great trail running tracks to be found on this mountain range.

Magic! 

................

Then, in early December we had this Other Outing...

Yep, we flew to Amazing Amami Ohshima.

We stayed in a hotel near the fishing port in Naze, the main city of the island.

 Next morning, just after dark, my running shoes took me on a familiar course to....

... the port of Daikuma...!

Last year, Fu Kyo the Cat had stayed in this port for 2 weeks.

(Also,7 years ago, we had stayed here with Alishan, when we were on our way down South...

and 18 years!! ago, with our sailing yacht Jan Haring, on our way North...

...ahh, we are not getting younger...)

Great, the fish tackle shop is still there...

The shop is important in our story..Will tell you later.

...part of "my" running course went through a tunnel....

and yes, half way, i was alert enough to take this picture.

Ahhh, and the Good Bakery is still there.

Here you can buy fresh & yummy bread, even before 7 AM!

And because you come so early, they give you  ++ discount!

Later, we rented a car and drove Up North to a park...

Hot Spot for birds (see Marijke's blog).

....spinach...

....and nice views....

...AND...

In a restaurant in Naze...we still can find this amazing piece of art...

What became real important in our next story...

Want to know?

See upcoming posting.

Salute