Okay, so this is me fulfilling my promise made to you guys. I had promised to share some more pictures from my last Hanami.
I am not a professional photographer but I have always enjoyed taking photos and those of you who read my introduction post would know that I also love being in front of the camera. đ
It is my belief that with practice and a bit of help from the professionals, I can better come.
Here is to smartphone photography.
This beautiful basket belongs to one of my friends and is from the Philipines. I loved the lanterns that were hanging above us as we graced the grass with our assets. The lack of greenery from the grass was compensated by the delicate Sakura petals that adorned the ground.
That moment when you realize how pretty those shoes look on your feet. đ
Never a dull moment when mother nature wraps me in the warmth of her bosom.
Yup, you guessed it. We played catch with a beach ball on a semi-windy day. đ
I am so in love with this picture. My friend was standing above me; I looked up and saw a great photo moment. So I had her place her hands on the tree and "abracadabra"....magic happened.
She was my model for the day, hehe. Thank you hunny.
Meet my friend. She is also a "picture girl" like me.
We were picnicking right next to the Fukuyama Castle and I just couldn't resist it. It was a cloudy but beautiful day. There were about six other groups of persons picnicking under the cloudy skies as well.
I am yet to see what the inside looks like but when I do, I will share some pictures with you. That is if pictures are allowed inside.
I was playing around with the plants, focus and "angles."
This guy was just standing around so I stole a photo of him. đ
After surviving the downpour of rain that came, we headed to Karaoke. I love singing and so I always enjoy going to Karaoke.
Japan is the cradle of Karaoke and no time in Japan is complete without pouring out your heart through songs inside a Japanese Karaoke box.
The amazing thing about karaoke in Japan, is that you can basically choose who you want your audience to be. If you would like to sing with strangers in a bar-like setting, you can go to any bar that has a sign ă«ă©ăȘă± "karaoke" written on it.
While these bars are nowadays actually pretty hard to find, places where you can enjoy karaoke privately with friends or even by yourself in so-called "karaoke boxes" have become much more common and you can find one of these chain stores on almost any street corner - Karaoke?
I am not a soda fanatic and since being in Japan, my beverages are usually either just water or tea (herbs and chocolate). My friends had melon and pineapple sodas with a scoop of ice-cream topping.
I had hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and a drizzle of melted chocolate. These beverages were free by the way.
I was not a lover of chocolate but my time here in Japan has turned me into a chocolate addict which I am now trying to curb. Persons (co-workers and friends) are always giving out small bites of chocolate among other small snacks. (Saying "no" is considered impolite here, so leave me alone, please.) đ
Here in Japan, it is customary to give small snacks at work. Most times, they are given "just because" or because that person brought back goodies from a country or place that they visited.) This practice sometimes makes me feel obligated to taking back goodies for my co-workers whenever I go venturing.
I think this is a lovely gesture and while I use to give my co-workers back home small treats sometimes, it wasn't to this level. This practice is definitely something that I plan on taking with me wherever in the world I find myself.
The languages that I have seen incorporated at these Karaoke spots are Japanese, English, and Korean. The collection of songs (English) aren't as recent as I would like but the variety is good enough.
Sorry for the messy picture but I had only 3 seconds to snap this as everyone couldn't wait to dig in.
This is a Korean dish that one of our friends who is from South Korea brought for us. The dish is called Toppoki and is a hot and very spicy rice cake. Rice cake in Japan is called Mochi. Mochi is made from, as the English name suggests, rice.
This was the first time that I was trying this dish and can I tell you that I fell in love immediately. It was gooey and very nicely spiced. I had to eat it at intervals though as I am not so great, anymore, with spicy food. Maybe I am getting old; I don't know. đ
The evening ended with a vegetable ramen and Karaage (fried chicken). The Karaage wasn't the best I have had but the vegetable ramen made up for the lost. I hope to revisit that restaurant soon to entertain my tastebuds with that sumptuous ramen. My friend will have to take me though because I do not know how to find it. Thank God for her. đ
