Mostly Shopping. And Maybe Eating

We've had a quiet couple of days.

We went to a shopping mall on Tuesday. Lindsey wanted to get her eyes tested and to order some glasses. I am not sure quite why she couldn't do this in Australia, in English, with Jane the Optometrist. Apparently she doesn't have time to go to East Ivanhoe to see Jane, although there is a Specsavers right next to the surgery. Not that I would go to Specsavers; I have had less than impressive experiences with them in the UK. But at least they speak English. Fortunately, Austin speaks both English and Japanese so he could translate.  Lindsey's eyes have been tested and new glasses are on their way.

I went for a wander around the mall while they were doing this. Mostly there are clothes shops. There is a small Loft and a Nitori (a homeware shop) but nothing to really excite me. I'm more into the shops that sell shiny things, assorted kitchenware, food things, gifts and souvenirs.

Lindsey also wanted to go to Uniqlo.  So we did.

Then we went back to the house for lunch. 

There is a pizza place next to Austin and Kaori's. A couple of years ago one of their pizzas came second in its category in the World Pizza Championship in Italy. Last time we were here we had hoped to try this silver medal winning pizza from a small pizzeria in an out of the way suburb in a city in central Japan, but time got away and we didn't have a chance. Also, Tatsuki is not a fan of fancy pizzas.

On Tuesday, Tatsuki was at school so we could indulge in the prize-winning pizza

It is topped with feta and ricotta,
with zucchini, lemon zest, garlic and herbs

A margherita for contrast,
both delicious

Then we went to Costco. I haven't been to a Costco for a long time. I let my membership lapse during the pandemic and haven't really needed it since. Lindsey still has hers and Austin also has one, so I could go in as a guest.

I do enjoy Costco. I may have to think about renewing my membership. Or going with Lindsey when she goes. Not that I need to buy things in bulk, but it is fun pottering around. It is especially fun pottering around a Japanese Costco.

For some reason,
Lindsey wouldn't buy this for Hugo.
He would have loved it!

She might have been tempted by
this, had we been in Melbourne

We had Italian style meatballs in tomato sauce with prawns and salad on the side, all bought in Costco, for dinner.

Austin was working yesterday morning. Kaori doesn't work on Wednesdays but had appointments and things to do. Tatsuki was at school. Lindsey went out for an exploratory walk.

And I?  I restarted the veg box subscription, to begin on Tuesday the 12th (I get back on Monday 11th). I've changed it from a box for 2 people once a fortnight to a box for one, weekly. I can always change it back if need be. I also ordered a meat and fish box, not from the veg box people, for one person, delivered every four weeks. I used to get boxes delivered through Donald Russell, based in Scotland, when we were in Tupton and quite enjoyed them. I realise that I am lucky enough to have a very good butcher just down the road from me, and I can't imagine that this box would mean I would have no reason to go there. But it is useful to have packs of meat in the freezer. And I mainly ordered it for the fish.  I can always cancel the subscription if I don't like it, or get mostly fish, or whatever. It too is coming on the Tuesday after I get back.

In the afternoon Austin, Lindsey and I went into the Gifu city centre and went to Don Quijote, which, very conveniently, has a Daiso attached. That was fun. There is also a DonKi supermarket attached.

DonPen, drinking various flavours
of Red Bull

DonPen being a check out penguin

We went to Liquor Mountain to top up the grog supplies and to lay in extra snacks in case we run out

Full disclosure: We are not likely to run out:

Snack cupboard in the tatami room

We went to a clothes shop that Austin likes

Then we came home, where Kaori was making chicken, fish and prawn katsu, which we had with rice and salad. And snacks.

Brandy and Whiskey appear to be coping, back in Mount Helen

Nagoya

Austin, Lindsey and I went back into Nagoya yesterday for a spot of shopping. Lindsey wanted the Apple Store - and I thought perhaps they could open my air tag, which needed a new battery and which none of us could open to replace the battery. We wanted a Totoro shop. We fancied a wander around. And food!

Austin parked the car in what seems to be a capsule hotel for cars. $9 for the whole day pretty much in the centre of Nagoya.

Bye car. See you later

We bought lunch things from a bakery, hit the Totoro shop and a Harry Potter shop.

We wandered through a market by a shrine and along shopping arcades

We saw lots of fun things, dotted about

We went into a model shop and found some cars that Jim would have absolutely loved. He would not have loved the price - around $300 - $500 per collectible car.  We saw trains that my mate Richard would have loved. Again, he would not have loved the price. We did not buy any of these things! There were cheaper offerings otherwise I think the shop would have gone out of business long ago.

The guys in the Apple Store managed to open my air tag. It has a nice new battery and is working again.

We went to a British Pub for the obligatory "we're in Nagoya" cocktails

We had dinner in an Outback Steakhouse

And then we grabbed the car and went home

Nagoya is bright and shiny at night

(The photos were taken by Austin, Lindsey and me - and one by a helpful and friendly waiter in the Outback Steakhouse)

Sunday Lunch

The problem with meeting people for Sunday lunch, no matter how much fun it is, is that there isn't much to say about it.

We drove into Nagoya, about 80 minutes away by car. We went to. a small plant sale and then met Kaori's father in a Denny's Family Restaurant for lunch. After that we went round to Michinau's house for coffee/tea and biscuits, then we drove back to Gifu.

And that is an accurate description of the day, but it makes it sound as though it was quite dull and uninteresting.

Which it wasn't. We were delighted to catch up with Kaori's father, although her brother had to work and couldn't join us. It is quite a privilege to be invited into a Japanese person's home. We had a delightful afternoon.

Lindsey and I had "Grilled Brothers" for lunch, which it turns out is what Denny's calls a small mixed grill: a hamburger patty, a chicken thigh and a small piece of steak, with spinach, corn and potatoes and gravy. We might have had chips on the side, and a salad to make it faintly healthy

Austin had a few coupons for Denny's so we had American style pancakes for dessert, paid for with the coupons:

Michinau, Austin, Tatsuki

I think Michinau has almost
got used to random Australians
hugging him
😆

You might have thought after all that food that we wouldn't need dinner - but we very much enjoyed the Indian takeaway that Austin and Lindsey went and collected for us. The portions were all quite small and we could mix and share them.

Kaori is at work today, and Tatsuki has gone to school. It's raining. Austin has the day off and is at the gym. And later he, Lindsey and I are heading back into Nagoya for a spot of shopping.

Ibukiyama

The first thing we had to do was to pick up a hire car. There are five of us and both Austin's and Kaori's cars can only carry three passengers and the driver. We don't want to be hurtling around the country in two cars, so renting a larger car seemed the way to go.

Then Austin, Lindsey and I went to the shops to get some house shoes for me, a frame for the print I had brought for Kaori's father and some food supplies. 

And then we set off on an adventure, driving out into the mountains. As we were driving along, I thought: I have been along this road before. Where would I have been going? Ah yes - Sekigahara. And lo, there were the road signs for Sekigahara. But we weren't going to Sekigahara yesterday. No, we were going up Ibukiyama, Mount Ibuki.

There is a steep, winding, curving, chicaning road up the mountain, and you really have to give proper respect to the people who built it. It's an amazing drive with magnificent views, which I would advise you not to admire if you happen to be the one who is driving

The road doesn't go quite to the top. You reach a large parking area with viewing points, a cafe and shop, seats  - and a path that goes up to the top. I looked at it, and decided that if the path to the monkey park had defeated me and the gentle climb to the start of the bamboo forest had been a challenge, then walking to the top of Mount Ibuki was probably not going to be fun. I stayed in the parking area, examined the shop and listened to my book in the car. Austin, Kaori, Tatsuki and Lindsey carried on up to the top.

You can see Lake Biwa from the mountain - but I couldn't get a clear photo of it.

We were lucky with the weather. The fog properly came in after they had come back down, and didn't follow us down the mountain.

We ended the day in a Sushi restaurant, which Kaori had had the foresight to book for. There were a lot of people waiting for a table when we arrived for our booked table!

The aftermath of our feast

Freyja sent us a photo of a serene Japanese style garden, I assume in Melbourne, that she was walking through:

And this is what I could see in actual Japan when Freyja's photo came through:

😂