AKAFUKU

AKAFUKU
Originally uploaded by shoko.

So long, I promised to visit my friend in Nagoya-area, the third largest metropolitan area in Japan, but just recently I could make it for the first time in two years. One of my colleague works at factory in Mie, and another friend who's been working nere her, so I made them friends, and ask them to be together during the weekend trip. As I was born and grown up in northern half of Japan, I have only few time to go middle-southern area of the land. So, this was the first time to eat "Matsuzaka-meat", the best brand of Japanese meat, and also first time to visit famous "ISE" shrine,the most sacrosanct shrine which is like "Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano" in original Japanese religion. What is interesting, they rebuild shrine in every 20 years to keep sanctity, so there's always enough space to be able to build same size structure next to the existing shrine. It also become nice way to hand down traditional architectural techniques for long time, On the approach of the shrine, many food shop stand in a row. Of course we stop by, have some tea with tasty sweets. (this is famous sweets named "AKAFUKU" ~ red fortune~ made from red bean & rice cake)

Chicago!!

Chicago's elevated railroad
Originally uploaded by shoko.

We don't have custom to take long vacation in Japanese business scene, I think I need one at least once a year. That is why I went to Chicago in late November. My friend kindly toured me around, so I could enjoy almost all of great site of Chicago. Streets were fantasticly decolated in Christmas color, and what is better, it wasn't cold!! Global worming wave came over the city, too... I went to two of the best view of chicago, Sears tower & John Hancock Center and could enjoy having cocktail. Chicago is also famous for modern architecture, the walking tour we took told us various insights about shape of window, material of walls, and history of the city itself. Not only the tour, I really enjoy first-time ice skating, (sorry for my friends who couldn't enjoy themselves because of my dangerous toddling), getting tasty Chicago style pizza(thanks Giordano's!), an visiting Evanston to take a look at campus, even in short weekend.

A cool cell phone I found my friend using while wating in line for John Hancock building observatory, which wasn't introduced to Japan yet, finally landed on Japan in Dec. I gotta get it...