Gifts From Japan

Our dear friends in Tokyo sent us a box of goodies.  We love getting gifts from Japan because they are always exquisitely wrapped.  Of course, we like the contents too...he! he!

Upon opening the box, the first thing we noticed was the wonderful fragrance.  Included inside was this little bunkō--incense packet.  (Some also call it "fumikō").  This incense is not for burning.  It's enclosed with a letter or a package to give the recipient a burst of beautiful scent upon opening.

Some of the gifts were wrapped in furoshiki--wrapping cloths. One package contained assorted sembei (rice crackers).

The other pack contained karintō (a sweet, deep fried, crunchy snack)...almost like a hard doughnut!

And a packet of shrimp tsukuda-ni. It is a kind of preserved food, stewed in soy sauce and mirin (a sweet rice wine).

There was also a pack of yōkan--a firm jelly-like dessert made of agar and sweet bean paste.  This goes perfectly with Japanese green tea.  This didn't make the group picture because desire had overtaken sanity and we had already opened it! Yum! Yum!

Tonight, we will be toasting our good friends in Tokyo...and we will also be thinking what items from Nova Scotia to send them.  Any suggestions?

Boxing Day Beach

It was such a sunny day, we decided to go to the beach!  This the A. Murray Mackay Bridge on the way to Dartmouth.

Yeah, who goes to the beach in 0℃ temperatures?  

We do!  Just gotta bundle up right.

Lots of interesting rocks to see on Lawrencetown Beach.

...and we were not alone in the rock-picking department.

Thanks for the warning. We were definitely not swimming!

Bonus pic: the Halifax sky on Christmas Day!

Christmas 2012: What A Joy!

It's that time of year again.  I am not going all spiritual or philosophical about it.  Too many people pontificating about this and that already.

I am just going to bask in this fuzzy warmth with my family.  My daughter baked some chicken pie and made eggnog.  Admittedly, I made a beeline for the wine... :-)

Christmas Eve dinner together.  What a joy!

Hearing the glee of the young ones as they open their presents.  What a joy!

And that's all I'm going to say about it.  Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too.

Shop Log: Tokyo Tower?

Shop's Log.  Halifax NS.  December 21st, Saturday, 15:23.  Weather: Cloudy, 5℃.

Amidst the hubbub of Christmas shopping in the shop, my ears pricked up when I heard a customer's voice exclaim, "Wow! Tokyo Tower!"

As far as I knew, we had no product with Tokyo Tower on it so I took a quick peek at what elicited such a reaction.  A hand cream by Tokyo Milk (French Kiss No.15).

The customer was a Japanese lady.  The brand name was Tokyo Milk and there was an image of a tower on it.  I guess it was natural for her to assume it was the Tokyo Tower...instead of its far more famous cousin, Eiffel, which had served as its inspiration.

This is what Tokyo Tower looks like.  It was completed in 1958, 69 years after the Eiffel Tower.

Looking Up Downtown

I very seldom go downtown now...but there I was a couple of days ago, on "business".  Dealing with the bureaucracy is a part of life one cannot avoid.  Not everything can be done online...yet.  Anyway, I found myself looking up as I walked.  Christmas was in the air.

I love the way the winter sunlight bathes the buildings with a softer glow.

Many construction projects too.  This one should turn out nice.  They're keeping the facade of the historic edifice, building more floors on top and modernizing the interior.

This one is a view of the court yard of Province House.  If you must know, that's a memorial statue to the Second Boer War by Hamilton MacCarthy, dedicated to the Duke of Cornwall and York in 1901.

Shop Log: Lunch!

Shop's Log.  Halifax NS.  December 1st, Saturday, 13:14.  Weather: Sunny, -2℃.

It was a special treat, today's bento!  Smoked salmon and tuna mayo rolled sushi.  ...with heaps of wasabi to help me feel the love in the nose...just the way I like it. :-)