Matsuri Part II

The next evening we went to the Kutchan festival which is in the next town over.  This festival took place in the town streets. There was a procession and lots of dancing. And all the local cafes and bars set up outside on the street. Here we found a wee local Nepalese man, with a portable tandoor cooking up naan breads with keema curry. Delish!

I love these pictures of the local girls dancing.  The one in dark blue yukata has the traditional geta on her feet, whereas her pal in the lighter blue yukata is wearing crocs.

Matsuri! (festival)

It's festival season!
The Niseko festival took place in the grounds of the local junior high school. Some really terrible singers, an endless announcement detailing all the local sponsors, some amazing fireworks.  Oh and a small ice hill for the kids to play on (just in case the local kids are missing the snow!)

The fireworks were amazing.  Japan really knows how to put on a fireworks display.

Oscar and Rose absolutely loved it.  We snacked on popcorn and gyoza dumplings.  A winning combination.

Where are we?

This should probably have been our first post. 

We are in the northern island of Hokkaido, in a small town called Niseko which is about 90km west of Sapporo.  

A little agricultural town, sitting under the watch of Mt. Yotei.

Fed by crystal clear natural spring water from the Niseko mountains and Mt. Yotei, the Niseko area produces wonderful agricultural produce.  The water is said to be the best in Japan, and it is delicious! Some enterprising water company (Jean-Marc!) could do well to bottle this water!!

The Niseko area is also famous for its natural hot springs (onsen).  Kimochi ga ii desu ne!

In Winter, it is a winter sports destination with apparently some of the best powder snow in the world.

Yummy???

Last week we stopped by in a small fishing town for a spot of lunch. We went in to a small, charming looking cafe.  Oscar and Rit went in first, followed by Rose who took about three steps in to the place before turning and marching right out again.  The problem - a smoky smell in the cafe.  Unfortunately, Japan hasn't adopted a smoking ban in public spaces, and lots of restaurants and cafes still allow smoking.  Rose cannot stand it, fair enough.  And so completely refused to go in.

Oscar and Rit wanted to stay - think there was eel or something on the menu that appealed.  So I mumbled something to the mama-san of the cafe that my daughter had a little tummy ache, and we bolted.

Now we were on our own. We found a wee, airy cafe and went inside.  I guess the place was known for its eel and fish eggs. So not a lot of choice.  For Rose I just ordered some rice, pickles and miso soup and some watermelon.   

Shortly after tucking in, the waitress and a man (perhaps the owner?) came over to our table.  Ikura, wakarimasu ka?, the waitress asked.  (Fish eggs, do you know it?). Hai, wakarimasu (Yes), I said. Then she asked if my daughter would like to try some.  I looked at Rose and she looked at me.  Mmm, chotto, I replied. Meaning, hmm, not sure.

Next thing, they appeared back with a bowl of ikura, place it in front of Rose and then stood back to watch.   And then Rose did something which filled me with amazement and pride.  She took a big spoonful of fish eggs into her mouth, did her best to swallow them (which seemed to take an age!) and then looked up at the cafe staff and gave them a big smile.  And just to prove what a trooper she is, she took another spoonful after that.

   
I had some too.  Hmm, chotto!! They were not fishy.  But kind of slimy, and they pop in your mouth when you chew them.  Not our favourite!!

A documentary by NHK

This week some lovely people from NHK - Nippon Hoso Kyokai (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) - have come to film us.  NHK is Japan's only public broadcaster, funded by fees received from TV viewers, much like the BBC.

They are making a documentary about 'Edu-Vacaction'. This is a concept in Japan where the family come on holiday, the kids go to a summer camp or summer school during the day (and get some 'education' - in our case, this is very loose!!) and the parents get to hang out during the day and relax without having to deal with their pesky kids, hence the 'vacation'. 

So the production crew have been filming us here at the school this week, and will follow us on our wednesday canoe trip.  And the camera crew have been following some parents to see what they get up to in their free time (from what we can gather, a lot of drinking coffee and reading books).

The production crew

Filming us on a bug hunt

Rose caught a frog

Oscar caught a grasshopper

 Rose and her pal Miyu

The camera man helped find some bugs

Back in class

Watch out for Oscar's debut on Japanese TV!

A trip to the beach

We took a trip to the coast.  About a half hour away from our cottage.  The map described this as a 'beach' . The rocky coastline was beautiful. 

 

A nice dad with his kids let Rose and Oscar use some of their inflatables.

Rose loves it.

A warning notice to be careful for Tsunami

And here is the beach area.  Man made concrete steps leading down to the water.
The Japanese come equipped as if going camping for a week!

Cherry picking

Even though the snow here in Hokkaido lasts over half the year, the green season brings a bounty of delicious fruit and vegetables. On our way to the north coast at the weekend, we drove through a cherry picking area. Stopped at one of the farms to pick some up from the stall, and the farmer said we could pick our own and fill our bellies with as many cherries as could fit. How could we resist?
Rit stuffed himself like a cherry pie!

Oscar ready!

Cherries were delicious

Oscar using his height to his advantage.

 Rose was on quality control!