Ryusendo Caves in Iwate pref.

On a hot summer day, it is nice to enjoy the sun but is also good to look for a cool place. I'm the latter, so now, let me introduce you Ryusendo Caves in Iwaizumi town, Iwate prefecture (next to our hometown, Akita). 

See?? It's beautiful, isn't it!? This is one of the 3 major limestone caves of Japan. In the cave, visitors can find 3 underground lakes as above photos at the moment. (The 4th one seems to be under investigation.) The total length of the cave is more than 3 kilometers at present, but is estimated to be over 5 kilometers long! 

Even in the middle of summer, inside of the cave is very cold at about 10 degrees Celsius and you will need to wear a jacket. Also, the floor is slippy! Watch your step not to fall into the water! =D

Outside the Ryusendo Caves has beautiful nature!! Look at these greens and streams!

Whenever I come there, I never get tired of such lovely scenery. Let's feel close to the nature in Ryusendo Caves this summer! 

Driving to the north, Shirakami Mountain Range

On the last weekend, I enjoyed a small trip from my hometown, Akita prefecture, to the north, or Aomori pref. It was a sunny day and perfect for driving. Me and my boyfriend woke up at 7:30a.m. on Saturday and had been driving for about 8 hours!

I took the above photo at a parking area of highway on the way to our destination. Skies were sunny without a cloud! 

We fully enjoyed the nature of Shirakami Mountain Range, the world heritage located between Akita and Aomori pref. It was so green!! (The photo was taken in my car, so it's not clear very much... sorry!)

This is Anmon-no-Taki (waterfall) in the Shirakami Mountain Range. You can get a special apple ice cream nearby the fall in summer. 

Actually, this photo was taken about 2 years ago. When we went there on the last Saturday, the road was unfortunately closed due to damage by the earthquake on March 11, 2011. Though we could not get closer to the waterfall, we still enjoyed the nature and ice cream around there. =)

After that, we kept driving to Hachinohe City, Aomori, that is a port town with fresh seafood. We had tasty Sushi and relaxed in Onsen (hot spring) at night. Well, it was a great trip... Guys! Why not taking a long drive sometimes? ;)

My neighboring cafe, NAGAHAMA COFFEE

As you may realized, I love to spend my time visiting comfortable cafe and restaurants. There is such a good cafe nearby my home on the way to my workplace. When I have time, I often drop by there, "NAGAHAMA COFFEE", and have a breakfast before going to work. This is my precious time in the busy morning that I can relax for a few moment...

Here, you can see the "Morning Set (breakfast set)" of toast, salad and coffee (500 yen per set). This time, I got a cappuccino with cute art! YAY!!
Well, I also like cakes of this store, so sometimes I buy a piece of them after work. :)
This is a nice place to enjoy coffee time without thinking about the everyday hustle and bustle.

Organic Italian Lunch at TERRA!

I've been introducing some restaurants in Akita City...And! This is my favorite restaurant, TERRA!!

I've been a big fan of this restaurant since last year. A female cook and owner offers creative organic dishes by using locally grown ingredients. My favorite menu is "Otona-no-Okosama Lunch", a set lunch coming with salad, main dish, dessert and coffee (1,200 yen per set). This menu changes on a daily or weekly basis (I guess), so I never had the same dishes so far. This is very exciting!

On the last weekend, I went there with my boyfriend and ordered it as usual. Main dish of that day was... as you can see above! =P I can't explain them well because they were all creative, artistic and mysterious! All I can say is that they were very very very good! lol

After the main dish, we finished the lunch with a cute dessert and coffee. Can you see a small tree branch under the coffee cup? According to the female cook, it adds natural flavor once we stir the coffee with it! This is such a fancy way to enjoy the coffee, isn't this?

Well, if you plan to have lunch or dinner there, you better make a reservation first.
Humm... when will be my next lunch at TERRA? I already miss it!

Locally popular sweets, Butter Mochi

Have you ever heard of "Butter Mochi"? It has a long history as local sweets in Kita-akita City, Akita. But I had never heard of it until recently, although I've lived here for more than 20 years... I think this is because the sweets originate in the very northern region of Akita which is far away from my hometown in the southernmost town.
There days, "Butter Mochi" was widely introduced on TV and gained its popularity in the nation.

"Butter Mochi" is a rice cake made of butter and other ingredients like rice, sugar, etc. In the old days, Matagi hunters in the northern region of Akita used to go hunting with this rice cake. Today, it has become local sweets of the region. It is featuring soft texture and is slightly sweet. Each family has individual tastes of this traditional sweets.

Nowadays, many stores make them with their own recipe, so they tastes a little bit different. My favorite "Butter Mochi" is the one as above photo that is made by Sen-ei-do confectionery store in my hometown, Ugo town. I love it!

When you visit Akita, please try it and find your best one. ;)

Lunch at French restaurant, Bistro Terre!

Recently, it has been sunny days in Akita! Today, I went for a drive to find something fun in the city... And, I found a small but comfortable restaurant, "Bistro Terre". (Terre means the earth or the ground in French.)

I ordered "One-plate Lunch" (1,000 yen) which came with potato soup, home-made bread, and coffee or tea after the meal. I especially liked the hamburg steak with mashed potato! Its demiglace sauce was a little bit sweet and was good to eat with the bread, too. 

The restaurant was crowded with female customers, so it was noisy sometimes... But the dish was good! Before I left the store, a staff gave me a small gift as above photo. It was handmade cookie!!! It was surprising and made me happier. :)

Well, I think I will come there again, maybe with my boyfriend next time. haha. 

Because the restaurant is hidden in tiny alleys, you better check the map carefully in advance. Hope you will have a good time there, too!

Indian Restaurant in Akita City

I love to cook and eat local dishes of Akita, such as Kiritampo (mashed rice put on a chopstick), but I also love to taste some different food. "Peacock" is an Indian Restaurant where you can enjoy the real Indian dishes while staying in Akita, Japan.

It has been more than three years since I became a fan of this restaurant. Although I am not good at spicy food very much, curry and naan of this store are so addictive! There are various menu of curry and you can select the level of hotness, size of naan, etc. My favorites are "Meat Curry Naan Set" and seasonal Coconut Juice. ;)

If you are staying in Akita City and want something different, try Peacock!