One reason I wish I had a porch right now

Look at these cute pumpkin ideas from Martha Stewart!

I need some kids to make Jack-o-lanterns with!!

Hiroshima

Last weekend I went on a day trip to Hiroshima. I have only been to Miyajima before but never to Hiroshima and I figured that since it's so close to Okayama, I have to go there before I leave. I really enjoyed the city and it was a beautiful day. It reminded me a lot of Nagoya the way the city was laid out. There were lots of foreigners, too, like there are in Nagoya.

First, I visited the A-bomb memorial and park. I chose not to go into the museum, because I've already been to the one in Nagasaki and it's very depressing. I think the memorial was enough for me that day.

This was the only building that remained standing when the A-bomb dropped above a hospital nearby. It was some government building. The architecture was very unique and beautiful.

There were tons of paper cranes and posters made of paper cranes on display in the park. Most of them were made by elementary school classes across Japan.

 Lunch was Hiroshima-yaki which is the Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. It is cooked differently than Osaka-style. It tastes different (read: not as good as Osaka-style, but still delicious).

First they cook a crepe and lay it on top of shredded cabbage and toppings like bacon or kimchi. Then they cook noodles and finally stack everything together with a fried egg on top.

I got cheese on top of mine. We ate one with udon noodles and one with soba noodles. I recommend soba noodles with Hiroshima-yaki though!

My Birthday Lunch

I turned 26 this year! I can't believe it! It seems so much older than 25...In Japan, they round up and never say their actual age. If someone asks how old you are, they always answer, "I'm going to be..." instead of just 'I'm....' Kind of weird, huh? They also have this phrase "Ara-sa" or "Ara-fo" which is short for "around thirty" (the "th" sound is hard for Japanese, so it's pronounced like "saa-ty) and "around forty." Apparently once you hit 25 you round up to the nearest ten and are no longer 25 years old but "around thirty" years old. Well, I'm not too worried about turning thirty yet since I'm doing as much as I can to enjoy my twenties.

My two friends took me out to lunch to celebrate my birthday at this lovely French restaurant in Osaka that was once a mansion owned by some government official but is now converted into a restaurant and museum. It was really neat and we had a great meal!

The entrance to the restaurant.

It felt like we were in Beauty and the Beasts' castle! ;)

With Keiko-chan and Mariko.

The silverware and place settings were gorgeous!

The first course was tomatoes and "hamo" (Japanese fish or eel...I'm not sure what it is in English). Hamo has a very interesting texture and is popular in traditional Kyoto cuisine.

White fish with a curry/saffron paste.

Duck breast and peaches.

Cheesecake and fig tart.

The decor was so cute! And we had a great view of the garden!

Other dining room

Some blogs I like reading

Here are some links to some new blogs I discovered and enjoy reading.

The Healthy Foodie
Most of these recipes look too complicated for my Japanese kitchen, but I love looking at the pics of food! Everything looks so good and there are plenty of vegetarian options!

Sweet and Savory
These recipes aren't all healthy, but they look delicious! I really want to make crepes now!

Smitten Kitchen
Check out that Challah!!!

Stone Soup
I like that there are videos to follow for all these five-ingredient recipes!

コンヴィヴィアリテ （Convivialite）

Champagne toast

First course: omelet and toast

Second course: Rosemary and cauliflower soup (made to look like a cappuccino)

Third course: braised deer with blueberries

Fourth course: Fish with crushed nuts and asparagus

Fifth course: pork with three types of mustard and exotic potatoes

Sixth course: spicy molten chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream

We were able to choose which dessert we wanted. The birthday girl chose crème brûlée made of truffles.

Keiko-chan chose the Mont Blanc and caramel ice cream.

Final course! Petit fours and coffee!

We could choose AS MANY AS WE WANTED! We were sooo stuffed!!

I opted for tea.

My two friends and I always celebrate our birthdays together by treating ourselves to a nice meal. This was a French restaurant we went to one time that was probably the best meal I've had all year! The restaurant is located in Shinsaibashi and we had a full-course meal that lasted a good 3+ hours! I tried things that I normally wouldn't have ordered but everything was AMAZING! Sorry there's no pic of me!