Ota, Japan
18.09.2014 § Leave a comment
In Japan, my sister and I visited the hot spring place called Ota. Ota is in the countryside and was beautiful. It’s well known for its miso too, so we had miso ice cream there, and it was delicious! « Read the rest of this entry »
Rangetsu Ryokan
15.09.2014 § Leave a comment
Ryokan means “inn” in Japanese. Usually it’s a tatami place with shoji doors. It’s popular to stay in Ryokan at the hot spring resorts in Japan. My sister and I went to one called Rangetsu. It had a private hot spring opening to a small garden as well as a public one (where we went) which also had an outdoor hot spring pool.
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Story of Mauve
11.09.2014 § Leave a comment
I have always been fascinated with dyestuffs—what all the natural dyes can do, how the synthetic dye industry got started and how it replaced natural dyes. I found this wonderful story and extracted excerpts below:
Sir William Henry Perkin and
his wife Jemima, c 1860.
Credit:
Science & Society Picture LibraryDuring the Easter break in 1856, William Henry Perkin—an 18-year-old chemistry student in his second year at the Royal College of Chemistry in London—was doing experiments at his family home in Shadwell in the East End of London. His professor was Wilhelm Hofmann, a German chemist who was very interested in the chemicals that could be made from coal tar.
His efforts to make quinine, however, only produced a black tar. He then decided to try the same reaction with aniline, another « Read the rest of this entry »
One-Man Theater
09.09.2014 § Leave a comment
On the day we visited Kiyomize temple, the temperature was sizzling. At the entrance of the temple, there was a man, a one-man theater, passionately acting out his play. I was very touched by his passion for theater and stood there watching him for a long time. « Read the rest of this entry »
Kyoto, Japan
05.09.2014 § Leave a comment
Kaiseki Cuisine
03.09.2014 § Leave a comment
Kaiseki (懐石) or kaiseki-ryōri (懐石料理) is a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner. The characters literally mean “stone in the bosom”. The idea came from the practice where Zen monks would ward off hunger by putting warm stones into the front folds of their robes, near their bellies. Kaiseki has since evolved into a sumptuous feast of 14 items including an appetizer, sashimi, a simmered dish, a grilled dish, and a steamed course in addition to other dishes at the discretion of the chef. We had a full-fledged Kaiseki dinner at Rangetsu Ryokan in Kyoto.
The nine Japanese-style servings took two hours. Here are the pictures. « Read the rest of this entry »
Woven-Words 