Hanabi

The japanese word for fireworks is Hanabi, and this was one of the biggest Hanabi shows I have ever seen. August 1 is the anniversary date of an American attack on the city of Toyama during WWII, every year on this date the whole city comes out to the river to watch an hour long Hanabi show and BBQ it up. It was raining constantly for days before the show and it stopped just a few hours before the fireworks began, then poured again after the show stopped.

Japan BBQ utensils.

Shirakawa-go

The historic and incredible village of Shirakawa-go is one of Japan's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The town is located in the Shogawa river valley, basically in the middle of a mountain range. The road out to this town was amazing, we drove through about 20km of tunnels to get there, then all of a sudden you burst out of the end of the tunnels in the middle of this lush river valley.







The village is famous for its thatched roofs that are built to withstand the heavy snowfalls in winter.

Kenrokuen Garden

We took a daytrip to the Kenrokuen garden, a huge garden in Kanazawa. It was hard to take a bad photograph here, everywhere you look there were trees, ponds, bridges and tea houses. The entire garden covers 25 acres, with little trails and pathways that wind through the whole place. The ugly photo below is a Koi that came out of the water to try and take a bite of my camera.

Breakfast!

Traditional Japanese Breakfast. No Captain Crunch in sight.

ITADAKIMASU!

The phrase itadakimasu (ee-tah-dah-kee-mahss) is said before every meal to annouce that you are going to begin eating and to show appreciation for the preparation of the food. It has become my favorite word to say because every time I say it, I know I am about to feast on some incredible food. Below are just a few of the excellent home cooked dishes I have been sampling.

Unagi (freshwater eel)

Ikura (salmon roe) on daikon.

Pork and potato korokke (croquettes), salad, kabocha (pumpkin soup).

Aji.

Tempura everything.

Chikuzenni.

Assorted sashimi, caught in the morning off of the Toyama coast, fresh as it gets.

Surfing Destination: Sea of Japan

We have made a few attempts to find waves around the Toyama area in the Sea of Japan, and for the most part it is like you would expect, flat. We have made the most of it though and had a few fun sessions in Solimar-like surf at a few beachbreaks. On the positive side, the water is warm, there are no crowds, and there is cold beer and warm food waiting for you in the beachfront dining shacks. Off to the east coast soon to try and find some better waves...

Tunnel Vision

This is one of the most perfect rivermouth setups I have ever seen, with 6-inch right tubes draining down the sand bank. All we need is a swell!

Toyama

A few photos from the around the Toyama neighborhood. Quite a difference from San Diego, or anywhere in Socal. Everywhere you look it is green, green, green. The climate here is very tropical and it feels just like Hawaii, rains every afternoon. There is a great zen garden in the back yard, and countless rice fields around the neighborhood in every direction.