This is in Mizusawa, a small town south of Kitakami. And no, we didn't stop here for lunch.

When I was a kid running a lawn-mowing business, I always thought a radio-controlled lawn mower would be cool. It turns out, I was right.

Nothing says summer like blueberries. Unique to Japan, that means a big katakana banner heralding the aforementioned fruit.



My language partner and I visited Kitakami's blueberry farm this morning, accompanied by her daughter and a friend. I think this was a first experience for all of us, and speaking for myself, I've been deprived for thirty-two years. Really, it doesn't get any better than popping ripe, sun-warmed, straight from the bush berries into your mouth on a hot summer day, surrounded by beautiful mountains.

There was some competition for the title of "Best Blueberry Experience." In planning for the trip, I offered a lesson in muffin making because another foreigner had told my language partner how great blueberry muffins are, and she wanted to try them. Perhaps less altruistically, I knew she had an oven and I sensed an opportunity to get my bake on.

The lesson was great fun. Channeling my inner Julia Collin, I explained the steps and did the preliminary mixing and instructed the girls on how to mix wet into dry ingredients, leaving the batter lumpy for light muffins, and gently folding the berries into the batter so they wouldn't break. We all took turns watching the muffins in the oven and barely tolerated the wait to eat them when they came out. It was kind of awesome. So were the muffins. :)

Tonight, I'm busting out the chopstick whisk again to whip cream to serve alongside the otherwise unadulterated berries.

Why? Because I like sunsets, okay?

Sometimes, it's just good to be alive.

Typhoon Number 4 headed out to sea last night, so instead of the heavy rain predicted all day, we got partly cloudy skies, moderate temperatures, and a cool breeze. A major earthquake rattled Niigata, but we didn't feel it here.

We took an evening walk with the dogs to watch the sunset.

Sometimes, it's just good to be alive.

Many people in Japan have vegetable gardens in their yards. One of our neighbors sometimes shares produce from hers with us -- young snap peas, a summer spinach-like thing. Yesterday, she gave us a bunch of Japanese cucumbers, which have a smaller diameter and fewer seeds than American cucumbers. I can't bake anything because I don't have an oven, so I'm not sure how to reciprocate. Maybe I should show up with cocktails in the afternoon.

I've now got my special ingredient for the foreseeable future, since we can't let any of that natural, neighborly, cucumbery goodness go to waste. I don't claim to adhere to the "use secret ingredient in every dish" principle of the show, but we will eat things that involve cucumbers until they're gone. Yesterday, I made quick pickles using vinegar, sugar, and ginger. Tonight, I made this dish dressed with dashi, vinegar, soy sauce, and salt:



The cucumber is accompanied by young Japanese ginger and reconstituted wakame, a kind of seaweed. It's really pretty, and was really good.

We also had this simmered dish of lettuce (who knew?) and young sardines:



Doesn't it kind of look like something that, if served in a restaurant in America, would get a kitchen closed down for health code violations? Which would be too bad, because it was awesome. Good gravy, it was awesome, all savory and crisp -- perfect for a cold mountain evening. I'm now ready to put the baby sardines in just about anything. (Note to CFA Division: your future is sardines. Just saying.)

It's supposed to be rainy season, and although we've gotten some rain, we've also had some hot days. With high humidity and no air conditioner, it can be quite stifling. A second-hand fan helps - except when the dog is hogging it, of course.

In other news, today Aki demonstrated just how poor her manners are. She was eating when I came home from work, so she barked with her mouth full. We need to send her to charm school, I guess.

Okay, this isn't a densha (electric train), it's a diesel. But that's okay, I'm not an otaku (rabid fanboy), either. But I did finally get some track and a controller, so now I can run the handful of (Japanese) trains I brought with me to Japan.

As anyone who knows me can attest to, I'm the sort of person who likes to be in control. And I love to drive. Unfortunately, my international driving permit was left over from our vacation in Japan last year and expired in May. I haven't gotten a Japanese driver's license yet, so for our trip to get the dogs, I was stuck in the dreaded Passenger Seat.

On the other hand, it did give me a chance to look around, and even take some photos. Taking photos as a passenger in a moving car can be a frustrating experience: no matter how good the view is right now, it's guaranteed to be obstructed by a hill, building, or passing truck the instant you click the shutter.

By chance, though, I managed to capture this dynamic sky near Sendai in Miyagi prefecture, about two hours' drive south of Kitakami.