This Yamanashi Life

Reposts from Instagram

Reposts from Instagram

Side note: I’d usually be using Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask (Glow Recipe or Sephora) for extra moisture but I can’t seem to find it...?

We went out for yakiniku, in which you grill your own meat. Repost from Instagram.

Occasionally we make too much food.

Spicy pasta, aji, and apples~

The tomato plant didn't make it in time... Perhaps not enough sunlight?? Better luck next year...

Inside a classroom at Shiobe Kindergarten. The desks are all bunched together so that the kids can practice their "Broadway" performance.

More shouga-eki (ginger pork), this time with onions. And I made an experimental dish with potatoes, mushrooms, and onions with cajun seasoning, which turned out to be really good surprisingly!

We were soooo hungry after running around town after dark trying to find the highest bidder for his PS3. Finally got to eat some disappointing ramen.

Went to an izakaya (late night food and drinks) called Menkui with some friends. Unfortunately didn't take any pictures inside the place but... The bathroom was an outhouse with very clever features, such as this old rice cooker repurposed into a sink. Very fun place that I'd like to go to again!

The idea that Christmas had certain scents associated with it was a foreign idea to Tomoki's family. After that conversation, I just had to buy a candle! Best purchase in a long while.

Cracking open roasted gingko nuts. Tomoki's father snuck in the sensual nutcracker at the last moment. Apparently you should only eat a handful of these nuts in one sitting, as they contain a toxin.

Tomoki made a dish called shouga-eki, which is ginger pork. It was so amazing. He says it's a popular dish for high school aged boys. I had him make it again the next week! It's served with heaps of cabbage and mayonnaise, both which oddly compliment it.

Shiobe Kindergarten, where I'll be starting full time in the spring. If I eat lunch with the kids, I get an extra ~$10! They're a great bunch, and I think I'm going to enjoy it there.

Tomoki and I went to a tonkatsu restaurant down the street from his parents house. His family would go here on special occasions with his grandparents. Very Japanese style interior. If anyone wants to try tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) while they're here, this is the place to do it!

Made takoyaki (octopus balls) two days in a row, since we had enough ingredients. Anyone want to try when they come to visit...? Takoyaki parties are popular amongst friends.