#zunda shake

[filamints]

ずんだずんだシェイキング~

[litratour]

Went back to Japan to watch the Haikyuu!! Battle of the Garbage Dump movie. It was worth the trip.

Visited Sendai for Kamei Arena, gyutan, and zunda shake. While on the Loople bus, I learned that Sendai is rich in history.

Glad that I discovered the shop Jiyucho in Tokyo. It was good for the soul.

Still have a lot to learn on using a film camera. Here are some film photos (Kodak Ultramax 400) from that trip.

[natsu-tte-noodle]

A3! Translation - Regional Tour Instablam Posts (Autumn Troupe)

Autumn was a little easier to do than Winter was... you’ll probably see why pretty quickly lol

Also, the like count on the posts seem to be completely random.  This isn’t important to the meanings of the posts, but I think it’s really funny that I’ve gotten Kazu posts with 0 likes lol

Also you can see here that I tried to vary the way they type out their tags in terms of capitalization and stuff!  That’s a purely stylistic choice on my part; there’s not much in the Japanese that implies for it to go either way

Sendai - Zunda shake

Banri

Sendai. A commemorative zunda.

#the fabled zunda #delicious

Juza

Delicious.

Taichi

Sendai was fun! (≧▽≦) We all drank zunda ^^

#MANKAI Company #Sendai #We’ll come again #Zunda #Wasnt sure what station lunch to get (1)

Omi

Thanks for coming to our Sendai play run. This is sweet and delicious.

#Sendai

Sakyo

Thank you for attending our Sendai play run. Apparently this is famous.

Azami

#Sendai #Thanks #Zunda

--

Nagoya - Nagoya morning breakfast set

Banri

Nagoya morning.

#coffee #as for the ogura #just looking at it made me sick

Juza

Ogura bean paste.

Taichi

Morning! （ `ー ´）ﾉ My tummy’s been full all day~!

#MANKAI Company #Nagoya #Morning #Ogura bean paste

Omi

Active since the morning. This is healthy.

#Nagoya

Sakyo

Thank you for coming to our Nagoya play run. Speaking of Nagoya, this is morning. The early bird gets the worm, after all.

Azami

#Nagoya #Morning #Accompanying an elder #Damn sleepy

--

Osaka - Glico Running Man in Dotonbori (2)

Banri

Dotonbori. #THE pose #they forced me to do a pic #not posting it tho

Juza

My souvenir from Osaka was a cheesecake.

Taichi

Osaka was fun! I luv it! (3) Jk （≧▽≦） I ate myself to death (4) with delicious food!

#Osaka #Surprise Kansai dialect #The hells with that (5) #Dotonbori #Variety #Ate too much #MANKAI Company

Omi

A food binge tour with everyone. When you think Osaka, you think food.

#Osaka #Thanks

Sakyo

Thank you for coming to our Osaka play run. As always, there were many people.

Azami

#Osaka #Good work #Dotonbori #Sightseeing

--

Niigata - Red snow crab

Banri

Niigata crab.

#sea of japan #shellfish #massive

Juza

Crab.

Taichi

Crab! So big! Super tasty! ^^

#MANKAI Company #Crab #Niigata ftw (6) #Hype

Omi

We ate crab today. The seafood from the Sea of Japan is fresh.

#Niigata

Sakyo

Thank you for coming to our Niigata play run. Of course the crab is good too, but the rice is delicious.

Azami

#Niigata #Crab #Impressive

--

Fukuoka - Tonkotsu ramen

Banri

When you go to Fukuoka you gotta have tonkotsu ramen.

#best place for it #crispy style #second noodle helping #used it up

Juza

Ramen after the show run.

Taichi

Thanks Fukuoka~! And my long-awaited tonkotsu ramen ^^ I enjoyed it all the way down to the soup!

#Fukuoka fun #Hakata (7) tonkotsu #ramen #MANKAI Company

Omi

Enjoying Fukuoka. This is our last stop.

#Fukuoka

Sakyo

Thank you for coming to our Fukuoka play run. At the end of the run.

Azami

#Fukuoka #Tonkotsu ramen #Light oil #No overeating #No ruining your skin

--

Notes:

1. This was 駅弁悩む (ekiben nayamu), which is literally “worry about the station bento,” but that sounded to me like he wasn’t sure if it would be good or not

2. Dotonbori is a popular tourist destination in Osaka!  Food is huge in Dotonbori, and Osaka in general, which you’ll see in a lot of the posts about it. The Running Man sign is an ad for Glico, the company responsible for Calpico/Calpis and Pocky!  The ad has been up since 1935.

3. Taichi says 好きやねん (sukiyanen) here, which is Kansai dialect for “love it”.  I normally don’t do anything funky with Kansai-ben, but if I didn’t it’d look like he was saying “I love Osaka. JK NO I DON’T” lmao so we had to do SOMETHING.  Shoutout to Moonlight for the simple suggestion!

4. Here Taichi uses the phrase 食い倒れ (kuidaore), which basically means “eat til you drop.  I had to change the TL a to “eat oneself to death” to make it sound ok, but it basically means the same thing, right? Omi’s “food binge” is also originally 食い倒れ

5. The standard tsukkomi retort in manzai as well

6. This was 新潟最高 (Niigata saikou), with 最高 basically meaning “greatest.”  I let myself have a little fun as a treat lol

7. Another name for Fukuoka

[lagycart]

tokyo tohoku trip - day 5.

woke up early morning after a good night sleep for another great day out, my sleeping schedule was so good during this trip for some reason, haha... XD i went to the morning market nearby the hotel to have a look but they mostly sell fresh food and stuff for cooking, so i decided to get some breakfast from convenient store which i really want to eat.

after enjoying my breakfast at my hotel room, i decided to just pack and check out first, and leave my luggage with the hotel receptionist so that i don’t have to come back until i am ready to leave sendai tonight.

my first place to visit is the sendai castle ruins/aoba castle ruins 仙台城跡, which is up a hill. i went to the nearest train station and started to walk, it didn’t occur to me that i would need to hike up the hill until i reach there and saw the walking path. also, the shorter route was closed off because some trees fall on the road, so i had to hike up a longer route, it was totally unexpected and quite tiring. it’s a good thing that the weather is chilly and i just walk up slowly and take rests in between, and since there’s no car or not crowded at all, i had the whole path to myself.

the city view at the top of the hill is beautiful, as it is a sunny day, you can really see very far away and there’s also a group of people filming some dance video there, which is interesting to watch. while this place used to be the castle, you don’t get to see any castle as it was destroyed and was never rebuilt. there’s VR service available for tourist who is interested to see what it used to be like though.

i walked around a bit and found a shrine, which is always nice to visit. miyagiken gokoku shrine 宮城縣護國神社 is not huge, but a decent size and it also look quite nice, i bought some souvenirs for my friend and myself too. after exploring around for a while, i found out that there’s a bus service to take me back to town, so of course i took that and went back to sendai station for lunch.

as beef tongue is a specialty in sendai, i found that there’s a whole row of restaurants dedicated to gyutan at the station, i chose a restaurant that has good review and queued up for it as all restaurants there are packed and super crowded during lunch time. zenjirou たんや善治郎 has quite a simple menu with different cuts and quantity for their set meal, you also get white rice, yam and beef soup with the meal which is very nice. i ordered 4 pieces of thick cut gyutan and it was really really good, i like the simple flavor, the charcoaled taste and the chewy texture of the beef tongue, it goes very well with rice and the soup is quite li8ght and refreshing to complete the meal.

after a satisfying meal, i stop by the zunda saryo ずんだ茶寮 to get the edamame shake. this is also a popular item from sendai, it is very refreshing, sort of like fruit smoothie, but the bean taste is light and refreshing, i really do enjoyed this very much. they also sell some snacks and souvenir which you can buy and bring home.

for the afternoon, i took the local train to matsushima for a boat ride to check out the beautiful islands around matsushima bay 松島湾. apparently, this view is one of the most beautiful and highly recommended. i booked the boat ride ahead so there’s a discount, however, you can also buy tickets on the spot as well.

the boat has huge windows so you can sit inside and look out to enjoy the view while listening to the narration (in japanese), which is a very relaxing thing to do. there’s also a special cabin on the upper floor which require extra fees, so i didn’t go there. the other option is to go outside and enjoy the sea breeze which is fun and great for photos. the view is already very nice, and adding sunset to it make it even better as the water color just changes over time. it is definitely worth checking this out as it was beautiful and such a relaxing activity.

once we are back from the boat ride, i decided to visit a cafe before leaving, as i do still have time until my dinner appointment. shokado cafe 松華堂菓子店 is just by the seaside and they sell various kind of rice crackers, snacks and dessert as souvenir. i ordered hojicha with  a kinako sandwich (soybean flour puff) きなこサンド to enjoy while looking at the sea and sunset. the cafe is not busy hence it is the perfect place to just chill and have a good time.

for dinner, shiogama is a nearby town where it is known to have the most sushi restaurants in whole of japan. and the fish here is super fresh and not being frozen because it is so close by to the sea. my friend helped me make a reservation at sushi shirahata 鮨 しらはた, and i reached there slightly earlier and the staff are super nice and friendly.

with my limited japanese, i managed to ask the chef for some recommendations and what is fresh and good for the day and picked out the food i want to eat. i ordered hotate and shirako (fish semen) for appetizer, sashimi and a sushi platter. the appetizer is actually amazing, there’s a difference in texture for the hotate (scallops) between the ones i enjoyed in aomori and this one. both of them is very good and there’s no fishy taste at all, in fact this is very refreshing with the sauce. shirako is a weird dish, but i quite like it as the texture is so smooth and soft.

sashimi is made of out three type of fish that the chef recommended, all of them have different texture and taste, which is very enjoyable, some lighter taste and some heavier, it’s just so so satisfying to have good sashimi that just give you a different sensation every bite.

sushi platter has 10 piece of sushi with a slice of tamagoyaki. each piece is made so beautifully the whole plate is like an art itself. there’s different type of tuna, local fish, hotate, uni, anago and more. during the whole meal, i had a good time chatting with the chef while he is preparing my food, i’m glad that i get to use my japanese, while it is no where near perfect, at least he did understand what i said.

the service here is really awesome, the restaurant was quiet and the ambiance was really comfortable. the meal also included a bowl of hot shrimp soup and pear sorbet at the end to complete the meal. the whole experience is amazing and definitely highly recommended as i do feel the quality of fresh fish is better  here than in tokyo, and i do believe it is less pricey as well. i would love to be back again if there’s chance in the future.

heading back to sendai, i picked up my luggage from the hotel and also bought some souvenir from zunda saryo before boarding the shinkansen back to tokyo, which also marks the end of my tohoku exploration using my 5 days jr east pass. this pass is so worth it as i got to visit so many amazing places, i do love all the smaller towns and the scenery is just amazing. being able to see snow and play with snow is wonderful as well. there’s definitely so much more to explore as tohoku area is huge, so i would definitely like to visit again in the future.

for next day onwards, it’s gonna be tokyo and places around tokyo, to be continued...

[09nerorelatable]

Zunda shaking,,,,,

[casspurrjoybell-29]

Healing Ties - Chapter 31

*Warning Adult Content*

"Worse, he's going to be disappointed," Raya said. "And he'll be right to be. It is mean to pull someone's hair out when they're sleeping."

"It was your idea," Nadya reminded her.

"And it was a dumb one, okay," Raya said before turning to Fanner. "What's your name?"

"Fanner," Fanner murmured.

"Do you want some breakfast, Fanner?"

Having only just woken up, and to such a stressful situation, Fanner wasn't really hungry but these kids had been assigned to take care of him and if they didn't feed him he wasn't sure what that would involve. He nodded.

Fanner had slept in his clothes because he was now scared the humans were going to attack in the night and he'd be left behind because everyone else would be comfortable running off naked and he'd have to waste two minutes on getting dressed because he wasn't about to go running off into the woods without any clothes on.

He put his shoes on and they left the cabin.

"You're a mage, right?" Nadya asked.

"Yes, I am," Fanner confirmed.

"What do mages eat?"

"Well... I suppose the same things you eat, though normally less meat.""

You don't like meat?" Liss asked, aghast.

"No, I do," Fanner insisted. "I'm grateful for anything I'm given, really. I just mean that usually I would have more things that aren't meat, like bread or fruits or vegetables."

"We don't have much of that stuff," Liss said.

"Oh, hey. Why don't we take him to see the Centaurs? They have things like that."

"Are they friendly?" Fanner asked.

"Yeah, they're our neighbours."

"Will they be okay with me, though? I'm... not like you."

Liss balanced along a row of rocks that lined the path and then did a spin around as she jumped off the last one to face Fanner again.

"What, because you're a mage?"

"Well... yes."

She brushed away his concern with a wave of her hand.

"They help the mages all the time. Maybe even more than we do. Don't worry so much."

"Okay..." Fanner said. "That woman, Zunda...?"

Raya nodded to let him know he'd remembered her name correctly.

"She called Slone her son. And Slone is Yore's brother. Does that mean she's in charge here? That she's the... pack leader?"

"Yeah," Raya confirmed.

Fanner made a face.

He'd been worried about that.

"I hope she's not annoyed with me for causing a disruption."

"A disruption?" Nadya asked.

"You mean the thing with us?"

Fanner nodded.

"You were asleep. We did it."

"Well, yes, but if I hadn't been here..."

Nadya gave him a frown that scrunched her whole face.

"Is this some bullshit humans taught you?"

Fanner shrugged.

"They raised me, so... maybe."

Raya sighed. "

Yore's always saying that when you're kind, good things come of it that you never would have guessed. I think the same thing is true about being mean, in reverse. It's worse than you thought and bad things happen and it's just not worth it."

"Well... I won't tell him what you did, okay? I think you're already sorry, so... he doesn't need to know."

Raya gave a firm shake of her head.

"No. I'm going to tell him myself."

Liss lets out a groan but when Raya shoots her a glare, she didn't object any further.

Strangely, Fanner felt more comfortable around these kids than he did most of the adults who lived here.

Or maybe it wasn't so strange.

The only real adults he'd ever been around were human authority figures.

Despite their size, these kids were probably younger than the ones he'd spent so many years around but they didn't seem so different.

Much wilder, of course but similar at their core.

Fanner wished he could stop his mind buzzing with anxiety as he walked.

He couldn't stop worrying about everything, all at once.

Would the Centaurs like him?

Was it really okay for him to be wandering off with a bunch of kids like this without telling anyone else?

Was Zunda annoyed with him?

Would Yore be?

And on and on.

He tried his best to just push them aside, to think about something else but his mind refused to be wrangled just as it always did.

It was only when he started noticing hoofprints in the dirt that he was able to divert his mind back to the present.

Was he really about to meet Centaurs?

Horse people?

A week ago he hadn't even known such things existed.

There had always been talk of monsters beyond the border, of course but Fanner had half believed those were just stories to scare children and runaway slaves from venturing into the uninhabited woods.

When they passed through some trees and Fanner spotted the first Centaur, he was relieved.

The Centaur before them looked to be a young man around his own age and while Fanner was sure they were easily double his weight, the human parts were no larger than his own body and the horse parts were to scale with them.

And then another Centaur rounded the corner and Fanner had to reassess what he was looking at.

This second Centaur was huge and clearly a grown man with a face that was mostly human, though slightly odd in how angular it was.

The first Centaur Fanner had seen was clearly a child and Fanner realised after another moment, actually a little girl.

The adult Centaur had noticed them and was walking over to them.

Fanner had to fight the urge to hide behind the werewolf children.

The Centaur didn't look angry but he had a serious, unreadable face.

The Centaur's eyes swept over them and then he asked in a voice even deeper than Yore's and far more unnaturally so.

"What have you brought me, children?"

"We're looking after this mage and he doesn't like meat, so he needs some fruit or something," Liss explained.

Fanner made a face and dropped his gaze, which wasn't difficult.

He had to crane his neck if he wanted to look the centaur in the eye.

"I... I don't dislike it, I just..."

"Are you Fanner?" the Centaur asked.

His voice felt like it almost vibrated the air around them.

How did everyone around here know who he was?

"Y... yes, sir."

The Centaur's head tilted almost imperceptibly to the side.

"I had heard talk. I am glad you are finally with us."

"Thank you. Everyone has been very kind."

"I am glad to hear that. I am Atticus, by the way. I lead this group of centaurs."

"Oh... I, um. Sorry, I... how should I address you?"

"By my name. You should not worry about offending anyone in such ways. How can someone who leads a group demand special treatment from one who is not even a part of that group?"

Fanner found his fingers twisting in the bottom of his shirt as he chose his words carefully.

"I suppose it doesn't matter to me so much what I can rightfully do as what someone might consider impolite or disrespectful. Even if they might not be correct to think that way."

"That is how a Companion thinks. A Companion wants only to please in whichever way that may be achieved. Is that all you want for yourself?"

"I think... I need to feel safe before I can be bold. Is that reasonable?"

A small smile lifted the edges of Atticus' lips.

"Entirely. Would you like some fruit?"

The Centaur settlement had fewer buildings than the werewolf or mage settlements and Fanner got the impression the ones they did have were mostly for storage.

Their actual living space seemed to mainly be made up of outdoor areas covered by wooden shelters.

For the next hour, the Centaurs fed Fanner samples of different fruits and vegetables as well as a bread made of some sort of coarse grain.

They seemed to have a greater appreciation for the relatively small size of Fanner's stomach than the werewolves did, but eventually he still had to wave them off and tell them he was full.

He felt... many things, really.

Like he didn't belong but also like, for once in his life, maybe he did just a little bit.

So many things that had been so important his whole life just didn't matter anymore.

It was simultaneously a relief and something that left him feeling entirely out of his element because he wasn't sure what did matter now.

Everyone kept encouraging him not to worry but how could he not? He'd spent his whole life screwing up while trying his very hardest. How likely was it that he would now stumble his way into success by accident?

The other two girls had become bored and run off some time ago, so it was just Raya who was left to walk Fanner back.

That was okay.

Despite their rocky introduction, Fanner was coming to like her.

He could see Yore's influence in the way she talked, the way she behaved.

She was a very introspective child.

"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?" Fanner asked as they walked.

"Sorry. Werewolves are so new to me. I really can't tell."

"Twelve," she said, which surprised Fanner.

She was more mature than most kids that age.

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"You'll always be that small, then?"

"Yes."

"Hmm."

She was silent for a moment.

"I suppose that doesn't matter much for you. Being big or small."

"I never even thought to see it as a bad thing before I came here. A lot of people..."

Fanner shook his head, cutting off the thought.

He had been going to say that a lot of people preferred their Companions to be slight but this child didn't need to know about all that.

She wasn't a Companion.

"Well, I guess you eat less food and you can... uh... fit in smaller spaces? You take up less room? There are probably some good things about it."

"Probably."

"No, I've got it. If you can't protect yourself, it means other people will protect you and if anyone hurts you, everyone will think they're a monster. I mean, like... what we did felt like it was only a little mean until you woke up and looked all afraid, and then it felt a lot mean."

"Wanting to tell Yore about that yourself is brave. Noble. I'm not going to tell you not to but I'm going to tell him that you already made up for it afterwards. Okay?"

"I don't know if I have but..." Raya suddenly fell silent, then lifted a hand to silence Fanner as well when he opened his mouth to question her.

She took a step closer to Fanner and her eyes darted around, alert.

She pressed a hand against Fanner's chest and started to back him slowly off the trail.

"Raya," a female voice called out just as they took their first step into the underbrush.

"You're not trying to sneak off, are you?"

"We're just heading back home," Raya called out.

A young woman, almost certainly a werewolf considering her size, appeared from behind some trees further down the trail.

"Whose home?"

"Both of ours. The mage is Yore's guest."

The woman's eyebrows lifted.

"That's what he's getting up to these days?"

"I... I don't want any trouble," Fanner called out.

"Oh, I'm sure you don't," the woman replied.

As she moved closer, another woman and two men emerged from the brush behind her.

"Sani, please," Raya begged. "He's got nothing to do with any of this."

"No, he doesn't, yet here he is. Why don't we all go for a little walk together?"

"No," Raya shouted as she took a step back, then she pulled her dress off and shifted in a move that was so fluid it must have been practised.

Fanner stared after her as she dashed off, unsure if he was supposed to be following.

He couldn't outrun these four even if they hadn't been werewolves.

He wasn't sure if Raya could, either but they didn't seem interested in following her.

Fanner took a couple of cautious steps back, just to see what would happen.

"Ah, ah, ah," Sani said. "You're staying with me. Come here."

Fanner found himself obeying.

Fighting her would do him no good, so he might as well fall back on his training and do as he was told.

Sani pointed him to a fallen tree.

"Sit."

Fanner sat.

Sani sat down on the other end of the log.

"My little sister knows what she's talking about, you know. Sometimes being weak makes you safe, at least from some threats."

Fanner pressed his hands together between his knees.

"Raya is your sister?"

"Yes."

"Why is she scared of you?"

"Because she knows why I'm here."

[artofmerak]

Japan Trip Art 4

Haven't posted in a bit cause I broke my computer. Whoops. Anyways, I went to Sendai, and the three heads of edamame Cerberus represent what I remember about it. From left to right, cow tongue, zunda shake, and date masamune.

[hotarutranslations]

Ara Ara Kashiko, New Zunda Sweets!

Evening

 Yesterdays title, I was surprised that it became like “Ishida” 🙃 lol

 It didn’t get converted it left it as-is 🙃 lol

 It became title like I was saying I was amazing

 I’m sorry!

 Today,

 Sendai Broadcasts “Ara Ara Kashiko” Ishida Ayumi Goes! ~New Zunda Sweets ver.~

 “Ara Ara Kashiko” Ishida Ayumi Goes!/New Zunda Sweets ver.

 Thank you very much for watching!

  I visited Botenmaru-san 🍀

 Speaking of Zunda,

 Zunda mochi, dango…… Zunda-flavored snacks and sweets make for a nice souvenir…… Sendai’s famous sweet, Kikufuku’s Zunda…… The completely famous Zunda shake……

 There are various things but 😋

 Botenmaru-san, Further making new Zunda sweets,

 The shops concept itself, Has the theme of “Neo-Wagashi” (Japanese-style sweets),

 Making bread, making cake, Making not just Japanese-style while taking hints from them, To make new Japanese sweets!

 I also will help—

 Zunda sweets, I was thinking about……what new sweets to make 🥳🎉

 What are you thinking we can come up with---!?

 I immediately had my answer---←

 Making Zunda mochi with Nama-dora, It’d be nice to add butter in between the dough too!! And with that,

 Zun-butter Nama-Dora 🤤🤍

 No doubt 🤤🤍

 Actually on the day of the shoot we tried it, And found ways to improve it, It seems like they tried it in the studio today!

 It seems Yowiko Arino-san also ate it!

 Although it’s a delicious mochi shop in the first place, And I’m not saying that it will be sold,

 Knowing about a new Zunda sweet myself,

 It was fun experiencing it 🏅

 Thank you very much for watching the show!

 See you ayumin ❤

 https://ameblo.jp/morningmusume-10ki/entry-12802817034.html

[wakanatranslations]

Let's Do Itー！Matsumoto Wakana (23.04.29)

Good evening！I'm Matsumoto Wakana 🙉

Thank you very much for your comments 😊

Today was、a live show in Miyagi andー！

Welcome home Sasaki-san！☺️

Amazingly！We got to meet “Hoyaboya”！

And、Hoyaboya seemed to know、that Sasaki-san gave us all “Hoyaboya” socks、so they kept gesturing towards our socks！

He was mischievous and so cute 🥰

It got me fired up before the show！

I hope we can meet again ♡

Today's delicious snacks！😋

The top left is、bread we received from Ishida-san's family！

It was fluffy and had just a little bit of orange which was super delicious！🥹🍊

The top right、a “【La fata】” tomato from Miyagi prefecture's Natori city！🍅

It was super duper sweet、and slightly acidic、and juicy、and really delicious！！！

The bottom left is、“Kinchanno strawberries” from Miyagi prefecture's Kesennuma City that we received from Sasaki-san's father！🍓

Incredibly、we each received 1 pack of strawberries！🫣✨

I've eaten lots of strawberries before、but I've never had any that tasted like these before！

I don't know how to explain it、、、 but anyway they were super duper delicious！！！

The bottom right is、a Zunda shake we received from the staff-san！💚

I've had it many times before、but the first sip、always surprises me！笑笑lollol

It's addictively delicious 😝

Also for catering、we got to eat Yamanashi prefecture's “Potato stew”、so it really felt like we were in Tohoku！

Thank you so so very much for today！

I'm so happyー！！！

I'll end today's blog here (๑･̑◡･̑๑)

At last tomorrow is、JAPAN JAM 2023❤️‍🔥

For the calls、please use 「Wa・ka・nya！」！

The venue is forecast to have rain、so please bring a towel、and be careful not to catch a cold 🥺

For sure、please get your Angerme towel、and grow your wings🪽

Once again！Angerme are、tomorrow 4/30（Sun）

🌈SKY STAGE 11:30〜12:10🌈

We're the top batter！！！

https://twitter.com/angerme_upfront/status/1652280288301715463?cxt=HHwWjsDU2eCKiu4tAAAA

Our Manager-san、made a wonderful video and member introductions、so please check our official Twitter！😘

We'll be waiting on stage！！！！

See ya！

Matsumoto Wakana

[chashikuro]

ショッピングモール久しぶり サブウェイだったとこが伊達なりやに代わってた ずんだシェイク美味〜(๑>◡<๑) #amigurumi #bear #shop #greensoy #zunda #Shake #breaktime https://www.instagram.com/p/BrZZDcKFjc9/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=179pudownd6uo

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu - The View from the Top 2

Miyagi - Time Off

Team Kamomedai trying some local Miyagi treats like Zunda mochi shakes before they head out! Kouki (Hirugami) also got “seagull egg” snacks for everyone, given their team imagery. 

(x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) 

[newtypezaku]

Can’t wait for their next hit single, Zunda Shake It Off

[usotranslations]

Regional Tours || Sendai || Reborn Autumn Troupe

Omi: Since we’re headed to Sendai, I want to try the Zunda.

Juza: I heard there’s a shake.

Taichi: Really? It must taste awesome!

Banri: Looks like you can buy it at the station, let’s grab some later.

Azami: Okay, but what’s Zunda…?

Sakyo: Edamame paste… I guess.

[blueflameforyuzu]

So you wanna make Yuzu-style hot chocolate...(aka a basic recipe for zunda) and how to win the muddlers

Something light-hearted in the midst of all the heaviness and gloominess...I originally planned to type this up after CoR but yeah, I wasn’t in the mood...

If you’ve watched the recent Lotte Ghana chocolate videos in which Yuzuru makes his (newest) version of hot chocolate, you would have noticed a secret ingredient which gives it the Yuzu-spin on the usual hot chocolate recipe: a mysterious light-green paste. That is zunda, a specialty of Sendai. Zunda is a sweetened paste made of soy beans or edamame, which is actually premature soy beans which are harvested before time. While it might seem strange to add something green to hot chocolate, zunda is actually used in the making of many sweets in Sendai (cakes, mochi, ice-cream, shakes and more). I think of it as the Sendai-alternative to anko (red bean paste). Disclaimer: Nope, I still haven’t tried out Yuzu’s recipe yet so I can’t vouch for how it’ll taste hahaha

Maybe you wanna try out Yuzu’s recipe for hot chocolate but! you lack access to the most vital ingredient: zunda. Fret not cause I’ll be sharing a really simple (and vague) recipe for zunda. If you can make instant ramen, you can make zunda!

There are many variations of making zunda and each family/shop will probably have their own version but the basic ingredients are really simple: 1) edamame (in pods or frozen is fine), 2) sugar (regular white fine caster sugar or other sweeteners) and 3) water/soy milk/other milk. I usually use about 200g edamame (in pods), 30g sugar and I eyeball the liquid (I would say about 30 ml to 50ml?) Feel free to play around with the recipe, you don’t have to follow my measurements, they’re just here as a rough guide. I’m assuming you’ll only want to make a small batch to try, and honestly, there’s no right or wrong in making zunda. it really depends on your preference for the taste/texture so just adjust accordingly as you go along. If you end up making more, you can always use it on top of mochi or even as a spread for bread.

Step 1) Cooking: Boil the edamame in the pods for about 5 minutes. You can season the water with salt but it’s not necessary. Drain and cool.

Step 2) Prepping: Remove the edamame from the pods. Remove the membrane on the edamame beans. It’s a lil tedious but it’ll get easier once you get the hang of it. The removal of the membrane allows for a smoother mouthfeel, otherwise you’ll be feeling those thin layers of skin in your mouth.

Step 3) Processing: Add the sugar and liquid and process in a food processor/hand blender. Add some salt to season. No food processor? No problem, just use a spoon or fork and mash it up and combine with the sugar and liquid. How much you process it depends on your preference for how fine or chunky you would like it to be. The liquid is added for a smoother texture and I suggest to eyeball the amount to add to get the texture you desire. Soy/almond milk can be used or just water. As for the amount of sugar, it depends on your preference for sweetness.

And that’s it! It’s really simple, ain’t it? All pics are screenshots of the LotteChocomotionTV video starring Yuzuru here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sayza6llDE

If you were to make this (with Lotte Ghana chocolate) or just plain ol’ hot chocolate with Ghana chocolate, follow the official Lotte Gahan chocolate accounts (ghana_chocolate) on Twitter and Instagram and hashtag  #ホットガーナ (hotghana) and  #手作りチョコガーナ (homemade choco-ghana) for a chance to win the set of 3 muddlers. (Make sure the Ghana choc wrapper is very prominently displayed in your pictures)

Some rules of the campaign (other than the usual no cheating and legalities) https://hotghana-cp.jp/

1) Prizes will only be mailed to addresses in Japan in March 2019.

2) The campaign runs from 26th Nov 2018 to 31 Jan 2019 and 500 winners will be notified through DM in mid-February 2019. Winner have to reply in 3 days.

3) Make sure you follow the official account (ghana_chocolate), use the hashtags  #ホットガーナ and  #手作りチョコガーナ and your accounts are set to public.

4) If you submit an entry, you agree to the picture and the captions being used by them (and your username being mentioned, likely for their reposting)

5) No matter how many entries you make, each person (or account I should say) is only entitled to 1 chance in the draw.

6) If the same photo is submitted multiple times, only the first entry will be deemed eligible.

[yuzusorbet]

My Sendai Holiday (April 2018) - Part 3: Weekend Sendai

Part 1 was about Yuzuru’s Olympic Victory Parade and Part 2 was about Ice Rink Sendai (links are at the end of this post).  This part is about the rest of my trip. 

--------------

I flew into Sendai by ANA;  the cute plane below was my connecting flight from Tokyo Haneda to Sendai.   

Entering the airport, I saw a poster of our dear 若様 (’waka-sama’ = young master).  What a beautiful start to my holiday. :)  

Sendai Airport is small and beautiful.  The roof is like the waves of the sea.   And it’s very convenient too.   A linkway connects it to the train station just across the road.  (Pic below taken from linkway.)

After a short train ride, I reached Sendai Station, the main station of the city.   This is also the shinkansen (bullet train) stop.   I love Sendai Station.  It’s so pedestrian-friendly due to a huge walkway that sprawls over the roads and traffic outside, connecting the station to the malls and buildings around it.  

Inside, there are many shops and eateries.  Pic below: shops selling ‘zunda mochi’ and ‘hagi no tsuki’.  (further down this post, you will see more zunda mochi.) (hagi no tsuki is a snack that Yuzu loves.)

In the station, there is an awesome tourist information centre.   Young master Yuzu is there saying “Welcome to Sendai”..... and sometimes there are samurais there as well!  When I took this photo, instead of saying “cheese”, these guys said “zunda mochi!!!”  XD

The tourist centre was giving out beautiful leaflets with suggestions on places that fans can visit, like Goshikinuma Pond, Ice Rink Sendai, Nanakita Park and Yuzu’s monument at International Centre Station.  The words on the right-hand leaflet say “Sendai City supports Hanyu Yuzuru-senshu”.

The centre also had big stacks of ‘Weekend Sendai’!  (the travel magazine with Yuzu;  it’s free)  I already have a copy at home but I took one for a friend. 

Yuzu is eating zunda mochi in the photo above.  It’s a Sendai specialty, mochi covered with mashed edamame, and it’s sweet like a dessert.  I love it!

“Itadakimasu.” (See the white mochi under the mashed edamame?)

The photo below is the take-away cup;  the mochi inside is smaller but it tastes just as good.  Ate it a few times during my holiday, and also tried zunda shake and zunda pudding.  They were all nice, but I like zunda mochi the most.  

Next to Sendai Station, on the 4th floor of Parco shopping mall, Yuzu’s signed skate boots were on display.  He donated them for an auction in March this year to raise funds for Tohoku earthquake recovery (3.11).  The successful bidder was Japanese fashion house, Samantha Thavasa Japan Limited, and the final amount was 8.5 million yen (about US$76,000).  According to Oricon news, the money was from the staff of the company inside and outside Japan who donated their money to support this good cause.  [thanks to fan Shuko for the info] [pic below from Yahoo Japan] 

After the auction, the company decided to bring the boots to different parts of Japan to be on display and they were in Sendai during this period.   Here are the boots that raised 8 million yen: (8,501,000 to be exact)      

Near the boots display area, Yuzu’s parade T-shirts were on sale.  I had already bought mine online and they were delivered to the Sendai hotel that I was staying in.  

My first dinner in Sendai.... gyu-tan of course!  Grilled beef tongue is a Sendai specialty and oh so delicious!   Had it at a restaurant in the station.

The gyutan in the middle is the usual one flavoured with salt, the gyutan on the right is flavoured with miso.  The white thing on the left is another Sendai food, sasa-kamaboko which is grilled fish cake (kamaboko) in the shape of a bamboo leaf (sasa), believed to be inspired by the design in the family crest of the Date clan who ruled Sendai Domain in the Edo period.  It can be eaten on its own as a snack.  The rice was also very special; it had some barley mixed into it, giving it a different texture and fragrance.  Everything was very, very oishiiiiiii~~~~~ 

I ate this with my friend Ella who was in Tokyo just the weekend before to watch ‘Continues with Wings’, so you can imagine what our chat was about.  The last time we saw each other was one year ago.  So much Yuzuru to talk about. :D

The next day was the first day of sale of parade wristbands.  There were several sale locations and I went to one near my hotel.  On the way there, I saw some Yuzu-banners.  This one below says: 

“Hanyu Yuzuru senshu, thank you for touching and inspiring us. PyeongChang Olympic Gold Medal, 2 consecutive victories, you are the pride of Sendai, Miyagi and Tohoku.”  

This banner below is about Yuzuru’s photo exhibition coming to Sendai at the end of June.

And this is the line I saw when I reached the sale location at 7.45am, not too bad!  The start of the line is on the left where people are sitting on the ground, near the closed shutters of the department store.  Sale would start at 10am.  

The wristbands were sold in sets of 2 at 1000yen per set.  Only 10,000 sets were made (compared to 80,000 tees).  So these early birds like myself just wanted to be sure of getting them. :D  My friend Ella was at another sale location and she said the line was snaking up and down stairs and around the building!  xD

While standing there in line, I ate my breakfast and also shared my food with the woman in front of me and the man behind me.  They were both of middle-age and were local people living in Sendai, and since we were waiting together for more than 2 hours, I chatted with them to pass the time (and to practise my Japanese, haha).  Some things struck me from the chat that morning.

I was telling them a bit about myself, that I have been a Yuzu-fan since 2014 Sochi Olympics, and I naturally asked them, so when did you become fans?  They didn’t reply..... I was a bit surprised as I waited for their answer.  They were both thinking very hard, with a slight puzzled look on their faces, like they were trying to recall.....  And then I realised, they live here in his hometown!  Which means they would have seen him in the local Sendai news since he was very young and they have been watching him grow as a skater and they have been naturally supporting him since who-knows-when!  There is no clear-cut point like us who happened to see his performance one day and got zapped.  With that sudden realisation, I quickly said, oh you live here, so you have known him from way back!  They both nodded and looked pleased that I understood.  I guess no one has ever asked them that question before!  The man added that when Junior Nationals were held in Sendai in 2007, he went to watch and he was so impressed by Yuzu’s performance.  (Yuzu was only 12 then;  his SP was ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’ and FP was ‘Firebird’.  I translated about this competition from his biography; will include the link at the end.)  I told them I was so envious that they live here and have known him for such a long time!  You lucky Sendai people!!!  

Besides asking that stupid question, I also made some stupid assumptions.  I told them, I plan to go to Nanakita Park to sit on ‘Yuzu’s bench’ and then go to Ice Rink Sendai to skate and then have dinner at the gyu-tan restaurant with his signature.... you two must have been to these places, right?  They both smiled and said no.  (What????)  The look on their faces seemed to say they never thought of doing that and there was no such need.  But they were very impressed that I knew these places.  The man took out his phone to try to help me with directions.  He wanted to make sure I knew the right route to take. Really nice people. :)  

At 9.30am, staff of the store came to set up the area and we got really excited! Soon we would have Yuzu-bands on our wrists!  The Sendai lady asked, how many sets of wristbands are you buying?  I said two of course!  But the man said ONE.  (What???)  I assumed everyone would get 2 sets each (maximum).  Especially after lining up for so long and it’s in limited stock.  I said, ONLY ONE? REALLY?  He said, yes I just need one set because there are 2 bands, one for me and one for my wife, just nice.  Oh......... somehow I was touched by that.  Their support for Yuzu is so sweet and simple.  They don’t need to go to his home rink nor all the places that he has been to, but they will line up for a few hours to buy just one set of his parade wrist bands..... These Sendai fans touched my heart..... :’)  

Since he was only buying one set, I asked if he could buy one more set for me.  I wanted to send them to overseas fan-friends who couldn’t come to Sendai and he was very happy to help. :))  

Besides wristbands, there were also parade tees on sale (only S size left). Some reporters came to interview the people waiting.  The line had grown really, really long by now, looped to and fro a few times, but still very neat and orderly.   

At 10am, sales started and the staff was so efficient.  Very soon, I got my wristbands!   Plus an extra set from the really nice Sendai man!  I was so lucky to be standing in front of him!   And much thanks to him and the lovely lady for a good chat!  

I took the above photo after I bought my bands.  There was a staff holding a big sign with the words “end of line”, so it was clear to all where to join in if they wanted wristbands.  He also held a tally counter to count the number of people in the line.  As it approached the number of bands that was available in that store, he would tell people who came to join the queue that they might not get the bands but they could try if they didn’t mind waiting in line.  I love Japan, these things are always so well-organised!  

After this, I met up with Ella and we went to Sunao Noto-san’s photo exhibition which was held nearby.  (Admission was free.)  It was a very small exhibition but the outside already took my breath away.  

Pic above: the Japanese words over “Stay Gold” say “Congrats and thank you”.   (We could take photos of the outside but photography is not allowed inside.) In the small room, there were some beautiful photos of Yuzu from PyeongChang Olympics.  There was also one photo that I had not seen before and it brought a lump to my throat..... Yuzu was standing with crutches and looking at his own photo exhibition.  It was the exhibition held in Sendai from November 3 to 21 last year.  On Nov 9, he injured his ankle and withdrew from NHK Trophy the next day.  Then it was reported that he went back to Sendai and visited this exhibition after it was closed for the day.  He also wrote a message thanking fans for their support, dated 12 Nov 2017, and it was displayed at the exhibition.  (I posted about this last year; will include link at the end.)  This photo must have been taken that evening, just 3 days after the injury.  Looking at him in crutches at that November exhibition, the emotions of those few months rushed back into me.  How high was the wall that he surmounted.... I felt so keenly the heartache..... and also deep, deep admiration and respect.  Tears started prickling my eyes.  Oh Yuzu.... you made me cry again!  Later, Ella said to me, Sunao Noto-san’s photos always tell a story. Indeed. 

That was my first Yuzuru Hanyu photo exhibition.  Thank you very much, Noto-san.  

When we left, a girl approached us and gave us this beautiful newspaper:

She is a Waseda University student and was carrying a backpack full of her school newspaper to give away to Yuzu-fans!   She said she gave us the paper because I was wearing a CiONTU tee!  Much thanks to dear Ella who gave me the tee last night and I wore it as soon as I could. xD   And thank you, dear Waseda schoolmate of Yuzu!   You made many Yuzu-fans very, very happy!

So much emotions.... and it was not even 12 noon yet! xD

From this lovely shopping area near Sendai Station, we went for a walk.  Along the way, we saw the most beautiful 7-11 store.

Many shops had signs like that, saying ‘Hanyu Yuzuru senshu, congrats!!’

勾当台公園 Kotodai-koen (park) was beautiful.  There was a farmers’ market, cherry blossoms were still in bloom, and someone was playing the guitar and singing!

More photos I took along our walk, from the park to the next subway station.

(Above: another “Omedetou!! Hanyu Yuzuru senshu”)

Then we took the subway to 泉中央 Izumi-chuo Station (N01).  From there, it’s a 20-minute walk to Ice Rink Sendai or you can wait for the bus.   For people who like to look at maps, 2 photos here:   (We were at Kita-Yobancho station, N07.) (The main Sendai Station is N10.)

I wrote about Ice Rink Sendai in an earlier post (link included at the end).  After our visit, the queue for the bus was very long (all Yuzu-fans, haha), so we made the 20-minute walk back to Izumi-Chuo Station and took the subway one stop down to 八乙女 Yaotome.  A short walk from the station was 利久 Rikyu (Izumi main branch), a restaurant with Yuzu’s signature. 

Grilled liver (square plate) and gyu-tan (round plates).  The meal was soooooo delicious, especially the liver.  I told myself that I must eat here one more time before I leave Sendai.   Yuzu, thank you for your recommendation! :)

When we were leaving the restaurant, there were some people coming in and I suddenly realised one of them was another good fan-friend K-chan!  She saw me at the same time and we screamed (or maybe only I screamed, haha) and we hugged each other!  It was so good to see her again!   And I wonder if the restaurant was just filled with Yuzu-fans that day. :D

On the subway back to Sendai Station, we saw Vegatta-kun.  (If you have not seen the video of Vegatta and 15 year-old Yuzu, please search for it. xD)

Coming out of the subway exit at Sendai Station, we saw handsome Sendai travel ambassador Hanyu-kun. :)

End of a marvellous day.  The highlight had yet to come!  Next day = Sunday 22nd April = Yuzu’s parade day!!  (link at the bottom of this post)  

A bit more on food: at the end of parade day, I met up with K-chan and, thanks to her suggestion, we had the softest, puffiest pancakes I’ve ever tasted.... they were light and puffy like clouds!  The fruity topping was sold out, so we had the plain version.  Very yummy!   

.... in this cute little bakery-cafe near Sendai Station. 

I will end this post with Sendai Station at night plus the walkway that crosses roads and connects it to the surrounding buildings:

Will do a Part 4 because it’s too long to put it all here. :D   Last part: 2 places with Yuzu’s signature (restaurant and sports shop), a shrine that he has visited before, his monument at International Centre Station, a historic pond and a castle hill..... coming next. :)  

(Please do not use or re-post my stuff without permission.) (Photos are taken by me.) 

Some links mentioned: Part 1: Yuzu’s parade day  Part 2: Ice Rink Sendai 2007 Junior Nationals and 12 year-old Yuzu Nov 2017 photo exhibition: news pix and fan account 

Update: Part 4 is now done.

[sunset--haze]

Come on! The 2nd day of Nobu Dai!

Okamoto Nobuhiko’s Official LINE Blog

さぁ！のぶ大2日目！

2019/1/20 12:01

Goodbye Sendai!

グッバイ仙台！

Yesterday’s Gyutan!

昨日のぎゅーたん！

After all, Zunda Shake is important, right!

あんどやはりずんだシェイクは重要だよね！

The people from today as well as !

今日からの人も！

The people from yesterday!

昨日からの人も！

Let’s enjoy together!

いっしょに楽しもう！

Everyone in Sendai was crying?!

仙台のみんな声でてたね！？

It’s amazing!

すごいさ！

Everyone in the country of dreams, please treat me well!

夢の国のみんなもよろしく！