Yakult factory

Yakult is a Japanese probiotics company. I inspected the Yakult factory in Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture with members of a study group. We got there in 2 hours by car.

I didn't know that people of 23 countries drink Yakult, and especially that Korean people drink more than anywhere else in the world.

There were a lot of belt conveyors, big tanks, and robots in the factory. The products were made almost automatically and hygienically.
The displays were written in Japanese and English, and the animation of the explanation can be viewed in English, Korean, and Chinese as well as Japanese.

The founder of Yakult is Dr. Minoru Shirota. He entered Kyoto Imperial University's School of Medicine in 1921. He proposed that people become healthy and long-lived by the health of the bowel. Lactic acid bacterium of Yakult attracts attention because of the prophylaxis of cancer and infection.

I'm glad to know that the study in Kyoto is helpful for people of the world.

Introduction of my parents

My father is over eighty. His work is housework and tending our garden. He likes eating and talking. He is going to weight training twice a week, so he is fine.

My mother can do various things, such as Ikebana (arrange flowers), Way of Tea (Japanese tea ceremony), dressmaking, cooking, Kitsuke (how to wear kimono).

Both of them like inviting friends over, so please drop in for a cup of coffee when you stay at our guesthouse.

Our guesthouse

My favorite work

There is a favorite work of mine in the entrance of my house. I wrote this with a ball-point pen more than five years ago. This work is made up of several poems of the seasons and love of Ogura Hyakunin Isshu(a hundred poems by a hundred poets). I was able to write it more comfortably with the ball-point pen than with a writing brush. I thought that it was too big when it was completed, but I could display it in the entrance hall. What will I write next time?

Relax salon "Bodyimpact"

I went to get a relax salon "Bodyimpact" in Otesuji shopping street yesterday. I get a massage once a month. The therapist in charge of me is always Ms. Ito. She is the highest technical therapist I have ever met. My stoop became an erect posture. She can do therapy in English. If you are acquainted with me, she will give discounts. Why don't you get her therapy too?

Guardian deity of children

There were many guardian deities of children around my house about 200m at the rate of one. Local residents are taking care of the guardian deity of children with a display of flowers and keeping it clean. In summer, a Jizo Bon festival (guardian deity of children's festival) is held by local residents every year. My children look forward to playing festival games and passing of the prayer beads ceremony and eating a watermelon at the Jizo Bon festival.

Acupuncture therapy

An acupuncturist came to my house on our day off. She treats with acupuncture therapy to my family and me.

She stuck acupuncture needles into acupuncture points of my back and foot in the skin. She said that Japanese style acupuncture uses the needle which is about as thin as a hair.

My son is afraid of needle sticks in my skin, but I hardly have any pain from it. It felt good for the blood circulation in the shoulders to improve after treatment.

For my sons, she touched and stroke lightly with a bigger needle. Probably they were comfortable, so they kept still.

My father was relaxed and slept during the treatment. After the treatment, he said "I feel better!" , and he went out shopping on foot.

The acupuncturist gives me Moxibustion to use at home, and she taught usage of the Moxibustion for me.

If you get tired from walking too much while sightseeing or you want to experience acupuncture treatment in our guesthouse , she will come there and do acupuncture treatment.

Fushimi Momoyama-jo Castle

I went to the Fushimi Momoyama-jo Castle with my son and neighboring friends. It takes about 5 minutes by car from my house to get there. There were a few people, and we could hear bird song. Children ran around and played there.

When I was a child, there was an amusement park as Fushimi Momoyama Castle Land, but the park closed in 2003. Fushimi Momoyama-jo Castle escaped destruction by the people of Kyoto to preserve it as a symbol of Fushimi. I was relieved that the place of the memory in the days of the child was preserved.

Kaihouji temple

It was refreshing weather yesterday, so I went to the Kaihouji temple right near my house with my baby. The garden was maintained beautifully and was quiet and comfortable.

Three years ago, I visited here with my family for a festival day for my son of three, five and seven years of age. We had a lunch of vegetarian food that is a Chinese style cuisine known as "Fucha ryori". There were a lot of my favorite foods, including koyadofu (freeze-dried been curd), and yuba (bean-curd skin), included in the dish, so I want to eat it at the time of celebration again.

Wildflowers

My mother arranged some flowers recently in our guesthouse. The flowers she chose are wildflowers, which are Enkianthus perulatus and Red star lily. She said "I imagined summer is coming soon. I want you feel the beauties of nature."

The meshiya

I went to The meshiya near our guesthouse to have lunch with my husband. I prefer eating meals at home, but sometimes eat out. This is because I want to know more about cooking.

The meshiya is a wasyoku restaurant that is cafeteria style. You take some dishes that you want from many dishes and take a seat. Next, The restaurant staff comes to your seat and counts the total cost of the dishes, and you can eat instantly. If you want to eat the dish warmer, ask staff to heat up the dish.

Ten years ago, I visited to Italy on our honeymoon. I couldn't read the menu in Italian, so I didn't know which foods I should order. I recommend the restaurant of the cafeteria style such as The meshiya.

Guest book

The people who stayed at our guesthouse write their impression of the guesthouse in a guest book. They write a lot of thanks comments, so we are happy to read. I want there to be a lot of people to come and stay at our guesthouse and enjoy Kyoto, and I want to go to their country to meet them someday.

 

Our guesthouse

Kimono

Recently, I can see people wearing a kimono in many places. I think when there are people wearing a kimono, the town becomes gorgeous. I have learned kitsuke (how to wear a Kimono) 10 years ago, but I don't wear kimono now. Will I wear a yukata (a casual summer kimono) this summer?

The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto

I went to The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto to meet friends. I was able to go by train from my house in only about a half-hour. The building, with Japanese and Western-style harmony was very wonderful.

We ordered afternoon tea in the lounge. It was a lot of fun talking with friends while eating little by little various sandwiches and sweets.

You are able to enjoy both the downtown and suburbs of Kyoto.

Our guesthouse

Usual Wasyoku

Wasyoku is Japanese cuisine. I think Wasyoku is one of the healthiest cuisines. In fact, my parents and my relatives are healthy and have lived long lives. They constantly eat Wasyoku, every day.

There are many wasyoku restaurants in Kyoto, but it does not mean that we eat that every day. We eat once a month at the most to eat ramen and sushi. We eat rice, dishes of vegetables and fish or meat everyday.

If you come to Fushimi Otesuji shopping street, you can buy dishes at delicatessens.

Cook Chum

Cook deli GOZEN

Gohanbiyori

Gokonomiya-jinja Shrine

Gokonomiya-jinja Shrine is one of many temples and shrines around my guesthouse. My son and I visited the Gokonomiya-jinja Shrine on the way to do our shopping.

The 2 families came for Hatsumiyamairi there. Hatsumiyamairi is to thankfully report to a guardian deity of one's birthplace that a baby safely had its one month anniversary. I also took my son there with my family when he had his one month anniversary.

　　　　　　　My son and his grandmother

Seven years have passed since then, so I thought that time passes fast.

Our guesthouse

A work of flower arrangement

My mother arranged flowers recently at our guesthouse. She is a master of flower arrangement. She said "The flower which bloomed in the summer is called Nastuhaze so I want them to feel the freshness of the early summer. Let's not only enjoy the beauty of the flowers, but also the beauty of the space between a flower and the flower."
If you stay in our guesthouse, you can see a work of my mother.

Our guesthouse

A ramen shop Yottekoya

I had ramen with my son at Yottekoya near our guesthouse for the first time in a long time.

My son likes Yottekoya very much because he likes ramen and he orders a child set, and he always gets a toy.

My son and husband went to the Yottekoya with guests who stayed in our guesthouse. I heard from my husband that they were very pleased. If you stay in our guesthouse, Won't you go to Yottekoya with us?

Yottekoya menu

 Pork bone broth ramen

  Pork bone and soy sauce ramen

Spicy ramen

Prawns soup and pork bone broth ramen

 

Fujinomori-jinja Shrine

I went to Fujinomori-jinja Shrine with my son on May 3rd. That is near our guesthouse.
It was just the time of the Fujinomori festival. The festival is held from May 1st to 5th, every year.

There were many kinds of night-fair at the shrine.

My son enjoyed traditional games and eating snacks there. I feel as if one had been transported 30 years ago.

I look forward to going for a hydrangea festival held in the beginning of June in Fujinomori-jinja Shrine.

Fushimi Otesuji shopping street

I went to Fushimi Otesuji shopping street with my family.

There are many kinds of stores there such as sweets shops, flower shops, coffee shops and supermarkets.

When I was a teen, I went to the shopping street frequently. Many of the same shops as there were 30 years ago were still there, so it was nostalgic.
It was crowded with a lot of local customers but there were few foreigners.

I found a new and unique store named Fushimi Sakagura Kouji. The meaning of Sakagura is brewery of sake but they are 5 restaurants and sake of 17 breweries.
My son said, "I definitely want to eat something here!" so we decided to eat lunch.

We went to a yakitori restaurant. Yakitori is Japanese style grilled chicken. My husband ordered a charcoal grilled bowl. My son and I ordered ramen that were from another shop, but the clerk of the ramen shop served ramen for us.

There was a lot of other foods and many types of sake, so I want to go there to have dinner with my friend who likes to drink.

After lunch, I took my son to a hair salon. The hair salon is one of my favorites because the hairdresser is friendly and the building is Machiya style, which are traditional wooden houses. The ceiling is high and it is calming. 

My son looked cool after his hair cut.

After we finished at the hair salon, we ate Taiyaki.

If you want to travel as though you live in Kyoto, how about going to Fushimi Otesuji shopping street?

Our guesthouse