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Yesterday's post about the views from Shogun-zuka (将軍塚) overlooking Kyoto reminded me of when I was last there, with Anthony and some friends, KFC and Verena. Anthony didn't really care about the view, but he did find a butterfly....

Later, KFC took a picture of the butterfly himself. That photo didn't make the cut to his web gallery, but a shot of me taking the pictures above did.

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I woke up this morning to find an exceedingly pleasant day, partly sunny, with a mild breeze. It was very disappointing.

The forecast had been for typhoon #4 to blast right into us at about 9am, which would have made for quite a bit of excitement. Having grown up in Midwest America, I enjoy a good thunderstorm or the frenzied winds of an occasional typhoon. Sadly, it sped up and went way to the south, leaving its last rain in our area at around midnight. Sigh, we never get any fun.

Kyoto is normally hazy (often exceedingly so), but it's [...]

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Lately, it seems we're on the receiving end of gifts of upscale edibles. On the heals of yesterday's matsutake mushrooms, today we enjoyed the cantaloupe we received from Nils' mom when I visited her house in Miyagawa-cho the other day.

(At least I think the English translation is "cantaloupe." It has green flesh like a muskmelon, but a webbed outer rind like a cantaloupe.)

Fumie has a knack for pleasing presentations (such as these strawberries), and she didn't disappoint, preparing it nicely, adding a few strawberries for color, and some cookies around the plate for balance. Anthony had the idea [...]

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A friend of ours is a professional chef of the highest order (such that we can't possibly afford to eat at his restaurant), and today he unexpectedly gave us an amazing gift: two huge matsutake mushrooms.

Unlike the wild (and possibly poisonous) mushrooms we saw the other day, matsutake mushrooms are a rare delicacy, perhaps along the line of truffles in the west. Normally, they're tiny little stubs like those shown at right, which would take a good dozen just to cover the bottom of the basket we received.

Yet, even those little stubs are about $50 each, so [...]

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