Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/320 sec, f/5, ISO 400 — full exif
Lazy Dayz in Kyoto
It was fairly warm in Kyoto today – 36°C (98°F) in the shade – but the humidity was uncharacteristically low, so it was fairly pleasant if you were in the shade. At least, I think so... I never left the air-conditioning of the house! 🙂
I did notice from the living-room window a guy fishing in the little river. He was there for hours.
I also noticed the cherry tomatoes that Anthony and Mommy planted in a pot on the veranda were moving along...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/100 sec, f/4.5, ISO 400 — full exif
Little Farmer Anthony's First Crop
Someone found a cool way to walk the dog...
We took the opportunity to enjoy a melon we received as a gift from our chef neighbor (the same one who gave us the amazing matsutake mushrooms last year).
I'm not sure where these melons fit into the culture, but for some reason, the best ones can run into the thousands of dollars each. I hope this wasn't one because such extravagance would be wasted on us, but it was delicious, and clearly better than melon I'd ever had. Ever. I'm not a big fan of melons – the sweetness usually gets to me after just a few bites – but this one was just amazing. Pure heaven. Tasty with a capital 't'.
As I was about to prepare it, I asked Anthony to set up the plates. I thought the way he did it was cute, so I thought I'd take a picture. As I was about to snap the shot, he moved himself into position to watch....
I think that IS one of those hi-end melons.
Look at the weaving on the skin, it’s weaved so intricately together. It amazes me how the Japanese’ put so much care into their produce, and turn it into a delicacy.
Did you know on these hi-end melons the growers only allow the plant to bear one fruit? (They cut the other ones off so the nutrients would only go to that one fruit)
This appears to be a pretty good one. Some of the deciding factors include how perfectly round the melon is, and how even the pattern on the outside is spaced. I don’t think it went up into the thousands, but certainly over $100 would not surprise me.
On your “$9.00 Cup of Coffee” post, one of the people posting comments was (quite justifiably) grousing about being charged $18 for a minuscule slice of melon. Maybe Mr. Menicheltti somehow ordered a piece of one of those balls of edible gold.
I liked the Goldilocks plate set up, with Baby Bear peaking over the table!
Jeffrey, are you sure about that “thousands” of dollars? I’ve seen some for a hundred or two, but…
Well, I sort of picked a middle ground. I’ve seen them in the news selling for a ceremonial $25,000, and seen them on display for $10,000, but those, too, are somehow ceremonial, I’m sure. A simple web search shows some at 6 for $1,000, but I figure that the real expensive ones wouldn’t be available on the web. (You won’t find anything about my neighbor’s restaurant on the web… he never advertises, refuses to be featured in guide books, and the people who dine there – unlike me – have better things to do than blog.) —Jeffrey
Oh, and yes, that setup by Anthony is adorable. I have to say, I really enjoy reading the simple stories of your family and experiences. I don’t even know why. It’s just really well told and well-shot!
I don’t know why, but I enjoy living and writing them 🙂 —Jeffrey
Hi
This is the 2nd most expensive melon on the market.
You got Aroma melon
http://www.queen-melon.jp/
Most expensive one is Clown melon
http://www.crown-melon.co.jp/
Both has farm producer number on the sticker each melon
Market prices are
Aroma melon
http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/hikumano/a5a2a5eda1.html
Clown melon
http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/hikumano/a5afa5e9a5.html
Let me know when you get another one!
looks like you are spending great summer vacation!