Jonbu the baker

Me and alex rode our bikes in freezing air alongside that secret river everyone knows about, and arrived at the landmark carved stone of the Ume garden. Shirley greeted us at reception with a whole grilled squid in hand. We were rushed to the food voucher line up, and the next thing we know we were all eating Ika-yaki at the fureai koonaa table.

“So good”

“This is really good. But why are we here again?”
“Oh yeah, the ume”
“I’m a little thursty”
“I’ll go buy some tea”

We went back to the food voucher line up and got Omatcha vouchers. After wandering around in search of people willing to spare us tea in exchange for the pieces of paper, someone pointed us to the building and said “Naka, Naka.”

“Very green tea”

We were gestured by the old lady to sit down in the tatami room, and while looking around being excited, some ladies in kimono handed us giant bowls with thick green tea in them. “Please have some okashi.” The sweets looked like giant erasers, but tasted really good. I canNOT tell what it’s made of. Likely erasers.

“Hello Alex, Hello Shirley”

(repeat photo, so I will shrink it.)

When we got out it’s already snowing. And we headed towards the Ume in case we eventually forget all about it. Casually walking over to the garden, a crowd of photographers stunned me. The ume they’ve found must have been pretty damn spectacular.

“Think of all the films”

Of course no ume in the world can entice Japanese men (and me) like the Japanese girls do.

“I call her Umeko”

I wonder if this girl lives in Anpachi.

Right, the Ume. Half the shots I forgot to use the macro mode, and the other half I just randomly took whatever. Good thing randomness always ensures some probability of success (If there are zero probablilty for success, than it’s not called random, it’s called sabotage). (I need a new camera!)

“Red”

“White”

After the chore was done, we celebrated with Tai-yaki. It tasted extra good knowing that it was handled by a rough, likely unwashed, professional, tai-yaki-handling hand. Gives it an extra fatherly touch.

“Tai yaki”

I liked this day because it was so easy and fun. No planning needed, no struggling with speaking polite Japanese (everyone was casual), no trains to miss, no police that would come and ask me for ID.

I would want to go back again next week, and the week after, but this was a once-a-year event that’ll never come again in my lifetime. Oh well, there’s always the Richmond night market.