Best Burgers in Gunma: Tinz Burger Market

BEST BURGERS IN GUNMA!

Dare I say...ALL OF JAPAN!

Tinz Burger Market

I have mentioned this place as one of my favorite cafes in this post. But I'm pretty sure that day, I wasn't there to really ENJOY and relax as I was the second visit around.
この前に群馬県の紹介をしたときにこの店も教えましたが、そのときは友達と彼氏といて、時間があんまりなくてゆっくりできませんでした。けれど、今回は彼とゆっくりできて、本当に幸せでした。

Ryosuke and I were determined to have these amazing burgers again, despite the hour and a half it takes to drive there. I was craving like no other crave, which as I write this only makes me hungrier by the second, but I knew that this is what I wanted to eat and Ryosuke caved too. (Not that it was all that difficult because he loves them too.)
彼とその最高のバーガーは必ずもう一回食べたかったので、一時間半かかっても、いくしかありませんでした。これを書きながらすごくお腹がすいちゃいますが、頑張ります。
その日に彼がうちに’何食べたい’と聞いたら、ちんずしか答えられませんでした。

So we set out at a decent hour to get there during their lunch time. The drive was long and THANKFULLY we found parking in their tiny little lot which is a couple minutes separated from the actual location. Thanks to getting out of the car and directing him, we parked snug and walked the two minutes to the cafe.
ランチの時間に着くように行ってきました。遠かったですが、良い駐車所を見つけて、少し歩いたら天国に付きました。

It was opened just over two years ago with a man who had a dream for making burgers in Gunma. After seeing Tokyo's boom of them as of recent, he was determined to make his mark in the burger world...and oh has he ever.
二年前に店長さんは夢を持って、二年前にちんずをオープンしました。東京もバーガーブームになって、群馬県でおいしいバーガー屋さんを自分で作りました。

According to Tabelog they seat about 19 people, including the tables and the counter seats. The first time we went, since my best friend was with us and it was a bit more crowded, we sat at a table. But since it was just Ryosuke and I, and all the two seat tables were taken, I insisted on sitting at the counter. This way I could salivate as I watched my food being made.
たべぐろによって、テーブルとカウンター席を含めて１９人が入れます。最初に行ったときが３人だったので、普通のテーブルに座って、結構込んでました。今回は二人だけで、テーブルがもったいないと思ったので、カウンター席にしました！

It is a fairly small little building with the counter surrounding the grill and fryer, and the the back closet for what seems to be the stock and possibly a back room?
ビルはグリルも見えるところで、結構小さいです。

Each burger is made to order and you can get it with fries and a drink.

Most drinks come in the trendy Bailey's glass jars, but if you order a coke it comes in a coke glass!
THEY HAVE CHERRY COKE!
It's not the rarest, but usually have to go to an import store to find them--and it's the same one from home!!
バーガーは一つ一つ注文した時に作られています。ポテトと飲み物付きもできます。
飲み物はコーラならコーラガラスにはいっています！コーラ以外はアメリカでもはやっているベイリーズマッグガラスにはいっています！この店はなんと！チェリーコーラあります！！！！
そんなに珍しものではないですがうちの田舎ではないので、飲めるのは幸せです！

Each burger takes a bit to cook and prepare, but with fresh, crispy lettuce and juicy tomatoes--who can complain. They put tartar sauce and mayo, a sweet delicious accompaniment to the tender, perfectly cooked meat and in my case slightly crispy, thick bacon.
バーガーは一個一個で作られていますので、少し時間がかかります。でも、フレッシュレッタスとジューシートマトが入って、タルタルソースとマヨネーズにおいしい肉パッティーに乗っけて、文句なんて言えません。

The fries are also made to order and pre-salted/spiced for a not-too-greasy addition necessary for any proper burger venture. The fries are also mixed, so as not to favor one over the other and get different tastes and textures in the event you ever order too many.
ポテトは軽く塩に混ぜて、少しずつ焼いてて、油の味をせずかりかりポテトを楽しめます。

The atmosphere is completely lax and inviting. When not cooking, or in between cooking the owner will stir up a chat while you manage to eat like a man a burger that can probably get messy if not handled correctly. It comes in a paper wrapper used for handling burgers, but as a real American I chose to forgo it and eat with my hands like a savage.
雰囲気がすごくいい感じでゆっくり食べられます。ちゃんと気をつけないと服汚れちゃいますが、店長さんと話でき、自分のバーガーの焼き方も見られます。バーガーペーパに入ってますが、アメリカ人としてちゃんと手で食べます！

After speaking with the owner we learned his story and complimented him on his amazing food. Apparently I'm not the only one to think this place is a godsend as many other foreigners frequent, and if I had only lived closer would try my best to go at least once every two weeks.
店長さんと話したら店のストーリーを聞き、おいしいバーガーを食べられました。たくさんの外国から来てるお客さんのいらっしゃるみたいで、やっぱり私だけが最高においしいと思うことはないです。みんなの考えています。

I have tried many different burgers in the Gunma area, and I must say this is truly the best burger I have tried. The meat is properly meaty while not ruining the bun as it is grilled to be firm and not fall apart. You really feel like each one is made with a care and love that you can taste in every bite.
群馬県でいろんなバーガー屋さんに行っていつもちんずの方が何回も戻りたいと表います。

I cannot recommend this place more and I seriously hope I can visit again soon.
日本語はおかしくなったかもしてませんが、本当にチンズが大好きで、おすすめです！
ぜひ食べてに行ってください！

Also see if you can spot the little friends in this glass jar!

Thanks for reading!



Relaxing like an old Japanese woman

I usually don't sleep very well.

 

I have problems with my back, almost daily, and when I sleep it just gets worse. Or I have that sensation of 'OMG FINALLY YOU'RE LAYING DOWN', type tingling when I lay on my hard-ass futon. So I thought I would give in to those commercials I see so often.

'SALON PAS'

For chronic back pain, it literally helps make all the pain go away. I know we have them back in America but never has the jingle stuck with me like it does here. Also, Ryosuke likes to use these warm eye masks to help sore eyes.

 

Considering I hunch over a computer screen for at least a few hours each day---both completely worth looking into.

The warm eye masks have these wonderful scents inside the warming mechanism, so you can not only feel warm sensations on your tired eyeballs, but also smell something lovely too.

Ryosuke had originally given me one of the yuzu (Japanese lemon-like citrus) and I loved it. A bit pricey at about 498yen per box of five--but a usually decent investment.

 

I recently wanted to buy more and knew it would be too much a pain to ask him to drive all around the town looking for a drug store with the specifically yuzu scented ones, so I got the 'lavendar sage' ones instead--and I literally feel like I'm putting drugs on my eyeballs.

 

If you've ever smelled sage, you know what I'm talking about.

 

The leafy smell is a lot more potent than I would prefer, so Ryosuke gave me a few of his yuzu scented ones!

They come individually packed and last for about ten minutes.

 

 

 

You're really only supposed to use it BEFORE sleeping and then take it off and sleep, but real thugs leave that shit on and knock out. What it then does to me personally is causes me to (sometimes) wake up in the middle of the night to take it off...or the creepy, I wake up in the morning and somehow its neatly folded next to my face.

 

Either way the yuzu smell is sooo lovely, and even the lavender one has it's nice points. But for those days when you're eyes are just not having it--highly recommended.

 

SALON PAS!

 

Ryosuke one time gave me a muscle relaxer type sticker tape that is literally the strongest among the medicinal tape type relaxers, and I felt sick within minutes. So I was really weary about using any other kind/brand/strength. But one day I had had enough of my upper back pain and caved to get the small box of 40.

 

To my surprise there was no nausea this time around and even though the sensation was weird I did feel a difference in the pain level.

 

Considering most Japanese take an evening bath (and I don't because it's way too much water to waste on a person who can only sit in hot water for about 20 minutes before passing out), and after paste it on the painful areas and fall asleep.

 

So instead, right before bed, I contort my arms to a specific spot between my spine and back bone on each side and fall asleep.

 

The brand has recently come out with an updated version compared to the last it came with a cute little plastic bag and two pieces were usually stuck together.

 

This time it comes in silver bags that can you can simply fold over the edges and store, and each sticker is individual.

 

Ryosuke says it wreaks of old people...and I'm not an expert on old people...but I don't really mind the smell. It's a medicated sticker--thing, and I think that the benefit of not being in horrid pain far out ways the medicinal smell.

 

I may be an old lady when it comes to this stuff and always trying to be asleep before 10pm...but I think for those of us with chronic back pain who don't want to rely on painkillers all the time--this is much more worth it!

 

Here's to a more relaxing evening!

 

Thanks for reading!







Real Talk: Being Homesick

I am a mommy's girl...

(and a daddy's girl.)

 

I dedicate this post, to my mommy. ★

 

 

Growing up in Miami, I feel like everyone is really close to their family. Many households have the main family, and the grandparents living with them. My family is not THAT close, but, growing up, I lived in a town house complex where my cousins lived two houses away from me and my grandmother and aunt and uncle lived 2minutes down the street. As a result, there was almost always a party at my cousins house and big birthdays were usually celebrated at my grandmothers house. Needless to say, I was and have always been very close to my family. (Probably doesn't help that my grandmother is Argentinian, and she married a Columbian a bit later in life--so get-togethers all the time is pretty much a given.)

 

My mother and I are the closest, that I've ever really known anyone to be. My parents are both former Marines, so I was brought up fairly strict--or so they tell me. As an only child, I was also very spoiled--because I earned it. So if I did good in school, I could have whatever I wanted for birthdays, holidays, etc. I wasn't some crazy tantrum throwing child who was an asshole to people. I've always been a bit to myself, loud when I talk to people and have fun, but pretty much 'mature' if that's a good way to put it?

 

When I was little, I was the biggest Daddy's girl. I grew up like a little boy, playing video games and loving cars, and dressing like a goth boy... BUT, when I hit high school, I realized--I'M A GIRL. and started to enjoy girl things again. I never grew up sheltered, my parents always showed my R rated movies and told me the truth about everything... And yet I still get really weird when a normal movie starts showing hardcore sexy things and I get weird when people use the real terms for private parts and whatnot. Makes no sense, I know.

 

I had friends growing up, but I always went to different schools than most for middle and high school, so I don't have anyone that has stayed around for very long. As a result, I have always been quite the homebody and stuck with my mommy who takes care of me and tells me how things are without sugar coating things. Many people would and probably think of my mom's teaching is a bit...rough. When I started struggling with mental health problems...she always told me that I don't need to see someone who is just going to prescribe a bunch of unnecessary medications and to get over it.

 

Her tough love has trained me to be a stronger person than I have always thought I was. The reason I was always pretty in line with things and didn't go buck wild, was because I was so afraid my mom would beat the crap out of me. She never did though (except for maybe a smack on my rear when I was small), and despite that, soon as I saw her hand raise--I stopped, in my tracks for fear of what could come.

 

But even though I have/had a fear for the hand that feeds--I love my mommy unconditionally and do my best to make her proud of me...and will probably continue to do so till the day I die.

 

SO HOW DO I DEAL WITH BEING AWAY FROM HER YOU ASK!?

 

In my personal opinion, very poorly.

 

Every day (even when I studied abroad in Kyoto), I Skype with my mom in the morning and evening. I send her messages on LINE the minute I wake up, when I go to sleep, and except sometimes on the weekends, every time I go somewhere. My mother knows everything I do...all the time.

I have this theory that if anything should ever happen to me, my mom, even though she's a million miles away..she can help me and fix the problem.

 

Some people are thinking, "You're how old and need to talk to your mom THAT much?"

In short. Yes.

 

If you want to know the embarrassing truth, I cannot make big financial decisions without her... I have texted her at 3am (her time) asking if it's a good idea to buy a chair for 30$...which she reminded me that I needed a rice cooker more than the chair and I waited, got the chair at a later date.

 

My mom is my hero, my mom is my life, my mom is the most important person in my life.

 

I love my dad too, don't get me wrong. He loves cars, and I make sure to get him whatever Tomica he's looking for and make sure to send him care packages of Skylines and cars every so often.

 

But my mom, is the reason I am where I am, and the person that I am today.

 

I cry about once a month because I miss her so much, and I tell her I want to go home...but then she tells me she won't pay for my plane ticket and logically brings me back down from my crazy high of wanting to give everything up and live at home for the rest of my life...

 

I am sure that people living abroad are super homesick, and I hope those people know that it's ok...and you're not alone. I know my Twitter friends will agree when every so often, that 'I just wanna go home' feeling creeps harder than ever and you just want to curl into a ball and hop on a plane.

 

Adulting is hard, it fucking sucks, but we are all in it together, and the Internet helps us cope.

I hope that if anyone feels the pressure of homesickness, that you can find a happy place and good reasons to keep you here. But to know that it's also ok to go back home, people need what people need.

 

 

I once read in an article that happy people are happy anywhere, but I am happy to be where ever my mom is at, but for now--slowly, I'm learning to be happy with her far away too.

 

Thanks for reading.

Golden Week pt 2★Toy and Doll Car Museum

I Love Japanese Cars.
**Really ridiculously picture heavy**

I was raised by a father who loves cars, and as the daddy's girl I was, am, and have always been (don't get me wrong though--I'm a momma's girl too), it's only natural I would love cars too.

Especially Japanese Cars.

Not to divulge too much, but my father did spend a fair amount of time in Okinawa before I was born and owned a Nissan Skyline (prior to the turbo charged version) as his first car. I have heard about Japan and their lovely cars since infancy, plus add in Sailor Moon on TV since I was in elementary school (at 5am on ABC Family) and my love for Pokemon games following in suite from my cousin--is it really any wonder why I love this place so much?

Anyway, the same day we went to Haruna Shrine, since it was still early morning, Ryosuke suggested we come here--the Toy and Doll  Car Museum( おもちゃと人形　自動車　博物館). This place is literally made so everyone in my family is happy for hours.

There are three main parts of the museum.

Teddy Bears...EVERYWHERE!

Upon walking into the museum (and paying a hefty fee of 1080yen) you will be greeted by a bunch of teddy bears.

Then walking into the room full of them, you will be given a history of famous people in teddy bear history a long with worry about the health of many of the ones that are in bird cages handing from the ceiling. Literally any nook and cranny they could fit a teddy bear, they did.

Super cute though, and while I was too lazy to read all of the history entries of the various women in the glass displays, it was amazing to see all kinds of teddy bears from all over the world and from the past to now.

My mom loves teddy bears, like a lot. She is convinced she can have a pet bear and even though it is a carnivorous predator wants one of her own. So I tried my best to take a bunch of pictures for her, but the problem was, I am only using my phone and the glass doesn't seem very good to cancel out any reflection of all the lights in the place so I'll give you a few.

A walk through Showa period Japan

I like history, and old things especially if they involve Japan. Not a history buff when it comes to America but East Asia, and it's long history really gets my groove goin'. I didn't even know that this was part of the museum and it's really an added bonus! When there aren't horrid crowds of people...

It was probably the worst time of the year (Golden Week) to visit this place considering both of our anxieties with crowds of people in small places--but also this small section of the museum involves small exhibit rooms and a narrow hallway.

EITHER WAY!

It was a really cool way to see old signs, and toys, and a old candy shop--I was so fascinated by it all that I kinda forgot to take more pictures...

Also there was a weird girl with an unnecessarily serious face while having her boyfriend take pictures... Being the horrid people that we are, Ryosuke took a picture doing an impression of her...we laughed too much about it.

After that you are essentially forced into a room of all old toys from the time in a big huge display case! It was amazing, especially because my eyes were drawn to the beautiful display area of Sailor Moon goods. Also, old Godzilla toy!! I LOVE GODZILLA!!!!

After the toy display area, came my most favoritest part--the carssss.

Classic Cars like Woah

Ryosuke clearly knows me best. The main point of coming to this place was for this, the Classic Car Museum!! I'm really bad at planning anything, there may be plenty that I want to do, but it all depends on what is realistically feasible to either our wallets, or time, or gas, etc. So that then makes me unsure of what to do and probably frustrates Ryosuke more than he'd like to admit.

So since we had plenty of time and he didn't want our only reason for driving this far to be for this shrine that I should've taken more couple pictures in...he suggested this beautiful land of amazing cars.

First there was this room that had a couple display areas of a single car in a Showa period setting with a bunch of cars lined up against the opposite wall. Then a room of cars that were not allowed to be taken photos of...not exactly sure why.

No more pictures beyond this point--Ryosuke sneakily took a couple, but they are a bit blurry, so just this one.

Then I saw the sign, for the real show--up to the second and third floors, is the real 'Car Museum' from the Yokota Collection. If you are a car fan, you know about this place. Especially if you are a fan of Initial D. Considering that the setting of Initial D is basically Gunma, hardcore fans will know about this place and spazz to take a bunch of pictures.

After climbing the stairs you are greeted by this amazing scene. Real life Initial D, not like the Chinese live action with Jay Chou (which I did thoroughly enjoy).

The next area is up another set of stairs, to the real show. I almost cried. I wanted to show this to my father more than any one in the whole wide world, so I literally took pictures of every single car in this show room. I will spare you the photo dump, but if anyone really wants--please leave a comment and I'll make a separate post of all 70something pictures.

I was so perfectly happy with this. But there was more!

After a bit of a confusing hallway, there was a small old candy shop--where I should have bought a candy donut making kit... and many other candies that are usually difficult to find, but we didn't get anything there and kept on through the confusing hallways.

In this museum there is also a Squirrel Park, a International Winery, and a coloring booth for the cute kewpie-chan plastic doll (the mascot of Kewpie mayo) to color with pain pens at the end of the whole museum. 

The Squirrel Park, was just a small enclosed space, sort of outside, with some squirrels. You could buy a small packet of food for them to come up and reach for, but since they are such small animals there was already a lot all over the place and no point in trying to feed them more.

After we ended up in the food court/cafe area and also saw the Kewpie coloring booth but decided we needed to eat first. I wasn't driving so I tried the 200yen glass of the daily wine with my meal.

The food...to be completely honest, was really terrible. I suggest eating right before you go. To get through everything, and if you want to take more pictures (though the time I spent on that third floor showroom of cars..was probably a good twenty minutes just there), it really takes a couple of hours.

The food is presented in a white bag that looks like it was steamed, and I'm sure it was...which gives nothing to the flavor and gives the blandest taste. The wine was also super strong for my weak self, but I used so much concentration on coloring my little Kewpie-chan that I pretty much lost my buzz by the time we left.

I had really a great time and despite the really expensive price tag on just getting in, and on all the gifts that I wanted to buy but ended up not getting at all... I would love to go again and take more, better pictures and one day hopefully take my parents.

Please if you have the chance to go, make sure that you do!

Thanks for reading!







気分転換～A change of pace.

Let's learn some Japanese.

 

★気分転換★

A change of pace/mood/environment.

 

I stress... a lot. Like to the point were I get sick and end up screwing up my hormonal track and get into this horrid depressed state of mind that's terribly negative and makes me miss home like crazy and I wanna quit my job and give up on everything I've worked for.

 

Lately, this has been happening a lot more recently for reasons I don't really want to discuss.

My love life is going perfectly well, we argue semi-often because of my mood to go in a horrid turn for the worst at really bad times. But I am lucky that Ryosuke has pretty much gotten used to this and supports me and loves me either way.

 

I spoke with a woman who is like a mother figure and she told me that to be honest, there was nothing to be done about my situation and that it was basically 'しょうがない' (shou ga nai) which means that it can't be helped. I knew that there probably wouldn't be much she or I could do but, at least a bit of confirmation was helpful.

She did tell me what I would need was a bit of 気分転換 which means a change of pace/mood.

 

In a country where people can take sick leave specifically related to clinical depression, I feel like this is something most Japanese people not only understand completely, but seriously endorse and this is a good hint at why there is usually at least one national holiday during every month (except June and August, which I heard in the month of August they were trying to add in a day). I must admit, I am lucky to work in a public school as I get all of these holiday days off (but of course with no pay). This also explains why most Japanese really take advantage of these and go out and crowd up the tourist spots. There is a real need to get out of your daily routine and change things up every so often so as not to become a complete nut as I have been.

 

I am a bit to blame for this, as I try to avoid actually leaving too far because I can't handle crowds and lines and I would rather save up my money (since I plan to move into a nice big apartment which will need all new appliances) and recluse in my house most of the time.

 

My change of pace/mood/environment provided by Ryosuke★

 

Either way, Ryosuke understood my need to get the heck out of our town and go adventure a bit on our mutual day off (Showa Day) so he took me into the mountains!

 

I'd just found a really yummy black forest ham type ham in the nearby grocery store and decided it would be the perfect time to have a picnic! But the place we decided on wasn't really a place to lay out a blue sheet and relax in the grass, so the bench nearby had to do.

It was a beautiful view on a day that could have been clearer, but probably best it wasn't or I'd be a lobster today.

 

 

 

We had a simple sandwich picnic/lunch and due to my overheating decided to move on to another location. This time, super confused, we picked a place we both had never been to but always saw a sign for and finally took the trip up the mountain! To 名犬牧場, or PUPPY FARM!

It's a puppy mill or something wild, it's literally a big open space where people can bring their dogs (for a small entry fee, same as children and adults pay a bit more) and there are plenty of other dogs that you can see and pet and even take for walks or give treats! They also have a separate area for puppies to buy/adopt which were born there!

 

 

 

There were a bit too many children roughly holding the dogs which upset me a bit, and a woman who was training a dog to fetch a frisbee was a bit rough so we decided the next time we go will be when we finally plan to get a puppy of our own! It was still a really nice time to play with dogs which made me really, really happy and I must say I do honestly feel like I was able to be more positive today as a result!

 

Any time you feel too stressed or over worked or even just a bit down.

Take the time to change up your pace/mood/environment.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Sakura Matsuri + Sunday Date

I love festivals!

 

The food, the nature, the culture, the food, and THE FOOD!

 

Japanese festival food is probably everybody's favorite part and the main reason that people even go in the first place, haha! I am very picky, duh, and since yakisoba is my favorite food EVER, I must admit--Kanto area's yakisoba sucks. Give me my saucy, wild yakisoba from Kansai area ANYDAY.

 

My town's cherry blossom festival holds a very special place in my heart, it's was thanks to this festival last year that Ryosuke and I were able to realize our mutual feelings for each other and started dating a fews day later! Ever since then, I have vowed that I will without a doubt go and make sure that I can enjoy the cherry blossoms with him.

 

 

I just happened to get a sweet selfie stick for less than ten bucks the day before and was just getting used to how to use it with the crowding.

 

So Ryosuke lives about twenty minutes away from the park, which is up on the main part of the town..up a huge steep hill! Considering everyone in Gunma drives, it would only be obvious that we should walk instead of using one of our cars to attempt to find a parking and drive around in circles. I am trying to get into some sort of shape since I do absolutely nothing active apart from going up and down stairs at work--at the very least a hike-like walk is completely necessary. On the brightest side, it was a beautiful day and breezy enough to not be super hot. It really only takes from 15-20 minutes and with a bottle of water, I survied!

 

We arrived at the festival about an hour after it had begun, and typical Japanese style it was already getting quite crowded and fully underway. The first thing that I was super craving more than anything was grilled steak on a stick! ハラミ/harami (tender meat from the middle)!! I used to think that カルビ/karubi(short rib) meat was the best, but the amount of fat makes it a bit--not as appetizing for me but the ハラミ is were the thick, delicious meat is at. Ryosuke got it last year and I followed in my drunk suit, for it to soon become my favorite and most looked forward to snack.

 

UNFORTUNATELY, for Ryosuke, his カルビ was...under cooked and we were a bit too far and scared of the man who served it to really say anything. Fortunately for me, mine was perfect, perfect, but I didn't want to go back to get more since I felt bad Ryosuke had such a bad experience. :(

 

 

 

After that sad bit, we passed through the other side of the park and I bought the most delicious chocolate filled--pastry and attempted to buy yakisoba from a stand which I thought would give me saucy noodles... Only to be disappointed some more by a simple mistake on my part. I decided to get in line too late, I turned around and another woman with her kids got right in front of me--and swiped the last noodles... The woman behind the counter proceeded to very rudely tell us to go somewhere else and that there were plenty of other yakisoba stands... I rarely deal with rude people in Japan, and Ryosuke made a good point of telling her how patiently we waited as we walked away. I finished eating my chocolate filled delicacy and stared at the trees to calm down from a possible blow up on the rude lady...

 

 

 

We made our way back to the main festival side of the park and made our way to a booth that was selling Grilled Chicken, Herb Sausage and claimed DELICIOUS Yakisoba. The booth next to it was selling 小籠包(Chinese soup buns) and pretty flower ice cream. The grilled chicken, was--a bit on the simple side with a good spicy sauce, but the sausage was a bit TOO herb filled and the yakisoba was--not so great. I really wish that I can go back to Kansai area during a festival and get my hands on that saucy deliciousness I have been craving soon...

 

 

Either way, it was a really nice time, and for a festival in my little town the food was pretty good. As with the way to the festival, the way from the festival was also involving the hill. But I feel like the way down was not only a hellova lot easier, but we took a nice long break on some stairs to take pictures of the beautiful view with my selfie stick!

 



Since it only took a few hours out of the day, Ryosuke wanted to help me and make my shelf that I want for underneath my desk to put stuff and leave at school instead of crowd up my tiny apartment. I had no idea that in the main home store in the area you could actually build whatever it was you needed using the supplies you just bought and renting the equiptment. So long as you bring your own materials, just fill out a form and it's free to use as you please.

 

I tend to forget that Japan doesn't have big houses with garages, and that a place like this would be most definitely necessary for those who need/want to build something of your own but don't have the space. We are both pretty new to the build-it-yourself world and were a bit sheepish to the whole experience. Funnily enough, I bought the wrong size of screw and the available driver was crap. But thankfully for us, an experienced builder was in the room as well and lent us his driver as well as gave us better screws (so we gave him our too big ones).



 

Like I said we aren't the handiest pair...so it came out a bit lopsided...woops. I'll take a picture once I've figured out how to fix that problem. Either way we enjoyed the experience and like with the other shelf, we did it together and had fun, so the outcome can be a bit--not perfect.

 

After an hour of hard labor, we were starving and luckily for us only about ten minutes away was the delicious hamburg restaurent 'びっくりドンキー', it's a 'Western' style restaurant, probably supposed to be modeled after hamburger places--with a Japanese twist as per hamburg. A great place for just meat and rice at a fairly reasonable price. Then to my happy suprise, the current campaign menu included Hokkaido ice cream! I chose for the fanciest plate including rare cheesecake and A SUPER DELICIOUS waffle! I'm not a fan of cheesecake so Ryosuke ate that for me and I enjoyed the strawberrys and waffle.

 

 

 

Another lovely date weekend!

 

Thanks for reading!