Apples

Eye on the ball?

Today we had another easy day.  The morning was spent having a late breakfast all alone.  I haven't really explained the set up in this B and B.  It isn't what I would call a regular B and B, more a homestay.  Mrs Kimura is an admin person at the local elementary school (they went back last Tuesday) and Mr Kimura used to be a national gymnast - there are news clippings and momentos of his time being a gymnast all over the house (you would never guess it now to look at him).

Winding up to pitch

They live in an absolutely MASSIVE house, there are rooms absolutely everywhere and it is typically Japanese - in that there are sliding doors and the layout doesn't quite make sense e.g. the shower room  is immediately adjacent to the kitchen - and it is only a blind that separates the two (modesty isn't as important in Japanese houses).

Mt. Iwaki from Hirosaki

The house is comfortably messy - i.e. there are piles of stuff everywhere, momentos everywhere, the furniture is haphazard, nothing matches, all manner of stuff on the walls, but it makes it friendly and comfortable.  In our room we have a fridge and outside we have a microwave and another fridge /freezer and she has provided plates, cups, glasses, cutlery, chopsticks etc, meaning we can heat stuff up and eat it in if we wish, which is a godsend as we are next door to a massive supermarket selling great and cheap food.  As you know we are in a massive room, next door to us is a room which has 'Private NHK' on it.  It is basically the local office for NHK translation services (we think).  Downstairs, there is an office where more people work.

Basically people are in and out all day, sometimes people bring their children with them whilst they work and the kids just hang out downstairs.  We don't have a key to the house because the house is never empty, even if it was I don't think they would ever lock it.  I wonder if there is even a key?  Matt says there is a plaque outside the house saying Aomori Prefecture Gymnastics Association - so that is happening here as well. It is a community hub, all very friendly.

Apples - symbol of Aomori Prefecture

They said that they set up the B and B business after their two children left - a big house, too quiet etc and they like meeting people.  They are certainly friendly.  Their daughter is married to a Finn and living in Finland and their son went to Oxford University and is married to a Japanese lady, they live in Tokyo, so I guess they have a new family of workers and B&B guests to keep them happy and the place busy.

We aren't sure if they ever sleep, we tend to leave them by the telly around 10/11pm and today when Matt got up for the toilet at 5.45, he could hear them up already.  They must think we are really lazy!!!!

Anyway, I digress, we had breakfast and then headed out to the park for a spot of baseball.  It is hotter today so we did everything a little slower.  We got back to the house, got our day sacks and headed out for the bus to Hirosaki Station, from where we were to get the bus to the Ringo Kōen, or Apple Park.  This place is the biggest apple producer in Japan and very proud of them.  We got there and found out that we missed the bus by 1 minute (and of course being Japanese, the bus left on time!)  The next bus was in 2 hours time - no!!!!!!  Matt made a pained expression to the lady in the information booth, so she told us about another bus we could get which drops us 5 minutes walk away - hurray.  We still had to wait about 40 minutes, but way better than 2 hours!

Carefully picking apples

Tom's 3 fruit

We arrived at the Apple Park at noon.  It was hot, and as seems to be usual, it was empty, almost ghostly empty.  It was open though.  From the park is a lovely view of the local mountain, Mt Irwaki, it is a bit like Fuji in that it is a perfectly triangular mountain.  However, we haven't seen it in its full splendour since arriving in Hirosaki because it has had a hat of cloud on it.  We were hoping today would be different, not the case, it stubbornly held on to its clouds!!!!

After admiring the view, we headed to the cafe where we had been promised all sorts of apply based treats.  We weren't disappointed, we all chose the same: apple katsu curry.  The katsu was slices of apple, wrapped in thin slices of pork and dipped in egg, panko  and deep fried.  They tasted really good and the curry was full of apple too.  It came with a salad: cabbage and apple, with 3 different apple dressings to choose from.  All this was washed down with...apple juice and it was all delicious.  We were going to have apple pie for pudding, but we were all too full - shame.

We then went to do some apple picking.  Apple picking season starts in late August, so we were there just in time.  We were limited to 3 apples each, not a problem, we wouldn't be able to eat anymore!  We were taken down to the orchards and told where we could pick them from (only the one variety was on offer: Miki Life) and how to pick them.  You don't twist them, you gently yank them.  They were a beautiful apple: plump, nice and red, perfectly formed.  They were pretty cheap too - for 9 huge apples we paid approx £4, would be more in the UK, I'm sure.

We then went for a wonder around an old thatched building and Tom went to play in the children's playground.  There was supposed to be a children's apple experience corner with games etc, but it wasn't open.  Oh hum, never mind, there was plenty of green grass for Tom to run on and play with his cricket ball so he was happy.  We sat down and ate an apple each, they were very juicy and sweet, very lovely indeed.

Apple tree

We then got the 2 buses back to our B and B, did a quick shop in the supermarket - including some more of that good cider and then had some down time before tea.

For tea we went to sushi go-round with the shinkansen just down the road.  It was fun, but the quality of the sushi was nothing on the quality we enjoyed in Sapporo.  Here you could get lots of 'novel' sushi - hamburger sushi, hot dog sushi, roast beef sushi etc as well as all the normal stuff. My favourite was ebi sushi with avocado, mayonnaise and onion.  Once again not traditional, but really yummy.

Then back home for an early bed for Tom (he's way behind with sleep) and downstairs for us to drink our nice Japanese cider and to chat to our hosts.

Farm Workers enjoying their produce