A quick post from Tokyo. Unfortunately, Blogger doesn't recognize I'm an English-speaker, so this post may be quite funny in appearance...

Jo-Ann & I ate our way through Japan after parting from Linda & Olivia in Hokkaido July 3oth. Jo-Ann was taking most of the food photos, and alas! in the ShiroishiZao shinkansen station, she accidentally hit 'delete all' and hoping it can be undone somehow... so my photos upon arrival could have a big hole in them, especially the amazing dinners at the Ryokan in Togatta Onsen. We felt like ancient shoguns for days! One day, nearly the entire office staff stopped to teach us to play hanafuda -- what fun!!

I had my last dinner this evening at a traditional restaurant serving Okinawa cusine, stay tuned for photos and description when I return. I also was FORCED to buy a few more Japanese cookbooks, so some creative dishes may be forthcoming depending somewhat on finding some of the more unusual ingredients. I'm quite taken with Japanese use of dashi, and the many varieties underlying their dishes. Getting the dashi right is quite important and adds the delisious complexity to many dishes. It was also absolutely delightful to have an impromptu cooking lesson from my Japanese mother, Midori, who showed me a delightful way to prepare goya, a bitter Okinawan vegetable - green and hollowed out with a bumpy surface. I was told it is a distant relative of watermelon, and in the gourd family.

Stay tuned for complete trip descriptions when I return. I do try to backdate to log in the days things happened on my trip, so most will be PREVIOUS to this post.

Hugs and kisses to all my friends & fans, and those in the future reading this!

Anna