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Recommendation of izakaya in Fukui City “Kunten”

2017.10.10

Gourmet

*Izakaya means Japanese style pub
Today, I will introduce an izakaya which has a little difficult name to read. The izakaya
is located in a corner of Katamachi area, where is a restaurant district in Fukui City.
Those who have visited the Kunten say that everything is good there. So I have always
wanted to go and I finally went there the other day.

 

The first thing that I was surprised when I entered the izakaya was the number of
the menu written on the blackboards. It has gone beyond izakaya and I could call “Bistro where you can eat Japanese food as well” because they have many Italian and French menus. In addition, all of those are delicious. Especially the penne was much better than Italian
restaurants around here.

 

In fact, the woman owner cooks all dishes by herself at the izakaya and the staff is all women. As it is a small izakaya, it’s not noisy and the dishes are served at an appropriate time so I think that it’s a good one to enjoy meal and drink over conversation with friends.

 

It is a popular izakaya, so you should make a reservation before going. I would strongly
recommend the Kunten. It is a really good izakaya. (H.S)

 


The entrance

 


The customers sitting at the counter are thinking what they will order while looking the blackboard menu.

 


An appetizer

 


Tender and delicious seared beef with wasabi

 


The Gorgonzola penne is superb.

 


Clams and shrimps fried in garlic oil with baguette.
I had it with red wine.

 

　

Spreading the charms of Fukui to the world! -Visiting Ichijodani Asakura Clans Ruins Part-1

2017.10.06

Places to visit

Visiting Ichijodani Asakura Clans Ruins

It just so happens that by coincidence I had opportunity to join a tour visiting

Ichijodani Asakura Clans Ruins with the president of the Hotel Riverge Akebono,

Mr. Shimizu, and the intern of the hotel, Ms. Julia Coslian,

the manager of Fukui City Hospitality and Tourism Promotion Office

(the information is only available in Japanese), Mr. Takama

and his staff member, Mr. Juancho Santamaria in June 2017.

 

 

Julia, the intern at the Hotel Riverge Akebono

Julia is from the USA and is a university student majoring in hospitality and tourism.

She had worked at Hotel Riverge Akebono from May to July of 2017 as an intern.

During her time here, she has learned the charms of Fukui and the spirit of Omotenashi

(hospitality).

 

The purpose of visiting Ichijodani Asakura Clans Ruins was for Julia to see the ruins and

experience the charms of Fukui and Japanese history. The town, which was rebuilt,

can show visitors how people used to live in the Warring State Era. Mr. Shimizu, Mr. Takama

and the guide explained the history of the ruins to Julia so she was able to learn why the ruins

were built, who lived there, and more.

 

Let’s see how Julia felt about visiting Ichijodani Asakura Clans Ruins,

and Japanese/Fukui language and culture.

 

Stay tuned for the next blog!

 

T.F

 

 

You can see some tourist attractions and the directions to these places from the webpage, "Hotel Reiverge Akebono, Tourist attractions around our hotel".

Made by Julia during her internship, this webpage has directions that are easy to follow.

She researched these tourist attractions, before visiting them and experiencing

the charms of Fukui herself. As I mentioned in our blog, it can be difficult for tourists

to get to some great places in Fukui, so this map that Julia made will help you

get around easier.

 

There is also a Japanese version of this webpage(only available in Japanese).

However, some of the places which are introduced on the Japanese webpage

are different to the English version that Julia made.

The fifth collection of tanka by Machi Tawara called “I am Mario” (2013)

2017.10.02

Books

*Tanka means a 31-syllables Japanese poem.

I read the book ”I am Mario" sometimes before I go to sleep.
Every tanka is lively and I feel overwhelmed with her remarkable talent in creating tankas.

 


Machi moved to Ishigaki Island from Sendai City after the Great East Japan Earthquake
with her son, who was 7 years old. After a while, she noticed that he hasn’t been used his game machine and said to him “You don’t play a game lately, do you?” Then he replied “Because I am the Mario now, mom.” The book title was taken from this conversation.
Since he came to Ishigaki Island, it seems that he came to think he himself was the game’s main character by spending time in nature.
Here is her tanka about that.

 

“I am Mario now” since we came to this island, my son stopped playing a game

 

Talking of Machi’s son, now there is a collection of sayings on the internet.
And his sayings had been a popular topic on Twitter. He seems to have a good taste in choice of words, which may be because of a gene from his mother.

 

Additionally, I will introduce some other tankas which are about life in Ishigaki Island from the collection.

 

Short winter is gone like a part of paste and the island’s beaches open in March
A shower gets the island wet like crunchy straws are falling
Daily life like Orion Beer is always in the fridge is not bad and my 40’s passes
The day I did snorkeling, I thought humans are creatures on the upper half of the earth
School of fish turns around quickly and smoothly like dropping oil on a mass game
In June, kids of the island practice in a rice field not for planting but harvesting
My son is sleeping with a reward of the day, which he saw a crested serpent eagle
While I can see everything through the eyes of a traveler, I see the blue of the sea

 

By the way, Machi Tawara is a person who has a deep connection to Fukui Prefecture.
Because she used to live in Echizen City in her junior and high school days. Also, she is
a big fan of brothers and a cousin’s band “Kiiyama Shoten” from Ishigaki Island, like myself,
so I have a sense of closeness very much. In Ishigaki Island, she was on the radio together with the members of the Kiiyama Shoten. Currently, she lives in Miyazaki City because of her work but she sometimes visits ‘home’ Ishigaki Island.

 

As for the cover of the book, the work of a textile designer from Ishigaki Island,
MIMURI is used. The colors are very beautiful and bright. The image is exactly the same with vegetation in Okinawa and Ishigaki Island. (H.S)

 

 

Machi Tawara talks about “I am Mario” (Only in Japanese)

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