Japan With My Sister Part 4

Theme Thursday is Roof and Japan has some pretty amazing roof lines. Part 2 contains a pretty awesome roof if you'd like to see it.

Read Part 1 here, part 2 here, and part 3 here if you're at all interested.

Mexican food come to life in the smack middle of Japan.

After Mt. Fuji we traveled together to Tokyo and caught a short ride on the Shinkansen (the bullet train) to Takasaki, a JR line train to Shinmachi, and an hour winding stomach churning bus ride to Kana-machi, a small town in the middle of the mountains of nowhere to reach the small house where my sister lives. At least her neighbors are quiet.

Her neighbors, the local cemetery.

Opening the care package my mother sent her my sister is happy to see sacks of beans, rice, frozen raw tortilla dough, and spices. I quickly help her clean her messy kitchen and living room and help her put away her goods. How we ever passed customs with all that food beats me but my sister was sure happy to receive it-it means I, the guest, got to cook her dinner. I cooked a Japanese meal the first night there and a Mexican meal our second night there out of three nights! Not fair.

The Japanese meal was rather easy, fry up some really fishy fish we bought at Shinmachi, steam some white rice, and make some miso soup complete with seaweed. (It's easier than you think. The grocery store have all the proper ingredients!)

We also bought some inari. Yum.

My sister is a bad Mexican-American because she doesn't like authentic Mexican food. What she craved besides pizza were my mother's burritos, so I made burritos for her to make my mother happy. My sister too, a little. Pinto beans, spiced ground beef, Spanish tomato rice and flour tortillas, I still can't believe it passed customs.

My sister had to invite her friend Rebeca, a colleague of hers from the next town over originally from Ohio. That's my husband's plate and hands. :-) He obviously loves eating.

While staying cooped up in my sister's home while she taught in the local grammar and middle school she once again became upset with us. Being with her nearly 24 hours for a week, we were fed up with her as well. I don't remember what we argued about but it didn't end badly. We ate well and were happy to part.

Matsumoto and Matsumoto Castle.


My husband and I walked up and down the city and took in the sites. Soon enough we wondered to the local castle.

Your roof can't compete with this five level late 16th century castle's roof.

No castle is complete without a moat.

Inside the castle were delicate tapestries, samurai armor, antique rifles, bows and arrows and these beauties-original roof wood works and tiles that framed the apex of the roof.

After touring the most phenomenal castle I've ever encountered, which also happens to be the only castle I ever visited, we were famished. Always interested in eating the local cuisine, different and unique local cuisine and basashi fits the bill. Can you guess what type of protein this is? Find out next time.