The bag and box show the name Ginza Sembikiya (銀座千疋屋) which I was told is a famous shop that was featured on the TV recently. Opening it I saw two wrapped whole grapefruits. "Eh?" I said, after it didn't quite match my expectations of a scrumptiously sweet cake or dessert. However after unwrapping them it became clear, the grapefruits were chocked full (and I mean seriously no space spared in the hollowing-out and filling process) of absolutely delicious grapefruit jelly. Yum!

Needless to say quickly consumed. Apparently each one cost 700 yen (4-5 pounds) but well worth it for a special treat.

Amori (安茂里) is the area outside Nagano city where we live, and once a year they have a festival. Considering Amori is just a suburb the festival is surprisingly large and impressive.

The festival takes place in and around the Saigawa shrine (犀川神社) nestled in the trees about 5 minutes walk from our apartment. Leading up to it were a few food stalls around which dozens of children hang out, buying food and toys, and saying hello to foreign-looking blokes (me). For the festival, a metal framework is built around the shrine grounds, onto which lanterns, fireworks and crackers are attached.

Inside the grounds the throngs of people were finding space to sit or stand, and were directed by the many marshals so that they stay clear of the areas where the various firecrackers are let off. You can see this in the first photo, with the shrine's entrance to the right.

At 9pm the performance begun, and lanterns and wooden portable shrines (神輿) were carried in and the lion dancing started. Lion dancing (獅子舞) I'm told is done to pray for a good upcoming harvest - for the rice, apples and other produce in our area - and also for the coming year. There were two types of dances performed, one in a solitary red outfit, and then one with three lions dressed in black, with long cloaks used to move them into various positions. I've been told the fact there are three lions for the second dance possibly represent three separate districts of Amori. Surprisingly the three black lions don't dance in rhythm with each other, instead each seemingly doing their own thing, but the dancing is accompanied with more playing of the wooden flutes and drums, and sporadic lighting up of lanterns and firecrackers around the perimeter.

At each end of the arena there were sets of huge catherine wheels which let out a loud scream as they turned and threw sparks out everywhere. I was just a few feet away so it was pretty impressive. The last photo is a lit version of Marukome Boy (マルコメ君), a mascot for a large local miso company. I have no idea why the relation, but I guess it's tradition that it's used here. Anyhow it's colourful.

Of course there were also proper fireworks sent up into the sky at various points, but without a tripod or video function, and with the partial tree cover overhead from where I was standing, it was somewhat tricky to get anything decent in the way of photos. As a finale they let fireworks fly on wires above the heads of the crowd, which then light up sparking firecrackers up in the trees. These let out huge amounts of sparks which fall onto the ground, and the heads of people who don't heed warnings from the marshals to clear the area. The first time I went and experienced this it was so strange; here are the Japanese, usually a cautious people, doing something that wouldn't be allowed for health and safety reasons in my own country. I should mention though that all around the outside I noticed the marshals carrying and using extinguishers of some sort to make sure none of the plant life caught fire - definitely important considering the location.

In all it lasted around 90 minutes, and thankfully the weather stayed clear.

I'm glad the weather is looking good, as last year it was a complete washout. It's easily the most exciting (and possibly scary) fireworks I've seen in Japan, as at times they fly right above the heads of the crowds, and sparks come down everywhere. Should be able to get some nice photos with my 40d, which I haven't used properly for quite some time.

Amazing, the small things. When I lived in the UK I hardly ever ate baked beans but the last time I went back I had them a couple of times and really enjoyed them. So the last time I brought a couple of small cans back with me as I had space to spare in my suitcase. And so without further ado, here is today's lunch - baked beans on toast!

 Okay, so perhaps it doesn't look so appetising, but I really enjoyed it. I added some grated cheese on top for the finishing touch. I definitely think though that the small cans aren't quite enough for one person (but two small cans, or one larger can, is too much). But I've got one more can in the cupboard for next time I feel like Heinz Beanz.

Went for a quick lunch to Red Pit in one of the many department stores above Shinjuku station. I'd searched it out online as somewhere near the bus stop where I can get a good Bibimbap (ビビンバ). I absolutely love 石焼ビビンバ (bibimbap served in a hot stone bowl) so I went for the variation with kimchi. On top of the rice was a raw egg, spicy sauce, beef, beansprouts and spinach. Because the bowl comes stupidly hot, stirring the dish before you eat it cooks the egg and makes the rice nice and brown. Last time I ate it I managed to catch my hand on the side of the bowl, so I was very careful not to do the same again this time!

I went round the corner to the local CoCo壱番屋 for a take-away curry, and got a keema curry with naan. Nice and spicy!

The prospect sounded good; a pizza restaurant called Fioravante owned by an Italian in a Small Italy-type area of Shinbashi. Unfortunately despite being greeted by an Italian lady and the waiters and waitresses all being Italian, for some strange reason the guy in the kitchen was Japanese. An Italian-speaking Japanese, but nonetheless still surprising for us. Also the service was hardly Italian-like, and wasn't friendly at all; I didn't see the owner smile once the whole time.
 
Their lunch set gave a choice of the pizza of the day - today was potato and mozzarella (a decidedly non-Italian combination) - or either the plain margherita or marinara alternatives. We had one margherita and one marinara as part of the 1000 yen (6 pound) lunch set, which included a salad, a couple of pieces of (possibly yesterday's) bread, and a tea or coffee. So not very expensive, however the pizza was really not very good; the tomato sauce on both pizzas was sweet - as is so often the case in places outside of Italy - and we didn't enjoy either of them. Below is a bad photo courtesy of Mr. Blurrycam.
 
Ah well, better luck next time. I still want to go back to Sciue' Sciue' in Shibuya as I rated their pizza much better when I first went 3-4 years ago. Last time I tried to go, however, it was closed for renovations.

After our late lunch we weren't really that hungry until later in the evening. Beforehand we'd walked through Shiba Park to the base of the Tokyo Tower, so we then felt more like eating again.

 The restaurant in Ebisu, on the west side of Tokyo, is called キムカツ (pronounced 'kimukatsu') and is famous for its tonkatsu. Instead of being a single piece of pork like most tonkatsu, the variation served here is made up of thin layers of pork, with some of the dishes having fillings including cheese, onions, garlic, black pepper etc. Tonight we went for a plain and a cheese, and they come with rice, cabbage (with free refills), miso soup and a drink. They gave us a choice of white or red miso soup, and we both went for the red (pictured below) which has quite a strong flavour. Finally there are two types of sauce to dip the tonkatsu in before eating with rice and cabbage.

 Of course being evening, and with me not having to drive, it had to be accompanied with a deliciously chilled beer! It was quite an expensive dinner in the end, costing 5190 yen (nearly 35 pounds), but we don't get to eat there too often and it's one of our favourite katsu restaurants.

Staying in the brand new (built this year) My Stays (マイステイズ) Hotel in Hamamatsucho (浜松町), which is very close to the Tokyo Tower - less than 1km I would guess. The room is on the 14th floor so I have a great view of the tower. Of course being Tokyo it's certainly not an unobstructed view, but it's good enough for me!

 Despite having been to Tokyo more times than I can count on my hands, I've never visited Tokyo Tower. (Well it's just a smaller and less impressive Eiffel Tower isn't it, and I've been to the top of that.) Anyway I very much doubt I will make the trip up the tower tomorrow, but will instead just spend some time walking around Shiba Park as it looks to have some very beautiful old buildings and structures inside and out.

 Here are a few photos of the view from our hotel room window.