Takamatsu Station, Gifu Station...

Had some business to do at Takamatsu JR Station the other day...
Why not grab the opportunity to shoot some pics, I said to myself...
The above picture shows the 'Sunport Symbol Tower'...
They used to allow the public to go up to the top floor and the view was really good from there...

This was shot from inside the JR station...
The building on the left is an ANA hotel...

Was at Gifu at the end of October for a seminar...
Slept one night at a business hotel in front of Gifu JR Station...
Didn't have my tripod with me, but managed to shoot a night shot from the window sill...

And the next day, took this limited express train to Nagoya on the way back to Takamatsu...

Fishes... angel, bat, butterfly, among others...

Actually have loads of underwater shots that I need to sort out and post...
I suppose I will have a lot to do after I retire from my day job in 12 years' time...

This blue faced Angel fish was busy looking for food...

A coral trout resting on the corals, posing for the cameraman...

Think this is a juvenile bat fish...
Very shy and 'unsettled' at the approach of the camera... 

And this, a mature bat fish...
It looks like the pomfret fish and I sometimes wonder if they are sold in the markets...

Beaked or Copper-banded Butterfly fish...
A very attractive fish, and it seems like they like to move about in pairs...

Think this is some kind of cardinal fish...
They appeared to be very comfortable hanging out in the artificial reef...

Right below the jetty, a staff member found this moray eel...
Apparently, it tried to swallow its prey but got entangled with a net...

Ferry boats, fishing boats, etc...

Derive a lot of pleasure looking at boats that ply the routes around here...

Takamatsu Port aka Sunport is serviced by several ferry companies... this particular one connects Takamatsu Port and Shodoshima... 

Sometimes the Japanese Navy (or is Self Defense Forces?) boats dock at Takamatsu Port... 

Nearer to home at Aji, fishing boats moor at the fishing port in the center of the little town... 

Always a joy to see the reflection of the fishing boats in the mornings...  

The water surface, still as a mirror that morning...

This orange colored fishing boat kind of like, stands out among the others...

Two mundane views of the Japan Inland Sea...

Am now actually in Gifu city, Central Japan...

Spent a night here after attending a seminar...

Would have loved to rent a bicycle to cycle around Nagara River, famed for its cormorant fishing for 鮎 ayu, a sweet river fish... 

But... there is always a 'but'...

Anyway, just a short post on two views that I enjoy whenever I cycle to work from home...

 

This was shot from 屋島大橋 Yashima O-hashi (Yashima 'Big' Bridge) during one of the low tides...

That table top hill is Yashima... the surrounding area is known for being the venue of a historical battle fought between the 平家 Heike and the 源 Minamoto, two warring factions in the early 12th century...

This is 詰田川 Tsumeta River, which is situated in an industrial part of Takamatsu city...
'Industrial'... yet, 'leisure' boats are often parked by the riverside...
It is but an ordinary scene... I said to myself...
Still, for fun's sake, I had to capture it...

Potluck party with neighbors on a windy autumn's day

We had the honor of hosting the 3rd potluck party for our neighbors last Sunday...

Seven families got together for a day of yakking and for delicious, homemade food...

The wind was pretty strong and the temperatures, somewhat chilly...
But that didn't stop us from having a ball of a time...

First, home-made buckwheat noodles aka soba made from scratch...

According to our friend, the combination was 90% buckwheat flour and 10% wheat flour...
Excellent, excellent taste...

Some salad, oriental style with cucumber, tomatoes, egg, ham...

 Fried dumplings... crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside...

Ginko nuts... peeled and lightly fried in oil, and served with a pince of salt...

O-yaki... in other words, Japanese yam, lotus root, glutinous rice flour, and seaweed fried in light oil over a flat pan...

This dish was new to us and while the dish did not look that 'photogenic', the taste was good... my missus ended up asking for the recipe...

Update for Alice:
(Managed to ask our neighbor about the recipe... )

Grate Japanese yam（山芋）, lotus root and keep aside...
Mix with 上新粉（top-grade rice flouｒ）
Add seaweed (after softening in water)
Blend all ingredients in bowl and make into patties...
Fry over flat pan over some sesame oil until slightly brown...

Serve with some soy sauce...

Braised(?) pork with fresh veggies done up by one of the husbands...

Our contribution... horse mackeral, deep fried outdoors in our garden...

Fire and utensils were prepared by yours truly while the lady of the house took charge of the cooking...

The fish was immediately dipped into a concoction of vinegar, Japanese rice wine, and lots of fresh vegetables...

And left to season for one night for better taste...
I ate the fish whole... bones, fish head, fins, meat and all...

Plus, vinegrette Spanish Mackeral... also prepared by my suweeto haato on the previous day so as to 'enhance' the flavor...

This dish proved to be very popular among the attendees...

The sweets, various types, were brought all the way from Kobe...

Besides these goodies, there were drinks soft and hard, chocolates, persimmons, grapes, and freshly brewed black mint tea...  

We were very happy that our neighbors enjoy the party as much as we did...

And we are looking forward to hosting the fourth gathering for sure...