What a busy Sunday.
First on my list, was a drive over to Shibinai Elementary School 志比内小学校 to observe their 99th annual Sports Day Event 第９９回 運動会.
I got there just a few minutes after 09:00, and the opening ceremony was already underway.
This very long standing school has only 15 students this year.
It was the most intimate school sports day, I have ever been to.
The only reason I know anything about this school, is because my friend Charlie Hamel has one of his two kids, attending school there.
You can see the entire student body in the photo above/left.
Charlie's other kid is still too young to attend elementary school so he had lots of free time today.
He and I, and a lot of the other smaller kids did various things together like; playing catch with a soft baseball and two gloves.
Kicking a soccer ball around and finally having water gun fights amongst ourselves with the tiny little plastic water guns that the school had given out as prizes, after one of the earlier events.
I had to leave before 12:00, so that I could swing by my house to pick up Ikuko, and then drive on over to the Citizens Culture Hall 市民文化会館 to listen to only 3 of the 37 chorus groups that performed during the long day 第５４回 旭川合唱会.
After we listened to the groups that we came to hear, Ikuko and I left the hall, and drove back into Kagura to shop for food, and batteries for my digital cameras.
The weather today is excellent, and summer is just around the corner.
Starting at about 18:00, Ikuko and I had a private 2 person Korean BBQ party on our big balcony.
Of course, as with any cook-out, there has to be lots of delicious all malt beer, to wash down the freshly cooked meats.
Today we roasted lots of beef strips which I marinated in salt, course black pepper, vinegar and soy sauce.
After the beef strips were cooked, they were immersed in 大根おろし sauce and then folded into a leaf of fresh green lettuce.
The final touch before putting it into the mouth, was a huge frosting of hot red pepper paste right on the outside tip of the green food missile.
Then, put it straight into your mouth and bite down hard.
The first taste sensation, is the hot red pepper paste, soon followed by the BBQed beef and it's Giant Radish soy sauce juicy flavor.
As you begin to chew into the unit, the refreshing taste of the green lettuce begins to take over your palate, and you have yourself a juicy mini meal.
This is an excellent way to eat charcoal grilled beef strips, and I highly recommend it.
But,..... don't wear a white shirt when eating this, and have plenty of moist hand towels おしぼり sitting on the table, within easy reach.
First on my list, was a drive over to Shibinai Elementary School 志比内小学校 to observe their 99th annual Sports Day Event 第９９回 運動会.
I got there just a few minutes after 09:00, and the opening ceremony was already underway.
This very long standing school has only 15 students this year.
It was the most intimate school sports day, I have ever been to.
The only reason I know anything about this school, is because my friend Charlie Hamel has one of his two kids, attending school there.
You can see the entire student body in the photo above/left.
Charlie's other kid is still too young to attend elementary school so he had lots of free time today.
He and I, and a lot of the other smaller kids did various things together like; playing catch with a soft baseball and two gloves.
Kicking a soccer ball around and finally having water gun fights amongst ourselves with the tiny little plastic water guns that the school had given out as prizes, after one of the earlier events.
I had to leave before 12:00, so that I could swing by my house to pick up Ikuko, and then drive on over to the Citizens Culture Hall 市民文化会館 to listen to only 3 of the 37 chorus groups that performed during the long day 第５４回 旭川合唱会.
After we listened to the groups that we came to hear, Ikuko and I left the hall, and drove back into Kagura to shop for food, and batteries for my digital cameras.
The weather today is excellent, and summer is just around the corner.
Starting at about 18:00, Ikuko and I had a private 2 person Korean BBQ party on our big balcony.
Of course, as with any cook-out, there has to be lots of delicious all malt beer, to wash down the freshly cooked meats.
Today we roasted lots of beef strips which I marinated in salt, course black pepper, vinegar and soy sauce.
After the beef strips were cooked, they were immersed in 大根おろし sauce and then folded into a leaf of fresh green lettuce.
The final touch before putting it into the mouth, was a huge frosting of hot red pepper paste right on the outside tip of the green food missile.
Then, put it straight into your mouth and bite down hard.
The first taste sensation, is the hot red pepper paste, soon followed by the BBQed beef and it's Giant Radish soy sauce juicy flavor.
As you begin to chew into the unit, the refreshing taste of the green lettuce begins to take over your palate, and you have yourself a juicy mini meal.
This is an excellent way to eat charcoal grilled beef strips, and I highly recommend it.
But,..... don't wear a white shirt when eating this, and have plenty of moist hand towels おしぼり sitting on the table, within easy reach.
