I enjoyed too much...

This post is also a few day late... sorry. I wrote this in the evening of 14th September.

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Today was the first day of Brighton Japan Festival.

Too crowded...not. The weather was not so good, so it was very relaxed turn ups on the ground.

My stall is located just next to the entrance gate. At 11 am, opening time...There was very few people came through the gate, so I was taking time to prepare and chatting with my an-an followers.

...Then, my followers brought their friends... and they brought more people...

When I looked up, there was a queue building up in front of my stall!!!!  ∑(ﾟДﾟ)

"I heard you are going to be here!"

That comment made my eyes wet... I felt my all hard work paid off.

The first customers on the day was two girls come from Birmingham (!). They didn't come for this event, but they bought two boxes full of my sweets!!! Then, a family come from St. Albance. Mum enjoyed Ichigo Daifuku write in front of my stall and praised a lot!!! Thank you---!

Festivals are normally very enjoyable, but this kind of events are special!
It was an event of Japanese subculture...means quite a lot of my customers are costume players and cute Goth-Lolita girls.
They asked politely  if they can take photos of my stall...To be honest, I really wanted to take their photos!!!

In my sweets, Sanshoku Dango was the most popular one.
Then, followed by Ichigo Daifuku and Rabbit steamed cake.

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Here is a BIG apology from an-an.

Around 3 pm, my sweets are all sold out.
It was my happy mis-prediction.
I will prepare more sweets for tomorrow.

I am making more Sanshoku Dango now.

It will be a bit windy day tomorrow. I will be there with sweets as much as I can bring!
Please be careful not to be blown away!

Finally, I would like to introduce my Rabbits.♪
Cute, aren't they?

September sweets and schedules

Before translating my Japanese blog, I have a big apology.

I am so sorry to issue this translated version so late.
It's not only a day or two... it's a half month late!!!

Awww. I will write English first next time.

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Ta-Dah!

Here comes "Scary September".

This is the most difficult time for an-an. Large events almost every weekends are coming and...the weather is not predictable, at all! so I cannot plan which sweets I prepare for those event in advanced.

I often gaze at weather report and wasting time wondering what to do.

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Here comes September Sweets!

I chigo Daifuku (This month is the last chance!)
Three types of Ohagi (Smooth, Chunky or Roasted soy flour)

All types of Daifuku.

For events, I bake Dorayaki, too.

You will see some special sweets for autumn on the stall table.
Tsukimi Dango and Rabbit Manju- are for Ju-goya (十五夜）, The Moon Festival on 19th September. The full moon on the night will be the best in the year. Please look up sky on the night if it is clear. You will see a rabbit on it.

Later in September, I will prepare some Autumn harvest sweets with chestnuts and pumpkin.
It's so fun to make autumn sweets!
Aww, well, don't mention I put on weight again as I need to taste all the sweets I make. haha.

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Here is the Event calender (sorry, some of them are already gone..)

7th and 8th September（through the Weekend）
Brighton Food Festival -Big Sussex Market
This event is finished. Thanks for coming.


14th and 15th September（through the Weekend）
Brighton Japan Festival　（Anime)
This event is finished. Thanks for coming.

This is a part of celebration of 400th anniversary of friendship between UK and Japan. This event last for 10 days from 13th September. The main venue is in Old Stein Green. Every night there will be some kind of exhibition related to Japanese culture. Most of the events are free, some of them are charged. Please go to the homepage for detail and ticket.(http://www.brightonjapan.com/brighton_japan_festival.html)

I had rally fun time during my trade...well, the weather was very unstable as I expected, though.
I will write some reports on this blog later on. Please watch this space!

To celebrate Ju-goya, the moon festival, an-an prepared Tsukimi Dango (moon rice dumpling) and Rabbit manju (steamed cake). If I could share some of Japanese festival atmosphere.


21st and 22nd September（through the weekend）
Brighton Japan Festival (Traditional Japan)
This weekend is the final of this special japan Festival.
There will be so many exhibition about traditional Japanese arts. Japanese drums and Okinawa Dance...
Children from Japanese Club will have a processions through Brighton main streets in the afternoon. They will carry handmade Omikoshi (portable Shrine) along with Japanese Drums.

This weekend Japanese club also have a marquee full of Japanese hand crafts. If you like to try putting on Kimono, if you want to try calligraphy, or if you want to make a masterpiece with Origami, please pop in!
I have to mention, we run the Japanese school from Japanese club non-profitably. We will ask for a small donation.

If you look up the moon on 19th September, you have to look at the moon on 17th October. It's Japanese' superstition. Your life will be fulfilled by looking at both moon. The moon on 17th October is the harvest moon. So we will prepare a lot of sweets from the autumn harvests, such as beans, chestnuts and pumpkins.
More detail about the event and programs, please go there.->http://www.brightonjapan.com/brighton_japan_festival.html


28th September (Saturday)
Brighton Farm Market
Sorry, we will have a break on this day.
I will have some delivery to Croydon Japanese school and Brighton Japanese Club school premises.
This would be the last chance to eat Ichigo Daifuku this year!

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In the future...。

London Japan Matsuri

Currently, I have an offer to pitch a stall at Trafalger Square on Saturday 5th October. 

Brighton Farmers Market

Saturday, 19th October 

Croydon Japanese School Huruhon-ichi

Saturday, 26th October 

Detail will come later on this blog.

I really hope the weather will be OK on all those dates...

Summer Holiday Homework

So, it's been unbelievably busy an-an. I am almost burnt out...

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No, it's not about Wagashi production.



My son is 4th glade of Japanese School in London,
the amount is just over the top.

I know, it's my son's fault as he left them for all 6 weeks.
...and I know it's my fault as I was approaching to him softly, softly for the past 5 weeks.

Anyway, this week my son and I locked up ourselves in son's room to finish off his homework.

As they are only from Japanese language school, so nothing but Japanese, though...

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This year my son had a homework "produce one sheet newspaper ".
In his textbook, it is made in a group for the classmates. It's a kind of group activity.

However, in our case, we need to collect and complete the whole contents by himself.

... I found out my son is good at taking advantage of his situation.

So, what is his newspaper topics?

Of course, "an-an".
Interview with an-an, one day work experience, and more.

On the other day, my son asked me if he can help me to sell Wagashi at my stole. Then he was going around other stales to try tasters.

As the result, he managed to get the experience to write about.

After the article, he put an interview with me... He just copied what I said!!


In the end, I cannot help looking at the newspaper as an advertisement poster.
I wonder how his teacher receive this homework.

at the end...

Good Luck, my son.
from your mum

Well, it was a bit unexpected result

I have just come back from Shoreham Artisan Market.

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It was a bit of lucky and unlucky.
lucky... the first market was in the middle of the annual Adur River Festival.
Unlucky... Weather was unbelievably BAD.

Other repeat shop owners were very sympathetic to me.
"Good day, yea?"

I just thought, may be it'll be ok.

and... then...

There is a idiom "cats and dog" for a very hard rain.
But, it was more than that. It was more like...as if the marquee was under a fall.
Just one moment you go out, and you are soaked.

I could see Adur River through the entrance. The surface of river was almost there to the top... only spearing less than a foot. So scary!

However, inside of Marquee was lovely atmosphere as we had nice bands playing all day long.

The first band...Jazz

Very nice, but very wet, too.

　The second band...the Pirates!!!

Cool!

I found they hide a gun in the pocket of accordion.

Good singing, funny and cheerful.

Apparently, they are quite famous among the locals.

Third band was a duo of amazing gentlemen. They played anything and anything.

Guitars, violins, a Lute, an accordion and flutes...

They also played Swedish Fork music instrument, nyckelharpa. It has 12 strings as well as keys. It looks like a really long violin. With left hand he hit keys on its neck, and with right hand he play with a bow as an ordinary violin. it sounded like...harpsichord.

I forgot to take photo.... :(

There was a dry spell above us for 3 hours. During that short while some people tasted my strange sweets as well as my Kasutera (Japanese style sponge cakes). My old friend came to say hi and surprised each other  to see our kids grown so much!

There is some thing unexpected findings. I was thinking may be because people are not familiar with the texture of Wagashi, so I made some Wagashi whose texture were somehow similar to Western cakes. Castella (Half baked, half steamed sponge cake. It was influence from Portugal in 16 century. The name come from the area in Spain.) and donuts in Japanese Green tea flavor.(here is the link to wiki=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castella)

Today's most sale come from Mochi. People are not so fund of Green tea flavor...maybe.

Next weekend is off. Instead, I need to look over my son's homework. I don't want to think about the amount he needs to deal with in this 1 week...

Photos

When I realized, I only am chasing kids everyday since summer holiday started...

I have been collecting interesting photos to put up on this blog. As I cannot find any time to settle down at computer,  only photos are piling up. 

So, I would like to show some of photos I wanted to show you!

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Masterpiece of my son and mine.

This couple never learn not to forget about time. 

The sand castle got so big as involving passing by strangers.
By the time they realized, it was high tide.
It went under waves without any moment of photo shooting after completion.

Awww...  T-T

While my son was into the sand castle, 
I found hundreds of mussels stuck on wave breakers. 

Not big, but quite heavy.

Brought back a few and cooked. 
Of course, there was a bit of worry about food poisoning, but it was too good to miss.

Anyway, there was no news of red tide recently.

It was sooo tasty.

Anyway, I am still alive. :-]

 One day, my daughter suddenly found a yellow penguin was hiding in her banana!
Yum. 

My friend from Taiwan live in a near by village. Her Japanese is better than mine. 

One day, she invited us to her garden party. 

Her garden was really "English".

Although I live here much longer than her...

It is my dream to have a real British garden. hum.

Da-Dah!

So, if you recognize this logo, I would like to be friend. 

This has become a symbol of my loving singer Kirisho (Kiryuuin Sho) from Golden Bomber.

He wears Tami-T (White t-shirts with these two stars logo on its chest) all the time.

I didn't expect to meet with this logo in such a "off the beaten track" village.

It's The World's favorite plastic model company.

My son and I found some really exciting bits and excited so much.

Tomorrow...Here comes Brighton!

Today was...very dull day.

And...

Very cold.　（>-<）
　　　　　…Sorry for those who live in Japan. but I really wish if I could bring this cold air to Japan...

I went shopping in short sleeves and short pants today... I got shiver in and out of the supermarket!!!

Where has the strong sun, which made flip flop marks on my feet gone on the camping trip last week?

The highest temperature is now below 20 degree.

It is typical British Summer. 

I read a newspaper article yesterday. It said "30 degree again around August Bank Holiday weekend." Now it would be very slim chance.

Shall I warm up the azuki drink with Tapioca pearls tomorrow? Shall I do the same to Japanese Green Milk Tea with Tapioca, too?

I really don't like the weather focus.

So, let's ignore it and recap what I am bringing to tomorrow's sale!!! Haha!

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Daifuku Mochi（smooth、coarse、or Japanese mugworts flavourd mochi with coarse azuki paste）

Strawberry Mochi

Mizu Yokan（Japanese Green Tea or smooth azuki paste）

Umenoka（I know it's out of season, but this is popular even now.）

Dorayaki（smooth、coarse、or Japanese Green Tea）-non vegan sweets-

Sanshoku Dango　（It is also out of season, but everybody loves this!）

Warabi Mochi with Kuzu

Azuki drink with Tapioca Pearls　（for vegan option, coconuts milk instead of cream）

Japanese Green Milk Tea with Tapioca Pearls　（for vegan option, Soy milk instead of Cow's Milk）

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I will bring all of these on my trolley by train. I will load as much as possible.

I will bring my son as my precious helper.

A bit worry if he will be any useful.

Well, he can smile at my customers, at least.

So, tomorrow from 10 am to 4 pm...I will be at...

Brighton Farmer's Market（link for more detail!）！

Please pop in even if you don't buy anything. I just have fun and chat....well, I just need to earn to cover the cost of pitching the stall. That's all. 

Change of plan (24th August)

The market I pitch as tall on 24th August has been changed. 
It will be the first participant in this Shoreham Artisan Market.
I am very excited.
It will be a bit different market... in terms of stalls and customers... Please pop in to this lovely seaside town.

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Shoreham Artisan Market
10:00－16:00　（It is not long enough, though...）
Here is the link!



East Street
Shoreham-by-Sea
West Sussex
BN43 5ZD


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I am feeling luck of time... due to my kids' Summer holiday.
I really hope if it was 30 hours a day...Oh, well, I will be dead tired before the sunset, I guess.