New Japanese restaurant in Hefei!!!

A couple of nights ago I went to try the new and delicious and real Japanese restaurant!

My colleague and friend Yuming told me of this new opening, something we both really looked forward to! (Yuming’s wife is Japanese!!). It is located in MingZhu square,  明珠广场: yeah for me!! Relatively close home, extremely closed to the bath where I often go and very well served by bus!

More or less in the middle of Beihai road just around the corner of the Lotus supermarket, compressed between several hot pot restaurants and in front of some more Chinese “elegant” ones, the entrance is quite tiny and if 潘蕾 did not see the sign I probably would have missed it.

[I emptied yesterday my camera pictures on my pc, forgetting I wanted to write this post.. so you must wait next time for pics of the place and the delicious food!]

The place is elegant, very different respect to the other restaurants close by. The interiors are well done, giving a relaxing more Japanese atmosphere, with bamboo, wood floor and wood interiors, reserved and quite private rooms. In the brochure there is a picture also of a tatami room, but I did not see it..

Yesterday it was very well attended by Japanese people, with the waitresses speaking some Japanese (at least basic interaction phrases and the food names from the menu). The restaurant is owned by a Japanese man and with Japanese head chef!! More than I could expect!

About the food, miracles for getting fresh sushi fish are not possible. I could not see sushi or sashimi on the menu (Hefei is a lake/river city, inner land, no good fresh sea fish) but I could enjoy 2 of my favorite Japanese dishes: unagi, うなぎ, and okonomiyaki, お好み焼き, the so called “Japanese pizza” (nothing really to do with pizza!) that I love!!

Only negative about these 2 dishes was no rice together with unagi (if I am not wrong, in Japan it usually comes over rice, so that the sauce also gives extra flavor to the rice) and the okonomiyaki was the very basic one with nothing on the top besides katsuobushi (鰹節 or かつおぶし), the fish shavings and the Japanese mayonnaise. So no beef or shrimps or other toppings.

Final review:

• Price: not cheap.. but not crazy expensive either.. a price worth to pay for real good Japanese food!
• Food quality: very good
• Drink offer: lots of Japanese stuff, with Asahi beer
• Portions: little small maybe

From a Japanese food (and country) lover like me, it was worth trying and I will definitively be back!!

Norwegian speaker in Philippines?

Funny thing today: a recruiter called me offering me a position in the Philippines for a company that needed a Norwegian speaking engineer for their customers in Norway!

I had to say no, but I wonder if some Norwegian friends out there is interested or some past contacts is already in the Philippines and looking for a job speaking their language!! 😉

Leave a comment, I’ll give you info..

If you get the job you can send me some gravlaks!!! 😉

Happy birthday Aiki-freak!!!

Yeah, who else (top left head, in my choking but friendly grip and receiving a sankyo from Sverre!!):

from left: aiki-freak, aiki-cool, aiki-dude, aiki-french

first shot with black belt	whiskey heaven
flying, as usual!	full plates in Zilina

As said, the best with Aikido people is when we manage to laugh at ourselves.. and our art.. and with Svein I shared several great moments, hoping he will visit me one day in the future in China or in any other place I will be..

3 sessions in Wuhan!

Back after a very nice trip to Wuhan where I practiced for 3 sessions. A bit more of a challenge with respect to Shanghai last weekend, where I had one weapon class and 1 hour short training before the club went through the graduation test.

Last Monday my body was aching (muscles and Aikido related pains, not particularly RA ones!). And then during the week the swelling had come back, even if for only the time to scare the heck out of me.. Yesterday the body was ok. Meaning some condition is coming back. My knees were again a little painful at touch (especially right knee, the one that got the big inflammation), but nothing too bad. Ankles and foot did not show any swellnig sign, but then I wonder toward the end of this week (as last week – some sort of delayed effect?). We’ll see, even if I really strongly hope for nothing too bad!!

Anyway, the time in Wuhan was again a really happy time. Besides the good Aikido sessions I mean 😉

Updated Aikido Glossary

After ages I spent some time in updating the Aikido Glossary, adding (finally) some technique names and short descriptions and better organizing the general practice terms.

I am still missing some hiragana for one main reasons: I haven’t installed yet the Japanese editor. I admit though I have also forgotten quite a lot about Japanese phonetics systems..

Thanks to all the reader and the few but good referees!! Thanks Sverre in primis (who’s enjoying this weekend one of my all time favorite teachers, Philippe Orban sensei.. so envious!!)!

Sverre throwing me by kotegaeshi

Have a good weekend!

Some Chinese sky colors.. colors I admit I was afraid to miss, especially after my years in Europe, under the wonderful Norwegian and other skies..

With the good weather, I started enjoying also the Chinese sky!

dawn from home

sunset at work

Time and fear

How much time do you need to pass from good feelings and hope to be able to practice again Aikido at a good level and with good frequency without feeling like an old man, to sadness, frustration, disappointment and again some hopeless fear?