We had our typical Easter this year with lots of egg coloring and a big Easter dinner.

Watane Market #11, again Suzuna set up shop and sold her herbal teas and handmade soaps. It was a nice and sunny day but also very windy so a lot of the sellers packed inside to set up shop. As always there was good food and music and other performances. Melina enjoyed herself as well and spent the entire time running around and playing with various things. One of her favorites was fishing colorful balls and toys out of a big vat of water. Unfortunately we missed #10, but are looking forward to going to #12.

First hiking day of the year, of a long time for that matter, and also Melina’s first time to really go into the mountains. We went with my hiking club to a mountain with cherry trees on top, but unfortunately we were just a little bit to early for the cherry blossoms.
My daughter likes hiking! She had lots of fun running around and jumping on all the tree roots and down all the stairs, and picking up lots of rocks. I think this year we can start going out hiking a lot more often.

At a park near our house there is a log play house built for kids. There are nets and slides and secret passage ways and toys and blocks and lots of fun things for kids to play with. On rainy afternoons we like to go there and let Melina play and run around.

Suzuna and Melina took a trip down to Ehime during the middle of the week to do some sight seeing and visit a friend.

Matsuyama castle

Jakoten, famous foods

City bus train

Dogo Onsen - Oldest in Japan

Ferry to Deer Island

Anpanman train!

Melina and Suzuna running a homemade Miso workshop.

rice

rice, salt, and miso yeast

soy beans

smashing

mixing

making miso balls

putting them into the drum for a year to ferment into miso

March 3 is Girls Day in Japan. This year we all (Melina helped) made Hina sushi balls.