Autumn in Japan is a wonderful time. The air is clear, the sight of the mountains is great and the colours are just beautiful. Unlike in summer, when all seems to be covered with moist and the plants are growing like wild and everything appears to form a dense mass within breathing sometimes is really difficult... Now is the time to take a deep breath and feel fresh again.
Quinces, another pleasure of autumn...
Yesterday I made quince marmalade. I guess I have boiled it a bit too long, turned out rather solid. But the taste is great.
The same goes for those scones... why are mine always looking so depressed?
As you know a criminal always returns to the scene of the crime I don't have to tell you I couldn't resist going to that lovely, new fabric shop in Machida again for ample exploration... of course I brought home some more fabrics, but really only a bit. Really a bit. I don't know what's the custom in other countries, but here you normally have to buy at least 50 cm of a fabric. That can be a lot if you can't decide which. Not so at Okadaya. There they are able to cut even 10 cm from the bolt... this opens up great opportunities.
Lingonberry jam and butter on bread
When I was walking back to Machida station last week I stopped at our favourite bakery for fresh "tastes like home-bread". It's the only place to find bread as I know it from home: dark, heavy, nice crust and seeds. Japanese food, if you're open to new tastes, makes you miss almost nothing. But I love bread and really prefer the bread how we make it in Germany over the soft white bread that's so popular in this country. So I am very happy to have this bakery just around the corner. Edit: Meanwhile the bakery closed and reopened a couple of months later in the basement of Tokyu vis a vis Lumine... the bread lacks a bit of its old quality, I wish I knew where the former baker went, I'd love to have my beloved bread back!
By the way, does the rest of the world also assume Germans would eat sausages and drink beer all the time? Sometimes these cliches are just annoying me.
In the same building as the bakery is in you can find an international supermarket that has just stocked up its seasonal sweets... mmmmmh, Marzipan is here again!!! Edit: The supermarket closed, too, a new one in our area opened in Hon Atsugi.
And to confirm that that day was indeed a day of serious shopping it felt alright falling in love with the dotted cup and bowl at Quatre Saisons, a few floors up in the very same building...
Oh my, as I was just checking Lumine's floor guide I discovered there is an ABC Cooking Studio on the eighth floor! Gosh, I'd love to take a cake class there. Suzy from floating world views had made some nice things since she started going there. Hm... will see if I can afford it. Should stop going to that certain place for a while, might help...
One final red and white thing to show and tell about:
The new Cotton & Paint is out and again so sweet!
And inspiring. I bought it yesterday and practically while flipping through I was urged to reach for my crochet hook to start a new project... yes, me, crocheting! Such a fun, finally. Got a fantastic instruction for crocheting flowers about ten days ago and am SO hooked now.
But that's a story to tell tomorrow.
Have a nice day!