Japan : 浜離宮恩賜庭園 (Hamarikyu Gardens)

En français
After going to the fish market we went to 浜離宮恩賜庭園. There is a 301 year-old pin tree there. That makes people laugh when I precised 301 instead of 300 but that's still true. We walked around and climbed the little hills, (nothing as difficult as Wayna Pichu) and me and Erick went to the tea house to have traditional Japanese tea with a pastry. They gave us the rules of how to drink the tea, that was interesting.

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The 301 year-old tree.

Japan : Fish market

En français
Last Saturday morning we got up a 5am to go to the fish market. I really awake suddenly, I was a bit lost for a while when I realize that the time to go was past and dressed up in a hurry. Hopefully I managed to get there as the others were waiting for me. This market is really huge and you can find all sort of fishes and seashells there. At the end we went to the restaurant to eat some really fresh sushi and a soup. おいしい!!
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Amigurumi : 초고마로 (chocomaro)

En français
















초고마로 is the brown version of 마시 마로. One of the reader asked me a while ago for the pattern to make a 마 시 마로 but I didn't remember how to do it. I made two already one for me and one for my friend but they were different. So I tried to make an other one to get the pattern and I ended up with this version of 초고마.

 Body and headMake an amigurumi ring.
1) 5 sc in the ring.
2) 2 sc in each sc around : 10 sc
3) (1 sc in the next sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 5 times : 15 sc
4) (1 sc in the next 2 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 5 times : 20 sc
5) (1 sc in the next 3 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 5 times : 25 sc
6-10) 25 sc  
11) (1 sc in the next 4 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 5 times : 30 sc
12) (1sc in the next 5 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 5 times : 35 sc
13-18) 35 sc
19) (1sc in the next 5 sc, decrease once) 5 times : 30 sc
20) (1 sc in the next 4 sc, decrease once) 5times : 25 sc
21) (1 sc in the next 3 sc, decrease once) 5times : 20 sc

Fill up with stuffing
22) (1 sc in the next 2 sc, decrease once) 5times : 15 sc
23) (1 sc in the next sc, decrease once) 5times : 10 sc.
Sew to close.

Arms (make two)Make an amigurumi ring.
1) 4 sc in the ring.
2) 2 sc in each sc around : 8 sc3) (1 sc in the next 3 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) twice : 10 sc
4-10) 10 sc
Finish off

Legs (make two)Make an amigurumi ring.
1) 4 sc in the ring.
2) 2 sc in each sc around : 8 sc 
3) (1 sc in the next sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 4 times : 12 sc
4) (1 sc in the next 3 sc, 2 sc in the next sc) 3 times : 15 sc
5-10) 15 sc
Finish off

Mouth 
Make a chain of 3.
Working in circle.
1) (3 sc in the first sc, 1 in the next.) twice : 8 sc
2) (1 sc in the next sc, 2 sc in the next 3 sc) twice : 14 sc.
3-5) 14 sc

Tail
Make an amigurumi ring. 
1) 5 sc in the ring.
2) 2 sc in each sc around : 10 sc
3-5) 10 sc

Ears
Make a chain of 5.
Working in circle.
1) (1 sc all sc on both side) : 10 sc

To make it a bit more  마 시 마로 like you can make the arms a bit shorter.

千年女優 (Millennium Actress)

En français

千年女優 (Millennium Actress) is an animation movie by 今 敏 (Satoshi Kon) from 2001. 今 敏 also directed パーフェクトブルー (Perfect blue) and パプリカ (Paprika)

When she is still a teenager, Chiyoko Fujiwara hide a painter, but he has to escape leaving behind him a key.
She soon becomes an  actress following him to several place where she is acting.
In her old age, a journalist come to interview her. She relates the story of her search for the painter through her movie in different period of Japanese history.

More information and download on cHinKys mOviE sPoiLer
Cinema, Manga, Animation Content

のだめカンタービレ (Nodame cantabile)

En français

のだめカンタービレ (Nodame Cantabile) is a Japanese drama in 11 episodes from 2006. It is based on a manga. There are also a animation series, a special and two movies.
As my friends wanted to go see the second movie at the cinema one of them gave me the drama so that I could go with them and understand the story. Going to see movie at the cinema without subtitles is really good for my Japanese. (I generally remove the subs anyway).

Chiaki  wants to be a conductor and to meet his master in Europe. However due to trauma he seems to be unable to leave Japan anymore.
Nodame is really good at playing piano but she doesn't like to follow the notes on the music sheet.
As they are both piano students at the university, one of their professor decide to make them play together.

Casting :
 上野樹里 as Nodame
玉木宏 as Chiaki
瑛太 as Mine
小出恵介 as Masumi
水川あさみ as Kiyora
サエコ as Sakura


This is a really funny drama. I like the music and I like how every characters are hilarious and exaggerated.
Cinema, Manga, Animation Content

Japan : お台場 and 船の科学館 (Odaiba and the museum of maritime science)

En français
Last week-end I went to お台場 with some friends. It's an artificial island that you can reach by crossing the レインボーブリッジ (rainbow bridge) or by taking a bus boat. We took the train to cross the bridge, maybe an other time I'll try the bus boat.
We went there to visit the 未来館 museum (Japan's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation or future museum) but we were too late to see the shows there so we decided to go to 船の科学館 instead. It has the shape of a boat. That was interesting. I like especially the sub-maritime part and the games situated in the lower part of the museum. At the top the radio control boats were too busy to let us a chance to play with. We also went to the tower to have a look around.
Then we went to have some dinner and to the mall that was a very interesting one with a lot of things to see.

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魔女の条件 (forbidden love)

En français

魔女の条件 is a Japanese drama in 11 episodes from 1999.

Michi is a teacher in high school. She always tries to keep the appearance and to be perfect either for her parents, her fiance she doesn't love, her colleagues or her students. Until Hikaru is transferred to her school and she falls in love with him. She first starts to resist her feeling before making their relationship the most important things she has. But a teacher being in love with her 17 years old student is not authorized by society's rules.

Casting :
松嶋菜々子 as Hirose Michi
滝沢秀明 as Kurosawa Hikaru
黒木瞳 as Kurosawa Kyoko (Hikaru's mother)
別所哲也 as Kitai Masaru (Michi's fiance)
西田尚美 as Uda Kiriko (Michi's best friend)
山田麻衣子 as Kinoshita Jun (Michi's student)
白川由美 as Hirose Motoko (Michi's mother)
辻萬長 as Hirose Kenichi (Michi's father)
山口祐一郎 as Godai Yu (Kyoko's lover)
田山涼成 as Okajima Sensei (Ryousei High School Director)
温水洋一 as Matsuoka Sensei (History Teacher)

I like how Michi learn to do things for herself when she meets Hikaru instead of always following the rules that other people have made for her. I like how she decide to rebel and to never give up. I also thing that a lot of characters have a really crazy behavior. Especially Masaru who can't seems to give up no matter what she does and Kyoko who seems in love with her son. One of my favorite character is Michi's mother, she always seems to know everything that other people feel, probably because she gave up a lot an regret it.
I also like the music in this drama, I also have the OST.

Other information and download can be find on cHinKys mOviE sPoiLer
Cinema, Manga, Animation Content