Art & Macrobiotic Way by Sachi from L.A.

Pumpkin Season has come.

2011-10-03T23:35:00.000-07:00

I see many different kinds of pumpkins and winter squashes in markets now. It's such a treat to make dishes from season's harvests. Today I made this pie with gluten free crust. We don't have to sweeten the pie much to enjoy pumpkin's natural sweetness.

Pumpkin Pie: 21inch pie dish

Crust: (Gluten Free Crust)

Brown rice flour 1 cup

Walnuts 1/2 cup

Rolled oats 1 cup

Sea salt 1/4 tsp

Safflower oil 1/4 cup

Apple juice 1/2 cup

Filling:

Mashed pumpkin 3 cups

Silken tofu 12 oz

Maple syrup 3 tbs

Pumpkin pie spice 1 tsp

Kuzu 2 tbs

Vanilla 1/2tsp

Sea salt 2 pinch

Crust:

Crush dry ingredients with food processor and mix with wet ingredients.

Spread on oiled pie dish and Bake for 15 minutes at 350F.

Filling:

Mix all ingredients in food processor well.

Place filling in crust and bake for 20 minutes at 350 F.

Frogtown artwalk

2011-09-26T22:26:00.000-07:00

Last saturday night, I was at the Frogtown artwalk. It was such a interesting event. I never knew about Frogtown. It's near Silverlake and is a very artchy district. 4 photos of mine are in a gallery called, Starchriot. I have been to many artwalk in LA but this one really I felt I can belong there. Interesting and sophisticated works are there. music, Dj, food, people watching, dancing...great time.

Warren Kramer's cookig class

2011-09-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

I assisted Warren's cooking class last weekend. He is a long time macrobiotic teacher and counselor. I always learn so much with him. Macobiotics is a life study, never stop learning!
This photo is from his Sushi making class. We prepped so many things can go inside sushi. After he showed how to make it, everybody tried making sushi. He sometimes uese tahini, almond butter inside sushi. As a Japanese, I would never think of it. Very cool. new idea! After the delicious lunch, we had a lecture about visual diagnosis.

Autumn has come!

2011-09-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

We have lots of sun in LA. Still in the air, I feel the presence of Autumn now. It is the time to adjust our body and prepare for the winter season. My best friend has been under the weather, coughing a lot. It is true this is the time our body discharge. I made this soup for her. It's lotus root soup. It is medicinal and it's good! It helps Lungs to clear toxins. I hope she gets better!

Lotus root soup:

4 cups of water

1 cup of grated lotus root

1/2 medium yellow onion diced

1 tsp of sesami oil

salt and soy source to season

In a souo pot, heat oil and sauté onions until it becomes translucent. Add broth or water then let it boil. Add grated lotus root, let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add the seasoning. Serve with chopped green onions.

Pecan pie for this fall

2010-08-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

Autumn has come! Well, in LA, we have been having a cool summer. I am ready to have autumn now. I made this Pecan pie to celebrate this season. Nutty and sweet! Usually pecan pie is very sweet with lots of sugar. I made this sweeten with Amazake and maple syrup. It was just satisfying natural sweetness.

I am actually going to Japan to attend Kushi Institute Level 3 this fall. I am going to take lecture from Mr. Michio Kushi, a great teacher and master of Macrobiotics. I am very excited! I like to continue blogging over there. KIJ (Kushi Institute Japan) is located in Kobuchizawa, a mountain region Japan. It is a beautiful small town surrounded by forests and hot springs.

Azuki Kabocha

2010-08-08T16:14:00.000-07:00

This is Azuki Kabocha dish, one of the typical macrobiotic dishes. I made this dish for a client who has weak kidneys. It is very nourishing as well as tasty! Azuki (sometimes spelled Aduki) is a Japanese red beans and Kabocha is Japanese pumpkin. You can find them in Japanese stores or any health food stores.
Azuki beans are very good for our kidneys and strengthen your blood and Kabocha is very good for nourishing our spleen and pancreas. Many people including me love sweets. I ate so much chocolate and sweet baked foods in the past. Those foods in highly sugar contents and baked goods wear out our spleen and pancreas in time. So, it is very good to have this dish for our organs and enjoy the natural sweetness!

Azuki Kabocha:

1 cup Azuki beans soaked over night or 6 hours (Also use the soaking water)
Kabocha pumpkin (about 2 cups cut into cubes)
1" square piece of Kombu
water

In a stainless pot or a cast iron pot, put the kombu then put beans and cover with the beans' soaking water. Bring it a boil. Skim the white foams with a strainer. This will help digest beans better. If the water level reduces, add a little more water to cover the beans. Put the lid on and simmer until the beans are 90% done. Put the Kabocha on top of the beans. Simmer 10 minutes until the kabocha becomes soft.
sprinkle 2 pinch of salt and gently shake the pot to mix the ingredients.

Now I am getting back to blogging...

2010-07-28T15:49:00.001-07:00

Hi! Sorry about the long pause. I know....it has been a long time. I didn't realize...Well, I have been traveling in studying. After my KI Europe training, I ended up taking more extended classes in Japan. At Kushi Institute Japan, I was able to learn many things about cooking since Japanese people are very keen when it comes to cooking. The taste and the presentation is fabulous, it is part of our culture. Learning there really brought me in depth understanding of Macrobiotics.

I am back in LA, doing private chef, personal coaching of macrobiotic cooking. It is challenging to cook healing foods sometimes, but it is always a good education for me. It has been a joy to promote this healthy living movement. In a month, I will return to Japan to complete my level at KIJ, the level 3. I am looking forward to it.

the photo is plumeria flowers in Waikiki, Hawaii. I was there for a photo shoot assignment last month. Such a vibrant energy!

photo work! / 写真撮影

2009-08-31T12:27:00.001-07:00

I photographed the Deshima trio, musicians from Amsterdam. I get to know them from Deshima, the macrobiotic restaurant in Amsterdam. I attended their concert at the summer conference and it was amazing. I had a opportunity to photograph their portrait the other day and this is the photo. www.deshimatrio.com

Also, I finally started to photograph the cookbook today. It was a good start! We worked very hard but the shoot environment was pleasant. It's a long way to go but I am looking forward to the accomplishment!

写真はアムステルダムのミュージシャン、デシマトリオです。マクロビのレストラン、デシマそして、クシインスティチュートで仲良くなった彼らのポートレイトを撮りました。（写真）

彼らのクラッシックコンサートに行きましたが素敵です。生のピアノとバイオリンの演奏は心に沁みました。

そして、今日からいよいろ料理本の写真を撮り始めました。一日目の出だしは好調です。先生たちのお家は日本風の庭があって、とても和やかです。撮影は料理の量がたくさんあるので大変です。頑張らなくては〜。

Beach in the Netherland

2009-08-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of the hottest days in Amsterdam. Apparently lots of people went to sea and there was major traffic jam everywhere. I was in Egmond, a beach town, one hour from Amsterdam helping out the shop here. After the traffic time, we decided to hit a beach. It was beautiful! The water was perfect to swim.

The other picture was the view behind the warehouse that I was in. Radish field...flat land....

昨日は夏の涼しいオランダでも記録的な暑さでした。３３から３５度くらい。エクモンドという、ビーチタウンでお店のお手伝いをしていました。たくさんの人がビーチに詰めかけたために交通渋滞で駅も道も麻痺していたようです。幸い、仕事帰りにビーチに連れて行ってもらったのですが、海で泳いで気分も体もリフレッシュしました。

オランダの土地は見てのとおり、とても平です。これは倉庫の建物の裏手にあるラディッシュ畑。

Flood of information/ 情報の洪水

2009-08-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

It has been nice to attend all day lectures and cooking classes. It will take a while to process all these information. Over all, I really enjoy attending this conference. Especially chatting with friends and teachers, which gave me different insight outside the class room. In level 3, we learn more profound topic and special cooking such as Credo or Non Credo (use your own judgement and 7 great consciousness; macrobiotic theory). For cooking, we had a workshop that we teach student how to make a miso soup. Being a teacher is whole new thing I experienced! I enjoyed it.

cooking class /クッキングクラス

2009-08-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy and am tired, so it has been hard to keep it up with my blog...

Today I had a really nice cooking class with Patricio. He gave us cooking with Natto!

Very interesting! His cooking is just fantastic. full of inspiration! I think some of his natto dish maybe will satisfy some of my friends who doesn't care about Natto. We'll see...

summer conference

2009-08-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

I am in a countryside in Holland, in a forest 1 hour away from Amsterdam. I started level 3, advance macrobiotic Art of life course yesterday. Here, there are about 200 people attending this conference from all over the world. It's a very energiging event! I met Patricio, the head of the Kushi Institute of Japan, who is teaching here this year. He also gave us a cooking class today. He brought such a frech energy into our course!

It's going to be full schdeule till mid August here in the conference.
I will start a day with Taichi or Nordic walking in the forest.

July in Amsterdam

2009-07-30T11:40:00.001-07:00

Amsterdam, here I come! It's in late July, and all the leaves of trees I saw in April grew massive and everywhere I see here is trees, trees, and trees! After 15 hours of flight from Los Angeles, I am still tired with jet lag. But I feel soothed with this green city. It rained on and off all day, changing constantly from shower to shine with a little bit of thunder. It reminded me of Japan.

I like the smell of the rain.

アムステルダムに到着です。初夏のアムステルダムは４月に見た木々の葉が大きくなって街全体が緑に包まれています。１５時間のフライトの後、時差ぼけの頭のまま、外に出たのですが、すっかり、この街に癒されました。今日は、ずっと小雨と時折太陽が覗いたり、雷が鳴ったり、常に天気は変化していました。日本みたいだなって思ってこんな天気が懐かしくなりました。雨の匂いって好きです。

I made this strawberry mousse

2009-05-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

I made this strawberry mousse for my friends. It's so seasonal and flavorful.

I made with strawberry, kanten, silken tofu, pear juice, rice syrup and tahini for the mousse.

The pink / red is the color of the symbol of summer. very energizing, isn't it?

このストロベリームースを作りました。季節のフルーツを味わうのは本当によいですね。

ピンク／赤は情熱の色、これから暖かくなり夏にむけて力が湧いて来るそんな色ですよね。

友達もよろこんでいました。

Apple Pie / French style

2009-05-08T17:34:00.001-07:00

I learned in Europe that French bake their apple pie very simple. They don't have to put creams inside. So, this one is very simple, just crust, raisins, apples and the coating on top!

Simple is the best, right?

French Style Apple Pie:

Crust:

pastry flour (unbleached whole wheat) 250g

salt 1 teaspoon

corn oil 85ml

maple syrup 85ml

Vanilla extract 1 teaspoon

apples

raisins

kuzu 3 teaspoons

pear juice 150ml

maple syrup

pinch of salt

pinch of vanilla powder

Blend liquid well first, then add to the powder to make the dough. Spread the dough in a pie dish and bake 15 to 20 minutes in a oven 350 F. Sprinkle the raisins and fine sliced apples on top of the crust. (You can bake this a little bit, too) Bring pear juice with pinch of salt, vanilla powder, kuzu to boil, add maple syrup to sweeten as you like. Pour the liquid on top of the pie to dress the pie!

Chill and serve.

Desert recipe/ Strawberry Kanten

2009-05-05T23:03:00.000-07:00

I am back in sunny Los Angeles. I miss Amsterdam.... but now I am enjoying cooking in my kitchen, trying to improve my cooking skill.

The other day I made this dessert with fresh strawberries. It was really good!

Strawberry Kanten with Amazake , sesami flavor

ing:

Amazake 1.5 cup , Water 1,5 cup , rice syrup 2 teaspoon, tahini sauce 1 teaspoon, strawberries, powder kanten ( agar agar) 2 teaspoon (5 g)

Mix Amazake and water, then add rice syrup, tahini and kanten powder. Bring it to boil (keep stirring!) Once it's boiled, pour it into a container with fresh strawberries, then chill in a fridge.

Enjoy!

ストロベリー寒天　（ごま風味）

Green flower

2009-04-22T13:39:00.001-07:00

I love this green flower. I don't know the name. There are many of them along the canal near the school. I found it cool because I don't often see a green flower. They are blooming everywhere. The level 2 has left only 2 more days! I enjoyed so much. I will miss Amsterdam.

この緑色の花は学校近くの運河沿いに咲いています。緑色の花なんてめずらしい。名前はわかりません。今この花を至る所で見かけます。アムステルダムの春は清々しいです。レベル２もあと２日で終了です。忙しかったけどほんと、楽しかったです。

Our Macrobiotic breakfast / マクロビ朝食

2009-04-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

This is the typical breakfast we have everyday. Very healthy and tasty! This is Oats porridge with broccoli,roasted sunflower seeds, pine-nuts and Amazake, and Shoyu soup with vegitable. It's best to have a grain porridge for breakfast for good digestion and nutrient to kick off the day.

これは、今日の朝食です。いつも、穀物のおかゆです。とても健康で、おいしいです！これは、オーツのおかゆにブロッコリー、煎ったヒマワリの種、松の実とあまざけ、そしてお醤油のスープです。穀物のおかゆは朝の胃にやさしく、消化によくて、栄養があります。上の写真は今日の午後、調理実習の後、クラスメイトのイサベルとの写真。免疫を高める料理をつくりました。キンピラスープ、ひじきの料理など。

Spring in Amsterdam / アムステルダムも春らしくなりました

2009-04-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

People are having the Easter break for 2 weeks in Europe. I saw so many people are outside in parks, taking their boats on the canals, hanging out in cafes.

It has been nice weather. Finally I feel spring!

アムステルダムにもようやく春が訪れたようです。４月でも雪が降ることがあると聞いていましたが、今年はなんだか春めいていてラッキーです。今、ヨーロッパでは復活祭の長期休暇に入りました。人々は野外で楽しんでいます。ボートに乗ったり、公園でピクニックしたりといった姿をみかけます。わたしはというと、学校が昨日から始まり、忙しくなりました。

Fair later rain / 晴れのち雨

2009-04-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

The weather in Paris is unpredictable. It was really fine in the morning and later started rain. I was in the Cite Island in the morning and later Montmartre. It was just light shower, when I was walking in Montmartre. It looked pretty with wet stoned passages and people with colorful umbrellas. I like the area. It's like the scenes from the movie, Ameli. Avoir Paris, I will leave tomorrow...

パリの天気は移り気です。朝はとても天気が良く、午後、雨になりました。朝はシテ島にいました（写真上）が、午後はモンマントルへ行きました。雨のパリの結構素敵です。幸い軽い雨でした。濡れた石畳が輝き、色とりどりの傘をさして歩く人々を観察しました。パリ人は雨は慣れっこのようです。モンマントルは芸術家が多く住むエリアとしても知られているパリの下町です。映画アメリに登場する場所です。ゴッホもパリに住んでいたのはこのエリアでした。

Avoir Mont Saint Michel / さようならモンサンミシェル〜フランスの車窓から

2009-04-09T15:41:00.000-07:00

Avoir, Mont Saint Michel... These were taken though the window of the bus and the train on my way back to Paris. The countryside is beautiful. As you see here, there are hills covered with grass, farms, flowers and you find oak trees with mistletoe.

さようなら、モンサンミシェル...この写真は帰りのバスと鉄道の車窓から撮りました。フランスの田舎風景は絵になります。広大に広がる草原、畑、花、点在する樫の木、そして綿菓子のような雲。

Mont Saint Michel

2009-04-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

Finally I visited Mont Saint Michel, a place on my list of "Must visit Before I die". Although it was cloudy thought the day and I couldn't see the famous sunset, the scene was still amazing. It took 3 hours of train and bus from Paris, located near Normandy. I love the night scene. It looked like a scene in a dream.

ついにモンサンミシェルに行ってきました。行ってみたい世界遺産の一つです。昨日はあいにく一日中くもり、ときどき雨でしたが十分その美しさを満喫しました。何世紀も前に建てられた修道院のあるこの場所はパリから鉄道とバスで３時間ほどのところにあります。海岸沿いの干潟から1.8キロほど出た島にこの修道院はあります。満ち潮になると完全に島になります。（現在では道が舗装されて通れるようになっています。）夜のライトアップは幻想的でした。

From Pompidou

2009-04-06T23:44:00.000-07:00

These were taken from Pompidou Center. Pompidou Center has the National Museum of Modern Arts. I saw famous paintings from modern area from 20th century such as Matisse, Picasso. You can see the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre lighted up.

ポンピドゥセンターの上階にある国立モダンアート美術館から観た日暮れの情景です。この美術館では現代美術である２０世紀からのアーティスト、マティスやピカソなどの有名な作品が展示されていました。かなたにモンマントルのサクレクール聖堂がみえました。

Saturday night in Paris

2009-04-06T11:12:00.000-07:00

It seemed everybody was out enjoying the Saturday night. I was out shooting photographs around Paris and I saw many people hanging out outside in the nice warm night. Here is the Notre Dam. Lots of monuments in Paris are lighted up at night to show off their beauty.

先日の土曜の夜は写真を撮りにパリの街に繰り出したのですが、人の多さにびっくりしました。何かのお祭りかと思ったほど。暖かいというのもあって、みんな外にでて楽しんでいました。この写真はノートルダム大聖堂です。歌を歌う若者や、楽器を演奏するアーティストたちや、恋人たちで溢れていました。

scene in Paris / パリの情景

2009-04-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

Patisseries are everywhere. almost every single corner of the streets in Paris. This is what I see from my window in my hotel. Parks in Paris are just beautiful. I found the trees lined up nicely and the even the trash bin looked artistic. That is at the Jardin des Tuileries near Concorde.

パリではペストリー屋さんがいたるところに。これは、私の泊まっていたホテルから見えたものです。パリの公園は美しいです。木が整然と並べられそこにあるゴミかごでさえも美しくみえました。写真はコンコルド広場近くのチュイルリー公園です。

Paris / パリ

2009-04-04T06:15:00.001-07:00

I finally arrived Paris, the city I adore. On the day I arrived, I felt a little uncomfortable and missed Amsterdam because first thing I saw was a very busy, loud big city. But when I went to see the Cathedrale de Nortre Dam, I lost my words, stood there for a while captivated by its beauty. It's absolutely magnificent city on the earth. I would say Amsterdam is a charming city and Paris is magnificent with its beauty.

I visited Opera Garnier and the photo is the ceiling of the inside. My favorite so far is the scene along side the Seine river. Romantic and poetic.

お休みを利用してパリにやってきました。初日はあまりにもパリは都会でアムステルダムの自然溢れる町並みや、静かさをこいしく思いました。ですがノートルダム修道院を観に行ったところ、そのあまりの美しさに言葉を失いました。”筆舌に尽くしがたい”とはこのことです。ノートルダムは初めてでしたが、その素晴らしい建築美は当時の集大成であったのでしょう。もちろん、世界遺産です。今度、中に入りに行くのでそのときに写真をアップします。今日、中世に建てられたオペラ座であるオペラガルニエを観に行きました。写真はオぺラ座内の天井画、シャガールが手掛けたものです。素敵でした。やはり、すぐれた美術を観るというのは大事です。

blooming time / 花が咲くころ

2009-03-31T13:18:00.000-07:00

After the rainy week has passed, this week has been in good weather. Today I looked around and I noticed that the blooming time might has come. I see flowers started to bloom finally!

先週の雨模様から開放されて、昨日から清々しい晴れた日が続いています。今日ふと見渡すと木々に花が咲き始めていました。アムステルダムにもようやく春らしい装いが訪れたのですね。

Richard Avedon exhibition/ リチャードアベドン写真展

2009-03-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

After the early morning work in the kitchen, I visited Richard Avedon exhibition at the Fotografie Museum nearby. He is one of the legendary photographers in 20th century who passed away in 2004. His work is highly recognized. I saw his large scale photographs. They are just vigorous and breathtaking.

朝早く学校のキッチンで働いたのち近くにある写真美術館に行きました。２０世紀を代表する写真家の一人、リチャードアベドンの展示を観ました。彼は２００４年に亡くなる寸前まで写真を撮り続けました。彼の眼力の強さは写真に現れており、特に特大サイズの写真の前ではただ圧倒されました。

level 1 completed / レベル１終了

2009-03-27T09:59:00.001-07:00

We had a really nice farewell party last night. We cooked our party dinner. It was such a intense course, but I really enjoyed and I am happy that I met those classmates. We became close after spending hours in classes and eating 3 meals together everyday.

最後の夕食は自分たちで料理し、ささやかなパーティーをしました。集中コースで疲れましたが楽しかった！クラスメイトともクラスと３度の食事を共にするうちに仲良くなりました。

cooking class from level1/レベル１のクッキングクラス

2009-03-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

The cooking class is my favorite. We get to watch how the teacher is preparing the dish or sometimes we make our own dinner during the workshop. It's nice to get hands on. First, everyone was a bit confused but toward the end of the course, we became more organized and had a good teamwork. The teachers are really great. Our teacher, Weike has such a earthy calm energy and her dishes are full of inspiration.

クッキングクラスは一番好きです。先生が料理するのを見たり、実際に夕食を作る料理実習もしました。最初の頃は要領がつかめていなかったのが、コースの終盤では良いチームワークができました。先生達は素晴らしく、中でもウィケはとても穏やかな人ですが、彼女の料理に施される工夫には触発を受けました。日本食を基本としていますが、日本人では出てこない発想があるのです。さすがです。

Dogs in Amsterdam

2009-03-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

In Amsterdam there so many dogs of all different varieties. It seems very animal friendly city. Yesterday on my way home, I saw this Shiba dog, one of the most popular Japanese dogs.

I never thought I could meet a Shiba in Holland. Although his name was in Dutch, he still looked very Japanese. I grew up with Shiba dogs and I love them!

アムステルダムにはたくさんの種類の犬たちに遭遇します。とても動物にとって良い環境の都市なのでしょう。昨日、家に帰る途中、柴犬に会いました。まさかオランダで柴犬を見るとは。名前はオランダの名前のようでしたが、やっぱり”太郎”とかいう名前のほうがしっくりきます。とても素敵な出会いでした。上の写真は近くの公園の中です。

Dairy and Osteoporosis / 乳製品と骨粗鬆症

2009-03-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

I want to share one of the eye opening things I learned; the reason why taking milk and dairy food leads to osteoporosis. First, I must clarify the difference between animal protein and plant-based protein. The difference is that animal protein is hard to absorb in the body as nutrients but plant based can easily be absorbed. Dairy contains animal protein and is rich in calcium, however the calcium together with animal protein can't be absorbed by your body. Further more, it makes blood acidic. Human blood is about PH 7.2, which means a little alkaline. When blood becomes acidic, it tries to balance back to alkaline. As a result, the body starts collecting minerals ,yes, minerals from your bones which leads to osteoporosis. What is worse, there is another factor, where does calcium from dairy food go in the body? It remains in your body as calcifications, accumulating in your joints. Of course that contributes to joint problems.

I never knew how exactly dairy food contributes to osteoporosis until now. Now it's clear! Please take care of your bones.

牛乳などの乳製品が骨粗鬆症を招くことは近年では紹介されているので、理解されてきているようですが、そのメカニズムが理解できないままでいました。授業で学んでようやく理解できたのでここで紹介したいです。まずは動物性タンパク質と植物性タンパク質の大きな違いは、動物性タンパク質は体に栄養素として吸収されにくいということです。また動物性タンパク質は血液を酸性にします。人間の血液はPH7.2くらいで少しアルカリ性なのです。それが酸性になっていくと体はバランスをとるために自動的にそれをアルカリ性に戻そうとし、その結果体内のミネラル分を溶かして血液に入れていきます。そう、骨からミネラルを抽出するのです。それが骨粗鬆症を招くのです。それだけではなく、体に栄養として摂取されないまま残ったカルシウムは一体どこへいくのでしょう。それは関節や、頭蓋骨の隙間に蓄積されます。これが蓄積されていくと当然、関節などに障害が起きはじめます。どうか、骨を大切にしてください。納豆、ごま、豆類、ブロッコリーなどの野菜や海藻からカルシウムを摂取するとよいでしょう。

Morning walk

2009-03-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

We walk 20 minutes to the school everyday. We leave the house around 7 am. On the sunny day like this, I enjoy the fresh cold air and the gentle morning light. I notice that morning walking really activates my whole body (especially the digestive system) to be ready for the day. Now we see these daffodils on the way.

毎日学校まで２０分の道のりを歩きます。だいたい７時に家を出発します。こんな晴れた日は朝日を浴びて肌寒いけど新鮮な空気をいっぱい吸いながら歩くのは気持ちいいです。朝のウォーキングはよい一日の始めですね。体の器官（特に胃腸系）の活動を助けてくれます。今、水仙が咲いています。

Macrobiotic Lunch

2009-03-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

One of my discoveries since I started to eating here is how tastefully you can cook Tempeh . I never liked Tempeh because it has a distinguished bitter taste. Since I have started eating here, I've had a good amount of Tempeh dishes. They are all great! Especially this one, deep fried Tempeh; Tempura style is my favorite. According to a teacher, Tempeh releases the bitterness if you pan fry or deep fry it. It makes sense. People eat Azuki bean rice a lot here. But they know Japanese people usually only eat the dish in special occasions. It's such a delicious dish. Brown rice with Azuki beans is a wonderful combination for nourishing our kidney.

ランチでテンペの天ぷらがでました。大豆を醗酵させた食べ物テンペは通常、独特の苦みがありあまり好きではないのですが、ここで出てくるテンペを食べてそのイメージは一転しました。テンペ、大好きです。ソテーしたものや、油で揚げてあるもの様々ですが、中でもこの天ぷらのテンペが美味です！先生に聞いたところ、テンペの苦みを取るにはソテーするか油であげるとのこと。勉強になりますね。ここにでているあずきと玄米の御飯もおいしいです。オランダ人の先生は日本で赤飯を特別のお祝いのときに食べるのを知っていましたが、ここでは常食としてよく食べるのだそうです。玄米とあずきは素晴らしい食べ合わせです。特に腎臓をきれいにし、栄養を与える作用があるのです。あずきごはんを食べましょう。

Sunny day in Amsterdam

2009-03-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

It's finally getting warmer. Today Saturday, people are out riding boats, having teas, walking by the canals. Because of lot of rainy and misty days in the Netherlands, when sun comes out, everybody is outside enjoying the pleasant moment. By the canals, you can see hundreds of beautiful houses with interesting structures. Some of them are built back in 17 century.

This is a canal near the school. We had a little break after lunch to enjoy the sun.

今日は、やっと暖かくなってきた春の兆しを感じられる日でした。今日は土曜日で人々はカナルでボートに乗ったり、お茶したり、カナル沿いを散歩したりしていました。ここオランダでは雨の日や霧の日が多いので、陽が出て来ると、みんな待ち望んだように外に出て楽しみます。カナル沿いにはたくさんの美しい建物がありますが、屋根の形をみればわかるように、それぞれユニークでかわいらしいです。１７世紀に建てられ今日まで補修されて残されている建物もたくさんあり、歴史を感じます。古きを大切にするこの土地の人々のスピリットが伝わってきました。この風景は学校のすぐ近くのカナルです。あまりにも外が晴れて美しいので少し、外に出て日光浴を楽しみました。

busy school days

2009-03-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

The past two days was really busy schooling. Today I had a class from 7:30 am till 10pm!

I am tired but in good spirit. The macrobiotic food gives me substantial energy and the lectures about the philosophy gives me inspiration and vitality. We had a dessert fiesta @ lunch time for celebrating one of our class mates. The desserts are incredibly tasty! The other photo is me @ home relaxed, making tea. I hope I can report you more tomorrow. I must go to bed...I have been waking up 6 am. good night.

この２日間はかなりのハードスケジュールでした。そしてまだまだ続きます。でもマクロビ食を食べ、その哲学を勉強するのは、心身ともに喜びを感じています。今日のランチにクラスメイトのお誕生日のお祝いでみんなでデザートをいただきました。（もちろん、全部、マクロビですよ）学校にあるレストランのデザートはすごくおいしいんです。（卵、乳製品、砂糖全て入っていません）下の写真は家でリラックスしてお茶を入れているところです。もう寝なきゃ。明日も一日中です。そして、６時起き。おやすみなさい。

The class

2009-03-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

The course is really intense and I have been busy non stop. The teaching is really great. We learn both of the theory and practice such as cooking, Shiatsu.

The photo is from the cooking class. The meal here is unbelievably delicious!

For example, today's lunch was Sauteed tofu, Nori-tenpura, Brown rice, Lentil soup.

The cooking class was the basic macrobiotic food such as Nishime and Kinpira. The simple cooking is the most essential on Macrobiotics.

In the Shiatsu class, we learned the large and small intestine meridians on our shoulders and worked on as partners.

このコースはとても集中しているので毎日休まず忙しいです。論理と、料理、指圧といった実技を両方教えてもらえるので最高です。写真は料理クラスの模様です。ここの御飯は最高においしいです。今日のランチはとうふのソテー、のりてんぷら、玄米、レンティルスープなどでしあ。料理教室は煮しめや、きんぴらなどの日本の代表的な料理を習いましたが、マクロビではシンプルな基本的な料理の習得が一番大切なのです。指圧のクラスでは小腸、大腸の経絡がある肩の指圧を学びました。

My first Miso soup

2009-03-15T06:48:00.001-07:00

I made my first miso soup! We have a communal kitchen on the floor and it has a lot of the Macrobiotic ingredients such as miso, shoyu, konbu and so on. After 3 hours of walking, a bowl of miso soup, I made with Haccho miso, was perfect for me.

最初のみそ汁を作りました。お家には共同のキッチンがあり、お味噌や、醤油、こんぶなどあらゆるマクロビの材料が揃っています。八丁みそで作ったみそ汁です。おいしかった。

The City, Amsterdam

2009-03-15T06:19:00.000-07:00

Amsterdam has beautiful canals run through the city. When it's sunny, the brick buildings reflect on the water gives the charm. On my way to the downtown, I came across the flower stands filled with flowers and of course, tulips! They are blooming now. Tulips bloom when it's still cold. I have never seen so many kinds and colors of tulips in my life. Needless to say, I saw so many signs of Heineken on the streets.

アムステルダムにはたくさんの水路が通っています。晴れた日はレンガ作りの建物が水面に反射して美しいです。ダウンタウンに行く途中、フラワーマーケットがあり、たくさんの花とオランダならではのチューリップがたくさん売られていました。こんなにたくさんの種類のチューリップがあるなんて。。。今はまだ寒いのにチューリップは咲き始めています。寒い時期に咲く花なのですね。言うまでもなく、オランダが誇るビール、ハイネケンの看板がいたるところにありました。

Amsterdam

2009-03-14T09:52:00.001-07:00

Here I am in Amsterdam! After a light shower, it has remained cloudy and yeah, it's chilly. This is right outside of the house I am staying. Very European! When I go inside, there is a really steep stairs. It's very common here. Amazingly, these buildings are all connected. I am staying on the 3rd floor.

アムステルダムに到着です。少し小雨がぱらつきましたが、今外は曇りで肌寒いです。これは滞在先のお家の外の風景です。ヨーロッパって感じです。建物の中に入るとすぐにとても急な階段がある（階段しかない）のですが、これはアムステルダムならではだそうです。しかもこれらの建物は全て、横に繋がっています。私の部屋は３階。

the course is called, "The Art of Life School".

2009-03-12T01:02:00.000-07:00

Kushi institute, Europe provides several courses. The course called the Art of Life School is the most intensive 2 weeks session. The class starts with a morning exercise called Do-in and it continues till 19:30 which ends with dinner. Yes, it all includes 3 meals as the part of class! They are the teachers, Adelbert and Wieke Nellssen. They have been teaching macrobiotic way of life for 30 years. They look nice people:-)

私がマクロビを勉強する学校、ヨーロッパのクシインスティチュートはアムステルダムにあります。私の取るコースは２週間刻みの集中コース。その名も”アート　オブ　ライフ　スクール”、まさにマクロビは日常生活におけるアートなのですね。クラスは朝のどういんという

エクササイズから始まり、１９時半の夕食の時間で終わります。そう、３度の食事もすべて授業の一環なんです。このお二人が先生です。いい人そうですね。

I am going to Amsterdam in 5 days!

2009-03-09T00:58:00.000-07:00

I am going to Amsterdam in 4 days! I am nervous and excited. I have been to Europe once in the summer '95 when I was learning French in college. It has been 14 years since...

According to the weather.com, it seems as cold as Japan right now.

Hopefully, it will bring me spring soon!