take me back to Takarazuka

the only plan when i left home around noon was to go for a little walk and see what the day brings. somehow i ended up taking the train to Takarazuka. and i am glad i did. here a few sakura photos from the Hana Michi. i heard some nice "live music" there also. and saw, photographed many dogs and one lazy cat. more later including a photo of . . . Tiger and tony.

later is now and now is just about midnite. and it has been a long but nice sunday. it started with my making pumpkin pancakes. and then my walk and train to Takarazuka. and then the singers, the cherry blossoms, and Tiger and Akemi and more dogs at Dog Run-Do. after returning home around 6pm and helping Noriko with her Father we finally left for dinner around 730p. tonite`s

dinner was at Ichiban Curry. very good. from there it was a short walk to Carrefour (Aeon) for a few groceries. and then home by 9pm. it was Noriko`s Father time again. i think i took my ofuro (bath) after 11pm. now it is time for bed. here is the two cute singers whose names i can`t remember but i think videotaped a few minutes of them so they might have said there name.

also, as promised early . . . Tiger the Chow. and tony and (not "the") Tiger.

Tiger he belongs to a nice woman named Akemi i met walking along the Hana Michi. she was walking with a friend from Shikoku who was returning home by train and highway bus to Kagawa. the 3 (5 if you count Tiger and tony) of us walked back to the Hankyu Takarazuka Station together.

tony and Tiger

no plan leads to new friends

i had no specific destination when i left home today around 1130a. and no plans except . . . to take some nice cherry blossom photos. and to sit under a cherry blossom tree and watch the world pass by. so meeting nice people, cute dogs and sweet children was a bonus. more about them with more photos tomorrow. it took me about 3 hours to leave Minoo but i decided to take the train up to Takarazuka. i remember hearing about a hana no michi (flower road). i found it but didn`t have much time after talking with a sweet young woman and her very cute daughter. tonikaku, i caught the 17:08 train to Umeda where i was to meet Noriko after she returned from work. after finding her in the big hallway in front of the Hankyu department store she told me there was a very good guitarist playing on the steps near the JR station entrance. she had a few more errands to run so i ran to hear some more street live. this guy was very good. i listened to a couple of songs before Noriko returned and then we went to one of our favorite curry restuarants called San Marccos in the Hankyu Sanbangai. i had the curry with eggplant. very good. time to get ready for bed. here a few images from todays no plan adventure.


schools kids waiting for the train home


tulips on the Hana no Michi (Flower Avenue)


she didn`t even notice the beautiful sakura hanabira (cherry blossom petals) falling around her.


sakura reflections


new friends in Takarazuka . . . Naomi-san and Yu-chan.


Cherry Avenue (the street i always called Sakuradori)


Tony makes friends easily . . . Ohnishi-san, Chizu (as in cheese not map) and Whiskey.


three small blooms on a very big tree