Got together with wifey around 7pm after work.
Not much of big deal... just family gathering and dinner. Hahaha.
Went out to dine over some drinks for sure!



Usual small Italian place and we started sparkling wine.



Menu was seemed being renewed. Confirmed so with shop manager afterward.





PORK dish. This is "not to miss" at this place. My recommendation!



Pasta wasn't on the menu before. Brand new... but this was really good!

What we talked over the dinner? Good question.
I tried to convince her about next watch... two opinions never aligned even after making some efforts. Hahaha.
Not agreement or anything. Just different idea.

I am still after PANERAI 8 days.
She insists that I should go for FRANCK MULLER Marina.
Hmm. Hahaha.

Franck Muller - Mariner



Panerai 8 Days



Fun family discussion though. Must be part of the routine!

No particular plan for the day - though, MoonFlower and I had a train ride to Shinjuku.
Stopped by a small cafe located underground, not too far from Isetan department store.
Not first time... but still second.

For what? My favorite stuff can be found here.



French toast!



Pancake is much popular and center of trend here... but I do not care.
I like what I like... what else!

After filling out the wants out of stomach... went into Isetan for filling out the wants out of wrist?
Hahaha.
Didn't buy anything though.



Royal Oak was maintained a bit...
One screw at push bottom within the buckle was loose. So tightened it up for me.
Good! Mission is complete!

Didn't buy really nothing for me and MoonFlower and we simply came home afterward.



Home dinner & drinking just began.
Canned sparkling wine - we picked up at local super market.
Interesting stuff, really.



Taste okay... not that bad.



Better open a bottle because canned wine was not sufficient.
Not full bottle tonight. Just half one.
Haut-Medoc one.







Japanese food with wine...



Even more... Japanese egg omelette.



Plus, strawberry pudding from Senbikiya - famous and expensive fruit parlor.
Actually, this was quite good!

This was great to conclude a weekend like that. Just like that...

New week - yet 2nd week of the month.
Work was work... no surprise and nothing for today. Hahaha.
Well, peace around me still.



My dessert is still coming from yesterday's Atelier Kohta.
Not only big strawberry dessert plate... but cake last night...
And then, financier.



This is great, too. Enjoyed this much with a cup of coffee.
Perfect after supper tonight.

Big task tonight other than finishing such sweets... shoe shining!



Before...



After finished shining... can you see the difference???
I cannot tell too much.



In details... still seems to be the same. No change...
Aren't they???

Though, it was a quite exercise for me. Lots of work by hand!!!
My right shoulder is now quite sore. Really.
Could be a big pain by tomorrow... will see.

Kagurasaka - near Waseda or Shinjuku.
Rare place for me to be...
MoonFlower and I happened to be there because of some ceramic exhibit.

That exhibit was quite small and it didn't take too much time.
Thereafter, we walked around to see things... and found this place.

Called Atelier Kohta. Seems to be quite famous.





Big strawberry dessert plate for 1,200 yen.



LOVE strawberries... cannot resist... Hahaha.

MoonFlower was happy with the food and we both like to come back again.
Good finding for sure.

Not house glass tonight.
MoonFlower agreed with me to go for a bottle.
Of douse, we made a choice by etiquette.







Yes, I was at bar even after midnight... This is proof!

Big and heavy snow is finally gone!
It dumped quite large amount of snow... accumulation of 30 cm or even more!
1st thing to do for the day is nothing but snow shoveling.

Yeah, have to dig my Alfa Romeo out of snow!!!







Took me several hours to finish the job!
Heavier work than anticipated. Really.
As a result, that became the only activity for the day! Hahaha.

Snow remains everywhere and not good idea to drive on the street for sure.
Particularly, my Alfa Romeo wears only normal tires. Hahaha.



No more Japanese beer? Instead, "King of Beer" came along with supper.
Though, shocking moment.
It didn't have any taste!

I am so used to Japanese beer for a long time and didn't tastee any American one for years.
Compared to Japanese one, Budweiser tastes like nothing.
Too bad that I won't go for Budweiser again.



Fancy supper came after. Good stuff, really.
Good exercise from snow shoveling and fantastic supper.
No complaints. Hahaha.

Showed up to Ueno - kind unusual place for me to show up.
For what purpose?
Came to see a little play which friend Amy did play a role. Cool.





"Theoretical Love" is the title of play.
It was a great contrast highlighted in the play - different between how man / woman thinks.
I loved that show. Pretty cool.

Amy played some lady in old period. Saw her to act in play for the 1st time.
She did great.
I just cannot imagine that I myself would do such... acting.

Dinner was with MoonFlower at Italian restaurant nearby.









Not big dinner... too much.

Monthly event - for family gathering, drove down to Chiba in the morning.
Later than planned... well, I was LATE.
Leaving the house late and driving Alfa Romeo into mildly-congested traffic. Hahaha. True, though.

Overall, MoonFlower and I arrived her mother's place one and a half hour later!
Typical? We're always slow and not punctual???

Anyway, went to cemetery for prayer. Of course, we cleaned that place up right before.

Then made a stop-by at Italian restaurant for lunch.



Very fresh salad... MUST for me to eat before anything else for each meal.



Pasta as entree. Too much garlic... which I usually stay away... but didn't today.
Too much carbohydrate. Yeah, I should be careful about this, shouldn't I?



Maybe this post is not making sense too much. Let me explain.
After meal, we went DIY shop for shopping.
For laundry hanger - price w/o tax is 815 yen or about 8 dollars.

With tax 5% (current until end of March), 855 yen
With tax 8 % (April and beyond), 880 yen

Yeah, Japan is facing the consumption tax increase from 5 to 8% by 3%.
Big impact, huh.
Now driving housewives crazy about what to buy before to save more. Big problem.

On top of that, we look at another increase by 2% within 2 years!!!
Are we sure that Japan's economy --- growth currently perceived is really sustainable?
I doubt about it.



Another carbohydrate for supper! Too much? Or just right?
Well, at least I walked the dog for energy consumption.



Main dish was crab!!!
Another year-end celebration were just around the corner!!!
Good stuff.

I will slow down a bit tomorrow for sure.

I was late to meet friends after work!!!
Work got delayed... due to prolonged meeting with client.
Whose fault is it???

Anyway, my destination for the night was Asakusa - popular sightseeing place for foreigners.



Very Japanese place... small but cozy?



Famous Kama Meshi food



Big bowl of steamed rice.



Who came?
Tetsu and Yoshio - friends who is ex-coworkers... we used to work together!
So you can easily imagine that the talk was quite endless and too many topics to be covered only today.
Gotta be another chance... and will be so for sure.



Perfect shooting moment... on the way back to the Asakusa Station.
Not really sober... (probably not at all!) - picture turned out to be okay... not shaken too much. Hahaha.
Cool, huh!

Now weekend quietly begins. Tranquility.

This morning, MoonFlower insisted that we should walk as exercise.
Taking that into the account, we decided to have late breakfast, better call it brunch, at cafe.
Previously, we went that place once and bought breads.

MF really liked those and made her mind about going in to cafe next time.

Walked about 20 minutes or so.
Measured the distance on Google Maps and found it 1.5 kilometers.
Not bad walk, I guess. Though, not that much of exercise. Hahaha.



Pretty fancy interior.



Better remove those shelves so that clear view through the window...



With 1,200 yen it was good pot‐au‐feu or soup with vegetables.
Good taste. Loved it.
Varieties of breads also came along. Plus, small dessert and coffee.

Cannot find solid fact how come this cafe has no customers at noon.
MoonFlower and I were only customers in the cafe then.
This place is not going to be open for long time hereafter?

We made visit twice and no other customers… never seen other customers!
Will visit one more time to see.
Good food in nice atmosphere… can be very popular place!

Late afternoon, our new year party kicked off!
7 of us got together to celebrate…
Could be more of us… too bad that those who missed. Maybe next time.





After eating lots of foods, calory consumption was mandatory and we went in to Karaoke.
See!
Hahaha.