Back in March, I mentioned to my teaching partner that I really wanted to go pick grapes and/or apples this year at the Kobe Fruits and Flower Park. So, we made plans to go for grapes during our summer vacation. And it finally arrived! Before going we checked to make sure that they were available, and according to the website, one type was finished, but other types were still available. (and they were the types I was more interested in anyway...)
We wanted either of these! (photos from Fruit and Flower park website)
So, on Sunday we headed up there psyched to eat grapes. BUT!! When we got there, there was a big sign that said fruit picking was currently unavailable. What?! We were so surprised! After walking in it turned out that they were giving the grapes a bit of a break until the end of the week, and so the only available fruit for picking was Japanese pears (梨）I was kind of disappointed because that's the fruit that I ended up having the last time I was there (and that time we had been planning on peaches....bad luck for planning). But, pears are also yummy!
So many types of clouds!
After my experience last time, I got a little bit wiser though. The last time I ended up with a stomachache from eating too many in too short of a time. So this time I took my time, and I found some beautifully ripe ones that were so sweet and tasty! The trick is to look for ones that have a more yellow or orangish color.
The two of us had a really nice time, although it was still quite brutally hot when the sun wasn't behind a cloud! My friend ended up with a really bad stomachache (ate too fast!) but as for me, I just had a little bit, but was able to walk it off. Last time I also ate them with the skin, but this time, I used the knife provided to peel it, which may have helped as well.
hehe
Watching dragonflies
Let's pick and eat!
I actually got hit on the head when one fell down while I was picking another one...this was to commemorate that...😜
She kept taking pictures of me! Make it stop!
Our new friend!
After we left the fruit picking area we ended up stopping at one of the cafes up there for a bit of a late lunch/early dinner (and to try to help her stomach calm down a bit). Once that was finished we wandered around the park area for a bit before heading back into the city.
Nothing feels more like summer than a fireworks display. At least when you're living in Japan anyway. It's an event that draws people by the thousands every time. In Japan, it's also an opportunity to go to an event with a festival kind of atmosphere, and many people get dressed up in yukata or jinbei to celebrate. I personally love firework displays in Japan, because they never disappoint. Last year's fireworks were special because it was Kobe's 150th anniversary, but this year was also special as it was Hyogo prefecture's 150th anniversary. The theme for the display this year was flowers, and as usual, they were absolutely beautiful and vivid. The fireworks went on for about an hour with only a minute of two break between different sections. This year, I went on my own again, and was able to find myself a spot to sit with a really good vantage point!
I'm going to let this video and these pictures do the rest of the explaining for me....
