accelerator pedal off set, hand-made

Downshifting smoothly on a sport car requires blipping (heel and toe) technique so that engine rpm matches road speed rpm when the clutch is disengaged. Because the accelerator pedal aligned deeper than the position of brake pedal in Boxster, it is not easy to do blipping technique in Boxster. 

I bough aluminum plate and wood plate from a carpenter shop and cut them out as designed shape.

To adjust the off set of accelerator pedal, I used wood board with 9mm thickness.

The board was placed and fixed using extra strong double-sided tape.

This is not final version. After test driving, I realized that the pedal was bit wide that conflict affect braking.. So, I have trimed the aluminum plate.

Broiled eel, a real Japanese food "Unagi no Kabayaki , Una Ju"

What is your image about Japanese food?  You may talk about Sushi or Sashimi (eating raw fish). Well those are one of the famous Japanese foods too. However, there are many another unique foods in Japan, and are just not famous out side of Japan.

Broiled eel with special soybean based souse, called "Unagi no kabayaki", are high quality Japanese food.

We drove for Sunday lunch at restaurant placed in the middle of lotus root farm.  The appearance of the building is traditional Japanese style.

We took regular size of "Una Ju" which is Broiled eel ”Unagi no kabayaki" on rice.

It comes with instant pickled vegetable and a soup with the liver of eel.

The restaurant is in a traditional Japanese house.

Unagi no Yamanaka

Bean-Throwing festival

Although today is "Setsubun"  that means the day before beginning of the Spring according to the calender, it was record　coldest day in this season..

Throwing beans toward goblins, that can be seen all around Japan today, as it is a traditional custom that kick out goblins from our house and brings fortune and happiness to our home. .

There is an another habit that is believed to brings fortune.
We eat  "E ho- maki", a Fortune roll, with following steps,,
  Face toward lucky direction of this year,
  Eat Fortune roll without pausing,
 .

 

We enjoyed tasting raw ouster with..........

                   dressing made from soybeans mixed with citrus fruit.

and minced pork meat in bell pepper.
 Bon appetit.....

Pottery class

Good morning Boxs,....   On ice cold but beautifully sunny Sunday morning, we drove to join a pottery class.

 The pottery class called "Hakusan gama".

Every time we visit the class, a lovely dog always welcomes us, she can not wait holding my legs. During the class, she comes to me and weights here body to me,,,, so I can feel her body temperature,, lovely.

My wife paints a baked dish, that she have kneaded and have made of cray, with a special liquid material. This painted dish will be baked again, then the painted material will be melting crystal that coats on the surface of the craft. After this process, color also comes out beautifully.

 I made a small cups for Japanese drink (Sake, Nihon shu). The cray was kneaded and was shaped on the rotate table.

 Here is an another one.

My wife was planning to make a small dish with heat resistant cray, so that the dish can resist by being flamed directly during cooking.
They will be air dried, will be baked until next our visit,  a month later....

Snow Tsukuba, Japan

It was freezing day throughout Japan. I took a bicycle on my way to work. Am I in Northern region...? .  .

Honey Tsukuba, Japan

 We visited a honey farm near Tuskuba. The firm was located at rural country.
 It was closed because it was a holiday.......... well.....

 Then, my wife tried to find someone from next house. An old man came down to us. He looks very kind with smiling face, he looked at and pointed out the car very curiously.
 I have realized that Boxster attracts any people, who is even young and aged. Occasionally they come to us to speak about boxster, that we have experienced since we owned this car.

Variety of honey samples are for tasting. Since ever honey was made of different pollen, the scents of different flowers are sensed by filled air in the the throat to the noses.

We picked up our favorite honeys and bought them, for present and for us. Honey can be used for toast, a little spice of sandwich, and drinking juice.

Yamada honey farm

Autumn colors in Nikko and Shiobara, Japan

All the leaves are changing their colors.

My wife is getting fond of driving 6speed MT boxster, therefore she was against to own this car as we have planned to own one. Well, you know, driving boxster through the beautiful mountain road, who does not like it?

After enjoying driving across the mountain, we came down to a hot spring (Gensen Onsen) among the deep and colorful valley. It heals our splits and bodies indeed.

drive route 90Km, one day trip

Route Map