nice pictures!
Happy new year!

Happy New Year! Very interesting as usual (seriously, I find your Japanese stuff quite interesting!) Sorry about French dude... he should have been a little more patient.

Back to work here even with presidential funerals...

TK

Fabulous as usual!!

Shigeki-san, wishing you "ake-mashite-omedetou-gozaimasu"!!!!!

P.S. I hope I got that right!!

Hey - I have always believed in tradition and it is really positive to see that you still practice them! Good on you!! and I find it really cool that you have been to the church, shito shrine and the buddhist temple!! You are one hell of a guy and I hope you find that boyfriend of yours...... :-)

You made roast beef and duck from scratch? Now you are ready to become a house-band, Shigeki. The French guy doesn't know what he's missing. :-) Good food, good traditions, good year ahead!

B*tch so cute!!!!

Ahhhhhh, Jack. How is he doing? I haven't talked to him in year's. :-)

I'm very happy that you follow traditions with your family. (Even if you don't feel like doing so). Families are very important. Your mother put so much work into the preparations of food, it must be very important to her.

I would like to ask you for your receipes for the duck and roast. They look delicious! Do you use a marinade on them?

Thank you for sharing your New Year's Day with us. :-)

wow, 2 temples and a church before breakfast! the food looks great! happy new year!

アケオメ！コトヨロ～

I miss being in Shimane. So many families would invite me over to eat crab and osechi. I don't know if their osechi was homemade like yours, but I'm impressed that your parents still carry on the traditions in the modern age of convenience. I called my dad in Bangkok and he was in the middle of giving alms to the monks. I called Tammy, too--she's the one who told me about the bombings. I was so shocked, but I'm thankful no one in my family was at the bomb sites. World peace is a wonderful thing to wish for. I hope Kannon-sama was listening to you.

Happy New Year :-)

It's great that you and your family still do traditional things. If nothing else you guys just get to spend time together.

Imagine if you really got a bf called Jack Daniels :P

Hi JC,

Welcome to my site, I believe. Thanks very much. Happy New Year to you, too!

Hi TK,

Happy New Year to you, too! Well, it's all my fault that the french guy had to leave me. I was so focusing on my work but that happens to many of us. :-* Oh well that you had to work yesterday! have a fantabulous Thursday!

Hi TigerYogi,

Thanks very much. And Thank you very much for the PERFECT happy new year greeting in Japanese! Yes, you got it right! Have a fantabulous Thursday!

Hi Ian,

The main reason why I did these is because my dad force us to do things. Even though they are liberal, they take traditions very very seriously. It's really really starving to go to all that before the breakfast though. You have a fantabulous Thursday!

Hi Mark,

Yes, I made them from scratch. it's not actually that difficult. :-) Well, the French guy does deserve someone who is more available for him than me so that's totally okay. :-) You have a fantabulous Thursday!

HI Wayne,

Really? when she tries to ignore me, I don't find her cute at all. :-( You have a fantabulous Thursday!

Hi Maggie,

Jack is doing alright but he is going to be dry anytime soon. I will say hi to him for you. Yup, families are important and my parents keep saying that. The roasted duck? Well, it's very simple though.

Ingredients are, Duck Breast (it totally depends on how much you want but I usually use two pieces of the breat meat to serve 4). Salt/pepper, rosemary, 6 tablespoons of white wine, 2 tablesspoons of raisins, 9 med-small sized prunes, 6 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 60grams of butter(I don't usually use butter for Japanese but when I want it westernized, I do), sprinkle dash of parsley.

1. Put raisins in the hot water and leave them in there.
2. Remove the seeds from prunes and cut them in half and dry them with paper towel "a little"
3. STAB the meat with fork from the skin side. The holes should be rather larger and many. But not too many. :-) Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides.
4. Heat the pan (No oil as duck is really greasy already). Put the meat to make the skin side meet the pan surface and heat it over medium low heat for 15 mins.
5. When the skin turns dark golden brownish color, turn it over and put rosemary in. Put a lid on the pan and heat it over very gentle low heat for 10 minutes. Make sure it is not overcooked as you might wanna keep its tenderness.
6. Remove the excessive oil and black thingies (I usually use cooking paper to get rid of the oil) and pour the white wine into the pan. let it cook down for awhile.
7. Put prunes and balsamic vinegar in there and once it's boiled, turn off the heat.
8. (optional though) Put the butter in the pan and let it melt with after heat.
9. Take the meat out of the pan and then slice it. pour the sauce over the meat and sprinkle parsley. Tada-.
I tried other dried fruits but I find these two are the best. Dried Apricot is good too. The roasted beef is very much ordinary except I use a lot of celery and a bit of Wasabi when I marinate it. :-) I hope this will be a little helpful.

Hi Tiptup,

Yup, I know. It's really really long when you haven't had breakfast to visit three different religious events.... Happy new year to you, too!

Hi Hafiz Hector,

Thanks, Happy New Year to you, too! (I have not used that expression as it sounds so teens?) Have a good one!

Hi GaijinGirl,

Well, they force us to follow a lot of Japanese traditions actually. So. When I was little, I really didn't like the fact that I had to go through these. But now I appreciate them though. I am glad no one in your family was hurt by those scary incidents~ ! World peace, indeed. You have a fantabulous Thursday!

Hi Phchiro,

Happy New Year, to you too!

Hi Cesar,

Well, yeah but they are really really long... But I guess I appreciate those red-tape like traditions every once in a while. :-) You have a fantabulous Thrusday!

Hi Paul,

I've never come across anyone whose last name is Daniels though. But I have come across Walker. :-) You have a fantabulous Thursday!

Hpapy new year Shigeki! I hope you didn't choke on your rice cakes! Sorry I haven't visited recently. I've finally got my internet connecton sorted out now. Sorry to hear about Mr Frenchy :-(

Thank you so much for the recipe. That was a lot of typing and was very much appreciated. I will be trying it out soon and let you know how it turned out,

You are really a sweet guy Shigeki and it will take someone really special to be deserving of you. You are going to say no but humility is one of your best features. :-) That and your good taste. haha

Hi Tim,

Happy New Year to you, too! No worries about visiting here. It's just a non-exciting site so whenever you are bored. :-) I am very glad to hear that the internet connection is available at your place and you are enjoying your new life in a big city? :-) Have a fantabulous Thursday!

Hi Maggie,

No problem at all. The key is try to make it less greasy if it's possible. Duck happens to be very very greasy naturally and I like it less greasier :-) Many Japanese have this feature so no wonder I do, too. :-) Have a fantabulous Thursday!

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