I went for another afternoon osanpo after wrapping up work for the day. There’s just so much here in Japan that catches my eye and makes me want to pull out my camera! 📸
I’ve realized I kind of gauge how much I like a place by how many photos I end up taking. The more shots, the more I’m loving it. ✨
After lunch, we headed out for an osanpo around the neighborhood. I always love having my camera handy for these little walks! 📸 There’s so much to see when you just slow down and look around. Such a great way to spend the afternoon. ✨
Today we had lunch at Kura Terrace (クラテラスたつの), and it was exactly what I needed! The set meal came with a variety of vegetarian dishes – super filling and satisfying. I went with the brown rice topped with raw egg, and wow, it was delicious! 🍚✨
The place gets pretty crowded, so I’m glad we made reservations ahead of time. It felt great to have such a healthy meal while dining out for a change. After lunch, we went for a walk around the area and I felt totally energized. Love finding spots like this! 😊 I’m so happy that it’s only a short walk from our house.
For those who don’t know, the composer of the famous song Akatombo (Red Dragonfly) was from this area, so the city adopted the red dragonfly as its mascot. First came Akatombo-kun, then a few years later they added his girlfriend Akane-chan. I love them both!
Mariko and Bay think I’m weird for being so obsessed with the city mascots, but honestly? I think it’s fun!
Today we grabbed lunch at Tsukanoma, a little café tucked into an old building nearby. I ordered their open-faced sandwich and wow, it did not disappoint! Fresh vegetables piled high with meat, everything toasted just right. The kind of meal that makes you want to come back tomorrow. 🥪✨
Honestly, I could eat this every day and be perfectly happy about it. I was really looking forward to eating here! Yokatta.
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 2.2200000286119mm, f/2.2, 1/60 sec, ISO320 “Chestnut French Toast” Tatsuno, 2026
While I’m in Japan, my work hours are 5 am to 2 pm, which means I have a nice 3-hour overlap with the team in Austin each day. ⏰ Usually it’s super busy when I start because people have been sending me work during their day. When I log in, it’s 2 pm for the Texas team (they’re a day behind me) and for those couple of hours, I’m responding to emails, Slack messages, and hopping on calls. It’s kind of intense! But from about 8 am onwards, it gets very quiet and I get a ton of work done. I think I like it! 💻✨
This schedule also means I have my afternoons free to do as I please. Today, Mariko and I went to Kurisu Chestunut café to get some dessert. She got a strawberry parfait, while I enjoyed a marron (chestnut) and cream French toast. It was yummy! 🍓🌰
After that we took care of errands before getting dinner at Matsu-ya, a fast-food gyu-don (beef bowl) restaurant. It was just okay. Very salty. 🍚 We probably won’t be returning, but it’s good to try out the options in town!
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/120 sec, ISO64 “Soup and Gyudon” Tatsuno, 2026
After work today, I went for an osanpo (walk) around the neighborhood. It’s so fun to explore and snap photos! 📸 The highlight was definitely visiting the small castle and hiking up to the little shrines tucked away in the hills above town. Tatsuno is such a charming place! ✨🏯
