Japanese Corner

My recent little Japanese corner - Mementos from 1983 and 2014.

Home in the Philippines

When I arrived home from Japan, I was happily greeted by the golden blossoming of the narra tree right in front of my bedroom window and the flowering of the white candle-top flower at my little backyard garden. What a happy welcome home gestures in sight !!! My husband and children were all attentively listening to my stories and I was curiously asking about their activities too. Happiness is right here at my 'home sweet home'!!!

Narra blooms in front of my bedroom window

What a welcome sight.

White candle-top flower

 With beaming husband Lucas

 My twins Marion and Martha

 Dinner night out with the family and Luz (mother of Angel)

Martha, Marion and Emil

Japan Food Trips, and Others

I was so hungry in Japan. Maybe because of the cold weather, everything seemed so good and more delicious. Aside from eating heavy buffet breakfast every morning, I would soon crave for snacks some few hours later. I had to bring crackers inside my bag for sustenance. Hahaha!  With my siblings, eating was such a pure pleasure and an experience during this Japan trip.

My first shrimp tempura udon meal with my siblings after checking in at our hotel in Kyoto.

 Eating at a restaurant during a free day shopping trip. Yum..I chose tempura and tongkatsu lunch set with refillable rice, miso soup and vegetable. The best cabbage salad I have ever eaten. The sauce was terrific. I asked for a second vegetable refill. Hahaha!

 Shabu shabu, sashimi and grilled fish supper with Wilson and his sons Miguel and Martin.

 Walking the lane and looking at the shops at Kiyomizu Districts. That's Helen and Bernard, Jean and Jun at the picture.

 Japanese ladies in traditional Kimono

 These are Chinese tourists in kimono. Hahaha!

 The four sisters eating ramen on a cold night.

 Eldest sister Theng at Isetan food gallery.

 Sukiyaki and tempura lunch set. Father and son at the dinner table.

 Enjoying lunch with Theng. That paper thing on the table was the soup container. Haha!

 Ollie and Solan seated at a quaint restaurant at Kyoto fish market. The best grilled oyster and fried chicken ever.

"I'm on top of the world! looking." at Osaka Tower.

 Newly weds!

At Osaka Castle ground, all bundled up. Hehe.

 Group picture at Osaka Universal Studio

 Jeannette and Marilyn Monroe. hehe

 Relaxing with Theng at Bagel and Bagel, Namba Park

Ordering our steak dinner. The Japanese waiter got all rattled up from all our different orders.
Sorry but Domo Arigato.

Enjoying the evening with my eldest sister Imelda.

That's all folks. It was such an adventure and fun trip!!!

Photos From Ledesma Siblings' Japan Trip

 Checking in at Cebu Pacific Airlines, Naia 3, Philippines

 The four sisters: Imelda, Jeannette, Helen and Heddy.

From the eldest to the youngest.

 Arriving APA Hotel at Kyoto. Brrr...it was cold! With Helen and Ollie.

 First authentic dinner at Kyoto. Sitting on the tatami.

 With nephews Miguel and Martin. Martin was in Japan learning the art of cooking.

 Real miniature cherry blossoms inside the hotel.

 At Heian Jingu Shrine

 Family picture at Heian Jingu Shrine: Bernard, Wilson, Willie, Solan, Helen, Jeannette, Imelda, William, Jean and Heddy. May good fortune and good health smile upon all of us.

 At Kiyomizu District - popular tourist spot

 People drinking the healing water at Kiyomizu Temple

 Group picture at Nijo Castle, Kyoto

 The ladies of the family at the Golden Pavilion: Solan, Jean, Heddy, Helen, Imelda and Jeannette

 Jun, Theng and Helen at Kyoto Imperial Palace

 Helen and I at Nara Todai-ji Buddhist Temple

 The deers at Nara Temple park

Theng, myself and Bernard walking the lane to the Shinto shrine at Nara.

Ledesma Siblings Trip to Japan

I went to Japan last March 1, 2014 to March 9 with my siblings. We were:
1. Imelda (Theng)- the eldest
2. Jeannette (Tata) - the second eldest
3 & 4. William (Jun)- the elder brother and his wife, Jean
5. & 6. Helen - the third sister with her son, Bernard
7. Heddy - myself
8 & 9. Wilson (Boy) - my younger brother and his son, Miguel
10 & 11. Willie (Ollie) - my youngest brother and his wife, Solan

We were supposed to be 12 persons going, together with Diane the wife of Wilson. But she got left behind in Manila to take care of her father, who was sick and admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit. Early on during the planning stage, Lucas my husband decided not to come with us because he was afraid of the cold. I also did not insist upon him to come along for I wanted to be carefree with my siblings during this our second Ledesma trip abroad. We went to China in 2003, arranged by our Hongkong Chinese brother Uy Chiong Bian to visit the ancestral home of our late father Francisco Ledesma. After 11 years, now that we were all older, I prayed for this vacation to materialize and hoped for it to go well without a hitch. I thanked God and continue to thank him for granting us this opportunity to be together. We, who had been bereaved of a mother early in life. Imelda had somehow taken the difficult task of being the eldest and our leader. Together with Helen, she initiated this bonding sojourn of the siblings. Most of us were and are not rich, yet we have been very temperamental in nature. There were some scenes and a few drama during the course of our travel, yet as a whole, the entire trip was a lot of fun. I love Japan for its discipline, polite people, cleanliness, honesty, progress and ironically conservativeness. God willing, I do plan to go back next year with my husband and children.

Hello, I am back!

Hello, I'm back! I am exhausted though from my Japan trip. It was very cold and I think I released a lot of adrenalin during the tour catching up with all my siblings. Hahaha. It was fun!!! Now, I'll be needing some few more days to recover myself. I'll be back with pictures and stories.