Sansai-picking

Bleary-eyed but excited, all 10 of us packed into the family's MPV and drove off to Hakkai-san to pick mountain vegetables (sansai 山菜). We will make tempura with the sansai we pick for lunch.

First stop: Armed with plastic bags, we trooped off to pick kogome...

These are kogome. Only the young ones (with the leaves still tightly coiled) are good.

Grandma Sekine is the expert...showing us which plants to pick

On our way to the second spot, we munch on onigiri in the car (from left: Kyoko and Midori)

Second stop: To hunt for the elusive kinome

These are kinome

Gorgeous views

There're still patches of snow (now ice) on the mountain (from left: Katie and Kate)

Everyone enjoys onigiri and fried chicken for breakfast (from left: Aussie exchange student Kie, Yamoto-san, Kyoko, Aussie exchange student George, Kate, Katie, Grandma Sekine, Midori and Grandpa Sekine)

Before returning to the Sekine family home, we visit the Hakkai-san shrine to thank the mountain gods for the vegetables we picked

Back home: Sorting through the vegetables we picked under Grandpa Sekine's supervision while Grandma Sekine prepares for lunch

Our spoils

The fruits of our labour!

Then, grandpa Sekine taught us how to make soba to go with our sansai tempura

Rolling the dough out before folding it...

and then cutting it

The soba on the black tray behind the tempura has been cooked

And finally, lunch is ready! It was yummy!

After lunch, everyone took a siesta

The view of Hakkai-san from the Sekine family home

It was a wonderful experience!