日本語

I went to MOA MUSEUM OF ART in Atami City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

MOA Museum displays "RED AND WHITE PLUM BLOSSOMS", a national treasure of Japan painted by Korin Ogata, a painter of Edo Period, between February and the beginning of March.

This picture is painted beautiful red and white plum blossoms and big river.

And MOA Museum has the replica of The Golden Tea Room which was made by Sen no Rikyu under the order from Toyotomi no Hideyoshi in Azuchi-Momoyama Period.

This is "Raku tea bowl named Ayame" which was made by Chojiro and used by Sen no Rikyu in Azuchi-Momoyama Period.

1F of MOA Museum has a garden "Tea Garden".

It has a residence modeled upon the art studio of Korin Ogata in his later life.

Korin Ogata made "RED AND WHITE PLUM BLOSSOMS" and "WIND GOD AND THUNDER GOD SCREENS" in this art studio.

There is a tea house "Ippaku-an" near it.

This is Matcha tea and Japanese-style sweets.

This sweets is "RED AND WHITE PLUM BLOSSOMS YOKAN" that used "RED AND WHITE PLUM BLOSSOMS" as a subject.

This is the full view of MOA MUSEUM OF ART.

Museum blends into the mountain.

It's the view of Atami's sea from MOA MUSEUM OF ART and it's beautiful.

Let's go to this museum!

日本語

I appreciated masterpieces of "Bührle Collection" exhibition at The National Art Center, Tokyo.

Bührle Collection is an art museum in Zurich, Switzerland, and it has many masterpieces of impressionist art.

This exhibition has many masterpieces painted by Delacroix, Degas, Manet, Monet, Renoir, van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne, Matisse and Picasso.

Early impressionist arts are realistic and Post impressionist arts are abstract.

"Portrait d'Irène Cahen d'Anvers" painted by Pierre-Auguste Renoir is the representative realistic pictures.

And there are many Pablo Picasso's abstract pictures.

This picture is "Water Lilies" painted by Claude Monet.

It is the biggest picture of "Water Lilies" and its height is 2m and its width is 4m.

By the way, it is allowed to take photos.

"Bührle Collection" exhibition is held in The National Art Center, Tokyo until May 7, 2018.

日本語

I will introduce delicious restaurants and shops of Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

At first, I will introduce "Irori Sanzoku Kuga" in Kuga town, Iwakuni City.

It is a classical Japanese restaurant and it is familiar to Yamaguchi and Hiroshima people.

This picture's foods are "Sanzoku-Yaki", "Sanzoku-Musubi" and "Yamame-Shio-Yaki(Grilled cheery-salmon with salt)", famous menu of this restaurant.

"Sanzoku-Yaki" is grilled chicken over charcoal fire with sweet soy-sauce.

"Sanzoku-Musubi" is big rice ball and it includes salmon, umeboshi(pickled plum), and konbu(seaweed).

All foods of this restaurant are wild and delicious.

Mukyuka is a grilled meat restaurant in Iwakuni City and it serves delicous meats.

Especially, chuck and sparerib are very delicious.

Isoharu is a Japanese restaurant in Iwakuni City.

My recommendation is tea buckwheat noodles and sushi set.

Isoharu serves light and very delicious tea buckwheat noodles.
I like that Isoharu serves quail eggs with buckwheat noodle's soup.

Ishoharu's sushi is fresh and very delicious.

Italian Izakaya Fukuoka is an Italian restaurant in Iwakuni City.

These are appetizer, pasta and pizza of lunch set.

Italian Izakaya Fukuoka serves elaborate dish including carpaccio of flounder and nanbanzuke(sweet and sour marinated dish) of sweetfish for appetizer.

This restaurant serves classic pasta and pizza, and these are really good.

I very soon finished these off.

Sobatamaya is an Okonomiyaki restaurant in Iwakuni City.

There are many Hiroshima styled Okonomiyaki restaurants in Iwakuni City that is neat to Hiroshima.

Sobatamaya's Okonomiyaki is big and delicious.

Suehiro is a Ramen restaurant in Iwakuni City.

It is good to eat Rahmen with many green onions and soybean sprouts.

Marifu Coffee is a cafe near Marifu Elementary School in Iwakuni City.

Marifu Blend has rich taste and delicious.

This picture is morning specials.

Loire is a sweets shop in Iwakuni City. 

My recommendation is "Conque".

"Conque" is made of pie dough and sweet red-been and it is very delicious.

Matsuura-Suisan is a fish market near Edion in Iwakuni City.

Matsuura-Suisan serves good quality affordable puffer fish because Iwakuni City is close to Shimonoseki City, a famous place of puffer fish.

日本語

We had a nice rest in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. 

A symbol of Iwakuni City is Kintaikyo-Bridge.

Kintaikyo-Bridge is a historical arch brdige and spans the Nishiki River near Iwakuni Castle.

It was built in 1673. It was broken by floodwaters three times and it was rebuild by original method each time.

It was fine today and the view from Kintaikyo-Bridge were very well.

Nishiki River's water is very clean.

There are many Cherry Blossoms around Kintaikyo-Bridge and they are full in bloom between Late March and the beginning of April.

I went to Iwakuni Castle after Kintaikyo-Bridge.

Iwakuni Castle is on the top of Yokoyama Mountain and it is also called "Yokoyama-Castle".

Iwakuni Castle was built in 1608, but it was dismantled as per the Ikkoku-Ichijyo(One Castle Per Province) order established by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1615.

Iwakuni Castle Castle Tower was rebuild in 1962.

There is the rope way for visitors to the top of Yokoyama Mountain.

It is 5 minutes from the rope way station to Iwakuni Castle.

There is the dry moat around Iwakuni Castle.

It is Iwakuni Castle Castle Tower.

The inner part of Castle Tower is museum and old swords are displayed.

The view of Iwakuni City from the top of Castle Tower is beautiful.

It teaches me that Iwakuni City was made along Nishiki River.

The foot of Yokoyama Mountain was the residence of Iwakuni Domain in the edo period and it is Kikkou Park now.

The admission ticket of Kintaikyo-Bridge, the rope way and Iwakuni Castle is sold at the entrance of Kintaikyo-Bridge.

It is 940 yen(about 8 US $).

I recommend "Itsutsubashi-no-sato", a hot spring in Iwakuni Kokusai Kanko Hotel near Kintaikyo-Bridge.

Both hotel's guests and day-trippers can get into this hot spring.

You can see Kintaikyo-Bridge at the viewing place of this hot spring.

[日本語]

I will introduce how to change stacking order of UIView as below picture.

Environment : Xcode 8.3, Swift 3

In the case of iOS, use sendSubView(toBack:) for sending UIView to back and use bringSubView(toFront:) for sending UIView to front.

Example

[日本語]

I will introduce the famous tourists famous places in Kochi Prefecture this time.

There are a lot of nice places, for example, Katsurahama Beach. 

Katsurahama Beach is a national scenic area.

In summer the sunshine is strong at Katsurahama Beach.If we forget to put on sunscreen and bask in the sun for a long time, there's a possibility that get sunburn.

The scenery of Katurahama Beach is expansive.

This pic is a statue of Ryoma Sakamoto.

There are a lot of ice-cream stalls in Kochi in summer.

This is a sherbet ice.

Katsurahama Aquarium is near Katsurama Beach.

It's a small aquarium but we can enjoy very much because the show of dolphins and sea lions are held and there are corners that we can touch fishes and see stars.

This pic is Japanese lates, a big fish living in Shimanto-gawa River.

This is Muroto-misaki Cape, a nice scenic area as equal to Katsurahama Beach.

There is an observation tower near Muroto-misaki Cape, and we can see a full view of Muroto-misaki Cape.

And there is Muroto Dolphin Center near Muruto-misaki Cape.

Cute dolphins receive persons with a smile.

We can touch dolphins in there.

Dolphins performed several acrobatics.

There is "Kitagawa Villeage Monet's Garden Marmottan" in Kitagawa Villeage, Aki Country, Kochi Prefecture.

Claude Monet, a founder of French Impressionist paintings, is known for making "Water Garden" with many water lilies and "Flower Garden" with many colorful flowers in his house at Giverny, France. Kitagawa Villeage made Monet's Garden in collaboration with Geverny.

This is "Water Garden" with many water lilies.

This scenery is reminiscent of Monet's masterpiece,"Water Lilies".

This is "Flower Garden".

It is most beautiful during Spring.

This building is Gallery & Shop.

It has some reproduction paintings of Monet and souvenirs.

There is a cafe and we can take a rest after waling around gardens.

I ate a chiffon cake and drank orange juice this time.

There is Anpanman Museum in Kami City, Kochi Prefecture.
(Kami City is the birthplace of Takashi Yanase, a writer of Anpanman.

There are many pictures and statues of Anpanman's characters in it.

Especially, big pictures of Anpanman, Shokupanman, Currypanman and Bikinman are very wonderful.

It is a suitable place for the family with the children.

There is Kaida-Ya, a eel restaurant along Prefecture Root 14 that go to Katsurahama Beach from Kochi Airport and it is in Nangoku City in Kochi Prefecture.

It's signal flag is a signboard of cessna plane.

A lot of people visit it and we must wait for two hours at lunchtime.

This pic is "Unajyu"(a broiled eel served over rice in a lacquered box).

Some eel cook broil eel carefully and heartily.An eel's skin is crisp.

This pic is Ms.Michelle Sung Wie, an American professional golf player.

She visited this restaurant before.

This restaurant is one of famous restaurants in Kochi.

[日本語]

I did sightseeing in Kochi City, the capital of Kochi Prefecture after Ekin Festival.

I will introduce the famous tourists places in Kochi City. 

This is Kochi Castle, a symbol of Kochi City.

Kochi Castle's Castle Tower was build in Early-Edo period and it retains its original structure.

This castle's white wall is beautiful.

This pic is the scenery from Kochi Castle's Castle Tower.

Sunday Market is held along Ottesuji, a street near Kochi Castle every sunday.

Fresh vegetables and craft objects are sold at this market.

There is "Hirome Ichiba(Market)" near Kochi Castle.

It has many restaurants serving Kochi's foods.

There are already a lot of people at 11 o'clock.

I recommend "bonito tataki",a famous food of Kochi.

My most favorite restaurant is "Myojinmaru".

It is known as performance of baking bonito with straws.

This is Myojinmaru's bonito tataki.

The front is set of bonito tataki sauce and salt.

The back is bonito tataki sushi.

They are very delicious.

Tramcar(it is operated by Tosaden Traffic Co.,Ltd.) is useful for sightseeing around Kochi City.

A flat fare of 200 yen is charged on tramcar in Kochi City.

There are various color types of tramcars.

[日本語]

"Ekin Festival" is held in Akaoka,Konan City,Kochi Prefecture,Japan every Saturday and Sunday in 3rd Week of July.

"Ekin" is Kinzo Hirose's nickname and he is a painter of late-Edo period and early-Meiji period.

Ekin was born in Tosa domain(Kochi Prefecture) in 1812 and he became chief retainer of Tosa domain in his young age.

But he was suspected to copy a famous Kano school's work and he was discharged from Tosa domain.

After that he lived in Akaoka and became a town painter.

He painted a lot of Shibaie-byobu(Kabuki story based picture) at town's people request.

Ekin Festival was started from 1977.

Ekin's masterpieces are awakened once a year during July, when they appear at the annual Suruta-Hachimangu Shrine Grand Festival.

Ekin's masterpieces are decollated in Akaoka at 19:00.

The sun descend at 20:00 and Ekin's masterpieces are very fantastic.

The owner explains the Ekin's picture.

There are a lot of street stall along the street of the town.

Lanterns heap up the festival.

I found "Toyonoume",a local sake(an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin that is made from fermented rice) of Akaoka at Ekin Festival.

It is called "Ginjyo-Shu of Tosa's summer" and it tastes dry and light.I think it is perfect for summer.

It is perfect fit for seared bonito slice,a famous fish based-cooking of Kochi Prefecture.

Nisikawaya is a long established Japanese confectioner in Akaoka.

This shop was established in 1688.

It is at street where Ekin Festival is held and it has some arts of Edo-Period and we can see them.

This pic is Japanese-style confectionery and green tea and it is 500 yen.

This confectionery is include chestnuts and it's name is "Kanoka".

This is "Ekin-Gura", a building in which to store Ekin's masterpieces.

Bentenza,a theater,is behind Ekin-Gura.

People in Akaoka Town play Kabuki which become model for Ekin's masterpieces in Bentenza at Ekin Festival.

Bentenza also holds some another events of Kabuki, Kyogen and Rakugo.

Berry dance and bingo game are held at a live place.

It is full of excitement.

[日本語]

I will introduce how to set gradation on a background color of View and round corners of View and on Android.

Environment：Android Studio 2.2.1, API 19

Use GradientDrawable for setting color gradation and rounding corners.

Set gradient colors to GradientDrawable's argument and declare gradation direction using Orientation.

Use setCornerRadius for rounding corners of View.

Use setCornerRadius for rounding corners of View.

[Sample Code]

[日本語]

I will introduce how to set gradation on a background color of View and round corners of View on iOS.

Environment：Xcode 8, Swift 3

Use CAGradientLayer to set color gradation to UIView on iOS.

Set gradient colors to CAGradientLayer's colors method and set gradation direction using startPoint and endPoint of CAGradientLayer.

At last, set CAGradientLayer to UIView's layer using insertSublayer.

Use cornerRadius of UIView's CALayer for rounding corners of UIView.

[Sample Code]

[日本語]

I will introduce delicious restaurants and cafe I found in Kamakura.

There are some famous beef stew restaurants in Kita-Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

Kyoraian is the most famous beef stew restaurant in Kita-Kamakura.

Kyoraian has a fine garden.

Hydrangea is blooming.

Kyoraian opens at eleven,but there is a line in front of the entrance of Kyoraian at eleven.

I recommend to come to Kyoraian a little ahead of an opening time.

This is beef stew set of Kyoraian.

This beef is very soft and beef stew is very delicious.

Coffee that is served at the end of beef stew is delicious.

This is Kamakura Tetra, a Japanese style sweets cafe near Kencho-ji in Kita-Kamakura.

Kamakura Tetra serves classic Hon-Warabimochi.

This cafe makes Hon-Warabimochi after taking an order and it takes about 15 minutes to cook it.

But it is very delicious and I don't mind waiting.

I ate Hon-Warabimochi with soybean flour and I enjoyed its texture.

This is Mushinan, a Japanese style cafe near Enoshima Electric Railway Wadazuka Station.

Enoshima Electric Railway's train is running close by Mushinan

This is Anmitsu, a popular food of this cafe.

It is very sweet and delicious.

I recommend to go to this cafe early time, because this cafe is very popular and customers wait for two hours even if it is weekday.

[日本語]

June is the season of hydrangea in Japan.

I went to Kamakura City, a famous place of hydrangea.

I went to Hasedera near Enoshima Electric Railway Hase Station in Kamakura,Japan.

Hasedera is Buddhist temple of Jodo shu and it is on the foot of Kannon mountain.

Hasedera is known as a famous place of hydrangea.

Hasedera has the circuit style garden and two ponds,Myouchiike pond and Houjyouike pond, near the entrance.

There is Kannon-do hall on the middle of Kannon mountain and it has Kannon Buddhisattva with Eleven Headed.

There is walking pass from the side of Kannon-do hall.There are 2500 hydrangeas around walking pass and it is called "Ajisai-no-komichi(hydrangea road)".

It is very crowded on July, the season of hydrangea in Japan, and we need to take a number.

Hydrangeas of "Ajisai-no-komichi(hydrangea road)" are very beautiful.

We can see Yuigahama from the top of "Ajisai-no-komichi(hydrangea road)".

Next, I went to Engaku-ji near JR Kita-Kamakura Station.

Engaku-ji has a lot of hydrangeas.

Engaku-ji is Zen Buddhist temple and it was built to mourn for dead soldiers of the Mongol invasions by Hojo Tokimune and Mugaku Sogen in 1282.

Engaku-ji has many buildings,gardens and ponds,and we can enjoy to see them.

- Sanmon Gate(Main Gate)

- Butsu-den(Buddha hall)

- Hojo(Abbot's quarters)

Hojo's Japanese garden

- Myoukouchi pond

I went to Meigetsu-in after Engaku-ji.

Another name of Meigetsu-in is "Ajisai-dera(Hydrangea Temple)" and it has a lot of hydrangeas.

Meigetsu-in is a Rinzai Zen temple of the Kencho-ji school.

It has Japanese garden in Hojo(Abbot's quarters) like another Zen temples.

There is a tomb of Tokiyori Hojo, the fifth shikken(regent) of Kamakura shogunate in Meigetsu-in.

[日本語]

I went to Uwajima City,Ehime Prefecture,Japan.

The loard of Uwajima was Date Family in Edo Period, and there are two places made by Date Family in Uwajima City.

They are Uwajima Castle and Tenshaen.

This is Uwajima Castle's Castle Tower.

Uwajima Castle's Castle Tower has been remaining from Edo Period, and it is one of "The 12 Castles of Existing Castle Towers".

The first Castle Tower was made by Takatora Todo in 1602, and Munetoshi Date rebuilt it in 1666.

These pictures are the inside of Castle Tower.

It is the view from Castle Tower.

We can see a full view of Uwajima City from Castle Tower.

Next, I moved to Tenshaen near Uwajima Castle.

Munetoshi Date, the second lord of Uwajima Domain, made Hamagoten in 1672.

And Munetoshi Date rebuilt the part of Hamagoten and made big garden called "Tenshaen".

Tenshaen has beautiful ponds and gardens.

The origin of "Tenshaen" comes from Chinese poetry of Masamune Date.

Iris was in full bloom on every May.

And wisteria and bamboo of this garden are famous, too.