We had my friend's 17 year old daughter from Germany staying with us in July, During her stay we took her around Tokyo and on a weekend we drove out of Tokyo to see Mount Fuji. On the way we stopped at the Odawara Castle.

This Castle is probably the closest Japanese Castle from Tokyo, and can easily be accessed by car and train as it is only short distance from the motorway and the train station. It's also a short distance from Hakone. 

It was renovated last year and inside the castle is a museum displaying the samurai armors and historical artifacts. I've only been to the castle in my husband's hometown, Himeji. The Himeji Castle is known to be the most beautiful castle in Japan, appearing in a couple of foreign films such as 007 and KILL BILL. Compared to the Himeji Castle, the castle ground are more compact and the castle tower not as elegant, but still it is impressive. 

Too bad there are no English subtitles in the video being played inside the museum and not much of the explanation boards are translated in other languages.
 
For more info on Odawara Castle  : 
Japan Guide.com
Odawara City

My cooking class will be closed for summer holiday from tomorrow, which is a national holiday in Japan.  My children will be home most of the time now as the summer cram school is over and that would make it a bit difficult to do classes in my dining room. Thank you for your understanding.

My wagashi class has been popular during summer, making seasonal motifs such as sun flower, morning glory and gold fish in water. Although the sakura is not a summer flower, I will still do this one as it is my favorite as you can see on my logo.

From September, we will be doing the autumn motifs such as the persimmon,  chrysanthemum, and maybe something with autumn colors.
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We will be going to Hakodate City in Hokkaido on the bullet train to spend time with my family. It's great that I have recovered from all my illness and strong enough to travel. I look forward to doing more classes in September. If you would like to book a class just let me know. 
Have a great summer holiday! ( I will still be updating this blog during summer!)
Miyuki