Suiyaki

 My host mother prepared sukiyaki for dinner tonight.  Sukiyaki is beef, udon noodles, and vegetables (including bamboo shoots) all cooked in soy sauce.  We also dipped everything in raw egg before eating it.  This dish is typically not eaten in the summer since it is served hot and the weather is so warm, but it is a traditional Japanese food and my family thought I should try it.  I'm glad I had that opportunity.

After dinner we had sweets from a shop about five minutes from this home.  I tried some chou creme (bread filled with matcha and vanilla cream), dorayaki (a pancake sandwich filled with anko), and ayu (a fish-shaped pancake filled with mochi).