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danakin-skywalker · 3 years

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ho ho ho!!!🎄☃️🎁

i hope this wagner wednesday, december 15th, was fabulous and your booster shot didnt suck too badly<3

I DIDNT KNOW THEY WERE MAKING A BAYMAX MOVIE BUT EXCITING hes so adorable!!! glad to see hercules and atlantis in that top 5 bc wow they slap - same with coco. i took my younger brother to see it in theaters and cried like a baby. i cant say much about the pizza because im a slut for a couple of the local pizza places around me. with fries i cant say ive had any food from dq but now im tempted to try them👀

✨ questions of the day ✨

1. do you believe in the supernatural? if so, to what extent?

2. are there any local legends/cryptids now/where you grew up that are cool or interesting?

3. top 5 places you want to travel to?

4. favorite kinds of flowers?

5. do you have any tattoos or piercings?

remember santa loves u with their whole heart <3!

🎅🏼

#26

ps. when you answer this itll be 9 days to go till the big reveal!!!! 🥳

Good morning santa!! I’m feeling much better today than yesterday booster-wise! The ending of Coco also makes me cry, but so do the DQ French fries bc they’re SO GOOD you have to try them next chance you get I swear santa.

Okay, so here’s my thing about the supernatural. I love consuming media about supernatural things, but for the most part I believe in ghosts/spirits and aliens and that’s about it. I just can’t bring myself to believe that other things like werewolves and vampires exist. Although, with how little of the ocean has been explored, it’s still entirely possible that mermaids could exist, so the jury’s out on that one. I just like to consider myself a critical thinker when it comes to these, I’m hesitant to believe but I definitely can be swayed.

My hometown didn’t really have any local legends that I knew of. Honestly, Santa, I had a pretty sheltered youth. There was this abandoned psych ward near our closest city that people would sneak into sometimes to take pictures and smoke weed. I never went (bc I’m a lil bitch and that sounds scary) but friends of mine have gone and said it freaked them out.

Ooooh okay so full disclosure I’ve never crossed an ocean so there are lots of places I haven’t been to that I’d love to see. First and foremost, one day I’d love to do just a grand tour of Italy, because there are so many cities I wanna see; Florence, Tuscany, Rome, Venice, Naples, all of Sicily, etc. I would also love to see Greece, I remember falling in love with it after watching Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants when I was younger. I’d also like to see France, but probably not Paris. I’d want to go to Nice and Toulouse and Bordeaux and Cannes. After spending years studying French and France, I’ve come to the realization that Paris is really only exciting if you’re rich or super interested in history, other than that you might as well check out another city. I’d also really love to see Japan one day, there’s this guy I watch on YouTube who lives in Japan and basically goes to the convenience stores and vending machines and assembles and tries instant food and I know this is a strange thing to want to try but it all looks so good and it’s so cheap I want to try the snacks and instant noodles!!! (Literally all I was able to stomach yesterday was ramen noodles so there may be a bias at play here). Also, I’ve always wanted to see Ireland. I have family lineage in Ireland (along with Italy) and I think it would be really cool to reconnect with that, plus Ireland looks beautiful nature-wise.

My favorite flower bouquet-wise has always been roses with baby’s breath. Preferably red, but just any roses. I know that’s kind of basic, but I’ve always felt like a bouquet of roses really truly symbolizes a special occasion. Non-bouquet wise, my mom and I were growing some hibiscus plants on the balcony of her old apartment during quarantine and I really liked how quickly they could turn over and start growing a new flower bud, so that even though they only bloomed for a few days, there was always at least a few in bloom. It was a very rewarding flower to take care of.

I have two small black ink tattoos- the first being a cross on my back between the back of my neck and the middle of my shoulderblades. I got it just a few weeks after I turned 18 and I had been thinking about it for years- my mom only agreed because of the easily-hideable placement and the fact that it’s a cross. The thing is, because of the so-easy-to-hide placement, I would fully forget I had it and so would people around me unless I happened to have my hair up and be wearing a shirt that has a low back. So, around this time last year I believe, I got another tattoo on my right wrist that reads “this too shall pass” in typewriter font, lengthwise. I wanted to get this tattoo because I had a realization mid-quarantine that what my mom had been telling me for years about having visible tattoos and getting a job wouldn’t apply to me because I’m going into the entertainment field. This phrase has also always been an important mantra for me— in bad times, it’s a reminder that even though something feels like it’ll last forever, it won’t. Alternately, in good times, it’s a reminder to live in the moment because time is fleeting. I wanted to get it right on my wrist so that it can be in my line of vision when I need the reminder, because my issue with mantras and corrective thinking is I don’t remember to use them when my brain is in fight or flight mode. Also typewriter font because screenwriting.

Also, I have my earlobes pierced but that’s it, I have a topical nickel allergy and nickel is the main ingredient in most cheap jewelry, so I rarely even wear earrings to begin with. For that reason, I don’t really have any motivation to get a new piercing. I was looking into a daith piercing for a minute last year until I realized I wouldn’t be able to wear earbuds. So yeah, just the two tats and normal piercings for me!

I love you Santa I hope you also enjoyed Wagner wednesday there was a lot of good content. Can’t wait to officially meet you in 9(!!) days

#secret santa #26

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xbunnybunz · 4 years

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Daybreak (2/?) [Wolf Keum x Reader x Alex Go)

Summary: The day brings to you Alex Go, and in the night, Wolf Keum. Your past is inescapable. They build you up and tear you back down, but this is what you need to survive.

Genre: Romance, Angst, Drama

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When you wake up to the alarm in the morning, the ringing thrums a migraine in your head that could only be a hangover.

You blearily open your eyes and look to your alarm clock to the right, the intense sunlight piercing through your curtains further inflaming your headache.

7:10AM

You roll over and slap the snooze button, flopping back down onto your back with a sigh.

You lay in bed for a while, running through your classes for the day. You didn’t recall having any tests or quizzes, so you take the day to heal from your drinking binge instead.

The next time you open your eyes, it’s 1:43PM.

The sunlight has dwindled from sweeping over your face to sitting shyly in the corner of your room, refracting through the window and streaking a rainbow onto your wall.

Wolf and Alex Go flipped through your mind like a stop-motion movie, and only looking back on it did you realize what entirely different characters both were.

Wolf was cold. Everything about him was so goddamn cold, his stare, his presence, his mannerisms. But Alex Go was warm in a soft way, warm in the way the sun would feel washing across your face at the beach.

You wondered what business fate had in bringing both boys to you in one night but abandoned the sentiment as soon as it popped into your head.

You were tired of hearing about fate and of destiny, it reminded you too much of what he used to say. Life was fickle, and you knew it, lolling from one side to another, one moment in your favor, the other against.

Heaving a sigh, you push yourself to sit up and swing your legs over the bed.

Your shadow played across the floor and traversed to your desk, messy with the clutter of books, journals, and half-written novels.

You pay them no attention and stroll over to the closet, pulling a shirt from a hanger to wear to the local food mart. A grumble erupts from your stomach and find yourself salivating at the possibilities of different ramen flavors or day-old cold cuts.

You head out to the market after freshening up, and the trip there takes a little less than a few minutes.

The elderly lady at the register gives you a sweet smile and welcomes you, and you return the gesture with a bow. Your eyes skim the wall of chips and baked pastries until your gaze lands on the shelf you were looking for.

You peruse the selection of gourmet instant ramen, tapping your chin thoughtfully and pondering the root of all human struggle, beef flavor or chicken flavor?

The door chimes distantly and a few people walk in, exchanging greetings with the cashier.

You close your eyes and let the sound of others around you seep into your soul. It was days like this that everything felt normal again, like time had finally begin to move forwards again. You craved it, but always knew this relief never lasted for long.

You open your eyes and see the slight furrow of your brows in reflection of the vending machine beside you. You also notice a pair of legs trailing up to a familiar white and blue uniform, and whip around.

“Alex Go?”

“Hey!” He smiled, and even in the blue-hued light of the fluorescent bulbs, he shone like the midday sun. “I thought I recognized you, but I couldn’t be sure.”

You turn to face him and rub your arm, giving him a tiny grin. “I knew we’d be seeing each other around, but this soon? You sure you not stalking me?”

You reach out to give him a playful punch, and he barely budges.

“Stalking?” he seems genuinely taken aback until he sees the look on your face. “I mean, if I was stalking you, I’d hope you hit harder than that!”

He laughs and the sound is melodious, boisterous, but not grating. The way his shoulders shake mesmerizes you for one, two, three seconds.

“Hey, you’re lucky I didn’t use this hand instead!”

You wave your right fist at him and pretend to swing, and right on beat, he feigns impact with a dramatic pop of his shoulder.

There’s a light feeling in your chest, and it flutters with each beat.

When was the last time you spoke to anyone like this, the last time you spoke to anyone at all?

“What are you doing here?” He asks, green eyes alight and curious. “Other than looking at instant noodles, I mean.” He gestures to the shelf you were both in front of, and you shrug.

“I had a pretty shitty hangover, so I skipped class and stayed home instead.”

You feel a bit abashed admitting that aloud, but continue regardless.

“I also forgot I don’t have a lot of food back in the apartment, so I had to crawl out and get my rations for the week.”

His gaze is gentle but piercing.

You hadn’t noticed yesterday in the shroud of night, but his hair was exceptionally dark. You wouldn’t liken it to the pitch-black darkness of nighttime, but to the gentle shadows cast by foliage on a peaceful afternoon at the park.

His eyes were a lighter variant of green, like the pale olive of leaves right after the end of winter, just before the start of summer. It was a delicate kind of beauty that felt tender to behold, and you cherished it every moment you could.

“Cutting? Come on, there can only be one delinquent here.”

He bumped his shoulder into yours, but it was mostly your shoulder colliding with his bicep.

“And I’m no professional, but I don’t think cup noodles are the best thing to eat during a hangover.”

You let your fingers dance over the flimsy cardboard packaging, humming.

“Well, it’s the fastest and easiest. So unless you’re going to help me, I suggest shutting your trap.”

You poke him in the chest and your breath gets shallow when you feel lean muscle under the modest uniform.

Alex flusters as well, though much more outwardly. He clasps his hands over his chest where you jabbed him, and his voice comes out an octave higher than usual.

“What? What do you need help with?”

He looks to you for an answer and finds you brandishing two boxes, one chicken and the other beef, trying desperately to hide your awkward reaction with an equally as bizarre question.

“Noodles. Fresh, hot, preserved noodles. Chicken or beef?”

You don’t really care what flavor he chooses but you hope the diversion works.

Alex falters a bit at the sudden change in topic and mood, but much to your relief, eventually eases his sights on the boxes in your hands. He has to stop himself from rolling his eyes, but he can’t stop the cocky smile from overtaking his features. He places a hand on your shoulder and raises an eyebrow.

“Uhm, duh?” He gestures to the box on the right. “Chicken.”

You beam at him and put beef back on the rack, plucking a few more chicken ramens off the shelf.

“You, my good sir, are a man of good taste.”

Alex drops his hand from your shoulder and winks at you with a chuckle, his words igniting a fire in your cheeks.

“Oh trust me, I know.”

You can’t stop the smile that creeps across your reddened face. “Don’t be coy with me, Alex Go. I still remember the way you stuttered yesterday.”

“Coy? Who’s being coy?” He laughs and feigns ignorance, but his jittery feet, bobbing this way and that, give him away.

He eyes the fridge behind you and sighs, shoulders slumping almost comically.

“Shit, I almost forgot why I came here.”

He busies himself with grabbing handfuls of ice cream, and you peer at him curiously. He catches your stare and explains himself as he counts the number of cones he has.

“I’m on snack duty for the group today, those lazy bums were ‘too busy’ teaching Gray and Eugene how to play pools to come out with me.”

He steps away from the fridge and closes the door with his hip, the suction of air making a fleeting ‘thwump.’

“They’re just broke and won’t admit it, fucking losers.” He says this, but there’s a smile on his face. You smile with him, because now seems like a good excuse to be happy.

You both walk to the register and Alex goes first, but still waits until you have everything in a bag.

When you step outside, the sun is intense but warm. You have to squint to see anything, and when you look at Alex you see he’s doing the same thing. He catches your eye, and you both laugh at each other until your stomachs hurt.

“I guess this is where we part ways.” Alex says, still slightly out of breath, wiping a tear from his eye.

“Yeah, guess so.” You wring your hands a bit, feeling a bit jittery at the thought of returning to solitude.

Alex hesitates too but you barely have time to register it before he freaks out, seeing the time on a clock hanging from a nearby shop.

“Holy crap! I’ve been gone for that long? Ben’s gonna chew my ass out!”

Alex grabs your right hand to shake it and misses the way you flinch.

“It was so nice seeing you again! I just feel like we kind of click, yaknow? If that makes sense.”

He retracts his hand and ties a knot on his bag, he’s moving and talking so fast you can’t keep up. You’re still stuck on how he says you both click, because you think so too and you’re so glad he feels the same-- and you don’t want to go home and you don’t want to be alone.

But he’s taking off before you can even understand he was saying goodbye.

“I’ll see you later! Get home safe!”

He waves and takes off charging, and he reminds you of a soaring jet.

There’s a noise in your throat, but no words come out.

Your hands clench and unclench, heart still hammering from when he took your palm in his.

You don’t want to wait to see him again, you think. You don’t want to leave it up to chance, or fate, or whatever the fuck they called it.

How long have you waited for someone to hear you? To see you? To feel you?

“Wait!” You shout, and it pushes all the air from your lungs.

You give yourself half a second to inhale then take after him, the plastic bag with your noodles tugging on your wrist.

“Alex!”

By some miracle, he hears you and turns around, stopping short in his sprint and waving at you.

He cups his hands over his mouth and shouts something you can’t hear over the whistling of the wind and the rustling of the bag at your side.

When you finally catch up to him, you’re totally winded. You wonder what kind of superhuman stamina Alex had because he didn’t seem to be struggling at all.

You place your hands on your knees and double over, taking deep breaths of air that burn your lungs but make you feel so goddamn alive.

“Woah there!”

Alex braces you with two hands on your arms.

“I told you I’d wait for you. Why’d you keep running like that?”

“Give me your number.”

Alex’s eyebrows shoot up, and his hands fly off your body.

“H-huh?”

Your voice comes out raspy and weak. You’re only able to speak between inhales, but it doesn’t stop you from repeating yourself.

“Give me. Your number.”

Alex’s bewildered expression greets you when you look up, face red from exertion and embarrassment. Upon seeing your ruffled state, Alex makes a weird noise at the back of his throat and reddens as well.

“O-oh. I thought I misheard you…” He swallows thickly and rubs the back of his neck again. “Did you run all the way here to ask for that?”

You give him a look and drop your head again, giving one last exhale before rising again.

“Yeah, I did.”

Alex’s blush spreads to his ears, and his green gaze flickers from you to whatever thing wasn’t you. His dark hair tousles in the wind, and he rubs his nose.

“Oh wow. I mean you didn’t need to sprint, I’d be flattered regardless.”

He gives you another smile, and you notice that when he’s nervous his smiles are close-lipped. Either way, it warm your chest.

“I was just afraid I couldn’t catch up to you.”

He reaches for his phone and extends it to you after unlocking it, and you try hard to ignore the background he has of a tall, tan redhead face-first on the floor at a bowling alley.

“I would’ve waited.”

You type your number into his phonebook and call it, waiting until the buzz of your phone resounded from your pocket.

“I wanted to be sure.”

You hand the phone back to him. Your fingers brush and you don’t miss the way he jolts a bit.

“Right.”

He shifts a bit back and forth, like he couldn’t decide between staying or going. Or maybe you were just hoping that was the case.

You notice the bag he’s holding is dripping something, and you point it out to him.

“Oh crap-!” He opens the bag and is relieved to find its just condensation, but remains jumpy.

“Ah, thank god. But it’ll be the ice cream next. I really gotta go this time, I’ll see you!”

He takes off for a bit, and you watch, baffled, as he stops short and runs back to you, jogging in place. The condensation from the bag flies off and hits your arm.

“And uhm- I’ll call you.”

You blink in surprise, and can’t help the bubble of laughter that erupts from your lips.

“I’ll be looking forward to it, Alex Go.”

He returns the smile and it’s radiant as ever. It leaves you warm when he turns to leave, warm when his back is just a speck in the distance, and warm still when he’s out of your sight.

Alex Go, you think. Your fingers flex a bit at your side. And you smile.

#weak hero #webtoon weak hero #wolf keum x reader #alex go x reader #daybreak #reader insert #fanfiction

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sherlock-study · 6 years

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Dorm Food 101: What Food to Keep in Your Dorm Room

Regardless of where you go to college, dorms are typically the place you spend most of your downtime in (unless, of course, you live off campus). Midnight hunger spells and late breakfasts are all too common, so here are some tips for setting up your very own dorm pantry. The items I’ve included usually do not require a refrigerator or a microwave, so if you only have access to hot water these will still work!

Fruits: Most fruits will stay fresh for a week or so in room temperature, are healthy snack alternatives, and go with any breakfast! My personal favorites are bananas and apples. Tip: buy new bananas while they’re still sort of green, and they’ll ripen in a couple of days, just in time for the start of the next week.

Bars: Protein bars and granola bars. I don’t have a lot of experience with protein bars because they are not a thing in Taiwan, but granola bars are healthier (compared to a chocolate bar lmao) and will keep you going when you don’t have time for a proper breakfast.

Nuts: Protein-rich study snacks. Add dried fruit and M&Ms to make your own trail mix to munch on during lectures.

Cereal/Instant Oatmeal: Add cereal to oatmeal, or buy some milk (dairy or plant-based) for a quick breakfast. My dorm has a refrigerated vending machine that sells stuff like yogurt and fresh milk, so cereal is an option even if you don’t have a refrigerator.

Tea/Coffee/Others: Buying a cup of coffee everyday can add up, so if you want to save up, consider making your own coffee/tea/cocoa/whatever. It’s considerably cheaper. I don’t have a coffee maker, so I go for instant coffee. When I do drink it, that is.

Electrolyte Drink Mix: Either as a sports drink (most sport drinks are too sugary) or as a fluid replacement for when you get sick.

Instant Soup: There is nothing better than a mug of piping hot soup at midnight.

Ramen: No it is not healthy. Yes it is A Necessity.

Biscuits/Chips/Cookies: Have both sweet and savory options available. I especially like saltine crackers and digestives (the basics). Also Oreos and Pringles, but I only buy them every once in a while.

Some kind of spread: Peanut butter, jam, Nutella... For oatmeal/cereal/bread/biscuits/eating out of a jar...whatever.

#mine #college #dorm #food #back to school #tips

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pandoraimperatrix · 6 years

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After Office Hours

NaruHina | Mature | Romance | 2k | Read on AO3

Summary: Naruto is lonely after Sakura and Sasuke left the village to travel together, he keeps leaving the office later and later, things start to change after one night when his secretary Hinata and him share a couple of vending machine beers. In this AU Naruto becomes Hokage a lot earlier than in the manga and The Last never happened.

Part One

Part Two

They ended up under the same lamppost, eating snacks again, but this time, Naruto was drinking coke and Hinata warm coffee. He could hear Sakura's voice inside his head censoring her choice and thought about commenting on it, but then the same voice reminded him that coke had the same stuff that kept people awake at night. And really, if he was honest with himself, he wouldn’t mind much if either of them didn’t sleep for the next hours which contraries the purpose of not drinking alcohol.

Oh my god, what the fuck he was thinking? That was so wrong.

“Uh... Hinata.”

“Hmmm?” She hummed back but didn’t turn to watch him, her eyes turned to the sky. It was a clear night, it wasn’t snowing despite the chilly winter air.

“I think... We should stop.”

She still didn’t turn to him, but her relaxed air disappeared and he could see her jaw clenching.

“Y-you are right. What we did today was v-very unprofessional.”

He heard the tin of the can he was holding crack under his tight grip.

“Unprofessional, yes, that was it, very unprofessional dattebayo. Shouldn’t have happened. Not in the office. Not at all.”

“Yes.” She agreed and the air became unbearable cold between them and maybe that’s why he said next:

“But we are not in the office now... Do you... Want to go home with me?”

She finally looked to him, he felt the bubbles filling his tummy all over again, and they only grew bigger when she smiled that coy smile of hers and breathed “yes”.

They did it in his shower, her hands pressed on the glass as he took her from behind, her damp hair gluing on her face and on his lips, the acoustics of the bathroom making her moans and sighs sound like the most beautiful thing he ever heard.

He wanted to return the favour and make her breakfast, but a) he had no food at home that wasn’t instant ramen, and b) he didn’t want to get up now. It was Saturday, thanks to her, he hadn’t slept a lot – he knew she wasn’t a kunoichi anymore, but she surely kept some sort training routine, because if he was known for his impressive stamina, nobody could say she was lacking – and she smelt so damn good he really just didn’t want to leave bed.

Also, he sure hadn’t planned that but he was grateful for having the maid scheduled for the day before. In the previous night, when they stood under his porch, he freak up for solid five seconds before opening the door remembering the mess his apartment usually were when there was only him at home, it was quite a relieve when he walked Hinata into the tidiest lemon smelling of places. He would have to thank Sakura for that. Or not. He didn’t feel like letting her or Sasuke to know whatever was that was happening between him and Hinata.

The woman next to him sighed and rolled to face the ceiling. He propped himself on one arm and looked down at her.

“Good morning.”

Her face tinted with soft red, and he wanted to follow the colour with his lips and the tip of his tong as it spread down her neck to the valley of her breasts.

“G-good morning.”

He couldn’t resist then, he dipped his lips to her neck, breathing her scent.

“Hokage-sama...”She sighed.

“Naruto.”

“W-what?”

He turned his head up.

“I'd like you to call by my name, ok?”

She cupped his face.

“Okay, Naruto-kun.”

He kissed her, slowly, lazily, never wanting to finish it. But when he did, kissed her cheeks, her jaw, sucked her ear tasting the metallic taste of her stud earring.

“Hey, what do you want to eat for breakfast?” The said with his face still in the curve of her neck. His voice sounding sultry. “It has to be something we can buy because I only know how to cook ramen.”

He felt her body shake as she giggled.

“Hinata! I’m being serious here!”

“There’s this bakery closer to here, they have the best chiffon cake with whipped milk and strawberries.”

He wanted to lick whipped cream from her thighs and eat strawberries from her lips.

“Do you wanna go now?”

“Hmmm…” She made, and he felt the sound reverberating under his lips. “Not really, can we just…”

“Yeah…” He breathed on her neck and when she started to caress the hairs of nape of his head, he felt like he was in cloud nine.

“I know it is sort of late to ask, but is it ok for me to be here? I know you don’t live alone.”

He sighed and rolled away from her, his fantasy of all the dirty delicious things he wanted to do with her involving pastries dissolving.

“Well… There isn’t anyone here to complain’ttebayo.”

She rolled on her side to look at him.

“When will they come back, Sakura-san and Sasuke-san?”

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Why? Are you afraid I’ll have to kick you out in five minutes? Because they will take longer than that.”

“Ten, then?”

He laughed and turned his face back to her.

“Nah…” He put one piece of dark hair behind her ear. “I don’t think they will be home until the end of the month. Hell… I don’t even think this is their home anymore.”

“I’m sorry…”

“No, it’s fine. I knew it wouldn’t last. Not for me at least. They want something else in life, I guess. And Sasuke will start wanting to have kids soon… It’s for the best.”

She felt her heart crumble for him, and it didn’t help that his gaze, although towards her, was lost, like he was seeing someone else.

“They have anpan too.”

“What?”

She felt so stupid after saying that, but she didn’t know how to stop.

“At that bakery place. I’ve never had it, but they say their anpan is marvellous.”

He smiled, and definitively having she at his focus now, and she relaxed under his gaze.

“Let’s get some, then.”

They decided that what was happening between them shouldn’t happen at work, but they saw each other every day at work, so, of course, it happened a lot.

Most of the time she swore to herself she didn’t intend it. Like, she was really worried that something was wrong when he had to use the bathroom –which to reach the door coming from his office you had to walk past her table – for the sixth consecutive time in ten minutes. She knocked the door and asked him if his was alright and the next thing she knew she was being pressed against the cool tiled bathroom wall and having her moans muffled by his mouth and her legs hugging his hips.

And it really wasn’t intentional to kiss his lower back when he tried to help her to reach a box of files too high for her on the archive’s shelf. It wasn’t her fault if she couldn’t resist then his shirt ridded up and she saw that delicious strip of skin that somehow still remained perfectly tanned in the mid of the winter, she needed to see if it tasted as good as it looked and god it certainly did. When he turned over with the box to look at her, she was feeling terribly self-conscious, but the dangerous look he gave her made her throat desert dry and her knees weak. And when he said, low and croaky “Lock the door, Hinata” she knew none of those files would be going to be dispatched as soon as they should.

But, to be fair, they did also work. Hinata never had a very busy social life, she mostly hang out with her former teammates or babysat for Kurenai on her free time, so, even before whatever was her new relationship – if she could call it like that – with Naruto started, she was already used to stay at work till after office hours. That Naruto was a workaholic she noticed when she first started to work for him, he would get at the office early and live late, but before he left the village, Sasuke would magically appear – sometimes accompanied of Sakura – every time Naruto seemed to forget to go home. Well, that wasn’t happening any longer. That should be Hinata’s job now, but Naruto wasn’t working late when she knocked on his door, if she wasn’t wishful thinking too hard, most nights looked like he was waiting for her.

But although they really thought they were keeping their – well, neither of them would use the word “affair” – secret, some people were just too damn smart for their own good.

“Should I ask what’s going on between you and Hinata?” Inquired Shikamaru with the airs of someone who regretted his question even before he said it.

Naruto froze.

“What you mean’ttebayo?” He hated how his voice rose two octaves.

“We were having this perfectly normal, boring meeting, and then she came in to give you that form and you completely lost the track of the conversation, dropped your glass of water over the table and since when Hyuuga Hinata wear a cleavage?”

Naruto started coughing and hopped he still had his glass of water.

“You noticed that?” He said after taking a deep breath.

“I’m afraid every men in the room did. I’m engaged, not blind.”

“I hope for your sake that Temari never find how you are using your sense of sight, then.” He said bitterly.

“Look, if you don’t want me to know, it’s fine, and if wasn’t any other girl I wouldn’t care less, but Hinata is not any girl. She may left the compound and shinobi life, but she’s still Hyuuga.”

Naruto let the silence hang between them for a few moments before responding.

“I know. I know.”

“So, what’s going on?”

“To be honest… I’m not sure myself.”

“So, you are not dating?”

“Nooo… Not dating.”

“Then what?” He was getting exasperated.

“I don’t know, ok? I just like being with her.”

“How far you went with her?”

“Goodness! You are so nosy dattebeyo!”

“I am your adviser, and I have to know things to advise you. I take no pleasure on knowing about your personal life, but some of it can affect your position.”

“It won’t, okay? I’m not that stupid.”

“You could have fooled me.”

That night he said to Hinata he was going to home alone.

But he couldn’t sleep so he texted her asking if she was awake, and he ended licking kuromitsu from her breasts.

Things went steady for a few weeks, the only thing they really agreed was not doing at the office anymore, but temptation was hard to overcome and neither of them were really trying. So she stopped going to work wearing pants, for skirts were so much more practical for quickies. All her tights gained holes in between her legs so she started wearing stockings and suspenders instead – and the look on Naruto’s face when the saw them for the first time would be forever hang in her hall of memories as one of the best of her life.

They usually ended their days on her apartment, it was closer to the Hokage tower but in a less busy street. They’d sleep together after sex, but he always left earlier than her to change clotting at his own house. She never asked him to keep stuff at her place, even if it was more practical, too afraid of scaring him into ending the fragile unnamed thing they had.

And, although, there was a considerably quantity of sex happening, some nights they just made out, or talked about silly stuff or made fun of people at work. The was even one night they even tried to cook, but that time ended with Hinata ridding Naruto on the kitchen floor and the next morning with they laughing in the shower every time they found a piece of food in a weird place.

But one morning, as Naruto got to work, he didn’t find Hinata at her desk, but her substitute that usually worked in the first floor.

“What happened? Where’s Hinata?”

The old woman looked unconcerned and didn’t even look up to greet him.

“She called in sick.”

That made no sense at all, true, they didn’t sleep together the night before because it was her babysitting night, but she had been fine all day long. Had she came down with the flu? But he had kissed her when they had a quickie in the supply room and he was feeling fine. Of course he had Kurama, but still.

“What does she have?”

“How should I know?”

“Such help you are.”

He started to dial her number from his phone but no one was picking up.

“Oh, I don’t think you will be able to talk with her, the service inside the hospital is the worst.”

“She’s in the hospital?!”

“The medical certificate she sent said that she would have to be there for a couple days.”

“Then it is serious! Cancel my appointments I’m leaving for the day.”

“But you just got here, and you have a meeting with the emissary of the Grass.”

“Cancel it’ttebayo!”

A thousand of horrible things flooded his brain as he run for the hospital. How could he haven’t notice that she was so sick? He saw her every day! Hell, he did her every day. He should have picked up something. He could be such a self-centred brick sometimes.

But all the horror stories he was telling himself got to an abrupt end when he reached her room at the hospital’s obstetrics and gynaecology wing and found Shino coming out of it.

“Is she okay? Hinata, she’s fine dattebayo?”

He attempted to get into the room but Shino stood in his way, silent as usual.

Naruto wasn’t really paying attention because he was trying too had to not freak out, but even if he didn’t it was really difficult to get from Shino’s mostly hidden face what he was thinking, and still, his anger as palpable.

“Of course. It was you.”

And maybe because Naruto was in fact freaking out and because he really wasn’t expecting at all, when he noticed Shino’s fist in his direction, it was too late.

A/N: Have I already told you that I should not be here? That I’m really behind on the actually important stuff in my life? Oh gosh. And Yeah, that isn’t the last chapter, but I really hope the next one will be the last, and it won’t come tomorrow because I really have to write these 5 pages of Time, Aspect and Mood.

But I’m really happy with the feedback I received for this fic, thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who faved and followed and reviewed this fic, you are all the best!

#naruhina #hinanaru #nh fanfiction #nh fanfic #my fic #see AO3 for the tags

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mybrainmeat · 4 years

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A beginner's guide to Hiking the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Route

If you are planning to hike the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage, you’re in for some fantastic historical sights, stunning views, and close-up encounters with various wildlife.

I had the fortune to join a friend for the full 72km Nakahechi Route from Takajiri-oji right through to Kumano Nachi Taisha just as the Pandemic lockdowns were lifting across Japan in June 2020.

At this time there were very few people to encounter on the trail or at the shrines and towns. The recent lockdown also meant a lot of usual stops for shopping and accommodation had limited options due to the tourism industry being so severely affected.

The 1000-year-old path is not without its challenges, so a little bit of preparation goes a long way;

When to travel

Most years, spring and Autumn are the preferred times to travel the route to avoid the heat. We chose to begin the pilgrimage on the first day of June 2020 - the day that the government officially lifted the lockdown in Japan. June is early Summer in Japan and temperatures start creeping into the 30-degree region. June is also the beginning of the rainy season (known locally as Tsuyu meaning “Plum Rain”), and the combination of hot weather and heavy rain makes it a less popular period for attempting the Kumano Kodo. Fortunately, we enjoyed a week of perfect weather with just a single overcast day.

Fitness

For reference, my hiking partner and I are both in our mid 30’s and of average fitness. Our winter seasons are spent working desk jobs and enjoying too much beer in ski towns, so summer is a period where we try to shed some of the bad habits and get more active. Neither of us had ever experienced anything longer than an overnight hike before this. Nevertheless, I would describe the Kumano Kodo as being a very beginner-friendly multi-day hike experience. There are so many populated areas along the way that it’s quite unlikely you will succumb to the elements and have your bones picked clean by the local fauna.

Packing Guide for four nights/five days

We both carried 60L hiking packs as we were also carrying camping equipment such as tents, sleeping bags, sleeping roll, cooking equipment etc. These added up to 15kg of weight with water included which made some of the steep passes quite a challenge in our poorly conditioned state.

For other beginners who would like to do the Nakahechi Route for themselves, below is an outline of what we packed and where we purchased our items locally. Note that the below is not necessarily the best advice; it is merely what two inexperienced and budget-savvy guys chose.

10-15kg camping setup (per person)

We purchased most of our camping gear from either Hard Off or Second Street. They both stock second hand and budget retail gear and are chain stores available in most large towns throughout Japan.

60L Backpack - 5,500 yen from Hard Off

I went for a large backpack because we were packing camping gear. Most people stay at guest houses each evening and only need a day pack for water, snacks, etc.

One person tent - 1,370 yen from 2nd Street

This tent was reeeeeeaallly cheap. I’m glad it didn’t rain.

Sleeping Bag - 1,500 yen from 2nd Street

Cheapest of the cheap sleeping bags. Not good for cold weather. Great for keeping the boogeyman away from your toes.

Sleeping Roll - 9,000 yen from Alpen Outdoor

I splashed out because I wanted a sleeping roll which packs down really small. Also hoped extra cost meant extra comfort, but it was still quite terrible to wake upon in the middle of the night.

Rain Cover for Backpack - 1,000 yen from Hard Off

Just in case it rained. A cheaper option is to put a bin liner in your Backpack.

Gas Stove & Gas & Lighter - 5,000 yen from Alpen Outdoor

Simple but effective. A little bulky compared to models in the 10,000 yen range and it uses larger gas canisters but got plenty of cooks and cups of coffee out of it.

Pots & Cup - 900 yen from 2nd Street

These were incredibly cheap, and we instantly burned the hell out of everything we tried to cook. Great for boiling water. Will carbonise anything else. A decent Teflon camping pot set will be on my Xmas list.

Umbrella - 1,000 yen from Uniqlo

A simple alternative for keeping dry if you don’t want to purchase waterproof pants and jacket, which tend to get pricey when they are both waterproof and breathable.

Clothing

We stopped at Uniqlo for super cheap, light clothing. Nothing special, no fancy brands or special weaves. It was all comfortable for our needs.

3 x Tee shirts - 1,000 yen each from Uniqlo

2 x shorts - 1,000 yen each from Uniqlo

1 x Gym pants - 1,500 yen from Uniqlo

Great for changing into after washing up each day and keeping bugs away from the ankles.

1 x light hoodie - 2,000 yen from Uniqlo

1 x light windbreaker - a Nike running Jacket I already owned

I never used this, but it packed down tiny so no problem.

5 x socks - 2,000 yen total from Uniqlo

These were cheap, cotton, ankle socks. I know cotton is basically the devil; however, I applied antiperspirant cream to my feet each morning to prevent my shoes from turning into the Bog of Eternal Stench and had no problems.

5 x undies

Personal preference. We ended up swimming on a couple of afternoons, so I found it easier to just rock life “commando” for a day or two rather than suffer wearing or carrying damp undies for hours.

1 x Shoes - Salomon AlphaCross 8,000 yen from Amazon

Hiking boots may be a better option due to the unstable terrain - my hiking companion almost rolled his ankle into the next century a couple of times. That said, these trail runners were comfortable and dry, and the traction was excellent everywhere except for the sections with wet, mossy rocks. Might as well have been wearing banana peels on my feet during those parts of the path.

1 x Jandals - already owned

For letting the piggy wiggies breath after a long day in the shoes.

1 x set of thermals - already owned

Totally unnecessary in June. Don’t be like me.

Sun hat and Sunnies - already owned

For looking cool at the club. A wide brim hat would be a better choice for the trail.

Food and water

You should encounter drink vending machines and food shops at least once each day, so it’s not necessary to go overboard with supplies - especially if you’ve booked accommodations which provide dinner, breakfast, or a packed lunch.

As we specifically planned to camp on a couple of evenings, and we had a brand new gas stove to try out, we brought extra food to cook up so we could feel like self-sufficient mountain men.

We packed:

Rice which we mixed with grains and seasoning and refrigerated for rice balls on the trail. Warning: google how to prepare rice for eating later, so you don’t DIE.

Instant ramen and canned tuna, which we cooked up for dinner both nights that we camped.

Eggs and spam which we cooked and promptly burned for breakfast the morning after our first camp

Bananas, trail mix, CalorieMates, and Protein Jelly drinks as snacks

Instant Coffee and Teabags

Around 2-3 litres of water

Special mentions

Wipes in case of emergency poopage

Bluetooth speaker for fighting off the Daru Spirits during the steep sections (special mention to Prodigy’s Fat of the Land album for getting us to the top of Echizen Toge Pass on day four).

We forgot Insect Repellant and received some gnarly bites on the legs

Itinerary

(5 days, approx 80km / 4160m total elevation gain)

Our Itinerary was modified mid-travel because the Info Desk in Hongu advised that all accommodations and shops were likely closed at Koguchi. This village is where people typically rest overnight before tackling the demanding Echizen Toge Pass on the Ogumotori-goe section which is the most gruelling climb of the Nakahechi Route. As such, we incorporated the climb into the end of our 4th day rather than the beginning of our 5th.

Day One

Takajiri-oji Trailhead > Chikatsuyu-oji - approx 13.5km

After being dropped off at the Trailhead by bus, we nosed about and took a few photos at the entrance before starting the ascent. It didn’t take a great deal of time to start building a sweat as the steps slowly took us up to the 400m mark, and I could feel a bit of self doubt (henceforth known as Daru Spirits) setting in as my lack of fitness made itself clear. Fortunately, there were a couple of interesting shrines on the way up which offered a chance to take off the packs and have a few sips of water.

Only a short while into this first climb we encountered our first slithery friend as we startled a nearby snake beside the track who in turn startled a few of my hairs into turning grey.

Once on the ridge line the pace was quite easy right through until Takahara 4km further. Here we enjoyed idyllic scenes of stepped rice paddies dropping down into the valley while a nearby water wheel lazily turned under a weak stream.

Another relatively tough climb directly out of Takahara - mostly due to the heat - and we were back under the forest canopy.

In between enjoying the shrines and the forest views along the trail there were also plenty of interesting creatures spotted including more slitheries, and some red crabs which were definitely completely lost.

We camped at the Iris Park Campground which added a couple of extra km of walking as it is located over the hill from the main village. It was a great spot next to a river with plenty of amenities including cabins, sento bath facilities, power outlets, covered bbq areas, and - inexplicably - some sort of menagerie.

Day Two

Chikatsuyu-oji > Hongu - approx 25km

After a surprisingly shit sleep in our $15 tents, we cooked up some spam and eggs for breakfast to fuel the finely tuned machines that are our bodies then hit the trail again.

Today was to be a big 25km trek to Hongu where the first major shrine “Kumano Hongu Taisha” is located, and it was another hot one pushing 30 degrees with 85% humidity.

An hour or two out of Chikatsuyu there was an impressive shrine with stunning Cedar trees lining the stairway and a rest stop displaying a traditional grass “raincoat”.

TIP: Don’t try this thing on with short sleeves or you’ll rash up like a baby’s ass in summer.

The trail followed the road for some time making it an easy journey - except for the moment we didn’t notice a recently-squished snake on the road until we almost trod on it and squealed in sheer terror.

The easy times were short lived though, as we entered the Detour Pass and started climbing, Daru Spirits started flying at us from every angle; between the steep staircases and sections exposed to the blazing sun, the Daru almost got the better of us. Fortunately, after a hard fought battle we reached the peak and promptly collapsed in the shade knowing that the worst was behind us for now.

Our feet were definitely feeling tender after this lengthy hike which involved clearing three passes in total, each with steep elevation. After the Detour Pass near Jagata-jizo, there was an excellent spot to relax on the stoney shore of a small stream, have a bite and cool the feet off in the chilly water.

As we were descending the final pass of the day, we had set a brisk pace through the trees and I accidentally stepped on a snake which was having a nap on the path. Needless to say it was none too happy about having its slumber rudely interrupted and it made a bee-line for my companion close behind who gave a yell and looked about ready to throw himself off the path to avoid the slithery vengeance. We proceeded a little more cautiously afterwards, but between all the sticks that look a lot like snakes, and all the snakes that look a lot like sticks it was a jumpy last few kilometers.

Once we arrived in Hongu we picked up a celebratory beer - had a kanpai to celebrate surviving our snake encounter - and booked a dorm at the Kumano Backpackers. The owner offered excellent local advice about where to find river swimming spots, camping, and refilling drink bottles on the road ahead.

Day Three

Rest Day - approx 7km

We stayed a second night at Kumano Backpackers and used our free time to properly explore the Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine, the impressive Otorii, and we also caught the bus to check out the nearby Yunomine Onsen town.

We learned on this day that our intended destination of Koguchi for the following evening was likely closed - which meant we may not be able to top up on clean water, fresh food, or book accommodation. This meant we were looking at a much bigger day of walking and would need to clear the Echizen-toge pass the same day to reach the next stop - Jizo-jaya Teahouse - which hopefully had operational vending machines for fresh drinks and a good camping spot.

We spent the evening preparing our rice for additional trail snacks, purchased an extra 2L water and looked forward to carrying the heaviest load of the whole trip up the largest mountain.

Day Four

Ukegawa Trailhead > Jizo-Jaya Teahouse Remains - approx 19km

Well rested, we caught an early bus to the Ukegawa trailhead, which saved us an hour or so of walking along the highway. From here it was an easy 12.5km to Koguchi where we stopped for a lunch break.

Upon arriving, it turned out the local shop was, in fact, open and the incredibly kind lady working there gave us a hearty Ganbatte! after topping up our water bottles with fresh, icey water and offering a snack for the road ahead.

Under the Koguchi bridge was a spectacular swimming hole with a plethora of fingerlings ready to nibble on any weary feet dipped into the water. We stopped here for two hours to enjoy a refreshing swim and a brief nap before downing a CalorieMate, Banana, Rice Ball, and an Energy Jelly (for good measure).

Soon enough, it was time to saddle up again and tackle the 800m Echizen Toge Pass.

This was a long hike up, and many times we saw the sky appear in the trees ahead and felt we must be near the top, only for the track to turn once again and present us with another indeterminable number of stairs. We found ourselves making steady progress by focussing on counting down the official markers every 500m, and picking an easy line up the stairs which avoided making large strides. Since the steps were often haphazardly sized stones it was a good mental distraction to pick a path a few meters ahead as you climbed to avoid strenuous steps.

As we neared the top, we took a water break, connected the bluetooth speaker and queued up The Prodigy to get us pumped for the final few hundred meters.

And then we were there - and we felt great! A quick water break, a photo-op, and then down the other side of the pass.

That evening we camped at Jizo-Jaya Teahouse - a fantastic rest stop with power and an indoor seating area for travellers. The shelter was located a short 1600m walk after completing the Pass.

As well as offering more drink vending machines, the rest house area had a tranquil stream perfect for washing off the day’s sweat and grime.

Day Five

Jizo-Jaya Teahouse Remains > Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine - approx 8km

We made an early start to complete the final unchallenging 8km of the Nakahechi Route. The descent into the valley where the second Major Shrine is located offers a rewarding view.

After exploring the temple grounds for an hour or two and collecting some souvenir junk, we descended the Daimon Zaka and caught the bus to Nachi Station, then a short train ride to Shingu to visit the third shrine - Kumano Hayatama Taisha.

At Shingu we booked a traditional style hotel room, took off the packs for good and called it a week.

Final Thoughts

Bring a copy of the official Kumano Travel guide with you, The information inside is amazing.

Be sure to stop and read the information signs at the various points of interest during the pilgrimage. No photos of the Jizo and Oji shrines are included in this post because I felt they were best enjoyed in person as a rewarding place to rest during the journey.

Sleeping in a tent on a thin matt is pretty uncomfortable - book a guesthouse well in advance if you want the traditional experience.

Bring a notebook so you can stamp the pages at each shrine along the way.

Every toilet I encountered along the way was in great condition and extremely clean. If you can hold it in until you reach proper facilities you’ll thank yourself.

Stay hydrated and don’t push yourself too hard on the steep sections.

Don’t rush on the downhill side - it’s easy to injure yourself on the uneven paths.

Phone service can be limited especially in the last couple of valleys.

Beware of the Daru!

#japan #nakahechi #hiking #camping #japansummer #summer #travel #japantrip #guide

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duncanbarker-blog · 5 years

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Being a vegetarian in Japan can be difficult, but with some effort and pre-planning it can also be very rewarding. We’ve had some of the most unusual and delicious meals we have ever eaten there.

We love the food culture and find vegetarian food in Japan to be high quality, beautifully presented, and healthy.

Since our first visit to Japan in 2011 the situation has much improved. There are now more vegetarian and vegan restaurants as well as traditional Japanese restaurants offering vegetarian options (with handy English menus).

I update this guide regularly (originally published in January 2012) based on our experiences on multiple return trips.

Here are our tips for surviving Japan as a vegetarian:

Tips for Vegetarians in Japan

Learn Some Japanese

Simon trying to translate a Japanese menu in 2011. Now we have Google Translate—so much easier.

Not many Japanese people speak English (although this is improving) and learning a few phrases is essential to making your needs as a vegetarian understood.

Don’t be too worried though—although learning to read Kanji takes a lot of time, the spoken language is easier to pick up that I expected. I used the Pimsleur Japanese audio course.

You could try telling people that you are vegetarian (“Watashi wa bejitarian des”) but they probably won’t understand exactly what this means. It is better to be clearer and instead say “watashi wa niku toh sakana wo tabemasen” which means I don’t eat meat or fish.

We found this phrase very useful and successfully used it in restaurants to get a vegetarian meal.“Tabemasen” means “I don’t eat” so you can add any word in front of that.

A few other useful words and phrases:

yasai – vegetables tamago – egg katsuobushi nashi de onegai shimas – without bonito (fish) flakes please …arimas ka? – do you have…? nan des ka? – what is it? oishikatta des – that was delicious. This always made people smile. arigato gozaimas – thank you sumimasen – excuse me

Print a Vegetarian or Vegan Card

On our second visit to Japan we found it was much easier to explain what we couldn’t eat by showing restaurant staff a card we’d printed from Just Hungry—they have options for a variety of dietary requirements.

We used the vegetarian card that said we couldn’t eat meat, fish or dashi (fish stock) and it saved us from dashi a number of times (this was always the hardest thing to explain verbally).

Our vegetarian feast at Hotel Musashiya in Hakone. Ryokans are often great places for veggie meals if you explain your requirements.

Buy a Japanese Data SIM Card

I highly recommend taking an unlocked phone to Japan and buying a data SIM card when you arrive. We bought one from the Umobile vending machine at Tokyo Narita airport.

Being connected will make it easier to find vegetarian restaurants using Google Maps and Happy Cow and it also allows you to use Google Translate.

Use Google Translate

Packaging in convenience stores is almost entirely written in Japanese so it’s difficult to know the ingredients of a snack or rice ball.

We used Google Translate’s image feature to translate ingredient lists on packaging just by pointing our phone’s camera lens at it and pressing the camera icon in the app.

The instant translate view doesn’t always work, so for a more accurate translation take a photo of the packet and highlight with your finger the text you want to be translated.

This works for restaurant menus too, although we found most places we visited had English menus.

Beware Dashi

It is often possible to find meals without meat or fish in them or at least restaurants may be willing to adapt meals for you, but the biggest problem is that fish stock or dashi is used in many dishes.

Soups, noodles in broth, and dipping sauces in non-vegetarian restaurants will likely contain dashi, and you’ll need to decide whether this bothers you or not.

On our first trip to Japan we tried to avoid dashi as much as possible, but there were times when we didn’t have much choice so decided to be flexible about it.

On more recent trips we’ve found it easier to avoid dashi. The best way is to eat at a vegetarian restaurant—this is easiest in Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka where there are lots of options.

We’ve also found that non-vegetarian restaurants are increasingly offering dashi-free options, but you do need to hunt these places out in advance.

Recommended Reading: The 14 Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Tokyo.

Plan Ahead

Vegetarian version of local speciality hoba miso at Sukuya in Takayama

Although you could use the recommended phrase or vegetarian card above and turn up in any Japanese restaurant and hope you get a meal, we found it much more enjoyable to eat stress (and dashi) free at vegetarian restaurants or Japanese places with vegetarian menus.

It’s best to do some research online on sites like Happy Cow and plan ahead where to eat. See the bottom of this post for our favourite vegetarian restaurants in Japan as well as our guide to Kyoto vegetarian restaurants.

If you get stuck, like we sometimes have when the vegetarian restaurant I researched was closed, try looking for Indian or Italian restaurants which always have meat-free options.

Bakeries are also a good place for a snack. The Vie de France chain is found in many train stations and has options like margherita pizza slices, cheese rolls, garlic bread, and pastries. We’d rather eat a Japanese meal, but when that’s not possible it has stopped us from going hungry.

Recommended Reading: The 14 Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Osaka.

Visit Kyoto, Tokyo or Osaka

Japan’s three major cities for tourists are the best places to find vegetarian Japanese food and the options are growing all the time. See our recommended restaurants in each of these cities below.

They all have lots of entirely vegetarian or vegan restaurants. We especially love the healthy and affordable set lunches that most of these places offer featuring rice, miso soup, pickles, and an array of tofu and vegetable dishes.

Vegan set lunches at Cafe Atl in Osaka

Vegetarian set lunches are a great way to explore Japanese food as you don’t have to worry about being able to read a Japanese menu and you can be sure that everything is meat-free.

Kyoto is especially worth visiting, as Japan’s ancient capital has a long tradition of shojin ryori or Zen Buddhist temple cuisine, which is entirely vegan.

That’s not to say you should only visit the big cities. There are many amazing places to visit in Japan and you can find vegetarian options in smaller towns. It’s just nice to be able to sample the wider array of veggie-friendly restaurants in the cities for at least part of your trip.

Travel Tip: Don’t forget to buy a Japan Rail Pass in advance before arriving in Japan. It will save you money and make travelling around the country much easier. See our Japan Rail Pass guide to figure out if it’s worth it for your trip.

Eat Shojin Ryori in Temples

Shojin Ryori lunch at Shigetsu, Tenryuji Temple, Kyoto

Shojin ryori or Zen Buddhist temple cuisine is the beacon of hope for a vegetarian in Japan. The monks make it possible to enjoy delicious, healthy, creative Japanese meals and be sure that it is all vegan.

These multi-dish meals are beautifully presented and use seasonal ingredients. They usually include various types of tofu, an array of vegetables, rice, pickles, miso soup, and more unusual items such as the jelly-like konnyaku (made from the konjac plant).

The best places to eat shojin ryori are in temples in Kyoto such as Shigetsu in Tenryuji and in the mountain town Koya-san where you can even spend the night in a temple.

It’s not just limited to temples, though, as we saw shojin ryori offered in traditional restaurants in many places around Japan including Nikko, Takayama, and Kanazawa. We had a fantastic fucha ryori meal, which is a version of shojin ryori with a focus on tea, at Bon in Tokyo.

Although it can be expensive—our lunch at Bon was 5000 yen ($47) each—it’s worth splurging on shojin ryori at least once as it’s an experience as much as a meal. Lunch is usually much cheaper than dinner.

Stay in a Ryokan

Simon wearing a yukata and enjoying our vegetarian feast in our ryokan room at Hotel Musashiya in Hakone

A great opportunity to try homemade kaiseki, a gourmet, multi-course traditional Japanese meal, is in a ryokan or traditional inn. Meals are usually served in your room and they are some of the best meals we’ve had in Japan.

Not all ryokans cater for vegetarians, so check with them before you book or see if the reviews mention vegetarian meals. Make sure you specify no dashi.

We use Booking.com to find ryokans in Japan—tick the Ryokan button in Property Type in the filter list to find them.

We used them to book our stay at Hotel Musashiya, a lovely ryokan overlooking Lake Ashi in Hakone, where you can see Mount Fuji. They are happy to cater to vegetarians and served us an incredible meal in our tatami room.

We also had a couple of delicious meals in our room at Morizuya Ryokan in Kinosaki Onsen, a small town a few hours from Kyoto or Osaka where you can hop between the town’s seven onsen (hot spring baths) in a kimono.

Our vegetarian sushi feast in our room at Morizuya Ryokan in Kinosaki Onsen

Staying in a ryokan is pricey, but it’s a unique experience and one of our favourite things to do in Japan.

Read our comparison of different accommodation in Japan for more details.

Self-Cater

We usually stay in an Airbnb apartment for at least part of our trips to Japan. Self catering helps save money and we get a break from worrying about where to eat.

We found the array of fresh noodles and tofu in supermarkets to be delicious and reasonably priced. Add some vegetables and you can make an easy stir-fry. We’re also a fan of T’s Tantan instant ramen pots when we’re in Tokyo for a quick meal.

The best places to stay in apartments are the bigger cities like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka where there are plenty of options. Search on Airbnb here.

Take a Cooking Class

Taking a vegetarian cooking class in Japan is an excellent way to learn more about Japanese cuisine, make sense of the confusing ingredients, and learn what you can and can’t eat as a vegetarian. Plus they are a lot of fun and you’ll get to enjoy a delicious meal.

We loved this Kyoto cooking class with Uzuki. Emi teaches small groups of 2-3 people in her own home and offers many vegan options.

Next time I’d like to try this vegan ramen cooking class that’s listed on Airbnb Experiences and has fantastic reviews. It’s in Ibaraki which is 12 minutes from JR Osaka station or 20 minutes from JR Kyoto station by train.

Other options are this ramen and gyoza cooking class in Osaka with vegan and halal options.

In Tokyo this vegan class with a Michelin chef in Shibuya looks great, as does this five-course vegetarian meal in Ikebukuro.

Vegetarian Japanese Food

These are some vegetarian Japanese meals and snacks to look out for. Be aware that anything that includes broth is likely to be fish dashi unless you are eating in a vegetarian restaurant or the menu says it doesn’t use dashi.

Tempura

Somen noodle and vegetable tempura at Bon in Tokyo

Tempura, deep fried vegetables in batter, is the easiest vegetarian Japanese food to find. Most tempura restaurants have a vegetable option or you can ask for vegetables only.

We had tempura donburi, tempura on top of rice, at Tendon Tenya, an inexpensive tempura chain. We skipped the included miso soup as it contains dashi.

For a more upmarket but still reasonably priced tempura meal, we enjoyed Tsunahachi in Shinjuku, Tokyo where we had a vegetable only version of their lunch set. They also have branches in Kyoto and Hokkaido.

Fuji Tempura Idaten in Kawaguchiko (near Mount Fuji) was another good spot with a vegetable-only tempura option.

Tsukemono

Tsukemono or Japanese pickled vegetables are an essential part of a Japanese meal and are always included in set meals.

I love the crunchy texture and salty, sweet and sour flavour that provides a contrast to the more delicately flavoured dishes. In a worst-case scenario, you could always order tsukemono and rice for a simple meal.

Zaru Soba

Cold soba (buckwheat) noodles are popular in the summer served on a bamboo tray with nori seaweed, spring onion, wasabi, and a soy sauce dipping sauce that we skipped as it has dashi in it. If this doesn’t worry you then go ahead and dip the noodles in.

Soba or Udon Noodles

Noodles in broth are found everywhere and are made from soba (buckwheat) or udon (wheat) with a range of fillings.

If you explain you don’t eat meat or fish, you should be able to get a vegetable-only version, although the stock will likely be fish based. To avoid this order zaru soba (above), cold noodles that don’t come in broth. Udon restaurants may also have a cold broth-free version.

In Kyoto there are a couple of udon restaurants that make vegan udon—we especially love the curry udon at Mimikou.

Ramen

Midori vegan ramen at T’s Tantan

An increasing number of ramen shops in Japan now offer vegan ramen, so you can enjoy this classic noodle soup without meat.

The best place to try ramen is T’s Tantan, an entirely vegan ramen shop in Tokyo Station with tons of options as well as instant ramen to take away.

Ramen chains that have vegan ramen are Chabuton, Kyushu Jangara Ramen, and Afuri. Our restaurant guides to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka list more options (see below).

Miso Soup

Miso soup (often with tofu and green onions) is part of every set meal including breakfast. Chopsticks are used to eat the ingredients and the broth is sipped directly from the bowl.

We only eat miso soup in vegetarian restaurants where we know they haven’t used dashi.

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a type of Japanese savoury pancake made with a base of egg and milk batter and shredded cabbage plus other ingredients.

Although it usually isn’t vegetarian, it can be adapted to be by using vegetable fillings. It’s not usually vegan-friendly unless you try it at a vegan restaurant.

Okonomiyaki being made at Rie, Hiroshima

In Tokyo we love the tomato and cheese okonomiyaki at Zen in Shinjuku. They have a vegetarian section of their English menu that explains the ingredients of the different types of okonomiyaki and we got ours without dashi by showing our vegetarian card.

In Osaka, Okonomiyaki Chitose can do a vegetarian version (including one with noodles) if you ask.

Japanese Curry

Vegetable and eggplant vegetarian curry at CoCo Ichibanya

Curry is really popular in Japan. It’s different from the Indian version but still tasty. Many Japanese curry places will offer a vegetable curry, but it’s likely the roux was made with meat.

For an entirely vegan curry head to Coco Ichibanya, Japan’s largest curry chain, and look for the separate green vegetarian menu with a range of different curries. It’s a cheap and tasty meal and you can customise your level of spice and ingredients.

Vegetarian menu at CoCo Ichibanya

The vegetarian menu is not available in all their branches, but most of them seem to have it these days. The easiest way to check is to search the reviews of your nearest branch on Google Maps and see if the vegetarian menu is mentioned.

Sushi

Pickled vegetable (carrot) sushi at Komekichi Kozushi in Nikko

Vegetarian sushi is not easy to find in Japan, but it is possible.

Look out for kappa-maki (seaweed rolls with cucumber) and takuan-maki (pickled daikon radish roll). You can also find sushi rolls made with umeboshi (pickled plum), natto (fermented soybean), and egg. Inarizushi is rice stuffed in a tofu pocket—just check it wasn’t made with dashi.

We had excellent vegetarian sushi at Komekichi Kozushi in Nikko, Little Heaven in Kyoto, and Morizuya Ryokan in Kinosaki Onsen.

Nasu Dengaku

Eggplant is grilled until soft and melty with a sweet caramelised miso topping. Nasu dengaku is a delicious comfort food that we ate at Shigetsu temple restaurant in Kyoto.

Gohei Mochi

Gohei mochi is a speciality of the Kiso Valley area that we sampled in the small, traditional village Tsumago. They are delicious grilled rice dumplings served on a stick in a sesame and walnut sauce. Don’t miss them if you are in the area.

Dango

Simon with his mitarashi (soy sauce) dango in Takayama

Another variation of the rice ball on a stick street food is dango, which we tried in Nikko and Takayama. The dumplings are smaller and are brushed with miso or soy sauce.

Yaki Onigiri

Grilled rice balls in a soy sauce glaze are served with tofu, cold greens, and pickles on the side. They are quite plain but still a good vegetarian option. We ate yaki onigiri at an izakaya (Japanese pub).

Umeboshi Onigiri

Onigiri (rice balls) are found at every convenience store and supermarket and make good cheap packed lunches.

The problem is the labels are usually in Japanese, so it is difficult to see which ones are vegetarian. Family Mart and 7-Eleven now have the names in English, which makes things much easier.

Plain and umeboshi (pickled plum) are the most common vegetarian onigiri. Umeboshi packaging is usually pink and plain ones are clear. You could also use Google Translate (see above).

I have also asked a nearby stranger in pigeon Japanese “Dore umeboshi des ka?” (which one is pickled plum?) and she pointed out the right one.

Onigiri at Family Mart in Japan. The umeboshi (pickled plum) is on the top right.

The plain onigiri in 7-Eleven are just seasoned with vinegar and salt (they are now also labelled in English as Salted Rice Ball).

Sekihan Onigiri

Red rice and adzuki bean balls are another tasty packed lunch you can pick up from a convenience store. The packaging is clear so it’s easy to identify without reading Japanese.

Sekihan Onigiri packaging

Other Convenience Store Snacks

A vegan picnic from 7-Eleven including pickles, edamame, pineapple, plain onigiri, and adzuki bean onigiri

Convenience stores in Japan are amazing and perfect for stocking up on snacks for a picnic or train trip (sadly bento boxes in train stations are not going to be vegetarian).

As well as onigiri, you can find inarizushi (sushi rice in a tofu pocket), edamame beans, pickled vegetables, boiled eggs, french fries (which were not as bad as you’d think), fruit including bananas and cut pineapple, salads (but be careful of the ingredients and dressing), plain cooked noodles, and lots of rice crackers and crisps.

7-Eleven, Lawsons, and Family Mart are the most common convenience stores and you’ll find one on every block in cities. Family Mart and 7-Eleven now have English labels on their salty snacks so it’s easier to find plain crisps and avoid the many shrimpy things.

We were tempted by the tubs of spicy cucumber at 7-Eleven, but unfortunately they contain fish sauce.

In Natural Lawson, the healthier version of Lawsons, you might have more luck finding vegetarian-friendly snacks. They also stock the vegan T’s Tantan instant ramen. They aren’t as common as the other stores though.

Oyaki

Pumpkin Oyaki

Oyaki is a speciality of the Nagano prefecture and we tried it in Matsumoto. Wheat buns are filled with different vegetables—we tried pumpkin (kabocha).

Kabocha Korroke

Kabocha Korroke (Pumpkin Croquettes)

Pumpkin croquettes can be found in the deli section of supermarkets and some restaurants and make a delicious, cheap vegetarian meal. We heated ours up at home and served with a salad.

Be careful of croquettes though—Simon bought a potato croquette from a stand and it turned out to have chunks of meat in it.

Naigamo Yam

Nagaimo yam with nori and wasabi

This raw salad dish turned up in a few of our meals. Naigamo yam is rather unusual and wasn’t like the dense, heavy yam that we are familiar with but instead was light, crunchy, sticky, and watery. The main flavour came from the salty nori seaweed and hot wasabi that it was served with.

Konnyaku

Konnyaku at Yoshuji in Kurama

Konnyaku is known in English as Devil’s Tongue. It’s a jelly-like substance made from the root of the tuberous plant konjac.

It doesn’t have much flavour but is valued for its texture, which we found rather strange. It often features in shojin ryori (Buddhist vegetarian) meals. In the photo above konnyaku was served like sashimi with a dark miso sauce.

Mos Burger

Vegetarian rice burger at Mos Burger

Mos Burger is a fast food chain, but the Japanese are rather proud of it and a local pointed out that the food is made to order and brought to your table unlike in McDonald’s. They also sell themselves on being healthy and have a number of vegetarian burgers on the menu—point to the picture menu to order.

The kinpira rice burger is made with sautéed vegetables and seaweed inside two rice buns. It was surprisingly good, but it isn’t that filling so we were glad we had fries and onion rings with it. It’s a decent, quick and cheap meal when you can’t find anything else.

Mos Burger now also offers soy patty burgers. I don’t think any of the burgers are vegan.

Rice Crackers

Chilli rice crackers at Nishiki market in Kyoto

Rice crackers (senbei) are available everywhere from market stalls to convenience stores. Just make sure you don’t buy a packet containing dried fish or shrimp.

We picked up this crunchy, chilli-covered rice cracker at the Nishiki market in Kyoto.

Vegetarian Tofu Dishes

There is plenty of tofu in Japan and it is much higher quality than anywhere else in the world. There are even restaurants that only serve tofu in different forms for multi-course meals.

Be careful in tofu restaurants, though, as they aren’t usually vegetarian, and even if they can make a vegetarian meal for you, they will probably use dashi.

Sorano is a good tofu restaurant in Tokyo with vegetarian options marked on the menu and Tosuiro Gion in Kyoto can do a vegan set if you order in advance. We tried many of these tofu dishes in shojin ryori restaurants.

Goma Dofu

Goma dofu (sesame tofu)

This chilled sesame tofu is one of the most common dishes in shojin ryori.

It’s actually not tofu at all as it isn’t made from soy milk but from sesame paste, water and kuzu, a thickening powder.

It certainly has a different texture from the tofu we are used to as it’s soft, creamy, and melts in your mouth. It’s a refreshing dish on a hot summer’s day. It’s usually served with a dab of hot wasabi.

Yuba

Yuba (soymilk skin tofu)

Yuba is made from the thin skin that forms on the surface of boiled soy milk—it sounds weird but it’s delicious, creamy, and light. It’s a local speciality in Nikko.

Koyadofu

Koyadofu (top) and yuba

This freeze-dried tofu originates from the temple-filled Mount Koya. It is reconstituted in water and becomes springy and sponge-like, absorbing the flavours it is cooked in.

Yudofu

A tofu and vegetable hotpot that is simmered at your table.

Dengaku Tofu

Dengaku tofu

Firm tofu served on sticks dengaku style. It is coated with a sweet miso sauce and grilled until it caramelises and becomes golden and slightly charred.

Inarizushi

Vinegared sushi rice stuffed in a fried tofu pouch. We tried this at Tosuiro tofu restaurant in Kyoto and Komekichi Kozushi sushi restaurant in Nikko. It’s also sold in convenience stores.

Our Favourite Vegetarian Restaurants in Japan

One of the 12 courses of our vegan feast at Bon in Tokyo

Tokyo

Tokyo has many options for vegetarians. Our favourite vegetarian restaurant is Bon, which serves exquisite multi-course fucha ryori in beautiful tatami rooms.

We loved the vegan ramen at T’s Tantan and Ramen Ouka. Milk Land in Shinjuku does an excellent value vegetarian lunch set. Zen is a vegetarian-friendly okonomiyaki place.

Read our guide to vegetarian restaurants in Tokyo for more details.

Kyoto

It’s easy to be vegetarian in Kyoto. We recommend Shigetsu for shojin ryori at Tenryuji temple. We love the vegetarian set lunches at Hobodo Cafe, Veg Out, and Padma.

Mimikou does delicious vegetarian curry udon and Gyoza ChaoChao has a vegetarian gyoza menu.

For more of our favourites, see our vegetarian Kyoto guide.

Osaka

Osaka is very vegetarian-friendly if you plan in advance. There are an increasing number of vegan restaurants including Green Earth, Rocca, and Cafe Atl.

You can try local specialities at Self Tacoyaki Bar Iduco, Matsuri, and Okonomiyaki Chitose.

See our vegetarian Osaka guide for more delicious options.

Koya-San

In Koya-san you can get shojin ryori meals for dinner and breakfast by spending the night at a temple.

We also ate the set lunch at Bon On Shya International Cafe on the main street which is vegetarian but serves international food rather than Japanese.

Nikko

Yasai Cafe Meguri in Nikko serves vegan lunch sets and Komekichi Kozushi has tasty vegetarian sushi options and is one of the few places open in the evenings.

Kawaguchiko

If you are heading to Lake Kawaguchiko to see Mount Fuji, you can find a few vegetarian options.

Fuji Tempura Idaten has a vegetable tempura set (skip the miso soup) and Peace Kawaguchiko has a vegetarian hot pot and a few noodle soups. We also had a break from Japanese at the excellent Pizzeria Onda.

Takayama

Heinraku is a wonderful small restaurant in Takayama run by the friendliest lady and has pages of vegetarian options on the menu—I loved the Hida miso ramen.

Sukuya is a good place to try a vegetarian version of the local speciality hoba miso—vegetables and tofu cooked with miso paste on a magnolia leaf.

Kanazawa

In Kanazawa we struggled to find Japanese vegetarian meals so ended up eating Western food. Taste and Scent is mostly vegetarian and has a good value set lunch with rice and various salads.

Slow Luck is a tiny place focused on using vegetables in creative ways and has a vegetarian menu. The food was Italian-inspired and utterly delicious including a pesto, potato and mascarpone pizza and grilled vegetables with an incredible pesto dip.

See our 2 week Japan itinerary for more details about what we ate in Nikko, Takayama, and Kanazawa.

Summary

Although Japan can be challenging as a vegetarian if you just wander into any restaurant, with some planning you can find some amazing meat-free meals. The delicious food is one of the reasons we keep returning to the country. I hope this post helps you enjoy it as much as we do.

For more Japan tips see our post on planning a trip to Japan for everything you need to know.

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kosaka-ryoutarou · 7 years

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Kosaka Ryoutarou First One-Day Valentine Tour in Mother Farm, February 19, 2017

This is a translation of the question and answer portion Ryoutarou had during his bus tour last February. All questions are from the participants of bus # 2. For a general fan report of the event, you can read about it here.

Please DO NOT REPOST AND ALTER any part of this translation anywhere without credit. We’ll appreciate it if you link people back to this page.

Q. If you can have a vacation for one week, where and with whom will you want to go with?

I talked about this before with them and I want to go with all Haisute cast members. Maybe Okinawa or abroad? I want to take my time when it’s a local trip!

Q. What is the most memorable thing you remember in your 20 years?

Most memorable thing… I wonder what it is. I have been playing soccer since I was in elementary. A coach from an over-all champion team was so scary that we thought he would hit us.

Q. What is your favorite fashion brand/maker?

I don’t have any favorite. I browse through magazines to see what I want and look for them in Harajuku or Shibuya. But recently, I am saving to buy in Supreme or Vivian.

Q. For White Day, how will you confess?

In a park, I’ll say, “Thank you for the chocolates. They’re delicious. You see... I like you!” something like that.

Q. Which do you like better: Disney Sea or Disneyland? What is your favorite attraction and character?

Disney Sea! I have been there six times! My favorite attractions are Big Sand Mountain and Space Mountain. Those are both in Disneyland though! I just prefer going to Disney Sea. My favorite character is Donald Duck.

Q. When did you get your growth spurt?

After taking photos for a movie in my first-year middle school, I suddenly had it. It made playing soccer easily but it was really painful (lol).

Q. Is height hereditary in your family?

Hereditary? I don’t know. But I drink a lot of milk and sleep a lot. (In the morning of that day, he mentioned that his maternal great-grandfather and grandfather are tall.)

Q. How do you memorize your lines?

I don’t have a particular way to memorize lines. I keep practicing and learning. I don’t memorize by sounds (or by words?), rather I remember the content.

Q. Hygiene recommendation?

First of all, sleep a lot! Sleep is important! Rest your mind!

Q. Foot size?

27.5 cm

Q. (Among the Haisute cast) Who would be your girlfriend?... except Suga-kun (Kenta)!

Maybe Tatsunari-kun?... Jus-kun (Justin)! Jus-kun is quite cute. I would observe him for quite a while. Whenever we have a break during rehearsal, he would give and recommend some snacks.

Q. A perfume that you wear?

I don’t wear one. (The guide asked him what his favorite scent is.) Probably (newly washed) clothes?

Q. Favorite hairstyle on a girl?

Anything that suits. Long or short. I like any that suits her. Her choice. I am not particular whether she tucks it or let it flow. I believe (in her choice)! lol

Q. Favorite school event?

Recess or athletic festival! School work piles up in a day during school festivals so athletic festival!

Q. Favorite scent?

Detergent scent. Soap scent. Something that is not strong on the nose but a soft one that smells satisfyingly for the whole body.

Q. Do you have a measurement of your limbs?

For inseam, it’s 94cm! Somewhere around 92-94cm. For the hands (arms), none! They said that your height is the same as your arms spread open (horizontally), so if you subtract my upper body (torso), you’ll get my arm length.

Q. When you were in Osaka with Kairi, what did you eat?

Ramen. We ate ramen at a tsukemen restaurant. It was quite a spicy tonkotsu dish.

Q. How do you like your tamagoyaki/omelet?

It depends on the mood. But I like dashimaki!

Q. What are your memories from middle school and high school?

I was part of the soccer club. After club activities, I didn’t go to vending machines (to get drinks). I loved going home buying snacks. I would go home eating ice cream.

Q. Please introduce yourself with a rap.

Okay, okay (starting up a beat)… “Everyone, hello. Hello. I am Kosaka Ryoutarou. Height is 186cm. Weight shouldn’t matter. I like a lot of sports. I like everyone too.”

Q. Recently, I wear red or green clothes. Do you have any pointers (suggestions)?

I don’t have confidence on this one. But you should choose what you want to wear. Think about one point in your coordination when you combine pieces. For example, a red design on a black polo shirt, the red design would stand out (f you also added another piece with red color.) I suggest that you should just keep it simple.

Q. Who do you love more: Keita-san or Kenta-san?

This is difficult! Ah, let’s do it this way instead. If they were both hanging from a cliff, who would I save? (lol) In that case, I would save Kenta-kun. Keita-kun is so heavy! (lol)

Q. If you were to play another role in Haisute, who would it be?

I want to play Nishinoya or Sugawara because they are so cool and nice.

Q. Have you met with (Hirata) Yuuya-kun recently?

We haven’t been in contact for around two months but we met up before. We played billiards.

Q. What is your favorite rice condiment?

Tarako and mentaiko! I love mentaiko with mayonnaise.

Q. Is there a food that you get addicted to? Do you have an item that you always keep a stock of?

I always keep a stock of Curel’s moisturizing essence. It’s hard to have a thing that you rave about. For food, it’s something spicy. I request for yukgaejang.

Q. What kind of food can you describe Kenta as?

Eh~ (lol) Strawberry daifuku!

Q. What kind of conversation do you have with Pii-chan (Ryoutarou’s pet bird)? Please let us know.

“Pii-chan. Pii-chan. I’m home. Pii-chan? Pii-chan!” (He said this in a very high-pitched tone; he’s so cute) And then Pii-chan will go “Pii~”

Q. What would you be if you weren’t an actor?

A manga artist. Or a soccer player.

Q. What are 10 things you like about Kenta-kun?

How he’s fashionable. How he’s cute (lol)... ah wait. He’s cute when he says, “Let’s take a photo.” When he supplies me some butamen (a brand of instant ramen). When he comes to watch the stage plays I am in. How skillful he is in dramas (plays). How he is very kind. How he gives very valuable advice. How he will push himself to the limits. How he will be Hinata Shoyou until the end. How he also loves me!

Q. If you are to dye your hair, what color will you have?

Red! I want to dye it red. Maybe next time I’ll dye it red.

Q. A present you received that made you happy the most.

I cannot choose! I like everything. But if it is something that surprised me, when I pressed a button in an electrified plastic bag, there was a chemical reaction kind happening and it hardened. It was the only button and like, “what was that?” I was really surprised.

Q. Can you exceed Tsukki’s height?

I cannot exceed it! But what I like recently from the original work is that my height difference with Kairi is similar to the height difference between Tsukishima and Yamaguchi.

Q. Has there been an instance that you bought pants that are quite shorter than your stature? Or any situation that your height has put you in a troubled state?

It’s this, no? (points at his paints) What troubles me the most is when I collide with something, like those hanging advertisements inside the trains. When it’s crowded in the train too and you bump with people next to you. That’s really troubling.

Q. Please sing even just one phrase of a song you listen to recently or please impersonate someone from the Haisute cast.

I’ll do both! [He sings the first two lines in the chorus of the song “Rainy Blue” by Hideaki Tokunaga.] For Haisute cast impersonation, I’ll do Kageyama… “心底怖ぇよ (It’s truly frightening.)” [He did it in this very low voice; see episode 4 of HQ S1] I can do Noya-san too. Well, this is Shohei-kun’s version… “Chiissuuu!!” That sounded differently.

Q. You are too cute; were you a fairy reincarnation?

I am not! I am not a fairy (lol)! But I saw Santa Claus. I woke up one night from a jingling sound as he climbed up. Also, I saw a UFO too! It was flickering so you definitely can’t call that an airplane. It was definitely a UFO. It was doing this kind of thing [he was doing a zigzag motion with his hand]. I was in elementary then, of course, everyone would call you a liar if you told such thing, so I didn’t write it in my journal.

Q. Please tell us how you keep your style/look (of being slim and slender).

I myself is the type of person who eats a lot. However, being in this line of work, even though I am someone who is not very attached to how I look, I have to have self-control on what I eat. So I think it goes to that.

Q. Which country/countries do you want to go to?

America… I want to go to America and Philippine (sic) and Spain. [He said this in English.] (The guide asked how he learned English.) I studied for entrance examinations. For university entrance examination, I studied it during high school. But I can’t really speak it… that fluently. I think I’m just so-so.

Q. What is the advantage of being tall?

You can easily find a lost child. Like, immediately. Very soon. Also, when you wear a hat, doesn’t that look like you’re flying a UFO? (lol)

Q. Are you okay with thrilling rides?

I can do the rides in Disney. But the ones in Fuji-Q are no good. I was in first year in middle school when I experienced it for the first time. I was forcibly made to ride the one in Disney and it scared me. Over time, it’s okay. But for Fuji-Q. Even the people who like going there say it’s scary. I can’t definitely go to Fuji-Q.

Q. What is your favorite pose and line among the stage plays you were in?

It’s “Turtle!” from the Konchuger stage. For the pose, probably the blocking.

Q. What is one thing that was difficult during Juvenile?

It’s shouting (speaking in a loud voice). I can’t perfectly raise my voice. Also, there weren’t microphones.

Q. Is there something that’s popular among the Haisute cast?

Something popular… Game boy. Kouhei-san would bring an interesting game so we would be playing.

Q. During the last performance of Juvenile, Reira-san’s “Justice!” was the best. I would like to see Kosaka-kun’s version.

[Basically, Ryoutarou did it with his own version mentioning the activities during the bus tour. To have some idea what the Justice gag is, it’s this one. Also, Hiroki did it as well.]

Q. If you can make other goods for your next event, what will you make?

iPhone case. I am okay by myself, but I know that for others they would want something that’s fashionable. I would have it available in all style.

Q. Please tell us a story behind the scene during Juvenile rehearsals.

Actually, it wasn’t decided that Reira-san to do the Justice by herself, but it was a dare that Kota-san was supposed to do but he skillfully dodged doing it.

Q. What do you think is Tsukishima’s charm?

So like at first, we hear him saying this. He wasn’t interested in volleyball, but he keeps attending club activities, so he likes it, doesn’t he? That’s what I think. I find that part of him very cute. So for me, when I act as him as well, I think that I like playing volleyball.

Q. Among the Haisute cast, who would be your girlfriend, your wife, your little sister, your big sister, and your female best friend?

For girlfriend, it’s Tatsunari-kun or Jus-kun… but ah, there’s the female best friend, then Tatsunari-kun would be my best friend while Jus-kun would be the girlfriend so it doesn’t sound as two-timing (lol). For the wife… Eh, wife? K-Kenta-kun? Younger sister… Jus-kun sounds nice as a younger sister… Shohei-kun would be my younger sister. For older sisters, I choose Hiroki-kun and Kazuma-kun.

Q. Do you see yourself as a villain on your next role?

I want to try being a villain... No, really, I want to be a villain. I want to be the kind of villain like in Psycho Pass.

Q. Next month, the new Haisute will be starting. Is there something that Kosaka-kun looks forward to acting as Tsukishima Kei?

The match with Shiratorizawa. Right? That… “...綻びを…待ってたよ (that opening caused by panic… i’m waiting for it.)” That one, I want to do that. [Everybody was squealing at this point lol that the guide asked for him to repeat it.] Eh, but I can’t remember the whole line. What was it? [He repeats the same line only in a lower voice.] That (line) is really cool, right?

Q. On the last Haisute, what scene gave you the most impact?

Scene? The games… Losing against Nekoma, and winning against Datekou and Tokonami. The match with Tokonami, I like that one. I like all the scenes. As for my own lines, there’s this scene where Hinata doesn’t give up and Tsukishima thinks about it. I love that part.

Q. Is there a similarity between you and Tsukki that you notice after playing the role? For example, do you also like shortcake?

I like shortcake. Actually before I like chocolate cake. I didn’t really like shortcake but because Tsukki likes shortcake, I tried it and now I can eat it. It has been a while since I’ve eaten shortcake. Also, Tsukki’s usual lines, “君さぁ / You…” and “君が悪いんじゃん / You are so bad at this” but it’s not like I would actually say it! I haven’t even told Kenta-kun that! (lol) Something similar… Glasses too. I wear glasses too except at work.

Q. If you were to be a villain, which position would you want? The boss, the subordinate, or one of the Four Heavenly Kings?

Four Heavenly Kings? I want to be one of them-- Ah, I want to be a traitor! When you thought he’s an ally, you’ll suddenly say, “Oh, he is the bad guy!” (lol) I want to do that.

Q. Last question~ Is there something that we can enjoy in Mother Farm?

Eh? But the bus tour is about to end. Then, next time, let’s go together! There are also animals in there. I want to see them as well.

Sources: @tsukkinode and here Translated by @tsukkinode with assistance from @sound-piece and Lynn

#kosaka ryoutarou #translation #event: bus tour #source: fan report #hyper projection engeki haikyuu #haikyuu stage play #haisute #juvenile stage

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pandoraimperatrix · 6 years

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After Office Hours

NaruHina | Mature | Romance | 2k | Read on AO3

Part One

Part Two

“Hinata?”

She jumped awake and stared horrified at his kind smile, missing instantly the weight of the hand that rested briefly on her shoulder while he tried to wake her.

“I'm s-sorry” she felt so ashamed, she couldn’t believe she fell asleep on her table like that. “I know it’s no excuse, b-but think I didn’t sleep well last n-night and-“

“Slow down'ttebayo!” He let out a throaty laugh. “I’m not here to accuse you of anything. To be fair, I’m really surprised you are still here. It’s almost one a.m., I thought there was only me here.”

“Oh... I was...” She hid a yawn behind her hand. “I was waiting for you.”

“Hinata...” He frowned as she nervously started gathering her things from the table. “You really shouldn’t. Your family must be worried...”

She stood up and smiled softly without looking at him directly.

“They are not. Did you... Did you finish? I will help you! I mean, if I can, I should had been helping you all this time, shouldn’t I? That’s why you are here until this late, because your useless secretary can’t even do her job.”

Her cheeks were red and puffy as she stared at him with a glint of maniac despair in her eyes. To think she was asleep moments ago, some energizing nap that was, he repressed the urge do smile at her antics.

“Wow, Hinata, just, wow! Are you ok? Why are you being so hard on yourself? You are the best secretary anyone could ask for, none of your said is true at all. Actually, I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you and Shikamaru with me. And to be true, I wasn’t working... Not really... I was just avoiding going home and I took a nap on my table too for a little bit.”

She deflated like a balloon filled with sadness instead of helium.

“I'm sorry...”

Now he couldn’t help smiling, and put a hand over her shoulder.

“What are you sorry for?”

“I don’t know, I just...”

He have seen that before, how she retracted inwards like a wounded snail when feeling insecure, he wasn’t having that tonight.

“Hey, are you hungry?”

“What?”

“I’m kinda peckish. Do you think we can find anything open?”

He glanced over the window.

“I... I think there’s a new food machine on the corner of the street.”

He beamed.

“Great!”

***

“Are you sure your family won’t be worried for you staying out so late?” He asked with a mouth stuffed with dry ramen noodles. “I'm quite expecting some sort of super scary Neji-like guy coming to get you.”

She lowered her head to hide a little smile.

“No, no I don’t get those anymore.”

“Why not?”

He offered his cup of raw ramen to her, but she declined choosing to keep munching her M&M's.

“Since I resigned from my ninja career and got an office job I was invited to leave home and the Hyuuga clan actually, but I can’t, I have the byakugan and I am well... My father’s daughter... So I’m still Hinata Hyuuga for now, I haven’t been sealed, for now, but I don’t get bodyguards anymore and I can stay late as much as I want.”

“Oh... I didn’t know any of that. How didn’t I know any of that? You are my friend, you are my secretary, I’m the Hokage!”

“It’s not something you should be concerning yourself with Hokage-sama, you know how my clan is we don’t like to make a big deal of things...”

“You are a big deal for me, Hinata! W-well everybody on this village is... But you should have told me.”

“I’m sorry, Hokage-sama.”

“Like before, you have nothing to be sorry for... I’m the one in the wrong here. It must had been hard to you.”

“I bit. I guess.” She played with the plastic package of her candy. “But I also feeling unburdened for the first time in my life.”

“Yeah, you family is a piece of work, I remember from the chunnin exams. Boy, that was ages ago. Do you remember how young we were? And I was such a brat!”

“You were not...” He didn’t expect the found in her expression, her face turned forward, away from his as she looked at their shared past. “And...” her cheeks were redder than before and not just because of the weather or the couple of beers they drank each “I looked up to you a lot”. She giggled and the sound made his belly feel weird, like there were bubbles inside him instead of the snacks and the alcohol they got from the machines. “Before you were the village's hero, you were mine...” she took a sip from her beer and then realizing what she just said she choked “I mean my hero, not m-m-my.”

He chuckled, she was so cute.

“But Hinata, I was a loser then.”

“But you were a proud one, you never let anyone bring you down, you never gave up, you just kept fighting, and look at you now!”

He stared at her for a few moments, and to his surprise she held the gaze, her expression fierce, her cheeks redder than ever. She was drunk, and after just two bottles, a lightweight drinker. She would remember none of this tomorrow.

And that's maybe why he did it.

He closed the space between them and kissed her.

It was a closed mouth kiss, and it was meant to be fast because he knew that was wrong milliseconds before touching her, but when he did. When the felt how bitter and sweet from the beer and snacks she tasted, and how so, so soft she felt, he stayed and, surprising him another time, so did she.

When he drew back, an apology on the tip of his tong, she still had her eyes closed, and she sighed. He swallowed the apology and it made bubbles even bigger on his stomach. She opened her eyes, they looked like half-moons floating in the dark ocean of her lashes. She licked her lips, he swallowed again, then opened his mouth to say something, but gave up and just leaned towards her again, his hands cupping the nape of her head, her lips parting to receive his, her hand snaking to his arm, the click of the empty bottle rolling to the floor.

He woke up in a bed that definitively was not his, it was too clean and the sheets had no obnoxious print on it, also the mattress as softer and the air smelt like flowers.

“Oh... You are awake. G-good morning.”

She was half-ready for work, but she was still suffering from a serious case of bed hair that became even more obvious now she wore it short again, she also was wearing a pair of fluffy slippers and there was a huge mug in her hand.

“Good morning’ttebayoo... What time is it?” He raised his upper body noticing as the comfort fell and exposed his naked chest that he was wearing nothing beneath it.

“Almost seven and a half.”

He noticed how her face went pink as her eyes wandered over his exposed chest and images of the night before flooded his head, specially those in which he found out the extent of her body through that pinkness spread.

Then he noticed his other morning companion. Oh noes.

“I... I think it's better if I leave first. I'm almost ready to go anyway.”

“You should have awakened me earlier, Hinata.”

Hinata who used that morning to memorise every freckle of his sleeping face didn’t agree and didn’t respond to that.

“I’ve left some coffee and rice in the kitchen, and the spare key you can put under the flower pot. I'm leaving now.”

He tried to get up to reach her but then remembered he was naked. A voice inside his head commented that she had already seen everything, but he ignored it and just firmly held the flowered comfort.

“Hinata, can we talk about this?”

She didn’t turn to him.

“Y-yes. Later.”

And then she was gone.

Work went normal. When he got there, almost one hour late from doing her dishes and hitting home to change clotting, she was sitting at her usual place working, and greeted him with a soft “Good morning, Hokage-sama” as if nothing had happened between them. It burst some of the bubbles in his stomach.

The day was so utterly ordinary that he almost forgot the night before. The weird conversation under the lamp light, the beers they shared, the sweetness of her lips and the tangy of her folds as she crushed his head between her tights. Well, maybe he didn’t forget it at all.

Finally, the work day was done, not that he did actual work that day at all. He kept looking at the door, whishing he could see through it and finding ridiculous excuses to go outside and walk past her, he went to de bathroom seventeen times and bought instant ramen five times, at end of the day he was feeling nauseous and he couldn’t say if it was pure tension or just too much food. He was just glad that Shikamaru was out on a mission and didn’t see that. He was also sorry for the same reason because he could use the advice, an at the same time he felt like he couldn’t talk about what happened between him and Hinata with anyone. It was so weird, he never felt so nervous after sleeping with anyone before. Maybe it was because of how his last relationship ended. If you could call that a relationship.

It was almost nine o’clock when she entered his room, her eyes focussing everywhere but him.

“You s-said you wanted to see me.”

He got up from his table, his hands on his pockets, he walked towards her in silence.

“I want to apologise. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you last night. I was sad, you were drunk. It wasn’t fair dattebayo… And if you don’t want to work here anymore, I’ll fully understand.”

“You didn’t.” Was what she finally said after a long silence that made his guilty grow so big it almost crushed him on the spot.

“What.”

“You didn’t t-take advantage of me. I… I wanted that. I was the one to invite you to my house, remember?”

Well, that was true.

“But still… Hinata…”

“I wasn’t that drunk. I’m actually usually much a heavier drinker than I was last night. I know what I was doing.”

Well, that was some interesting information.

“But if you want me to find a job somewhere else I will understand, but can I stay until then? It will be hard to pay rent otherwise…”

“Hey, Hinata, you don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to! I just thought… If you felt uncomfortable…”

“I’d like to stay if it’s possible then.”

“Of course’ttebayo! Actually, I was very worried that you would want to go, where would I find such a good secretary?”

He gave her his trademark Uzumaki a thousand watt smile, she smiled back and they shared a little moment, until her eyes doped from his to his lips, he followed the gaze and swallowed hard, remembering how the night before she bit and sucked his bottom lip so much that he still felt it a little sore.

Unconsciously he stepped forward, almost invading her personal space. But she was the one to talk first.

“Why were you sad?” She whispered.

“I don’t wanna to talk about it right now.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t snoop in…”

Her eyes dropped to the floor and she threatened to leave, but he stopped her by putting a hand on her waist.

He could feel the goosebumps going through her skin.

“Hinata… I…”

What was fucking wrong with him? He had just apologized for this kind of stuff!

But she was giving him the half-moon look again.

“Tell me if this is ok.”

She crossed the imaginary line between them, there was now only a thin layer of air separating their bodies.

“It is.”

And next thing he knew, she was laying in his table, most of the important papers on the floor with pens, scrolls and empty ramen cups. His hands holding hers to the shaking table, her teeth biting his shoulder and his hips been held by the firm grip of her legs pushing him closer and deeper.

#naruhina #hinanaru #nh fanfiction #nh fanfic #see AO3 for the tags #my fic

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