This Sunday’s movie was Mr. Baseball, a sentimental sports classic from 1992, starring Tom Selleck, Ken Takakura, Aya Takanashi, Dennis Haysbert, Toshi Shioya, Kosuke Toyohara … (see more). A joint U.S.-Japan production, rich in cross-cultural humor, Mr. Baseball is my favorite East-West comedy.
It’s American Day in Tono today, July 21st.
Inquire in at Michael’s Cafe for more info, or just drop in on one of our Tuesday or Thursday Conversational English sessions, we welcome guests!
This week Michael’s Cafe American partnered with Italian Bar Ittemicca, On-Cafe, NoTo General Store, and other Tono restaurants to serve dishes featuring our finest local ingredients to attendees of a JCI event, July 7th at Aeria Hotel. Also in attendance were dancers, lions, drummers, and other assorted traditional Japanese performers. What did we serve? Chicken tacos with homemade chipotle sauce, and spicy beef & bean chili, with shredded cheese and corn chips. And fresh hot coffee. Yeah, baby. That’s what happens when you invite an American to one of these things.
Tonight we’re honoring the coolest kids in town, Didac, Delia, and Gaia Piazza. Didac is moving to attend a school in Nagano, and his sisters are returning to Sicily, we’re celebrating their awesomeness at a farewell party later tonight. レナータの子供達の送別会. Tono won’t be the same without them!
We’re celebrating Independence Day! We’re gathering all the Americans in Tono to watch “Captain America” movies, and enjoy milk and chocolate chip cookies.
Golden Week brought many new faces, and lots of good food and celebration. We’re still new (only about ten weeks!) so this was our first test serving Tono during a busy holiday.
Cold beer and iced coffee, now available, and free WiFi, too. There’s lots more pictures from last week in the Cafe Gallery.
We survived, thanks to the help of new #TeamMichael helpers in the kitchen and behind the counter, most of them family members! Pictured here is Akemi, in the middle, Chizuko, and Akemi’s daughter, our niece Emiri, who made a delicious chocolate lava cake.
Michael and Shun-Shun, tasting espresso made with delicious fresh-roasted Ethiopian Yirgacheffee, during #GoldenWeek2018
Happy Constitution Memorial Day! Many Japanese workers get about a week off around the end of April and beginning of May. This is because there is cluster of national holidays during this time.
The week starts on April 29, a national holiday that used to be celebrated as the birthday of Emperor Showa, who passed away in 1989. It is now celebrated as Showa Day, a day to allow people to think back on the hardship and recovery of the Showa period and to ponder the future of Japan.
May 3 is Constitution Memorial Day. The present Constitution of Japan came into effect on this day in 1947. May 5 is Children’s Day, set aside to pray for the healthy growth and happiness of boys and girls.
Congratulations to the best new addition to the neighborhood, 遠野醸造 Tono Brewing Company, opening May 3, 2018! We attended an event celebrating the opening, enjoyed great food and great beer, and got lots of snapshots. There’s more in the photo album!
Visit 遠野醸造 Tono Brewing Company on Facebook
How do you eat a large — make that really large — hamburger? Easy! Share it with friends. Our Kikori Burger is big enough to feed a woodsman, logger, farmer, sumo wrestler, or hungry teenage track & field competitor.
Michael’s Cafe is aiming to create and serve the largest, most delicious hamburger in Iwate. Made with love, and a whole pound of premium Tono beef, served with lettuce, tomato, mayo and ketchup, on a gigantic bun, made by a bakery right here in Tono.
How big is it?
The weather is warm, Golden Week is almost here, and the beer is cold! We also have cold beverages like iced tea, ginger ale, Kappa Cola, iced lattes, and more. Invite some friends, and pull up a chair!
