Thought I would make a cake for friends tonight,and wanted to share this yummy tutorial with you. This is from the amazing Hummingbird Bakery recipe book. This apple streusel cake is nice, moist and fluffy! ENJOY 🙂

(P.S final post of Japan coming soon)

✨I forgot to mention you must put 140g plain flour in! ✨

I will never forget my time in Kumamoto. The heartistic nature of the Japanese people who took care of us will never be forgotten and engrained in my memory. The whole string of activities that we were fortunate to experience brought much excitement and enriched my time in Japan. The main activity we got involved in was the Peace Road.

The Peace Road project involved cycling for peace across the world, Korea and Japan in particular. This project was taking place across Japan as well as Korea. It was a privilege to be involved in this. There were a few cyclists that would cycle every few kilometres and then would change over with a different few. I was able to cycle once and offer my efforts. It was stunning to cycle among the beautiful landscape of Kumamoto. To be part of a team of dedicated individuals, the team spirit was in top form and it was a meaningful offering to peace. It was recognised by the local city hall leader.

Brother and sister cycling

Rice fields

In Kumamoto we were also able to discover the beautiful landscapes and I was so overwhelmed by how much vegetation there was! Super green! I was so thrilled at how intensely green it was. It was rather breathtaking, I must say!. I’ve never in my life seen so much green. We were taken to Mount Aso, to marvel at its beauty. And it sure is beautiful. Mount Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan. It’s peak is 1,592 metres above sea level. I was surprised to see there is a town nearby where people live! Brave.

One day, we gave an English lesson to the mini Kumamoto children and how cute were they?! They were super cute! The lesson went well as they were able to have fun and have a lot of laughs. I think this image just screams CUTENESS OVERLOAD

We went to a festival in Kumamoto, which was so fun. Everyone was in happy spirits. I could really enjoy the joyful atmosphere, as smiles were exchanged all round among the people of Kumamoto. The stalls were diverse as they offered games , cheap food and entertainment. My ultimate highlight was the Taiko group. Taiko is a traditional Japanese drum. The group used really dynamic choreography as they drummed away to the catchy music. They were so amazing and so talented! I managed to film a whole performance from them. Enjoy 😊.

I honestly felt the inner warrior spirit spread to their fingertips. They drummed like they meant it.

Kumamoto’s mascot Komamon is pictured everywhere. On the buses, on the buildings, in shops. I didn’t get to meet him. He’s a busy bear with many engagements hehe 😉. He is a cutie pie, and everyone knows it.

I want to say a big Thank you for the big love we received from the Japanese people who took good care of us over the 10 days. We felt the love through your smiles, generosity and kindness. Even though language was a barrier somehow we could understand each other through our actions. It goes to show actions speak louder than words. The memories are locked in my heart and will forever be cherished. I shall come again soon. I miss you all.