Happy Holidays from My family to Yours...

Alice is not in Tokyo at the moment. I'm in Trumansburg, New York and there I am, dead center, with a slightly wiggly Macy in my lap. This is a picture of the assembled extended family on Christmas day. We've been hosting a Christmas brunch for family for 20 years now (except for last year when we were in Tokyo). It is wonderful to be home.

My favorite quote about families:

"Families are like fudge. Mostly sweet with a few nuts."

-unknown

He's Back!

Nathan just completed his National Outdoor leadership School semester in New Zealand. It is FANTASTIC to have him back with us. He's pretty happy about it too. Hopefully you will have the opportunity to talk to him about some of his experiences some time.

At the moment, we are sitting in a hotel in Detroit, waiting for an early morning flight. White Christmas, here we come.

Fun with signs

SLOW DOWN
DUCKS CROSSING

Yes indeed, all the trains in New Zealand are happy little steam engines.

A little something for everyone, I guess.

True confessions of a Tolkien fan...

The greatest line in the 3rd movie: "I AM NO MAN!"
(As she smites the King of the Witches)
Didn't know Robin was King of the Witches, did you?

Every Orc face was individual, and there were hundreds.
This is from the make-up and costume records for the extras.

This is taken from the vantage point of the cameras for the scene of Gandalf riding with a shaft of light before him.

What a couple of happy nerds. Really. We ought to be ashamed.

These are accurate replicas of head gear and sword of the riders. Quite heavy and made from metal. That road behind me was built by the set crew for access to the field and hills around there. That rise behind me was the one the horses came over and stood upon as the King rode up and down the line, clinking swords and reciting directly from Tolkien's writing. It's a stirring scene. (Not goofy, how I look)

The abridged version of Sunday...

The view from our B&B in Wanaka

Our Sunday mode of transport.

Here we go!

A tarn. A lake in the mountains.

A bird's eye view of Lake Wanaka

The Peak of Mount Aspiring, rising through the clouds. Awesome.

One view of Milford Sound.

Fur seals hanging out for a photo op.

A lovely local couple from Twizel.

Lupins along the shore of Lake Tekapo.

An update

Nathan slept for 14 hours last night. Not surprising. They were getting up at 4:30 to utilize predawn temperatures and colder snow. Then the sun wouldn't be fully gone until late at night- about 10:00. So they had very long days. He said everyone was sleep deprived at the end. It is so good to see him! He looks like a California beach bum, with long fluffy sun-bleached hair, a dark hiker's tan and much muscle definition on his legs. He's got some wonderful pictures to share and stories galore.

Now, I want to tell you about our Sunday adventure. It was fantastic. We rose early at the Mountain Range B&B to get to the tiny Wanaka airport by 8:40. We climbed aboard a small 6-seater Cessna plane. Ben was our laid-back young pilot. We wore life preservers and headsets while riding in the plane. Our route took us from Wanaka, over Lake Wanaka, into the Mount Aspiring alpine peaks, across the Barrier Range and beyond to Milford Sound. Along the way, Ben pointed out a couple of locations where the film crews and actors worked on Lord of the Rings. We landed at the interior end of the sound, hopped onto a cruise boat and enjoyed a 2 hour sight-seeing/wildlife viewing tour. Imagine a tropical rain forest with cliffs, waterfalls, wildflowers, beaches both rocky and sandy, Arctic terns, sea gulls, ducks, fur seals...we had stopped to look for penguins at 2 points, but they are off feeding now. After touring the entire length of the sound and back, we hopped back onto the plane, and took a slightly more Southerly route back to Wanaka. Only twice did we hit turbulence on the plane that made me grab for Robin. He had to pry my fingers out of his arm at one point. I wasn't really scared, just surprised and startled. Turbulence has a new meaning in a 6-seater. It was a cloudy day, but the clouds were high enough for us to fly under. Only a couple of times were we sandwiched in between them. After the flight, I bought a Lord of the Rings Location guide, mainly to see if we were going to be near any locations.

Our drive to Twizel was lovely. I spent it excitedly reading parts of my guide book out loud to Robin while he drove. We passed Lake Tekapo with the famous Church of the Good Shepherd overlooking the gorgeous blue lake and mountains. Then I read about the large flat area right outside of Twizel that was the scene of the largest battlefield scene of the Rings trilogy- and the recommended tour that we could take. I got all excited at the prospect of visiting the movie location.

We arrived at the Heartland Lodge and met our last B&B hosts: Jim and Mary. They are retired school teachers who are enjoying the B&B lifestyle. They called to see about a tour for us, and informed us that a guide would pick us up in 15 minutes. I ran to charge my camera battery at least a little before we had to leave. Sure enough, a van drove up and a bespectacled Vernon
took us for a short drive over to the Fields of Pellanor.

Aside from being probably the most geeky thing I've ever done, it was a hoot. Our guide had been a driver for the movie extras, mostly transporting Orcs from the local neighboring towns to the film sight. He had been at the site while they were filming, and witnessed some of the chaos it took to endure to get the scenes with all the horses charging in lines. He had great tales to tell about the movie and the locals who came out for it. Here's a fun fact: Most of the riders of horses were women. The men were too busy with farming or their other day jobs to just spend weeks on end on site with their horses. Vernon is (or used to be) with the NZ Conservation Department and had lots of interesting things to say about the land use, the hydroelectric power plant in the area and the local flora. It wasn't just dungeons and dragons, folks.

After taking part in some silly pictures complete with costumes, role playing and props, we were returned to our B&B and enjoyed a delicious salmon dinner cooked by Mary. Nathan called us before supper and it was great to hear from him.

Our final day, we rose early (again) to get to Mount Cook Village to do some kayaking in a glacier lake. We drove through pretty heavy rain to get there, and unfortunately, the mountain itself was socked in with clouds and rain. For a few brief moments, it rose as a faint ghostly image as the clouds cleared slightly, then disappeared again. We met our guide at the Old Mountaineer's Cafe. He seemed like a kooky fellow who would have been fun to kayak with, but our trip out was cancelled due to the weather. This allowed us to visit the visitor's center- a museum to New Zealand's mountain climbing history and culture. Sir Edmund Hillary trained on Mount Cook (the highest peak on NZ) and has some pretty deep ties with the people there.

Then it was a dash back to Christchurch, both of us eager to see Nathan. The land flattened out, the green lushness of the land dried up and the traffic increased as we headed back East. No wonder...the West side of the South Island gets 13 meters of rain a year. The East side only 1.5.
13 meters of rain is a lot of dang rain. No wonder the trees have moss skirts!

We met up with Nate finally late Monday night. He brought a couple of his buddies to the hotel to meet us. Then they went back to a party with the rest of the group. We warned him that our flight the next morning made it so we had to get UP at 3:30 a.m. Nate finally rolled into bed at 12:45 with a deep groan. He had not slept on a real mattress for 2 and a half months. Needless to say, yesterday flight was a long butt-melter.

Robin and I are determined to go back to New Zealand someday- maybe in the summer when it's a little bit warmer and see more. Hike more. Sail. Kayak. Camp. Star gaze. Visit more B and Bs. But for now- eyes are on Christmas and reuniting with the whole family. What a blessing.

From rainforest to glacier to beach

Our day started with a hike through primeval rainforest. Really ancient looking stuff- with moss of all kinds growing on everything. We expected to see a velociraptor peeking out from the dense undergrowth any second during our walk... We heard some very foreign-to-our-ears bird calls and thought of our friend Scott who might be able to recognize these calls. One sounded like a wooden flute. It was unlike any bird I've ever heard.

After the hike and lunch, we drove to the Fox Glacier access. Wow. There's a lot of ice up in those mountains! It's actually 5 or 6 glaciers that make up one huge ice mass. The sight of the Fox glacier is impressive. We had planned on walking up to the glacier face, but a man from the conservation department told us the route was closed due to some very recent rock sliding from above, so unfortunately we could only admire it from afar. Lots of people take helicopter rides from the town up to the glacier, land and then walk about on top of it. The advertisements really push the idea of throwing actual snowballs in the summer! Well, I get to throw my own snow balls in about a week, so that didn't seem so interesting.

So we hit the road. And headed South along the west Coast, continuing through the Southern Alps. This is where it got good. The sun came out, the clouds blew away and the mountains of Mount Aspiring National Park rose in front of us in majestic form. It was jaw-dropping, eye-popping, mind-blowing fantasmagorific beauty like I've never seen. I was driving through Middle Earth! (Lord of the Rings reference) Except Middle Earth had a heck of a lot of cows and sheep. I know our pictures won't do it justice, but it was wonderful. My heart was singing all day. The glacier streams are so crystal clear that they look blue. In the pictures that are true to real color, the water looks unreal it's so blue. But really- it IS like that.

We took many stops along the way today- we stopped on the coast twice (Robin is still searching for the perfect stone) and along 2 inland lakes- Lake Wanaka, and Lake Hawea. There are no dwellings around these lakes except at one end. It is pure unspoiled wilderness. The sailor in me wished like heck for a boat today, for the wind was really blowing like stink and no one was out there. There are boats but they are only at the Southern ends of these lakes. They are blue, clear and very cold lakes.

We stopped for dinner before checking in to our amazing B & B this evening. We are staying at the Mountian Range B&B in Wanaka. I am sitting on the bed typing this as the sun is almost completely gone now it's 9:45 p.m. here- summer long days, and can look out the window at the mountians. It is pretty special. We might be the only people here tonight for it's very quiet and we've just sort of holed up in the room, looking at photos from the day and working on this blog.

The night sky looks to be clear, so we might have to go out and lie in the hammocks side by side to find the Southern Cross in the heavens. Robin did some reconnoitering and discovered a telescope in the garage, so maybe we can clear our throats and drop some hints at some point. Perhaps we can get a tour of the Southern Constellations.
But Robin lies here snoring as I type, so maybe that might have to wait until tomorrow night.

Some local faces

This ratio is all wrong. There are ooodles more sheep than cows....It's just that sheep are really afraid of strangers trying to take their pictures. They run away like mad. Cows are cooler customers. They stand their ground and even get a tad bit aggressive when there are youngsters around.

More sheep than people

Hi Friends. New Zealand is amazing!!=wild, rugged, beautiful, clean, pure, friendly, temperate, reasonable, damp, green, dense, delicious and full of sheep.
Our day today began in Christchurch with a 7:00 alarm. (It felt like 3:00- it really did.) On the road by 9:30. Robin drove. I was not ready to face left hand driving whilst my body and brain told me it was still the middle of the night, thanks. Robin handled the wheel very well except for a few hits of the wipers instead of the turn signal, but that's just initiation to driving the Japanese made cars.

The day was rainy, grey and misty. Or at least all the tops of the mountain peaks were shrouded in fog- so we missed the full effect of the drive into the mountains. I may have brought this weather on with my not packing an umbrella or my "Bring it ON" attitude when faced with less than ideal conditions...I don't know, but it spit on us off and on pretty much all day. Didn't dampen our spirits though. We said the weather be damned, and our first stop was a hike to some outcrops of limestone. This was a magical place. I wish we had the boys with us when they were about 6, 8 and 10. This hillside would have provided them with days of fun. What an interesting landscape. Unlike any I've seen. We think this looked familiar- and are eager to go home and watch Lord of the Rings to look again.

We made it to the West Coast, and then I took the wheel. I am really proud of myself. I did the second half of the day's driving. And a lot of it was twisty turny switch-back mountain driving. On the left hand side. No accidents so far. Knock on wood. We saw a kiwi bird in a wild life exhibit. We spent an hour on the beach in Hokatika looking for cool rocks (which we found- ever the geologist, my husband, "every rock tells a story!") The surf and breeze were strong and fresh. Anti- Tokyo tonic for the soul.

Our final destination of the day was a B & B in Fox Glacier called Misty Peaks (and yes- the peaks were misty!!) owned and operated by Lee and Dave. They plied us with fabulous New Zealand wine and fed us an impromptu dinner of bacon sandwiches. We decided to stay in (twist our arm after 2 glasses of wine) and enjoy the company of another couple from the UK. Turns out, Ian is a lounge singer who doesn't need too much of an invitation to sing and who takes his back up CDs everywhere with him. The evening ended in some slightly impaired karaoke style singing along to Frank Sinatra tunes. Pretty hilarious. Ian's wife Sue was mortified and retired early.

Tomorrow it's on to less driving, a hike to Fox Glacier (check it out on google earth), other stops along the way and another B & B destination. I am finding the very best part of this trip is meeting and talking to the people.

The scenery is magnificent, the people are friendly, the sheep are adorable and we can't wait to catch up with Nate on Monday. But until then we are having sweet adventures.

Ochanomiyaki and Christmas lights on a Sunday Evening

Ochanomiyaki kind of looks gross, doesn't it? It's really rather tasty. It consists of noodles, sprouts, and seafood cooked on a griddle. That flat metal surface was hot, and the round pancake-like ochanomiyaki fried a little bit. We washed it down with Yebisu Beer. (Since we'd just been to the Yebisu Beer Museum.) The best part of discovering this restaurant called "Chibo," was the sunset view from it's location on the 38th floor. We tried to get the table by the window, but they told us it was reserved. The entire time we were there, the table sat empty. What a waste of a spectacular sunset view over Tokyo.

The Christmas lights below the restaurant were very festive! I like this shot with the Mitsukoshi sign behind. It places the picture in Japan, to be sure.

There I am- hardly recognizable standing among the lights.

We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a ZOMBIE New Year!

Meiji Shrine Revealed

I have been to the Meiji Shrine many times, and it is still my favorite Shrine here. Today I took a tour with the Women's Group to get a deeper look at the history, religion and daily workings of the Meiji Shrine. We had the cutest young Shinto Priest guide us through the grounds and into the shrine. After lunch, he gave a brief lecture. At the conclusion of the lecture on Shintoism, he and two women performed gagaku (traditional Shinto music) on ancient instruments.
I will give you the abbreviated version of some of the most interesting information I gathered today.

"Shin" means spirit.
"To" means way.
I like the idea of Shinto, or "Spirit Way."

Kami is an important concept in Shintoism. Kami is embodied in all things that are awe-inspiring. Therefore in Shinto, spirits, heaven, earth, people, oceans, mountains, life, all have Kami. Or are Kami, I'm not exactly sure. Waterfalls, rocks, ocean, mountains are all considered sacred. Shinto really appreciates the awesomeness of our natural world. I like that too.

There are not a lot of rules that dictate the Shinto way. The Japanese Shinto life is marked by certain milestones; they bless newborns (we saw one today), children at ages 3-5 and 7, and they celebrate the "Coming of age" at 20 years. Then they often get married at the shrine, but the funerals are frequently at Buddhist temples. In the past, it was not uncommon to find a man who was both a Buddhist Monk and a Shinto Priest.

When our young priest was explaining the New Year's ritual of visiting the Shrine, he explained it this way, "Lots of people make wish or something." I couldn't help but smile. Shinto is so very...relaxed. There are no stone tablets with "Follow the rules OR DIE!" on them. There are few rules. Priests come from all walks of life and can marry, "and drink!" added our guide with a smile. I think our young friend was a little out of his element today, surrounded by middle-aged international women, but he succeeded in charming us all. It was particularly interesting to find out that the men in his family have been becoming priests for about 800 years. Imagine.

Fun facts

The Meiji Shrine has:
170,000 trees, representing 264 species.
43 Priests, and about 100 other workers.
8 million visitors each year- 3 million of whom come during the New Year.
Corners of drainage creek at angles of 88 degrees. (For good luck)
The enshrined spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shokan.

The original shrine burned to the ground during the Tokyo air raids of WWII, and was completely rebuilt about 50 years ago. When it was rebuilt, they made the roof with less pitch, to be a gentler, friendlier place. The first roof was built at a higher, pointy pitch- one that represented strength and power.

Here are some words that are considered key to Shinto: gratitude, reverence, respect, life, nature, ancestors, harmony, purity and (very important specifically to the Meiji Shrine) a sincere heart. Great words all, and greatly vague. I like that.

We were instructed in the proper way to purify ourselves before entering the sacred grounds.

A kinder, gentler, post war roof slope. Absolutely gorgeous.

A proud Grandmother at the Shrine with a new born.

The corners are at an 88 degree angle.

This wall-less house is for the purification of the priests. The all gather within this structure and use tree branches, water and salt to purify themselves.

Please do it at home.

See? I wasn't kidding! The fine print says, "Please refrain from drunken behavior."

The other night, Robin and I guffawed our way home on the train, imagining the next few signs in this series. This politeness campaign has been getting more and more extreme each month. During this year the Metro Politeness Police have reminded people to put on make-up at home, be a slob at home, wave their umbrellas in the yard, dive for the train at the beach, carouse at the pub and now this! So our new catch phrase is "PLEASE do it at home!" (Our imaginary signs involve livestock, women shaving their legs and unmentionable body functions.) PLEASE do it at home.

Some people never grow up!

Engrish

I saw 2 funny things today. First, as I was walking to Robin's office building, I passed a window on which was painted the following words: "Innar Mongorian Eat and Bar."

And then later, in the subway I discovered the latest in the "Please do it at home" politeness posters in the metro subway stations. The latest one shows a drawn figure of a man passed out on a bench seat in a subway car. His clothes are rumpled, one shoe is off and there is a beer can on the floor. "Please do it at home." (No drunken behavior on the trains, please.) Too bad they can't ban the smell of the inebriated people on the trains morning and night!

Maybe the poster should say, "Please don't do this at all, folks."

Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving. This is me at a shrine part way up Takao-san Mountain. We stopped here to look at all the rocks that had prayers written on them. For only 100 yen (about a dollar) I added my wishes to the collection.

The day was damp and misty, but we had a perfectly great day with Beth and Hector.

Then it was off to the most magical place I have ever been...

Thanksgiving Dinner 2008

This is a magical world of garden paths, lanterns, burbling water, little glass Japanese houses and fabulous food. We had Thanksgiving dinner here, in our own little house. The air inside was warmed by a big bowl of charcoal set on the table, and a heater underneath. In this little house that overlooked the lovely gardens, we were served a multi-course meal.

Our dinner started with sesame tofu with wasabi, then we had a taro sweet potato for our second course, then smoked trout with vegetables, then mushroom soup, then Kobe beef with onions, then AFTER that, they brought a course with miso soup and rice. There was a bowl the server had with a yellowish stringy, slimy substance that I tried. I was the only one who tried it. (It had a slightly smoky flavor, was salty and was the consistency of mucus.) THEN, for dessert, our server brought little moochi balls covered in crushed walnut, sitting in a sweetish dark sauce.

Here is my impression of this memorable meal. Up until the the rice and miso soup, it was delicious and satisfying. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of miso soup and rice, but it was just not necessary at that point. I was getting full...A nice piece of fruit or a cookie would have been perfect. Always leave your audience wanting more, not wishing for less. How do the Japanese eat so much and stay so slim? As you can see, I've been packing on the pounds this fall.

More impressive is the atmosphere of this place. It is perfectly beautiful. The kimono clad servers, the lanterns, the bridges and trees, it is just other-worldly, and very peaceful. It's like stepping back in time. Definitely like stepping OUT of Tokyo. It was a Thanksgiving dinner like none other.